Thursday, July 31, 2008

Summer Camp Comes to a Close



Last day of summer camp for this year! Angelina got a nice certificate for her efforts and a ball with the signatures of all her coaches. At the beach on the way home, she found a starfish in one of the tide pools which certainly bodes well for her week.

I think she had a good time although I know she will be glad to be back home. I hope she can remember all the things she did so that she can tell her family about it. She is already talking about next year!

We went to the game last night; it was a double header, but she didn't make it through but a couple of innings before she was bored. Rich Hill pitched who is a player in rehab I think, but he was pretty stinky. Hope he hasn't quit his day job. I guess it will be a few years before baseball camp actually involves baseball!

I am trying to post videos on UTube, but it takes a long time. Most takes have to be done several times, so I don't know if it is my connection here at the hotel or my computer or the nature of the downloading beast.

The beach was absolutely gorgeous this morning and this afternoon. If not for the sun, I'm sure we could all stay there forever. I couldn't believe how temperate it was and how calm the water was. It really has been a nice time for all of us.

I found a health food store in Ormond Beach which is about 20 minutes away. It has a juice bar which is great along with organic fruits and vegetables. They also carry items made by Glaser Farms. This is a raw foods farm in Miami that ships dehydrated items through out the health food circuit. I bought a couple of treats for Roger and Darius. Love's Whole Food Market for those traveling in this area.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Summer Camp

We're in beautiful Daytona Beach again at our first annual Grandma and Grandpa summer camp (girls first). The Daytona Cubs Single A ball club is hosting a baseball camp for ages 7 to 12, and we signed up Angelina to go. Instead of just running her home each day, we rented a room on the beach, and we are seeing the sights along with her morning "lesson". Today we went to see the sun rise before class started and went swimming this afternoon. It has been wonderful beach weather if you don't consider the daily afternoon thunderstorms. We also brought puzzles, crafts, and games to do in the "off" season. We are hoping this is something we can do each year with the grandchildren; we got the idea from Jac's mother who does this with her grands each year. It is a very smart idea!

I am trying to put some videos we made on UTube. Here is the URL I think:

http://www.youtube.com/user/desacad

Monday, July 28, 2008

If You Can't Beat 'Em, Eat 'Em!


I've been wanting to write about this for some time, but many things have been going on. I'll update first, and then I'll hit my main topic.

July 18 - Our sweet Angelina had a birthday! She's 7 now. I can still remember her as a baby, so it is hard to believe she is so grown up. We had her party at the ball park in Daytona, and it was very nice. They gave her lots of attention which she loves.

July 27 - Darius turns 27 which seems even more incredible. I can still remember when he was born. I can remember gazing at him once when he was laying on his quilt at the foot of the stairs. He was always stretching like he was trying to fit into his new body. I wondered then as always how his life would turn out. Alicia had a nice party for him at the park on Forest and Beach. Alicia's mom, dad, and sister were there as well as Dorian and his family, Roger and I, and JaRay and his friend from Utah, Randy. It was nice, and the food was terrific.

July 27 - Sweet baby Brooklyn received her name and blessing in the Timaquana ward. She was blessed by her daddy, Orion, of course, and assisted by her two grandpas, two of her uncles (including Darius and Kevin (I think that is his name), Bro. Gavelin, and some other people I didn't know. It was very sweet. She started crying which makes me think she doesn't like all the attention like her grandma. (Come on, you've got to give me something here.)

On the baseball scene, we attended an end of the year dinner for the Suns this week and learned that the Dodgers would be leaving the Jaxsonville affiliate for a closer site out west as I previously predicted. It is disappointing for those of us who are Dodger fans, but we are hoping for bigger and better things for whichever team comes in. One of the players said that the Marlins were looking at this park; their current AAA affiliate is in New Mexico, so that seems like a strong possibility as noted in a previous blog entry. Not being a big Marlins fan, I would be more excited at seeing their opponents. The advantage of having a AAA affiliate is that there are only 2 leagues. Each major league team has one AAA affiliate, so when you are watching a AAA ball club through the season, you have the chance of seeing 1/2 of all the major league ball clubs during the year. These guys are only one step away from the majors as well, so that is exciting in itself.

