LOVE

Robert and I pulled out of organized religion to keep the Sabbath, as outlined in Scripture, 14 years ago. We have studied faithfully what the Bible says about different truths on our day of rest and worship. Yahweh (God the Father) has shown us many wonderful things about Himself when we take the time to be still with Him on the day that He hallowed at creation.

When we started our home school 17 years ago, we began memorizing the 10 Commandments. The children were little, so we just kept it simple, and did the short version that is printed everywhere. However, as the children grew, I wanted them to memorize the Commandments as they are written in Exodus 20. We read these passages over and over until, little bit by little bit, these words came from memory and I knew that we had indeed put them into our heart.

Exodus 20:8 - 11 reads like this and I quote from memory:

REMEMBER THE SABBATH DAY, TO KEEP IT HOLY.

SIX DAYS SHALT THOU LABOR AND DO ALL THY WORK,

BUT THE SEVENTH DAY IS THE SABBATH OF THE LORD THY GOD:

IN IT THOU SHALT NOT DO ANY WORK,

THOU, NOR THEY SON, NOR THY DAUGHTER,

THY MANSERVANT, NOR THY MAID SERVANT,

NOR THY CATTLE,

NOR THY STRANGER THAT IS WITHIN THY GATES:

FOR IN SIX DAYS THE LORD MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH,

THE SEA AND ALL THAT IN THEM IS,

AND RESTED THE SEVENTH DAY:

WHEREFORE THE LORD BLESSED THE SABBATH DAY,

AND HALLOWED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The SEVENTH day IS the Sabbath of the Lord thy God! It is a holy day--a day to rest from our labors and just trust in Him to have all of the answers to the problems of the approaching week. It is also a time to rejoice in how HE has saved our neck in the past week! I love, on the Sabbath, to recall ALL the times that He gave me the wisdom that I needed to deal with a difficult situation; how HE gave me the strength to do all of the work that He lined up for me; and how HE led me beside still waters even in the midst of all the controversy I faced that week. WOW--GOD IS SO AWESOME THAT HE DESERVES A DAY TO BE HONORED IN THIS SPECIAL WAY!!!

Actually, though this post appears to be about the Sabbath, that was not my original intention. You see, the point that I was trying to make here is that we can get all wrapped up in proving to everyone else that we have done our homework and we KNOW that we're right and they're wrong. But this very process of arguing over who is "Right" and who is "Wrong" must certainly grieve the heart of the God of all love. Certainly we don't impress HIM when we cut some one's throat just to prove to them that we were RIGHT!!!!!!!!

I'm thinking now of one fine, young man who I'm sure will never read this. How grand it is to "Study to show ourselves approved unto God," but what is the point of all of the studying? When the heart's goal is to study, just for the point of having head knowledge, I must argue that God is not greatly impressed.

Certainly, I'd much rather that young men be studying the Word, and about the Word, than out dating a different girl each week. However when one gains knowledge and imparts it with the world, simply for the reason of proving oneself smarter or better or more learned than everyone else, then I must say that this is pharasitical type thinking.

Robert and I keep coming, over and over, to the fact that GOD IS LOVE. When I was getting confirmed in the Methodist church in Eureka, SD almost 4 decades ago, I volunteered to recite

1 Corinthians 13 at the service. I'm sure that most of you know that that chapter in the Bible is called the, "Love Chapter." My heart burned within me that day with the desire to get people to see that LOVE is what matters more than anything else in the whole wide world. I still recall people crying later, saying how it had touched their hearts.

Although I can't recite the whole thing right this minute (although we worked on it in school last year), it IS buried deep inside my brain. I will recite the first 3 verses from it to help to make my point as these are God's words and not my own.

THOUGH I SPEAK WITH THE TONGUES OF MEN AND OF ANGELS,

AND HAVE NOT CHARITY (LOVE),

I AM BECOME AS SOUNDING BRASS

OR A TINKLING CYMBAL.

AND THOUGH, I HAVE THE GIFT OF PROPHECY,

AND UNDERSTAND ALL MYSTERIES,

AND ALL KNOWLEDGE,

AND THOUGH I HAVE FAITH THAT

I COULD REMOVE MOUNTAINS,

AND HAVE NOT CHARITY (LOVE)

I AM NOTHING!

AND THOUGH I BESTOW ALL MY GOODS

TO FEED THE POOR,

AND THOUGH I GIVE MY BODY TO BE BURNED,

AND HAVE NOT CHARITY (LOVE)

IT PROFITETH ME NOTHING!!!!!!!!!

