Celebrate!!!

Once upon a time, 7 years ago, actually. 😘 I was a girl so depressed with my life. I was pregnant with surprise baby #3, just moved to a place I didn’t want to be. I was coming off 3 glorious years of watching God move as my family broke out of their comfort zone living in South America. My dad said we’d never be the same when we left. I dismissed him as melodramatic but as usual he was right. Shortly after buying a home and finally getting us all back to some sort of normalcy, Christmas 2011 actually, we found out my Dad had Stage 4 lymphoma. Immediately the 700 mile trips began to MDAnderson. Suddenly, us being back here made more sense. Suddenly, me not going back to work made little more sense. Fast forward 7 months in 2012 I lost one of my best friends to metastatized breast cancer to the lungs. She was like a sister to me. I’d never known life without her. Even in all the miles that separated us, emails and calls were our thing. She was 37 years old, beautiful, and a mother of 3 young children. It rocked me to the core. I had a newborn. I had very little friends. I had long days of folding clothes, changing diapers, running carpools, helping my parents when they were in town, providing emotional support to them when they were not, being a wife, mom to older kids also going through reverse culture issues, and watching on Joyce Meyer Ministries, because frankly I was searching for answers. She gave answers. Practical ways to be in a relationship with Jesus in the muck. I grew up in the church. I had heard these things. Heck, I even led others in these things while serving on staff for a short year at St Mark’s before we moved and other women in Bible study in Argentina. But this time I was in a dark season. I had no clue who I was and why life had to be so cruel. I was mad. I was sad. This went on for almost 4 years. I even went on a mission trip during this time to Ecuador and it helped for a bit. Serving does that. But down deep it all felt like a waste. This Life. I ate my blues away. It was my comfort. I was gaining weight and rapid amounts now. 30lbs in one year. I kept a chronic cold, sinus infection. I kept chronic stomach issues. My sparkle was gone.

Then one day after my 6th trip to the doctor in 9 months, and my 4th round of antibiotics and steroids, I broke out in hives all over to what would be my 3rd allergic reaction to a 3rd antibiotic. I sat in the parking lot of that doctor and cried my eyes out. Lord- give me a new lease on life. Help me. I will say yes to whatever, just let it be your yes. Not Heather’s yes. Not the world’s idea of yes. Yours. That was November 2015. Life sucked. Only He could help me.

December 2016 He showed me a word, a concept, Jubilee. It was a year of extreme grace, restoration, resetting, and cancellation of debt for the people of Isrsel. (Leviticus 25). Enter Plexus literally January 2016 from someone who wasn’t even a friend at the time. Mindless scrolling here…. led me to her.

2016 was my year. Intentionality became my game. Learning how better gut health could help me was my first place. Probiotics, prebiotics, vitamins, magnesium, balanced blood sugar with this silly little kool-aid. I didn’t ask questions I just drank it. Back to working out. Back to stomaching (yes that was my attitude) vegetables and fruit and eating more protein than I could stand. I pounded water like it was my job. I took the kids to school. Ana to Day school for a few hours. And I spent those hours on my knees reading scripture. Lord, this is my year. Jubilee! The struggling non-focused girl was laser focused.

Dad entered the hospital again January of that year. More on that later, on the blog, as this is getting too long. But this would be the year from hell for him. He was out of the hospital 2 weeks in 8 months. We said goodbye to him at least 3 times. It was a season of excruciating pain for him with celulitis, leg wound infection, kidney failure, mental dementia that lasted 3 months, a stroke, hernia, bleeding ulcer, all with a compromised immune system from chronic lymphoma and congested heart failure. It was suffering at a level that will make a grown man beg to die. And he did. But he didn’t. God was not done.

So let’s say when I was approached to share my story of health restoration to the world, I was like uh no. Ain’t nobody got time for that. And then the Lord began to impress on me. What if this is not about you, Heather. Our convos went like this. Really Lord? Really Heather. Really Lord? It’s a network marketing company. I hate to sell. No one likes to be sold to. I’m a professional educated woman. Well, used to be! Ha? Don’t box me in he’d reply. Ugh. Audibly? No. But in my head these were the convos. And one night after this dialogue I saw a plaque on my shelf. It read “Yes, Lord.”I remembered that November 2015 convo. I knew. And there, a few days later, I stepped outside my biggest comfort zone… I made my first post about my journey.

And the next two years would be a ride like none other. Intentional growth has been my MO. Books. Scripture. Worship. Podcast. Being coached. Busting through fears. Busting bad habits. Failing forward. Dreaming again. Prayer. Tears. Prayer. Celebration. More Prayer. It’s all happened, still happening…

Do you know who you are?

How you need to grow to change?

How to begin a journey to be the very best version of who you are?

Are you coachable?

Have you asked a dear friend to help you see what areas you need to change in your life to stamp out things that don’t benefit you or your dreams well?

So this is outside my comfort zone to post a silly self-absorbed selfie of me with my pink drink. But you know what? Today, on this Friyeh, I’m celebrating…

I’m not the girl I used to be at all, hallelujah! And even more worth celebrating, you don’t have to be either, if you don’t want to be!

I’m not even celebrating or selling you the Pink. Although it’s pretty awesome! I’m celebrating and selling you the idea that there is a God of the universe that loves you so very much. He sees your pain. He hears your prayers. His answers might be right there, just not in the package you thought them to be in. He might be waiting on you to act. His dreams for you might not be your dreams. But I’m here to tell you they are better. Surrender. Don’t box Him in. Open your mind. Open your heart. Let Him begin a good work in you…

He loves you. He wants for you more than you want for yourself too. Yes, He does. Believe.

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