Oh, For Cute

That saying always bothered me when I lived in the Midwest, because it does not make much sense grammatically. It is, however, entirely appropriate at times. For me, one of those moments occurred in the past few weeks.

On January 2nd, I went to see my family practitioner for my annual exam. Now, any woman that has had an annual physical can tell you that it is all about making one uncomfortable. There is talk of weight, menstrual cycles, birth control, and anything else the doctor deems necessary.

Perhaps one of the most uncomfortable moments for me always happens when it is time for the breast exam. The doctor always pushes too hard, and I am not much of a fan of sharing my breasts with anyone other than my husband of nearly twelve years. This is where things got a little concerning, though.

My doctor was concerned about bumps she found in nearly the same location on each breast. My faith in God and knowledge that eating a vegan diet nearly erases one's risk of developing cancer helped to assuage any personal worry. I scheduled a mammogram per her request and awaited the results. Once they arrived, saying that I have no abnormalities, I realized what my doctor was concerned about: my pectoral muscles from all the weight lifting I do.

Oh, for cute.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 29

As I posted today on Facebook, I need to refocus my trust in God to provide what we truly need, so I think it is time to start up some thankful posting.

Today, I am thankful for my asthma medicine. I have had an interesting journey with my health, and it all began with an asthma diagnosis when I was 22. Thank you, Lord, for preventative medicine!

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 14

As I posted today on Facebook, I need to refocus my trust in God to provide what we truly need, so I think it is time to start up some thankful posting.

Today, I find myself extraordinarily thankful that I had four pregnancies that carried to term and brought home four healthy, incredible baby girls. Thank you Lord for these four miracles that give back to me in a multitude of ways daily. My life will forever be *millions* of times more meaningful and happy because of my children.

Today, I was moved by a post concerning the incredible organization Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.  This is an excerpt from their website concerning what NILMDTS does:

NILMDTS extends our sincerest sympathy to families who are in need of our services. Offering gentle and beautiful photography services in a compassionate and sensitive manner is the heart of NILMDTS. We hope the gift we provide will bring some peace and comfort during this very difficult time.

I have been blessed to never have to experience the kind of loss these parents have, and words simply cannot express my gratitude for this blessing.  God has truly kept me and my girls firmly in His grasp and saved us from this sort of heartbreak.  When I found out that a childhood friend recently experienced such a loss, it broke my heart all over again.

Please pray for these parents, babies, medical professionals, and the caring photographers that volunteer to document their last moments with their children.  As a photographer and a mother, I do not know that I could handle taking these sorts of images, because my heart would be breaking and tears streaming down my face the entire time.  As it is, my cheeks are wet just writing this post.

Please consider donating to the March of Dimes or NILMDTS.  Please help spread awareness for prenatal care, genetic testing, and follow-up care.  Pray for those affected by illness, accident, and stillbirth.  For those of us that have our children at home with us, we should hug them that much tighter today.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 11

As I posted today on Facebook, I need to refocus my trust in God to provide what we truly need, so I think it is time to start up some thankful posting.

Today, I am thankful for science and medicine.  After feeling pretty rotten last night, I was able to take some medicine to ease my discomfort. This is not readily available in every place in our world, so I am extremely grateful.

As I have become healthier, I have completely overhauled how, where, and when I eat.  I strayed from that plan yesterday afternoon, eating chicken nuggets and fries from Chick-fil-A (definitely not the best choice for an aspiring vegan), and I paid for it all afternoon and evening. The high salt content wrecked my system, and I found myself incredibly nauseous, bloated, in pain, with a headache, and in need of a bathroom for the rest of the day and night.  If it were not for the over-the-counter medicines readily available to me, I would have been miserable for so very much longer.

We tend to take for granted things that others in this world have never even experienced.  Especially at this time of year, I find myself so very thankful for all the comforts I have.  Thank you, Lord, for the doctors, nurses, technicians, pharmacists, and research scientists that you have put in our world to aide us in becoming or remaining healthier.  Thank you, medical professionals, for the work you do every day in our world.  Your work is truly admirable.