Guest blogger and co-founder of AmeriBag, Margery Gaffin, explains how the “I Love My Life” Healthy Back Bag came to be. Read on and you could have the opportunity to receive your very own “I Love My Life” Healthy Back Bag.
Almost exactly four years ago I was recovering from my last round of chemotherapy for breast cancer. My strength was finally coming back, as well as my appetite. I recall standing in my kitchen chopping onions. I was prepping for a nutritious soup. This is typically a boring, tedious task, yet I suddenly was struck by the idea, “how wonderful it is that I am JUST chopping onions and no longer thinking about cancer treatments, or any other morbid topic. Just chopping onions!”
That’s when IT started… I started to realize fully how grateful and appreciative I am for my life and my health and how much “I LOVE MY LIFE.” Not that MY life is perfect – no one’s is – but it was a refreshing feeling to have regardless of the diagnosis, treatment and recovery. This led me to explore yoga, which for me has meant being in the moment and appreciating that fully. Not worrying about what already happened or what might happen. Just being.
Four years later, I have continued to be very involved in yoga – mostly Anusara and Kundalini, and the phrase “I LOVE MY LIFE” has fully sunk in and reverberated through me. I am (as one of my first teachers said) “grateful that I CAN practice yoga.” I open my heart everyday to new opportunities and experiences.
The culmination of all this “just being,” breathing and yoga has led me to express this sentiment in a very special bag. It expresses the affirmation of the positiveness of life – the appreciation of life itself. Not just the big things, but also the ordinary day-to-day little things… even chopping onions.
We are proud to present this gorgeous version of our famous Healthy Back Bag to symbolize this positive affirmation in each of you. Our customers. And the community around you.
We ask you to consider and tell us why you love your life? One winner will be selected at random on Thursday, April 22. You can enter this giveaway by sharing your response on Twitter, Facebook or a comment to this blog post. Tell your friends to share their stories with us as well. We are looking for this feeling of gratitude to stretch through our online community as far as it can go.
*Update: Janine M. Torsiello of Lake Hiawatha, NJ was randomly selected to win the “I Love My Life” Healthy Back Bag
I love my life because no matter how hard it is, it always beats the alternative. I’m just now emerging from a severe depressive episode and am now beginning to be able to take pleasure in life again.
This is the only type of bag I will ever own!!!!! It is so convenient to find things that are in my purse(hubby says purses are “blackholes”) Now I’ve changes his mind since I got Ameribags
i love my life because my sons and i are survivors of domestic violence i have been able to provide them with the needed therapy and a safe home for 10 years. anytime i can help friends or church members in anyway, i do so without hesitate. i guess some people call this paying forward, but i do it to just help without expecting anything now or in the future in return. God bless!
I love my life! I’m 51 years old, am in good health and am loved and am in love. I can’t imagine my life being any better than it is. There is nothing special about me, and I’ve never done anything special, but I do love my life and couldn’t be happier!
I love my life as I am free to be me ….. just as I am!
L love my new bag. It’s the best bag I ever bought.
I Love My Life because God has blessed me with the opportunity to know both the bitter and the sweet , the painful and the pleasurable, the profane and the Divine and I have now reached an age (60) when I can use and share my experiences to give to other people and help them through their rough spots and share their triumphs in the same way others have done so for me. I am grateful for every day.
I do absolutely LOVE MY LIFE! My life is so abundantly blessed by God that there are no other words to describe it but that I do truly love my life! At the very top of the blessing list is my wonderful husband, two loving sons, my Mom and lots of family and friends. I have enjoyed the blessing of good health and steady employment. These are but a few of the blessed reasons I LOVE MY LIFE!!
I love my life. It seems to get better as I get older and (hopefully) wiser. Life is full of surprises and I learn something new everyday. It’s a pleasure to wake up to face the day
I love my life because I was given the wonderful gift of being a mentor to my daughter. Knowing she looks to me for guidance, strength and love makes me feel incredibly special and blessed. I wouldn’t trade who I am or where I am in life for anything or anyone else’s life.
I LOVE LIFE..NO MATTER IF MINE OWN OR OF OTHER BEINGS FOR WE ARE ALL SHARING THIS AMAZING EXPERIENCE FROM ALL POINTS OF THIS EARTH AND WHO KNOWS WERE ELSE….THE IMPORTANT POINT IS TO GIVE…THE BEST OF OUR HEARTS WITHOUT ANY SORT OF EXPECTATION..IT SHOULD BE AS NATURAL AS TAKING A SHOWER OR HOLDING OUR DAILY BAG…
I love my life because I’ve been able to bring into my life things I thought I would never have. A saying that has helped me is:
A rich person is not the one who has the most
but the one that needs the least
Not many people get to say they LOVE what they do, but I can. I have been a midwife for nearly 23 years & can honestly say I enjoy helping women birth in a way that gives them a glorious memory to pass on to their daughters. My work is not so much what I do, but how I assist a woman in labor to do HER work. How pleasant to see new people coming into the world on a regular basis! Talk about Loving life! Loving the living……..it doesn’t get much better than that!
