Health, Wealth and Happiness

Now, what has changed, and why am I grateful?

I was grateful that I came out of the procedure without too much damage, heck I was breathing.
I’m grateful that so many of my bros and sisters in Christ saw fit to visit me. My mom, and two of my sisters made the drive up from Chicago (to Milwaukee).

I took another look at my life, and eliminated most if not all of the stress. Eventually people stepped up big time to help reassemble my poor condo.

Less than one year after the visit to the hospital I married the most wonderful perfect woman for me. And she is a Holistic Chiropractor. I live in Hawaii. God has been very very good to me.

The changes I made right after I got back home from the hospital included adding fruits and vegetables and cutting out the red meat for the most part.

Then Dr. Malia and I met in person. The moment I saw her at LAX, I said “She’s the one for me!” She said to herself “He’s OK.”

She gave much more advice about nutrition and gave me adjustments. She also introduced me to NET,(Neural Emotional Technique.) I felt more love and encouragement the more we got to know each other. We are a great match.

I work at home (do you call this work?) so most of the frustrations from a job are gone.

The beauty, the skies, the beaches the air so wonderful, the trade winds, the temperature here in Hawaii obviously blows away the gray, too cold or too hot, rush hour traffic life in Milwaukee. I know there are good things there too, of course.

I want to share my life, my knowledge of health, my wife’s knowledge and advice. I want to help those I can. I know the Bible a little and find that that is a major help in my life. I am willing to share that too. (I don’t think God let me live to just kick back and watch ESPN.)

Sharing YOUR story will be refreshing and will help others. You definitely CAN become a part of a published book, Thank God I had a heart attack. (If that is your passion.)

We will get some audios, some videos and some pictures of other survivors. The top pic is me and my lovely bride, Dr. Malia walking down the aisle. I guess you will see others.

I’m starting Yoga and can’t wait to get back into a workout routine. It’s been a while.

Please write your heart attack survivor story and share pics at http://www.squidoo.com/ThankGodIhadaheartattack.

Malia and I believe that God kept me around for a reason, and my relationship with Him is so important.  If that is a need or desire of yours as well, we’d love to share more how He has impacted our lives.

Those more interested in Chiropractic and Dr. Malia (not TOO interested guys) can go to  http://honoluluchiropracor.net to find out more

I love you all, my wife Dr.Malia and I are very grateful for our lives… hope you all are as well.

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My wife and I were planning our trip to the Big Island and we went over the options.  We could just be lazy, and really enjoy the many pools, and places to discover on the grounds of our resort.

We could go over and take a look at an active volcano,    ah  no thanks, I’ll pass.

We could go on a snorkel cruise and even maybe see some whales at the very tail end of the season.

I could take enough work to keep me busy the whole time and just ‘put in my time with my wife.’

How about a flight in a little airplane over the active volcano……I don’t really think so.

I heard about a place called Dragonfly Ranch.  Now that’s a name.  The head dragonfly lady is not going be there, but her assistant will be.  His name is Phoenix.  Of course it is!  I wonder if he is the dragongfly herder,   or trainer.

What about the lesbians?  (I am NOT a really big fan of lesbians, but then again, I don’t give them much thought.)  I guess they own a little place that makes some pretty awesome natural smoothies.  I hear that they tag-team hypnotize you, and convince you that their awesome drink can actually cure everything from migraines to male-pattern baldness.  I don’t have either, but they don’t really scare me, now that I think about the whole idea.

I want to see my buddy, but it’s a long way from our resort…..Really I intend  to relax and unwind, and study my Bible with my wife, a little spiritual retreat.  And I am going to do exactly that,        after that smoothie.

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There’s no getting around it.  Not that I would want to get around it, but God came into my life at a time when my life, as it was, was kinda iffy.  As Leon Russell once said “one side’s ice and one is fire” in Tightrope.  That song-how cool was THAT song when it came out?  Glad I was alive for that, cuz the newer version is kinda watered down. 

