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This past weekend, I co-hosted our 3rd annual Guns 'n Poses (yoga, health and wellness topics, and firearms instruction) event for our YL family. #memberperks Personal self care empowerment comes in many forms and it is something I deeply truly love about the Young Living lifestyle.....thru the application of what we learn from one another, we become more adept at being our own CEO of the temple that is our body. My teaching topic for the event was frequency and how it relates to fear and how to raise your own frequency should you find it faltering. Fear is one of the lowest frequency emotions. Here are a few tidbits to chew on: ⚡️ Frequency is a term that measures electricity. It's not hoo hoo stuff... it's physics and biology. If you've ever had an EEG or EKG the frequency of your heart or brain has been measured. ⚡️ Certain emotions drive the body's frequency up or down. High frequency emotions are Joy, Freedom, Love, Empowerment, Happiness, Enthusiasm (and many more). 😃 Low frequency emotions include worry, frustration, doubt, anger, guilt, and others....... including fear. 😱Fear (chronic or acute) is one of the most damaging of all emotions..... especially the chronic variety. ⚡️ Chronic fear is incredibly stressful to the body, and has been found to be equivalent to a pack of cigarettes a day habit.... not a place any of us wants our body to be in. Chronic fear is also quite hard on the immune system. The Bible says.... over 365 times.... "fear not." We are to have a spirit of power, of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7) This is not simply a suggestion, it's also a health tip. 😉 We need to strive to live within the higher frequency emotions and feelings so that we may retain a sound and strong mind and body. Lord knows this is something we need to be sharing far and wide right now! #2020hasbeenahotmess Quick tips on raising your body's frequency: ⚡️ Work on getting your body more alkaline. (Fear and an acidic body tend to go hand in hand). Low voltage/frequency = low pH Have you tried Alkalime (YL item #3199) ? It works to settle the belly, but it also gently raises the body's pH. ⚡️ Positive thoughts drive positive emotions. Be kind, especially to yourself. We often tend to be our own worst critic. Words are powerful. Speak to yourself in love. Look into podcasts by Dr. Caroline Leaf if this is a struggle. ⚡️ Exercise! Grab your bottle of Motivation essential oil and use it if exercise is hard for you. The more you do it, the easier it will become. (promise!!) ⚡️ Ditch processed foods and focus on eating foods that have a positive electrical charge... Living whole foods! ⚡️ Make sure you are continuing to remove toxins from your lifestyle. Toxins are frequency zappers! We all have access to the cleanest products on the planet in the way of Thieves Household cleaner, our YL body and skin care products.... not to mention our Savvy Minerals (standard cosmetics are LOADED with toxins). ⚡️ Make sure you spend a little time in nature every single day, and disconnect when you are doing so (disconnect regularly even if you cannot get outside) ! (Leave your phone or laptop indoors while you enjoy the gifts God gave us). Electrically speaking, this is called "grounding". ⚡️ High frequency oils are also very very helpful. Idaho Blue Spruce, Sacred Mountain, Rose, Joy, Forgiveness, Frankincense, Gentle Baby and Helichrysum are all in the higher frequency list. Apply topically or diffuse. Diffusing any of these may be helpful in group situations too. (I call this my stealth happiness tool in group settings) We are blessed to have all these tools available, making ourselves and our sphere of influence a less stressful, fear reduced environment. What's your "go to" in times of high stress or fear? I utilize all of the above depending on the situation, but my "go to" oils are Stress Away, Sacred Mountain, and Frankincense. xoxo~ liz www.goodmedicine.info #fearnot #sharingiscaring #frequencyhealing #goodmedicine #knowbetterdobetter 
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There will never be a single tool to maintain and improve health, just like you wouldn't use a screwdriver when you really need a hammer. I stretch regularly, use my Young Living essential oils, Dolphin MPS myself when I can.... but occasionally, I can still feel when I'm out of alignment.... and when that happens, it's not just a structural snafu.... nerves can be pinched, and organs can start malfunctioning. Not coincidentally, the longer I felt my neck out of whack, congestion had started developing in my head and throat.