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Ten on Tuesday (early)

It certainly has been longer than I would like since I have posted here. There are some great new things in the works regarding Feasting On Joy and I have been occupied in that lately as well as 50 other things. We also are in the thick of finishing up school for the school year as well as co-op so that always comes with a lot of parts and pieces to balance in my life.

I thought I would catch you up on a few fun things happening around here.

1~~ The recent daylight savings time change totally threw me off! It usually doesn't but this year it was an "off" week. It does help that we homeschool and can be flexible and adjust though.  But that was a week that I felt like would never end.  Now I am loving the lighter later evenings and the feeling of Spring in the air.

2~~ Speaking of Spring, normally my counters would be totally covered with seedlings of all sorts that would just be popping out of the soil by now.  This year there are no seedlings adorning my counters. Steve and I have decided to let our soil (and me) rest for a year.  We plan on deeply amending the soil this year and last year started a trash can compost outside too.  It usually took me around 30 hours a week to tend the garden and that is not counting the "putting up" time. I love it but really want to open up time to be able to do a lot more outdoor things this summer here with the boys. We will probably still have a tomato plant or two (instead of 9) and we have our apples and peaches along with the never ending weeding. I will also probably plant some more expensive organic produce like collard greens and chard to save some money. It is weird to look out at our planters and see them quite bare!

3~~ After winter (which I love) it is always nice to see the signs of Spring. I love when the Daffodils start blooming! They are one of my favorite flowers. My Aunt reminded me the other day of a little poem my Grandma used to say whenever she saw a Daffodil. It made me love them even more because I absolutely adore my Grandma. The poem was. "A little cup, a little frill and now you have a daffodil!"  So cute. I love my Grandma and I love Daffodils. 

4~~ We have come to love a certain song in our house! Actually we hear it on Pandora every once in a while and thankfully the lyrics don't really come in that clear because some of them are a little out of our conservative arena for 8 year old and 4 olds. The boys have never seen the video either. However, there is something about the beat to this song that literally makes us want to start dancing around the house and be silly. It has totally helped break up the seriousness in our house. We could be eating dinner or doing chores but the minute we hear this, we convene in the living room and start dancing all around! It is a regular dance party. I love it! So, I bet you are wondering what the song is?  It is "I Like to Move it, Move it." from Madagascar. My boys have never even seen the movie but we love the song! Click here for the song. (Disclaimer, I have never let my boys watch this video and really don't think the video is appropriate so if you have littles around and you are pretty conservative don't watch. For adults it is pretty funny though.)

5~~ Our conversations around the table can get pretty funny especially with an 8 year old and a 4 year old. Lately the topic has come up multiple times of wishing we lived in a Candy land and then a Protein Land. Actually, Cody clarifies each time that we need protein land first! You know protein/fat helps sugars digest more evenly and deters blood sugar spikes! Cracks me up. They go on to describe what will be in each land. Bacon, of course, would be in protein land! Candy land gets more descriptive. Waterfalls of chocolate (organic of course with no GMO's Cody adds) and rivers of honey. We are all craving protein and candy after the conversation which happens multiple times a month at meal times!

6~~ On the topic of Bacon we have been loving a snack called Porkitos lately. Actually this is made from Prosciutto that is baked and it is oh SO good! Michelle of Nom Nom Paleo coined the phrase and created the snack.  I buy Prosciutto at Costco and decided to try Michelle's version of it one day. Now, we like to eat it her way better than not baked.  It is good for putting on top of salads or eggs. Even to jut eat plain is wonderful. Try it! It also has that crunch that sometimes Paleo eaters crave.

(picture from Nom Nom Paleo)