There really is nothing more to say. ALL of our efforts to impress God with words of wisdom to fellow human beings means absolutely nothing to God IF THOSE WORDS ARE NOT MOTIVATED BY LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are simply sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal if we write, or talk, or move, or do anything at all, without love being the motivation for what we do.

What IS love? Well, I urge you to study the rest of 1 Corinthians 13 to find out if you're not really clear on this. Better yet, commit it to memory. I'm always amazed when I hear people comment on how much Scripture they have memorized. They'll say all kinds of grand passages about God, and HIS love, but very few can recite the love chapter. WHY? Well, it's my hunch because being loving really IS a hard thing to do. In fact it's absolutely impossible for us to do in our flesh, being we're filled with sin.

It's not natural for us to suffer long; be kind; envy not; vaunt not OURSELVES; not be puffed up; seek not our own; be not easily provoked; be not puffed up, think no evil, bear all things; believe all things; hope all things; and ENDURE all things. THAT'S A LOT OF SELF-SACRIFICING, ISN'T IT?

Yeah well, if we want to be like God is, then we will let His Holy Spirit work in us to BE love to everyone that we meet. It really doesn't matter what I want, or what I may desire, what matters is what is best for the other person!!!!!!!!!!!!! THAT'S WHAT LOVE DOES!!!!

Over and over Robert keeps saying to me, "What the Bible boils down to, in my opinion, is that if I want to be like God, THEN I WILL LOVE OTHERS!!" With all of my heart, I believe that he is RIGHT!!! Oh, to have a heart of love for the world as my Heavenly Father has--THAT IS MY DESIRE.

To love, then, to love. When there is love, 2 people can sit down and discuss every issue in the world and agree to disagree and walk away being fed by the knowledge that the other person still respects them even though they are not seeing things the same way.

Better yet (as I believe that their IS truth in ALL areas) wouldn't it be grand if someone who has done a lot of studying in an area would quietly and LOVINGLY explain to others what they have learned with those who are ready to hear the truth in that area? Then the second person can lovingly and quietly explain a truth to the first person that they have been studying. In this way, the church would grow and prosper and be in good health. AHHHH--that all of Christendom would love each other as Christ loved the church and GAVE HIMSELF FOR IT!

May you all have a love-filled Sabbath tomorrow!

Dawn

Have you made YOUR Springtime resolutions?

I get so many things to read that I often get confused by what my priorities really should be, moment by moment, and I end up deleting a lot of stuff. When this came in from a VERY well respected BodyTalk Instructor, though, I decided to read what he said about Spring being the BEST time to make changes in our lives. Even if you're one of those who can't take time to read a lot right now, scroll down to the bottom and read the BT joke. I'm still laughing as I'm off to make supper for my family.

Each of the seasons correspond to one of the Five Elements, and the associated movements of contraction and expansion, for each element captures our stages of psychological expression. Wood corresponds to Spring and represents rebirth, re-growth and new beginnings.

Wood is an expansive energy that brings us out of the contracted nature of Winter which corresponds to Water. Just as trees contract their resources in Winter, we need a time for processing the events of the previous year and taking stock of our lives. Water represents death and an opportunity to let outdated behavior patterns drop just as the trees drop their leaves in order to grow again.

The role of the human being is to stand on Earth and reach for Heaven, and the consciousness of the Wood element is to constantly reach for heaven. Spring offers the occasion for a renewed commitment to one's spiritual path.

Five Element theory provides many metaphors for understanding life processes and Module 4(7) supplies the tools to use this theory, bringing balance to clients issues in a dynamic way. At a clinical level, balancing the Five Elements is one of the most powerful ways to improve not only the SB, but all aspects of the cranial sacral system and hence truly opening up the breathing cycle. This in turn improves some one's ability to reach out and take what is rightfully theirs in life. Five Element theory from Module 4(7) adds instantly to your practice, and helps you to grow in your understanding of life.

This is the time to embrace new challenges, including challenging ourselves to taking better care of bodies and spirits. So many people make New Year's resolutions that they break almost immediately - because it is the wrong time to make big changes.

Now is the time for new projects and dietary changes, as Spring is the time for new beginnings. What can you change this Spring? What can you reach for that is rightfully yours? Now is the time to embrace your self, others and new projects.

A BodyTalker walks into a Pizza Parlor

What did the BodyTalker say when she walked into the pizza parlor?

"Make me one with everything."

When the BodyTalker got the pizza, she gave the proprietor a $20 bill. The proprietor pocketed the bill.

The BodyTalker said "Don't I get change?"

The proprietor said, "Change must come from within."

In other words, many of us believe that we can go to someone else to buy our health/peace, but we must look within ourselves to see what needs changing in US, before we can TRULY heal!

