Sunday 15 March 2015

Pampered for a Day

The girls, my mom and I had an amazing experience this past Thursday.  We drove out to Morden to Pure Anada, a cosmetic store owned by Candace Grenier.   We had our hair styled and make up done.  Wow did we look good.  We should have taken before and after pictures because they really did an amazing transformation!  I was then fitted in some amazing clothes made by Heidi and Seek.   Then off to our photo shoot.  Thankfully the photographer was great at giving instructions and was so fun to work with.  Modelling does not come naturally to me, so I needed all the help I could get.  However, my youngest daughter loved the camera attention and ate it up.  It was a joy just to watch her.  My older daughter enjoyed it as well.  So why us?.....there is a campaign called "Causemetics".  "Causemetics" is a collection of cosmetic products made by a variety of all-natural, Canadian cosmetic companies.  The proceeds from this collection go to cancer research.  I was asked to be a part of a photo shoot to showcase the eyeshadow pallet that Pure Anada has made for the Causemetic collection.  Then the girls and my mom joined me for some Mother's Day photos for Pure Anada.  We all wore custom made necklaces from Marni Luhu in our photos.  The girls and my mom each got a necklace with their engraved first initial and my birthstone.  I got one with the girls names in a circle, mine and Darryl's name in a heart, the word hope engraved, a cross, and the cervical cancer gem.  It was such a special gift....the necklace really sums up my current life.  It's so beautiful.

So our make up was done by Kristin at Pure Anada.  Our hair was done across the street at Parlour 363.  My outfits were provided by Heidi and Seek.  Janet Haslam did the photo shoot.  The necklaces were made by Marla at Marni Luhu.  And all of it was orchestrated by Candace, who is my cousin.  Thank you to all of you for pampering us!   It was so fun.....it was like a day vacation from reality.  It was really fun to get to do this with the girls and my mom.  It was a special day we will never forget.  I feel so honoured to be a part of a meaningful project, and I can't wait to see the final product.  This day is another gem for us as we travel this journey.  Somedays it feels like we're journeying through a dark cave, and every so often a beautiful gem is given to us to remind us that this journey does have purpose, that there are blessings along the way, and we are right where we're supposed to be

Mother's Day Shot

Adjustments during the photo shoot

Lots of Curls was fun for our typically straight hair.

I love this eye shadow; if only I could apply it this nicely!
Receiving our beautiful necklaces.

Tuesday 3 March 2015

Welcome Home

We had the privilege of "going home" to my small hometown on the weekend to tell our story.  The church that I grew up in invited us on Friday night to share the story that we have lived.  It was the first time that Darryl and I shared together.  It was really nice to be on stage with my "life partner".  Before hand, Darryl said he was really nervous, but I think he was more calm then me when it really came to talking; he also made more jokes than I did and got the crowd into it.  There was a crowd - considering the size of my hometown, there were a lot of people.  It was really touching for me to look out on the crowd and see familiar faces, faces I hadn't seen in many, many years, but faces that brought back good memories.  Every person's presence meant a lot to us - it was your way of saying you care about this crazy life we're living.  We didn't get a chance to talk to everyone, but we do want to thank everyone who came.  We hope our words made a difference for you and wasn't just a night of entertainment.  We talked a lot about "legacy" that night and challenged everyone there to consider their's.  It is not common practice to consider what we will be remembered for or to consider what we are currently doing to make a difference when we're gone.  I think lots of us think it's unlucky to consider this, but it's actually foolish to not.  Death is as real as life....if you live, you will die.  Making our life count matters.  Making sure we're ready to die is also really important.  I believe that eternity exists after this life.  I believe that I will spend my eternity in heaven - in the presence of God.  I also believe that what I say, do and act upon here on earth will matter when I get there.  I screw up a lot....I say the wrong thing, I don't take chances to help others,  I act out of selfishness....but I know God forgives me every time I ask him to.  My sins won't keep me out of heaven and my good acts won't get me there.  But I know God smiles on me when I do make right choices, and I hope someday he says to me, "well done".   By the way, in case there is someone reading this who doesn't know how to ensure you are going to heaven.....it's almost too simple because of how much God loves us.  All he asks is that we admit we have sin and ask him for forgiveness, believe that he died on the cross to pay for our sins, and believe that he rose from the dead to forgive us.  John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that anyone who believes in him will not die but have everlasting life." My challenge on Friday was to think about our legacies and my hope of heaven, but it's also important to focus on living and be thankful for this beautiful life.  I have promised myself and my family that I will make a conscious effort to not think about dying so often and think more about living.

Lots of people have checked in to see how I am doing emotionally and how my back is feeling.  I'm happy to say they are both slowly getting better.  I have been very committed to my exercises and stretches which are helping my back improve.  As a result, I'm getting more sleep, which has helped me to be emotionally more stable as well.  I have learned that my back pain is probably due to radiated tissue.  So I've started seeing another specialist twice a week who is helping me conquer the ramifications of radiation.  It will be a long hard battle, but I know I'm up for it.  So I go for appointments most days....physio, specialist, massage etc.  Then I come home and do an hour and a half of exercises and stretches.   Looking after this body has become a full-time job.  I'm high maintenance!  I am thankful that I have the resources to do all of this and the capability.  It will be nice when I can leave the house in flip flops, a t-shirt and shorts and not warm up the van for half an hour before I leave!  Spring is around the corner right?  The thought of spring fills me with hope.  Hope is what helps me carry on.  What fills you with hope today?