The East coast AAA league is called the International League and has such great clubs as the Toledo Mudhens (made famous by Jamie Farr in MASH) and the Durham Bulls (also made famous by a movie, now that I think about it) as well as the Pawtucket Red Sox for those who love them. Not so fan friendly Yankees are included (the team we all love to hate); the Mets are in the Pacific League (for now anyway since they are in New Orleans which seems more eastern to me). Each year this stuff gets shuffled around so there are no guarantees, but this year the following teams are represented in the IL:

Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Sox, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Atlanta Braves, Minnesota Twins, NY Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, and the Detroit Tigers. As I said, all of the other teams are in the Pacific League. I guess there is always a possibility that if the Marlins moved over to Jax, they would stay in the Pacific league. That would be weird though and a lot of travel for the western teams that had to go to their stadium. Currently they are flying to New Orleans though, so who knows? What do you think?

Jesus pitched Saturday night but received a no decision since the score was tied when he left after 7 innings. He won his previous game out of town. He seemed to be struggling at this outing with only 2 strike-outs in 7 innings. His ERA was 2.85 going into the game and is now at 2.99 which is still excellent.

On to main topic: Each morning that I am home, I work outside for as long as I can depending on my schedule. This is usually about 45 minutes, but if I only have 15 minutes, I don't feel badly about that. I am learning that the important thing is that I am out there every day if possible even if I just walk around. (I try to do that on Sunday; it is a wonderful Sabbath activity to sit on our garden benches and walk on the mulched paths.) There are a couple of benefits (besides the obvious) for being out there every day.

The obvious benefit is that more work gets done. It is very easy for a garden to get out of control with even a little neglect. I've learned that the hard way. It is amazing how easy it is to stay on top o it when you spend a little time out there each day.

That was my initial reason for setting that as a goal. Well, actually, my goal was to spend 15 to 20 minutes a day in the sun. During my juice feast I had committed to do that. When my friend, Geri, was visiting from Utah, she was telling me about a vitamin D deficiency she has, and I decided that my goal was a very important one I would try to maintain. What better way to get 15 to 20 minutes worth of sunshine than to spend a few minutes in the garden? I'm not much for walking aimlessly around a track. I've tried that MANY times in the past, and I really hate it. I thought about biking, but I haven't got a bike right now, so the garden won the toss.

I didn't expect many more benefits than ample Vitamin D production and a better tended garden, but something unexpected resulted. Each day I start out by pulling a few weeds and then I collect produce that is ready to eat. One day I decided to save back a few springs of the weeds I was pulling for the green drink I make for breakfast each day. I started out with weeds I knew were edible like sorrel and red raspberry leaf. Then I added one I didn't know figuring if it was not good for me, I'd know soon enough. (I made sure I showed it to Roger, so he could show it to the doctor in the event an anecdote was needed. See, I'm responsible.) Since then, I've added a few others. Today I was up to about 2 cups of weeds in my drink! Awesome, don't you think.

I am very interested in finding out what the unknown weeds are, and I have planted some in a pot to take to my friend, Leisa, who knows the wild edibles. I am going to mention it to others in our church branch who are hoping to be more self-sufficient.

You would not expect the drink to be good with weeds in it, but they are the tastiest ones I have ever made. Saturday I was not home, so I ordered one at the juice bar from Native Sun (minus the weeds, of course), and it was amazingly bland in comparison. Good enough, of course, but not as tasty as the weed-infested ones. I am very excited by this development, and I can't help but think of the benefits that come from drinking a green drink every day from produce just picked from the garden.

For those who would like to try it, here's my recipe:

1/2 cup water in the blender
several stalks of celery cut in 1 - 2 inch pieces

Whirr this up until celery is liquified. Add garden weeds. Whirr til liquified.

