Life is Hard

Life is Hard
Weigh Down Workshop
Twenty one years ago, I moved to Maryland. I knew no one. I had done the same thing three years prior when I moved to Louisiana. It was fun. I knew I was supposed to be in both places. I knew I was obeying God’s direction in my life.

Not long after I arrived in Maryland, the church I attend offered a weight loss seminar call the Weigh Down Workshop. After talking with the leader, I decided to attend. It was a small group that consisted of folks from various local churches. All of us overweight. All of us Christians. All of us willing to try to lose weight using this new technique. I looked at the group and saw friends. That was 20+ years ago. I’m still friends with only one person from this group. She became my best friend. Her name was Lisa Mele.
Over the years, Lisa and I would do various things together. We started by walking the track at the high school. Remember we met at a weight loss group. Her son was a baby. She would push the stroller and we’d lap the football field. We’d talk about the weight loss strategies and how it connected to the Bible. Or we’d talk about scriptures we read that week. Or just share crazy or silly things that happened to us.
We started going to Women of Faith weekends. They used to always be in DC. We had so much fun together there. The last one we attended a few years back we decided to stay in Silver Springs and take the train in. We were staying only a couple blacks away from the train station so we walked over to the station. Crammed in the train and we were on our way. After the event, we piled into the train, it was packed! We had to stand. When the train started, Lisa wasn’t holding on and fell into the guys behind us. Needless to say she was embarrassed. We disembark the train and realize we never should have walked. It’s hot! It’s dark! We’re alone! We start walking and Lisa says, “Did you call Dave and tell him we are on the way?” Confused and befuddled I said no and she urged me to call him and tell him we were on the way back. So I did. He was confused too. Turns out Lisa thought we were being followed and had seen on Oprah that this was a safety strategy to fend off attackers.
We started reading books together. One of them was the Yada Yada Prayer Group. Crazy stuff starting happening. One night we were out for Ladies Night with Maple View together. We had just dropped off Barb and we’re about to turn on route 7 when the side door of the van opened and a woman jumped in and told us to take her home. So we did. She lived behind Giant, needless to say we were a bit anxious. Yet God provided. We made it there and back safely. Of course we drove the entire way with our windows down in case the lady decided to attack us. Afterwards we talked about how its  was just like in the book.
We went to a Beth Moore conferences. Once we even went to a Joyce Meyers conference, where well intentioned women tried to get us to speak in tongues. God Bless them, I was never more uncomfortable in my life. But Lisa knew what to do, she prayed quietly, then just hugged the women praying over her.
Lisa always knew what to do. She was my go to for, “is this appropriate?” Or “how long can chicken sit out before you throw it away?” “Is it ok, to wear pants to a wedding?” “Can I wear sneakers at my wedding?”
I miss you my friend.