Today’s aligning is about receiving clear signs. I have so many stories about getting clear signs to do things. Yet, sometimes I still need the reminder that the signs will show up. I just have to be open enough to see them, and not judge what I see when it’s different than the way I thought it would go.
One of the most recent signs I got was about my daughter’s health. She’s in a virtual program five days a week via Zoom. She was getting discouraged by not being in person and able to interact with the people who were there. I felt like she needed to be in-person more, but I definitely didn’t not have the finances to do it. The thought of doing a GoFundMe came to mind, but respecting her journey, it really needed to be up to her.
I put it to the back of my mind, and kept getting nudged. Then, my best friend, who I call my soul sister, offered to organize one for us. I finally sat down with my daughter and asked her about it. She was in. She just wanted read what we would be putting out. I’m shining with so much pride over her strength, bravery, and compassion for others. She wanted to help educate people on the condition, because not enough people know about it, which is why she suffered undiagnosed for as long as she did.
I prayed throughout this entire process for clear signs. Once the fundraiser launched, and I posted it on my personal page, the donations started coming in. It was a clear sign that I was meant to get her more of the in-person care she needed. But, it became even more clear why it was so important to share her story so vulnerably. Within hours of posting the fundraiser, multiple people reached out to me privately with their own stories.
We don’t always know who our helpers will be and who will be ours. Sometimes when we get signs to be vulnerable and brave, there is an even bigger reason and purpose that shines through. I think back to some of the posts I wrote back in 2020 when this series first came out, and I can’t even believe how much they have helped me in what I’m going through now with my daughter.
All I can say is trust the clear signs you receive. If you are wondering how I knew it was a clear sign, because all the questioning stopped when it was finally time to start taking steps to do it. I just knew deep down that it was the right thing. The words just came to me even though when I sat down, I had NO IDEA what I would write. I focused on the bigger picture and let go of the how. If the money showed up to help my daughter be in person, then that was the help she was meant to get. The how could only show up when I let go of the need to figure it all out on my own, and let the Universe do its thing.
If you want to see what I wrote, I included it at the end today’s post. I truly believe in the signs that led me to share what I did. There is multiple rewards that came from it. My daughter gets the help she needs to recover, and more people get to learn about a deadly eating disorder that not many people have heard of, including doctors, nutritionists, therapists, and so many more professionals who are assigned to help us figure out why we are struggling.
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Make sure to read or listen to today’s full aligning below.
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This is where yesterday’s aligning can really help. One of the best place to be able to see clear signs is when we are in a place of balance, peace, and calm. We don’t have to be there for long, just long enough to clear the mind and be open to what comes to us. Try the little trick I mentioned in today’s practice. We also just have to watch out for people, places, and things that are presented to us. When we start paying attention to the signs, we see them everywhere.
The text from my Facebook post:
Hi Friends and Family,
This is not an easy post to write. I don’t struggle for words often, but this is one of the most personal things I’ve ever posted, and I’m posting it with my daughter Ally’s full approval and support because she knows she didn’t cause this, but she has suffered for an extended period of time with it because not enough people in the medical field know and/or understand about Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID).
By the time she was diagnosed, she needed intensive treatment. Yet, because ARFID looks so different than other eating disorders; getting the right level of treatment approved by insurance isn’t easy. You can read more about her journey with it by clicking the link.
Even if you can’t or choose not to donate, please learn about ARFID. People die from this never being diagnosed BECAUSE it looks so different. It’s not about wanting to be thin or looking a certain way.
People don’t even have to be thin to have it. Doctors often don’t understand why the organs are shutting down when a person goes undiagnosed. It has only been in the DSM for ten years and most of the studies are focused on children.
This is a tricky one because it can look so different from person to person. On one person it may look like picky eating. On another it may look like an obsession with how they have to eat. Others, like Ally, avoid food out of fear of pain (that no doctor can find a reason for). And yet on others, it’s triggered by OCD, depression, or anxiety, possibly around a traumatic event, but not always. That’s why it’s so important that more people learn about this. You can literally help save a life.
As a mom, this has been the scariest thing I’ve ever faced, and I’ve faced a lot. Doctors in the field of eating disorders say you have to treat it like a stage 4 cancer diagnosis, which is why over 12/hours of my day is dedicated to her care even if she is not with me, I’m learning and studying how to best support her.
If any of you have been listening to the podcast, I’ve said I’m doing this because I need it. This is why. I just want to see my baby girl thrive, and I’m doing my best not to let the fear take over.
Recovery becomes much more challenging when teens become adults because they have the freedom to let the eating disorder run their lives without supervision. It’s why I want her to get as much as she can out of this treatment. I want her to have as many tools as possible going into adulthood. If you can help financially, great. If you can’t: prayers, positive thoughts, love , and educating yourself on ARFID is just as important.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this.
A BIG thank you to Tina Wainscott for organizing this and always being there for me in every way possible!
And thank you to all my friends and family who have been supporting Ally and I through this. Your love and support me mean the world to both of us!
With Love,
Rachael
https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-allys-journey-to-recover-from-arfid
From A Loving Place 