Then I add whatever produce was picked: tomatoes, banana peppers, a cucumber, some parsley, a sprig of fennel.

Grind til all is liquified on the highest speed. Some might like this as a smoothie, but I strain it through a nut mylk bag. The add some sol. (This is Himalayan Salt rocks put into suspension with water. You can use sea salt. It doesn't take as much as you might think. Go easy til you find out how much you want.)

Delicious, and you gotta think: Nutritious! I have so much energy from drinking this it is incredible. Let me know if you try it and what you think.

So, if the weeds in your garden are getting you down, if you can't beat 'em, eat 'em!

My next experiment is the grasses: could they possibly taste worse than wheat grass? I don't think so. That stuff invades my garden with no fear at all! Let's see how they are after they've been run through my wheat grass juicer!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Stretching is good


We returned from our trip to the beautiful North Carolina area on Tuesday, but it was a couple of weeks too early. We really like that area; it is hard to come home.

The Southern League All-Star game was pretty interesting. We wanted to watch our Suns players who made to the All-Stars this year: Juan Gonzalez, Adam Godwin, Lucas May, James McDonald, Russell Mitchell, and Jesus Castillo.

Jesus is the pitcher we sponsor on the Suns, so we were especially anxious to see how he did. He seemed nervous before the game, so I am not sure he knew what to expect. Anyway, he had 2 people on base when the next hitter, Chris Coughlin, (who ended up with the MVP because of this play) had a 3 RBI home run. Then Jesus went on to be the only pitcher of the night to strike out the side. (At all-star games, the pitchers only pitch one inning.) The other Suns players did all right. Nothing special. The Northern division won as per usual.

Ivan deJesus, Jr. was a 2nd baseman on the world team Future game. He got on base a couple of times, but he was picked off when he tried to steal. That was a little painful. The World team shut out the American team.

It made me think about how we get used to our present level of activity. When we watch the Suns, we see certain players outshine their team mates and their opponents. Then when they are in a different venue, they are not as spectacular as they are in their comfort zone.

I think we are all like this. We accomplish what we think is our best given our current circumstances. When we put ourselves in the next level, we realize we need to stretch a little more. Until we get into that new, more difficult environment, we have no realization that more is possible, or even needed.

Stretching is good. Unfortunately, we resist it with every fiber of our being.

Monday, July 14, 2008

The Jonah Story



We were asked to give talks yesterday at sacrament meeting (Crescent City Branch), but we were not given topics upon which to speak. It was a little bit of a challenge to think of something, but in my personal ramblings, I was prompted to look again at the story of Jonah. This was interesting because I was pursuing my personal demons and when prompted to read Jonah I thought that a bit odd ... until I started reading and pondering it.

It seems Jonah thought he could escape his call to preach to Ninevah by going to the other side of the continent via boat. It would be a physical impossibility if he wasn't there, right? But then the event with the storm happened and he was thrown off the ship, fully expecting to meet the God from whom he had tried to run away - face to face! Instead he is swallowed up by a big fish after much tossing in the seas. While in the fish's belly, he contemplates his situation and finally remembers he has made temple covenants through which he committed to do all he was asked to do to help the kingdom progress. He realizes that he no longer has the "right" to refuse to serve in any capacity. Once he recommits to do whatever is asked of him, he is spit out on dry land and goes on to teach the people of Ninevah (who, by the way, wholeheartedly accept the gospel).

An editorial comment is made that Jonah thought the Lord would not destroy Ninevah if he didn't go, so he did not see why he had to do it. The commentary makes the point that the Lord does carry out his promises, and he uses his servants to makes these promises known to his children. Without the warning, His children would never be accountable for their choices to obey or disobey.

