Thank you

I want to take this opportunity to say Thank you to the people who have expressed their support to me in so many areas of my life--all my life. I was taught by my parents to appreciate all the good things that come my way, and I hope that I have done that. They had the ability to take whatever good there was around them, and to make a party of it. I feel so fortunate to have been taught the value of life by people who enjoyed it so, and who were filled with a joie de vivre that was positively contagious. I was also fortunate enough to have had them in my life for long enough to have come through all the stages that life throws at us: the rebeliousness of adolescence, the sudden realization that they were not perfect, just people doing their best, the necessity to separate and individuate, and the coming back again, just to see them as the dear people they were, flawed but wonderful. I know people who did not have that opportunity, and they missed out on something quite miraculous. So Thanks Mom and Dad.
On the road of life, it is easy to take the people who have a starring role in your life every day for granted. So I want to say Thanks to my husband Bob who had always been supportive and a real friend.
And now, I am lucky enough to have met, to have become acquainted with, and to befriend (I hope) some very special people with whom I am traveling the same road on the way to better health, and learning to value putting time into the care of me, just as I have put time into the care of others. There is an energy that I have felt arising among us when we see each other at the gym, or at some gathering at CHLI, and it is the energy that is created when there is support. Those of us who have tried to lose weight, or get into better shape can appreciate that this time it's different. Not only do we have these terrific surroundings, the luxurious trappings of the 4 Seasons Hotel in Westlake, we have the support of the dedicated staff at CHLI, and the medical staff, but most of all we have each other and our families who are cheering us on and without whom we really couldn't do what we have to do. The families with younger children who are learning to give up "treats", or at least think of them differently, are not only helping their parent but learning valuable lessons that will help them to stay healthy and not have to "regain" health along the way. So to all of you family members, I salute you and say Thank you. You're not only helping and supporting your parent by trying new foods in new combinations, you're also helping the rest of us. I couldn't be more appreciative.
We have several months ahead of us to get into the best shape we can be, in the best shape we have been in years, so we are going to need all the help there is out there, so having all of you Project Transformationist and your families behind us will make all the difference. In advance, I want to say a great big THANKS. We're all going to make it.