Members Share About Handling the Loss of a Loved One

2016 was one of the hardest years for me as I lost my maternal grandparents within 9 months and three days that year. First, my grandmother died suddenly the day after Palm Sunday. That fall, my grandfather fell into bad
health and needed to be put in a home until a few days after Christmas, when he passed away. It can still be hard on anniversaries, holidays and
when I have to visit their gravesite, but I know they would be proud of the progress I made since they left this earth.

Hitting the Trail

I enjoy walking the trail as of this past week I was on the trail seven of the past eight days and. I try my hardest not to miss a day and if I always
try to go at least a half a mile in one direction. If I have to cut back a day, the next day after doing so, I like to go further than the day before.

Walking has proven a good exercise, along with counting my calories and eating healthy. I have known that I needed to do it for some time, I just never had the encouragement or desire to do so. Sometimes, I get frustrated
when the number on the scale at the weekly weight loss support group isn’t the number I think it should be. However, I have to realize that it wont
always be the number that I want and that it may or may not reflect what I did or didn’t do to improve my health. One thing for sure is that I can’t
give up on my journey because I am feeling healthier and I realize I need to keep the momentum going in order to make myself healthier in the long
run.