My name is Gidget. I am nearly middle aged, because I just
know I will live to be at least 100. Well, that is my hope and reasoning for
wanting to do something healthy NOW. I never believe it is ever too late to
change; whether that’s a person, a dream job, a relationship, or a lifestyle.
I am a Christian first and foremost. I say that because it
wasn’t always the case. I grew up going to church until given the opportunity
to choose for myself. And, even then, I went to a church small group as a teen
just because…you guessed it, the cool kids were doing it. But… I didn’t have a
relationship with Christ. I am the epitome of the Prodigal Son (um… daughter).
Even having five degrees, one of them being English, (yeah… getting a little
ahead again), I thought prodigal meant “best.” Far from it. In Luke 15 (I’ll
give the Readers Digest version) a son decides to leave the household and asks
for his inheritance early. Dad gives it, son leaves to live the life he wanted.
Fast forward…. Life not what he expected, pride gets in the way, enter pigs and
mud, then the turning point. He goes home only to find a father waiting with
open arms saying “Welcome Home.” The End.
Okay...there is a bit more to the story but you can read it
later. My story was such that I grew up in a small town at the elbow of
California. A town where my Native American grandmother is painted on the side
of City Hall. Everyone knew who everyone was and no one thought twice about
telling others your business. Yeah… you’d want to leave to. I did. I graduated
high school early, went onto college and joined the Army. I wanted to be a TV
journalist for the Armed Forces but that job left 6months later so I signed up
and became an Airborne Combat Medic instead. Met husband number one…married.
Had three amazing daughters. Got breast cancer. Divorced. Met a DJ…married
again. Ten years later; you guessed it…divorced. Met husband number FINAL and
nearly ALL of that was missed by my parents.
You see, I took a 12 year road trip; my Prodigal Journey,
until things got to be just bad enough that I called home. I was not a
Christian in that walk. I did everything I could to live the life I wanted
without the fear of any consequences. But, there it was…the turning point that
brought the conversation. My husband saying “Call your mom.” My stomach sank.
It had been twelve years. No phone calls, no letters, no contact.
The phone rang and mom picked up after two. I was going to
hang up after three. The conversation went a little something like this….
Me: “Hi, this is your daughter.”
Mom: “Oh…well, hello there.”
Me: “Are you sitting down? There are a few things I need to
tell you.”
Mom: “I’m not…but I can.”
I told
her everything I could think of. All that she missed and all that I was calling
for. The weight of the world and lower than low…because that it what it took to
make the call in the first place. There was silence for what seemed like
forever, but in reality was less than thirty seconds.
Me: “Are you there?"
Mom: “Yes… Welcome Home.”
Me: “What??”
Mom: “I’ve been waiting for this call. Well, maybe not this
exact call. But, I’ve been praying and waiting and even though you are 2,500
miles away, I wanted to welcome you home.”
Who does that?? My mom does that. Read Luke 15.
I don’t tell you this short story for any other reason than
to assure you I am nobody. I am merely a girl born in the west, spent all of my
adult life in the North, and now living the South that NOW has a relationship
with Christ (I refer to him as my BFF Jesus) and someone that truly was given a
second chance at life at the age of 41.
We call that chapter of my journal (journey), the PJ Era
(Pre Jesus). I am proof that failure is never final and the transparency I have
in telling about that journey is just “part of the deal” I made when becoming a
Christian five years ago. One of my favorite scriptures is 1Peter 3:15 “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to
give the reason for the hope that you have.” I try to do that daily.
I never want to give people the impression that I think I am
better than they are; quite the opposite really. In my PJ Era, I thought I was
better than everyone. I judged people based on their weight (even though I
tipped the scales at 270 myself), their hair color, their fake Coach bags, or
anything else I could find I may be better than them for. Women were catty and
competitive; I wanted nothing to do with them. Oh, the irony now that I’m a
Christian and doing everything I can to empower other women and lift them up.
“Although one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves, a cord of three
strands is not quickly broken.” Ephesians 4:12.
