Ah, thanks, I needed that, and it was well worth the wait. I wrapped my arms around me and gave myself a big love hug. I realized I couldn’t touch the real me because for years I had packed on what I thought was protection—against pain, misery and lack to name a few. I was hurting myself more than the lie of protection I had bought into.

Today I made a hard but much-needed step toward finding the jewel that had been covered and protected for too many years. It was time to take the journey.

I had started the journey numerous times but never finished. Run off the road, distracted, and detoured. I had gone so far and backslid to square one.

I didn’t expect the journey to be easy, but this time I planned to be victorious.

Every journal I own tells about my weight issue. I started my current journal to encourage myself, but there was a difference this time—I didn’t regain the weight. I straddled the fence a lot, feeding the other issues to make me feel good instead of feeding my body correctly to nourish it for long life.

I finally understood when I went to the doctor because I wasn’t getting any better. I still had the same issues. He decided to give me a visual along with a serious scorning. He got his anatomy book out and showed me what a healthy body part looked like and what it takes for it to operate properly. He turned on his serious “time for you to face the truth” voice. He laid out the facts in a gentle but firm way.

I finally got it. I felt the change in my body. Maybe my body got it but my brain, emotions and desires had to come in agreement. As if a tape player was sitting next to me, I kept hearing the doctor’s advice.

I needed to eat breakfast, stop eating out so many times, and change what I bought in the grocery stores. What was I going to do with the food that shouldn’t be in anyone’s pantry, let alone mine?  Throw it away. I didn’t want to be a party to ruining someone else’s health.

It took a week to wrap my head around the transition, but I finally started. The first few days, my body freaked out. It never had three healthy meals in one day. Now things were looking up. My body adjusted faster than I expected. Sugar was a really big demon that had to be annihilated. Another thing to get over was the cost of healthy foods. I wasn’t a big meat-eater and that was a good thing because grass-fed meat cost more than grain-fed meat. The vegetables and fruit from the Farmer’s Market were exceptionally delicious.  My plan was to buy chicken and fish along with a few pieces of beef as I had always done. Load up with more vegetables. Read the labels.

Our bodies take 90 days to regenerate new cells. I will be eating like this for at least that long. I have a feeling it will be longer—like forever. The regeneration of the cells will also allow me to discontinue taking the medication I’m currently on. Yeah!

This journey will never end but I will uncover the Jewel…me. I will then give myself another hug and will hug the delivered, healthy, strong me.

It is a lifestyle change that will keep me strong all my days so I can fulfill the purpose and destiny God has for me. I want to hear Him say, “Well done my good and faithful servant”.

Can you see the jewel that you are or is something covering it up? What can you do to bring the jewel-you to the forefront?