One Man’s Strange Supernatural Life – a book review

March 1, 2020March 2, 2020 / simplywendi / 54 Comments

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Welcome, I am so happy you are here today! This is my second of six book reviews that I will be doing this year highlighting authors who live with chronic illness. My first review can be seen here

I want to make a quick comment as to why I am doing these reviews. Individuals who live with chronic illness not only struggle physically, mentally, and many also spiritually, but financially. There is never enough money for all that is required: tests, medicine, supplements, and treatments, and finances add another burden onto an already stressful life. It is my goal to showcase authors and to hopefully have others go out and purchase these books.

Ryan is a chronically ill warrior who blogs over at Ryan Callahan’s Blog and his book, One Man’s Very Strange Supernatural Life was purchased from Amazon with my own funds.

Upon receiving this book I noticed that is a great size to easily hold in your hand. I was able to read the print size, and without pictures, there were no distractions from the text. The cover of the book is pleasant to view with the colors and photo being easy on the eyes and calming.

Ryan’s book is a personal testimony on how and why he became a Christian. I have to admit, I have read testimonies before and although many of them are profound and encouraging, a run-of-the-mill testimony is not what you will receive when you read Ryan’s book. He has gone out on a limb and discusses experiences that many people could easily dismiss as crazy. Ryan’s story drew me in within the first few pages and I did not put the book down until it ended.

His book is a quick and easy read as I was able to finish the story in under an hour and a half. Ryan left me thinking about all he was willing to share in order to show others his truth. For me, I was struck by his honesty. It felt as if he was speaking directly to me and we were having a deep conversation about his faith. For those of you who are not Christians, you will still find his faith journey compelling and interesting. This book can purchased from Amazon and read free with KindleUnlimited.

I am also sending my copy of Ryan’s book to a lucky winner here in the United States. To win this book, please leave a comment regarding your desire to win the book. A winner will be chosen at random on 3/6/20 and will be shipped via USPS media mail.

~ wendi is the author of three books that can be viewed here.

living our best life – spending money

February 28, 2020 / simplywendi / 103 Comments

cash currency dollar finance

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Being chronically ill, I tend to worry about money a lot. I try hard to win over the anxiety by reminding myself that God will work it all out and worrying about it does absolutely no good. To also help combat my fear of not having enough money, I live a frugal lifestyle. I make sure my family lives on less and with less in most areas of our lives.

But instead of focusing on what we live without, we can always talk about that later, today’s question focuses on what we do spend money on. There are psychological benefits to spending money on yourself, even if it is just a little bit, for a pick-me-up.

So, the question this week is: What is one thing you regularly spend money on that brings joy into your life?

living our best life possible – JUST SAY IT!

February 21, 2020February 21, 2020 / simplywendi / 132 Comments

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Through all the years I have lived with chronic illnesses, I have felt the pressure to say that I was ok, even when I absolutely was not. These pressures may have come from my internal desire to be well, not wanting to admit that I was sick, or living, if only briefly, in a fantasy world of being normal. Or it could be a result of societal pressures, of people not wanting to know the truth of illness, or hear about others’ problems because it is way more fun to listen to happy stories. Maybe it was because I heard, “you don’t look sick” one too many times. Maybe I was tired to hearing people tell me how so-and-so was cured from some new thing. I am guessing it is a combination of reasons.

I have always felt looked down upon when I spoke the truth. That I was being judged for being ill, that somehow it was my fault, and that I was not working hard enough at healing. Whether or not this was true, it was how I felt, so it was my reality.

There are days I want to open my back door, step outside and scream, “This sucks ass!” Yep, I just swore, trust me, God can handle my truth, even if others can’t. Who am I expecting to hear this? My chickens? My neighbors? No, just every single person I have ever lied to when I said I was ok.

So, is there something you have always wanted to say about your illness, but have been too afraid? Something you have wanted to scream to the world, yourself, or others? NO JUDGEMENT HERE!

Sometimes is takes us being very, very honest with ourselves and others before we can even have a snowball’s chance in hell to begin the very long road to healing.

To Those Who Care For Others…..

February 14, 2020 / simplywendi / 91 Comments

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On the day that many associate with love, I would like to send a HUGE thank you to those of you who help care for others. Chronic illness puts an enormous strain on relationships and too many people who are stricken are eventually abandoned to continue their fight on their own. When I read about situations like these, it literally breaks my heart. No one ever wants to rely on someone else to take care of them, but life has a way of putting us in situations that we do not deserve or desire.

