I dove into 2018 with a few disappointments motivating me to move in a different direction. Feeling stuck with where my writing was going, I made myself some goals to return to what had worked before: submitting articles, devotions, and short fiction to smaller publications on a regular basis. Six months into the year, I was faithfully on track, yet not yet seeing any positive results. Still, knowing from previous experience that it takes time to gain traction, I planned to move forward and keep my promises to myself.
In June, my life was turned upside down when my husband became very sick, wound up in the hospital for about five days, and was diagnosed with serious medical conditions. My writing and just about everything else came to a halt as we navigated new waters. Sparing some details here, but the general consensus indicated major lifestyle changes in order to survive: new diet, exercise, medication, and continued medical follow-ups for what is to be a lifelong medical journey.
Determined to make this work, we took the doctors’ instructions, plunged ourselves into the water, and worked hard to make those changes. As a writer, I am also a researcher by nature, and tend to absorb information like a sponge as long as the topic interests me. After my faith in God, my husband’s health definitely hit the top of my priorities. My research indicated a few things: my husband’s medical condition could be managed, and there were a handful of both professional and layman’s resources online, but the information was limited compared the scope of resources available for other medical conditions and dietary restrictions.
His diet is complicated due to multiple conditions: restricted sodium (1,500mg per day), low saturated fat, and low carb. Low sodium was the biggest challenge. I started making notes of products, restaurant options (very few), and recipes. Throughout this process, I came to the realization that I wanted a way to organize the information I found. Why not compile resources and share with others?
That question prompted me to develop The Half Empty Salt Shaker, a website dedicated primarily to low-sodium food, with a secondary focus on additional dietary needs.
God shifted my writing focus midway through the year. Not the outcome I was expecting, but just what my family needed. My husband’s health has improved greatly since that week in June. While he’ll always fight his medical condition, he is currently doing very well. He refers to the event as his “course correction.” You see, without the hospitalization and subsequent lifestyle transformation, he might not be here today.
No matter what goals or resolutions you set for yourself, sometimes life moves in an unexpected direction. That’s why it is important to have faith in God, as He will guide you. Your main focus should be to remain obedient and faithful to Him and His promptings.
Our goals as a couple this year are to continue our paths of living a healthier lifestyle--not a resolution, but rather a necessary change. My writing goals for 2019 are to reach out to others in the online community who follow a similar diet, and integrate The Half Empty Salt Shaker into other similarly-focused sites. I also intend to dive into some additional creative projects.
I invite you to see the upcoming year as an opportunity: a chance to seek God, listen to what He tells you, and prepare yourself for whatever changes or challenges 2019 brings you. May you be blessed.
II Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV) “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
In June, my life was turned upside down when my husband became very sick, wound up in the hospital for about five days, and was diagnosed with serious medical conditions. My writing and just about everything else came to a halt as we navigated new waters. Sparing some details here, but the general consensus indicated major lifestyle changes in order to survive: new diet, exercise, medication, and continued medical follow-ups for what is to be a lifelong medical journey.
Determined to make this work, we took the doctors’ instructions, plunged ourselves into the water, and worked hard to make those changes. As a writer, I am also a researcher by nature, and tend to absorb information like a sponge as long as the topic interests me. After my faith in God, my husband’s health definitely hit the top of my priorities. My research indicated a few things: my husband’s medical condition could be managed, and there were a handful of both professional and layman’s resources online, but the information was limited compared the scope of resources available for other medical conditions and dietary restrictions.
His diet is complicated due to multiple conditions: restricted sodium (1,500mg per day), low saturated fat, and low carb. Low sodium was the biggest challenge. I started making notes of products, restaurant options (very few), and recipes. Throughout this process, I came to the realization that I wanted a way to organize the information I found. Why not compile resources and share with others?
That question prompted me to develop The Half Empty Salt Shaker, a website dedicated primarily to low-sodium food, with a secondary focus on additional dietary needs.
God shifted my writing focus midway through the year. Not the outcome I was expecting, but just what my family needed. My husband’s health has improved greatly since that week in June. While he’ll always fight his medical condition, he is currently doing very well. He refers to the event as his “course correction.” You see, without the hospitalization and subsequent lifestyle transformation, he might not be here today.
No matter what goals or resolutions you set for yourself, sometimes life moves in an unexpected direction. That’s why it is important to have faith in God, as He will guide you. Your main focus should be to remain obedient and faithful to Him and His promptings.
Our goals as a couple this year are to continue our paths of living a healthier lifestyle--not a resolution, but rather a necessary change. My writing goals for 2019 are to reach out to others in the online community who follow a similar diet, and integrate The Half Empty Salt Shaker into other similarly-focused sites. I also intend to dive into some additional creative projects.
I invite you to see the upcoming year as an opportunity: a chance to seek God, listen to what He tells you, and prepare yourself for whatever changes or challenges 2019 brings you. May you be blessed.
II Corinthians 4:16-18 (ESV) “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”