Thank You

Two words seem so insignificant, but so many dear friends left comments and memories about my last post that may or may not have made me a little teary eyed. I am definitely blessed to have come in contact with so many amazing, beautiful, charming, funny, genuine people in my life. This is just a small way to say thank you for your kind words. I know that there are so many of my friends who relate to so much what I wrote about on my last post and no matter the stage of life we are in, I think it's important to continually draw strength and courage from each other so keep up the positive self talk everyone!!!

I believe one of the greatest blessings in my life have been people. I love people. Some of my favorite experiences in life were moving to new places, making new friends, and learning from people who had so many perspectives and experiences that opened my eyes to new things. I have life-long friends from my college years, my high school years, my many summers in Jackson Hole, and just the people along the way I meet at different jobs, churches, gigs, etc. I could list hundreds of people that I love and have memories that mean so much to me. I could spend hours and hours naming and reminiscing about these people, but instead I keep these memories dear to my heart.

This blog has helped me release a lot of deep feelings and things that may have been surprising to some of my dear friends. One thing about me is that despite my struggles and despite the pain I have felt in my life, I have always wanted to do what I could to be happy. I have always had joy and happiness in my life but the pendulum of life takes us from highs to lows and that is just part of the human experience. Ultimately I have lived a wonderful life full of laughter and happiness and plan to continue living that way for many many more years. Along the way I will stumble and have demons to confront but I won't let them stop me from progressing and pursuing things that make me happy and are challenging.

I have found more strength in myself these last few weeks. As I've eliminated the crutch of food I believe I am freeing myself from negative self-talk. I am freeing myself from habits that bring about guilt and shame. I am finding hope again which will also build my own personal confidence. I think that freeing myself from my dependancy on food allows me to grow and mature and develop habits and coping mechanisms that actually help me!!!

I know that my Hashimoto's disease and other minor health issues have had a big impact on my health and weight but I still consider myself a food addict. For that reason I know that I will always have to keep that addiction in check. It doesn't mean I will be perfect, but I need to be strong as an individual in order to remain abstinent from damaging behaviors. I am learning how to do this little by little and continuing to build my self-esteem and confidence is huge. I have always thought of myself as a confident person but like everyone, there are always those little insecurities that seem to trap you and hold you back. I believe that slowly and surely I will learn how to continually reject the lies of the adversary and believe that I have infinite worth and I have all the strength and potential to conquer whatever weaknesses I have. With the Lord, ALL things are possible, even overcoming an unhealthy relationship with food and even discovering your own worth. Thanks for reading.