Find a way to stay on TOP

My husband passed away unexpectedly on Aug. 27, 2004. I was devastated. I was lost without him.

I knew God was with me and that’s all that helped. I read this poem every day:

God’s Garden Must Be Beautiful

God looked around the garden, and found an empty space. He looked down upon the earth and saw your tired face

He put his arms around you, and lifted you to rest.

God’s garden must be beautiful for he only takes the best-

He knew that you were weary, and he knew you were in pain,

He knew that you would never be well on earth again.

He saw the roads were getting rough, and the hills were hard to climb.

So He closed your weary eyelids, and whispered peace be thine.

Every year after Christmas, my husband and I (and the dog), always went to south Texas for the winter months. The folks down there said if I would go again they could help me with my grieving. So, we went, me and Brandy, the dog. I was glad that I did, they did help me a lot. Food also helped calm my nerves. After I ate breakfast, I just started grazing all day and didn’t stop until after supper. I wasn’t hungry, but I was hurting.

When we got back home to Independence in April, my mom came over to see me and I was sitting in a rocking chair. She left and let herself out. I could not get up out of the chair. It wasn’t until that moment that I realized how much weight I had gained. I had to lower myself onto the floor and scoot over to the basement steps to stand up. I called mom and told her what happened. She had me see a lady at SRD and suggested that I call her. A few weeks later, I called the lady from the Independence Tops Chapter and she invited me to her chapter to visit.

On May 5, 2005, I joined the Tops Chapter No. 100, Independence. They made me feel special. Hugs everywhere, so glad you’re here, etc. really made me feel welcome.

After the first year, I lost 39 pounds and received a Division Winner Certificate and Charm. That gave me motivation, but the next year I pretty much stayed the same. When I got back from south Texas that year, I found a Tuna Cake recipe on the Internet and started fixing it. I ate it and watched as the pounds started to fall off again. I also started paying more attention to sodium, fat and fiber content, and I began to eat healthy. I ate more fruits and vegetables and not so much red meat.

While I was in south Texas, I and a few others from the RV Park went to a Tops Chapter in San Juan, Texas. I had to keep on track while I was away. They did several things that helped me keep motivated. We said a Tops prayer before each meeting that went like this:

Dear God, give us strength and fortitude in our battle against food indulgence. May our effort be rewarded by a loss of weight and a gain of confidence in ourselves. Please give us light and vision in our everyday lives so that we may fortify ourselves against temptation and be true Tops members.

At the end of the meeting, they all got in a circle and held hands; this was called the “Friendship Circle.” While doing this, they said:

You take my hand and I’ll take yours and we’ll start out today. For a helping hand is what we need to help us on our way. The way to goal is a lonely road, we need someone to care. Reach out, my friend, and take my hand, and then we’re almost there! Keep coming back- we need each other!

I found that I could not just be on a diet. I had to change my way of eating.

On Dec. 6, 2007, I reached my “goal” weight. I lost 70 pounds. I am now a “proud” Kops!!