I have a crush on the apostle Paul. It’s a long story but I
can’t help it. Book #2 that I eluded to in a previous blog was called “Letters
from Paul.” It has been a book in progress, not real active…for the last three
years. He wrote nearly half of the New Testament; Romans through Hebrews. (I
know they say Hebrews is “unknown author” but if you knew Paul the way I know
Paul, you would totally know it was him. Besides, others must think that too
because they put it right after the other 12 in a row that are his. Just
sayin’). His books are all letters to other churches or people. I wrote just
two “chapters.” They were letters to Paul. I wrote to him and his responses
were taken directly from each book. Romans was my first. When reading my letter
first; it literally sounds as if it could be him responding to me today. I
wanted people to see that the bible IS relevant today and that his responses to
me now could be responses to anyone else. My dad told me early on, after our
relationship had begun again, that everything I needed to know was in the
bible. Proof, affirmation, help, circumstances, advice. In fact, Romans is my
“How To” for just about everything. It is THE place I turn to for business and
relationship help when I don’t go to my mom; whom I now talk to everyday.
I own two businesses on Main Street in Collinsville,
Oklahoma. One is a quaint little boutique measuring just 12ft x 40ft. 10ft of
that is the checkout and project space. It is a small blueprint and we live in
the 500sq ft flat above it. My husband and I live simply. We downsized from
2,700sq ft to 500sq ft. We have six kids between us and it seemed like people
would come and go but it was always entirely too much space and too much
“stuff.” My boutique is called “Simply Lyla’s” and no matter how many times a
day I am asked if I am Lyla; I am not. LYLAS means Love Ya Like A Sister. We
love to do things anonymously and we can sign Lyla to a card as if she is a
person or to fellow Lylas, simply sign at the bottom of an email. It is a
sisterhood and it is awesome. Imagine the Proverbs 31 Woman; she is impossible
to emulate because there is no one that could muster all of those qualities;
not just one anyway. It is my belief that if there are a few of us that could
have different qualities…together we would be one amazing person. Lyla is
simply that person. She is the best in each of us and when we are together, we
bring out the best in each other.
I have another business just three doors down called “Simply
Parties.” It is nearly the same blue print but slightly longer. It was a sad
little building that we renovated, much like the boutique and tiny flat that we
live in. We host baby showers and birthday parties, bridal showers and tea
parties. I love that my real jobs are real fun. I get paid to wear tiaras and
host tea parties. I live in a fairytale in a little community and I love that
my husband makes it possible.
I am married to my third, and final husband. His name is
Robbe and we met at a Starbucks. It wasn’t love at first sight but he was
definitely the best friend I had met in a long time. I was wearing a sweatshirt
inside out, no makeup and a baseball cap when we met. He sat around and
finished his coffee with me anyway. We were married about five months after we
met. How did that happen when it wasn’t love at first sight? Good question. J We were living in Michigan when he was
offered his dream job as an aerospace engineer in Oklahoma. He lived in a hotel
in Oklahoma 7 months before I moved. Moving here wasn’t my first choice; in
fact I called it Nineveh….and still do sometimes, since Jonah didn’t want to go
there either. For those that say the bible isn’t relevant today, I think I
could find just about anything in there to challenge that.
I thought I had everything I wanted in Michigan, there was
no way that my BFF Jesus could top all that he was providing for us there; I
was wrong. All that we had there has been given ten times over in Nineveh and
He makes more opportunities for us every day. The churches we have visited and
the friends we have made have not been by accident; each serving a purpose in
his plan.
Even Heather. It’s eery really how many Heather’s I have met
since moving to Oklahoma but for the sake of this story, this Heather is
someone I met only recently. I’ve known her sister Heidi for years. In fact,
she is the one who began her Plexus journey a year ago and has seen great
success with it. She is a local photographer in town and in many of the same
social circles I am in. I just met Heather a few months ago and we clicked.
She, too has been doing Plexus for about a year but her success has been in how
many medications she is no longer reliant on. (I will be sure she shares her
story in the future too.) When I finally decided that I was tired of doing the
bare minimum and wanted to do something for myself, I knew I was going to need
an accountability partner. Who better than someone who was on the product,
liked it, learned from it, and had resources to share? We have gotten closer
since deciding we needed it and have agreed to help each other to reach our
goals. They couldn’t be more different but we are going to get there via the same
means; Plexus and the bevvy of products at our disposal, to use and to share
with others.
So there you have it. Not necessarily a nutshell but a much
shorter version of all the things that led me to where I am now. I don’t know
where this chapter will take us but I do know that it will go just as far as I
make it. I have a support system in many people, near and far, and I am
inviting you to follow along and see just what happens. It won’t always be a
journey full of medical facts and benefits but a journey of someone JUST like
you doing something that should have been done a long time ago. Failure is
never final and I DO know that I am worth more than I am living and I am
absolutely certain that I am not the only one.
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