Don't Let Go of the Good Things

I remember laying awake at night wondering if this was really what God planned for me. and if it was, why me? But if it wasn't, what do I do to make it right? I cried a lot and prayed more. I surrendered and he drew near. I felt a peace.

And then, my life fall apart around me and I realized I let work take the very things I loved away from me. You see how God did that. I had peace right before the storm. That's how he works. He prepared me for the storm that I didn't see coming but I was ready. I had to make a change. Work wasn't really the problem as much as my desire to hide. The more I worked, the less I had to be alone. The less I had to make friends. The less I had to confront life. Work has always been easier than dealing with real life. Since I started working at 15, I packed my days with no time to enjoy what I loved or anything else in my life. Every minute of every day was scheduled, so there was no time for spontaneity. No time to pause, to listen, to meet a friend, to just be me. The me who loved my family, who loved teaching, who loved the outdoors, and who loved to dance.

When the world around me got ugly, I knew something had to give and I had to give something. I never saw it coming, only thinking I was doing what I needed to do, telling myself it was for the family. But what they needed was me. Not money, not stuff, but my time and my presence.

Whatever it is that keeps you from being present, stop it.

If your kids are older, they need you more than ever. They need you to be around for those spontaneous bad days, breakups and hard decisions. They need you to share their excitement about a new job, help them with an assignment at school or even just to hash out life's frustrations and joys.

If your husband is distant, he needs you to draw close. When we are most afraid, we drift, we hide and sometimes we even get a little edgy. Look past it, and love on him.

If your friends stop calling, go to them. Call, write, message or Facetime if they are far away. There is nothing better than hearing from a friend when you are doing life and busy as ever. When you feel you can't add another meeting, it is the best time to make a connection and become human and share life with someone who cares about you for you.

I have learned that some of my greatest losses were my greatest needs.

Hebrews 10:24-25

"And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Love wins! Or so I thought.

Back in January I ventured out to post 365 days of love and it only took a month before I fell off the wagon. I can't remember exactly what happened, but I wasn't feeling the love anymore.

It could have been something someone said or did.
It could have been something I felt or assumed.
It could have been nothing.

Nevertheless, I let it go and ignored it. I allowed "it" to get in the way of my attitude. How often do we set out to make good and someone else messes up our plan? How often do we have good intention and someone else comes in with negativity?

It always gets me when I allow someone else to ruin my day or affect my attitude for no reason. But if I had been focused on others rather than myself, I wouldn't have let it get to me. I wouldn't have quit on love.

Sometimes we have to push through our own insecurities to let love win. What is getting at you today? Move on, you be you, and let your love affect others rather than letting them affect you.

1 Peter 4:8

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.

The Choice is Yours

I have always searched for and worked to be my healthiest self. Since I was a freshman in high school, or maybe even younger, I was self conscious about my weight and my looks. Somewhere in my life I learned that I needed to lose weight. My best friend in junior high had legs that would both fit in one leg of my pants and they'd still be baggy, and she had that dip in her waist on both sides. My sides flowed a bit over the jeans, so I never worn jeans, always a dress or skirt. I wrapped a towel around my waist at the beach to cover my rear and legs, only to take it off when I was laying down and I definitely, made sure I spent at least an hour fixing my hair every morning. Sometimes throwing a brush when things didn't go quite well.

The grapefruit diet, Weight Watchers, Jazzercise, and Bally's. Each one promising the right body, the right food. I was young, but the adults were doing it, so I must as well. We learn from a young age what is acceptable and what is not. My hair, my rear and my legs needed some work.

As a junior in high school, I hit the weights at the gym often, started teaching aerobics and fought to eat right when my friends were putting down Big Macs and pizza on a Friday night after the football game. It's been a battle since I can remember.

The funny thing is, when I look back at pictures, the image I had then is hardly the image I see in photos. So, where does it come from?

There are a lot of messages here we could talk about, but what I want to focus on is how my image shifted from losing weight to being healthy. After spending so much energy on losing weight, I realized that exercising and eating healthy actually made me feel better. Healthy doesn't just mean what we eat and drink, but how we feel and how we interact with others.

It is time we all think about how our self-image is affected by those around us and how we affect those we encounter every day. God created us to be in His image, and so we must take care of ourselves to reflect His glory and goodness. We cannot let others determine our worth and value but instead, find the things we love that make us better for the Kingdom. Today, I take care of my body because I want to live my best life and feel good doing it. I want to share with others the stories of heartache and survival, of struggle and success and finally, that we have a choice to live an abundant life.

1 Corinthians 13:12

For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

Steak and Eggs and Cheese, Oh my!

It's simple. I have never been much of a meat eater. My German roots would say I should be a cheese eater, and I don't much like that either. But Greek yogurt, eggs and protein shakes were a fav of mine. In a typical week, I probably ate at least 5 eggs and drank a protein shake almost daily.

After reading Omnivore's Dilemma and Fast Food Nation several years ago for a class I was teaching, I have struggled with the politics and disgust of the meat industry. It made me think about a lot of things related to health, so our family switched to grass-fed meat and pasture-raised eggs. Trying our best to eat the best possible resources available without killing it ourselves, we thought we were on the right track. We cut the dairy to small amounts and focused on more veggies and eating at home more often. 

And then, our son wanted to go vegan to lose weight, but it was difficult for all of us to adjust, so we didn't. After he went back to eating what we ate, it got me thinking that maybe he was on to something. Not because I wanted to lose weight but maybe the vegan life offered something I had secretly wanted for all the years we had tried to eat healthy in our current corrupt food industry. So, I bit the bullet. And then a few months later, so did my husband, and a week later, the whole family jumped on board. 

This is the beginning of a journey I want to share with those who may be considering the plant-based lifestyle, or simply cutting meat or dairy a few days a week. It has only been three weeks since our family has all jumped on board, but so far, we are trying new things, feeling great and a few pounds have been shed. The eggs have been traded in for oatmeal, fruit and granola, and the protein replaced with plant-based protein and several options for yogurt alternatives that are so yummy!

This past week, we have had frankfurters, enchiladas, and burgers. Here's a sneak peek of a few other yummy treats from our kitchen...

  Almond-Banana Granola

 

Asian-Inspired Salad
 with Peanuts

I am not totally sure where this will go, but I know we are having fun and feeling great doing it! There are so many options and so many things to explore in the kitchen. If you have tried plant-based meals, I would love to hear what has worked for you.