Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Cherish the Simple things

*** Cherish= verb: to hold or treat as dear; feel love for; to care for tenderly; nurture; to cling fondly or inveterately to.***
On the wall of my bathroom there is a sign..."Cherish the simple things." Sometimes I seem to forget the simple things in life and get wrapped up in the chaos.
As some of you know my daughter Lilly has gained an enormous amount of weight in the last year. Scary for a child so young to be so heavy.

I have been very emotional about Lilly the last few weeks. We have watched her food intake, monitored everything that has gone into her mouth and she is still gaining weight. For those that know her well, she is not an idle child. She doesn't sit and watch TV eating bon-bons no, she is mover and a shaker. She loves to dance and run and play. There should be no reason for her to have gained over 40 pounds in the last year. There is something wrong!!!

After going to the nutritionist (what a joy that was) and being told that 95% of obese children are over weight because of their obese parents, I really have done a lot of soul searching. I was, to say the least, offended. Would Dr. Skinny Pants look at Lilly differently if I had been a size 2 petite with a belt? Who's to say. And can someone who has never had children really tell me how to handle a 3 year old with a problem...in my opinion, Hell no! I was so emotional about being accused of making my child fat it hurt every part of me. I knew in my heart that it's more than just food. If I have been on Weight Watchers and losing weight why isn't my child losing as well? So many questions unanswered and therefore..CHAOS!

The other night as I was on my knees pleading for help with my Heavenly Father, I felt a voice say to me, cherish the simple things. And I realized I was missing out on the sweet spirit of Lilly and focusing so much on her weight. And then it hit me...If I am worried about Lilly and her life isn't my father in heaven worried as well? Of course he is! She is his child. And then I got it. That parents work together with Heavenly Father. We all want what is best for our children. And at that moment I felt at Peace. The Lord is in control. He will heal her if I have faith. In the quiet of my house I found a little peace. Do we still watch what Lilly eats? YOU BET. But I can only control what I can control. He will heal her. I know we will find out what is wrong with her. Until then, I pray for strength and I hold and hug Lilly even when she is crying for food. Because I love her. I love her because she is.


3 comments:

Susan said...

She is beautiful - and, have i ever told you how jealous I am of you... I have always wanted a red-headed daughter.... and with the name Lilly...

Mama of 5 said...

Shan,
I love you, Always.
Love me

Heather said...

That's a lot of pressure to put on you, Shanna. While I'm sure it's true that obese moms tend to have obese kids, your other two aren't, so you are obviously feeding your children correctly. Dietitians are all about numbers and statistics - I'm not a big fan myself after some of a advice they have given me during my diabetic pregnancies. We will remember Lily in our prayers so that the doctors can figure out what's going on quickly. Don't let them get you down, we all know you are a great mom who takes awesome care of your girls. Just look how happy they are!