Focus on the Positive by Sarah Conaway

Focus on the Positive

I learned early on that choosing to stay positive helped me find my inner warrior.

One of the things that’s helped me from the very beginning of my stroke journey was to focus on the positives. Because there are so many! I’m talking about the cheesy kind of “woohoo” moments that may make you roll your eyes. Eyes - imagine rejoicing in simply being able to open them. I have! I celebrate small victories. For example, I was excited when I took my first steps. Yes I was held up by a gait belt and two therapists, but I wasn’t confined to a hospital bed. I was free. It had been well over 30 years since I took my official “first steps”, so I call these my “second steps”. 

It’s easy to thank God when things are going well—it feels natural. But He calls us to give thanks in ALL situations.To have a heart of thanksgiving even during the most challenging times. I won’t lie, this wasn’t always easy. Be thankful for having strokes? For being permanently disabled? Losing my career? Everything I’d worked for? I can now say YES! Because for every loss, I have a multitude of new things to be thankful for. 

1.          I get to be a stay-at-home mom and spend time after school each and every day with my daughter and her best friend. I love volunteering at her school. 

2.          I get to volunteer at church on Wednesdays and Sundays. I get  to spend time with my hospice patient. I get to enjoy other friends without full-time jobs from my life group. 

3.          I get to be a part of an incredible women’s ministry called Wholly Loved.I’m finally getting comfortable with public speaking again. I got to attend one of their amazing conferences at the beginning of last year and never imagined I would get the opportunity to join them.

4.          I get to attend a women’s bible study on Tuesdays mornings. I love meeting new people who love Christ.  

5.          Last, but definitely not least, STROMIES (Stroke + Homies). The Stromies are a trio of positivity who strive to encourage survivors worldwide. The two ladies I serve with have brought me such comfort, companionship, and FUN! I’m so thankful God brought us together.

When I get a case of the “poor mes”, I focus on any one of the many things that I am grateful for. It always makes me smile.This also helps show others how to do the same.

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BIO for website: Sarah Conaway is a two-time stroke survivor who truly believes each day is a gift. Through intense therapy, Sarah has regained much of the ability she lost.  Although Sarah has had a myriad of health problems over the past 15 years, the strokes changed her life forever. Sarah’s story is a true testament of Jesus’s divine intervention.Sarah volunteers with hospice patients and the children’s ministry at her Church. She is a tri-founder of the Stromies (Stroke + homies) who minister to those with disabilities world-wide. She’s excited to be a part of the Wholly Loved team as a speaker, blogger, and Street Team Leader. She loves sharing how God is continuing to shape her into the person she is today.