On May 25th I celebrated the 12th anniversary of when I left my award winning career as a VA social worker to "heal my life." I didn't know what heal my life meant at the time nor was I sure about whether or not I had much time left to live my life. In December of 2006, I'd been given a diagnosis of a progressive neuromuscular disease, Post-Polio Syndrome and I was a mess. I had difficulty breathing, eating, walking; everything hurt and I experienced chronic exhaustion from adrenal fatigue although by the time I left my career, and was writing poetry to imagine a life different from my past and creating a future very different from what the doctors predicted for me, the symptoms began to diminish.
At the time, I had no idea that I would be delivering a message of healing, hope and possibility and sharing the power of the mind/body connection and visualization to heal.
I didn't know that through the tests I was given throughout my life that I would bear testimony to the power of faith and the love of the Divine that flows through and around all of us.
I certainly had no idea that I would, in fact, be running a race and not just any race but THE Boston Marathon!
Yet here I am 12 years later sharing my message on Hay House Radio UK with mind/body luminary Dr. David Hamilton. My story was included in the Tenth Anniversary of How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body:
Chatting with Kendra Petrone on Magic 106.7's Exceptional Women Show
and sharing my story on Inspiration Matters as well as other venues. For a complete listing of my interviews, visit my News and Events page on my website.
and touching lives through my blog, sharing my story when I meet people and through my Facebook posts. So often I hear, "That's exactly what I needed!"
Twelve years after receiving the life giving diagnosis of Post-Polio Syndrome, a progressive neuromuscular disease, I have turned my mess into a message, my test into testimony and that mountain of paralytic polio and trauma that once loomed before me wreaking havoc with my life is now just a molehill!
The Mountain of Trauma from 'Feel the Heal: An Anthology of Poems to Heal Your Life:"
Weighted down by baggage
I trudged up the mountain that loomed before me
believing I needed all these supplies in order to survive
protective clothing and gear
heavy blankets of fear and panic
sleepless nights in the cold
unable to appreciate the starry night
walled off from all that surrounded me
in solitude I trudged onward and upward
carrying hope in my heart that I would find what I was looking for.
Little by little shedding baggage
leaving the trail of what no longer serves the soul
no need to look back
looking down
stomach lurches with uneasiness
thrown off balance
eyes gaze upward.
Turning my face to the summit
sun radiating warmth
feeling Divine Love on angel slides
my heart quickening its beat
knowing this is the place
seeking no more
planting the flag of my freedom
staking my claim on my birthright
drinking in the moment
no longer a victim
mighty conqueror!
From my heart to yours
In Health and Wellness,
Mary
Be sure to visit my website at www.marymcmanus.com
Hear my interview with Kendra Petrone on Magic 106.7's Exceptional Women Show by following this link
My books are available on Amazon and at Paper Fiesta in Natick on Mile 10 of the Boston Marathon route. Proceeds of book sales for May through July are going to Tom McManus's Falmouth Road Race run for the Joseph Middlemiss Big Heart Foundation. You can also make a direct donation by following this link.
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