THANKS FOR YOUR VOTE!!!

For the fifth time in 6 years, Body Perfections has been voted Best of West Michigan by the readers of the Holland Sentinel. Since I am the only full-time therapist, am now in my 13th year ( a Baker's dozen!), and I do about 85-90% of the massages at Body Perfections, my bosses have told me that I should take this award personally! So, I, in turn want to thank all of you who voted for Body Perfections and for me personally to receive this honor. I also want to say a thank-you to the therapists who work with me. At this point in my career there is no way I could cover the entire book by myself, not to mention taking time off for weekend classes and the occaisional vacation and/or Saturday off. Cathy has been with me over 10 years and has been a great partner and helper, friend, and a great therapist in her own right.

I have also appreciated the efforts of Melissa over the past couple years while she has been attending Hope College. The support has been very needed and I do thank her for being part of the team.

To all my loyal clients, many of you have been with me for most of those 13 years, I just want to say that working with you has been a pleasure and a privilege. I have shared many life events with you and you with me. The relationship has gone way beyond just providing a service or just being a job, a way of earning a living. I have loved my life and my career at Body Perfections and there were many times in the last decade plus that being at Body Perfections with all of you has been an anchor for me. No matter what was going on in my life~raising kids, marriage, divorce, graduation, the birth of my grandson, you have walked beside me. I hope that you have felt my presence in your lives as well. As I begin to wind down my years as a massage therapist and prepare to transition into another profession, it is very affirming to have received this honor so many times over the years. Thank-you so much for your unflagging support! I am very motivated to continue growing, learning, and becoming a better therapist and a better person in general. It has been such a privilege to serve in this way and I am looking forward to spending the next year or two yet serving as your massage therapist and friend. Be sure to look for the publication of the awards soon in the Holland Sentinel. Blessings to all and thanks again for helping me be successful in a career I love!

Wrestling with mortality

The past week has been somewhat of an emotional roller coaster ride. Many of you are aware that my parents are older-soon to be 91, in fact. I was the baby in my family and my parents had me late in life. I was the ooops! Many of you also know that my dad's health has been poor for quite some time. Like anyone his age, he has his bad days and his good days. Lately, though, it has been more of a struggle and we have had some big scares. This past week was especially tentative.

I know that I have been blessed to have my parents so long. I am especially thankful that both my parents are Christians and I can relax about their final destination because I know it will be in the presence of God.

I know that it is such a blessing that my dad is not in pain and suffering from some horrible disease such as cancer. Most of the time, he is oriented and knows everyone, knows where he is, etc.

I know that my dad has made his peace with God and everybody else. He is calm and assured. He is ready to go whenever God calls his name.
But...

No matter how hard I try, I am still wrestling with accepting the inevitable loss of my parents. I know it's coming. I know that God loves all of us, knows what He's doing, is merciful and gracious and will not take us a minute before our appointed time. Still...I think it's because death seems so permanent from this side. We don't like to be separated from people we love. Also, your parents are sort of like the guiding constellations. Through every event of my life so far, my parents have been there. The thought of them not being feels awful to me! I can't imagine my life without them. I feel like part of me will be lost because they are part of my identity. I think I will feel like an orphan. I know this is selfish and I need to get ahold of myself and get it together before it happens but this is REALLY BIG! When the time comes, I hope my Dad goes quietly and peacefully in his sleep. I hope he can just slip away to God. I hear and see his weariness and his readiness to depart. I know that death is part of life and it is normal and natural. This week my dad seems to be doing better. I'm breathing a sigh of relief for now...and asking God to help me accept the mortality that we all must face. Part of me, the selfish part, hopes that he makes it to his 91st birthday at the end of this month. I hope I get another face-to-face visit in with him this spring. Every day is a gift. Every moment is precious. All the while I know that it is not in my domain to choose~I must accept.

A Pound of Cure: K. I. S. S.

We all know what that acronymn stands for. Usually. But at weight loss church last night we found out another application. We say: Keep It Simple and Sustainable! I can appreciate that...I'm having a really hard time right now on my journey. This is the 10-pound span of weight that I struggle with EVERY time~my body just fights to keep me here. I'll go up, then go down. Usually what ends up happening is that I eventually get discouraged, quit, and go back to my old lifestyle and eating habits. Well, not this time! If I'm still stuck next week, I'm going to ask for help in my meeting. I'm pretty sure that someone else out there has done battle with what I'm calling a "set point". Meantime, I'm continuing to follow the eating plan, drink my water, take my vitamin, and exercise daily. Incase you can't tell, I went up this week. By 1.6 pounds. However, last time that happened I just hung in there and was down 5.2 pounds the next week. So, I'm going to ignore the numbers for now and shift my focus from a particular goal to just really focusing in on following the plan to the letter. I'm going to tighten up on my tracking and journaling this week. Even though I feel as if the weight gain this week was water, I'm going to try to be very careful and consciencious this week just to be sure I'm doing everything I can on my end to be successful. In the meeting we discussed exactly that: the seven steps for success.

1. Look up the points values of foods before you eat them.
2. Choose filling foods first.
3. Follow the GOOD HEALTH GUIDELINES. If you're curious....you should join!!
4. Use your weekly points allowance.
5. Keep track of everything you eat or drink!
6. Pay attention to portion sizes.
7. Take note of your body's hunger signals.

See why I love Weight Watchers so much? There's always something great to be had by going there! Onward...

