Also, remember that no matter what you’re going through, there’s always hope. Take this family’s experience and how a simple sign, like a butterfly, can make all the difference:

4th of July Inspirational Story

by Maddie Merrifield

Early on that Independence Day morning nine years ago, I could already smell the grill being started in people’s backyards. Kids down the street were decorating their bikes for the parade. A neighbor was loading up his truck with folding chairs for our church picnic. That night there would be fireworks.

It should have been a happy time for my family, gathering to celebrate the wedding of my 22-year-old daughter, Karen, two days later. At the same time my 25-year-old daughter, Nancy, had been given a one-day pass so she could leave the psychiatric facility where she was being treated for depression and spend this afternoon with us. I pressed my fingers against my lips to keep from crying. Dear God, I wondered, how can I possibly get through all this?

I looked into the yard where my husband, Bob, was replacing a burned-out floodlight by the back door. As he removed the old bulb, the fixture wobbled and out fluttered a huge butterfly. Its wingspan must have been four inches. It rose in the air, circled the yard, and with a swoop, came to rest on our welcome mat on the back porch. “Bob,” I cried. “I just can’t believe it!”

My mind raced back to my grandfather’s funeral many years ago. That day our family had stood with arms around one another reminiscing outside the barbershop Grandpa had owned. All of a sudden a butterfly landed on the shop door. Grandmother gasped. “It’s a sign,” she said. Grandma explained that she and Grandpa had asked God to send a butterfly when one of them reached heaven safely.

The next important butterfly to appear in my life came shortly after my father’s death. I was 15 and working at a doughnut shop that difficult summer. One evening when Mom met me to walk home, she gestured excitedly at the shop’s screen door. An enormous butterfly had landed there. Holding my breath, I scooped it into my hands. I carried it all the way home. When released, it lingered on the railing of our porch for perhaps an hour until abruptly spreading its wings and lifting off into the night sky.

I grew up, married and had two daughters, and butterflies continued to be symbols of reassurance and hope to us all. We gave one another butterfly cards, stationery and jewelry. Once, during a rough patch in our lives, a butterfly landed on the steering wheel of Mom’s car and another atop a golfball my husband had been about to hit.

When Mom died in late November a few years back, we had already experienced several New England frosts. My sister and I walked through the woods on the morning of our mother’s death. A yellow butterfly suddenly appeared in the chilly air and danced in front of my sister before it darted off. Within minutes a second yellow butterfly fluttered before me from a different direction.

Soon after that, my phone rang with a message from my brother, “You’ll never guess what I just saw,” he said. “A yellow butterfly!”

And now it was the Fourth of July and I was staring at yet another butterfly. As I carefully pulled the welcome mat to a safe place on the side of the porch, it didn’t budge. Several hours later it was still there, motionless. Was it injured? Sick? Dying?

Karen, the bride-to-be, appeared, flushed with excitement. “Here, Honey,” I said, “this must be a special sign for you.” Karen looked at the butterfly, its wings trembling in the summer air. “It’s not for me, Mom,” Karen said. “It’s for Nancy.” We picked up the butterfly and carried it into the kitchen, where it circled the room before alighting on the windowsill by the sink.

Karen’s fiancé, Paul, had driven Nancy home from the hospital, and as the car pulled up, we rushed to meet her. “Nancy!” Putting my arm around my daughter, I drew Nancy into the kitchen and was telling her how glad we were to see her when I saw her eyes widen and her pale face light up. “A butterfly!” she exclaimed.

She went to the sink and slowly put out her hand. As if on cue, the butterfly left the sill and moved directly onto Nancy’s finger, where it sat with wings fully spread.

“You’ll never believe it,” Nancy said, her voice a whisper over her tears, “but I’ve been praying that a butterfly would sit on my finger as a sign that I’ll get well. People told me that I could wait for a hundred years and it would never happen—that I was asking for a miracle.” She looked at the butterfly resting on her finger, and then at us, eyes shining. “But there are miracles.”

We stayed there in the kitchen a long time, getting caught up on Nancy’s progress and Karen’s wedding preparations. Then Nancy took the butterfly outside and held it aloft. Saying farewell, we all watched it fly across the garden and into the woods.

That evening more family members arrived to share laughter, hugs and hot dogs. We lit sparklers in the twilight, and when fireworks burst from the darkness, we all stood with arms around one another, looking upward into the sky. Once again we would face the future together, borne on the wings of a promise that had sustained our family for generations.

Happy Independence Day this week! Be safe, healthy and happy!