As I was studying this, I realized this message was for me. As I have made covenants, I will be responsible for carrying them out. The Lord takes these covenants very seriously, more seriously than promises or good intentions. We, too, will be stuck in our fish's belly until we decide to keep the covenants we have made. So where is the free agency we are promised? We are, in fact, asked before we make our temple covenants, if we are doing them of our own free will or are we being coerced? Once we continue under the premise of free will, we relinquish the right to go back on our covenants, thus relinquishing "free agency" to choose otherwise. Of course, we can break our covenants, but not without promised consequences.

I shared this story at sacrament meeting by telling my experience with my knees and the covenant I made to not drink cola products. I am truly grateful to have a relationship with my Heavenly Father that allows for my continual improvement through covenant making. What an incredible thing it is to have this personal relationship with Him!

I was thinking of the blessing He gave us when Darius was diagnosed with the tumor. How grateful I was to share the newly found revelations with Alicia even though I was fearful that Darius would reject it. I was thinking about the covenant that I made in relation to that experience: "If He would tell me how to help Darius, I would give up refined sugar." This was a big step for me as sugar was my life! I have never really faced the reality of that covenant until I studied this passage again from Jonah. I was also surprised at how important it was to Heavenly Father that I give up cola products, or refined sugar. It helps me to understand that those substances must be holding me back from progressing, or He wouldn't care if I gave them up or not. I am sure I was inspired to give up the cola products. The inspiration came into my head directly in response to my plea to not have as much pain in my knees. The inspiration to take sugar out of my life was more a desparate plea based on the fact that it had to be something big to ask for something so important as my son's life. I was reminded that sugar was probably the biggest issue in my life at that time.

I am thinking that these trials have come upon me so that I would feel compelled to make the covenants I have made. Without the opposition, I would not have moved in that direction.

It is bothering me that I haven't made covenants that would help Dorian with his situation, but I am reminded that Dorian is the one in the deal-making seat with that one. Nor have I felt prompted to apply this covenant making process to my situation with Orion and his family. It appears that when it is time to make a covenant, the Lord will prompt me as to the nature of the covenant as well as the promise He will give. Where there is no current promise, there doesn't need to be a covenant. Apparently, we need to time to work out the particulars for a given covenant before we start on another one!

I need to bear my testimony on how amazing a process is revelation. I have read and taught the story of Jonah many times, but I have never had it unfolded to me as it was Saturday night. I felt as though I was sitting at the Master's feet showing me step by step how this applied in my life. I cannot not express the immensity of this experience, but I want to share that I do know He is listening, and somehow, He knows me and knows what I need. I can't comprehend how that can be, but I know it is true. I am grateful for the fullness of His love for me and His patience. I want to become the daughter I came to earth to learn to be, and I am frustrated at how stubborn and slow to learn I am, but somehow, He sticks with me and doesn't seem aggravated by my slowness. It is as if He is saying, "She'll get it eventually. Just give her a little more time." I hope I use my time wisely.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Better Watch This Guy...



As you know, I don't usually blog about baseball leaving that up to the excellent bloggers that Darius and Dorian are about it, but I just can't keep quiet about this guy any longer. He has the best ERA of any pitcher on the Suns (except Clayton, and I'm not sure how that happened since last week he was sitting on a 4 something). He is the 4th best in the Southern League. Last night was rained out, but he pitched the top of the first inning with 2 strikeouts. I can't wait to see what he does tonight in the makeup game and at the All-Star Game on Monday. Go, Jesus!

Speaking of baseball, Roger and I were talking on the way home about how the stadium was built to accomodate a AAA team, and we were speculating on who that might be. I did a little research when I got home and discovered the Marlins are currently in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a long way from home. I'd love for the Mets to make Jacksonville their AAA home (they're in New Orleans now), but the Marlins would be ok I guess. I would miss my beloved Dodgers, but the writing is on the wall. They are trying to get all their affiliates out west, and of course, that is more reasonable, especially with transportation costs as high as they are.

