Easter

Today is Easter.  For me it is a quiet day of reflection.  I am looking back at the last three years since I learned I had a heart defect and how my life has changed in that time.

I have changed my diet and am pretty much a vegetarian, though I do eat shrimp or salmon on occasion.  I also still eat cheese, both cow and goat.  Most of my diet is fruits and vegetables.

I feel a lot healthier and have lost about forty lbs since my surgery.  I am exercising more and eating healthy.  I enjoy biking, and yoga, and even lifting weights, among my exercise activities.  In fact I am wishing the snow would melt faster so I can get back out on the tandem or on my bike and ride.

I am also working on my spiritual side.  I read daily from the book Daily Wisdom for Women. It is a book of daily devotionals.  They make me think and reflect and I write about it in my journal each day.  I have also been reading Quiet Mind which make me think and reflect as well. 

I am finding my zen, my absolute peace.  It is what I need to do for me. 

I have slowly been meeting my weight goals and though I still have a way to go to reach my ultimate goal, but I am on my way and it is a journey I am enjoying.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter and a renewal of spirit as you find your own peace.  God Bless.

Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday and should be a day of quiet reflection, but for me it is a day of shock.
My daily reading talked about Jesus' crucifixion. Specifically it discussed today being the day he returned triumphant to Jerusalem before his arrest and crucifixion.  It should be a joyous day, but instead it is a day of sadness for me.

The oldest son of one of my husband's close friends killed himself this morning. He was a young man, not yet 21 and had the whole world open to him. He was smart, and a good kid, a former Boy Scout and one who could achieve great things once he knew where he wanted to go with his life.

I do not understand why someone so young would think that ending his life was the best choice or that it was his only option.  I do not understand any one committing suicide, but especially one so young.

This is the second young person who has passed this year that I knew in some way.  Both were considered suicides.

Both of these young people were smart, with a lot going for them.  They could have chosen any path for their future, but both chose death.  I do not understand why they felt that their lives had to end, so young.

I am in shock over this young man's choice.  I just do not understand it.

My prayers go out to his family this day and through the days ahead as I know this is a difficult time for them.