A Good Woman, a Good Life; a Great Lesson.
Today I attended the funeral of a local woman who lost her 4.5 year battle w/ a brain tumor. My 14 yr old son Clark was a classmate of her elder son so we knew each other only through our infrequent school-mom-sports-fan connection since the boys were in Kindergarten but everytime that I had the pleasure of talking with her I found her to be one of the most genuine and lovely women I have ever met. Obvious by the packed church, I was not alone in my admiration for this woman. She not only lived a wonderful life, she also fought her illness with dignity, determination and strength. She left behind a great example of how to live as a good person and how to die surrounded by a life of love. In addition to caring for her health condition for the past 4.5 years, her middle son has been fighting Lukemia for 5+ years. So much for one family to contend with.
My reason for sharing this story with you is this, at the funeral, the woman who eulogized her mentioned a few things about the last months of her life that stood out to me and made me think. She mentioned someone bringing donuts and the very ill woman ate three, that she loved to watch the food network and every day for the last month of her life she enjoyed a Steak n' Shake lunch of burger, fries and chocolate milkshake.
The Tim McGraw song "Live like you are dying" came to my mind. I heard that on the radio the other day and really listened to it--it may be one of the best songs ever written (and sung!). Basically, the message is what would you if you found out you didn't have long to live?
My mission in life, my passion is to help the morbidly obese, the seriously overweight and yes, even the woman who hates her thighs, to lose weight. NOT for the end goal of looking svelte in a bikini but rather to avoid the disease and early death that obesity and excess weight inevitably bring. 300,000 people died last year directly due to Obesity related causes--OBESITY was written on their death certificate as the cause of their death. Another 2.6 million people, obesity contributed to their premature deaths.
My friend was not obese, probably she would have said she was one of the many women who would love to lose some weight, but it wasn't what she obsessed over like so many do. A brain tumor is what is likely listed on her death certificate as the cause.
The cause.
Obesity may be listed as "the cause" on so many death certificates, but it's a condition like a tumor, like Lukemia and like so many other diseases--but I ask you to think for a moment--WHAT causes them? Today so many people are getting cancer, tumors, diabetes, heart disease, and other horrible diseases. WHY?
I think it has to be in some way tied to the foods we consume, the beverages we drink and the lifestyles we lead. This is NOT to say the individual is to "blame" for an illness but rather can we PREVENT such horrible illnesses from attacking our bodies in the first place and after being diagnosed, can we help lessen the affect by our actions?
1Twelve years ago I thought I had a tumor on the base of my neck. Mine turned out to be a fat deposit. A humiliating diagnosis and I will admit that for a brief second, I actually wished the doctor would have declared it a tumor rather than something I caused. I know that had I been given a terminal diagnosis considering my then unhealthy lifestyle or lack of awareness of what nutrition means to our health; I would have opted to continue eating the foods that I loved; ice cream, McDonalds, Coke and candy (my biggest "vices" for sure!) and would have certainly continued to plan my days around what was on TV; but now, knowing what I know I am sure that if I am ever given a diagnosis of something terminal I would respond much differently.
As the song says, I would go sky diving, Rocky Mountain Climbing, heck, even 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fu Manchu. I would look deeper, love sweeter and give forgiveness and I would get IV's of whole food nutrients from fruits and vegetables. I wouldn't eat ice cream, I wouldn't get within 100 yards of a McDonalds and the only Coke I would consider would be in codiene to lessen pain!
I mentioned nutrition to this woman 2 years ago. I gave her a CD about a woman who totally turned her health around after developing cancer and she did it by changing her "DIET"--not going "ON" the Aktins Diet, calling Jenny or even heading to South Beach. NO, she did it be changing her nutrition and her lifestyle. That is exactly what I try to get people to do, as I KNOW that fast food, soft drinks and television are the 3 biggest contributors to the Obesity Pandemic.
I reiterate. My mission and my purpose is NOT to get you into a thong bikini but to get you and keep you as optimally healthy as possible for as long as possible.
In the service today ,our priest talked about the Smucker's segment w/ Willard Scott on the Today show which celebrates people who are 100+ years old. He wondered why some people live so long, and others lives are cut painfully and tragically short. He said maybe it is because they lived so well while here for a short time that their work was done. I think he is right. HOW we live matters so much more than what we acquire whether measured in years or in possessions; but to give my two cents worth:
Please, live like you are dying.
Live desperately thinking what can I possibly do today that will improve my health, lengthen my life and give me more time to do this thing called "LIFE" right.
And, you don't see many morbidly obese people on the back of Willard Smith's Smuckers jars. We call it Morbid Obesity for a reason. It kills and I don't want it to get anyone who reads this. If reading this makes you think twice about what you put in your body, what nutrition you nourish your body with and maybe, just maybe makes you also think about your soul and how you can also live more like Christ, then the tears I am shedding while writting mean something.
Ask my how I can help you live a more healthful and hopefully longer life--I am determined to help you do it if you ask! Julia@JuliaHavey.com
Respectfully,
Julia
ViceBusting...everything else is just a diet!
http://www.vicebustingdiet.com