HAPPY SPRING!!!!!!

Dawn

One Year

I have so much to write about concerning the ND Board of Massage meeting on Wednesday; the new clients on Friday; our unexpected guests on Sabbath; and the disappearing rock piles around here, but it will all have to wait. I had hoped to be able to get caught up to-date with my posting before this, but today I will write about my one year anniversary instead of any of those things. Please keep watching as I do need to share, at the VERY least, about the meeting with the massage board.

It was one year ago tonight (at 8:22) that my mother died. One of my friends said to her husband that night, "It is the best thing that has ever happened to Dawn!" I know that many people will gasp at that statement, but I guess that you would have had to have REALLY known my mother, to be able to grasp the truth in what was said about her.

My mother was one of the most selfish people that I've ever met. EVERYTHING HAD TO REVOLVE AROUND HER WISHES OR SHE'D POUT LIKE A TWO-YEAR-OLD! Perhaps you recall the grape video that I posted about her right after her death? If not, you can look it up under videos to try to understand what I'm saying here.

Truly, not once in the past year, have I missed my mother! I kept checking my heart to see if I REALLY missed her, but it was just some memory of wishing that she and I would be close that would surface. I cried for about 2 weeks after her death. Jacob asked me then, "Why are you crying when she was your biggest enemy?" I told him, "I guess it's the loss of hope that we'll be close someday that I grieve."

I did decide to mark this day with a blog post, though, because I WANT to believe that my mother left me with SOME good character traits in SOME way. Here are a few pictures of the treasures of hers I've inherited since her death, along with comments that I recall about things she said.

Perhaps you recall that I had my mom's expensive fur coats made into teddy bears for my children and I? I decided to post a picture of mine for those of you who have joined my blog since that time. The fur came from a leather coat she had and Martha made little vests for the boys' bears out of that coat too. Before my mother was rich, she was poor. That was when she taught me the art of recycling and making do with what you have. Thanks for this lesson, Mom!

About 2 months after mom's death, I finally agreed with dad's wishes to have me come and take away all of her clothes. I just couldn't stomach the thought before that. When I got to the back of the shelf in her closest, I discovered this box. Now, having watched THE CHRISTMAS BOX repeatedly (AND read the true story), I have been captivated with the idea of finding a treasure in a lovely, old box hidden away somewhere out of sight. When I found this box, I held my breath just KNOWING that there WAS a treasure inside. I WAS RIGHT!!!

The lovely, old box was filled with lovely, old handkerchiefs that my mom had neatly ironed and put away decades ago. I gave one to each of my children and then proceeded to use them WITHOUT ironing them in between. GASP!

I still recall asking Mom about 10 years ago, when I had just sewn my children all new handkerchiefs for Christmas gifts, "What ever made you give up using handkerchiefs, Mom?" I can still recall my stomach churning when she answered, "They were always full of snot." I suppose that some of you will find that funny, but I just cannot STOMACH anything vulgar like that! I can only think that, as my parent's bank account grew, my mother felt like she could afford to join the throw-away mentality which permeates our culture now. She and I never could come to terms with THAT difference in our thinking when one of my favorite books is THE TIGHTWAD GAZETTE! The ironed ones are the ones that she ironed and I haven't used yet. Maybe, someday, I'll take up ironing my handkerchiefs, but I don't think it will happen any time in the near future.

Here's another treasure that I inherited from my mother. My mother really did like to cook and this is a collection of her favorite recipes! I confess that I haven't spent much time looking in here until today. I just assumed that it was full of, "You open a can of this, and a box of that, and stir," as so many cooks do these days. In the bottom drawer I found a note on how to get tar out of clothing--USE PEANUT BUTTER! Perhaps I'll take a little more time today to honor my mother by studying her collection of recipes? Who knows, there may be a recipe to a childhood favorite? Thanks for teaching me how to cook, Mom!

As I think of my REAL treasures, though, I know that there is none so wonderful as my precious family!!!! Cora snapped this picture of Andrew and I yesterday before they left for a friend's home-school graduation. What would I be if I weren't a mother? What would I be if I hadn't learned to unselfishly teach my children year after year? What would I be if my mother hadn't given birth to me? changed my diapers? made me German strudels to fatten me up? .......

I close this post in honor of my 1 year of life without my mother with the words of my Uncle David at her funeral. Uncle David hugged me and said, "She wasn't perfect, Dawnie, but SHE WAS STILL YOUR MOTHER!" I couldn't say it better!

Although I am REALLY glad that she isn't harassing me anymore, and everyone has said repeatedly this year, "It is so much more peaceful without Grandma getting Mom worked up all the time," she was STILL MY MOTHER.