Just notice

I wasn't super thrilled when I got up Sunday morning and found that everything was encased in ice from the freezing rain that hit us overnight. I've decided that freezing rain is my least favorite form of precipitation. The driveway was an ice skating rink. Just the kind of place a clumsy person like me should stay away from! But I was determined to make it to church, so I chipped the ice away from my car and forged on...While I was de-icing, it struck me how beautiful everything was...in a way. Shiny and shimmery. Like crystal. When I got home from church,  it was warm and cozy in the great room when I came through the door. A nice fire was going in the woodstove and I had made a batch of vegetable beef soup in the crock pot before I left. It smelled delicious. It was delicious. It warmed me down to my toes. After lunch I drove through downtown Holland on my way to the library. Many of the Christmas decorations were still up and some of the shops were just opening for the afternoon. A peaceful, meandering collection of folks lined the streets, walking and talking and laughing. Some were holding hands. A few were walking their dogs or pushing strollers. All bundled up but enjoying the day and the few streaks of sunshine that peeked through every now and then. The library was full of studious, nerdy looking people and families picking out books. I had some things to print out.It was interesting, familiar and comfortable there. I've been spending a lot of time at the library for research during my classes. This is beginning to feel like my home away from home. I like being there. It feels and smells smart there.  All those books and magazines, videos, and cd's.  Ditto the gym, which is where I went next. There is an atmosphere that has a life of its own. My little group of contemporaries that always seem to be there working out together was assembled and going full speed. We love to watch HGTV while we sweat...we hate it when someone gets the remote and makes us watch QVC or reruns of Rosanne for two hours! At home, I had a really nice conversation with my parents and then friends came over to spend the evening. I have been noticing lately how often I am smiling about things. I have picked up on so many things that make me happy, bring me joy. It can be really little things like the warmth of a fire on a cold day, or the feeling of belonging that you get driving through your town and going to familiar places. It can be just noticing how lovely even an ice-covered driveway is. I have taken about half the Christmas decorations down and put them away. I put the cranberry and popcorn strands off the tree onto another tree in the yard so the birds could eat them. It made me feel good that I was feeding the birds. Is this weird? Does everyone think and feel things like this? Or am I finally just getting it? Or am I losing it? It seems like a good thing. People say they have noticed me being a lot happier these days than they have ever seen me before. There are so many great things to notice if we will. And it doesn't even cost money! Can't beat that! You know what? If it makes me happy and it makes me smile, who cares if it sounds kooky? It's ok to be a little off...

The Path I Walk: A Bridge

I'm a little behind this year already! Takes talent~it's only day 4! Normally, I spend New Years Day reflecting on the year past and plotting my course for the coming year. I decided to just spend New Years Day kickin' it with Tyl and Jayden and a good thing it was, too! My time was better spent enjoying the company of my family. I haven't made resolutions anyway for at least the past few years. I am having more revelations than resolutions! I have realized over the years that my list of goals remain fairly constant. The things that are still relevant and valid for the person I am today get carried on to the next year. Goals that were a passing fancy tend to drop off. Don't take this to mean that every year I write the exact same list because I never do any of it...I do. But, some goals I have come to see as lifelong processes. Other items just take a long time to work into all the other stuff we call life: working, caring for a home, running errands, having a family, paying bills, etc. Some examples are things like spiritual growth, education, health habits, exercise, writing, travel, time for hobbies and interests. Clearly, I am making progress along a continuing path. I am working on the consistency of my prayer and devotional life. I have been exercising regularly. I am going to Weight Watchers. I am continuing to do school. This year I am one year closer to my Masters degree. No need to resolve anything. It is a realization that these behaviors need to continue and to be fine-tuned and improved upon as possible. Standards need not be set ridiculously high since I have learned that slow and steady wins the race. I have learned to pace myself. I will get there eventually if the pursuit is a worthy one and part of that which abides and not that which comes and goes.So, I am making the transition between 2008 and 2009 much like walking across this bridge. It has been a natural progression.A continuation of the same journey.
Today at church we talked about putting the past year into three words. My three words were: Loss~Acceptance~Progress. That pretty much sums up the main phases of the year 2008. Not a bad year. I got my feet under me. I got going. Now I feel that I have good momentum to carry me ahead in 2009. Corporately as a church we discussed three words: Simple~Focused~Relational. We discussed these words in the context of our mission as a church community which is to love God and love people. Pastor Steve just talked about letting go and simplifying in order to prioritize how we spend our time, attention, and resources. To keep focus and to not allow ourselves to lose sight of the two key goals of loving God and loving others. This should be the point of just about all we do. In the area of being relational, this means not only within our own VP community but in our own families, to our neighbors, coworkers, community and whomever God brings across our paths in the process of life. Pretty clear, concise directive for 2009 I would say! Easier said than done. I am going to challenge myself this year to keep that mission in the forefront of my life: LOVE GOD & LOVE PEOPLE!

Recap 2008

Of course, you knew it was coming...how could I let an opportunity like this pass? Here's a couple YouTubes to put the year past into perspective for us:

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!

New Years Eve took me and my collection of friends to several different locations! First stop, Nykerk's to see Rach and her clan and to visit my blog buddy Carol of News from the Northwest. I made two new blog buddies while I was there. Watch for their blogs to turn up shortly on my list...

Second stop took us to the FOP to share some time, a few kibbles and toddies, some laughs and music with our friends there.

Last stop before home took us downtown to the Caragh~where we met up with the livliest group yet...and very good dancers!

Hope everyone had a fun and save New Years Eve and got a good start to 2009!