😕 Yesterday, I made time to get adjusted by my chiropractor (thank you Newmyer Chiro in McKinney!) and could literally feel the congestion fade away once my neck and shoulders were back where they were supposed to be. I tend to carry stress (and 50lb bags of animal feed!) on my shoulders, so it's no surprise. I feel much more balanced and healthier this morning! What's an "out of the box" tool you use with great results? xoxo~ liz www.goodmedicine.info #fitnessfriday #useyourtools #oilsandchiroforthewinonthisone #ThanksYL  The application of knowledge is power... and it can save you a ton of money and time too. Had a little boo boo this weekend that ranked on the "stitchable" list. Anyone could do what I did... assess the situation and then either apply self care, or head to the professionals. In this case, self care was the definite answer because I had the tools available and no body parts were dangling 😂 #beentheredonethat Girl scouts used to teach good first aid skills... do they still do that? This is stuff every person should know.... because life happens. Here is my M.O. in such events: 1. Assess the situation 2. Clean up the wound #wehavetheantibacterialsoapforthat 3. Stop the bleeding #wehaveoilsforthat 4. Apply the nifty bandage #easytobuyandkeeponhand 5. Take extra immune supportive measure (internally and externally for the next 10 days) I trust my tools I have on hand.... that's half the battle. Poor quality tools will not be your friend. (The other half is not being squeamish about a little blood!) Do you have what you need to manage life's little boo boo's? Our YL tribe teaches each other skills (like these) that used to be handed down generation to generation. We are the keepers of our selves, and it is a blessing to have what you need on hand and know how to use it! If 2020 has shown us nothing else, it's that we need to be prepared to care for our selves and our family (and pets!) as much as possible. Come be a part of my tribe! We share info freely at the table! xoxo~ liz www.goodmedicine.info #knowbetterdobetter #theapplicationofknowledge #anyonecandothis #littlehouseontheprairie #selfsustainability #ThanksYL  If you are just diving in now... here are the links to catch up: * POWER TO HEAL PART I (why modern medicine alone isn't the answer) https://www.goodmedicine.info/blog/modern-medicine * POWER TO HEAL PART II ( a history lesson - how did we forget how to heal?) https://www.goodmedicine.info/blog/mind-over-medicine-part-2 * POWER TO HEAL PART III (The power of the mind in healing ourselves) https://www.goodmedicine.info/blog/mind-over-medical-part-3 * POWER TO HEAL PART IV (We have the tools!) https://www.goodmedicine.info/blog/body-heal-thyself-part-4 The Power to Heal Ourselves - I've been praying for you! Our bodies are so incredibly amazing, aren't they???...... especially when they have the right ingredients to create a recipe for healthy success! I hear some of you tho.... it may seem so overwhelming to #doallthethings. It was for me too 🙋♀️when I first began realizing I had the personal power to heal on my own 20 years ago. #beentheredonethatandstillaworkinprogress #Romewasntbuiltinaday Remember a few key things: 1. Is your garbage pail full? Stop putting garbage in!!! (evidence of that is nearly all chronic diseases, skin disorders, emotional disorders, etc)..... you've GOT to quit adding toxins to your "household" (ie: body) if you truly want to kickstart the healing process. 2. Start taking the garbage out. This means you are working towards gently detoxing your body. There are many ways to do this, and each way does not serve an person in the same manner. ( 👉 See Step #8!) 3. Sleep. Absolutely crucial that you get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. If you have problems achieving that #.... message me. 4. Exercise. You CAN do this.... there is an exercise program for every single situation. No excuses. 5. Hydration.... by this I mean water. Clean, pure water and lots of it. 6. Mind work.... If you find "taking out the toxins" hard to think about, perhaps focus on the reason why. You are a person of value and worth.💗 Toxins create personal limitations and it is life limiting to allow them to dictate your life and limit your potential! #thisis100percenttrue Loving ourselves enough to treat ourselves with kindness and respect (not in a spirit of enablement) is a HUGE part of self healing both physically and emotionally. 7. Thorough labwork. This is an important piece that often gets overlooked. 8. Find a guide... a scout.... someone who has walked the walk and knows the path well. So much can be done inside the walls of our own homes and thru ZOOM if meeting in person is logistically hard. 💗 If the power of healing yourself is something you are ready to embrace, give yourself a high five and a virtual hug! I am here and I am devoted to helping people learn how to do this successfully and would be honored to help you blaze your new trail! 😘 Let's chat! xoxo~ liz www.goodmedicine.info #sharingiscaring #thepowertohealourselves #wecandothis #strengthincommunity #wehavethetoolswejustneedtolearnhowtousethem #ThanksYL   Have you ever felt like you were at a crossroads in your life? I’m not talking about a midlife crisis, but rather something bigger and more profound. About 3 years ago, we took a pretty long road trip to pick up a bull in a remote (VERY REMOTE) area in West Texas. I mean…… drive to the very edge of civilization and then head 3 hours further…..the kind of remote that requires a physical map instead of cell phone/ GPS service. Without a map or good navigational tools, you’re sunk kind of remote. As you might guess, we confidently drove down the road….. in the wrong direction because we thought we knew where we were going. It cost us about 3 extra hours that day. We were reminded