Somewhere back there, she must have shown me the value of love because I know that I certainly could NOT live without IT! Here's to love then--may it thrive upon the earth and fill homes with LOTS OF IRONED HANDKERCHIEFS, AND OTHER SUCH TIME-CONSUMING NICETIES, THAT PEOPLE REALLY APPRECIATE LATER ON!!!! Goodbye Mom--thanks for the ironed handkerchiefs!

Doing well,

Dawn

Glorious day

I am overjoyed tonight as it was such a glorious day for our family. First of all, Jacob and I went over to the Hazelton hay fields and re-stacked the bales into 2 stacks for the hay mover. I should say that Jacob re-stacked the bales while I did 2 sessions and caught a little snooze. Anyway, Robert just does NOT have time to move it but our friend, Ron, just delivered one of the stacks so that was great as Andrew fed up the last of the hay here this morning. I got all kinds of great pictures of Jacob, my youngest, stacking with the 9030 like a man.

Then Andrew came home with his first check from his grain cleaner--it was for over $2,000.

Then Cora came home with a piece of paper stating that she is now a CNA. She also brought home the traditional treat around here for BIG events--a 5 quart bucket of ice cream and a 2 liter bottle of root beer for root beer floats. Lastly she showed me the amount that the Nursing Home put into her account at the bank so she's feeling RICH!

I am praying that I will have such glorious success by tomorrow at this time. Please pray for the meeting with the Assistant Attorney General; the North Dakota Board of Massage; and all of the energy workers who show up. It starts at 9:00 tomorrow AM and goes until noon. I'll let you know how it turns out and post LOTS of pictures later.

REJOICING TONIGHT,

Dawn

Tagged again

Cora's blogging friend, Grace, sent me an email saying that she had just tagged me. I'm not sure if my opinion is all that important in these areas, but seeing as a blog is a chance to voice your opinion, I decided to do it.


#1- What song are you currently listening to a lot?
My new CD of piano solos called, "Piano Classics" by Aubrey Hilliard. It's wonderful!


#2- What books are you currently reading?
"The Bible" by God
"The Sedona Method" by Hale Dwoskin
"One Touch Healing" by Mildred Carter
"The Pearl Box," by Sylvia Rogers
Module 4/7 by Dr. John Veltheim

#3-Do you sing a lot?
I sing almost constantly without even realizing it. Before my mother died, she commented several times that I am like my grandmother in this.


#4-Sweet or salty?
I'm giving up the salt because it is not allowed on my Constitutional diet! I try to raise a sweet savor to the Lord constantly as did the incense in the temple of old.

#5-What is your favorite hobby?
playing piano duets with my beautiful daughter, Cora.


#6-What books have you read at least 3 times?
Except for the Bible, I am not able to recall time for such a luxury. However, I have watched the movies, "The Inheritance," "The Railway Children," and "Anne of Green Gables" at least that many times.

#7-What sites do you always visit when you get on the Internet?
Mine and my children's blogs; and South Central Grain where we find our local weather forecasts

#8-What was the last things you bought?
new socks for Cora


#9- What do you get the most bothered by?
When people don't take my good advice.

#10-Favorite earliest memory?
Being an angel in the Christmas program.


#11-What do you do to change your mood?
Begin praising God and soon the gloomies leave.

#12-What was the last meal you ate?
baby carrots; rice and sausage casserole; goat's milk; and chocolate cake.


#13-Do you want to learn another language?
Some day I would like to learn Hebrew, but it is not very high on my list of priorities at this time

#14-Five things you can’t live without
1. God's forgiveness
2. A quiet place to get away to
3. Growing plants and raising animals
4. Communion with fellow believers
5. Air

#15- Find the closest book to you, and flip to page 54.what is the first sentence in the 2nd paragraph?
"God is willing to be your shield and protector when you have times of unhealthy fear so that you can be comforted and return to a state of peace.

#16-What is something you would like to say right now?
I wish that everyone on the earth would learn the joy of resting on the Sabbath--the seventh day of the week

#17-What are you looking forward to?
I can hardly wait until it's warm enough to plant my potatoes and onions!

#18-Tag 8 bloggers that you would like to learn more about.
Well, I'll just say that I would love to hear from ALL of you readers. If you have the desire to let others know your answers to these questions, just copy this onto your blog and insert your answers. Please send me a comment to let me know that you did the tag and I'll come over to your place and read your thoughts. Until then, it's time to get out to the barn.