Friday, July 11, 2008

A beautiful day for the beach


I am amazed at all of the different information out there regarding health. It seems you can find a rationalization for every imaginable lifestyle. Brings to mind the fact that there is only one real source of truth. I guess I'd better get on my knees to get it figured out for me.

One source says too much fruit is bad; another says you can't eat too much fruit. One says juicing is great; another says, no, you need the fiber: do smoothies. One says if you start going raw there is no going back - to do so will do irreparable harm. Another says anything you do along the right path is good. It is really very overwhelming. On a given day I will have 10 e-mails in my mailbox each with a different opinion.

What it really boils down to is that we each must do what helps us to feel the best. Of course we struggle within the paradigm we set up, but we innately know (I really believe this) what we need to do. We may not do, at least not right this minute, but we know which direction we need to head into. I think we would be fine with this except that all the experts give us warnings on what disastrous results will happen if we don't follow their advice.

I had to laugh at a recent warning I received. On the page I opened was a U-tube of the well-respected professional telling me how disastrous my outcome would be if I chose a path different than he advised. On the page around the U-tube were advertisements for all the supplements he sells that he thought I should be taking instead of the real food choices I might be making. I think his listeners might listen better if they thought his motives were a little more sincere. I don't doubt that one could be healthy on his supplements; I just don't think that is the only way. Maybe there is a market for this if people want easier and faster than real food, I don't know. I remember when we were looking into alternative treatments for Darius, we were referred to a company who made a greens supplement. When Alicia called them and told them we were juicing everyday, they said, "Oh, you need to use our product. That juicing is so messy!" Indeed!

At one point I decided that if someone were trying to sell something I wouldn't bother listening, but that's not really fair either. I guess I need to depend on the Holy Ghost. I know I have been directed in the places I have gone to the people that helped me make lifestyle choices. I am grateful for that direction and hope it will continue. I do get overwhelmed sometimes by the choices, though.

Yesterday we went to the Halifax Hospital to see a friend in a coma from a car accident. It is the first time I have ever seen anyone in a coma. It is a little frightening. All the doctor shows on TV say that people in comas can still know what is going on around them, so I talked to him quite a bit, and Roger gave him a priesthood blessing as requested by the family. It was a tender few moments we spent with him, and I hope he comes out of it soon. His insides were pretty ripped up by the accident, so the coma is probably protecting him from the trauma and helping him to heal.

Afterwards we went to Publix to pick up some fruit and salad. We went to the boardwalk at the Daytona Beach to eat, and it was a pleasant meal. I really enjoy being at the beach. I wish we could make more time to do that.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

"Real" Salad Dressing...

I'm trying to get in the habit of daily blogging, but I'm having a hard time thinking of what to say today. That's not good. I found the CD from the Jason guy I blogged about yesterday; I had not heard any of his music. It is kind of similar to Jack Johnson's style. Today on the Rachel Ray show she did another short from Justin Kredible; this time he was teaching children how to like fruits and vegetables better, especially in trying to get them to try new vegetables. He encouraged them to use dips and such if that would make them more enticing. (He poured caramel sauce on the romaine; the kids loved that!)

I remember something Anna Marie Clement said while we were at Hippocrates. She said they had a little girl there who was not eating. When Ms. Clement asked her why, she said she didn't like salad without "real" salad dressing. Ms. Clement went to the grocery store and bought one of every kind of salad dressing. She said eating salad with store-bought dressing is better than not eating any salad at all. Needless to say, the little girl finally started eating and was a very happy camper after that.

That is probably the hardest thing for me: "real" salad dressing. When I say "real", of course I am talking about the salad dressings I have been eating all my life. I have always liked salad, but now I realize it is the salad dressings that have made them so appealing to me prior to my current dietary changes. I am experimenting with live foods to dress my salads; last night I mixed avocado and 1/2 a ponderosa lemon from our tree outside. It was okay as I really wanted some greens, but it is not as satisfying, shall we say, for lack of a better word.

What was satisfying was all the home grown produce in our salad: cucumber, tomato, and pepper. They are all doing great for the time being.

