The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof… Psalms 24

I love it when the Lord intrudes on my day and brings me His word. He is surely blessing my early morning swims.

In the locker room after the swim there was a lady reading her Bible sitting next to me.  I asked her what she was reading and she told me Psalms 24. We chatted a bit and she told me her name was Lea.

I love to see casual acquaintances actively involved in the scriptures on a daily basis.  Every time I come into Starbucks there is usually a group deep in study of God’s word. This morning it was a group of men with their Bibles open.

Hope you start your day in study even if its just 1 verse! And look for God’s blessings.

Why do we wait?

When it comes to life changing actions in our lives, why do we wait?

Driving to Starbucks this morning WRBS radio was asking this question “If you could tell your younger self one thing what would that be?” The caller answered perfectly. “YOU CAN.” I don’t remember her exact words but she wanted to tell herself to be bold, try new things, have more faith in the God that loves you and to have JOY!

I just discovered this truth. My future is now. After losing my security in a career and self sufficiency God brought me to a place of gratefulness. If I don’t reach out and embrace the life he has given me now, when will I?

I feel God’s presence abundantly through music and worship. This is where God meets me. Dan and I attended the “Out of the Dark” concert by Mandissa and Danny Gokey recently. Tears streamed down as I participated in this massive worship service. It touched the depth of my longings. The hurt and pause in my life were opened wide and I began to heal.

So why did this woman’s answer stir me this morning? To tell you not to wait. I think of the lost younger generations, afraid to trust God in every aspect of their life, afraid to even think they could be JOYFUL!

Sometimes I ask God why now? I was ready to retire and live out my life quietly. But He has put a desire in my heart to give more, love without boundaries, and to find JOY in building relationships with His people.

Going Against the Flow

I don’t know about you but my life seems to have been an uphill climb. And as I get older it seems to be increasing ten fold. Although sometimes difficult it has also been one of my greatest blessings.

In my 40’s when my health started to all apart I did what everyone did; go to the experts. The physicians, diet plan educators, exercise gurus; and I took and did whatever they gave me to help me feel better. That should fix it.

It didn’t.

It’s not that I think bad about the medical community; my current physicians get it. I have to know the why, get some facts, do my own research, then make my own decisions. There are routine therapies for certain conditions that physicians follow. In my opinion there are a lot of healthcare professionals that can’t get past, “this is the recommended treatment”. It could be ineffective, have so many side effects, etc. so I do my own research. This goes against the flow. Sometimes it works and they listen to my concerns, sometimes we have to part ways.

I follow the Ketogenic diet and have taken a big hit in credibility following my own path.  “You’re doing what?????” “How can you eat all that fat? I makes me feel ill thinking about it!” “I can’t get past eating butter on a daily basis!” “It just won’t work for me.” Where did we get such a hate of dietary fat? Please take time to do your own research! I eat real food, just low on the carbs, moderate protein, and healthy fats. If it doesn’t look like food I don’t eat it. Not the protein powders or meals in a cup.

If you have read any of my other blog posts/website you know that I am an essential oil user. This is another area in my life that meets with much opposition. Some of my family still roll their eyes when I talk about the benefits of EO’s. They just don’t get it. Essential oils were the medicine before there were modern drugs. I use EOs to support every system of my body. I am working on boosting my immune system so my body can fight off disease. And its working.

Cancer and chronic disease are the norm in many people’s lives. It’s all around me and makes my heart break. The harmful chemicals in our everyday products is mind boggling. I am going to give you an assignment! Look up ‘triclosan’ at pubmed.gov. It’s the stuff that antibacterial products are made of.

I am the gatekeeper of what goes in and on my body.

Does it cost more to live this way? Sure. But I make up the difference by not filling my calendar with visits to the doctor because I am sick. Results have spoken volumes to me. I will say it again and again. I feel 30 years younger and claiming parts of my life I thought were gone.

Are you at the end of your rope? There is a better way! I am not a doctor, in fact I am just a woman trying to make a difference. There are things in my life that “I know that I know”. Things that have, like my faith in Jesus, become a part of who I am.

And… I am making loads of progress going against the flow!

My Why of Young Living Essential Oils

I have been taking care of people all my adult life and it is my turn to take care of me! Being extremely overweight since the birth of my first child 40 years ago, I was barely functional. Trying every diet known, I was still what the medical field classified as ‘morbidly obese’. I knew what to eat or so I thought. You know the food pyramid? I did that; even less.

