THE MEMOIRS OF SUMMER RAY

I started the story of Summer Ray KNOWING at some point, it would make it to the big screen. I stopped counting the years it was going to take to get it there, years ago. I have learned that God’s timing is best. I have stopped asking Him, “When?” I have stopped being afraid when people quit and give up the project. Why? It is because He has a much bigger plan, and He will replace anyone who left with someone better. I may get sad for a bit about a loss of a friend, which usually happens. But I don’t stay in that state for too long, as I have a job to do. I am first and foremost concentrating on my own health. I never expected to be stopped in my own tracks of forging full speed ahead. Figure skating, is such a huge part of the story and it has been and still is my dream to skate the older Summer Ray’s program at the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink in New York City.

It wasn’t until after I got COVID that my health took a very serious nosedive. I am pretty sure I crashed. I lost so much muscle weight I could barely stand, walk, let alone skate. I was well on my way to passing Silver Moves and Cathy and I (pictured above) were working hard on the program. But the last two years have been hell, to say the least. But I am determined to be the one who skates to Summer Ray’s program in the pilot.

THESE PICTURES ARE FROM ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO IN 2022

But unfortunately, my health kept getting worse.

This picture was taken April 17th a few days ago.

I have lost the strength to skate for the whole lesson and I need to bring my CPAP, and use it in intervals. But because I have also been stretching at home, walking and trying to do things to help my body get stronger, I was also able to do real lunges for the first time, since before COVID. Yes! I am (in the picture below) not smiling because it is hard to hold this pose for long, while not moving.

Momentum is needed for a lunge to work and be a pretty one. But there is still the skating, dropping that leg and then getting back up that we have to work on still.

But the point is, I have made progress and that is where my focus needs to be. I cannot get depressed. I just have to focus my attention on progress made, and progress that is to be made. Which I will get where I need to be. I AM going to be the skater doing the older Summer’s program! But I know I have a mountain in front of me.

But here’s the deal. With God’s help, I will either plow through it, go over top of it, or remove it altogether. I will not allow this health crisis to stop me. God is able. But I have to be willing to take this one second at a time. I was seriously overdoing it. My daughter said something to me that hit me like a ton of bricks. She said, “Mom, you are thinking of fitness as a cure and it isn’t.” So, since I have stopped trying to be super woman, I do feel better. But after my lunge day, I was down for the next two. That is just the beast of this illness. I even couldn’t do power pulls after my lunges. Why? It is because I over worked those muscles. But power pulls were never an issue. So, I went forward in one way and back in others. But there again, that is the beast of this illness. I will continue to make progress, maybe not as fast as I had hoped.

I have had to resuscitate my own thoughts and bring life back to my entire being,

by learning how to compartmentalize time.

If I can only walk ten more steps, then those ten more steps are progress. If I can only do one lunge and not a power pull after, that lunge is a huge step toward progress. If people get impatient because this project isn’t happening as fast as they had wanted, they are welcome to leave and I let them go. I am also getting ready to submit the short video and script to film festivals, and at the same time, I am working on finishing two Summer Ray books. So, the project behind the scenes, is still happening. It is still going to be produced and distributed. It is still going to become all God intends. I just cannot give an accurate date as to when we will start production of the pilot. Because once that happens, we will once again, be forging full steam ahead. There won’t be any slowing it down either. So, God is allowing me this time to heal and to get myself prepared for what is ahead. Truly, it is exciting. But it is also scary. I am not going to lie and say it isn’t. But with the right people on board, and with God’s continued help, provision and guidance, we will get where we need to be! COUNT ON IT!!!