Gifts

What is a gift? Well according to my friends Marriam and Webster is it “something given”. Okay, I begin to think what this is confined to. I set out and listed a few words that I relate to a gift. Here is what I came up with:

*Present – this one is obvious in the fact we are used to giving presents and we assimilate it to physical items.
*Talent – this is something we are good at usually naturally or by gained skills in order to accomplish something. It is done by physical, mental or creative abilities.
*Thought – this is the process of thinking, making serious consideration, an idea, bringing the unconscious to the conscious level.
*Attitude – this is a feeling, opinion, mood; a posture of position (according to the dictionary). To me it is a presentation of one self.

You ask, “DeAnn, what does this have to do with your life journey since weight loss surgery? Well, I’m glad you asked. I have been thinking lately about gifts and how God has given me so much since surgery. Sure he provided for me before surgery, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt it was his blessing to me when he provided a way for me to afford a surgery my insurance company would not recognize as a covered item. I faced not having surgery because of it, but through my determination to be well and have improved health I asked him to lead me. Lead me he did! He dropped avenues in my lap via snail mail, email and creative thinking on my part. After many prayers, much footwork and a step of faith, I secured the funds. Yes, the price is, I have to pay it off over time, but even there God provides.

I give myself a present every day when I choose to eat healthy, exercise wisely and work at this new lifestyle. It isn’t always easy. That chocolate cake donut or that light fluffy brownie make this present to me exceptionally tough some days. The desire to sleep in and skip the “Y” rationalizing the “skipping” part could constitute “working out” is tough to detour some mornings at 5:45am. So every time I bypass the urge to eat that delicious (as I remember them) brownie or I roll out of bed and drag my butt to the “Y”; only finding once I am there it is the best feeling in the world, I give myself a present. The progress of making these good decisions in itself is a gift.

My talent is often times done mentally. I try to be creative and mentally rely on my talent to be encouraging. I try to continuously encourage myself and others. By encouraging myself to take care of myself I hope it encourages others to take care of themselves. I am trying to be more conscious of using my talent in the physical realm of life. By this I mean letting other people know when I appreciate them, give them encouragement to keep on keeping on and pat themselves on the back. This has got to be the hardest thing in daily living. By encouraging others I encourage myself. It is a full circle. The gift of giving is a talent we all possess once we get outside ourselves and rely on God.

This leads me to the next thought. That being thoughts. So often I think of someone and forget to tell them. I am a firm believer that if you don’t let someone know you are thinking about them, they have no way to know you are thinking about them. So is the thought actually valid or just a fleeting moment in time? Wow, some deep thinking huh? Well, I think the gift of letting others know they are being thought about is important. I also think our thoughts construct who we are. If we have a positive thought and have positive anticipations we are more likely to be positive. By being positive I am more likely to progress in the right direction. As I think positive about my weight loss journey, I do a better job of making choices that assist my daily life and not hinder my daily life. So the gift of positive thoughts and acting on those thoughts lead to growth in strength, will power, good decision making and so much more.

This leads me to the next point - attitude. Have you ever been unlucky enough to be in the same room as someone with a bad attitude? It seems like everything they say, do or exude is negative. I have. It is miserable. I hate the days when that person is me. I can’t imagine how anyone else can stand to be around me when I am at that place in my attitude. The decisions I make are influenced by my attitude. So I have the option each morning to sit up in bed and decide what my attitude will be for the day. If I get off track at any time in the day, only I can change that attitude. The gift of a positive attitude is a gift I give to those around me. I hope my attitude will incite inspiration to those I come in contact with. This is in regards not only to my food choices, activity choices, but my outlook on everything around me. I pray my presentation of myself is positive and makes an impressive impression on others.

All of these gifts are an individual aspect of my lifestyle. A new lifestyle I choose to live since weight loss surgery. I have been a fairly positive person all my life, but I truly believe God’s gift to me since surgery has been a more positive outlook. He has provided the gift of financial means to have the surgery and the financial means to live a gastric bypass lifestyle. It isn’t cheap to eat healthier. It amazes me how this world is so bent on eating healthier, but the market makes it difficult to do such. God has provided the support of others to encourage me and in return he has given me the talent to try to encourage others. God has given me the thoughts I need to make good decisions. He brings the unconscious to the conscious level so I can reason things out. Sometimes I reason wrongly, but at least I know I’ve done it. I do make bad decisions at times, but through his grace I am able to forgive myself, pick myself back up and trod the path to a healthier, happier day. Lastly, God gives me the attitude to implement all these gifts for the betterment of my life. In the end I pray it will benefit those around me.

In a nut shell? The gifts we are given are to be used to encourage others. I hope this blog over the last year has encouraged you at least once. I hope it will continue to inspire as long as God provides me with the thoughts to write it. Together we can all live a better life, whether it is through the weight loss journey I have chosen or the day to day journey you have chosen. We all need each other and the gifts we bring to the table.


Dead ends don't exist. Back up, turn around and take a different road. You may become completely lost for awhile, but you will find the way. There is always another way. ~L'Tanya Gail Durante~