Hi Kitty, I just want to thank you again for coming to Portland, Maine, to share your faith journey and your music ministry. You are an amazing gift from God, and He has given you the sweetest voice, like an angel. You never know how God is going to touch your life in a significant way through someone. You are that someone for me.
I was the one who came up to you at the end to thank you for sharing your personal story of struggling with weight, diets, body image, etc. I felt a connection with all that. But the most important, most powerful thing you said that had an incredible impact on me was, that to hate your body is offensive to God. Wow! Tears started streaming down and I couldn’t stop it. It never occurred to me to see it like that.
You said many other things, too, that really gave me an opening to recovery for my chronic 45-year-old self-loathing and bad body image. When you said to “bless yourself,” which I never thought of doing before, that was another huge moment that opened up another door to recovery.
I did “bless myself” when I got home. I took my crucifix, held it to my chest, and blessed myself with an intensity that only God could have bestowed on me. I felt peace and happiness. I know this is just the beginning, but it’s the best beginning I’ve EVER had. I’ve been in and out of therapy which did not really do anything for me. But I knew that the healing had to come from the physician of our soul, Jesus. It is my soul that has been in agony for most of my life.
I shared with my husband as much as I could remember, but most importantly your personal story. He said something that I thought was profound. You spent 40 years on a painful journey, and you put on 40 pounds when you totally surrendered to God (which you lost!). My husband said, you just spent your 40 years in the desert, until God liberated you! No more wandering! You’re free! You’ve moved onto the Promised Land. You know the number 40 is biblically significant. I just thought it was an interesting connection.
I’ll keep you in my prayers always. I have listened to Be Not Afraid yesterday as I was making dinner and loved it. The closing hymn at Mass yesterday was Be Not Afraid! All the very best to you and your family, and may God bless you abundantly! Catherine