3rd and final BIG EVENT POST - Cancer

My mom’s cancer has returned.  This time it is different, in that they can’t offer any treatment to her due to her lack of strength and where it has spread.

We try to stay positive under the circumstances but she has had a month of “one set back after the other”.  You wouldn’t even believe me if I were to recount it all, but the significant set-back was a fall due to the medication she was first given that made her unsteady. She broke a rib and hurt her spine.

It is important to keep her spirits up, but your own as well.  I suggest the following to help keep your head in a good place.

·     Ask people to pray and send good thoughts to her.

·     Pray or ask the universe to send healing to her and yourself.

·     Light a candle and think of your best memories together.

·     Light a candle at your church and have 15 minutes of quiet time.

·     Go for a walk to be surrounded by air and light.

·     Listen to happy music.

·     Watch funny films.

·     Never give up hope and know that you are stronger than you think.

Best wishes to all and I hope we kick cancers butt soon.

Peace

2nd of 3 BIG EVENTS POST - Kitchen Extension

The second big event was a kitchen extension, which I have wanted to do for the last 10 years.  I was always frightened by the cost and disruption.  Part of it was practical, and part was my own fearful imagination about, “how am I going to cope with no kitchen, the expense, and all the chaos?!”. 

One of my mentors for hypnotherapy asked me, “How did you manage to get through other difficult times in your life?”.  The answer is simple, and applies to all of us, “I just found a way and did it”.  You will always find a way and sometimes it is our own determination, and other times, it is with the help of others.  Anyway, I did manage it and I had lots of supporters.

My builder was excellent.  Not only in his work, but payment schedule.  Barclay’s “lost” a transfer of money from my US account to help pay for it, and even though I had savings to draw on, the money was missing for 6 weeks! I kept my builder informed, and he really wasn’t bothered as he could see that I was doing everything possible to get Barclays to find my missing money (which is now with the Financial Ombudsman, and it finally arrived in the final week of the works finishing.   

My neighbours helped us out with using their washing machines (can you imagine to have the privilege to live on a street where I was able to take my laundry to 7 different houses in rotation – plus one neighbour went on holiday for a week and gave me the keys to their house.  AND the other nice thing is I had offers from another 5 neighbours!).  They didn’t just let me use their machines – they folded the laundry when it was finished.

Besides doing laundry, we were offered meals.  We had several Sunday lunches at friends and neighbours houses.  We are truly blessed.

So, don’t be afraid of the challenge.  You will always find a way.  I promise.

Think yourself young

STAYING YOUNG in the mind does influence your physical body. I am reading Deepak Chopra's book "Ageless Body. Timeless Mind", that was released 10 years ago (got it out of the library) and the findings still hold true today. In fact, we are learning more and more about this remarkable power each of us possesses when it comes to our own well being and ageing. 

There are some outside factors like exercise, food, and enjoying your work, BUT your thoughts about your exercise, food and work also add to how you grow old. So many old sayings apply, but my favourite is from Norman Cousin's in particular, - Belief creates biology, i.e. you are only as old as you think you are. So a great way to start is learning how to stay young is learning how to think "young". Read the book to learn the exercises and "secrets" on how to help yourself stay fit and well for longer and better quality of life.... 

Hypnotherapy is great for self-talk as it really targets the unconscious mind into believing how you want to feel.  We know from several studies how powerful the mind is in healing the body from illness - and if you think about it, many people see growing old as an illness.  It doesn't have to be that way.  

I am going to order it for my mom as a Christmas present. She is young in mind and body, and this will encourage her to stay that way for the rest of her years. Christmas present that literally will be used year after year, after year.