The Meredith family. Do you ever wonder how someone else would describe you?!
I’m thinking that could go a lot of different directions for us. I’m probably better off not knowing! Plus, people change over time! So, the people who knew us 15 years ago may not really know much about us now. I feel like our lives (both individually and as a family) have changed significantly since early marriage.
Let me backup just a bit for some perspective. I am a small town girl from Missouri with big dreams and lots of ideas. I’ve always loved adventure, learning new things and intentional living. God brought my amazing husband, Ryan, into my life in college. Our faith really brought us together and continues to be the center of our lives. He’s an Oklahoma boy and annoyingly good at most things in life! Ha! Actually, that has benefited me quite a bit, so I won’t complain (except for when he beats me in a board game).
A Turning Point
We had our first baby right before our second wedding anniversary. Since then we’ve added 3 more kiddos to our crew, one through adoption. Through her toddler years, our oldest daughter had chronic ear infections and the recommended treatment by the time she was five was to have tubes put in. I know that is a common procedure, but I had a check in my spirit about it. I told the doctor I’d like to try some other things (not having a clue what that would be) before we moved forward with tubes for her. He didn’t think there was a chance for her ears to clear up otherwise, but we went home and started researching and trying some safe natural remedies for our little girl. To our surprise and the doctor’s surprise, she got better and didn’t need the tubes.
This event in our lives was a game changer. It was a time that I decided to follow my gut, go against the grain and empower myself to improve our lives. I gained just enough confidence and courage to learn more. That was ten years ago.
I started to learn about natural remedies, which led me to learn about how food affects our bodies, which led me to learn about toxins in cleaning and personal care products, and so on. I’ve learned that health and wellness isn’t just about how I look on the outside. (What a relief!) Wellness is about every aspect of my life. It includes my physical health for sure, but it also includes my mental, spiritual, financial, emotional health. All of it is important because all aspects of our lives and body systems are connected.
Progress Over Perfection
I was a stay at home mom and eventually a homeschool mom with small kiddos when I first started to make changes in our home. I was also a foster mom for many years. Sometimes the distance between my ideal healthy life and my reality were MILES apart. Some things that I learned were not hard to implement, but many were, to be quite honest. It’s hard to read and research all the possible ingredients in your household products to know what’s safe. It’s hard to cook a healthy dinner at home with picky kids, busy schedules and waning energy at the end of a day. It’s hard to know what food philosophy is really best for my family.
But that girl in me who loved adventure, learning new things and intentional living didn’t give up. We rolled through the victories and failures. We figured out what worked for us. We asked questions and asked for help. Along the way we would gain a bit more confidence and a bit more wisdom.
Moving Forward
That foundation is what we are still building on today. When we face new health questions like - how do I help heal my son with Lyme disease, how do I approach my health in my 40’s, and how do I best support my kids’ health through their teenage years and help them take ownership of it? - we know the steps to take to find the answers. We are so excited to start sharing this journey toward wellness with you. Here we will provide tools, ideas, resources and lots of “easy button” solutions - learning the quick and easy way!
We hope you think of Daily Wellness as YOUR space. These are your people. This is your source for real life inspiration. This is where you find your next right step.
So, tell me… what topics would you like to see talked about on the Daily Wellness Blog? info@dailywellnesscommunity.com
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