the value of an old school map and a dose of intuition! This kind of parallels the last 15+ years of my life. I have been a pharmacist since 1991. I graduated, and like most health professionals…. upon graduation…… was pretty sure I had a really good grasp of the profession. I’m not saying I was God’s gift to pharmacy (hardly!), but I certainly thought I knew enough to make a difference in people’s lives. I toodled along in pharmacy doing the absolute best job I could do (because that’s my nature….. never tackle anything halfway). When I was in my 30’s I thought we were living the dream. Charlie and I both had good jobs, had bought our farm, and had begun building our home (by hand, ourselves…. because that’s how we do things…. with all our heart and soul). We worked super hard…. 40-60 hrs a week at our respective jobs and then swung hammers and wielded paint brushes on nights and weekends for about 3 years before completing our home. It was somewhere during that time that I broke my wrist, was subsequently diagnosed with osteopenia , and both Charlie and I were diagnosed with high cholesterol. In hindsight, that broken wrist was probably the best thing that could have ever happened to me. I won’t go into great detail (you can read more about that journey here and the second half here), but it was a big fat hairy road sign to stop and assess what I thought I knew. That broken wrist reopened a different avenue of education for me…. only this time, it was not subsidized by the pharmaceutical industry and there was some skin in the game…. my own. When you are a pharmacist, you’re in the business of knowing side effects of meds. The good news is…. you know the potential side effects. The bad news is…. you know the potential side effects. I wasn’t willing to go down that road given the med options they were dangling in front of me. My gut said no way, and once my research started it changed my life forever. It all began with raw milk. From there, my research extended into finding access to truly healthy and healing foods. Each time I thought I knew enough, I found that more pieces to health puzzles were MIA…. not just my puzzle, but everyone else’s too. About the same time, I went to work at a pharmacy that specialized in rare diseases, oncology, auto-immune disorders, and infertility (which frequently has an auto-immune component). Sadly, this pharmacy represented the outcome of people living in toxin filled environments. Silly me. I still thought I was helping people. I guess I was. Kindness matters, especially when you are dealing with life altering body dysfunctions….. but kindness and pharmaceuticals don’t dissolve the problems these patients face every day. Another personal puzzle piece fell into place after I was diagnosed with something called interstitial cystitis and discovered (after 9 years of no REM sleep and frequent trips to the bathroom), that it could be managed well with a fresh and healthy, but limited, diet. Expensive medication and daily catheterization are the common treatments. Ummm, no thank you. I would later learn that IC is part of the autoimmune disorder family. Not surprisingly, approximately 1 in 5 adults in the USA are card carrying autoimmune disorder patients. I had been given my card. Eight years ago, my dad was diagnosed with dementia. It made no sense to me and we had no family history of dementia. I backtracked the onset to a statin drug (commonly prescribed for high cholesterol). In the finest of the fine print of this class of drugs you will find information alluding to possible memory loss with these drugs. Dig deeply and you’ll find it. I thank God for leading me to raw milk to lower my cholesterol instead of that which stole my dad’s memory. I don’t blame the pharmaceutical industry for burying the whole ‘memory loss’ side effect in the fine print. I mean, would you want to take a drug that could potentially rob you of your memory as a side effect? Ummmm, no thank you. By now, I’ve truly begun second guessing pharmaceuticals. I began educating myself on everything I could get my hands on that gave honest and documented proof that maybe what I knew wasn’t EVERYTHING…… that perhaps there were some gaps in my education and knowledge base. I dug deep deep deep into gut health and discovered the link to most autoimmune disorders. I studied sleep patterns, herbs, thyroid and hormones. I picked up yoga and began healing my posture and my stress level. That led to my recent certification (7 years later) as a Christian yoga instructor.  I had a life changing accident 3 years ago this week, and (eventually… after a 3 month recovery) walked out of it when I should have been an amputee. Last week I walked a 37 minute 5K with many close friends. Thank God. Despite the severity of my injury, I have no pain day to day and am not on any medication. I’ve got oils, supplements and a little thing called Dolphin MPS that rocked my recovery world so much so that I decided to begin taking classes so that I could help others as I was helped…. another tool in my toolbox that wasn’t related to pharmacy.  The last 18 years, by serendipity or Divine design (I believe the latter), I have been gathering tools to help people (myself included) heal physically and emotionally. What had started out as a mission to care for myself and my family gradually extended to include friends and strangers who have become dear friends. The more truth in healing I gleaned, the more uncomfortable I became in my white lab coat. Back in the day, we took an oath to do no harm (that oath has been changed and no longer includes that phrase).
