January 15th... Freezing rain has arrived and every surface outside is like an ice rink. I hear a strange sound while sleeping and wonder what the little man who is being babysat by his precious grandma has dropped. Oh.. he didn't drop anything. There is a knock at my bedroom door.
My friend comes in and gently lets me know that my rental car has been hit. WHAT? Are you kidding? I get out of bed. I look out the window and the front bumper is on the ground. I start crying in the squeaky voice that is cold has left me. It's a rather pathetic cry. I am sure you wouldn't even recognize it as a cry, but I can tell you, I wanted to crawl up in a ball in the corner and just disappear. This is too much! I can't do this.
I calm down and watch the ice rink outside the window. Oh... oh... NO! Another car hit my rental car. No way!?!?! I let the people downstairs know. I am in shock. What is my rental company going to do to me? I didn't buy their collision insurance package.
Not 10 minutes later another car has been hit. Now there are four cars sitting out front battered. We are all in shock. My friend's husband calls 911 to get the police out to the house. Is this really happening?
My friend's husband is a champ, taking care of all of the details that I would have needed. THANK YOU!!!! I thank God for all that you did to take care of the situation. You were awesome to watch as you loved on the people involved.
All day long I was "talking" with someone from the rental car agency checking in to see how things were going.. and if the new car had been delivered. As nice as that is, it was getting really annoying. The first tow truck driver messed up and didn't bring the new car when he came to pick up the damaged car.
Hours... HOURS later the new car was brought, but in the midst of the whole tow truck drama, I had the chance to talk to one tow truck drive, Marcel, and I even was prompted to pray with this man. God.. You love him! Thank you for his gentle heart as he was checking in on me. Bless him and keep him.
A divine appointment that wouldn’t have happened if the rental car didn’t get hit. A silver thread of God with Marcel. So many divine appointments today! My friends meeting those that were involved in the accidents and those people being blessed with kindness and love. They won’t forget what they experienced from my friends.. the love of God. We just don’t know who was in need today.. and how God met those needs. More silver threads of God for sure.
“Everybody needs compassion, love that’s never failing; let mercy fall on me,” from Mighty to Save.January 16th... My bottom lip blows up with a row of fever blisters. Oh this is just getting crazy!!
Still WHOLE30 strong!! Susie.. you are worth it!
January 17th... I am talked into going to the doctor to check for influenza. My nurse, Kim, remembers me from when I lived in Denver. She shares her life story of the past four months. I stare at her and groan in shock. Her horrific experiences.. I can't even begin to imagine how she is doing in her heart. God.. this is why I am here at the doctor's office... to connect with her! We exchanged info so we can stay in touch after I return to NZ.
Here is an obvious silver thread from the Lord. He will do whatever He wants to touch people's lives. He knew that I was okay, but He wanted Kim to know that she wasn’t alone, that He is there in the midst of her chaos. We may not understand why things are going the way they are, but can you see the silver thread of God in it somewhere? Can you see Him making connections with people you wouldn’t have otherwise connected with?
January 19th... Feeling better and I visit with dear friends at Calvary Aurora. Andrew and I are blessed by this church! Thank you for everything!!
January 20th... I start the journey back to New Zealand and I am feeling pretty good. On my first flight the gals in my row are so worried about getting sick so I wear a mask. The gal beside me pulls out her own mask and then the gal against the window puts on a bandanna to protect herself from germs. It's not just about my germs, but about the germs on the plane.
My flight from Houston is uneventful but very long... 15 hours! I met a great flight attendant and by the end of the flight, I give him a hug. Another potential silver thread of God.
I finally meet Andrew at Taupo airport while wearing a mask. It had "I love you" written over the mouth area. It is so good to be reunited with him!
January 24th... Relapse... sickness has returned. Bed rest here I come! I am still not willing to bend... WHOLE30 strong!
January 30th... final day of first round of Whole30 and I am nervous and excited. I haven't been on the scale since December 31st. I wonder what it will look like since over half of my Whole30 was spent in bed. Oy!! I've been asked how I feel from doing the Whole30... I can't tell. I've been so sick. I will definitely do another round of Whole30 to see what it is really like.
I am nervous about what life will look like after this round. I've been eating without any tummy aches unless there was something in the food that I didn't know was there.. and that happened a few times.
Whole30 talks about non-scale victories (NSV). This is where you see changes in your body after doing the program for 30 days. They even want you to do a quick checklist before you weigh in so you can see other changes than the number on the scale. Here are my NSVs for this round:
- No more mid-day slump
- I need less sugar or rather... I crave sugar less.
- Healthy eating habits have brought my family together... Andrew and I have fought through this and made it to the end. Love you, babe!
- I have a flatter stomach
- My clothes fit better
- I have less painful joints
- I have fewer PMS symptoms (much to my surprise)
- I experience less back and knee pain
- I have improved circulation (my hands and feet weren't cold in Denver - until I got sick)
- Improved self-confidence (After having the month I did and remained Whole30 compliant... I have no more excuses!!)
- I have a healthier relationship with food
- I learned how to read a label even more (We have A LOT of sugar in food)
- I listen to my body
- I am no longer afraid of dietary fat (Nuts, oils, avocados)
- I no longer use food for comfort
So I got on the scale... what was I hoping for? Did I achieve it? I hoped for a 10 pound loss but got a 9 pound loss. I have to remember that it was without one single workout that I had that loss. Next time will be very very different.
Now what? I am not interested in going back to the way I ate before. What do I eat now? I love the idea of going paleo... which is a little more relaxed than Whole30, but still no grains or legumes. I am gluten and dairy free already so that is not a biggie for me. Okay.. next journey begins.. Paleo!
January was filled with struggles, but I can clearly see the silver threads of God through each crazy experience. I am reminded that God is a good God and I was always safe. He used my life in ways I would have never imagined to make His presence known to others. I am not my own and may God continue to receive the glory for everything!
I look forward to heaven and seeing what this trip was really all about. Whose life or lives changed for the better as they chose to let God love them. The ripple effect will be quite interesting to see. God will use every situation in our lives to reach out to others. God will use my brokenness to touch lives and reveal His presence. He loves you! He really does!
“My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber.”
Psalm 121:2-3
I love you and thank you for praying for me when all of this was happening. It was hard on Andrew not being able to be there to comfort me. Please pray that I continue to heal as my body is still fighting this nasty virus or whatever it is. Pray that we both have the needed energy for this semester as it is going to be a good one, but very busy.
Blessings to you and yours....
Dawn
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