7~~ This month I will be Gluten Free for three years! Wow. I can remember like yesterday how I viewed it as my death sentence in 2011 when I was told I had to eat GF. I have several posts detailing my journey of going Gluten Free if you search Gluten Free Journey in the labels on the side. Funny, I never knew that being Gluten Free was actually not hard at all. Looking back at the way I used to be able to eat was a piece of cake in comparison to the way I eat now. I look back though and realize that even though the things I was eating were Gluten free they were mostly NOT healthy. Just because it is GF doesn't mean it is healthy. I repeat just because it is labeled Gluten Free does not mean it is healthy for you to eat. Gluten Free food items (even prepared at home from scratch) have A LOT of starch and refined sugar in them and can have very little nutritive value. Eating as much refined sugar and starch as I used to contributed to my demise (Intestinal Permeability) in 2013. I am SO thankful for what I have learned since that journey started in March of 2011. I will never go back to eating Gluten Free ONLY. I love eating GMO free, grain free, legume free, refined sugar free, & dairy free (and a lot of other things "free.") It does my body good and has helped my boys with rashes, allergies and more! It has even helped my husband eliminate blood pressure issues, his overall wellness and he is down to the weight he was in high school! He doesn't always eat grain free either. My boys can have dairy though and we buy raw milk for them which they tolerate very well. Anyway, even though GF was simpler in terms of being able to have more convenience foods, I love Paleo because the food is nutrient dense (almond flour and coconut flours verses white rice flours for baking and lots and lots of veggies along with small portions of "clean" lean meats...) and easier to cook. It is just the prep that takes more time. What a journey it has been. I have been Paleo for over a year now and my health (due to autoimmunity) has done a 180 in terms of improvement. I highly recommend a grain free Paleo diet (or even Autoimmune Paleo) for those with autoimmunity. I am thankful for my doctor back in 2011 who was the ONLY doctor out of several who even told me that Gluten could affect those with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. It put me on the path to the realization that food, and everything we put in our mouths and on our skin, affects our health either positively or negatively. All God's Providence. PS: If you want to see what I can eat (which is a ton) check out my Pinterest Board.

8~~ Co-op is coming to and end! We have three more weeks left (after Spring Break). Time flew. It seems like we were just at Christmas break. Corbin has loved taking Chess, Creative Thinking, and Creative Writing with some amazing teachers. Cody has loved taking story hour, PE and Games, Eric Carle, and Christ Centered Character also with some amazing teachers. I absolutely love our co-op and am amazed at the sacrifice our moms make each week to teach our children. It is such a blessing and I have made some sweet friends in the process. God is good!

9~~ Steve and I started using doTERRA Essential oils in December for us individually. We have loved them so much and have seen some wonderful results in us personally as well as in our children from implementing these oils into our lives. I call them my "icing on the cake." We only got minor colds once or twice this year due to our lifestyle overhaul and using doTERRA EO's! Yay! It is so cool to us to be able to use something natural that God gave us (that were even used in Bible times) to help our bodies with their ailments. We have learned so much in the past few months and we are actually teaching classes together now to share our experience with others. We teach and help get our clients on the path to using doTERRA essential oils in their everyday lives. We love that we can literally replace our entire medicine cabinet as well as cleaners with Essential oils! Stay tuned to this blog because eventually I will be posting recipes for cleaners and home remedies. I will also have some giveaways of homemade cleaning solutions using doTERRA EO's. It is going to be fun!

10~~ One of the things that is so much on my mind and I pray about all the time lately is walking in God's will. There are so many things we can do in life. So many directions we can take. So many traps we can fall in. I know my Lord has ultimate discernment and protection over me and has my best interests and that of my family at heart. I trust in His unending sovereignty. He is amazing. I pray for protection from the snares because, as a human, it is so easy to not see one of Satan's traps. One of the best allegories and illustrations of the conniving, sneaky, deceit of the devil is played out in the book Pilgrims Progress. I like the audio version of this for road trips. They even have a kids version that my son has read over and over. It is a captivating story of the main character, Christian, who is on his life journey to heaven's gate while trying to stay on God's path. It was written by John Bunyan who was in prison at the time of the writing! I highly recommend it. 

I pray Proverbs 16:9 in my heart daily. 

Proverbs 16:9
A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.

If we direct our steps we are really walking on the sinking sand. 

Temporal is the word that comes to mind. If we are in God's will and walking his path we can be safe in his arms and under his protection. That's what I want. With all these new things happening in our lives I do pray that, as I plan my ways (and heed the Lord's instruction and open doors), that God truly does direct us on this journey and that we trust in him for in and for everything.

Feeling Good Friday: Hippocrates

Normally on Feeling Good Fridays I highlight a food or a product that can promote healing but today I am going to focus on a person. This person is not alive anymore and so he physically cannot promote healing but the principles he left behind are pretty astounding and are certainly relevant today. We Americans, who are becoming increasingly more unhealthy and sick, are s l o w l y coming full circle in understanding and applying the principles that Hippocrates believed in. (Warning there is a bit of a rant in this post.)

Since I have started on my journey of healing through education about God's gift to us in real, whole, clean food, the name Hippocrates has come up many times. I have read and heard he is the "Father of Medicine." Along with that I have seen the famous quote by him, "Let food be thy medicine and let thy medicine be food." I can attest to that in the fact that food (along with a few other pieces to my puzzle) have been powerful in healing my ailing body. I am sure that I learned about him during my schooling as well but really hadn't remembered a whole lot about him.

