Grateful in Weariness

 Today, I'm weary. I guess grief does that to you. The smallest things feel depleting and just plain hard. At the same time, the arms of our community are our strong-hold. We can literally feel the strength and prayers of those who love us. The gifts and flowers sent to our girl, meals, cards, texts, calls....It's my sincerest hope you know how thankful we are for EACH one of you. 

In the spirit of healing, I would like to share a few things we learned in our first parent session. Taking these to heart could make a huge different in the life of someone suffering with an eating disorder. 

• Avoid criticizing your own weight, shape or size. Honestly, what you look like on the outside is the least interesting thing about you. You are a soul who has a body - let that soul SHINE!
• Don't label foods as "healthy" or "unhealthy" (often, people with eating disorders will limit their food choices to ONLY "healthy" foods. As the disease progresses, the list of foods they will eat gets smaller and smaller. Our girl had only 2 "safe" foods when she entered treatment.)
• Don't talk excessively about your workout routine, new diet, etc. in social conversations. You don't know if suffering ears are listening.
• Remember that praising others on their looks or weight loss is not always positive and weight gain is not always negative.

Making little changes can make a huge difference in fighting this disease. Thanks for doing your part! 💖