Once you know something, you can’t unknow it. I have grown uncomfortable in my pharmacist skin (and coat)….. able to speak only truths that are approved talking points regulated by the pharmaceutical industry. Once I found that there are better, safer, more life sustainable ways to heal, it became harder and harder to deny people access to these opportunities in wellness……. because they exist for the taking. Every day, people make unconscious choices that affect their health….. making poor food choices, drinking chemically treated water, watching too much media and not exercising enough…. taking meds without researching them thoroughly first. They think a pill will solve their ills. I’m here to tell you that medications are simply adding to the already hefty toxin load within all of us. The heavier the load, the sicker the individual. I’ve had several people in the last many months call me a healer. I don’t claim that moniker. I feel more like a shepherd, leading those who are thirsty to a safe place to drink, eat, and rest. It gives me great peace, and it makes my heart sing a song it’s never sung before. I have straddled both worlds now for many years, and being true to myself is becoming increasingly difficult despite the six figure income that comes with the white coat. I fill prescriptions for people I have grown to love in the community, knowing that they can be helped in other ways that actually heal. I respect my duty as a pharmacist and do not step outside that boundary……but I feel God’s hand firmly on my back telling me to Go. Do. Become. Shepherd those I send your way. Really God? Yes. Really. And so I prayed. “Lord, if it is your will, send me those who need me.” I began praying this daily about 5 months ago. God has a sense of humor. I’m sure of it. About a month ago, I had to alter my prayer a tiny bit. ” Lord, if it is your will, can I have a little breather so I can adequately help those you sent so far? ” God is so very good. I would have never in a million years guessed that I would step away from pharmacy more than halfway thru my career. Pharmacy has taught me so much. Perhaps most importantly, it has given me the gift of scientific discernment: the ability to understand fact from fiction or skewed data. When I was a young pup out of pharmacy school, I thought my life was set on auto pilot. I couldn’t have been more wrong. God took me down a completely different path, guiding me and giving me tools along the way: pharmacy, nutrition, exercise, yoga, health coaching, scientific based knowledge of essential oils, supplements, and herbs, Dolphin MPS, and most importantly the empathy acquired from personal experiences. God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called. Here’s to the journey! I can’t wait to see what the second half of my life holds. Hugs and love, Liz PS: I am not completely stepping away from the pharmacy just yet. You will still see me in a white coat one or two days a week.  A couple of weeks ago, I left a post on my Wellness Prepper’s Facebook page that is really the ‘middle’ of this story of mine. If you know me, you know that I am a lover of animals… I connect with them in ways that most people do not. That said, the evolution of my life (and my thought processes) will likely not make much sense without an explanation. Explanations can answer questions, open a can of worms, or do both. I don’t dread talking about this topic one on one, but writing to the masses who have no idea how much heart I put into caring for my animals is a scary thing indeed. So, that said, I ask you to read onward with a thoughtful mind. I believe in doing the right thing and living my life transparently. I am what you see and strive to be the same person in all situations. There is no ‘work personality’, ‘farm personality’, ‘church personality’ etc. One of my strongest traits is that of a protector. If I see a wrong, I work towards making it right….. ESPECIALLY if I realize I may have inadvertantly been part of the problem thru lifestyle, ignorance, or social design. (This post is not about my ‘pharm’ life, but this trait has been the driving force behind my personal growth in holistic well care as kind of kismetic gift to those in my world who have struggled with health solutions because they were led to belive that only western medicine philosophy held the right answers). Nope. This post is about my farm life, and all that it represents. We do a large amount of animal rescue, and have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars caring for those animals who otherwise would not be given a chance. We have foregone so much ‘free time’ that I can’t even imagine what it would be like NOT to have the beautiful responsibility of caring for all the unique lives God entrusted us. I cry (believe me, I CRY) every time we lose a life around here… my heart breaks. God patches it with His presence, and I move on. In farming, when an animal is involved, there is going to be death. Sometimes it is a natural death (common within our poultry flock…. we lose one every so often to natural causes), and sometimes it is a pre-ordained destiny. This is the case with the male offspring of our dairy cows. Before you throw me under the bus (or tractor), please hear me out. I refuse to be an intentional hypocrit in my life, and strive to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem. As a world, we cannot avoid meat products and byproducts. Unless you are the most concientious vegan on the planet, your daily life likely incorporates multiple beef byproducts in it:
So you see, some of these are daily use items we simply cannot avoid. Yes, I agree… there should be a vegan solution for all of them, and in some cases there are… but in many cases, there is not. I certainly respect those who live a vegan lifestyle, but the reality is….. nobody on this planet is fully vegan. The second part of the equation is this…. if you are a carnivore, are you an educated one? Unless you are eating humanely raised meat, do you have any idea of the quality of life an animal leads from birth to death? For the vast majority, life is uncomfortable, unnatural, stressful, and without kindness. It is easier to block this from your mind, and so most people do. They prefer to pick up their packaged meat and blind themselves as to how it arrived at the store. Feedlot raised animals and Factory Farming are abhorrent practices that should be outlawed…. but they’re not. I once was blind, but now I see. I challenge you to click on the link above to learn the facts, and I believe you will understand the message I am trying to convey here. The vast majority of farm animals are treated as objects. Their lives have no value in the eyes of the beholder (unless you are talking about $/lb hanging weight). There is no appreciation for the life that is sacrificed so that the consumer can eat a hamburger or steak, and certainly not for the lesser things…. the glue, binder, ointments, etc. This is NOT the case on our farm. We can be part of the problem, and turn a blind eye, or we can be part of the solution, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us. For in our discomfort, we are compassionate. When a bull calf is born, we celebrate his healthy birth, but with a bit of sadness. One of the byproducts of our liquid gold (raw milk) sometimes is a bull calf. That bull calf will eventually be old enough, after living a well loved life, grazing without fear in our pasture, with no stress, plenty of space, and with a small herd. He will have plenty of natural forage to eat, fresh water to drink, and shelter from the elements. He will be able to enjoy the sunshine, and will play with his peers. Life will be good. Believe it or not, I begin praying for him and thanking God for his healthy birth, and for the sacrifice he will be made so that some of our friends can have healthy and safe meat (grass fed, nonGMO, hormone free, antibiotic free, chemical free). We have hand chosen the processor we use. He is one of the few animal welfare approved processsors in this area of Texas. The end comes without stress for him. As for me, I drive them myself. It is a rough trip, and I cannot say it is stress free for me, because still…. my heart breaks. I say prayers of thanksgiving the entire 140 miles round trip. Do I enjoy this aspect of farming? Heck no. But this is reality… not just for us, but for everyone. We don’t condone what Factory Farming does, so we provide a better way for a small handful of cattle over our lifetime. Like the starfish principle…. we are making a difference to the ones we raise this way. People have asked me how we can do this, and I respond…. how could we not? We could put our heads in the sand and sell the calves and pretend we don’t know what happens to them. For the record, most dairy calves end up at the sale barn unless they are replacement heifers. They also end up in veal cages (the worst case scenario for a calf). Our calves stay with their mama’s and are dam raised (as opposed to removed from their mama and given powdered milk replacer instead of the good stuff….. another common practice). They stay with them for several months before they are weaned. The average dairy cow lives a life of about 5 years before being culled (that’s a nice way of saying killed). Our granny cow (retired) Clementine is somewhere around the age of 15. We have two more that are 7+ years old, with a long life in front of them. They have time to recover from each birth and milking season before repeating the process. Walking the talk is not easy, but it is the right thing to do. It has given me the true meaning of praying over our meals, and the sacrifices it took to get it there. Mealtime prayers frequently get overlooked or understated. Rote. Not in our home. I doubt this process will ever get easy for me, and I honestly, I hope it never does. Discomfort ensures compassion and gratitude, something we all need more of. Hugs and Love, liz  (I’ll post on Elsa update a bit later, but I needed to get these thoughts out of my head first!)