(picture of Hippocrates found on www.pbs.com)

Recently, while homeschooling my eight year old, we were doing history and our lesson for the day was about Hippocrates. What I read really peaked my interest in finding out more about Hippocrates as well as the Hippocratic oath that was based on his way of practicing medicine and written shortly after he died by Pythagoreans in Greece.

Hippocrates broke the mold in that he did not believe that the Greek God of Asclepius was his healer. Instead, he believed that diet, rest and exercise is what could heal. He looked for causes of disease rather than treating a symptom. When he did treat he used herbs, diet changes, and getting outside along with exercise. He believed that a doctor should be trustworthy and that the doctor should use his skills wisely for the BETTERMENT of mankind.

(some of the above paragraph is paraphrased from The Mystery of History Volume 1 by Linda Lacour Hobar)

These are all amazing principles that he practiced by. The major difference in my own views is that I DO believe my God (Jesus Christ) is my healer. If it weren't for Him then none of the foods or other things would have healed me. It is by God's grace and mercy on me that I am able to thrive and function in life.

As my son and I continued learning about Hippocrates we also found out some interesting info on the Hippocratic oath. Remember, I said this is the document that was written some time after the death of Hippocrates? The people who wrote it (the Pythagoreans) based it off of the way that Hippocrates practiced medicine and his beliefs therefore it reflects him. Oh how I wish this oath was truly adhered to in our day. Our medical system would be 100% different. I will get into that briefly in a bit.

(photo of the classic Hippocratic Oath from www.wikipedia.com)

Once this oath was written it was and has been used for thousands of years as a pledge for doctors who are graduating medical school.

What I thought was most interesting and very reflective of modern western medicine is how much this oath has changed over the last 2,500 years. In fact, only 1-3 schools use this classic oath today. The others use various watered down politically correct versions that virtually mean nothing. It has become more of a ritual rather than a true oath and promise.

Let me show you what the classic, original oath written after Hippocrates death said...

I swear by Apollo Physician and Asclepius and Hygieia and Panaceia and all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses, that I will fulfill according to my ability and judgment this oath and this covenant:

To hold him who has taught me this art as equal to my parents and to live my life in partnership with him, and if he is in need of money to give him a share of mine, and to regard his offspring as equal to my brothers in male lineage and to teach them this art—if they desire to learn it—without fee and covenant; to give a share of precepts and oral instruction and all the other learning to my sons and to the sons of him who has instructed me and to pupils who have signed the covenant and have taken an oath according to the medical law, but no one else.

I will apply dietetic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.

I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody who asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. Similarly I will not give to a woman an abortive remedy. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art.

I will not use the knife, not even on sufferers from stone, but will withdraw in favor of such men as are engaged in this work.

Whatever houses I may visit, I will come for the benefit of the sick, remaining free of all intentional injustice, of all mischief and in particular of sexual relations with both female and male persons, be they free or slaves.

What I may see or hear in the course of the treatment or even outside of the treatment in regard to the life of men, which on no account one must spread abroad, I will keep to myself, holding such things shameful to be spoken about.

If I fulfill this oath and do not violate it, may it be granted to me to enjoy life and art, being honored with fame among all men for all time to come; if I transgress it and swear falsely, may the opposite of all this be my lot.

—Translation from the Greek by Ludwig Edelstein. From The Hippocratic Oath: Text, Translation, and Interpretation, by Ludwig Edelstein. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Press, 1943.

The items that I bolded really stand out to me. Doctors would apply dietetic measures to treat a patient! That means food, herbs, things that God gave us on this green earth.
They will keep patients from harm and injustice. Wow, how integrous.
They will not even give a deadly drug to those who ask for it and they wont even offer it. No assisted suicide?
This next one is the one that caught my eye in the history book - they won't give a woman an abortive remedy. Pro-life even way back then!
Even though Hippocrates and most likely the Pythagoreans were not believers in Christ, and most likely did not know God the Creator they obviously valued human life. They will do their duty for the BENEFIT of the sick, not the benefit of themselves.
There will be no injustice or inappropriate relations with patients or anyone in the houses they visit. Lastly, if they adhere to this oath they will be praised and honored but adversely if they don't then they will be defamed, lose face, and probably lose their practice. Accountability what a novel concept. Yes, there is a bit of a sarcastic tone here...)