Jen

Original Post 

Name: Chase Rojas

Anytime Fitness Title: O2i, Owner to Inspire

Anytime Fitness Location: Roanoke and Stephenville, TX

My weakness: I believe preparation and confidence can turn any weakness into strength. I do have a fear of not living up to my own expectations, and not having the impact I know I am capable of making on the world.

What keeps me motivated: Someone telling me I cannot do something is usually my ultimate motivation. I am also extremely motivated and inspired by fitness newbies when they have their “light bulb moment.” There is nothing like seeing someone’s hard work beginning to culminate into something great.

Working Out Sucks, but: being an Inspiration doesn’t! It all starts with one step. After the first step, it’s just one foot in front of the other. Being an inspiration to someone is an extremely gratifying feeling that can propel you to places you’ve never imagined possible. Embrace the opportunity to inspire!

I feel my best when: I finish what I start.

If I could tell the world one thing about exercise and fitness it would be: If you fall, get back up! Success is not measured by the amount of times you fall, but by the number of times you pick yourself back up.

The hardest thing I have ever had to overcome in my life: has been Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease. You’re probably wondering what the hell Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease is, right? Only one out of every 1,200 children are diagnosed with this condition, and let me be the first to say…it sucks! It’s a part of my life I haven’t even shared with some of my closest friends.

When I was five-years-old, my parents noticed I limped when I ran with the other children (even with my major limp I was still the fastest kid on the playground). My father would ask me if my legs hurt, but fearing that I would have to stop playing with the other children, I always told him I was fine.

Once the limp and pain became too much to bear, my parents took me to a doctor who diagnosed me with LCPD. I was essentially a real, live Forrest Gump. They fitted me with extremely uncomfortable leg braces, which forced me to walk awkwardly. Even at a young age, I was very fearful of being different. I worried about whether I would be able to play baseball or play outside with my friends. I was concerned people would look at me differently.

My mother and father still tell me how incredibly strong I was given the challenges I faced. The years went by and the braces stayed on, rubbing my legs raw day by day, but I refused to give up. I refused to be treated differently, even though I was.

When I was seven, much to the dismay of the other parents, I was voted onto my city’s all-star team. They viewed me as different, and saw me as a threat to their children. My parents have always been my biggest supporters, and they made sure that no one was going to take success away from their son. After lots of arguing at a parent meeting, my family persuaded the others parents to let me play with their children on the all-star team.

When I was nine, the elementary school decided to build handicap ramps wherever there were stairs, and made sure everyone knew the ramps were for the handicapped kid with braces on his legs. Even at nine, I distinctly remember thinking I didn’t want any charity and I definitely didn’t want to be treated differently than the other kids. Once the ramps were completed, I refused to use them. I would rather be in pain and walk funny up stairs than walk up a handicapped ramp. The school was not very happy. They complained to my mother that I was not using the ramps they had built for me, but I refused to be treated differently.

When my leg braces were removed at age 11, the doctors told me I would have chronic leg pain for the rest of my life. They also warned me that I would likely require hip replacement surgery in the future. I will be 29 in a few months, and I still have extreme hip pain. Sometimes I can’t get out of bed. Sometimes I wake up screaming because the pain is so bad. I don’t complain, however. I realize life doesn’t give any of us a mulligan. The only option we have is to put one foot in front of the other in order to overcome the fear and pain that stands in our way.

Once my leg braces came off, my family relocated in order to give me a fresh start. I very rarely talk about it, but I truly believe the small successes of my childhood—in spite of the challenges—changed my personality forever and made me the man I am today.

Struggle A Little

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly, that he brought home.

One day a small opening appeared.  He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours.  It struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress.  It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther.

So the man decided to help the butterfly.  He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.  The butterfly then emerged easily, but, it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.  He continued to watch the butterfly, he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and the body would contract.  Neither happened!

In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings.  It was never able to fly.

The man acted with well-intentioned kindness but he didn’t understand the consequences.  The restricting cocoon and the struggle required to get through the tiny opening, were nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life.  If we were to go through life without any obstacles, it would cripple us.  We would not be as strong as we could have been and we could never fly.

So the next time you are faced with an obstacle, a challenge, or a problem, remember the butterfly.

Struggle a little – then fly!

Though you may go through challenges in life, remember that those challenges make you who you are today.  Work through them and you will be a stronger person.

Here’s to working through your challenges this week!  You can do it!

Jen

Allison is an inspiration for all of us.  She shows us that, no matter what your challenges are, with hard work and determination you can do what you set your mind to.  Remember, as Allison stated: “There’s no such thing as I can’t.  I can’t is in your head.”