Many many sermons ago, our pastor talked about the movie, The Matrix. I’ve never seen it…. not a huge fan of science fiction…..but the allegory intrigued me. Hollywood does tend to mirror real life, even in science fiction. Lately, I’ve heard the term ‘Red Pilled‘ bandied around. It didn’t even occur to me that this phraseology was again a nod in reference to The Matrix. Silly me, I thought it meant which side of the political aisle you prefer! (Don’t leave…. I’m not going to talk politics. That’s not my ‘thing’.) I must have seen the phrase more than a handful of times before I felt compelled to look it up. Red pill vs Blue pill…… it’s about choices. Nothing more. The Blue Pill, by my estimation, is for those who are passive, and content with their lot in life. They prefer to be spoon fed information and lifestyles. Perhaps, they don’t like what they are being fed. They may grumble a bit, but they eat it anyway and do not look elsewhere for fodder. That puts the holder(s) of the spoon in a tremendous position of power, and fiction, untruths or half truths may look like fact. The rose colored glasses are, in fact, blue lenses. The Red Pill is for the inquisitive. It’s definitely easier to be spoon fed than it is go out and forage for your own food (or grow your own garden & milk your own cow). The Matrix makes mention of going down the rabbit hole when you take the Red Pill. Lots of twists and turns that reveal important (and previously hidden) information along the way. The hand(s) that feeds the Blue Pilled peeps does not generally smile upon those of us who have become independent foragers of information. Their power is lost on us. Ya’ll, I may get some flack for writing this…… but ‘the system’ that educates our healthcare professionals (myself included) AND the insurance companies that dictate how healthcare is to be provided are holding the spoon. We healthcare providers were indoctrinated and taught that the way of the Blue Pill was good. We were then taught how to administer the Blue Pill to others. They (I’m removing myself, because I now know better) know no differently… so don’t get mad at them. They believe 100% what they were taught, and if questions arise…. well…. return to the hand(s) that holds the spoon for answers. Remember tho… the hand that holds the spoon has the power to filter what you are fed. You can take the Blue Pills all your life, but you can only take the Red Pill once. You have to look long and hard to find a good medical professional who is willing to look at and recommend all aspects of health and well care. I’m starting to see more functional medicine doctors…. praise God…. who have taken a stand and have Red Pilled themselves. They understand that you can’t just pharmaceutically treat symptoms of a body system dysfunction…. you have to address the core issue at hand or healing will never occur. They are open to recommending nutrition, holistic care methods, and wellness options. They only use medication as a last resort. Each one of us has a choice. I took my Red Pill (before I even knew of such a thing) about 15 years ago. It’s the reason we drink raw milk , garden, avoid toxins (ie: standard household chemicals, processed food, toxin laden skincare products), manage our stress and sleep holistically, and make an effort to be physically fit. Like many people who have adopted the Red Pill mentality, my hand was forced when a couple of health conditions demanded that I make a decision on which pill to take. Ignorance may provide short term bliss, but it will cost you plenty in the long term. Those of us who have taken the Red Pill stand to spend 16X less on healthcare than those who choose to take the Blue Pill….. Blue Pilled people are big business in the health care industry….. BIG (16X) Business. No wonder they feed you so well. If you are like me and waited until a health situation surfaced, do not be frustrated…. you can still take the Red Pill. Better late than never! If life seem to be going really well for you, but your intuition has kicked in and your gut tells you that you need to learn more, do more, and be more responsible for you and your family’s health….. let me symbolically hand a Red Pill to you (it’s free)….. message me, and I’ll help you unwind the fiction from fact and half truths. The truth can be hard to stomach, but it can also set you free. Would you like some kombucha to wash that Red Pill down? Hugs and Love, liz PS: The internet is a wonderful thing. If I learned nothing else in college and in pharmacy school, it’s the power of research. Two incredible sources to find accurate information and studies include: Pubmed.gov ( a repository of all studies from all over the world) Google.scholar (another repository of information)  One of my passions in life is pursuing all manners of sustainability. I believe that whatever you are passionate about overflows into all areas of your life. I was sitting in an airport back in June watching people. Summer is a huge family vacation time. Vacation should be synonymous with Happy, right? And yet…. the vast majority did not appear to be all that happy. Granted, flying isn’t necessarily fun anymore, but still… where was the joy in the journey? During the flight, I had a growing conviction that I needed to do more in life to spread Joy and Happiness to others. I started researching and found that I am not alone in this. Did you know that there are actually college classes now on finding happiness? Seriously. Are we that bankrupt on happiness and joy as a country that college classes are needed to find it?  This month, with the help of some friends, we’ve got a Facebook event called Project Joy and Happiness! If you’d like to join us, feel free to do so. Our goal is to spread holiday cheer this December, and hopefully teach others how to spread both where ever they go year round. Let’s make Joy and Happiness contagious emotions! We’ve got science, psychology, posts that bring a smile to your face, and even weekly giveaways. But wait, aren’t Joy and Happiness the same thing? Uh….no. Happiness is an emotion reserved for moments in time. Joy is the sustainable emotion…. once you choose Joy, it stays with you as long as you continue to choose it. (You’ll learn all about the nuances of Joy vs Happiness in the Facebook event). Yesterday, I saw the greatest testimony to the difference between Joy and Happiness. It came in the form of a funeral.  You see, a friend within our Young Living family lost their daughter Layla last month to childhood cancer. Her parents, Bryan & Sara, held her celebration of life service yesterday. It was a true celebration, with balloons, snow cones, fun for the kids that attended, bright colors and happy music. No, this was not a happy event. Happy is not a word that describes a funeral. Ever. And yet….. the service was filled with smiles, laughter, and many many tears. Tears that were joy filled and sadness filled simultaneously. This is the difference between Happiness and Joy. You can’t be happy and sad simultaneously, but you CAN be joyful and sad simultaneously.  Biblically speaking, deep within Psalm 30 you see the words “….Joy comes with the morning”. Joy also comes TO the mourning when a child of God meets Jesus face to face. I believe that celebrating the beautiful life of a beautiful girl who is now sitting on the lap of Jesus is worthy of Joy. Nobody is happy that she is gone, but thousands of her friends are filled with Joy that she is now in the presence of her heavenly Father and is healed.
I can think of no better example of Joy than this. In all my researching these last 6 months, I found that one of the things that boosts your happy and joy quotient is giving without respect to what you might receive in return. If you’d like to help Stamp Out Childhood Cancer (a 501c3 nonprofit), please consider donating in memory of Layla Stamp (nothing would bring her parents greater Joy than that). Please visit LaylaStrongFoundation.org for more information. I am 100% in favor of practicing what I teach….. so when donating to LaylaStrongFoundation, please reference The Wellness Prepper (in the message section of your paypal donation), and we (Charlie and I) will match donations up to a cumulative amount of $1000. Find your Joy today my friends, and celebrate! Joy lasts a lifetime. Happiness comes and goes depending on the situation. Hugs and Love, Liz  I hardly know where to begin. I am so far behind on all the wildly magical things going on in our life that this Summer has somehow morphed into Fall. I can hardly recall a year that has gone so quickly in my adult life. I’ve always said I could be a professional student if only I was independently wealthy. Well, We’re still not independently wealthy, but we have somehow begun building a life that is allowing me to explore my passions and get paid. I pinch myself occasionally. Is this really me, getting to do this? Pharmacy has been good to me ya’ll, but it’s no walk in the park. There is a reason it’s listed among the Top 10 Professions most likely to commit suicide. It’s a high stress job with long hours and demands 100% perfection. No surprise that the burnout rate is also remarkable. I am tremendously blessed with a husband who enjoys his job and has encouraged me to pursue what pulls at my heart. It is a gift he has given me this year… and a timely one at that! At the end of September, I was fortunate enough to attend The 2017 Farm & Food Leadership Conference. Blessedly, this national event was held in nearby McKinney, Texas. FARFA…. Farm & Ranch Freedom Alliance is a national organization supporting independent family farmers. It works to protect a healthy and productive food supply for American consumers. FARFA is an advocate for independent farmers, ranchers, livestock owners, and homesteaders, as well as the consumers who support them. Ya’ll, you’d hardly think this organization would be necessary. We all need food and farmers. Shouldn’t it be easy to farm enough nutritious food to feed our huddled masses? Let these statistics sink in:
This AMAZING Conference covered so many facets of Farm to Table Education. There were so many education opportunities, but not nearly enough time to attend each session. I settled on those that pertained directly to our farm and the direction we are headed.