But anyway, I was about to fall off the tightrope of life.

God MAY have caught me,     or not.  I was living my life in self-destruct mode.  Drinking, staying up all night, then going to work in the factory.  And more.  Go ahead and read between the lines.

This was not the first OR last time I was in danger, but it was a turning point.  I was headed down the slippery slope.  Psalms 107: 10 says “Some sat in darknness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains”  Those chains of bondage involved drinking and other pursuits, and a pretty low self-esteem.

That was my time up to about 16 years ago.  I looked good, most of the time, but I really had some bad moments.  I always thought after the fact that if someone had had a video cam and followed me around that college town I lived in, we might have hastened the process of making wholesale changes.

I will never forget walking down the middle of a street in Whitewater, WI and actually crying out to God.  I was at the end of my rope, and He heard me.  It was soon after that I got some help from a minister in town, and I chased down an old friend that opened up the Good Book to/with me.

Within a week, I had gotten a job an hour away, that put me smack dab (that’s right, I’m bringing “smack dab” back too)  smack dab in a work environment where I was surrounded by Disciples of Christ.  They loved up on me, and I was invited to their church.  Even better,  I went.

It’s been a “Long Strange Trip” to make another 60s/70s/80s/90s reference, and I am so blessed each and every day.  It’s a new day.  I’m getting tired of crediting the rockers for their phrases/song titles, so I will let that one slide.

Anyhoo, I studied the Bible, heard the word, believed it, repented, became a Disciple, proclaimed Jesus as Lord and got baptized.  There was much rejoicing in heaven.

I didn’t write this to preach.  I have someone that really brings it, and I think he’ll do a blog-in Jesus for me.  That WILL be preaching. 

God gave me hope, and has blessed me beyond my wildest dreams since then.  (That’s at least a couple more blogs.) 

I wanted to get it out on the table, though.  I enjoy being a little on the edge as a writer, but my life is not the Hunter S. Thompson version.  Although as I stated, I was going in that direction at one time.

And, as we all know, if you don’t like what I am writing at one time or other, don’t read it.  Move on down the buffet to the next item….or not.  Skip the poi though, it’s over-rated.

I do what I love and I love what I do.              by Dr. John Demartini

I wanted to share some of my favorite sayings, or affirmations,  so…

If I had a choice of being rewarded on 100% of my efforts or 1% of what 100 others do-I will take the 1%, that’s the power of network marketing.     someone, para-phrased

I am worthy, for I am part of the divine perfection.   Dr John Demartini

Whatever I think about and thank about, I bring about.   John again.

We all die.  The goal is not to live forever; the goal is to create something that will.  unknown

If God be with us, who can be against us?    Bible, paraphrase

Garbage in, Garbage out.     someone

Take out the trash.     Nick Nolte’s character, The Way Of The Peaceful Warrior

Take out the garbage!  Dr. Malia Emmerich

There is suffering in life, and there are defeats.  No one can avoid them.  But it’s better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you’re fighting for.      Paulo Coelho

I want, I allow, therefore IT IS.      The Law of Attraction

If you are not the lead dog, the view is always the same.       someone

Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it.  Boldness has genius power and magic in it.                    some famous dude

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for man.   God’s Word, from the Apostle Paul

No matter what I’ve done or not done, I’m worthy of love.    Dr. John Demartini

Speak what you want, NOT what you don’t want.  Bill Britt

Time flies like the wind, fruit flies like bananas.     some silly boy    Good Nite,   rick

I am so grateful and thankful for:

You, whomever you are reading my blog.  (You can say you read here even before I became famous)

Mom, who is such an angel, and has almost always had tons of faith and so many encouraging things to say

God, who has had the ultimate patience with me, and drew me to him slowly

Kevin Pascal, who shared the Gospel with me

My computer, wow, I am learning and learning

Our little church

My first kitty Bubba, that grew very big and died about 8 years ago,

My second cat Cleeko, still lovin’ up on my wife and I

The 10 detoxing and healing products of Liv Intl (LivGreenHawaii.com).

