I haven't been blogging much lately. We have been keeping busy and since I'm on Facebook and Instagram often I just haven't felt like I had that much to say here on the blog. But I figured it was about time for a little update. In truth I struggle every year when it comes to Christmas cards/letters. My mom was pretty good about sending family update letters every Christmas when I was a kid. Everyone likes getting those, right? A little blurb catching you up on whats going on with far away family, etc. Its sweet, right? Well, for us, not much changes from year to year. And that itself is hard to say sometimes. Progress with Joe and Christine is painfully slow. Joe often exhibits behaviors that make us concerned about the future. Both J&C are getting bigger, and we worry about the difficulty of caring for them long-term as they grow up. Sometimes we go about life as usual and don't think about how different our life is from the rest of the world. And other times the thought of it is crippling. My big struggle is how transparent to be in our Christmas letter/card. I don't want to be one of those people that holds everything in and puts on a front instead of allowing myself to be vulnerable with my friends and family. But is our Christmas card really the right venue for sharing my deepest pain as a special needs mom? Not the ideal place to spill all. So, my Christmas cards are on the cheery and surface-y side. Everything in them is true, I just leave out the hard stuff. But, I do allow myself to open up to my close friends and family about our life and the challenges that come with it. If you are interested in a more in-depth conversation about whats going on with us just give me a call and we can get coffee or something and I'd be happy to share more in person. But as for now, expect my Christmas cards to stay light and fluffy. As Christmas cards should be.
Mark 10:14-15
But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
If God can believe in us, Then why, oh why, can't we? We are all equally special to Him . . . †`
For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. -Psalm 139:13-14
With all the stuff that has been going around after the Time magazine article on attachment parenting I appreciate this article titled: Breast-feeding Older Children: How Weird or Normal Is It?. You don't have to subscribe to all or nothing of a parenting style. I consider my parenting style to be somewhat attached... I nursed all my kids past a year, each of them slept in a bassinet in my room for the first few months then transitioned to a crib when they started sleeping through the night... and while I nursed on demand in the beginning, we eventually developed a pattern/schedule that worked for us. I like the idea of baby-wearing but with two special needs kids I seriously have to use my stroller anywhere we go. So, I say all that to demonstrate that each family, each child is different and we need to find what works for our unique fam.
While I do not think there is a perfect parenting "style", I do believe that there are instructions laid out for parents that we should aspire to. Here are just a few:
2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that
the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Ephesians 6:4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.
I have much to learn on this parenting journey that I am on. But I know that every step of the way He is watching over my children and I and bringing us closer to Him. He knows my faults and He helps me to pick up the pieces when I make mistakes, and He encourages me to do better next time. No matter what label people might try to put on their parenting... we should all try to be godly examples to our children. I mean, what more important thing is there to pass on to them?
The past couple of months have been a blur of concern, decisions, and changes. Isaac's parents made the leap of faith to close the counseling center that has been their family business for the last thirteen years. His mom's health has been a roller coaster that seems to be down more often than up and the decision was made that it would be best for her health to enter retirement. They have moved to their lakehouse in northern Indiana where Isaac's dad is looking for a job in the area. Isaac has worked for the counseling center since the beginning so obviously the decision to close effected us greatly. Because all the counselors wanted the opportunity to speak to their patients individually without having to worry that they would find out about the closing via the rumor mill we have had to keep the news to ourselves for quite some time. We knew about it for almost a month before we even told my parents. That was so hard!
Naturally, when we found out there was a mixture of relief (we knew this would be the best thing for his mom), concern (we wondered how easy would it be for Isaac to find another job), and excitement (this gives Isaac the opportunity to explore a "new" career field that he is interested in). Isaac quietly began having conversations with a few men at church that he is close to about job possibilities and had them help him work in his resume.
A friend that we have known for many years through church has been nudging Isaac to interview at his work for a couple of years now. But Isaac had been happy working at the counseling center and saw no need to seek employment elsewhere. Well, now the need had arose. Near the end of April Isaac had his first job interview in nearly fifteen years. It went well. The following business day a job offer was made. Yay!
It has been a really rough few weeks for Isaac as he has had to work on finishing things up at the office, saying goodbye to coworkers and clients. He genuinely loved doing what he did there, the variety of his position. He handled the finances, the computer networking, and he did substance abuse counseling. He had not looked for another job until now because he was happy working where he was at. So it has been especially hard seeing everything that he has worked so hard for end. Honestly, he hasn't quite been himself in awhile. Its been wearing on all of us.
