Keeping Secrets

We all keep secrets. Some are fun such as the secret we kept from my sister and brother in law about their surprise 50th Wedding Anniversary Party this last weekend. There were numerous slips and rolled eyes or nods to re-direct conversation in the days leading up to the surprise party but they both didn't notice the slips and were totally surprised!  It was fun but exhausting to keep the secret. We were all glad when the time for the party arrived and we didn't have to worry about spilling the beans about it.

When we were foster parents, we were told that many families keep secrets about struggles and abuse and other horrific things and that the healthiest situations are when we can reveal these things to those closest to us. Often if we keep horrific secrets we turn to overeating or other addictions. It is in revealing the secrets that we find peace. It is common to think that we are the only ones who have suffered abuse or bullying or humiliation but we can often find others who have gone through similar things. We are not alone. Others can help us heal. My prayer is that we find someone whom we can become honest with....someone to share our secrets.

Here's an interesting excerpt from an article at  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elena-brower/art-of-attention-ode-to-o_b_861861.html

"Lauren marvels at how easily people shift gears once she defines what’s included in a lie: those little details we hide from others, because we’ve deemed them irrelevant; or the way we tell most of the story, depending on who’s listening. She and I teamed up to create a class for yoga teachers, having 
learned from my smoking situation, about the stark divide between the lies we’re telling and the 
teachings we’re sharing. I was a hypocrite, plain and simple. The smoking was one of my lies. Telling people I’ve read such-and-such book after having glanced at the chapter titles is another funny catch. All of it is lying. Now, if I catch myself in a lie of any kind, I have fifteen minutes to come clean, from the moment I recognize my skewing of the truth. And the coming clean is always exhilarating, and brings me closer to my heart every time."

PS: Down 4.8 # since the start of this phase 3weeks ago. Let's Go!