What an amazing experience it was to be a guest on the World Hope Cast with Dr. Paul Jenkins and Don Hudson. I hope you will all have the opportunity to listen to the interview. My tips on hope: practice smiling, don't live in the what if's or if I'd only mindset, and be happy now! -GMC‪   

Audio of World Hope Cast Interview

#WorldHopeCast

My World Hopecast Interview

 

Many of you have heard of motivational speaker Dr. Paul Jenkins, well I am being interviewed by him on the WORLD HOPECAST next week, so please sign up now to listen!

This is a record breaking internet podcast with interviews of experts from around the globe in a record attempt (certified by Guinness) for the longest live-streamed audio webcast, while providing powerful messages of hope to the world, from around the world.

Registration is Open! Please take a moment to register yourself, and then invite your friends to do the same. Once you register, you will receive a unique link and instructions that allow you to follow the live stream. I will be interviewed on Friday at 12am Mountain Standard Time. Tune in online, Thursday night just before midnight to hear my Friday 12am interview podcast live. Let me know if you can't listen to the even that night. I will have a direct link to my interview after the entire podcast for World Hopecast is over.

The link you receive will work for the entire event, not just my interview. You will also have access to the schedule and can share the event with others. This is the direct link to the registration page:

http://WorldHopecast.com/registration

World Hopecast does not sell or share your e-mail information. Even if you can't listen to mine, register and listen to other podcasts or mine at a later date :)

Grace Marie Chumley

"Put on your natural make-up, SMILE"

Author of:

"Grace Under Pressure - Smiling Through Adversity"

Healthy Habits #3 - Life, Love, and Laughter

Yesterday had some bitter sweet moments. I was at Costco and did some people watching as I shopped. It must have been 'date' time because there were a lot of couples walking around and several families. It touched my heart to see these sweet couples taking care of each others needs. It was also sad to know I didn't have that in my life. Then I saw a spouse tell their partner to go get something. When they came back with the wrong thing a little anger came through. I observed another person shake their head and give their spouse a disgusting look over something. It was sad.

Then I turned my attention to some families. An adorable family was picking up dog food and the dad was having the five year old 'help' him put it in the cart. We all know how much help a five year old would be at that. Another family was deciding together which cheese to buy. Then there was the parent who got mad at their child for taking an extra sample. They picked them up and threw them in the cart and started yelling at them.

My point is we have all had moments like these parents. Sometimes we respond the right way and sometimes we respond the wrong way. Whenever  I responded to my children or spouse the wrong way, I usually felt bad afterwards but I wasn't always sure what to do to change what happened. I have worked years on teaching myself to smile, worry more about the child then the situation, and to try and release the tension with kind words or laughter. It isn't easy and it doesn't always work out that way, but I try. My kids can tell you that if you just make me laugh, I cannot discipline or get angry!

Now that my children are grown and married, I am trying to do the same with my grandchildren and I hope that my example rubs off on everyone around me. The sad part is now that my spouse is deceased, it saddens me to see how spouses sometimes treat each other. If I could go back in time, I would put his needs before mine more often, I would listen better, be slower to judge or get angry, and find more ways to spend quality time with him so he knew he was needed.

Life is to short. Be careful  with your words because the tongue can be as sharp as a knife. Don't leave 'I love you' unsaid, your kids not hugged, or your spouse not kissed. If you are raising your voice because you are angry, you are not raising it for the right reason. Raise your voice in praise and love. When they are still in your life it is hard to sometimes understand this, but when they are suddenly gone, you will.

To stay young and healthier longer, I suggest laughter, love, and happiness.

Healthy Habits #2

Today at my church a great lesson was taught based on a talk by Dieter F. Uchtdorf entitled "Grateful in Any Circumstance." It is a favorite of mine. He talks about knowing how to comfort and support people in their trials. He teaches that if we choose to develop a spirit of gratitude, it will bring us true joy and great happiness. Many times we wonder what we have to be grateful for when our world is falling apart.

I felt that way 6 years ago when my husband took his life. Where do you find the good and happiness in a situation like that? This week was the 6 year anniversary of that loss and I felt more sadness this year than in some of the past years. Sadness that a man with so much to offer couldn't see the good he was providing the people around him. For the most part, I have done very well after such a devastating loss. Many people have wonder how I have bounced back and how I have done so well, so I am going to let you in on a few of my successes with this tragedy.

First, it was not my fault and there was nothing I could do to stop what happened or change it. So I chose not to take the blame for his decision. No going to the 'what ifs' or 'if I'd only."
Second, I focused on the good he did in this world and the stories other shared about how he helped them.
Third, I wrote. I wrote my feelings of sadness, happiness, trials, pain, joy, and loss. As I wrote, I tried to find humor and peace in the crazy things life was throwing at me.
Fourth, and this one took awhile longer, I realized the good I could do because he left me well taken care of.
Fifth, and most important, I made the decision to be happy. Happy with what I had in the past and with what I still had.

Was life easy, no. Was I always happy, no. But it was my choice and I believe it was what carried me through to a healthy state of mind so quickly. I never needed counseling, but I did need my friends and their support and understanding.

So what is the point of writing this entry? Hopefully to help other see that life is tough and we have many things thrown our way to knock us off track, but most of us hold the key to being happy. Our health depends on it. With a smile and a happy heart, I believe we can help our bodies stay healthy too.

Enjoying Exercise #1 - First 5K of the Summer Done!

I can walk but I can't run. Jogging is even pushing it for me. It doesn't help when you're top heavy and try to jog either, if you get the picture. So to have fun with exercising and get my family involved, I started doing 5K Walks.

My daughter, six year old grandson, and I just finished the Electro Dash. It is a fun night run with lots of lights and music. We were a bit out of shape for the first one this season, but we did it! It took my daughter and grandson about an hour and 15 minutes. I did it in about 55 minutes. We were thankful that her husband came alone for the ride and to cheer us on. When we got to the half-way point, they were out of water. So we texted my son-in-law to meet us with water bottles. He was a life savor!

We had a good time with all our glow sticks and the positive atmosphere around us. Walking is one of the best exercises you can do. It only takes 1/2 hour 3-4 times a week. Start slow but walk!

Now it is time to get ready for our next 5K The Dirty Dash. This one is going to wipe me out.

Healthy Habits #1 - Happiness Is A Choice

I have always believed that happiness is a choice. It bothers me when people say, "I will be happy when...." You can fill in the black with: when I get a job, when I get married, when I loose weight, etc. Life is tough, but most of us can choose to be happy while going though the tough times.

I get it, there are people that suffer from depression that cannot make that choice all the time. My late husband couldn't choose to be happy and after battling extremely bad clinical depression for 27 years, he took his life. One of my daughters will always deal with clinical depression and there are some days the demons of that brain disease, steal her happiness from her. But do not have depression.

I suffer from being overweight, chronic pain, bursitis, a lack of nutritious eating, and just bad habits! So I am taking control of my life. This blog will be about my journey to lose weight so the pain will stop. It will be about finding recipes that help you eat healthy and foods that taste great while promoting good eating habits, as well as exercising and a happy attitude. Basically as a school teacher, I know when you learn a concept, you will retain it better if you teach it to someone else. So this is my way of sharing what I learn and teaching it so I can grasp it even better.

Welcome to my journey!


Areas of concern: Large flabby upper arms, flexibility, large thighs, fat rolls around the middle!
Weight: 222 (can't believe I am actually posting that) was at 210 before I moved to a different state.
Eating: Don't get enough fruits or veggies, I eat mostly starches.
Exercise: try to walk a few days a week, I like to do 5K walks every summer
Mood:  HAPPY and loving life!