Usually my special-needs son goes to school with his brother, but on this particular Monday morning, my other son was out of town and I had the job of getting him to school. I always allow my special-needs son the privilege of rolling my briefcase that contains my laptop and very important schoolwork—the last year of my life’s research towards completing my master’s thesis project. I put my daughter in her car seat, zoomed around the backside of the van, and drove off. I dropped my daughter off, dropped my son off, looked in the back seat for something, and realized that my son and I didn’t take the time to put my briefcase in the car! Hysterical is where I could have gone, and would have gone, if I wasn’t in FA. My reaction was so different from how I used to react to other situations in my life.... Continue Reading
For the last two years, we have been trying to sell our house. I don’t need to tell anyone that it is clearly not a seller’s market. For this food addict, who likes to have things go her way and according to her time frame, this has been a most challenging time. It can be a real roller coaster ride. We get the call that someone is coming to look and we spiff the place up, clearing off surfaces, setting the table with a vase of flowers, vacuuming, dusting, and generally fluffing and buffing until it looks its very best. We go out so our realtor can show the house without the overly eager owners salivating on the back porch. Then we wait to hear the feedback. Our realtor calls, says the showing went well and the potential buyers loved the house, the setting, thought it was priced right, gorgeous... Continue Reading
Ten years ago, I reached a point where I almost gave up ever being able to control my weight. I had struggled with various diets for more than 50 years. I was about ready to say to hell with it and eat what I wanted, when I wanted it. If it killed me, so be it. (My doctor had assured me that it would kill me if I continued on the path I was on.) I had become so nasty, mean, and ugly that I couldn’t stand myself. I was continually angry with myself for failing the diet plans that I had started almost every Monday morning of my life. I was on many prescriptions, which only exacerbated my “don’t give a damn” outlook on life. I had dieted and exercised my way up to 452 pounds. My nephew, who was a surgeon in the Air Force, came home from Germany, took one look at me, and suggested that... Continue Reading
Trust God? Sure I trust God! I turn my life and will over to Him every day in my morning prayers. Then life happens and I fall into the old pattern of taking control and trying to fix things or run them my way. I say that I trust God, and on many levels I believe that I do, but deep down I still think I need to take care of things, just in case God doesn’t do it right (otherwise known as my way). I am finally seeing the places in my life where I need to let go, so that I can practice trusting God with every aspect of my life. A week ago, when my 10-year-old daughter came home from school, she realized that she had lost her homework folder somewhere between dismissal from school and home. She went into a fear-filled outburst. She had homework in... Continue Reading
As a child I grew very overweight. I was left home alone often and used food to suppress my feelings. If I felt anxious, excited, or overwhelmed, my first reaction would be to turn to food. I saw my father do the same thing with alcohol. Although it felt good in the moment, and I thought I was getting the comfort I needed, I was taking actions that had a negative effect on me. Kids on the school bus teased me. I could not wear normal-sized clothes and I would be embarrassed to take my T-shirt off in dance class. I felt horrible, and the more horrible I felt, the more I would eat. Once I started eating, I could not stop. I always wanted more. The only time I was not focused on food was in drama class or on stage. I got to adolescence and decided I wanted... Continue Reading
