Please read to the bottom to discover my insights about my recent experience(s)...
I was going to title this blog as 'my journey to HEALING'
but since I'm not anywhere near to being 'healed'
(either physically or psychologically)
I'm just going to try to document
my experience(s) of the last 3 weeks...
Experience #1:
OK...so since I'm always trying to better myself nutritionally,
when my 2 daughters-in-law told me about a 'Juice Feast'
(yes, I said 'Feast' and not 'fast')
they were participating in,
I was all over it...
(after-all I had done a week long fast (as opposed to feast)
2 different times in my youth -
of course I forgot that was about 40 years ago...)
Actually, I did pretty well for the first 2 weeks with the usual de-tox symptoms
of slight nausea, headaches, small backaches, etc...
This was my daily schedule for preparing the 'feast':
...this is enough fruit and veggies for 1 day...
...the goal is to get at least 4 quarts of juice a day...
1 - from green leafy veggies
2 - from celery, cucumber, apples
3 - from carrots, turnips, tomatoes
4 - other vegetables & fruits
at least 2 lbs of leafy greens...
...blend the leafy veggies with about 3/4 cup of water until it is liquid...
Next you need to strain your juice
(a paint strainer bag works good)
...maybe that is why it tastes a bit like paint...
Squeeze all the juice out so only the dry pulp remains...
and Voilá...your first quart of Super Juice...
...Super what??... I'm not sure...
and then the real juicing begins...
(at least the the 'real fun-to-make' juicing)
...but as usual...after a while...
not so fun...
...first, the veggies...
...caught in action...
...then the fruit...
...to be honest...this is more & higher glycemic fruit than I normally did in 1 day...
I am sure (in retrospect) that is what perpetuated what became a series of mistakes and traumatic events that ultimately were 'tender mercies' in disguise...
...don't they look pretty???
(and delicious...)
...even with that innocent-looking catastrophe-filled one in the back...
...boy...my garden sure got good nutrients for those 14 days!
Experience #2: (including mistakes & tender mercies)
On Day 14 of my Juice Feast...after ingesting my 3rd bottle of juice (which happened to be pure high-glycemic fruit juice)
I got very ill & bloated...
I grew more and more miserable as time went on...
...the next day I researched and (tender mercy) found that I possibly had Candidiasis
(an overgrowth of Candida in the small intestine)
...I made the decision to stop the Juice Feast - cold turkey and
start following the Candida Diet that I found...
...BIG MISTAKE...
...my body went into a crisis that included severe nausea and vomiting for 24 hours and continued on through another day and a half until
(tender mercy)
my precious children intervened...
Hubby had been trying to aid and assist me but I was being my usual stubborn self
and resisted most of his efforts...
...the darlings' intervention came with
phone calls, pedialite, nausea meds,
essential oils, herbal tea, sage advice & offerings of support...
all of which I sorely needed...
one even brought me a rose...sigh...
another, a trip to the ER... (such a fun outing)
I felt their love...and their truths...
(you will understand in a minute)
my 2 Chiropractic brothers were (are) also very helpful and generous with their knowledge
...my family is the best!!
Here is what I have learned:
1. pain next to (prolonged) nausea is pretty much.....nothing
Here is what I hope I'm learning:
2. we need to be humble(d) so we can learn (truth)
3. trials make us humble (mistakes can too)
4. the Lord helps us find truth
5. we must obey the principles of truth with exactness
6. we must be patient with our selves and others who are also learning
(I thought I had already learned that one.....I guess not...)
7. we must be grateful for the truths that have been shown to us
8. we must continue to strive to follow truth at all times and
learn to discern truth from deception...
9. we must be willing to change our opinions in order to follow truth...
(oh that silly pride thing always gets in the way...)
10. Family is Everything....and that's the truth!!!
(actually I have learned this one...)
...and so-o-o strong... 
Way to go, Ethan!!!
and gifts from the heart:
