Monday, Monday

A little dose of encouragement to get you through the week?  How about “Jump in where you are”?  I love this saying from good ole flylady.net.  No matter what you need to do around the house, the office, your hobby space – just jump in.  Start where you need to and do what you can.  Another great encourager for me is when I think a job will take too long, I break out my timer, yup my kitchen timer, and set it to 15 minutes.  It is amazing what you can get done in just 15 minutes.  I know now that it take me about 3 and half minutes to unload the dishwasher.  That’s it!  I used to dread that job now I love it.

You want to start working out or just doing a simple walk around the neighborhood?  Set a timer for 7 minutes, start your walk and when it beeps turn around and come back.  This is especially helpful if you are really out of shape or recovering from an injury or surgery.  You may feel you want to do more, but 15 minutes is probably a good starting point.  If that is too much then set the timer for 5 minutes.  The thing I love about this is you are doing something.  You are trying to do better and that can make all the difference in the world.

So as the busy, crazy holiday season quickly approaches us, set that timer and jump in where you are.  You can do it!  I’ll be doing it too.  Let me know what area you are going to tackle this week.  We can cheer each other on.

Have a great week everyone!

For a special treat, watch Mamas & Papas serenade us http://youtu.be/h81Ojd3d2rY

Monday Monday…

A new week…new beginnings….I turn 40 on Friday!!!  AAACCCCKKKKK! To me age is just a number so no big deal.  Today is Monday and encouragement day.

A friend of mine from college named Garnet is a brain cancer survivor.  He was diagnosed Christmastime 2010 and has undergone surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation.  Through it all he continued working, raising a family, writing a blog and even continuing graduate school with the occasional break for his treatments.  His wife Tricia has started a blog of her own as well to document her life as wife, mother, and cancer care giver.  But she she is so much more than that.  My encouragement for you today – check out both of their blogs.  You will not be disappointed.

Garnet can be found at http://www.garnetstevens.wordpress.com

Tricia can be found at http://www.cherrysocks.wordpress.com

My descriptions do not do them justice.  You will laugh, cry and go “I never thought of it that way.”

God has a plan for all of us – never forget that.

Blessings and love to all!

ME

Mind over Manner

When I decided to start this blog I wanted to have a theme for Monday through Friday.  I figured it would help keep me organized and hopefully this blog a little interesting.  Well since I first set up the site, my grandmother passed away.  Her name was Mary Elizabeth Orr Buchanan.  She was known as Mary, Liz, Aunt Liz, Lizzie, and to her grandchildren she was Nannie Jersey.  The picture is her in my parents’ pool in 2005.  She didn’t get in often so when she did it was a photo op moment.

About 5 1/2 years ago she was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma.  It started with a growth on her arm and when it was found the cancer was already in her lungs.  After consulting specialists she opted to forego any treatment.  It was a decision supported by her children and her family doctor.  The doctor told her “you don’t have an expiration date.  We can treat issues as they come up.”  And that they did.  The doctor did tell my mother on the side he felt my grandmother only had 6 months to live.  Well, about 4 years later he told my mother “The cancer won’t kill her.  It should have already by now.”

Ever hear the saying: Your attitude is 90% of the battle?  Yeah, that was Nannie.  Even in the last days of her life when my mother and her siblings would pray over her they could tell in her eyes she had no idea why they were doing that.  Don’t feel bad for her.  Her self-denial, resiliance, stubborness and seeing a situation the way she wanted to was how she lived her life.  Even though she could not get around much in the last 6 months or so, she still enjoyed visits with family and being around the younger kids.  She loved life and she was holding on with everything she had.

Today I feel sad but only because I won’t get to see her for Sunday dinner. I sat next to her every week.  I helped get her dinner on her plate, sometimes I cut her food for her, helped her to the restroom….I realized that one of my jobs is over.  I have other jobs: wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, employee, friend.  I just will miss this job of being Nannie’s granddaughter.

So, Monday is supposed to be Encouragement and Wednesday is supposed to be something fun.  But I needed some encouragement today so I wanted to share some of Nan’s story with you.  And a reminder to me, that attitude is everything.  You can conquer anything with the right attitude – even the process of dying.

I love you Nan.