Quansite and their tireless support (your here aren’t ya?)

Linda Miller and her patience and persistence

Amway, I think you started something there

My heart attack, for waking me up, and leading me to my wife

The many travels I have been blessed to take

Hawaii, Beaches, Tradewinds

Those that told me I would not amount to much, or thought it

The room-mate that I had that went crazy and threatened me

The music of my youth, and more recently

Tony Vraniak and his generosity of time and money

The Boys who made it all happen in MKE when I got outta town to move to Hawaii:  Ron Norwood, Paul Stearns, James Hamann, Tim Halmar, Tim Brudnicki, Raj, Harvey, Damon Brog, Vel, Lori, of course Nancy Benetton and Shorwest Realty.

The Oahu COC for the way they welcomed me and threw a mean Groom Honoring (I still have the video.)

The Wongs for the marriage counseling.

My current church, the Honolulu International Christian Church.

The jobs I have had since I moved here, both good and bad.

(Hopelessness, victim mentality, stress, bad diet…….stay away.)

The mailman

Room mate that thought he was Jesus and thought he would be elected president in ‘04

Walter and Jeremy, and back in the day, Jim Trinastic, my computer people!

Sports live and on TV

Dr. John Demartini, Dr. Frank Cummins, and Mark Decker.

Peter Millard for all your support.

Dr. Malia Emmerich

Thank God I got to know Jesus, and studied the Bible when I was 38 years old.

Thank God I live in Hawaii.

Thank God I met the woman of my dreams, and she saw fit to marry me.

Do you see a pattern developing here?  I love to fill in those statements.  (Don’t we all?)  It’s easy to write a few pages to explain, after the statement.  I am convinced that by being grateful and appreciative for ALL that I have, I am open to receiving more.  (I know that a lot of people feel that way.)

In fact, sometimes instead of just asking God for stuff I have grateful prayers.  Also to prepare to envision my future, I do the same gratitude preparation.  I didn’t come up with this, I’m just passing it on.  And guess what, I DON’T envison all of the bad things that can possibly happen.

Been there, done that, had the heart attack…..

In fact, try this.  Whoops, strike that.  DO this.  Finish the statement with some of the things that seemed so bad at the time.  Now, it’s not to dwell on them.  You won’t attract more positive in your life with a woe-is-me, or victim mentality.

Just look on the side of,  “What positive things happened as a result of that bad thing?”  Now I don’t praticularly care what the thing was.  There is a positive side.  There HAS to be.  At this point, some of you are thinking “this guy is nuts.”  You have not allowed yourself to look on the ‘good’ side of THAT bad thing.

Well, no matter what your ‘thing’ is, I will counter with Thank God I had a heart attack.  Then I will follow with Thank God I got divorced, and for good measure, I will throw in Thank God I abused alcohol for twenty years…

Now, follow up the statement by writing a couple of pages detailing the positive consequences that followed the ‘thing.’  OK, at least one.

BTW, this is not a joke.  It is not trivial.  It is healing.  Way more healing than   ”I think I will tell my bad story to twenty more people this next month and wallow in my pain some more.”  Or “Maybe it is good that some more people know how bad I have had it and will feel sorry for me.”  I have many of those victim stories cued up and ready to go, whenever I would want to bust them out.  But I don’t anymore. 

Anyway, from my experience, even when you don’t think you can see the tunnel, God can provide a light at the end.  Do this experience and let me know what you come up with.  Write a page at least after your Thank God I experience.  (If you feel that your Thank God I ‘thing’ is SO bad, so horrible, that’s even more reason to do this exercise.) 

There are people specifically trained to help you work through it all, and I can refer you to them.   Adios for now, Rick Emmerich

Get my book:  Thank God I…Triumph Through Tragedy    http://www.thankgodi.com/cmd.php?Clk=4313438