Thursday, March 19, 2015

Where to Start?

Since October 2014, my life has been a whirlwind.

Health issues for me, my husband, and one of our sons. Struggles with doctors, results, diets, searching for answers and help. To say I’ve been overwhelmed at times would be an understatement. And unfortunately, although the worst of the fears have been bypassed and we now know we’re not dealing with anything life-threatening for any of us, the struggles continue. We still don’t have answers. We’re still trying to heal our son. My health is going in circles. Much of my life revolves around researching and reading, grocery shopping, and preparing foods that will heal my son and I. Gone are the days of meeting a girlfriend out for a quick dinner at Panera or having lunch with friends after church. Greyden will likely never again be able to join in eating the cupcakes at a friend’s birthday party or giddily dig through a Halloween bag, dreaming about indulging in all the treats. When I think about the loss of those things, my heart aches and tears sting my eyes. I so wish that my son could grow up experiencing all those fun things as I did. Our world revolves so much around food it seems, and it’s hard to be counter-cultural and find workarounds for all the traditions that bring expectations of indulging in certain foods.

As I’ve shared our journey with friends, one thing has come up time and time again. “You need to blog about this,” or, surprisingly even more often, “You need to write a book.” These words have been said to me so many times by now that I’m having a hard time ignoring them.

I recently was listening to a podcast and heard one last thing that sealed the deal for me. The speaker in the podcast said that when we are going through struggles like this and finding hope and answers, we need to share with others. Not share as a way to vent to the world or for personal healing (although that is a benefit of it I believe), but to let others know that they are not alone in their pain and frustrations. To give others the hope that we now have. Because there is hope.

As I write these words, there is a lump in my throat. It’s a very emotional topic for me. But now I believe that I do need to share. I will probably start with sharing through this blog, and if I feel there is enough material to write an eBook, then I will. So that decision has been made. But then I wonder...where do I start? So much has happened, so much has changed, I’ve learned so much and really I’m a different person than I was 6 months ago. How do I begin?

So I’m beginning with this post. This wonderful, rambling post entitled, “Where to Start?” Because really, that’s where I’m at. I’m mid-journey, not exactly sure where the beginning was, fully aware that there will never be an end. I couldn’t come up with some profound post about “The Day It All Began,” because really that day never happened. Yes, everything culminated last October, but it had begun long before that. Some of it began in my childhood. Some of our son’s health issues may have been rearing their ugly heads long before we realized. And so there is no pinpoint moment. It’s all a blur, and so as a result I’m going to have to just jump right in and start with no beginning.

So there you have it. The start of my sharing. I’m not sure what’s coming. There may be some emotional posts. There will likely be many recipes. There may be some guidelines on dealing with a child with food allergies. There will be discussion of elimination diets, the paleo autoimmune protocol, and living with an autoimmune disease. There will likely be a lot of health information, and I’ll share the changes I’ve made in my family’s diet and lifestyle to better our health (which I would do whether we had diseases and health issues or not). There’s so much to share that I…(wait for it)...don’t know where to start. (Wow I named this post appropriately!)

Thank you to all of you who have encouraged me so much over the last six months. Don’t know where I’d be without you. And of course I raise up my heart in thanks to God for giving me the grace, strength, wisdom, and resources to manage all that I’ve experienced so far. And to all who are going through struggles similar to ours, welcome. I pray that I can be a source of understanding, help, and hope through this blog and whatever else may come.

Talk to you soon. :)

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