I almost forgot… the most amazing Farm to Table dinner too. This was our first, but it won’t be our last. Dinner for about 150 people at Pure Land Organic Farm , catered by the incredible sustainably (and locally) sourced ingredient restaurant in McKinney: Harvest .
Connecting people with a common bond. Farmers, Ranchers, Nutritionists, Chefs, Sociologists and Anthropologists, Beekeepers, Backyard gardeners with a vision, Inner City gardeners with a plan for their community. This event paid no heed to political affiliation, ethnicity, age, or religious beliefs. Our goal is the same. To learn. To provide sustainable nutritious food for the body, mind, and soul to all walks of life. Breaking bread together never tasted so good.  Yowsers! We have figs. In fact, we have a disproportionate amount of figs. We have figs coming out our ears all from one very happy (but unknown species) tree.
We planted the little gal (there are male and female plants…. the girls being the producers) about 7 or 8 years ago, and it got off to a very rocky start…. multiple times. Every winter it appeared to die back to the brink of true death until two years ago. Last year we got spoiled by simply eating all we wanted off of the tree. There were enough to pick and eat daily, but not enough to make anything with. This year, the stars must have been lined up right because we have whopper crop this year. I’ve had to get on the ball and start collecting fig recipes. There are some amazing ones out there! I’ve found this collection at BonAppetit (the figs with bacon and chile is on my ‘to do’ list… Wow… I’ll bet those flavors pop!) I found a ‘cheeky chilli pepper fig chutney‘ ….. you know anything chef Jamie Oliver puts together is going to be good. My dear friends Aryanne and Martin gave us one of Jamie’s cookbooks several years back. The man knows how to use his ingredients, no question about it. I love that he focuses on using fresh ingredients and prefers seasonal cooking (cooking with what is available at the appropriate season of harvest). I do think that was God’s intention anyway. We were never supposed to eat the same thing 365 days a year like we are prone to do now. It’s probably one of the reasons the standard American diet is typically out of control and obesity and other body system dysfunctions continue to plague our country. If it’s not fresh, it’s likely filled with preservatives and other chemicals to make it taste more appealing. And finally…. a ‘pear-fig-ginger-jam (with ahem… a dash of whiskey)‘ that we’re gonna have to try. That sounds like it would be incredible over a block of yogurt cream cheese (labnah) or cream cheese with some crackers. Figs are a food of the Bible, and are loaded chock full of health benefits. God is good that way… giving us just what we need. Dried figs… the most common way people eat chem…. are even more densely loaded with nutrients than fresh. Although I like to eat them both ways, fresh from the tree is my preferred route of nourishment. The Fig low down:
Any of my local friends want some figs? Give me a shout and this farmgirl can hook you up! Take care, and have a blessed day, liz |
AuthorHey there....thanks for stopping by! This is me (Liz James)... an eclectic mixture of holistic (and organic) farmgirl meets pharmacist. It's a synergy that works well as I speak truths and dissect fact from fiction. If you're looking for healthier living options, you've come to the right place! Archives
October 2020
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