I LOVE my healthy back bags with an s. I have had thoracic and lower back surgery and was in terrible pain. But I love handbags. The healthy back bag is very fashionable. Five years ago I originally purchased a black and a tan nylon small bags. I just purchased an extra small in leather merlot. I have my eye on another leather one!!!
I love my life for so many reasons. Two of the most important ones are my daughters, 18 & 15. I have also been blessed with the most wonderful friends a person could ask for. I have so many things to be thankful for, there is just no way for me to list them all.
Every day is a gift from God and an opportunity to recognize and remember how very special my blessings are. I love my life for so many things and the closest to my heart is my daughter.
I love my life and my Healthy Back Bag has been along for the ride for years. A friend had one and I was intrigued. I had never seen anything like quite like it. We have probably purchased more than 10 bags between us over the years. I have never lost my keys, or anything else, during this time. I am also able to carry an enormous amount of “stuff” in my bag without killing my back.
I love my life. I have a great family, wonderful old house which may not sparkle but it is a fantastic old farm house. Life is short enjoy it with family and listen to the birds sing.
I am loving my life. Fifteen years ago, I was in a serious automobile accident. I suffered numerous fractures and crushed my right foot. After 3 surgeries, I am still able to enjoy my work as a Registered Nurse in spite of a daily dose of pain. In September of 2007, I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. We were able to remove all the cancer and today I am still cancer free. Through God’s grace, I believe these experiences have made me a better, more understanding, compassionate nurse and mother. I am truly grateful to be here to celebrate life with my beautiful teenage daughters. I look forward everyday to an opportunity to make life easier for someone else. I appreciate life! I love living it.
I love my life because I think I have the most wonderful family,especially my 5 young grandsons,They make me laugh when I’m down,they are the whole world to me.,growing to fast.I love my life because all I ever wanted was to be a mother and the grandsons are the icing on the cake.
I LOVE MY LIFE, BECAUSE IT IS A GIFT FROM GOD. I HAVE GOOD HEALTH AND WONDERFUL MARRAGE OF 42 YEARS, AND TWO BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS. ISN’T LIFE GREAT. i LOVE MY AMERIBAG, IT HAS HELPED ME TO CARRY MY HEAVY LOAD WITH EASE AND COMFORT.
I love my life because each day I learn something new. Each day I have the opportunity to make someone smile and each day rewards me in some unexpected way. No matter the challenge I face, each day is irreplaceable. Whether I am happy or sad, each day is a unique gift, and no matter what I am facing, I learn something about myself, about others and about God.
I love my life because I have a great husband (of 42 years) and two successful, compentent adult children. The next generation is underway, with two grandkids and now I can relax and enjoy traveling (with my HBB, of course)
I have had a car accident that has left me crippled since Oct 2006. I got breast cancer and had a double masectomy in March 2008. But life is good, with a cane and a limp and fake boobs I still love life everyday. I have my family I enjoy everyday. My faith and living for today doing what I can for others brings me joy.
My Healthy back bag helps me manage my cane and my shoulder and foot pain by being balanced.
Thanks for my bags and my life.
Ameribag #ilovemylife. After waiting 11 years for our son to be born, I was told it was unlikely I could have another. I just tucked our beatiful, smiling, little two-year old girl in bed. She dances and sings her way through all of our days, and I am constantly amazed by how much her 8 year old brother adores her. He was the one who faithfully prayed for her.
I Live My Life and my Healthy Back Bag. I own four of them. I can always find what I’m looking for, phone, keys, eye glasses, pen, kleenex and etc. Healthy Bag always stays on my shoulder and don’t fall off. No more stress! It is good for my back also. It’s the best bag for traveling and price is very reasonalble.
Despite experiencing the worst thing that could ever happen in a parent’s life – our daughter killed by an adult speeding red light runner 3 months before her 18th birthday – I love my life. Married to my soulmate of 29 years and the mother of a 26 year old son, doing work I am passionate about, and knowing that our beautiful daughter gave and enhanced the lives of others through donation, and finding a way to brighten someone else’s day are only a few of the blessings I am honored to have. Life is precious and good, and I am grateful for each moment.