But finally the light at the end of the tunnel is nearing. Today is the first day of his new job. He will be working as a level two IT support person for a company who makes/sells hardware/software for video surveillance systems. Isaac has already been able to familiarize himself with the system and is confident that this will be a good fit for his personality and his skills. It will be different for him to be working in one specialized area since Isaac was so used to being the all around go-to-guy for most things at the office before.
Also, the new hours will be an adjustment. Isaac has been afforded much flexibility while working for his parents and they accommodated his sleeping disorder by allowing his hours to be dictated by his sleep schedule. Obviously a big corporation will not make such allowances. For his week of training (this week) his hours are 8a-5p, so he left the house at 6:45am this morning! But his usual hours will be 10a-7p. Those hours were a relief in that it will be better for his sleeping issues, but it will be hard to not have him around for dinner during the week. We will all have to get used to all these changes.
We are eager to see what the Lord has in store for us in this new phase of life. We know that He has it all worked out for His glory. We're just along for the ride!
So
that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His
grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:7
These are all things that have greatly impacted my life. Its only through the grace of God and the support of my family and friends that I am not overwhelmed by the challenges facing our family, my children. But God is good. And even when I do not understand it, He has a plan for us.
As I might have mentioned before, our home has been on the market since the spring. We have had a few showings here and there but not any serious interest. Originally we put it on the market because we fell in love with a house that seemed to meet nearly all of our future home criteria. It had an acre yard, an extra bedroom, a basement, etc. But it was a short sale and they could not accept a contingent offer so we put our house on the market in the hopes that it would sell quickly and we'd be able to make an offer on that home. Well, our house did not sell and that house did. So we proceeded to see homes all over the county. Some were good and some were really bad. Then a few weeks ago we stumbled upon another home that seemed to meet as many or more of our criteria and we again began to picture ourselves in this "new" home, seeing the kids play in the yard... We put in an offer (contingent on the sale of our home - and we lowered our home's price to encourage a quicker sale) and it was countered with a reasonable offer that we were prepared to take. Before we had a chance to respond to their offer we got a call from our realtor that the owners had received another offer, one that was not contingent, and the took it. Again the home that we had envisioned growing old together in is now someone else's home. We are still dealing with the frustration and disappointment and trying to regroup and decide what this means for us. Are we supposed to be patient and the "right" house will come along? Or are all these signs that we should learn to be content where we are? We're not sure what God is trying to teach us through this. Yesterday as I was driving to an appointment I thought of a couple of my son's bible memory verses. And I was reminded how good it is for me to be learning them alongside him. I am thankful for the word of God that I have hidden in my heart to help me in times of struggle. So, even though we don't know what is going to happen with the house situation we do know that God is handling it. He is taking care of every detail as we sit here and do our best not to worry about it. While its not always easy for me to not be in control... sometimes I'm glad I'm not. I know whatever the plan He has for us is its way better than what I could come up with. Thank you God!
Psalm 121:2 - My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.
Sunday we took the annual fall trip to Brown County. Its so lovely this time of year and my husband's family has been going there every fall since his parents were in college together. They are big on traditions - they're all OCD like that... seriously. ;-) As we're leaving church to get ready to head down to Nashville together we realize my hubby's car has a flat tire. Completely flat. Well, we decide to deal with it later so we can get a move on. So we loaded up the five of us, my hubs' parents and his bro and sis-in-law and their two boys into our two minivans. Along with all our food and goodies for our cookout lunch. We have a fairly enjoyable two hour drive down... fall foliage, my MIL entertaining Nate in the backseat... Just before we get to the state park my bro-in-law gets called in to work at the hospital (he hadn't realized he was on call this weekend). So we transferred all the food and my hubs' parents into our van and much to my nephews' disappointment they headed back to Indy.
Not five minutes later, just inside the park entrance our van dies. After some over the phone diagnostics from my bro-in-law we figure out it is the fuel pump. So... a park ranger loads all seven of us and our stuff into a pickup and takes us up the hill to the picnic area. Nate had a blast at the playground, making friends with the other kids that were there. He and I walked the trails around the picnic area, exploring and observing nature together. Later Nate said our walks were his favorite part of the day. ;-)
We were able to have our picnic and chill while waiting for AAA to come tow the minivan and my mom to drive down in their 15 passenger van to pick us all up and take us home.
Even though it was a really long day... and we had some challenges... we were provided for. We were not stranded on the side of the road on a rainy day. It was a beautiful fall day and my mom was available to help out and my bro-in-law is helping Isaac fix the van... God is good.
So... I have my share of challenging days but the other day was a doozy. On top of having my own three kiddos I was babysitting my one year old nephew. He isn't away from his mommy very often and doesn't nap well anywhere but home. But that wasn't the bad part.
