Thought for Today

It is sometimes so hard to let go of what 'was' and no longer 'is', but it is necessary so we can make room for new beginnings and what will be...

~ Lily Cuadra (me)

Caught In The In Between...

I was shopping at Kohls a little while ago today and, all of a sudden, I heard the coolest song over the store speakers. The lyrics grabbed my attention. I stopped in the middle of the store and wrote a couple down to make sure I could find the song later. It is a song about self esteem. Just love these lines:

...Cuz she's just the way she is, but no ones told her that's ok....

...Perfect only in her imperfections....

Here is the video



Beautiful Disaster
by Jon McLaughlin

She loves her mama's lemonade,
Hates the sound that goodbyes make.
She prays one day she'll find someone to need her.
She swears that there's no difference,
Between the lies and compliments.
It's all the same if everybody leaves her.

And every magazine tells her she's not good enough,
The pictures that she sees make her cry.

And she would change everything, everything just ask her.
Caught in the in between, a beautiful disaster,
And she just needs someone to take her home.

She's giving boys what they want, tries to act so nonchalant,
Afraid they'll see that she's lost her direction.
She never stays the same for long,
Assuming that she'll get it wrong.
Perfect only in her imperfections.

She's not a drama queen,
She doesn't want to feel this way, only seventeen, but tired

She would change everything for happy ever after.
Caught in the in between, a beautiful disaster,
But she just needs someone to take her home.

Cuz she's just the way she is, but no ones told her that's ok.

And she would change everything, everything just ask her.
Caught in the in between of beautiful disaster,

And she would change everything for happy ever after.
Caught in the in between of beautiful disaster,

But she just needs someone to take her home
And she just needs someone to take her home.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
peace, hope and love,

Lily

note: if Jon McLaughlin sounds familiar, he sings this song from the Movie Enchanted.

Nova Psychology Services Center

Hi all,
Sarah Rainer, our new group co-facilitator shared news about services available at Nova South Eastern University's Psychology Services Center. Nova's Psychology Services Center provides " psychological and testing services to children, adolescents, adults, families and the elderly in the South Florida community".

Their phone number is 954-262-5730 or 1-800-541-6682, ext. 5730.

You can visit their website by clicking HERE.

For directions, click HERE.

Thanks you so much Sarah, for letting us know of these services available in South Florida!

peace, hope and love,

Lily

Quote for Today

Learn from the past and believe in the future...but most of all, LIVESTRONG in the journey.
~ Livestrong.org

ReddStone - A Remuda Ranch Program

Great news! Remuda Ranch a center in Arizona that provides inpatient and residential programs for women and girls suffering from eating disorders, will now be offering a program for boys 17 and younger!

Did you know that 25% of those suffering from eating disorders are male?

I am so glad that Remuda is expanding their services to provide treatment for boys! There is such a great need! To read the complete article, please click HERE.

peace, hope and love,

Lily

YES IT'S FOR YOU!!!!

So this Saturday I had the opportunity to serve/volunteer/make a difference at my church with a really cool group of girls for a special project. Here we are in a pic (you can click on pics to make them bigger):
from left to right: Lily (me), Barby, Janis, Heather, Ann Marie, and Kristin

I learned lots today, but there was one unexpected lesson that I wanted to share with you from this weekend.

Here is the story and the lesson that came with it:

Thursday night, I get an email from my bloggin bud Heather from church and her blog Lead(Her)ship . Her email was sent to several people asking for help serving on a special project.

My first thoughts were: Heather must've sent me the email by accident!!!!! She must've meant to send it to a different Lily on her mailing list!!!!!! I don't know enough to participate, I couldn't possibly help!!! This couldn't have been meant for me!!!! I must email Heather so she will know to re-send the email to the right Lily...!

So I emailed Heather and I get this email back saying YES, IT'S FOR YOU!!!! in big caps. :-)

There was someone else in the group (Kristin) that received the email invitation for the first time and had the same initial reaction I did (pic: Lily, Heather, Kristin).

