I recently attended my second Renewal Retreat by the National Association for Weight Loss Surgery (NAWLS). I wasn’t a participant per se. Actually, I am a freelance writer/editor who Director Katie Jay sometimes hires for assorted projects. Over the years, our friendship has blossomed, and I guess you could say that if Katie were Oprah, I’d be her Gayle.

And, in the role of Gayle, I joined Katie at the Florida nurses’ retreat just a few weeks ago. I had planned to provide whatever support my friend needed, while she provided weight loss surgery support to the women who attended. My role included on-site personal chef. Fortunately, everyone seemed to love the food, and I didn’t set off any smoke detectors.

For this writer-turned-chef, I was content to play a peripheral role, all the while hoping to pick up a stray tidbit of applicable sage advice. I was hoping for a snippet. Something you jot down on the back of your napkin because you left your workbook in the other room. (Incidentally, instead of my name, Katie put “Super Chick” on the outside of my workbook–a testament to her loving and gracious nature.)

And what I learned that weekend from my dear friend Katie, and all the other awe-inspiring ladies I met there, would require more than a napkin in its dictation.

It is so funny how life works. I have not even had weight loss surgery, but I found myself immediately identifying with a number of the women at the retreat who have had it. The common denominator of the women who attended–myself included–is that we continue to struggle with the skeletons in our closets that very often haunt us and cause us to overeat.

Much to my surprise and wonderment, I learned that the key to happiness means laying to rest these old bones. I learned to say goodbye to some emotional baggage from years past. And, lastly, I learned that I can be victorious in all areas of my life–which is more than I bargained for; I was going to be content with a few scribbles on the back of my napkin.

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