Hello,
Four children and three grandchildren are my blessings.
I make the most out of what I’ve been given and feel loved and blessed for it.
Not everyday is bright, but I try to see the sun through the clouds and rain. God has
given us all gifts and it is up to us to take care of us and give back.
I would love to own one of these bags. It would be fun!
Thanks
I love my life despite losing my new healthy bag bag on the train on the way to work. Everyday I remember something in that bag – umbrella, ear phones, best hand cream, great book, concert tickets, my favorite black jacket, and a great salad lunch! guess some one needed all those things more than me…… so hey I love my life
I don’t know of any purse that has made my back feel better and make me spend less time at the therapist as my Ameria Bag. It started years ago with my syatic nerver giving me a fit and my sister told me to try one. I ‘ve loved them every since then. it doesn’t matter what I carry or how heavy my bag gets my back stays happy as a lark. I do a lot of photography and would love to see a camera bag that would make my back laugh.
I Love My Life Because I have 2 Happy Healthy Children and A Loving Husband
I love my Ameria Bag because it has all the room i need to carry everything. It is very light and does not hurt my back or shoulders like other bags do. I love my bag so much i bought different colors.
I enjoyed your story and you are truely blessed! I am glad to have found you asthis is the first time I have heard of your bags. I have had back surgery for hurniated discs, so I know all about protecting your back! Thanks again!
I am so blessed everyday that I wake up to be that is what I am thankful for. I can talk to my sons on a daily basis and I wake up next to the man that I love. I am truley blessed and fortunate that someone has created a healthy bag that shows the spirit of all women in any situation that they deal with. These are the best bags I have used I have a total number of 6 now I just receied a metro bag for my birthday and in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness I bought the mini bag with the pink ribbon. These are beautiful bag and thank you for your inspirational story.
Maryrorse Molnar
I love my life because God, His Mother, His Angels and His Saints have blessed my every breathing moment with every good thing.
I love my life because right after my 50th birthday I was diagnosed with stage 2 HER2NU breast cancer. After 18 months of chemo and 3 months of radiation treatments I feel like my health is starting to feel better. I have had many health side effects from all the chemo and radiation but I have continued to work full time and enjoy my 3 wonderful grown children and my most incredible husband of 29 years. I have been surrounded by support from many throughout this journey and now look forward to retirement and maybe grandchildren in the future. I own many healthy back bags having owned them for over 10 years. I try different handbags but always go back to the Healthy Back Bag. I look forward to many more blessings in the future to continue loving my life.
Thank you Margery for sharing with us your triumph over that bad patch in the road. It made you stronger and more aware. Let’s hope that from here on in it’s all downhill. When I hit my first bad patch and successfully negoitated it years ago, I learned much about myself, and about other people. I was actually glad it all happened. I knew more about my own capabilities. I knew I was much better prepared to face the challanges that would come down my own road. I knew to keep the things and people I value close to my heart. My Ameribags help me keep my daily vaulables close to my body when shopping, running errands or walking on the street. And it babies my bad back acquired during another bad patch, at the same time. Love them! The new colors are to die for! Keep up the good work, Ameribag!
I love my life, because no matter how much things change, I have family, I have love, and all the things that matter the most. The next year is going to be scary, loosing my house, starting over again in school, moving back into my parents with a husband and 3 year old daughter, and trying to make ends meet. However, I love everything right now beause I have the family and the support.
I love my life, because you only get one in this world. I thank God every day for all the blessings He shines down upon me. What is life but to love it and live it with passion.
As a school guidance counselor, I love my life because work with students from all walks of life. I am able to walk with students through the good times and the bad regardless of who is or is not walking with them from home. I am able to be a support for many students that otherwise would not be supported be anyone. **…Why do I love my life? Because I am able to help other love theirs!!!
Each day is a Gift! I am grateful for everyday waking up and seeing the beauty around me. I know there is a God that loves us and is there to help us through each day. I am happy for the knowledge that each day I choose the how I will be for the day. I like what this gentleman recently said in a speech that I listened to “Come what may and love it” I love my life my beautiful husband and family.
I just love being me! Life is great! I have a husband who I have loved for 30 years and he loves me just as much. I love my Ameribag because I had to have back surgery because of a ruptured disk. It the only bag that doesn’t make my back hurt. I came across the website by accident and it is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I wish that I had at least 5 more, especially since my husband is disabled now and I have to carry his stuff for him too…
Will you tell us who won the giveaway?
I appreciate reading all the wonderful stories! Thanks everyone