Joe pooped out the side of his diaper earlier today while in his walker so he ground it into the carpet real good... I handled that pretty well but then during his "nap"time he emptied all the drawers in their dresser, took off his pants, took off his diaper, peed & pooped all over his room, and smeared said poop all over himself...
Needless to say I was not a very happy mama at that point. I plopped a poop cover Joe into the bathtub. Christine had just woke up from her nap so I got her up. My overly tired nephew was screaming so I put him in Christine's crib - mainly just to keep him out of trouble but he ended up crying himself to sleep.
I let Joe play in the bath while I sat on the floor in the bathroom, nursing Christine and having a good cry.
Sometimes motherhood is just overwhelming. Its daunting, looking at a poop smeared all over a child and a room. What do you do on those days? Do you cry sometimes like me? This time, while I was sitting there on the floor nursing and crying I chose to pray. Sometimes its all you can do. And it truly helped. It didn't take away the frustration of the situation but I do think it calmed me down enough to be able to handle it without completely freaking out.
Maybe its just me, but there are times when I have to remind myself that God cares. He does. God cares about the big things and the little things just the same. And even when I don't feel like He's close He is right there waiting for me to reach out to receive the comfort He has to offer. I'm glad that I chose to reach out to Him on this day. He blessed me with a certain amount of peace and calm about the situation. He also blessed me by allowing my hubby to come home 15min early to help me finish up the mess. And He blessed me by allowing me time to go out with a dear friend for some girl time. What was a very difficult day ended rather nicely. Thank you God. :-)
My husband and I had the house that we live in built shortly after we were married. Even then we had planned on only being here for awhile, until we had had a couple of kids and felt the need for more space. Well... it has been eight years. We have had three children now. And I have definitely been feeling the need for more space. So, we started looking around to see what was on the market right now in our area.
Over the past few years even though we were not really in the market to buy yet we have discussed the things that we were looking for in a future home. Bigger yard for kids to play in, possible basement for kids to play in ;-), little bit of a fixer upper but not too much, potential schoolroom so we don't always have to do school on the coffee table, etc... We came across a home that meets all of these "requirements" that we have had in our mind for awhile now. It has four bedrooms, 2.5 bath, basement, space for us to have our schoolroom, its on a beautiful acre yard that includes mature trees and goes back into a small ravine with a creek (which Nate adored)... but the siding needs replaced, every room needs painted and the bathrooms and kitchen are all outdated and need major face-lifts. It is pretty much exactly what we are looking for and while we realize it will be a lot of work, both Isaac and I can truly see our family in this home for many many years. There is so much that we like, dare I say love about this house.
There is so much that would have to happen in order for us to get this home. While we have already listed out current home for sale, so much work that has to be done here at our current home just in order to get it staged and actually ready to sell. I've been doing major decluttering and boxing stuff up to put into storage already. Not to mention all the work that will have to be done on the "new" house. I am trying to keep an attitude of "if God wants us to have this house then it will happen"... but part of me is anxious and excited and scared because I really do want it a lot! And honestly, I do not want to go through all this work if its not going to work out. In an effort to keep my heart in its proper place I have found these verses for me to meditate on and use in my prayers as we take the steps forward as we are being led. I am praying that if this house is not in God's will for us that He make it very clear to us and that He comfort me from the disappointment that I am sure I would feel.
Deuteronomy 28:8 ESV - The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
Deuteronomy 11:31 ESV - For you are to cross over the Jordan to go in to take possession of the land that the Lord your God is giving you. And when you possess it and live in it,
Genesis 12:1-3 ESV - Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Please lift us up in your prayers at this time also as we face the many tasks ahead in the process of buying/selling. Thank you friends.
Today our church celebrated a very special anniversary. Our pastor Warren and his wife Tillie have been serving our church body for 30 years. Three of their four children still attend our church. Wow. Thirty years. How many churches can say that? This special couple has stuck with us (the church) through lots of ups and downs over these many years. I myself have attended this church for something like sixteen years (I think). Warren and Tillie did not want a fuss made for them today. They genuinely wanted all the glory to go to God as we celebrated this monumental anniversary. I thought the special service today was balanced well. There was much praise given to God for blessing our body with such wonderful servants as Warren and Tillie. But we also honored them for their tireless years of faithful service to us. There was a video montage of pictures throughout the years. Showing church members that have come and gone. Church buildings and meeting places that came and went. Our church was homeless at times during these thirty years. We met in apartment club houses, school auditoriums, strip malls and finally were blessed to have our own building to call "home". That building burned down a few short years later and we were thankful to be permitted to share another church's facility while we went through the long and tedious process of rebuilding. What a blessing to go through all these things and grow even stronger as a church body. I will say that this morning's service was bittersweet for me. While I was glad to be there with my fellow believers to share in this celebration of praise and thanks together, I was painfully reminded of the absence of some people that are near and dear to my heart. Not everyone sees the church as a body of believers who are the family of God. I think some people see church as a building a place that you come on Sunday mornings to dutifully make an appearance and go through the motions without being seen or heard. God wants our church to be our family. And we all know that families are messy. There are differences in opinion, feelings get hurt, some people work harder than others... its all part of it. But you go on loving and serving along side one another anyway. That is what Jesus would do and that is what Warren and Tillie have done faithfully for thirty years now. Thank you and God Bless.
