Lifted, By My Girls the Blog

Becoming a mother and having a family was something I always hoped for. I have been blessed with a supportive husband, a family of my own, and a fulfilling career in education. However, I was not prepared for the difficulty of balancing being the best mother and most effective educator I could be. After my first child Elizabeth arrived, I suffered from postpartum depression. The waves of depression and anxiety consumed me. I was drowning in worry and uncertainty. Would I not be able to take care of my baby correctly, would I not be able to keep the house clean, get the laundry done? Would I lose the job I had worked so hard for? Despite being on maternity leave, my biggest fear was the possibility of not being effective when I returned to the classroom. Once I was back on my feet, my days with my daughter were filled with laughter, loving moments, and milestones. When I returned to the classroom, I was utterly overwhelmed. I had put so much pressure on myself to be the perfect wife, m...

Writing about my health journey is very soul-bearing. It feels a lot like standing naked in front of a crowd, and trust me when I say that no one wants to see me naked. Only in the last year have I realized that it’s okay for me to start where I am now and take my time to achieve my goals. It’s even okay to change my path or goal along the way. That’s a big revelation for me as I am an “all or nothing” kinda girl. I want to tell this story to inspire someone to take the first step on their own health journey or maybe help them understand it is okay if it takes them longer to accomplish their goals. For years I have been embarrassed that I was fat. I didn’t like the way I looked or how I felt. Like many, I have tried lots of diets and “quick fixes” to lose weight. At my heaviest, I was 398 lbs. I say that because it is so much easier for me to accept than saying I was 400 lbs, which I probably was at some point, but I avoided scales like the plague. So, I did some research an...

  If you're caring for an aging parent or facing the challenges of assisting a loved one or friend who is chronically ill, disabled, or elderly, you are not alone. You are one of the 22 million Americans who care for an older adult. Caregivers provide 80 percent of in-home care, but unlike nurses and home health aides, they are unpaid for their labor of love. "Caregiving is a difficult job that can take a toll on relationships, jobs, and emotional well-being," says Dr. Elizabeth Clark, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers. "Those who care for others need to be sure to take care of themselves, as well." Here are some essential tips for caregivers: Don't Be Afraid to Ask For Help We tend to wait until we are in crisis before asking for help and consultation. Seek out the help of a licensed clinical social worker or other trained professional. It's Not Easy to Tell Your Parents What to Do The most challenging thing about caring f...

After a year of trying to get some projects off the ground with no success, I realized it was time to get a job. A position as an assistant to a Pastry Chef at a VERY swanky golf club literally fell into my lap, so I took it as a sign and grabbed it. One of my friends commented, "Is there anything you can't do?" (yes...keep my car clean!), and it got me thinking about how many jobs I've held since I started working at 17. 21 JOBS! That's less than two years per job on average. As I was feeling a bit self-conscious that I've held so many positions, one of my best friends casually mentioned how much she admired me for it. Her words... "Neither of us likes change, but despite that, when a job doesn't feel right to you or has run its course, you simply move on. You're fearless that way." It was nice to see it from her perspective instead of through the negative lens I was viewing. So, with that in mind, I present my dedication - To All The Jobs I...

My first thought was, I want to live. At age 23, I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I was fresh out of college and ready to tackle life. Growing up an athlete, I led a healthy lifestyle and was completely sidelined. Going through this life hurdle at such a young age helped me to put life in perspective and changed the trajectory of my entire life. I fell in love with mindful movement after my treatments. About one year after my stem cell transplant, a friend introduced me to Barre classes. My teachers helped me discover strength I didn’t know I had. My mantra is Yes. You. Can. I believe that everyone has the ability to lead his or her best lives. We must be relentless in the pursuit. Cancer taught me that. I start all of my classes by saying “it’s a beautiful day to be alive.” Because, it simply is. The research speaks to all the benefits of exercise. Through research, we know regular exercise strengthens muscles and bones, reduces the risk of cancer recurrence and improves slee...

"You are in control of your suffering and happiness!" What do you feel about this statement? There was a time in my life when I experienced a great deal of pain and suffering, and I would have laughed with disbelief at such a statement. I had no idea where to begin to experience joy in the face of my own pain. For many people who suffer from pain in the body or mind, feelings of despair and anguish are commonplace. Joy and contentment feel so hard to hold on to for very long. After years of traveling in this life, with pain as my co-pilot, I reached a point that I knew something had to change. I guess you could call this my rock bottom. I became very willing to find other options out of my suffering. The idea of less pain was very intriguing, but the idea that I could have joy more often and even possibly inner peace beyond my meditation times was too good to pass up.   You are not the victim but the champion!   Begin with the change in perception that you are not the vic...

I hate this picture. And it’s not the fact that my hair is a mess and that I hadn’t learned about the magic of mascara. It’s that it reminds me of the night I said no to my Father. I said no to another dance at the Father-Daughter Dance. I hadn’t thought about this picture in about 18 years. And it’s been 18 years since my Dad passed away from cancer. It used to sit in his home. The photo got packed up in the move when my stepmom sold the house and then moved into storage and then given to my sister with a bunch of items, and then it sat in my sister’s closet for I don’t know how long….you get it...it’s been in hiding. During my sister’s Covid cleanup, this photo came back into my life. I unpacked the bag from my sister, unwrapped the photo, and found myself overcome with emotion and tears and sobbed and sobbed. Now as I said, Norman died 18 years ago, 18 years ago today to be exact. It’s amazing how in just one second, the emotion of losing a parent can come flooding back like it was ...