May 5, 2016

Greetings My Friend As I write, it is Thursday and I have gotten the major chores done I do each week. Each evening this week I have gone out to the mostly cleaned off porch now to work on a wardrobe. Last night we went for a walk with Junior pushing me in the wheelchair. My life could not feel fuller and richer. As a young mother in the 70's it was not cool to stay home to raise your children. I was able to for a few years and I felt so alone. All I wanted to be and do was be an at home mother cooking, cleaning and raising the children. Mike needed speech therapy because his hearing was not right. He had fluid buildup and when he had tubes in his ears he heard and when he did not he could not hear thus the need for speech therapy because his speech was delayed. I was able to spend time working with him to get his speech up to par. Due to finances I wound up going to work. At first I hoped a part time job would suffice but when money continued to be tight I went to work, got a bit of college education so I could get a decent income. I was ashamed to have my children on lunch assistance when I was capable to work. In retirement I am living the life I wanted to so many years ago. I am cooking, cleaning and caring for Junior and our fur children. Daisy thinks she is an appendage to me and yes I love that too. This week I have made bread again. I have switched over to making salads for our meals for the summer and we are attempting to grow some of our fruits and vegetables along with the potential (if it grows) of ginger and a few herbs. Instead of drinking ice tea I drink lemon ginger tea. I love this wholesome type of life. I have been seeing some information in regards to how our preventive shots have so much more in them than the virus to prevent disease. I know I won't take a flu shot. I have seen where a friend got extremely ill from it and it took months of rehab for him to recover. My goal more recently is to revert back to all that God has provided in His creation for us. Essential oils are big right now and I have had a lot of relief with them. Junior and I have been taking supplements for years and to be honest Junior is doing amazingly well. With his back as bad as it is he is still mobile because of chiropractic adjustments. He worked in a chemical paint factory with poor ventilation and because of his supplements and exercising routinely he is in real good shape. His walk with God has him making more healthy life decisions such as he not drinking or smoking since his late 20's or so. If God indicates that a lifestyle choice is not good Junior believes God and works with the Holy Spirit in stopping or staying away from such choices. Because I have seen Junior day in and day out for all these years I choose to follow his example. I learn what I can as I read the Bible about living wholesome and healthy and do it with the Holy Spirit's help. Both Junior and I deal with life choices we made in our lives before our earnest walk of faith and we are in a fallen world so we do suffer the effects of such a world. Still, I find that the earths bounty tastes so much better than man made over processed until the original hardly looks the same. Keeping this lifestyle takes work too. If I were to go all out canning and putting food up all summer would be all I would do. Last night Junior and I were working around and on the front porch. I am refurbishing a wardrobe to use to store my craft supplies in and Junior is clearing tools and stuff off the porch. Towards the end of our working he decided we needed to take a walk so he pushed me in the wheelchair down the street. We visited a neighbor before heading back home again. We worked, we visited and then we went in to finish our evening with a little TV before going to bed. I loved our day. As I finish out the week I have a few things I still would like to get done and then Sunday we go to church. My disability wears on me so after church we sleep most of the afternoon. I find this rest helpful for me to enter into the work week. God's way is the joy I keep finding in my life the more I learn to live it.May God bless you and keep you make His face shine on you. Love Janet