“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” ~Alice Walker
Whether you’ve known me for an hour, a day or much longer, you will soon know that I believe God has given us everything we need to heal. The power of movement. The power of sound. The power of nature. The power of pause and meditation and connection. These have the power to heal us deeply and fully.
Fundamental to these are three:
the power of story – my story, your story, our story
the power of food – whole food, clean food, real food
the power of celebrating the symptom – whatever the symptom.
In all three, claiming the power to heal can create a new beginning. It certainly did for me!
the power of story
In 2013, a friend was diagnosed with what she was told was a “rare, incurable” disease. The doctor prescribed a life-time course of steroids and “fists-full” of Tums tablets before and after each meal. My friend said, “No thank you” and walked into the unknown of holistic remedies including targeted nutrition, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, and deep emotional, mental, and spiritual exploration. She stepped into the power of story.
When you hear the words “rare” and “incurable” spoken about a close friend, you can’t help but wonder how the story will end. When you hear that friend pray, “God, if you can use this illness to help even one other person, bring it on!” – when you hear this prayer and know the heart behind it, it changes your own story. Forever. That prayer is why be(e) well serve well exists. The power of story.
Thus began several years of observing one person’s story, a story of exploration, introspection, trial and error with food, and healing beyond what she had been told was possible. The story became a story of healing beyond what she dared to imagine or even hope.
It took courage to step into the unknown. Healing required a dive deep into past hurts and long-held fears. It took looking in the mirror and loving the person looking back. It took hard work. It took giving up attachments to certain long-held lifestyle habits and foods. It took learning to select, prepare, and enjoy new foods. It took writing a new story. And it took time. In time, it brought healing, full and complete. Rare? Maybe. Incurable? Clearly not. Go figure.
This story is why we are here. This story is why you are reading these words. The power of story.
At be(e) well serve well, We have a healing story to share, and we want to hear your story. We want to help you write a story of wellness and wholeness, reclaiming the power you might not think you have.
We write our story with every choice we make. One choice at a time, including the choice of what we find at the end of our fork. And so . . .
the power of food
Food is medicine. Food is information. Food is love. Food healed my friend, and food has healed countless others. Food is comforting, and yes, in today’s culture, food is confusing.
There is a lot of chatter in the public square about food. We’d like to help you calm the chatter and navigate the confusion with time-proven Mind-Body Nutrition principles. We’ll consider toxic dietary beliefs that may be holding you hostage. Beliefs like “eat less, exercise more.” We’ll talk about eating rhythm, how you eat and when you eat. We’ll talk about your mission in the world and how food can fuel and nourish your path. We’ll explore food options while also exploring the aspects of our lives that nourish us and threaten to deplete us without proper care, things like family, friendships, faith, and fulfillment.
As a society, we have become increasingly dependent on Western medicine and the quick fix or panacea of pharmaceuticals. When we go to the doctor with a health concern, we expect to be given a pill to ‘fix’ what ails us. Perhaps the #1 drug in America is speed: fast food, fast cars, fast internet, quick weight loss. We live fast and we want fast answers.
Too often, we separate mind, body, emotions, and spirit, denying the “fearfully, wonderfully” way in which we were designed and ignoring the deeper needs reflected in a holistic approach. Surgery and medications are more often than not the first line of defense for illness rather than the power of food and lifestyle changes. The result is maintenance of symptoms rather than healing of the root causes the symptoms are there to reveal. Which brings us to . . .
the power of symptom
Our symptoms hold wisdom. They’re trying to get our attention. They want us! They want us to pay attention, to wake up and change the way we think. They want us to heal, to lean into lives where being mindful is our default setting, eating is a spiritual practice, and serving others is an organic result of our own healing, being well and serving well.
What if the various symptoms we experience throughout our lives – from sniffles to migraines to fatigue to inflammation to excess weight gain (or loss) – what if each symptom holds a sacred message and what if a higher wisdom than our own is at work to teach us something about ourselves, speaking to us with a lesson we couldn’t learn any other way? What if?
It just might be that we would celebrate the power of symptom!
Being well and serving well isn’t about omnivore, carnivore or herbivore. It’s not about vegetarian or pescatarian. It is about changing the way we think. It’s about a willingness to:
Explore. Surrender. Heal.
Being well and serving well takes courage. It took courage for my friend to walk away from the conventional offerings of Western medicine, and it will take courage, too, for you to step out of your comfort zone into healing, full and complete. Can you imagine? It’s our hope to en-COURAGE you! Whatever your concern – weight, poor self-image, over-eating, sugar-addiction, portion control, low energy, lack of sleep, chronic pain, and more – we are here to help you find your own healing power.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.” ~Marianne Williamson
A child of God, called to be well and to serve well.
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