So this is what I learned:

How many times are opportunities & possibilities available to us and we convince ourselves, before even trying, that they are not for us?

How many times have we said to ourselves that we do not deserve or will never have:
- Freedom from eating disorders
- Freedom from anxiety and depression
- A healthy, loving relationship/family
- A new beginning
- A second chance
- X, Y, Z

Next time you think (like Kristin and I thought this Thursday) that you "got the email by accident", remember Heather's words in caps: YES, IT'S FOR YOU!!!! You can be happy, you can be free, you can live the life you were meant to live. You can do it! Trust and believe when G-d, your family and friends, your professional support system, see the potential in you and speak into your life: YES, IT'S FOR YOU!!!!

Thanks for the reminder Heather, it was heaven-sent and thanks for the awesome opportunity to serve this weekend and for introducing me to such a cool group of gals (Barby, Janis, Ann and Kristin).

Recovery is possible! Peace, hope and love,

Lily

Quote for Today

"All endings are also beginnings. We just don't know it at the time..."

~ Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven

********************
I am starting this book tonight, and I just loved the above quote from the inside front cover...

May you learn to let go of what has ended, so you can move completely forward towards new beginnings.

That is part of what I am working on now. Thanks for all of your insight and wisdom L.

peace, hope and love,

Lily

Fat Talk Free Week / October 13th - 17th, 2008

"Fat Talk Free Week is a five-day awareness effort sponsored by Tri Delta to draw attention to the damaging impact of fat talk and the “thin ideal” on today’s women in society. We’re asking women all over the country—young girls, college women, adult women, and mothers and daughter—to pledge to not fat talk for the full week. Each day, women will be given a daily “charge” of something positive they can do related to having a positive body image, while shining a spotlight on the issues and statistics of body image and eating disorders in women."
~ Reflections Body Image Program

To sign the pledge, click HERE. When you sign the pledge, you will receive a a daily “charge” of something positive you can do this week related to having a positive body image.

Here is to accepting ourselves just the way we are, and removing this "F" WORD from our vocabulary.

Recovery is possible!!!

Peace, Hope and Love,

Lily

Sunday Reflection

Our negative mind speaks lies about many areas of our life that we end up believing.

I am thankful that I broke through the lies that ED used to tell me about food.

My negative mind still speaks lies into my life though..... Right now, for me, it is in the area of careers/education and relationships. For example: I was valedictorian and #1 in my class from 4th grade all the way through high school, graduated from FAU with a 4.00 average (bachelors degree), and my mind tells me sometimes I would not be good enough to pass the GRE, or complete a Masters Degree. I know deep down it is a lie, doesn't make much sense really.

I am thankful that I chose to overcome the lies about food because it gives me the strength and ability to recognize other lies my negative mind speaks into my life and work through them towards further growth, happiness and freedom...

peace, hope and love,

Lily

Thought for Today

"Change the way you speak about yourself an you can change your life."

~ Joel Osteen, Become a Better You

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.
--The Serenity Prayer


"One of life's paradoxes is that in order to change an unwanted situation, we must first accept it the way it is. If you wish to move forward in your life, first make peace with what you are presently experiencing.
(...)

If there is some area of your life that you are seeking to change, first practice acceptance."

source: Listening to Your Inner Voice by Douglas Bloch

*******************
There are times in our life when it seems as though we do not have a choice. Remember, we always have a choice, even if it is to change our attitude and live in peace and acceptance of where we are while we work to get to where we want to be.

peace, hope and love,

Lily

To Write Love on Her Arms

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit organization that started in Central Florida, as a group of friends that wanted to make a difference in the lives of others, providing hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self injury and suicide. Their VISION and STORY are amazing. You can check them out by reading HERE.

They are big on the idea and importance of COMMUNITY...the idea that people are not meant to do life alone, that we can make a difference in the lives of others and each other.

TWLOHA is the story of Rene, about how she found Purpose for Her Pain and how Jaime and his friends organized their community and created what is now To Write Love on Her Arms.....

Here is one of the founders of TWLOHA, explaining who they are:



peace, hope and love,

Lily