You CAN do what you set your mind to!

Make your week successful!

Jen

Toby states: “I remember driving home thinking I was a failure. I just sat around feeling sorry for myself. I knew there was nothing I could do about it with all my medical condition and especially being in a wheelchair. I was feeling bad, and that night an infomercial got my attention – P90X. I had seen it once before, but that night I saw it a 2nd time and this time it was like a light went on. I knew this was the answer, but worried how I could do that in my wheelchair.

I did the only thing I could think of – I surfed the web and that is where I met Dan and Cammie L. Cammie had MS and had learned to modify P90X, so I contacted them and the rest is history. I can go at my own pace, and if I need a break I can push pause and then jump back in. The best part of P90X is I can modify it so with my disabilities I can still get results.”

Original Post: “I’m in a wheelchair and lost 133 lbs. doing P90X”

I used to think, “Why did I get the short straw?”

Diagnosed with Becker’s Muscular Dystrophy at age 6 my legs turned in, I walked on tiptoes, my spine was bent, my body tight and arms were open to 90 degrees. The doctors didn’t think I would live past age 14. Since then, I’ve had two defibulator pacemakers installed and struggled with arthritis. In addition, I’ve used a machine at night to squeeze out excess fluid from my legs.

I got fitted for a tux recently and never wore button pants before. So the shop owner put a tape around me to find out my size. After he measured, he said “Young man, I don’t carry anything that big…size 53 pants won’t fit you. You’re going to need 53-55 pants with sliders on the side.” I was in shock. Later that day, I weighed myself and found out that I was 328 lbs. I had to do something.

I remember driving home thinking I was a failure. I just sat around feeling sorry for myself. I knew there was nothing I could do about it with all my medical condition and especially being in a wheelchair. I was feeling bad, and that night an infomercial got my attention – P90X. I had seen it once before, but that night I saw it a 2nd time and this time it was like a light went on. I knew this was the answer, but worried how I could do that in my wheelchair.

I did the only thing I could think of – I surfed the web and that is where I met Dan and Cammie L. Cammie had MS and had learned to modify P90X, so I contacted them and the rest is history. I can go at my own pace, and if I need a break I can push pause and then jump back in. The best part of P90X is I can modify it so with my disabilities I can still get results.

The biggest challenges were first getting over feeling sorry for myself and then believing I could change. I had long ago lost not only hope, but also belief in myself. Most nights I was so weak from my Muscular Dystrophy that it was a struggle to go on. I had to block out the pain and carry on even when I felt like giving up.

I started at 328 lbs on Feb 2010 and I now weigh 195 lbs. I have built muscle by doing P90X, which is a shocking accomplishment for someone with Muscular Dystrophy. Someone with MD lacks Dystrophin in their genes, causing muscles to deteriorate over time. The doctors are speechless – they don’t know what to say.

My heart strength is up between 15-20%, which the Cardiologist loves. I no longer suffer from water retention in my legs and my legs no longer leak fluid. The air boot machine I used to have to use for 1 hour a night is now in storage. My clothes have gone from size 53+ to 40-42. My feet used to be so big I wore size 15W shoes and now I can fit into size 9s. My rings have gone from size 12 to 10s. When I started P90X I used 1-2lb soft weights I now can curl 20 lb dumbbells a few reps. I have lost 133 lbs to date, so I have been able to go down 3 wheelchair sizes.

The biggest thing is I now have hope for the future.

————————————

Remember you can do anything if you set your mind to it.  Don’t let challenges hold you back! And if you need some help remember that Anytime Fitness is here for you!

Jen

Original Post: Im Dong-hyun Sets World Record At London Olympics: Blind South Korean Archer Breaks 72-Arrow Mark

LONDON — South Korean archer Im Dong-hyun sees only blurred colors and lines when he peers toward the target about 76 yards away, arrow at the ready. It doesn’t stop the legally blind Olympian from hitting the grapefruit-sized yellow center – again and again and again.

Im set the first world record of the London Olympics on Friday, breaking his own mark in the 72-arrow event and helping South Korea set a team record in the opening round. He broke the record he set in Turkey in May by three points with a score of 699, hours before the opening ceremony of the 2012 Games.

“This is just the first round, so I will not get too excited by it,” said Im, who has 10 percent vision in his left eye and 20 percent in his right.

He combined with Kim Bub-min and Oh Jin-hyek, breaking the record for 216 arrows with a score of 2,087. That was 18 better than the mark South Korea set in May.

