Lessons

Everyone in life has their challenges.  The ups and the downs.  Many people find it hard to understand why I insist on maintaining a strict food philosophy.  I can almost hear the eye rolls and the silent giggles from those who think it's ridiculous.  I can almost hear the eye rolls from those who think that our story is not of importance, but some ploy to elicit attention and drama (two things I actually shy away from for the most part, ironically). 

See, we all have these valleys in life.  However, if we keep them completely to ourselves how can we help those in similar situations in realizing they, too are not alone? If we keep our biggest, hardest situations to ourselves, how can we spread education to those willing and ready, and those who really need it because of their own situation? When one is overwhelmed, should they not reach out and hope someone out there cares enough to reach out and help carry them when they need it? Has the high school pettiness continued into adulthood where all things are a competition, instead of reaching out and lifting up one another?

Our journey has had a specific path.  Would I have chosen it?  I would never have chosen the struggles on my children, but I would have chosen the lessons that have come forth.  It took the struggles to teach the lessons.  The lessons also transform perception.  Successes are measured daily in the small moments of growth.  The child who never would utter a word to most adults one day decides to speak to the cashier at the store.   Big success.  The child who freezes up from fear one day declares "I am scared, but I am going to do it anyways".  Huge success.  The child who suffered constantly with much pain and high fevers goes several months without an episode.  Huge success.  You learn to be grateful for those moments.  It may seem small to others, but it is big to us.

It is the challenges that somehow connected us up with how important nutrition is to everyone.   This led to overcoming my fear of cooking and baking and realizing full on that you do reap what you sow.  I am willing to put the work into it for the benefit of my family.  Even that small step of deciding to figure out this whole cooking thing (still a daily process, btw) held lessons for me:  that if I believe in myself and try really, really hard, I can do it.  Perseverance.  Determination.   Even better?  It becomes a model for my children to see Mommy not giving up - for them to not only hear those words that I tell them all the time (you can do it, work hard, don't give up), but they SEE it.  Sometimes actions do speak louder than words.  It's a chain reaction of events and lessons and growth that becomes all entangled with one another, waiting for the next link.

So you see, there are many reasons we do what we do. You can never make assumptions as to why people do what they do.  Everyone makes the best choices for their own families.  Everyone has different situations, different challenges.  But there is one thing we all have in common - we are brothers and sisters, all human, with the same feelings whether one wants to cover it up or shout it out to the world.  So maybe it's time to pack up the competition and pick up the spirit of community and empathy.