The number of prescription drugs were increasing and I was feeling worse as the days passed. In desperation I reached out to a friend about what they were doing to be healthier. She introduced me to organic skin care and a holistic MD. I finally found the healthiest diet on the planet and started losing weight!

With the holistic mindset now becoming a part of me I wanted to venture out and take it a step further. Innocently on a Facebook chat I started talking with a friend about essential oils. I was so ready for a change I bought the starter kit that night! I was so thankful the company was Young Living and I was not sent on a wild goose chase with cheap oils.

In the past 2 years I have incorporated essential oils into my life throughout my day, getting rid of the yuk. Changing over the products I use in my home to Young Living has been a revelation. Better than organic cleaning supplies, personal care and supplements are now the norm in my daily care.

My why of Essential Oils:

• Health. I have learned so many ways to enhance my health and boost my immune system through the daily use of oils, topically, aromatically and internally.
• Energy. All I can say is wow. I feel I have turned back the clock 30 years.
• Freedom. I can work as little or as much as I want. Flexibility is key as I wear many hats! I can make my own DIY products or buy them directly from Young Living.
• Purpose. I have found a new way to build relationships and help people in their search for better health.
• Income. Every little bit helps. Whether my goal is to just pay for my personal usage or to support my family the choice is mine.
• Reliability. Instead of having to read every label on every product I can rely on the products from Young Living and I don’t have to worry. With the ‘Seed to Seal‘ I know I have the best.
• Purity. Young Living has the highest grade oils.
• Support. The Young Living community is vast and top notch. I have learned so much about the proper usage to get the most benefit for my body and those in my family.
• Community. Taking the next step and becoming a distributor has built a new community around me to share ideas and life.

So start thinking outside of the box. If what you are doing isn’t working and you are not feeling great make a change.

Value

Take notice of what older people value… health, family, faith, friends, simplicity, purpose. I could keep on naming things because I am there in my life. There are not years and years of living on this earth left so time is precious so I try and make everyday count. I am not trying to be morbid, just mindful.

This mindset helped me formulate in my head and heart “mytrifectaliving”. You and I can control things in our lives that will enhance it and help the ones we love. I have lived most of life just doing what comes next, whatever that was.

My body was telling me what I was doing was not working, so I started to examine everything. The way I was living, the way I ate, the way I moved or didn’t move! Medications were at the top of the list. Did I really need to take them or can I make a difference with lifestyle changes? The chemicals I was putting on my body and the harmful toxins that were in my home had to go!

So over time I changed 4 things.

1. How I took care of my body
2. What I allowed in my home and on my skin
3. How I spend my time
4. How I enhanced the lives of those around me. Working on relationships with my family, friends, and new business partners is the hardest part. Being a very private person, I had to move out of my comfort zone. This has been fun and not so terrifying! The people I have met on this journey I admire and they push me to do my best.

Where will you start?

Happy Birthday Beautiful Baby

Our lives have not always been easy and our relationship a struggle at times but you have always been a cherished child.

Sitting alone in the hospital room I named you. Not in joy but in sorrow because your dad didn’t care to be there. He was already making a new life with someone else.

I wouldn’t let the nurses take you to the nursery. You had to be by my side until I left the hospital. Your fragile life was my strength.

You were fierce from the beginning. Not wanting to wait until the doctor arrived but pushed your way out in determination to have it your way.

As soon as you learned to dress yourself you thrust your independence once again. Pretty bows I put in your hair tumbled to the ground in defiance. Several changes of clothes laid in heaps on your bedroom floor. You needed to have it your way.

As you grew and became a woman you changed me. As I watched your trials almost defeat you, you rose continually out of the ashes protecting your own.

Today I celebrate you in all the good and the bad we have shared. You will always be that baby by my lonely side as we started this journey together so many years ago.

Happy birthday beautiful baby.

Wounded

Early this morning as I was getting dressed for church I noticed this little Junco teetering on the bird feeder. One leg was broken and dangling and he was having trouble hanging on. But persistence won out and that made me feel good. He was getting something to eat.

Later in the day I was near the feeder looking for that little Junco. There he was! I smiled. But soon a purple finch came and kept chasing the wounded bird away. Other birds were feeding peacefully but the finch was determined that little Junco was not going to get any food. But that little bird just kept coming back.

Memories flooded my thoughts. I was that wounded bird. Knocked off my perch time and time again. Lost jobs, diets that failed, relationships broken, and plans derailed.  I often wondered whether I had the strength to get up again.  But I kept going. Why? Because if I didn’t try again I would never succeed,

Be persistent. Keep going. This may be the life you have been waiting for.