A very special welcome Kim,

I am always trying to be a step ahead especially when it comes to asking a guest to write for my newsletter. With it being a month to focus on men’s health, I had a big ask for my guest writer. He was often a pretty quiet guy and talked more about birds than health. But because of his love for me, he was willing to step outside of his comfort zone and write for me. If only I knew what God had in store, this could not be any more of a blessing. For anyone who has not heard, my husband, Glen, passed away unexpectedly May 14, 2026, for reasons not yet fully known. I had no idea my life would take this turn. You do all the things you think are right to live by, but we are not guaranteed tomorrow. But G had the last word this time. 

Written by Glen Stoltzfus, amazing husband, son, brother, cat dad and “bird nerd.” Now at home, with our heavenly Father and watching over us.

 Still Speaking...

When my wife asked me to write for her men’s health month newsletter, I thought, “what do I have or do that could help anyone out?” For me, growing up when I think of the word health it was just what you eat or activity. While that is true, there are a bunch of other things related to health. While I feel I have some of the things figured out, I also have a lot to work on. So, I can start with where I have noticed the most change.

For the most part, growing up I would eat whatever I wanted and did not worry about my weight. I was close to 230 lbs at one point. I don’t remember too much talk about health so I never thought about what I ate. Soon after I graduated high school my friends and I started riding bikes. Mostly mountain bikes at first, but then road bikes and that is when I first started paying attention to the activity side of health. Two friends and I road across the United States which had always been a dream of mine. We could eat whatever we wanted because of we would burn so many calories and at the end I was down to 185 lbs. Soon after we got home, I moved out and was not biking as much and still ate whatever I wanted. Oh, and while on the bike trip, I did have an accident and landed hitting my head pretty good which I realized years later caused arthritis in my neck to form.

After Kim and I got married, she started to have severe stomach pain. She started all kinds of elimination diets to try to figure out what was wrong. For the most part I would just cook and eat the same as her because it was easier. We watched Forks Over Knives and changed a few things, but nothing major. I wasn’t going to give up meat. I was raised on meat and potatoes as they say. But soon after moving to South Carolina we decided to do whole-food, plant based which is pretty vegan. But vegans get a bad rap so this just another way of saying it. That is when things changed! I had been getting bad headaches 2-3 times per week from the arthritis in my neck from the bike accident. Now they were gone! My wife started feeling much better as well! The hardest part for me was giving up cheese. The say your taste buds change and I no longer have any desire to eat meat again! Eating this way just lines up with my values.

Moving on to the things I am still working on, that is the emotional and mental health side of this. As men, it’s hard to ask for help and talk about things that we need to. We need to have a group of guys around us to help with life. I’ve never been outgoing or a people person, so this is the one I am working on. We can’t just isolate ourselves and it is so easy to do. The decisions we make in what we eat and how we live will affect us in the long run and it is never too late to change.  ~ G

I can attest to the transformation in G. He lost the weight that he had gained back, he was able to take walks and look around for birds without it causing headaches. He still enjoyed eating and we had some great foodie experiences and never felt we lacked anything, in fact it opened up a new culinary world for us to try and support. As for the social connection side, he was a work in progress. He started going to a men’s group and there were days he did not want to go, but he went anyway. He formed some amazing friendships with people he could speak openly with about life. He was finding his strength in God. He lived each day as a quiet example of the gifts he was given of craftsmanship, faith and generosity. Thank you G, for sharing your heart. I love you and I miss you. 

Next Month:

I want to lighten up for the summer with some fun. It’s a favorite past time for G and I. It’s works for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert!

Connection:

Change is not usually easy, but with connection it is often easier than alone. Please find someone to connect with that has like-minded values and will spur you on and provide you support and accountability. And I am here too, if you want to connect via a virtual coffee chat or if you are in the Charleston area of South Carolina we can do a local coffee chat.

If you have a story about Glen that you would like to share with me, I would be so grateful, please feel free to reply to this email. 

Verse of the Week:

1 Peter 4:10 NLT God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

May you each find “your guys,”

Kim
hopeandhealinglifestyle.com
kim@hopeandhealinglifestyle.com