More about Liz
Hi, my name is Liz McNairy!
If you are reading this, I am so grateful for the opportunity to connect with YOU. It is my mission to empower the world to live in Peace. Through working together, I KNOW that is possible.
My Story…
Growing up, I was privileged. My life was easy. My biggest concerns were how tan could I get, how little time could I spend at work, and where would I go out tonight? I was living in my parent's townhome at the beach. Friends, love, and fun surrounded me. I didn't realize that I would soon feel like the only person on the planet longing for just one more moment with a certain special someone.
The morning after a late night out, I woke up to a phone call from my brother. Intrigued by the rarity of him calling at this time of day, I quickly picked up to the sobering sound of, "Dad is really sick. He has cancer." Time suddenly stood still as I began to grapple with, "What am I supposed to do?" I remember being told, "There's nothing to do right now. We're all here, and we just wanted to let you know."
I hung up the phone and in denial. I joined my girlfriends as they were trying to figure out where to eat breakfast. It wasn't until we pulled up to the restaurant that it hit me like a ton of bricks; I HAD to go and be with my family! After the 3 hour drive home, I walked into my childhood home and found everyone sitting in the living room, which instantly felt like something was wrong. My parents assured me that everything was going to be OK. In my mind, that translated to, "Dad will get better."
I'm not sure if he knew the severity of his cancer at the time, but either way, I left to go back to the beach and prepare to finish up my final semester of college. I remember my dad's words, "Go back to school, graduate and get a job. I will always be with you - when you walk across the stage at graduation, when you get married, and for everything else in your life." In less than two months, he passed away. I was in DISBELIEF. It was as if I thought that if I did well in school, as he directed, everything would be fine with his health. I grieved. I was ANRGY. I was angry that my parents didn't tell me the severity of his condition. I was angry at the hospice worker who told me to "quiet down" when I dropped to my knees, finding out that my dad was already gone and I didn't get to say goodbye. I was mad that my mom and my three siblings were all there without me. I was mad at my boyfriend for not being there for me. I became depressed. I drank, A LOT. I tried to revert to being on the beach during the day and partying at night, but it just wasn't the same. It really "hit" me when I punched a guy at the bar on Halloween night square in the face for playfully pretending to take a picture of me as part of his costume... If you are reading this story, you may not know me very well. Let me pause here and say that this was VERY uncharacteristic of me! I had never hit anyone in my life.
I began to realize that I needed help. While I was at school, I saw a therapist a couple of times. Pretty sure I just SOBBED the whole time. I tried to tell my friends that I couldn't drink anymore because I couldn't control myself. The problem was that we always said that, and it never really meant anything. My friends continued to invite me out, not wanting to leave me alone. When I wasn't strong enough to go out and not drink, I started to spend more time with myself. I grew stronger in my faith, going to church every week and volunteering however I could to keep myself busy. I started doing yoga through the yoga club at school. I was beginning to feel a sense of stability again.
I graduated from college that December and although I achieved this great accomplishment, the challenges continued to be ever present. I moved home with my mom and started working as a retail manager. Keeping busy kept me distracted which was good but when I got home I continued to face the reality that, “I no longer have my Dad”.
One day I was taking a yoga class when a stranger turned to me and for no reason said, “You know there’s another yoga studio down the street you can go to. It’s donation based and really great.” I thanked her and ended up checking it out. It was called Lifeline Power Yoga at the time. I walked in and was greeted by a friendly face and had an amazing class with a teacher named Sid McNairy III. At the end of the class I laid on my back in what was called, Savasana. It was a magical and peaceful experience like none I had ever had before in my life. I was exhausted physically and emotionally. With my eyes closed and my heart pounding, I began to have a vision of a bright light. The picture got more clear as I saw myself laying down on my back in a field surrounded by tall, green grass. All of a sudden a figure started to approach me from behind. I couldn’t see who or what it was but I FELT such a presence! After a few moments passed, I KNEW it was my Dad and I was met with this beautifully feeling of being home.