Today I did not eat a salad as I was starving when we got home from work. I just had a peach and a large slice of our giant watermelon. I have been trying not to eat late at night, so I won't have anything else tonight.

Currently reading: Raw Spirit by Matt Monarch. Awesome. I read the second half of the book first: his interview with Dr. Fred Bisci. Dr. Bisci has been a raw foodist for 40 years and has seen a lot of failures. Basically this book is teaching people how to succeed if they have a desire to eat living foods. One of the main points of their teachings is that once you have improved your life by getting rid of a food that is destructive, you will make yourself very ill by going back to the offending food. This applies whether one is doing South Beach or Weightwatchers or Living Foods. It explains why people gain all their weight back and more when they quit a diet regime.

Well, I guess that wasn't too bad for someone who didn't have anything to say!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Raw Fooders go Mainstream



Yesterday on the Rachel Ray TV show she had a little video segment on 2 entertainers, Jason Mraz and Justin Kredible, who do a Music, Magic, and Make Peace Tour which includes magic tricks. The thing that I found interesting about it was that they travel with their entourage of 11 men on a bus to travel from place to place which uses bio diesel resulting in a very green footprint. They also make all their own meals on the bus with their own raw chef who travels with them. The video shows him making raw burritos and some kind of green smoothie. Here's the link to her show where the video is available:

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/magic-and-music-justin-and-jason/#

I find it fascinating when raw fooders go mainstream. I guess I still consider it a subculture, but there really are a LOT of people taking this path. I can't help but wonder where it will end up. I am so impressed by the number of young people who have the wisdom to do this. They are not motivated by disease, but by the good sense that it makes to go raw. Because they are young, they don't have the years and years and years of crap to get rid of (excuse the pun) either. I would like to believe that they can make a difference in the years to come because I would hope that they will make the right decisions in their life as the truth of all things will "resonate" with them, not just the truth in food decisions. Time will tell, I suppose. I wonder if this movement is a part of our society moving towards the second coming.

Monday, July 7, 2008

A day of firsts

Today has started out with a few firsts which bare advertising to the world. We finished up our watermelon from last week that weighed 30 pounds, so Roger picked the next one that was ready. It weighed 35 pounds! Amazing. We had to divide it in half to fit it into the fridge.

Then, after I finished 45 minutes of weeding, I weighed, and there was a 0 after the 2. I realize this still sounds horrendous to all the skinnies out there, but for me, it was truly momentous. I cannot remember the last time my weight was under 210 pounds. While I still have a ways to go, I am beginning to comprehend in my head that it is possible. It is a lot more logical for me to think of losing the fat when I realize it is the result of a toxic overload. As the toxins stop being taken in, the body is able to release those that have been stored. I think the world view of fat is that it is a result of fat being eaten whose excess is stored. We don't store excess protein as protein nor excess carbs as carbs. All excesses are toxins and the body struggles to get rid of them. As we reduce the number of ways that is possible, or when the volume of toxins is more than the body can handle in one "dumping", the body shelves them until we give it a chance to eliminate them. Every once in a while the body will do some major housecleaning, and we call this "the flu" or a cold. Of course, serious overloads result in more serious disease as organs such as the pancreas and adrenals (diabetes) are affected, heart disease, cancer. These are the results when there are no more shelves.

I'm sure I'm oversimplifying here, but it helps me to envision it this way, and so I am able to meditate about releasing toxins and toxic overloads in the form of fat, and letting go of them. I'm sure that as long as I have had them, my body has adjusted to them in a way. It's not sure if it is safe to let them go. I think meditating has helped me to convince it to do so (as silly as that may sound). I tend to be a pretty unrelaxed person, so this helps me in other ways as well. It gives me a wonderful healing feeling.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

The Garden Bounty ... not just for breakfast anymore

Today I'm really grateful for my garden. We are in the process of finishing up our first ever watermelon. I've been trying every year to grow them, but we plant too late, or we let the weeds overtake the garden, or something. Anyway, this year we were persistent, and it is paying off.

