Good bye Cake! We're dieting!

Ryan and I are dieting and beginning a new way of eating. That's why you see the cake ... birthdays are NOT going to be a reason to pig out!

In this part of the world where winter can be so long (7 degrees this morning and I still have five foot snowbanks at the end of my drive, cannot see grass yet and have a good 12-18 inches on the ground) we tend to socialize by eating. We call it fellowship, going out to dinner and it has become affordable, yet toxic, recreation.

Friends in town? Have a big meal. Holiday? What shall we have to eat? Superbowl party? Mounds of food and drink. Nothing to do on a snowy winter Friday evening? Let's go out for fish fry and see friends. The list goes on and on. Weekends arrive and it's a license to munch all day long.

After this past year with my surgery and two hospitalizations and Ryan's surgery, which were all complicated by obesity, I decided to put a stop to it and get serious. Make no mistake. It's hard!

What amazes me ... no, HUMBLES me, is that Ryan, without a grumble, has put his entire eating into my hands. Some would say, "He probably wants to be thinnner" but that's not really true. First, he can't remember what it feels like to be thin. Secondly, he doesn't compare himself to other people for body type so he doesn't really realize how heavy he was getting. Thirdly, he doesn't understand the health issues so can't lose weight "for his health" and finally, he loves to eat. (Yeah, he's definitely my kid!) When the doctor asked him if he wanted to lose weight, Ryan shrugged.

However, he DOES realize that it's important to me and since we're working on it together he seems okay with it. Actually, he's unbelievably graceful about it. For someone to put that kind of trust in me, humbles me. I've instituted weekly rewards (non-food) for sticking to the diet and in 8 weeks he's lost 32 pounds! (I'm not doing THAT well ;-) He hasn't deviated once! Neither have I but he's 21 and male ... need I say more, ladies?

At any rate, this is our good bye to cake and the shortening that makes up frosting. You know? I've never really loved cake anyway. Unless I LOVE something I'm not eating it ever again! There aren't enough calories allowed to me to eat foods that I don't relish and enjoy eating.

At any rate ... shout out to Ryan. My go-get-em guy!
Have a great week. If you're dieting, know that you're not alone!
Much love and joy,
Karen

Flip Sides of the Same Coin

Hi everyone,

I was all set to post a snowy pic, then I decided that we needed to broaden our scope to include something ... more.

This photo was taken when whale watching out of Bellingham WA, we were visiting my brother out in the area. Love Bellingham but Mt. Baker freaks me out a little. I've watched too many Nat Geo programs I guess.

Besides when you have a child with disabilities it seems like everything you took for granted in your "Once Upon a Time..." life is a little less "Happily Ever After." Catastrophes can, and do, happen. We all know in our minds that bad things happen but in our hearts, for the first time, we realize that they don't just happen to other people. Bad things can happen to us, to our kids. Strangely enough, it seems that we experience bigger joy than we've ever felt before.

A friend of mine recently came back from Africa and was struck by the positive attitude and happiness that was shown by people living in abject poverty. I've come to the conclusion that joy and despair are flip sides of the same coin. You can't have one without the other. You can only know true joy if you have experienced pure despair. One thing I've learned is that joy is in the little things. The first time my son buttered a slice of bread. The first time he tied his shoes ... things his doctors once said he'd never do.

Today I thank God for this amazing child. I thank him for sending me a life peppered with moments of crystalline joy.

God bless,
Much love and joy,

Karen

Children of Light by Karen J. Olson --- My book has been released!

Yippee! My book is finally out! I apologize that I haven't been posting as regularly as I was. My bad. I was so busy with work that I couldn't get to it. No excuse ... just that season of my life, I guess.


If you read my column, Life on the Exceptional Side, or like my Chicken Soup for the Soul stories you'll love this book too! It's a labor of love.

Here's an excerpt:

Chapter 2
A Child of Light

You may not have experienced the NICU and the roller coaster we were on, but if you have a child with special needs, you've been at the amusement park. We all hang on to the sides of our seats when our child's life, or happiness, hangs in the balance. We can't help but ask "Why?" "Why is this happening to me? What did I do wrong to deserve this?"



If you're interested in seeing more, or ordering a copy, please go to the publisher's website at http://www.casparapublishing.com/ and click on "store" to order a copy ... or two. ;-)

Much love and joy,

Karen