So to all you caregivers out there, Thank You again for giving of yourself so unshelfishly, for staying, for loving, for listening, for assisting, for praying, for loving and for encouraging healing. You have no idea what a huge blessing you are for those of us lucky enough to have you in our lives.

Te quiero me amor!

Calling authors who live with a chronic illness!

February 6, 2020 / simplywendi / 76 Comments

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One of my 2020 goals for simplychornicallyill is to review 6 books from WordPress bloggers who live with a chronic illness (or three). Currently, I have two publications on my to-review list, but I am searching for three more books to read this year. My first review of 2020 was The Shadow Boxers by Kim Johnson & Karen Anderson and you can find my thoughts here.

So, if you are a chronically ill and have published a book, or know of a WP blogger who is chronically ill, please send them a link to this post. All I need is the title of your book and I will purchase it with my own funds, give you a review on this blog, and hopefully help bring more attention to your work.

Thank you in advance for the chance to assist another chronically ill author.

` wendi is author of 3 books and you can check them out here.

books by chronically ill writers

December 17, 2019December 17, 2019 / simplywendi / 44 Comments

eyeglasses on opened book beside cup of coffee on table

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With 2020 just around the corner, I have been thinking about blog posts for next year. One of my goals, besides keeping the Living Our Best Life weekly questions, is to review at least 6 books that are written by an author who is chronically ill.

Not only do I know what it is like to live with multiple chronic illnesses, I also know how much work goes into writing and self-publishing a book and the enormous amount of effort it takes to promote your publications. So next year I would like to help out my fellow spoonies and promote their work.

If you would like me to do a review of your book, that I will purchase, please leave me a message in the comment section. The book does not have to be about illness, but the author must live with at least one chronic ailment.

I look forward to reading your work!

~ wendi is the author of 3 books that you can view here and all her books can be read FREE with KindleUnlimited

living our best life – holiday movies

December 9, 2019 / simplywendi / 125 Comments

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A warm hello to you today, thank you for stopping by for a visit.

In this post I am asking a question for more personal reasons. Due to my multiple chronic illnesses, I unfortunately spend a lot of time watching movies. Even if I am not actually watching movies, I have them playing in the background as I go about my day as I use them as a distraction.

So my question is, What is your favorite holiday movie?

Thank you for responding, I am hoping to discover one movie that I have not yet seen!

Thanks again for stopping by. Please know that each one of you are in my thoughts and I have prayed that today is treating you well and bringing you smiles.

living our best life – in the kitchen

November 30, 2019November 30, 2019 / simplywendi / 127 Comments

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As we are spending a little more time in the kitchen or thinking of holiday foods that we enjoy, I decided to write about the object in my kitchen that make my life easier.

I have to admit that I do not find much enjoyment from cooking. I am thankful that on my good days I am able to feed my family healthy, mostly well balanced meals, but the smells and bending over and reaching makes me feel worse. Even though I keep all of my frequently used items on the counters, I still feel poorly after preparing food.

To help me get through the whole, preparing a meal ordeal, I daily use my favorite kitchen appliance, putting it to good use. It is my combination DVD/CD/radio that hangs under a kitchen cabinet next to the sink. I received this from my parents who were getting rid of it and it has been one of my favorite gifts ever!

I turn it on every single time I am in the kitchen for more than a couple minutes. I usually have a DVD playing as it does a wonderful job distracting me from pain and discomfort allowing me to stay in the kitchen longer. Today there is a stack of my favorite Christmas DVDs waiting to be watched over the next month.

So, what about you? What is your favorite kitchen appliance and how does it make your life easier?

Thank you for taking the time to share!

living our best life possible – alternative medicine

October 25, 2019November 11, 2019 / simplywendi / 149 Comments

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Welcome back my friends! Thank you so very much for joining me again for our next question on living our best life possible.

The question this week is………what alternative medical treatment(s) or recommendations, if any, have given you positive results?

A traditional medical path has, up to this point, provided minimal relief from any of my chronic illnesses. As a result, I have sought out more non-traditional and alternative medical professionals through this very long and winding path towards (hopefully) healing. But, do to the high cost of alternative medicine, there are many paths that I have yet to explore – but hope to some day.

I have experienced benefits from various supplements, following a grain-free diet, meditation, walking when able, and seeing a medical massage therapist once on month to help with muscle and joint pain.

How about you? Please share your experiences!

~ Please note – no one on here is providing medical advice, we are only sharing personal experiences that have helped us on our journey.