This is interesting too because this year fresh produce prices have skyrocketed. In today's economy what would have cost a couple of bucks last year is at least $5.00 this year. So, I figure we're pulling a good fiver out of the garden each day. While it is not a majority of what we eat (which is my goal), it is a substantial savings each month.

My thoughts when I said how grateful I was for the garden were not the savings nor the delicious produce being plucked daily. I was thinking of the other things the garden provides for me that make it easily worth my time.

Each morning I try to spend between 20 minutes and an hour working in the garden. I would go for an hour each day, but sometimes the day's activities do no allow this luxury if we have to work out of town for instance. I figure this is providing me with 3 things: 1) several minutes of sunshine each day; 2) at least some exercise; and 3) much needed quiet time without a phone or other electronic noise.

Many health enthusiasts have written of the value of the sun in our lives each day. We forget how important it is especially in this day and age when the sun is getting such a bad rap. This one activity alone has given me a lot of good benefits recently. Whenever I am in a funk, being in the sunshine can help pull me out of it.

I'm not sure how much exercise I am getting in the garden, and I'm sure I need to add more and different kinds, but for a person as sedentary as I am, those few minutes of weed pulling and raking and planting and digging is very beneficial. I promise to work some other exercise into my life.

I long for the simpler days when exercise was a part of life instead of something we have to fit into our routine. I would love to ride a bike, but from where I live, that would be not possible. (I'm still trying to figure out a way to make it work.)

The quiet time is very important. It is the time I reflect on all the things that have been bothering me, and I try to put them in the proper perspective. It doesn't take a lot of mental energy to pull weeds, so I can divert that to introspection.

I just thought of another thing that gardening gives me. I love the connection it gives me to the earth. I've started wearing gloves to protect my hands, but I love how it feels to run my hands through the soil. I love how it feels to pull the weeds up from the soil, how it feels like the soil is hanging on to them and doesn't want to let them go. I love the energy that is in the soil and in the plants emerging from it. I feel that the soil is as living an organism as the plants the grow from it and the animals that depend on the ecosystem provided by the soil.

Whenever I eat the produce grown in my garden, I feel like I take some of that energy into me. It is a transference of power. I like how that feels.

I have really been enjoying my raw foods lately, but tonight I had to go to a chicken place to buy food for one of my grandchildren. The addiction started working on me, and I wanted to eat some of the food produced there. I had all my tools in my head, so I was able to withstand it, but I was surprised how strong the urge was. Then I remembered how the ice tea commercials all still becken me even though I haven't drunk tea in 32 years. I don't think addictions ever go away. I think I am able to remember how crummy it makes me feel and how destructive a behavior it is. Still, I am always surprised by the intensity of the urge.

I heard an interview last week with Matt Monarch which talked about how much worse we feel returning to bad eating habits when we've been giving our bodies truly living food. He said we feel far worse when we go back than we did before we started as our bodies have given away their defenses since they are no longer needed. I think that is a very true principle.

There is so much different information out there on health and nutrition, I have been thinking a lot about correct principles. There are correct principles in all aspects of life, and the Holy Ghost will witness of all truthfulness. We truly do not know where to turn without it. Raw foodists use the term "resonate". They say if something resonates with you then you should integrate it into your life. Surely this resonating is His way of witnessing that we have hit upon a correct principle. So many concepts out there are theories.

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Time for Reflexion

On June 30, 2008, Brandon Barker was killed in a car crash in Pomona Park, Florida. He was born 31 May 1985 and graduated from our school on 28 April 2004. He was a memorable young man, and this is a great loss.

When I visited with his family yesterday, they said a few things that surprised me. They said they talked about me alot regarding how persistent I was in encouraging Brandon to get his high school diploma. He tried to quit more than once, but I would not let him give up. They said he called me "a hard ass", but he was glad I was.

