My Heart's Open and Thanking ..... Lots of People!

This is the first Valentine's Day for Lumigrate!  This time last year the web designer, Ron Shimshock, and I were probably communicating with each other even on Valentine's Day, as it was in the timeframe of when we had lots going on -- the credit card processing needed to be taken care of (which was something he set me up well with good information about how to do my part of, three suggested companies to pick from -- and I'm so very happy to have chosen 'Heartland Payment Systems' and have to say the woman who is my representative has not only been a pleasure to work with, but to also get together with for a few business meetings since which included her husband and they are just the most inspiring couple, and I hope and trust they are having a fabulous Heart day in our Land of the wild west of Colorado today).  Linda was mastering all that she's learned in the year before, and Clara was just getting into full swing in what was instrumental work to catch us up on the business management end of things.  And the folks at the IMC who I credited in yesterday's post were also part of the 'real team' as our office was still in the IMC, which seems like many years ago to me now, as it's been a LONG year for me.

As I had witnessed the use of facebook in the election the fall before, I was working at the time with a childhood friend who found me on facebook and mentioned he is now a graphics artist -- he had no idea I was looking for that 'just right 'artist to draw the You model YOU see on the home page today.  So to Greg Mann, I also wish a very special Heart Day and look forward to his having some time to actually come and write from his heart and about what he knows about life and health.  Which is actually quite a bit, though I don't know that he really recognizes that. 

About a year ago next week I had a session with a woman who the website glitched on after writing for 90 minutes (after a year of my asking her too!), and I want to thank Gusti for teaching me about the heart, as she has truly lead to my heart 'opening up'.  I curse her many times because I don't like to tear up because my eyes swell, but every time I read someone that's found Lumigrate and shares something from the heart that touches mine now, that's just what happens.  It was easier maybe being crusty each day, but in the long run I would imagine that contributed to my health issues. 

Once the website launched later in the spring, particularly on Fibromyalgia Awareness Day in May, my connection to many people who are now part of my 'heart' and came through facebook began making their way to the screen and telephone and in some cases 'real world' of actually meeting in person -- Charalambos Kesta out in California from the conference on pain I was invited to speak at in May (that occurred in July).  I look forward to many adventures from here on out with those guys.  Deirdre Rawlings, ND in Atlanta and Wm Marcus Spurlock, MD and fibromyalgia specialist in Texas are getting geared up to be regular contributors at Lumigrate, as are more of the people I know here in Grand Junction, such as Cindy Schmidt (MPT) April Schulte Barclay (DAOM), and Kohava Howard and Analii who I met through an organization Cindy started here (FUN stuff from them!).  So I sure LOVE facebook, that's for sure!  And the leadership in the fibromyalgia community that I've interacted with and who come and write on a regular basis, or who have told their story in the Forum, the 100+ who have downloaded videos, I cannot tell you how many moments my heart has been touched by you, or I've had a grin on my face. 

In the Forums, Yenta and The Cutee-cle Lady are real highlight representations of what can happen when you put facebook and Lumigrate together!  I've had a wonderful dinner in November  with a family that lives near where I grew up with a gal / mom / wife who is too busy to write anymore or put in recipes because she's doing better health-wise and started a commercial cleaning business!  I'm GLAD to not see her, knowing why she's not around, though I know she'll be happy to know that I'm remembering how she and another gal who I saw talking about cooking for their families and being fatigued inspired me to add the recipes section.  And then of course I guess Pablo Blanco deserves some credit too, since that was a major step forward for him to want to share how he does things.  I LOVE you all, for what you do for your selves, your friends, your family, the community, and I wish that NEXT Valentine's I review this and think about LOTS of healing and improvements that were only formative from these connections I write about now.  Every person who contributes is important!  Every one!

In the theory of 'many hands make light work', I've gotten an easy assignment today on this blog post today because I don't have to study up about more things to do with the heart the way I was going to.. becaue without talking about it even, my new soul-sister in health care reform, Deirdre Rawlings, ND ... thousands of miles away ... was writing about the same things as I thought should be covered!  SO, Deirdre, today I love YOU because the Vitamin D Machine is out and starting to set and while I've typed this on my patio in order to get some of it's benefits, I want to get this posted up and out for a walk.  I feel pretty good today too, because you're inspiring me on a daily basis through the computer, about foods and fibromyalgia.  Thank you for working on Valentine's Day ... at least I'm not the only one!  Nor is Ilene Spector, DO, by the way -- she is driving up here today in order to treat those of us lucky enough for her to get her hands on!  It's a wonderful community that's here connecting through Lumigrate and I plan to continue to do MY best with continuing to facilitate what is happening.  In a way, I'm 'the heart of it'.  But what is a heart without all the things it pumps stuff too!

Special recognition to the woman who started this WHOLE fibromyalgia 'thing' for Dr. Young and I four years ago now I think, Helen.  We watched the opening of the Olympics the other night and she was kind to say she reads the blogs and likes what I write, and she just isn't so inclined for facebook.  (YET!)(kidding)  What an inspiration, and I hope she's thinking about my suggestion that she write up her story, as it's a really fabulous one.  They all are, you know.... Everyone's stories are.  But hers could be a book and in a good way.  With a happy ending, yet!

I highly encourage everyone to get to know Deirdre's blog, and so here's what she sent out on facebook this weekend about the heart -- and if you're not on facebook yet, I encourage you to be, as it's a wonderful tool for providers to communicate with people through.   (Thanks again for doing all this work so I can go for a walk, Deirdre, and I'll tell y'all about it here later, as I'm not even going to proof this now.  And then I'll add a link to her website as well so that people who are not on facebook can find it as well.)