“Hi, I’m Julie. I’m a mess!”
The first friend I ever met when I moved to Georgia was my friend Anna. Apparently, I introduced myself by saying, “Hi, I’m Julie. I’m a mess!”. Fast forward three years. We were having wine at her favorite restaurant in downtown Atlanta and she reminded me of my “how not to make a friend” intro. I really know how to sell myself!
“I got a call back from my mammogram and I freaked out!”
So, here goes. When I thought about writing my first blog for Truly Jude, I never imagined I’d say, “I got a call back from my mammogram and I freaked out!” My body went cold, my heart started beating faster and, I did what every other woman probably does, I started googling.
Then, I changed course.
Instead of falling off that cliff of “make myself crazy” about something that I made up in my head before it was mine to own, I paused and I took care of myself. I snuggled under a warm blanket, thought about how fear caused panic and anxiety and then started praying to St. Jude.
Tweet
In minutes, I was up and heading out the door for a walk to clear my head and make room for calmer thoughts.
I’m faithful in that open to all faiths and philosophies kind of way. I lean on St. Jude because that’s who my Mom leans on and that’s who my Grandma leaned on. My Grandma had so many miscarriages between my Uncle and my Mom that she started doing novenas to St. Jude before my Mom arrived. When she was born, my Grandma named her Judith. Julia Maciag (my namesake!) was 41-years-old, in 1944, when my Mom was born. A miracle for sure!
One of my miracles is that I’m now living back in Vermont after three very difficult years in Georgia. I didn’t know how it was going to happen, but through faith and truly honoring my own soul, it did.
Truly Jude is about seeking out those soulful spaces inside yourself, in your home and in what surrounds you to live a life that feels truly authentic.
I’d love to hear about YOUR. SOULFUL. SPACES.
Truly,
Julie
Part 2 – Mammogram
What I Wish I Knew Before My Mammogram
I was sitting in my office, a favorite space in my house in Vermont, when my phone rang. I happily answered it only to hear, “additional views”, “two densities”, “one left, one right”.
Keep reading