If I gave you thirty guesses, none of you would guess where Tom and I went last night.
Where did we go? To a bar.
Yes, a bar where people stand around and drink alcohol two rows thick beside the counter on floors with missing tiles and they play darts and shout over loud rhythm-and-blues and sit on ripped naugahyde chairs.
And well, calm down. Tom and I did not order any of the aforementioned alcohol nor did we play darts. heh. But we did shout to each other over the music a few times--it was the only way we could converse.
See, our daughter has been a drummer since she was 14 on our church's worship team along with Tom who played guitar and sang. Then when Naomi turned 19, or so, she began playing with many and sundry bands, through the years, who play at, well, bars. And every once in a blue moon her gigs start before 10:00 p.m. and she'll inform us old-early-to-bed folks in case we'd like to hear her current band play. Last night's gig began at 6:00 p.m., happy hour, I believe, and since we'll likely be moving soon, we went to hear Naomi play the drums with her current band.
So that's why Tom and I were at the bar. Honest.
The early years when Naomi played at bars and got home around 3 or 4 in the morning? Those were the years I became intimately acquainted with Worry. With standing at the front door, pacing, or waking up at night so I could check to see if she was home--and if not, struggling with that dark breed of Worry some more. I prayed every kind of prayer over Naomi--and I continued to worry.
Then God, one year, told me He'd had enough of my worrying. He told me to pray, yes, but worry? No. Worry cancels-out our prayers, He said. Worry would make me sick, He said, too. And He told me from now on, to go to bed and sleep. To trust Him with Naomi and place her in His hands.
He respected--and responded to--trust. Not worry.
And over time I did that, though you other parents of teens and adult kids can guess it wasn't easy and oh Honey, took time. But the trust has increased as my love for God has increased.
And in the meantime? Naomi's become just about the sweetest daughter on Earth. Last night when Tom and I left the bar, she told us she would stand at the end of the alley and watch us to make sure we made it to our car all right, uninjured by anyone. Naomi worries about Tom and I now-- she sometimes treats us like we're a cute old senile couple.
We love it.
And well, did I mention that this past year Naomi and her boyfriend moved in together? And how she's known since she was nine years old how Tom and I feel about that? But there again, God has instructed me not to worry. To pray for Naomi, instead, and to just love her while God is changing her day by day, just as He's changing me, also.
******
"To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1:79
****
Wow. That's what Zacharias said his son, John (the Baptist) would do when he grew up.
But isn't that what all of us should be doing when we "grow up?" Especially the "guiding people's feet into the way of peace" thing?
The problem, though, is that some of us never quite mature enough to lead anybody anywhere. Face it-- we cannot take other people where we, ourselves, have not been first.
Trust me--I tried. For, like, twenty years.
I tried to lead people to a more peaceful way of living and then I'd go home and get frustrated to tears because Tom left his dirty dishes beside the recliner (again), Naomi's bedroom looked like Where All The World's Toys Go To Die and the cats threw-up. All of them.
Or I'd go to church and sit there offended out of my mind after a woman (with no children, by choice) turned around and hushed Naomi because she was coloring too loudly--at the same moment I gently tapped her crayon to quiet her.
I'd be nice to people so they'd be nice to me (and then have a cow when they weren't).
Stop me before I go on all afternoon!
Of course, most of you know living that way--if it doesn't kill you--will make you sick. Tired. And pathetic.
Such a life whisks us so far away from that daily path of peace we forget even exists.
So you know what God did in my case? He made me start all over. Me! Mrs. Good Christian for 23 years. He said it was back to kindergarten for me, for I needed to learn to do things His way.
My ways had led to frustration and hypocrisy, but His way lead to the path of peace.
And for the past 13 years instead of fighting for what I want, I've learned how to receive from God. To allow Him to delve deeply into my motives so He can then lead me in a kind of purity of heart which He and others want to behold
His ways lead me to peace--even if they stir things up a bit, first, shall we say. And that has made all the difference.
******
"You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You." ... Isaiah 26:3
"May he turn our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways..." ... I Kings 8:58
I don't know. Maybe it's that I'm so sick of all those commercials for drugs on tv. You know, the ones which say, "Side-effects may include searing headaches, wild urges to gamble, turning green, oh, and, well, uhm--death."
And maybe it's all the research my daughter and I are doing into nutrition and the dangers of med's.
But frankly? I think we've all been duped. Brain-washed.
And it's like the book, New Choices in Natural Healing, says:
"What's really tragic about this is that we were so busy learning how to fix broken arms, deliver babies and do all of those "doctor" things in medical school that we considered nutrition to be boring," says Michael A. Klaper, M.D.... "But after we get into practice, we spend most of the day treating people with diseases that have huge nutritional components that have long been essentially ignored. I frequently get calls from doctors across the country saying that their patients are asking questions about nutrition and its role in their conditions and they don't know what to tell them."
Good. Grief.
Well for the past four years, ever since experiencing a months-long sinus/ear infection, I've been educating myself. Heck, I've been doctoring myself (I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on tv). And instead of racing to a medicine cabinet, I now race to my kitchen or outside or to a quiet place.
Examples?
If I have a headache, I drink a glass of water with a tablespoon of lime/lemon juice added. And/or I spray organic peppermint juice on a tissue and inhale (or I use arbor oil). And/or I take 1,000 Mg's of Vitamin C (good, I've found, for sinus headaches/infections). Or I delve more into what I may be eating/thinking/feeling which may be triggering these headaches.
If I experience ear pain, I chew a couple papaya enzyme tablets and take 1,000 mg's of Vitamin C.
Tummy upset? I drink ginger tea and/or chew an acidolphulus tablet.
Trouble sleeping? I no longer eat after 6 p.m., except for a small portion of (non-meat)protein before bed. I take a Calcium/Magnesium/Zinc pill and a Vitamin D before retiring.
Night sweats? I don't eat sugary foods after 2 p.m., or again, I don't eat a meal after 6 p.m.
Gaining weight? I eat less, take more walks and learn more about nutrition. I avoid processed foods with sucrose (or its forms) because it blocks your body's ability to feel full.
Feeling forgetful? I take a fish oil tablet each day (updated: krill oil. It's more potent and great for many problems). I eat more fish. I avoid drinking out of aluminum cans or using any product with aluminum as an ingredient (as in baking powder and underarm deodorant).
Constipated? I eat a prune or two. I eat more fruits and vegetables.
Bladder infection or discomfort? I take cranberry pills or drink cranberry juice (not the kind with added sugar).
Feeling stressful? I stop and ask, "have I had too much coffee or wheat products lately? What have your thoughts been like? Worry or dread-filled?"
Back pain? I do back-strengthening exercises. I watch my posture. I walk to lose weight and strengthen those muscles. I take hot baths.
Facial wrinkles? I use pure coconut oil.
Feeling arthritic? I cut out all decaf coffee (I've switched to organic and only drink it occasionally). I re-study the list of foods which may trigger arthritis to see if I've been eating any of them lately.
I use a dehumidifier to remove moisture around our house. I step up my exercise program and do more stretching, including stretching before I even get out of bed. I pay attention to my thoughts and I forgive those who have wronged me. I let it go and then get on with my life.
I-- well, you get the idea. This is just a blog post, after all-- not a book.
And I'm just saying this is what I do--or aim to, anyway. You can do as you wish.
But as for me, I plan to keep on running just about any other place on Earth rather than a medicine cabinet when I need help. And may I learn more about the healing power of foods, vitamins, herbs and oils as the years go by.
***
I'd love to hear your own favorite natural cures in my comment box!
******
