The following is an excerpt from from my December 22nd, 2024 Soul-Aligned Sunday newsletter.
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A REQUEST FOR PRAYERS
I had planned on sharing about how I’m dealing with the disappointment I’ve been feeling about my ACL surgery recovery having some hiccups…
And to tell you all about taking up Thai Chi, in my quest to fulfill the prescription for “slowing down” that was assigned to me by my Ayurvedic practitioner, Eran.
But all of that seems, well, unimportant and irrelevant at the moment.
What keeps coming up for me is that my friend, Chef AJ, recently came out about her diagnosis of lung cancer (watch on YouTube)…
And what I would rather share about, is her request for our prayers.
My heart broke when I heard the news…
Not only the fact that one of the most genuine, generous humans on the planet has cancer…
But also the fact that she had felt the need to hide it for almost 2 years because she was afraid of the backlash it might cause…
That people would attribute her diagnosis to a plant-based diet “not working…” and that trolls would have a field day.
In reality, epigenetics DOES prove that a huge percentage of disease can be prevented by “turning off” disease-causing genes through diet and lifestyle choices. And what great news that our genes do not necessarily determine our destiny!
Not only that, the research is clear that a whole foods plant-based diet can even reverse many diseases (most of you reading this are well aware of this fact).
AND
There are no guarantees. Especially in this day and age, when our world is as polluted, and full of toxins, as it is.
Simply by living in society – wearing clothes, using soaps and lotions, breathing the air, drinking the water, and eating food from the grocery store, we are exposed to disease-causing chemicals.
“Well that’s depressing, Ella!” you may be thinking.
Yes AND…
Being depressed and anxious obviously doesn’t help – in fact, it just adds stress and exacerbates the problem.
So…
We do our best, within reason, to align our lifestyle with compassion and health, for ourselves, other people, animals, and the planet…
AND practice LETTING GO of the rest.
Side note: One of my favorite Tara Brach talks is called The Three Steps of Letting Go, which has helped me through some really tough times (Apple podcasts / YouTube).
Back to Chef AJ…
I think it was in her latest YouTube live that she recorded when she got home from a lung biopsy, where she said just how comforting it was knowing that people were praying for her.
And no wonder!
It’s not just about religion or faith in the traditional sense of praying.
According to the HeartMath Institute, “numerous studies have shown that group or collective meditation, prayer, and focused intention directed towards a specific positive outcome can have increased beneficial and measurable effects. Every individual’s energy affects the collective field environment.”
So, if you could hold Chef AJ close in your heart, and send out your version of a prayer for her daily, I would be incredibly grateful, as I know she will be as well.