Fasting

I know fasting works. It's been a long and hungry journey to come to this conclusion, but come to it I have. I've fasted a lot. I'm mean, not an abnormal amount, but enough to not look forward to it and to know the "tricks of the trade." (Drinking lots and lots, stay up late and wake up late so you don't feel it as much, stuff like that).

I first fasted before receiving my patriarchal blessing. Good times. Some time later, when I was older, I started fasting more regularly.

As a sophomore in college there was some fiasco with a friend's fiance; I don't quite remember He was being deployed and that was especially bad for some forgotten reason (like the wedding was scheduled after deployment or something). So we all fasted. That's when I learned that chili dogs are not good ever and especially not after a fast. But somehow he didn't get deployed.

On my mission we fasted with Nadja, hoping her parents would be cool with her baptism. I got transferred and a little while later she really did get baptized.

I have this one client that has really been struggling. Like 6 months worth. No clue what to do for him. I put his name on the temple prayer role sometimes. And I fasted for him a couple times. No change. But then, just a few weeks ago, when I'd kind of called it quits, he really started to improve. He has been on the upswing for 6 weeks, which is, like, long enough for me to say he's in "behavioral remission."

On Saturday my mom called and told me that a friend I'd grown up with, Carolyn, was in hospital with H1N1 and pneumonia. Her parents were told to expect the worst. And the ward was fasting so I started one too. And, although we aren't out of the woods yet, she's doing a lot better. They expect to bring her out of the coma tomorrow.

I've had my fair share of lame fasts where I really couldn't see the results or even if there were any results. Of the examples I've named above, some of the fasts I'd forgotten about by the time the desired event happened. Maybe I should write stuff down. Well, I may forget what I fast for, but hopefully I won't forget to fast.