Listen to your mother (and your body)! Eat your fruits & veggies!

I wish that I didn't, but I like the junk food. I don't eat Big Macs every day or anything like that, but I eat what I can grab and go. I try to eat right, but I slip up now and then. And recently, I noticed something.

When you have MS, your body lets you know when it is upset. And it doesn't whisper to you, it usually yells at you!!! I have gotten to where I don't eat the greasy burgers, pizza and cupcakes very often (even though they are oh so good...). But the other day I had about a 3-day spread where I WAS eating stuff like that. We travel a lot and that's what we were doing. Traveling and hurrying. I hadn't cooked in a while, so we were living on fast food. After about day two, I was not feeling good. When day three came around, I just wanted to go to bed. Nothing else had changed. I had been getting my rest, which usually is what affects me. There wasn't any unusual stress. The weather was nice. After thinking about my diet the past few days, I put two and two together. I MUST EAT BETTER!

So I made an effort to clean up what I had just done to my body. I loaded up on the fruits and vegetables. I had a mid-morning yogurt party for the next few days. I ate grilled meats. I ate salads. An apple was my afternoon snack. I cut the sodas and only drank water. And low and behold, I started feeling about 99% better! I wasn't as fatigued. I was in a better mood. I was simply better.

The Bible tells us our body is a temple (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Take care of it. If not for yourself, for the Lord. When you feel good, you can better do his work. Go have an apple!!!!

What brings you closer to God?

What do you love to do?  What drives you like nothing else? 

I love horses.  They drive me.

When I was diagnosed with MS over two years ago, I didn't think anything would change with my riding and horse activities.  Along with the riding, this includes cleaning the barn, washing manes & tails, oiling tack, mucking stalls, feeding in the evening, etc.  These are things that I bet most people would consider work, or necessary evils of horse upkeep.  I probably would have agreed until I just couldn't get it all done anymore.  Riding has always been a joy, even if there are ten horses that need to be ridden and it is 100 degrees. So what. Let's ride.

Needless to say, life has changed a little and I have had to adjust.  I realize that things will never be like they were.  I don't like it, but that's the hand I've been dealt, so let's play.  I ride only a couple of times a week, and usually just one horse a day.  I am obsessed with long, full manes & tails, so I work on two horses a week.  I love a clean barn. Well, that one I'm still getting used to...  

Anyway, I am still doing what I love.  I have to work to keep it at an enjoyable level.  I have to practice more moderation these days.  If I overdo it, I pay for it later, so there is a fine line of irony there - Doing too much of what I love makes me feel like crap.  Even though at times, it is totally worth it, because I truly feel closer to God when I'm on the back of a horse.

In the wonderful book A Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren uses an examples from the movie Chariots of Fire.  The main character Eric Liddell says, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel God's pleasure.  To give up running would be to hold him in contempt."  Well said.

Things don't always happen like we like it.  Or when.  But in God's time.  I'm ok with that.  He has been pretty faithful this far, why would he stop now?  I can't wait to see what He has in store...

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I have had a really exciting thing happen earlier this month, and I want to share it with you.  My reining horse, Rugged Holisway (Sway for short), and I won the Amateur Reining Circuit at the Alamo Quarter Horse Breeders Assoc Show.  I showed her mother when I was in college and have been so ready to get her in the pen too.  I would have liked to have been showing her much earlier than her sever-year-old-year, but I'm showing her never-the-less.  I can't tell you how good it felt.