The 26-year-old Im does not wear glasses in competition, saying he relies on distinguishing between the bright colors of the target. He won gold in the team event at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

South Korean coach Jang Young Sool also didn’t seem too impressed by his team’s accomplishment. He said his archers must get ready their next test.

“We will have a day of rest now and prepare for tomorrow,” he said of the gold-medal match Saturday.

France finished second in the team event, followed by China and the U.S., which was ranked No. 1 coming into the event. The U.S. men beat South Korea last October in London.

Brady Ellison, world No. 1 individual archer, said the conditions were ideal Friday and he wasn’t surprised the individual world record fell.

“I don’t think you get those types of scores anywhere if the weather wasn’t just perfect today,” the American said. “Korea shoots good, and if you look at the scores, they’re always top in the ranking round.”

Also Friday, the American women’s team scored a surprising second-place finish. Miranda Leek, Jennifer Nichols and Khatuna Lorig scored 1,979 points with 216 arrows. They were 14 points behind South Korea, which scored 1,993 points.

The U.S. team is ranked No. 6 in the world and qualified for London just last month in Utah.

Lorig, competing in her fifth Olympics, finished fourth in the individual event with 669 points on 72 arrows. She trailed archers from South Korea and Taiwan, all tied at 671 points.

“The ranking round is just a practice,” she said. “As a team it is going really well. There is great team spirit and everybody is happy.”

Lorig is a naturalized American who’s represented the Unified Team of the former Soviet Union, the Republic of Georgia and the U.S. She coached archery to Jennifer Lawrence, star of “The Hunger Games.”

Spectators hoping to catch a glimpse of the action Friday were turned away from Lord’s cricket ground.

Preliminary rounds were listed as non-ticketed, so several thousand spectators showed up at the venue expecting to get in for free.

A spokeswoman for the London Games organizing committee said tickets were not advertised or sold for the qualifying events and “we have always made it clear” that the early competitions were not open for spectators.

Have a great day & week!  Face your challenges head on…. you can do it!

From Russia: An Expats Parable by Svetlana!

Svet’s Expats parable:

Hello,

I’ve heard this parable from my Teacher a long time ago…

Now I decided to retell the story for You. Who knows it might be helpful to somebody in their life.Imagine an old oriental town, an old man is sitting and enjoying the sunny day near the town’s gate. A shepherd with his sheep is watching this scene:

A tired stranger comes to the old man, sits down near him and asks the old man: “Please, tell me about the town, what kind of people live here?” The old man then said “First, tell me about your place and from where you have come.” The stranger replied, “Really, nothing to tell – it was old, dirty and a boring town. People who lived there were evil and nasty, just quarrels and scandals every day.” “Well,”-said the old man – “It is sad to tell, but here you’ll find the same. A dirty, boring town and people here is not better than in place what you just left”. The stranger then sat a little bit with the old man, ate his breakfast then he left.

Some hours later another stranger came to this old man to ask about this town and the people who live in this town. This old man was not in a hurry to answer this question. He just asked the stranger a question back. About his place where he had come from. The stranger said “Oh, it was a wonderful place, so quiet and peaceful! And people who lived there: they were so kind and nice to me, we became such great friends and we even cried when I had to leave!” The old man replied “Don’t worry, stranger – you’ll find new friends in this town and find this town the same peaceful and quiet. Just go on in!”

The sun started to go down and the shepherd his sheep to go back to the town, he stopped near the old man and asked him why he gave such different answers to these two strangers.

“I did not lie to them.” Responded the old man.”The truth is that in each place that you visit you will find the same circumstances as the place you left. You will also find in this world, just who you are. Also that there is no way to find something different in the world. Till you change yourself. For you always bring your world with you”.

This parable is for people who wants to find greener grass in new places – believe me, that’s improbable…

But maybe, You will find it! Because when you just got this thought to go somewhere else, you may be already changed yourself. Then you can become a New Person.

Who knows…

My best wishes for All!

Svetlana

Here’s to people choosing to see the positive in others and in situations.

Excerpted from Chicken Soup for the Soul: Shaping the New You

By Kathleen Kohler

“Fat, female, and forty,” the doctor said to me as I sat in his office. “I’m sorry, but you fit all the criteria for having gallstones, and the ultrasound shows you have quite a few. That means you’re going to need surgery.”

Well, he couldn’t have made it any plainer than that. I didn’t mind the female part, but fat and forty? Didn’t he know how many times I’d tried to lose weight? I’d drop 20 pounds and over time, gain back 30. Disgusted with myself, I scheduled the surgery and left his office.

