Up Where We Belong

Homecoming, Coming Home and The Value of Support


This week I enjoyed some wonderful friendship, fellowship and encouragement from a few different sources.  Yesterday was Homecoming at my college (Alma Mater, Hail!) and I took a day off from work so I could attend some of the activities there.  I am not a huge sports fan so I didn't stay for the football game.  My biggest source of excitement was the music department's annual concert (the Music Sampler) at the church on campus.  Each of the department's ensembles presented 2 or 3 selections and the listeners got a good variety of both choral and instrumental music to enjoy.  The Sampler is also a huge draw for alumni from all majors, but usually there is a large concentration of music alumni who show up.  For me, it's a chance to see my former classmates, enjoy my students from the music fraternity on campus for whom I serve as Chapter Mother, and see current and former faculty members.  Yesterday a highlight for me was seeing my college voice professor and getting a photo made together with him.  He remembered me (I never take for granted that someone from so long ago will remember who I am because, in my fat-girl insecurity, I have never felt like I was all that memorable a person).  This man saw and heard something in my voice that he judged to be worthwhile,  and he did his very best to bring out my very best, as a musician and as a human being.  I will adore him until I draw my last earthly breath.  Every time I open my mouth to sing, I owe him a huge debt of gratitude.

I saw other faculty, past and present, as well as former classmates, some of whom I had pictures made with.  It's nice to be less afraid of the camera now that I have shrunk some!  I am paying a little bit today for having walked around for most of the day in boots I had not worn in years, but I had a great day.  Afterward I stopped by Dad and Bonus Mom's to pick up a pair of jeans she had hemmed for me.  Looking at myself in the mirror wearing a pair of jeans (jeans with a zipper and hip pockets!) that fit me better, I could begin to see the shrinkage and the progress made to this point.  It's encouraging... and a little strange.  My mind needs a chance to catch up to the changes in my body.  I'll get there, and if I have trouble, there is a therapist at the surgeon's office I can talk with.  It feels good to have that particular safety net in place should I need it.

The night before was a supper club night with our small weight loss support group, another wonderful source of fellowship and encouragement.  It had been 3 weeks since our last gathering and we all had ups and downs to share.  The woman who initiated our little group told us about something she had read which reported that people who try to lose weight have the best success when they do it in a group.  It makes sense.  While weight loss is in many ways a solitary endeavor, the support and understanding of like-minded people who share the same struggle can make all the difference in one's success.  We have to do the work ourselves, but we can't really do it in a vacuum.  Reinforcement is vital.

After I got home from supper club, I auditioned a couple of outfits for Homecoming and The Hubs gave me his input on which worked better.  I was able to try them on with new, smaller bras that I had ordered and been praying would arrive in time to wear for Homecoming.  The ones I've been wearing were just too large around the ribcage and were not offering great support any longer.  What a relief to put on undergarments that fit properly and hitched The Girls up to their rightful place!  I could almost hear them sighing in renewed comfort and singing "Up Where We Belong"!  Well-fitting underwear of any kind improves both posture and confidence, and as I continue to shrink, it will also serve to hitch things up and pull things in.  There is an Internet joke that has gone around for the last several years about how good friends are like a well-fitting bra... always there to offer support!  I was reminded this week just how true it is, and I am so grateful for all the support in my life.