Early morning meeting with my pana and OH sista....

Once again we are at Cody's for early 5 a.m. bkfast and a nice cup of café with my beautiful sista MSW Will Not Settle ... as she once again is in the area coming all the way from Georgia for her treatments as she battles for wellness with her non-WLS related medical issues ... I am just too happy to meet with her for an early morning chat and mutual encouragement as she prepares to tackle her treatments.... .. a strong and awesome woman with a positive outlook ... my hat off to her....

Me and my pana (pana is short for Panamanian) MSW has roots via parents from Panama also where I am originally from and where my entire family minus myself and kids and my uncle are .. DH is all American...

This is us this morning ... and I thought why not feature our a.m. picture in a collage us today in comparison with our before WLS pics.......


and a close up of two panas ... who met at an OH conference and have become IRL friends as well as sistas on the journey for health, longevity and quality of life ....  



Life often takes us places where we are not comfortable at .... I have found myself in some real battles ... my pillow can tell the tale of countless tears ... yet I embraced joy in the morning ... to awake another day, to carry my family through with minimal distress to them .... from the shut down of both my DHs kidneys to his transplant to his forefoot amputation I have had to buckle up and double up and work to bring my family forward and I did ... from my lumpectomy to multiple suspicious mammos and stereotactic biopsies and sentinel node ... from when my daughter took a fall and in my morbid obese state impeding my going up flights of stairs to assist her ....dragging myself up while the paramedics arrived to move me out of the way and get to her ... that there was a turning point for me ...  I have seen up close the perils of vascular disease... the lost toes, limbs and kidney and I a former diabetic did not want that for me ... with 5 co-morbidities left behind I have no intention of going back ... it has been 4 years and 2 months ... and I am so glad I changed my lifestyle by incorporating healthy eating habits and exercise ... it is worth it each and every day ...that I can live minus CPAP... minus GERD... minus hypertension, minus dyslipidemia and minus diabetes ... I love to have another day of health and mobility and quality of life with my family.... 

Life is so very short ... just a day ago a hit and run driver rammed into and totaled my DDs car and took off at full speed running a red light ... it happened so fast we did not see his plates even and he/she or whoever left bits and pieces and big chunks of their own car in its wake all the way down the street .... I have to look at the plus side ... that she was not in the car... no one was on the sidewalk or the intersection otherwise they would have been killed ...  that she has excellent insurance... a good job and the means to get another car ... even though she was not of the disposition of having another car note ... SIGH... but she is alive and well  today and I am happy... 

I will make joy happen to me today because tomorrow is not promised ... 

Have a wonderful day everyone ...  ..."there is misery and joy in equal parts in this world. Misery will find us if we make ourselves a target. Joy is just waiting for us to acknowledge it. I find joy every day in all parts of my life and I just let it happen to me. Misery is there but I'm sure as hell not going to invite it in".....

NO ONE KNOWS THE COST OF THE OIL IN MY BOX OF ALABASTER .... I DO... ... AND I CHOOSE TO EMBRACE JOY ... OVER MISERY.. ANY DAY.... like my sista and OH friend Fini says ... I just make it happen to me!!! 

 

Gorgeous....both of you...inside and out. There are people in this world who spread light and love and you are one of them. Rare indeed. Susan

 Thank you Susan .... there are great teachers out there ... any you are most definitely one of them .... A BEAUTIFUL SISTA ON THE JOURNEY .... Your light has inspired me in more ways than you ever know .... I would never have sat on a bike had I not read your postings....  Thank you so much for your inspiration and support ALWAYS....

Thanks Susan sweetie, much luv!         We must all forget about hiding out litght under a bushel and let it it shine.  Spreading light and luv is why we're all here.  Plus we enjoy good company when we meet.  Thanks for sharing the luv with us.