Just Take a Pill

Last month I came down with a cold. Of course this is nothing unusual during the winter months where more people are confined indoors. I am usually miserable when I have a cold, but being pregnant and all I am resigned to whatever homeopathic remedies are available plus time.
I am never one to overmedicate as it is. I have found that the older I get the less nyquil and decongestants I choose to take. Honestly they only make me feel slightly better, and as most medical journals will tell you the only tried and true method to end a viral infection like this is time. I cannot tell you how many people came up to me after only three days of being sick asking if I had been to the doctor yet to get some antibiotics. Seriously people!!!??? I had been sick for three days. No matter how many articles come out people still do not udnerstand that the majority of cold like symptoms are viral, and you cannot treat what is not bacterial with an antibiotic. Sadly many doctors are willing to write out a script just to get people moving. It usually takes about ten days for an antibiotic to work as it is which is usually the point that most cold symptoms start to alleviate. This only reinforces the placebo effect.

Why I am writing this? I am no hippie or anything. I believe doctors can be great and are a valuable asset to our society. I also believe we have become to pill happy as a nation. Our quest for convenience has made us forget that usually the symptoms of common illnesses are our bodies way of telling us it may be time to slow down and rest. REST???!!!! That is ridiculous with work, a cell phone that never shuts down, and a world wide network to keep up with who wants to rest? It seems so much easier to pop a pill. Of course when you read the side effects of many prescriptions you will soon realize a whole host of problems can arise just from taking a pill. The answer to most of these side effects is obviously another pill. Hmmm conspiracy?
Ok I won't go there because I don't know all the answers, but sometimes it seems a bit suspicious.

I for one try to keep my prescription intake to a minimal level as well as my children's. I have had wonderful results with allowing my children to rest, drink plenty of fluids, and let many viral infections resolve naturally. There are times I will take them to the doctor. I will never let them suffer unecessarily when a medication is truly necessary. Overall they are very happy healthy kids who are rarely sick.

We have been given wonderfully designed bodies by God which have many amazing disease fighting mechanisms built in.
I am not advocating not seeing a doctor if you have a serious health condition or symptoms that persist past ten days. I am just asking that you take a step back when illness strikes and evaluate the situation from a hollistic point of view. Could diet or lifestyle also be playing roles in a weakened immune system?

A Tribute to My Momma

Fifty years ago today my mother made her grand entrance into this world followed shortly by her twin sister Marla. It is really hard for me to believe my mom is 50. Seriously the woman has Benjamin Button syndrome and is aging in reverse. She worries about getting older but in a room full of other people her age she doesn't look like she could be past her 30's. When she is out with my kids people often refer to them as her children and are shocked to learn that they are in fact her grandchildren. So mom don't even fret about today, if there is indeed a fountain of youth, you have found it.

I could say a lot of things about my mom. People have often thought she was simply a quiet unassuming housewife, but I'm sorry to tell them they were all wrong.
My mom has always been the ideal mom. She stayed home to take care of use, chaffeured us here and there, ate lunch with us at school, had dinner ready on the dot, and supported and loved her husband in everything he did. She sacrificed a lot during those years. She dealt with a lot of grief from people, especially in the ministry, who did not understand or appreciate her giftings. She never became angry or bitter. To this day her heart is always for reconcilitation and restoration in relationships. She reaches out to those who other people forget. She gives of her time to be there for others. She truly is the Proverbs 31 woman.

Life was good for us kids. Unfortunately as I grew older my opinionated, feminist tendencies began to come out. While I had enjoyed the fruits of my mothers labor and sacrifices, I despised the thought of being a stay at home mom. I couldn't understand how she could be happy and content being home raising a family. My teenage years in the house were a little...well strained for lack of a better word.
My mother has always been a God fearing woman and she did her best raising us and praying for us, but I of course felt the need to break free of the shackles that I felt were strict and legalistic. I am ashamed of the many times I know she went to bed in tears because of things I said. No matter what she stood by me and prayed for me and loved me. We learned a lot from each other. It was probably not until I was engaged to Chris that things started to change in our relationship
My first year of marriage really changed our relationship. She become my closest friend and confidant. In many ways we met each other half way. I finally realized that my immaturity had blinded me to many of the things only a mother can see.
My mom met me by softening and letting me air some of my views which she would correct if neccessary with truth and love.
She really stepped out of her comfort zone, and did what she had to love and not lose her children.

I love that about my mother. She has not been afraid to grow and change through the years. Don't get me wrong, this woman will never compromise her core beliefs and principles, but she speaks the truth in love. People know that she can be trusted. Experience has taught her not to judge quickly, and she is reaping the benefits of that. She has allowed her love to spill outside the church walls without reservation. She is a godly woman who gets up at 4am to be on her knees before the Lord praying for her family and friends.

My mother is an excellent grandmother. She has been such a blessing to us watching Kaylie and Micah when I had to work. She has gone out of her way to not just watch them, but to take them places and do things I would do if I could be home. They truly feel like her home is their home. She has been patient enough to once again put up with the messes and behavior hiccups that come with two children, and she doesn't bat an eye. Because of her I don't worry about whether my kids are getting good care. The best part is they are in a place where they feel loved.

Here's to a woman of God, a beloved daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. We always joke together that her life is just starting as she has started to really come out of her shell. I really do believe the next half of her life will be even more spectacular than the first.
I love you mom! Now go finish changing the world.

Scared but Excited

In just a few short months I will take a GIANT leap of faith. Come to think of it, it will be several giant leaps. I will muster all the the strength and courage I have to labor and birth this baby into the world naturally. I will summon every ounce of patience to take on the challenge of three children, two that will be boys...yikes! Perhaps the biggest leap will be my transition from the workplace to stay at home mom. It will be gradual. I plan to work part time for awhile after maternity leave just to keep things stable until we see where Chris and the new job are heading.
It really just hit me that after 6 years of working, praying, and hoping a day would come that I would be home with my kids, it will be here in three months or less. I am excited and I am scared all at the same time.

I'm a money person. I crunch our numbers and budget all the time. I have always worked and it has always been somewhat of a safety net for me. It is hard for me to sit back and let someone else be the primary bread winner. I know how important the role of mom and housewife is. I am not belittling that in any way. This is just what I have always done. When Chris lost his job in Septemeber it really shook all of my faith and confidence in our plan. My immediete reaction is to go to work and fix things, but I realized that this was a God thing. For some reason the importance of being home had elevated in my heart. In those months we learned about stretching our money more than ever. We also learned a lot about trusting God. I believe it is most important to do everything we can to provide for our family's, but sometimes we do all we can and then we let God meet us half way there.

The war of emotions still wages at times in my heart. Some days I wonder how the heck we will make it work. Sometimes I wonder if I will be able to adjust from full time in the work place to being home with the kids. Then I look at my children and the desires God has placed in my heart for them, and I know this is where I am supposed to be for this season. It really has been a time in my life that is all about stretching and doing the things I never believed I could do.

Some people still wonder why I opted for a midwife, and why I would give up the comforting saftey net of modern drugs to tackle the rigors of labor. For me it is simply an outward expression of my faith for what God is doing on the inside. It is about running a race, enduring, stretching yourself beyond what you thought was possible, and then seeing God birth the incredible.