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'I'm an addict. I need help.'

That's what Esther courageously confessed to me not long ago.

And what dark demon dominated Esther and drove her to do something about it?

Could it have been nicotine, pain killers, or cocaine?

Goodness, no, not that bad. But plenty bad enough. And very common.

For starters, it can cause early aging, high blood pressure, cataracts, diabetes, anxiety, cancer, heart disease, migraines, kidney damage, asthma, acid stomach, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, high cholesterol, and arthritis.

And, if that's not bad enough, that little white devil likes to stick around. It turns itself into fat and hides in all those places we don't want it to'our tummies, thighs, hips, arms, and butts. Oh, yeah, it makes us fat.

Esther's addiction: sugar'those pure, white crystals that sit in a canister-of-honor on our kitchen counters and sneak their way into a lot of our foods.

Esther couldn't imagine life without it. Yet, she wanted to be free, and she wanted to lose weight.

Like all of us, Esther grew up on sugar. Her father loved sweets: Sunday cinnamon rolls, white cake with lemon filling and whipped cream, cream puffs, cookies, all kinds of goodies; even tomatoes, lettuce, and vegetables were topped with sugar. Her mother, who catered to her father's sweet tooth, was obese.

We created a doable-for-Esther food plan that wrapped around craving-crusher foods: whole, fresh, unrefined fruits and vegetables.

Esther, one month later'

'The cravings went away within the first week. I lost 8.5 pounds ' 3x my goal. I am full and satisfied. I have detached myself from food.

'I love this way of eating! It's easy and tastes good to me.

'This is the first time in my life that I've lived 100% without sweets. I never thought I could do that. My cravings for milk and cheese are gone too.

'The greatest reward of all is knowing I can do it and the weight loss. I amaze myself.'

Esther amazes me too. She amazes me with her awareness of herself. She amazes me with her courage to stand up to her demon. She amazes me with her openness, willingness, and sheer guts to make changes.

Change is tough. Esther forged ahead anyway.

Above all else, Esther amazes me with her innate gift to inspire others just by being her lovely and genuine self, no matter what size she wears.

I noticed the bracelet on her beautiful, delicate wrist. I have to say'I am not a big fan of jewelry, but that bracelet caught my attention. It sparkled with light and color.

Esther had created it herself.

'Every different color crystal represents a different disease. Now I think differently about my bracelet. I think of what I am doing for myself to prevent getting cancer or heart disease.'

Esther created two bracelets for me'one for me and one for my daughter, Erin, one of the three loves of my life'my three children. This is my first jewelry purchase in over twelve years.

When I sat on my bed and gave it to my 27-year-old beauty, I explained what each colored crystal represented.

'Erin, when you wear this bracelet, think about what it represents. It represents the circle of life, the circle of love, and the circle of heath. Think about the most precious gift of all'your body. Think about what you are doing every day to take care of yourself.

'Your body must come first and everything else second, or there are not seconds.

'If you don't take care of yourself for you, then please, Sweetie, take care of yourself for me. Know in your heart of hearts how much I love you, and I cannot live my life without you.'

After a tear or two, we hopped on our bicycles and embraced our magical moments together ' made even more magical by those sparkles on our wrists.

Thank you, Esther, for being a spark in our lives, all of our lives. The circle of love goes round and round.