Doctors and Mommies

Ahh. The joys of motherhood. If you are anything like me, you will do anything for your children. Today I got an opportunity to see if I really would "do anything." We have been struggling with various issues of health here. It seems like one is always sick or at least not feeling up to par. Typical sinus, ears, and tummy stuff here. But I recently noticed some odd bumps on my son's head and neck area. At first I thought that it was a bite. He swells terrible with mosquito bites and spider bites. But when they did not seem to go down, I got worried. Can you imagine? So, I had a visit to a doctors office that came highly recommended. I won't mention any names, but... they were great. She took the time to listen and check everything out. She even asked about my other children. To my utter amazement, she said that the things she found led her to ... food allergies! Great! It was also brought to my attention that the other children were showing signs of allergy as well. <sigh> So I choked down my selfish self and we did a little test. The results will be back in three weeks or so. My hunch is probably right. We will see.

A while ago, our family did gfcf. The thing was, well, I cheated for hubby and myself. Which resulted in contamination. I know better. But reality was that we had no idea if it was really the problem or if that was the only thing. And I'm guilty of being slow to change completely. But here is the kicker. I have a friend who has multiple allergies and such. If she came over I bent over backwards to make sure she was well and well fed, and we ate with her. In doing so, we all felt better. Sinus stuff cleared and tummy's quit screaming. I know the drill. I was to lazy or selfish or whatever to follow through like it needed to be done. Now, I have to. Plain and simple. Once the tests come back, I can no longer say we weren't sure.

I love my children. Why is it that it takes a doctor to tell you what you already know? I am ready. I have started digging thru my books again to find yummy recipes. I will plan neat alternatives to old standbys. And I will never again leave the house without food packed in a bag for all the children to eat. Especially if there is a chance that we might be later than planned. Most importantly, I am not going to cheat at home or anytime they are with me. ( Date night does not count.) If they cannot have it, I won't. It really will not be to much of a change because we already use a lot of natural things but, a mind alteration has occurred. I will be an example to be proud of. And if you come to my house you can have a nice cup of tea and my latest gfcf creation.

I must thank my sweet friend, (you know who you are), for helping me understand the ins and outs of this crazy diet, way before I needed it in my own home. My only hope is that I don't go crazy trying to implement it. I have a tendency to be a perfectionist... So if there are any tips and tricks to allergy free living , now would be a good time for you to tell me. :)

By the way, doctor said the bumps will go down soon...

God Always has a Lesson to Share

God spoke to me the other day. Not literally, but very real. Let me explain a little. I struggle with depression.  More often than I care to admit. Some of my close friends do not even know because I tend to hide the struggle. I always have an excuse or reason if I seem "off". So as I was stewing one night, I felt like I should read my Bible. Never mind that I had no idea what I was going to read at that time. But I stopped stewing long enough to walk over and pick up my Bible and open it. It fell open to Psalm 28. Evidently David has had his share of trouble because the words that were penned, well, they comforted me. It says...
    
     " Unto thee will I cry, O Lord my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. Draw me not away with the wicked...Blessed be the Lord, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him..."

Even though I left out lots of the Psalm, it is those verses in particular that whapped me. I needed to hear those words so badly that I actually started to tear up. I wasn't the only one who felt like they were being pulled down against their will! That was so comforting. It changed my whole outlook. Now I can pray that Psalm and know that God will honor those words that HE inspired through David.

My life was changed in that moment and I share this personal story because I hope and pray that maybe, just maybe, someone else can benefit from this passage and be as blessed as I was. I have turned to the Word many times in my life. But somehow this time, I was shocked that it spoke so personally to what I was battling. I am forever grateful for the inspired Word.