This past weekend my husband and I joined several other couples from our church at our annual leadership retreat. In previous years this time has been used to plan events and ministries that happen in our church body, etc. This year the whole focus was on personal evangelism. Talk about being convicted! I was painfully reminded of how little I share the good news of Jesus Christ. We went through a video seminar by EvanTell Ministries that taught us to how to use the Bad News/Good News method. It basically is this:
The Bad News/Good News approach is an easy way to present the gospel. There are 4 points to remember and 4 Scripture verses to support them.
Bad News #1 – We are all sinners.* (Romans 3:23)
Bad News #2 – The penalty for sin is death. (Romans 6:23)
Good News #1 – Christ died for you. (Romans 5:8)
Good News #2 – You can be saved through faith in Christ. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Remember: It is not a prayer that saves you. It is trusting in Jesus Christ that saves you. Prayer is simply how you tell God what you are doing.
Obviously people may have many different objections or issues with the gospel but its not really as complicated as we make it. God loves us - He sent His Son to die for our sins - if we trust in Him we can spend eternity in heaven together! Wow... how hard is that? One of the things they reminded us was that we are not called to save the lost - that is God's part. We are however called to share the gospel with them. Whether or not they choose to trust in Christ is between them and God. Once we have shared we have done our part and if they choose not to believe at that time then all we can do is pray for them. It kind of takes the pressure off of us. Please pray that we all would be open to opportunities to share the message and love of Jesus. And hopefully when the opportunity comes up... the Bad News/Good News method will Work for Me!
I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with good friends, good family and good food! I know I will! While its good to take time during this holiday to remind ourselves of all the things we have to be thankful for... we should really be doing that in our daily life and not just around a holiday that has become (like every other holiday) highly commercialized. We should be seeking God daily to show our appreciation for his provision and blessings in our life. Please take the time today and many days to come to show God how thankful you are for the work that He has done and is continuing to do in your life. Happy Thanksgiving and GOD BLESS AND KEEP YOU!
Dancing With God When I meditated on the wordGuidance, I kept seeing 'dance' at the end of the word And I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky. When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead, Both bodies begin to flow with the music. One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back Or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another. It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully. The dance takes surrender, willingness, And attentiveness from one person And gentle guidance and skill from the other. My eyes drew back to the wordGuidance. When I saw 'G': I thought of God, followed by 'u' and 'i'. 'God, 'u' and 'i' dance.'God, you, and I dance. As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust that I would getguidance about my life and once again, I became willing to let God lead. My prayer for you today is that God's blessings And mercies are upon you on this day and everyday. May you abide in God, as Godabides in you. Dance together with God, Trusting God to lead and to guide you through each season of your life. This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached. If God has done anything foryou in your life, Please share this message with someone else. There is no cost but a lot of rewards; so let's continue to pray for one another. And I Hope You Dance !
I've had my patience tested on more than one (dozen) occasions today. I really am bummed that I'm not going to be attending Hearts at Home this weekend. I feel a genuine need to get some time away, some solitude, some peace and quiet... but even though that is not going to happen anytime soon I have been encouraged today. While blog browsing today I came across a video on motherhood. I think I've heard this story before but watching this video I found on My Semblance of Sanity today brought me to tears.
Then, while checking my email I got a forward from a friend from my care group. This is it:
"My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26 (NIV)
Devotion:
Good Mom? Bad Mom? Good Mom? Bad Mom?
Do you ever feel as though you are the ping-pong ball in a heated match bouncing constantly between feeling like a good mom to a bad mom?
One minute I have a great discussion where my child finally gets it... GOOD MOM!
The next I get an e-mail from a teacher that lists the three parents who have yet to turn in that permission slip and I am on the list for all the world to see... BAD MOM!
I calmly handle the stresses of the morning routine... GOOD MOM!
But then during the afternoon homework session, my child's irresponsibility over a last minute project just about sends me over the edge. I find my neck muscles tensing and my voice rising... BAD MOM!