Three years laters, I sat across from Dr. Eng while she explained her diagnoses. “You have acid reflux,” she said as she scribbled down a prescription.

“Here, this will block the acid,” she said, handing me the slip of paper for the pharmacist. “You’ll need to cut from your diet acidy foods like oranges, grapefruit, any of the citrus family. Also, tomatoes, fried foods, coffee and tea…”

“Tea!”

“Yes, that only contributes to the problem. And, avoid chocolate.”

“No chocolate?”

My mind conjured images of rich, dark chocolate bars, chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, and Godiva hot chocolate, the drink I order when I visit the bookstore. Give up chocolate? She had to be joking. But the determined, matter-of-fact look on her face told me she was serious.

“Is there something else I can do to get rid of this?” I said, shaking my head and throwing up my hands.

“You could lose weight. As Americans get heavier, I see an increased number of patients who’ve developed this problem.”

On the drive home, I considered what the doctor had said. I had battled weight my whole life. And I always lost the war. Now, she was asking me to give up some of my favorite foods. I couldn’t imagine life without the refreshing taste of oranges, tomatoes on my salad, and a cup of English breakfast tea, my morning ritual. And, what about the bowl of chocolate ice cream at night? Chocolate, my favorite food.

However, according to the terrible churning in my gut and constant burn in my throat, I couldn’t continue down the same path. And, I had no intention of taking pills the rest of my life to remedy something within my control. Yes, it was time to act. But, I had to be realistic. I needed a plan that I could stick with long-term. No more diets, like in the past where I’d lose 20 pounds only to gain it back a year later. No, this time I had to do a complete lifestyle overhaul.

I made a mental list of the things I liked to do: read, write, paint, and walk. Walking, that was it. I’d start there wince everything else on my list involved long periods of sitting. And, I’d have to change my eating habits for good. That meant no snacking in front of the TV at night and then going to bed.

I took action that afternoon. When I arrived home, I said to our Bassett. “Come on, Charlie, we need to take our squatty bodies for a walk.” He lifted his head from his comfortable corner of the couch and looked at me like, huh? We started out slow, and added a block or two each day. Now I walk up to two miles three times a week.

The next week I added a morning workout routine of crunches, leg raises, toe-touches, etc. Soon I built up enough stamina to do 20 minutes of exercise six days a week, in addition to my walking.

Sometimes, when I wake up exercises is the last thing I feel like doing. But, I resist the urge to skip and force myself to do what I know benefits me. When I finish, I pat myself on the back for making the right choice.

I also took a hard look at what my daily diet consisted of and started viewing food as fuel for my brain and body. In a drastic move, I decided to stop eating all processed sugar and white flour for the first six weeks. This forced me to read labels on everything I ate, which at first made shopping take twice as long.

I became an expert at reading labels. As a result, I discovered high fructose corn syrup (HFC) hidden in many packaged foods. The syrupy substance lurked in our bread and even the clam chowder we had been buying. I also said farewell to frozen juices, most of which contain HFC. Instead, I buy the freshest in-season produce I can afford. I continue to read labels of new products because looks and packaging can be deceiving.

After the first two months, I treated myself to a small cone or dish of ice cream twice a month. After all, this is not a diet. I’ve retrained my thinking so I make healthier choices. Once I freed my body from the addiction to processed sugars, fruit and vegetables, tasted sweeter than I’d realized.

If I do crave something sweet, which rarely happens now, I bite into a plump, tasty Medjool date or two. They halt the craving and I don’t feel deprived. If I don’t want a date, I treat myself to a dish of fresh berries, usually raspberries. Sometimes I still have two cookies, or a small piece of pie. But, every day I make healthy food the priority, which an occasional sweet confection.

Sometimes, my husband and I stop for fast food when we’re out, but I no longer order a regular burger. Instead, I get a junior burger. If we get fries, we share a small package and we carry water with us rather than buy pop.

The hardest habit for me to break was giving up my evening bowl of ice cream. One of the tricks I’ve used to conquer that craving is to floss and brush my teeth when I finish dinner. This signals my taste buds and my brain that we’re done eating for the day.

The first two months, I lost 16 pounds. I still have a way to go to reach my goal. But I’m losing the weight with every healthy choice I make. Over three years I’ve managed to maintain a 35-pound weight loss. Three cheers for me. Not only do I feel better and have new clothes, I’ve also cured my acid reflux.

Remember, with determination you can do anything!