What Chance Do You Have of Surviving?

Your first line of defense against disease is NUTRITION - not medications!  Every time I see yet another television commercial promoting a drug, I get a little more nauseated by the lie that is being perpetrated on the general public.  This is especially disheartening when it involves our youth, a drug-induced generation.

If it is true that no drug can replace nutrients, then why are we so quick to swallow a pill when we have a cold or flu? Why don't we use natural methods to curb allergies?  Why don't we use nutrition to ward off disease and yes, even find a cure?

As I have written in a series of articles on the World's Biggest Con Job, we are sold a lie by Big Pharma that drugs can heal and/or restore.  Between the lack of education we are offered and our own fears, we buy that lie......hook, line and sinker.

In the mid-1970s I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and given less than two years to live. I knew next to nothing about nutrition, but I knew that if I had a hysterectomy or if I died without having the surgery the specialist said I must have......then WHAT CHANCE DID I HAVE -- of living?  Or having a baby?

You Are Going to Die - Now What?

When we hear the word 'cancer' something happens to us. It may feel like we got kicked in the stomach or our heart skips a beat. We react in fear whenever someone we care about receives that diagnosis.

That happened to me decades ago.  The doctor told me that the only possibility I would have of living more than a year would be to have a total hysterectomy.  Although I was very sick and struggling with a lot of pain and discomfort, I knew in my heart that I was born to be a mom and that couldn't happen if I didn't have the working parts.

As a young woman who had zero knowledge about cancer and no idea what I could possibly do to win this battle, I told my doctor "No, I won't accept that.  I am going to walk in here pregnant one day."

At that point, the doctor got extremely angry and almost spit at me when he shouted, "Then, lady, go home.....suffer....and die!"

How to Push Through a Painful Experience

When we go through any type of trauma in our lives, it affects us. How it affects us can be either a negative or positive experience. Hopefully, we can learn from the experience and apply what we learned if we ever go through a similar one again. But, that is often easier said than done, isn't it?

Sometimes we do not realize we have "been here before" until it's over. Pain works that way.  Pain is just that - PAIN.  When we are in the middle of it, it feels like a new experience.  Yet, it rarely is.

There are many types of pain that we experience in life.  There are times when we are blindsided and experience pain on a level we had not realized we were capable of handling.  When we look back at those experiences we often wonder how we made it through -- but we did.  And we are stronger for it.
Pain takes on many forms in your life.  Rejection, loss, physical or emotional trauma, abuse, divorce, the list goes on.

Making the World a Kinder Place Starts at Home

I bet there are many times in our lives when we would love to be a fly on the wall and know what goes on behind closed doors of our friends' homes.  This monthly blogging challenge gives us that opportunity each month and I thoroughly enjoy hearing my friends share their stories.

This past month, although busy as always, was rather uneventful.  I know that much of the country was hit with unusually severe snowstorms.  Living in the Pacific North West in an area that rarely sees snow, Mother Nature gave quite the performance.

In our area, we do not even have snow removal equipment. Normally, we don't need it. However, this year we broke all records for snowfall. It certainly was beautiful but our town, our highways, schools, businesses, banks, basically everything shut down for a few days.  

Here is a picture of the first day's snow and by the time it stopped snowing we had over three feet.  There were no tire tracks on our roads -- only footprints.  It was so beautiful.  

My daughter called me a week before the snowstorm as she and her little ones were struck with that terrible flu that put many people flat on their backs for more than a couple weeks. She would not have asked me to help her unless it was serious.  When she called at 5 A. M. on a Sunday morning, I knew it was serious.  

There were no flights available so I had to make the seven-hour car trip to find all three of them terribly sick.  I was so happy to have the time and the opportunity to be there and lend a hand.

One thing that will stick in my mind forever is watching my five-year-old grandson, who never got off the sofa for a week, be considerate and kind to his one-year-old sister when she wanted his attention.  He would gently tell her that big brother was too sick to play but that he loved her very much.  

When he needed a glass of water he would ask using his best manners - please and thank yous.  It's great to be proud of your kids and grand-kids, but when you see them behave in such a manner, it is button-busting. He had bouts of throwing up regularly, and yet he never whined or cried.  He apologized for doing it and was sorry Gramma and Mama had to clean it up.

Once again, my hat is off to his mama for raising thoughtful, kind and polite children. People, even strangers, often ask her what her secret is to having such courteous and mannerly kids.  

Getting up one morning, my daughter strongly suggested I head home as a storm was approaching.  I didn't believe her because we don't get snowstorms!  But I am certainly glad I listened because I made it home a few hours before the storm hit.

It was awesome to be housebound for almost a week.  I wrote articles, met deadlines, and got caught up with interviews and work I had to postpone the previous week while tending my family.  Crazy how things work out!

Hope you had a great month and I also hope you take a moment to check out some of the other stories here:

Baking In A Tornado                   

Menopausal Mother                     

Searching for Sanity                

Eileen’s Perpetually Busy            

Spatulas on Parade                   

A Little Piece of Peace                 

Dinosaur Superhero Mommy          

Cluttered Genius                 

Who Wants to Know How to Create a Great Profile Picture?

How important is your profile picture?   There are many people who post profile pictures that are not pictures of themselves at all. You may choose to do this for various reasons.  Some people may be more interested in sharing their brand instead of a photo of themselves.  Some may want to post a family picture (which tells a story about who they are).  Some may post a picture of their furry friend.

What I want to address here is what a potential client may see when they look at your profile picture. No matter how often we may say that we don't judge a book by the cover, it is human nature to do just that.

Be careful not to judge too quickly

If we see someone in tattered clothes staggering down the street, we may jump to the conclusion that he is a good-for-nothing drunk.  In reality, he may be someone who was in business and lost everything, even his family.  Most of us know someone like this and our heart goes out to them when we realize that, but for the grace of God, it could be me.

Or we may see an executive wearing expensive clothes, driving a new car and think they have it all together.  What we may not realize is that he could be one step away from losing it all.  We really never know unless we know them personally.  For a heart-warming shocking story that is an example of this, please check out what happened when I paid for a woman's coffee at the drive through window.  It was published in the recent release by Chicken Soup for the Soul, Random Acts of Kindness.
                                               
Even though we may try hard not to prejudge people before we speak to them, we are all a little guilty of it.

Back to profile pictures.  On my talk show, Never Ever Give Up Hope.  I interview guests who have remarkable stories of how they conquered overwhelming obstacles and achieved success.  When I choose a guest and ask them to send their picture to me for posting on my website, I want to be sure they reflect a positive image.  This is the first thing people see on the internet.  They see it before they hear a story or read a bio.  It must show confidence and strength.

Here are some tips I have given to my guests and certainly can be used wherever you post your profile picture.

1. The best profile picture is of your head and shoulders only -- not full body.  The closer the picture of your face, the better to show that you are genuine, honest and really do want to help others.

2. Look INTO the camera - not off in the distance or up in the air.  Give eye contact. Believe it or not, this is extremely important.












3.  Show good posture.  It is okay to lean into the camera a bit but do not overdo it. Don't try to look sexy.  It just doesn't work for a profile picture.










4.  Smile with teeth.  This is welcoming and
shows warmth.










5.  Wear dark-colored clothes with lighter accents.  Don't wear light colors that may blend you into the background. Don't wear big bulky jewelry as that is where the eye will be drawn to and your face will be secondary.

Profile pictures say a lot about us -- you know what 'they' say about first impressions.  Put your best face forward!

If you have a story you want to share with the world about your own experience of turning your hopelessness around, please contact me with the name of this post.  I'd love to have you on the show.