Love Brightly

After weeks of traveling and being sick, we need to reset. I'm sure there are concoctions of vinegar and cayenne pepper that people recommend drinking as a cleanse, but yeah...we're just not gonna do that. Instead, we're going to eat healthy foods and allow our bodies to heal naturally. I don't have a name for this diet. I'm not joining a program or buying a cookbook, but instead I'm using my own smart brain that I have filled with knowledge of nutrition plus our trial and error experiences with food. So here's the approved food. We're doing this for the next 4 weeks and will re-evaluate: Organic fruits and veggies purchased raw and in season (i.e. no strawberries in January) Meat--only that which is purchased raw with a bone still attached and then cooked in my home Broth--reserved from cooking the veggies and meats already listed Homemade bread using a variety of whole grains excluding wheat Homemade tortillas using corn masa Long-grain bro...

Every time we travel it's the same story-- no place to prep and prepare our own groceries, no time to prep and prepare fresh options, so we grab fast things. We rely on restaurants, packages, and "convenience." But it's not convenient. The consequences come faster each time, and they are never convenient. They manifest like this: *migraines for hubby and youngest daughter *anxiety for oldest daughter *muscle pain and stiffness for 3 of 5 of us *digestive issues, all 5 *lower immune system and catching a cold (this year 3 of 5) *sluggishness, fogginess--4 of 5 *skin irritations like eczema and acne, 3 of 5 *lethargy and irritability, all 5 We combat with supplements--vitamins, probiotics, digestive enzymes. We up our defenses with essential oils and drinking lots of water. Those things help us from completely tanking for a short while, but if the travel is drawn out, they don't sustain us. Nothing compares to healthy food and exercise (which ...

I'm reading through the history of the judges of Israel, and God's invitation to people is so evident. Again and again the people forsake God, but any time they have a change of heart, He welcomes them back.  "But the Israelites said to the Lord, 'We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.' Then they got rid of foreign gods among them and served the Lord." The spiritual life isn't a formula, but we can glean some simple concrete steps:  Admit your faults. Admit your faults. Admit to God that He IS God. Ask Him to show you the best way. Turn your back on living life apart from Him and from elevating other things in your life above Him. Follow Him and follow through with what's right. Based on God's character throughout history and based on His words, it's never too late to step into this process no matter if it's our first time or our 1000th time. Based on human history, it i...

Where we live there are a lot of winding country roads which effect our ability to receive a consistent radio signal. (Who listens to radio anymore? Spotify, XM, playlists from my phone...yeah, yeah, I'm aware of these things, but I still love the spontaneity and variety of good old fashioned FM radio--and so much so that I'm not even deterred by a poor signal). It's commonplace for my kids and I to be singing along to a song only to be interrupted by static or worse, a competing radio signal which gives us the pleasure of two songs at once. Yesterday my girls and I were enjoying a particular favorite song when another signal encroached. We kept singing along to our tune as it remained the dominant. It started to fade, and only a word or two emerged amidst the chit-chat of the other station. My youngest daughter stopped singing to ask, "Can you just turn it off?" I said, "Sure, but y'all keep on singing." So they did. We finished our song in acap...

I'm rereading my way through 2 Kings, and this verse stood out to me in a new way today,  "If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!"  And I thought: I am so like Namaan--I jump to do great things, but will frequently dismiss the small acts of obedience as less than great.  If God has placed it before me to do, isn't it just as great?!  And sometimes that actually does involve washing and cleansing--not leprous skin, but my house and my kids. When I do that joyfully for the Lord, then those things ARE GREAT things!  And sometimes when "all I can do is pray" = also great! God is good to put great things before us!

3 things you must know about me before reading: 1. I'm writing this because the topics of health, wellness, food allergies, and the like come up frequently in personal conversations (because it's been a constant aspect/struggle/learning process of our lives the last 10 years), and I've been wanting to get that info in one place so I can refer friends back to it. This is an effort to both share what we've learned as well as an aid to me in regards of spending less time online during the course of a normal week. 2. My degree is in English, with graduate studies in scripture, so I have no documented credentials for what I'm about to share other than our own personal experiences. However, when you combine exploration, experiments, personal drive to solve problems, intelligence (gifted to us all by our Creator) and wisdom (provided by the Holy Spirit), one can learn anything well and extensively. That's in fact how the first experts were made. 3. Don't labe...

I read something on Monday that has made me ponder all week. It falls on the week of celebrating our nation's freedom, and it also gave me good things to think about in regards to how I, as a white woman, experience freedom differently than others. This week I've asked myself these questions: In what ways do I experience freedom? Are there freedoms that I enjoy that also may allow for evil to go on uncovered? What good things can I do to silence ignorance? How do I show love to all who are in the family of God--even and especially those who are different than me? How do I do this in a way that is simultaneously respectful to all involved--including the leadership of our country? The words that prompted all of this thought, I wrote down on an extra-large post-it note and kept it in sight. Like I said, I've been ASKING these questions. I DON'T have all the answers. But I know that since this is God's heart for all people, that IF I ask Him for directi...