I had never thought of myself that way. As they were telling me, I found myself saying, "Well, fat lot of good that high school diploma is doing him now. I should have just let him go have a good time." I guess I was thinking that if I knew he would die so young, I would let him "enjoy" what time he had left.

This morning as I worked in the garden, I was thinking about this again (the HA thing really haunts me), and I remembered that now that he has left this earth, his knowledge and intelligence is all he takes with him. Maybe he really is grateful I kept after him, more now than ever.

How important is a high school diploma? Certainly the piece of paper is worthless, especially in light of a shortened life. I believe there are several aspects of its attainment that are valuable:

1. Goal setting. If one sets a goal to obtain a high school diploma and enacts the plan to do so, one has learned a valuable skill that will help him / her throughout their lives. In a homeschool setting, this is even more true as there is not the support to help the student to do this. In the government schools, the students are pushed through. Graduating is simply a case of sticking around long enough, showing up most days, and completing endless assignments. This is not to say this is not an accomplishment, but I think that homeschooled students have an extra dimension on this as they must actually figure out how to budget their time in order to do attain their goal.

2. Time management. When a homeschooled student receives a high school diploma, one has to hope they have learned to budget their time. I find that most students who drop out do so because they cannot accomplish this. Their parents find it too much of a hassle to keep pushing them.

3. Self motivation. The successful homeschool graduate has learned how to motivate him or herself. They will not succeed without this important asset.

I met with a graduate yesterday who has been accepted to FloArts and received a Presidential scholarship. She showed me the portfolio she had used for admission. (To be accepted into FloArts, you must audition or have a portfolio. Your admission is based on whether the college finds your work promising.) One of the things we discussed was how motivated she was regarding her passion, and how hard it was for her to be motivated when she was not interested in something. This is true for education as it is sometimes hard for students to be passionate about the 3 R's. Until it applies to some kind of life work, there is no passion.

4. Vision. This is where having a vision of where education can take you comes in. Without a vision, nothing makes sense and all seems worthless. As one reads literature, sees the mathematical qualities of the universe, understands historical events, and sees how great minds have created masterpieces, one cannot help but know that we are only a very small part of something bigger than ourselves.

5. Thinking. I would like to think that developing thought processes is the most important aspect of education. Certainly all students do not do this, but for one to consider their education to be a success, this should be an integral component.

6. Communication. A well-educated person should be able to communicate effectively and intelligently with others especially regarding those topics of personal interest and importance. While a high school diploma does not guarantee this (obviously), if a student takes their language arts classes with the understanding that it will help them communicate better, they will be better able to share their thoughts and opinions more effectively with others.

Once I asked a missionary who was serving in Orlando how the work there compared to the work here in Putnam County where I live. He answered that it went much better in Orlando as there was a better educated population there. I have always remembered that as it helped me realize that without an education, people's thought processes are not always rational. Ignorance is very confining. One is restricted to what is going on in their own mind instead of being able to comprehend things going on around them. I have been very aware lately of how much the universe really does have to offer, and as I am more open to it, more is being made available to me. Without the ability to logic and reason, much of it would be lost to my mind.

Which brings me back to the raw diet. It really was a personal triumph when I posted recently about Darius' sacrifice not being in vain. I have moved ahead tremendously since that time. Passions have returned that I thought were lost forever. I will try to blog more as these things are happening, but honestly, there is so much, I can't keep up with it all.

I have made great progress in the 12 steps. When I did this the first time many years ago, I did so very compulsively. This time, it is more implemented and integrated into my daily life and prayers. I am also trying to do some actualizing that is helping me a lot. I have been working in the garden every day even if for a short time, and I think this helps me get more sunshine which I believe is important.

I really cannot say how important personal revelation is in my life. I haven't had tons of great moments, but I have many, many small moments. The few great moments have truly changed my life, and sometimes, they have even helped others. Right now, I am so grateful to be alive and able to progress in this way.