Not only was Hippocrates strong in holding to the ways he practiced medicine against many others who didn't see his viewpoint but others followed in his footsteps adhering to this amazing oath. Certainly, it is not perfect but it is a far cry from what oath(s) we have today. I wish we could go back to these principles.

Today, except for those 1-3 schools I mentioned earlier, there is no one oath that is followed. There are several different versions. Medical students graduate now and do say AN oath but it is more a set of rote words that mean nothing to almost any of these students getting ready to start their own practices. Furthermore, some of the statements in the modern versions are not even adhered too (in my personal experience.)

For starters, there is no mention of treating patients dietetically. There is no mention about giving or not giving a deadly drug to a patient. There is no mention of not giving a woman an abortive remedy, rather it says, "I will not play God" but right before that statement it talks about the fact that the doctor has the power to take a human life. There is no mention of having any inappropriate relations either.

Here are some things the modern versions of the Hippocratic Oath does say....

"I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure."
"My professional judgement will be exercised as independently as possible and not be influenced by political pressure nor by factor such as social standing of the patient."
"I will not put personal profit or advancement above my duty to patients."
"If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help."
(taken from www.amednews.com and www.pbs.com)

They will try to prevent disease? Really? Does modern Western Medicine really prevent medical disease? My opinion is, NO. In fact, they create problems with the onset of new drugs and the money behind the drugs that are being pushed. Some diseases actually come or are greatly worsened from modern medicine and the pharmaceuticals! Is prevention really preferable? I don't think so. Prevention would mean that we Americans wont need to come back to get more medicine. It would mean we would not need to be seen again in the office which would mean less mula for the pharms and doctors.

Not influenced by political pressures, by the way a person looks are how much money they have? Ummm, Hmmmm, I don't think so. That is a whole new post in and of itself though.

Do most doctors put the welfare of their patients above their personal gain (paycheck, fame, etc.)? In my experience with many, many doctors over the years personal gain is first and foremost. They want to gain more patients because that equals more money and more payoffs from the big pharma. Patients to them are just a number not an actual person that needs true help and honest care. Are ALL doctors this way - no. However, a vast majority I can bet are in it for themselves, not the well being of the patient. When test results trump the way the patient is feeling, and symptoms that may be occurring from a cause being untreated continue without a doctor caring, this tells me that the tests, drugs, etc are more priority than a patient.

Lastly, what happened to the accountability? The statement in the modern oath(s) only talk about if they do NOT violate the oath. What about if they do? Sure there are lawsuits and various ways to find justice but not through the original "promise" that was made upon graduation. Scary.

I do not believe all doctors are in this sad and corrupt state but I do believe that we can see proof of this watered down oath due to the awful state of health that our nation is in. I know it is due in part to our S.A.D diet and sedentary lifestyles and do not solely blame this on doctors. However, if the majority of our modern day doctors were following the principles and ideas that Hippocrates practiced I do believe that our world would be in an entirely different state of health. Medicine would truly would be about treating the cause not the symptom. It would be about using remedies that actually helped the root cause and healed rather than caused new problems. Patients would not just bee looked at a number. It would be amazing!

I am grateful for Hippocrates' courage in a time that what he believed wasn't widely accepted. I am grateful that there is a movement happening now in our nation that people are returning to these healthy principles. I am also thankful that there are doctors springing up who may not say this Hippocratic oath exactly, but truly adhere to the principles laid in Hippocrates foundation. It is wonderful. I am also blessed because in the past year I have been able to find a few doctors who treat the cause and not the symptom and look at the body as a whole not in pieces. They also take lots and lots of time with me getting a good picture of my health history. They genuinely care for me. Praise God!

If you are discouraged about your health I would suggest seeking out a Functional and Integrative Medicine doctor or an Investigative medicine doctor. Even some chiropractors practice Holistic Medicine (the Hippocrates Way.) There are good ones out there but it takes some searching.

If you would like to learn more about the Classic Hippocratic Oath, I found this site to be a informative one:
Western Fictioneers

Even if our doctors wont help us or treat us with no genuine care, let's start applying the principles that Hippocrates believed in about letting our medicine be our food and our food be our medicine. God gave us a wonderful gift in the clean, unadulterated foods that he gave us here on earth. Let's educate ourselves and look at modern research and testimonials as proof of the healing power in the gifts God has given us.

~Blessings~

Be Thou My Vision

It's no secret that I love hymns. The words are always filled with such heart and soul.

