It is early morning on Thanksgiving Day. It’s still dark outside and the house is quiet….my FAVORITE time of day! As I am thinking about all the things I’ve been blessed with in my life, I couldn’t help but think of all of you. Your support has made an incredible difference in my life. To all of you that read this blog that I have never met or don’t see on a regular basis, thank you. When I get your emails it amazes me how connected we can feel to each other, even without seeing each other in person. When you reach out and share your stories with me, I can’t even put into words how good that makes me feel. We are not alone and your emails are constant, inspiring reminders of that to me. Thank you!
And you all that I see in person each week at our Weight Watchers meetings….WOW, do I owe you a big thanks. Thank you for making our meetings meaningful by sharing your success and your challenges openly. Thank you for choosing to attend the meetings I lead. I know for many of you, there are more convenient locations and times, but you make special arrangements to attend our meetings and that means the world to me. Thank you for waiting in line when the meetings are busy. I am super impatient myself so I feel nervous when I see that the line is long, but I will tell you, the line is long because of YOU. You make the meetings the success that they are by showing up each week and generously and openly sharing your inspirations, your tips, your celebrations and your challenges. I always leave our Weight Watchers meetings with much more energy than I brought in and a strong sense of connection. I am seriously grateful to you for that and for all your support of me personally. It’s such a complement than when someone refers to me as “their Weight Watchers Leader”.
The connections you all have made with me and the support you share are why I’ve written this blog for almost 6 years now and why I’ve led Weight Watchers meetings for 13 years. I hated (a word I try not to use often) being overweight and many times I asked in prayer “WHY???” “Why do I have this challenge?” “Why can’t this be easy for me, like it is for many others?” “Dear God, why can’t I just be ‘normal’ when it comes to weight and eating?” Now I know why. It led me to find inner strength that I didn’t know I had and it’s led me to you. What I have gained through working through my weight issues is immeasurable and it’s clear to me now that it’s a blessing. Everyone has struggles in life and this one seems to be one of ours, but with each other’s help, we know we can work through it and learn many lessons along the way that have nothing to do with food. All is well!!
Below is a link to the segment on WCIU, The U’s “You & Me in the Morning” featuring Chris DeRose and me talking about Weight Watchers tips for managing the Thanksgiving holiday. It aired yesterday (the day before Thanksgiving) and I thought you might like to see it. If so, just click the link and the video should pop right up.
Have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
WCIU “You & Me in the Morning” Weight Watchers Thanksgiving Tips
I loved what you said. You helped me in so many ways with my journey! I miss seeing you!
Amanda