A celebration and a bit about me

My mom passed away twelve years ago today. She had been suffering for about four months and was ready to go. Today, instead of being sad, I'm going to celebrate her life and honor her. She raised four pretty wonderful kids pretty much on her own. She was a wonderful mother and my best friend. Her passing has been the most difficult thing in my life to deal with as it left a huge gaping hole that still has not been filled. She was always there for me, lifting me up when I was down; laughing with me, crying with me, encouraging, and supporting me even when she disagreed with me. She helpd to mold me into the person I am today and for that I am eternally grateful. So today, instead of mourning that she's no longer here with me, I am going to honor her by remembering the wonderful times we shared. I'm going to remember her smile and the love she had for me. I'm going to remember how much sacrificed that I might live a better life. I'm going to cherish every moment spent with her. God bless you, Mom. You're missed but NOT forgotten!

Now ... in a group I belong to, we've been talking about our physical appearances and body distortion. In an effort to see the positive, someone asked us to post one physical characteristic we like about ourselves and why. She also asked us to post five non-physical characteristics we like about ourselves and why. The following was my reply to that request.

My favorite physical characteristic about myself is my fingernails. I know you're laughing, but it's true. I have nice natural nails that, when painted with clear nail polish, look like I've had a French manicure. I've gotten comments on them and people think they're fake, but they're mine. I keep them neatly trimmed and shaped (especially important for all the time I'm tapping on my keyboard).

Five non-physical characteristics that I like about myself and why ...

1. I am who I am. I never pretend to be someone I'm not. When people meet me, they are meeting the genuine me. I figure people will either like me or not and that's okay with me.

2. I care about others and treat them as I would want to be treated. I'm quite proud of this. So many go out of their way to hurt other people and it's not necessary. We all know we're far more critical of ourselves than anyone else ever can be. Treat others the way you'd want to be treated or the way you'd want your family to be treated and the world will be a better place.

3. I am a loyal friend who can be trusted. I treasure my friendships with others.

4. I am a good listener who uses active listening skills so I know I'm getting the whole story. I can give opinions and advice and not have my feelings hurt if others don't listen to what I have to say. Sometimes I'm right and sometimes I'm wrong. Either way, I do the best I can do in any given situation to help others.

5. I know who I am and where I'm going. I know that I am going to reach my goal one day. I realize it's not ever going to be as quickly as I want, but I can live with that because every day I'm working on it. I'm not going to give up. I'm determined to succeed with this weight loss and be in total control of my life. I'm proud of my accomplishments and have no problem sharing them with others. If I don't tell my story, someone else may not know that they can be successful, too. Every day I'm happy to wake up, breathing and healthy enough to live another day. I'm thankful for the little bit I have and know that it's enough. I may not have everything I want, but I do have everything I need. I have my faith and it never wavers though I may slip toward doubt a little bit from time to time as everyone does. I come back with renewed faith every time, though.