They move me.
They inspire me.
They convict me.
They encourage me.

"A hymn is a traditional song of praise or worship written to God." "...traditional hymns continue to move (me) with profound words and beautiful music that engage (my) mind and lift (my) heart to heaven." (quoted from "Who is God?" by John Hay and David Webb, pg. 95. Words in parenthesis are mine)

There has been a hymn going through my head now for a few weeks since we sang it in church.

You see, a lot of exciting things have been happening in my life lately and I have such fun looking ahead. I want to remain grounded in the Lord and be sure at all times that God is my vision, that He is the Lord of my heart. I want to be sure that I don't heed riches, or empty praise. Remembering God is my inheritance is key. I want to treasure thou art - not the great things happening. He is ruler of all!

Be Thou My Vision was written in the eighth century from an unknown poet who lived in Ireland. This poet and her belief in Christ came about thanks to the enduring work of St. Patrick in Ireland (first as a slave then as an evangelizer.) St. Patrick planted about 200 churches and had 100,000 converts during his time!

The poem, written by the unknown poet, was translated in 1905 by Mary Elizabeth Byrne from Dublin, Ireland. Eleanor Hull put the words to rhyme and meter and it was set to the tune of the Irish folk song "Slane." The reason why it was set to this tune was because it was thought that Slane was an area where St. Patrick challenged the Druids with the gospel.

Here are the lyrics:
Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

If you would like to hear the song you can click the link below. This is the most traditional version and my personal favorite.

Be Thou My Vision

May Christ be your vision this year as well!

~Blessings~

(Hymn facts and information taken from the book "Then Sings My Soul" by Robert J. Morgan)

Journaling

This is my journal. I just finished filling up all the pages a few weeks ago! It encompasses and records 15 years of my life. I write really small! It has been so amazing to go back and read the initial entries and compare myself to the person I am now.

One of the things that I mentioned at the end of the year in my reflections post was how therapeutic journaling has been to me. I was talking about my thankfulness journal which is not the one above. I keep a different one for that and I wholeheartedly suggest writing down things you are thankful each day. It is perspective changer.

This full and worn journal is a record of my thoughts, feelings, valleys, triumphs. In the latter part it is a lot more of how I was growing in the Lord or how God has ministered to me or convicted me. It is about his GRACE.

I haven't been a life long journaler but occasionally wrote down my thoughts and feelings until the last year. Within the last year I became a daily journaler. Well almost, I missed some days here and there.

Keeping a journal has been wonderful for those times where my tongue wanted to get the best of me. Instead I brought my issue to the Lord and then just started writing. It helped so much because by the time I was done, most of the time, I didn't feel like I had to hold my tongue anymore.

Keeping a journal has helped me to remember the verses God gives to me for particular situation or for certain circumstances. I love looking back at those especially because sometimes they fill in a piece to the puzzle for me in hindsight.

Journaling gives me a feeling of freedom. I am free because I am a believer in Christ but that doesn't mean I can share my every thought or frustration. This is a place I can write and pour out my heart.

Keeping a journal has been extremely helpful during my health journey. Putting pen to paper and talking about my symptoms and fears and then looking back at them a year later (or six or seven) has allowed me to see God's redemption and restoration. He is faithful.

It was literally like closing a book on my life when I finished this journal. It was my favorite because it had handmade pages with little imperfections on each one. The cover was hand dyed and handmade paper. Have I told you I LOVE paper? Maybe not, but I really love paper. This paper gave me warm fuzzies.

Now that I have finished recording bits and pieces of the past 15 years of my life I started a new journal. The awesome thing is that I feel like I am also literally started a new book in my life too. Great things are happening, my trust and faith in the Lord is deeper than it ever has been (trials and valleys can do that), and it feels like a new season to start writing about.

The picture below if of the cover of the journal that I chose for this next season of life. It won't be able to fit 15 years, especially since I am journaling more now, but I can't wait to be filled with JOY in seeing God's faithfulness in my life through my writing reflections.

I have to wake up at the crack of dawn to have my sweet time in my Bible and writing down my reflections but it is well worth it. Quiet time, that is uninterrupted is a priceless way to start my day. I have never been a morning person either but I look forward to this part of my day so much that it doesn't matter to me about waking up early anymore.

If you don't already, why not take a few minutes out of your day to write down your thoughts or ways God is working on you? You could even record victories and triumphs. Really anything works. It is just a still and calm time in these days that can feel so chaotic and stressful.

~Blessings~