When the Student is Ready...

A Buddhist proverb says, "When the student is ready, the master appears." But I've learned that when the student is ready, the lessons will stick.

I've been preparing to release my first book, Praying Through Your Adoption: A Complete Guide to Creating and Nurturing Today's Forever Family. Because of this, I'm scheduled to speak publicly about our experience, particularly at a women's event at our church. I named that talk Fearfully and Wonderfully ME because it's more about my journey through obesity, infertility, adoption, & depression and learning to appreciate who God made me.

If I were to guess, Fearfully and Wonderfully ME is my life's message, and a major force behind this MommyForward.com blog. It's the culmination of years of lessons on how to:

1. Love God with all my heart, soul, and mind
2. Love my neighbor as myself
3. Love and respect myself in the same way that I would love and respect my neighbor
4. Realize the benefits of community while celebrating individuality
5. Enjoy food as nourishment without misusing it
6. Live a purposeful life filled with joy, strength, and hope
7. Share that joy, strength, and hope with others

Some lessons have been repeated throughout my life because I wasn't ready to receive them. And if life had offered Cliff Notes, I would have read them like I did in high school (but don't tell that to the Central High School English classes where I'm alumni/ guest speaking in a few weeks.) For example, if I had grasped that my weight does not define me back when my sixth grade classmates teased me, I would have saved years of heartache (not to mention counseling.) On the other hand, I would have missed out on the depth that comes from being molded through such experiences.

But today I am someone else. I am stronger, more independent.

I have more understanding, more sympathy. A different perspective.

~ Lynn Caine                    

Now this student is ready. I'm applying the lessons, ready to share them. And, thankfully, my Master has been with me all along.