food allergies

Reflections of Grace

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It is November my friends; can you believe it? I hope you all enjoyed the 31days of Food Intolerance’s series (even though I missed a few…oops). I would love to hear from you; do you have any questions or want to learn more, please let me know.

This month I will be putting my family to some real life challenges and you are going to be journeying with us. It is the month of “Giving -Thanks”. I am very excited to share with you on Monday just how we will be putting things in motion.

Since Friday is my day of “rest” in a sense. I will be linking up with Lisa-Jo Baker and some other friends (yes, they are real people…I officially met many of them in(RL) What a blessing it was to squeeze them and not have a screen between our words. Join me as we write for 5 minutes, unedited, on a given prompt. Today’s word; Grace

Go….

Being a Mom it can bring out the best in us and the worst. Our patience is tried in so many ways. We are pulled in every which direction between; meeting our families needs and seeing that our personal needs are met too.

We train.

We teach.

We learn.

We live.

We judge.

We fall short.

We stumble.

We fall.

But…we get back up. God is there with us always. He stands at the top of the mountain cheering for you when you might feel as though you don’t deserve it. His grace surrounds you and the door to forgiveness remains open for those times we are less that obedient. Keep true to yourself and who you were created to be. Know that there will be bumps in the road but there is always a hand on the other side waiting for you to reach out. 

Beauty in Hope

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The fast approaching holidays often become somewhat of a stress since we have multiple children which suffer from various food sensitivities. It does require a certain level of planning in order to normalize life. 


I often find myself in this massive web (so fitting since today is Halloween). A web of fibers spun out of fear. The tug and pull of each strand is a tug on my heart. I struggle with feelings of isolation, frustration, and anger. Why can’t things just be normal for my family? 
Why can’t we just go to a family gathering and eat all of the traditional foods? Why must I pack my house to be in the company of others?  Why can’t we just go to a restaurant as a family? I’m left with two choices; let the web engulf me or find resolve.

I begin to unravel; we spend an endless amount of time trying to be normal and trying to fit in. Normal is just that; where as uniqueness brings forth beauty. Instead of trying to fit our square family in the round world. I begin to think outside the box. I struggle with the feelings of loneliness; but, more so it is clearly selfishness. I am the one disappointed that once traditions are nothing but a past and I am the one spending endless hours in the kitchen in order to see that all of the traditional holiday experiences are safe for my children.  I do this to eliminate the risk of cross contamination and potential use of wrong ingredients from well meaning hosts. My selfishness is directly driven from fear; a fear of a relapse but with good reason. 

Still unraveling…

Although, my actions are fear driven and well intentioned. There are still options. I have the option to stay home and make new traditions with my family. I can still recreate the “traditional” meal in order to partake in an extended family/friend atmosphere. I live in a land that has more than enough. It is my job to see that what I am given becomes the beauty it was intended to be. I have been given a blank canvas to recreate, make a new, and spread good news. I am an artist. No, my friends I can not draw. I can however, cook, create, invent, inspire, and encourage others in similar situations to do the same.

If you find yourself in a similar slump of loneliness; think beyond the ordinary and create something new. That might mean creating new traditions, recreating meals, or being in the company of those in similar situations. Think outside the box and be the good new; life does not end with a diagnoses but rather creates an opportunity to be the gift to others, the gift of hope.

   

A Day at a Time

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When we decided to go gluten and dairy free for K.bear we saw results almost instantly. Therefore, keeping up with the life changes we implemented were quite simple to accept. However, not all people can or will see results that quickly making a commitment to change ones former way of eating may at times seem like an impossible task. If you and your doctor feel that making a complete diet make over is necessary and a good option then; I encourage you to stick it out through the long haul. I know it is hard and can be expensive. However, if food is your enemy then food is also part of your solution.

Our bodies did not become overloaded  over night. Years of build up in our systems are just now being passed onto our future generations. I’m afraid we are just at beginning of discovering how severe the many years of convenience and overly processed foods have been on our bodies. When combined with increased pesticide and environmental pollution the havoc our bodies have endured is now showing its face. With the increased cancer statistics, autism rates, tumors, mental health disorders, celiac disease, childhood allergies, diabetes, and blood pressure it is paramount that we go back to our roots. You might need to dig deep to find your perfect solution but going back to the way our great ancestors once did I think is a great place to start. The deterioration didn’t happen in a day so it is unreasonable to expect to see results in a day. It may take time and patience, but if you are having problems and searching for answers then  it is a good assumption that a commitment is going to be needed. The key to healing is time; the healing is your health and your future. (Tweet That)