Gratitude and Hope…..

It hasn’t actually been that long since I blogged the last time but I just had a moment today where I felt such gratitude and hope that I felt the need to share. This might be a little different from my normal posts and I hope you will bear with me.  I talked previously about how I am working towards becoming a Health Coach and I’ve had the opportunity to meet some amazing people on this new journey. I’m learning with and from men and women of various ages, backgrounds and from all over the world! Since it’s an online curriculum I haven’t had the opportunity to meet anyone in person yet but we’ve talked in our Facebook forum, Facetime and on the phone. Our school provides live trainings that I hope to be able to attend at some point in order to look in the eyes of the people who have shared so much with me even though it’s only been 5 weeks. Everyone has such diverse backgrounds and stories about what drew them to this adventure. Many have had their own battles with health and/or cared for family members, some are already in the field and want to expand their knowledge and others are looking for a change and felt that this was something that they were meant to do.

Today, while completing an assignment with a peer we talked about more than just the “homework” but also about ourselves, the struggles we’ve encountered in our lives, what we are learning about ourselves and how we hope to not only move ourselves forward but also to help others master those changes that are important to them. A little while afterwards I was chatting back and forth with peers on Facebook and realized that I have once again been blessed to be surrounded with people who are looking to build each other up rather than tear someone else down. We see so much turmoil on the news, when we read the paper or sometimes just walking out our front door. I have been blessed to have an amazing family and some of the best friends imaginable and here I am once again finding myself in a new arena being built up emotionally and spiritually by people I’ve never even sat in a room with.

I may not know what the future holds and there are many a day when my motto is “fake it until you make it.” (Did you think that my life was perfect? I always think of that joke “If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.” Sometimes, I feel as if He has had a big laugh at some of my plans and while I may not know which of my dreams are meant to be I find I cannot give up hope just yet. If nothing else I can say that along my journey I have met the most amazing and inspiring people. I know not everyone feels as if they have that support or that their life is not okay. I just want to say that even if it has nothing to do with chronic illness but you want to reach out, share something or even vent because you are sad or angry reach out here. You can comment to me on the blog, you can reach out to me on facebook @Lannie Cardillo (Living, Loving and Evolving Daily). Today reminded me that we all need someone to listen and truly hear what we have to say. We need to be able to support one another rather than discourage and dismiss one another.