I make sure they pack something healthy for lunch... GOOD MOM!
The schedule falls apart in the late afternoon and I wind up feeding them sugar cereal for dinner... BAD MOM!
Sometimes I feel like that ping-pong ball mom bouncing from feeling good to bad. Yesterday morning I sat down at the kitchen table after getting everyone where they needed to be and cried. Sometimes having kids is the greatest thing that has ever happened in my life. Other days I feel like the task of parenting little people is driving me to the brink of craziness.
Just the other day I was processing some recent family things with my friend, Renee, over the phone. Suddenly a strange theme seemed to arise. I just started laughing. I told Renee that so many of my days seemed to tell the same kind of story... I was on the verge of a breakdown and then I spent time with Jesus and He made things better.
Renee quipped back to me, "Well, isn't that where most of us live every day?"
Not that we are on the edge of a breakdown, but we live in a place of utter dependence on God. I know as a mom, I live in constant need of His love, encouragement, wisdom, perspective, strength, patience, and grace.
Anything I do right as a mom is because of my constant dialogs with God.
Anything I do wrong as a mom is because of trying to do things in my own strength and slap wearing myself out.
That's where grace steps in. And I need lots of grace. God's grace steps in and says, “Lysa, you are doing better than you think. Stop bouncing from feeling good to bad to good to bad. In the good times, rejoice and thank me. In the not so good times, call out to me quickly."
And suddenly it occurred to me; with God I'm never a bad mom. I might be having a bad moment... or two... or seventeen. But a few bad moments do not define me as a bad mom.
God's grace is there to cover me. Teach me. And even in the middle of a bad moment, interrupt me, redirect me, and change me.
Forgiveness is there. Love is there. A second chance is there.
You are a good mom my friend even if, like me, you’ve had a few bad moments... you is the exact mom God knew your children needed. Let's live in that truth today.
Dear Lord, being a mom is a great privilege but one that can be so challenging at times. Teach me how to lean on You with every action and every reaction. And when I mess up, please help me to not define myself by my mommy failures. Help me to only be defined by Your love that assures me and Your grace that covers me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Find a verse today that could help redirect an angry or frustrated response with your kids. There are some good ones listed below in the power verses. Or you can search out one that specifically applies to your unique struggles. When you feel your temper about to flare, have this verse handy and quote it out loud. In that moment ask God to give you a wiser response than your natural feelings.
Reflections:
Do you ever struggle with being defined by your mistakes rather than by the truth of God? Spend some time in prayer today asking God to give you His loving perspective of how He sees you. Rest in his lavish love. If you need to ask for forgiveness for some of your actions, do this and then let these things go.
Power Verses:
Proverbs 15:1, “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (NIV)
James 1:5-6, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” (NIV- emphasis mine)
I am overwhelmed by everything to do with Joe. Isaac it seems is ever the optimist when it comes to Joe - always believing that eventually Joe will catch up. I try to think that way too. But in the back of my mind I'm bracing myself to be taking care of him for the rest of my life. And that is kind of scary, you know. I mean, I have always wanted to be a mother... but I do not think I knew what I was signing up for. I hope I don't sound awful... I love my son and I will do whatever it takes to care for him the best that I can. It is just too much sometimes - to think of the big picture. I need to stop thinking about the big picture and just think about today. But how? It seems especially hard because we really have no idea what to expect. But he's such a happy little guy, he brings joy to our life in so many ways. But he also brings doubt, stress, fear and questions too. I know God is in control and He has a plan but I'm just afraid His plan isn't what I want it to be. I want Joe to grow strong and healthy and be able to live a full life, you know? What mother doesn't want that for her kids? I know I need to just give it all over to Him (that is what everyone keeps telling me) but when its your child's life... how do you let go of that? sigh... ok - I'll stop rambling now.
I got this info as an email forward and thought it was worth sharing.
It's been said that God first separated the salt water from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish... All before making a human. He made and provided what we'd need before we were born. These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow learners...
God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!
God's Pharmacy! Amazing! A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye.. And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes. A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red. All of the research shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food. Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart. Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food. A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like the neo-cortex. We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function. Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys. Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body. Avocadoes, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female - they look just like these organs. Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers. And how profound is this? It takes exactly nine (9) months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of n utrition in each one of these foods (MO dern science has only studied and named about 141 of them). Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility. Sweet Potatoeslook like the pancreas and actual ly bal ance the glycemic index of diabetics. Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just l ike the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts. Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells. They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers of the eyes. A working companion, Garlic, also helps eliminate waste materials and dangerous free radicals from the body.
