PB&Js for God
October 2, 2024
Thank you, Diane, for your blog about Prayer… having spent some of my younger years in a convent in Cintra, Portugal, I was blessed with the experiences of finding true peace in simply talking and having my own conversations in prayer. I can’t begin to tell you how many times those conversations (prayers, some would call it) saved my life and gave me peace of heart.
~ Joana Brown, Ergonomic Certified Perfect Health Instructor, CEO & Founder
– SitBeFit.Co, Advocate of Veterans & Surviving Spouses
Rene and I are updating our network of advisors who help us strategize and manage our jigsaw puzzle of finances, taxes, loss carry-forwards (I’ve done really well amassing those), Medicare, Tricare, Humana Medicare supplements, long-term care, VA disability, PERA, Social Security, IRAs . . .
As they say, it’s complicated. But since we are approaching the era in life when most normal people put their retirement plans in motion, our process of moving variables around in what-if life scenarios is producing some fascinating potential outcomes. Such as, the possibility of simultaneously achieving purpose and financial sustainability without putting in endless hours and enduring agonizing headaches.
To be clear, neither Rene nor I want or intend to fully retire anytime soon. Why? Because for the first time literally ever, we are working on the projects we’ve been wanting and waiting to focus on our entire adult lives.
Rene is finally in the process of shedding about forty percent of his former responsibilities and will exclusively concentrate on the two leadership programs he oversees at the Aurora (Colorado) Chamber of Commerce, a feat he’s been striving to achieve for over a decade. And me, I’m bouncing around from consulting on projects as a writer to marketing my next book that releases in the spring to continuing to write, speak, and advocate for more attention to be paid to the intersection of mental health and cancer.
Wanna know the most important thing I’m currently doing, though? Keeping in close contact with a handful of dear friends who have been diagnosed this year with Stage 4 cancer. My intent is not to be a martyr, but rather to be a compassionate supporter and listener who cares deeply about what they are experiencing.
Several weeks ago, I had lunch with one of these precious friends, a young woman who is in a significant amount of pain. She is in the midst of being medically discharged from the military, a process that has been communicated horribly and executed poorly. Some days she simply doesn’t have the energy to attempt to untangle the bureaucratic messes that continue to accumulate.
Her high level of courageous determination is inspiring, but she understands the boundaries that limit her strength and stamina. Not surprisingly, she continues to achieve greater clarity about her purpose.
Before we hugged to say goodbye at the end of our lunch, she stunned me with this thought: “The administrative aspect of dying is unbelievably complicated.”
What sobering, intuitive words.
I may never be a bestselling author or take a year-long cruise around the world, but I can honestly say I am truly blessed. And I have no regrets.
Because I have so many unlikely gifts to share.