Have a great week everyone,

Dawn

Tagging calves

THERE IS SOMETHING THAT I ABSOLUTELY HATE ABOUT THIS TIME OF YEAR! It's called, "Tagging calves." In order to identify a pair out on the open range all Summer, the calf must receive an ear tag bearing it's mother's number in one of it's ears. Now, a brand new baby calf doesn't much care, but a mother who has just pushed out it's beloved is another matter.

Earlier this week, when Cora and Andrew were both at work, it fell to me to go and help Robert tag the 6 new calves that were born that day. The first one we did was just a little huffy and I didn't mind it too much when Robert yelled that I get up in front of him with the baseball bat to protect him from her. She didn't really seem all that mad when I was behind Robert, but when I got out in front of him, I could see that she was not in love with him grabbing her baby and wrestling with it to get the tag in it's ear.

The second one, I got out in front of him right away because I could see that indeed was MY place to be as the protector of the tagger. This one backed off as soon as she saw the baseball bat and heard my growl--as much as a woman of 52 can growl.

The third one was another matter. She was snorting and pawing the ground. I shook the bat at her and whacked it down to show her that I would do that to her head if she came any closer. Now, if you have ever been in a showdown with a 1,000 + pound animal 5 feet away who is determined to get past you to her precious baby, you will know the real meaning of fear.

I kept gulping and hoping that Robert would say that the calf was tagged and I could get out of the way between the mother and the calf, but it was a little bit feisty and it took awhile. In the meantime, the mother came closer and closer to us and pawed the ground something awful. I was frozen to the spot, remembering getting trampled by that heifer last year, when suddenly a cry came out of my throat, "HELP US, LORD!"

At that exact second an angel came to our help, as I literally saw the large beast pushed to the side about 100 feet. She was so stunned that she lost all of her steam and just stood there shaking her head trying to figure out what had happened. PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS PROTECTION AND PROVISION OF SAFETY!!!

Just moments later, Robert said that the tag was in the ear and that I could back out of there. He looked up then, and saw the cow gone, and was amazed that she had given up so easily. I guess you would have had to have seen it to believe it. Thank you, God!

Well, the next cow we outsmarted. She went into the corner of the fence line and Robert cut her off from her calf with the RAM. I opened the door on my side and poked the bat out at her. This distracted her enough so that Robert could get out the driver's side and tag the calf--piece of cake. I knew that if she would take a wild notion towards me, I'd just slam the door shut and she could bang her old head into the side of the vehicle. If she would decide to run around the RAM, I'd let Robert know in time and he could jump inside before she got around to plaster his hide.

To think that I've been doing this for 30 years with this man and so far we've never lost any skin. Once we got close. About 10 years ago, I felt led to take the pitchfork with me as we walked up the hill to the cattle at the other farm we were at before we bought this place. The cows were eating the bales that Robert had put on top of the trailer.

One new calf stood beside it's mama at the end of the trailer. Being we had walked up the hill, instead of taking a vehicle, the cow hadn't heard our approach as it was a very windy day. Robert sneaked up on the calf and almost had the tag in it's ear, when it let out a terrible beller. The mother came unglued and turned on Robert.

This took Robert by surprise and he put it in reverse something fast. This cow meant business. When Robert backed up, he tripped over a frozen chunk of manure and fell down. As I came out of shock, I realized that this cow was going to trample my husband into the ground. She had her head lowered, and definitely had the edge on him, and I saw myself a widow.

Then suddenly I remembered that I had the pitch fork in my hand. I raised it over my head and with every ounce of strength I had, just as she grunted her intent to kill, I whacked her on the head from the side. THUNK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Robert got up quickly, as the cow staggered from the blow, and we ran down the hill together breathless. How I praised God that day that I had followed my intuition and took that pitchfork up the hill with me although I had never done it before. Now, I've traded weapons for a baseball bat, as it's less likely to poke ME than a pitchfork would in the heat of battle.

Back to Thursday. The 5th cow was an oldy but goody. We got her walking away and by the time she turned around, it was all done. Why couldn't they all be that way?

Cow number 6 fell for the same trick we used on #4. We got her to go past the old school bus (which is used for a calf shelter) and the calf stayed between the bus and the barn. Robert was pretty much in an island as he tagged her. I kept the cow entertained by hanging my bat out of the RAM door. If she had decided to run around the vehicle and the bus, Robert would have jumped into the vehicle and been safe--of course the calf would have remained untagged. My role as distracter, then, is a vital role in the whole process. Sometimes it's down-right deadly and sometimes just scary--at any rate, it is the one thing about Spring which is down-right awful!

Sometimes the calves must remain untagged until a time when the mother isn't in such a murderous mood. Usually at the next feeding, we will watch for her to be off eating and then tag the calf. Sometimes the calf must go untagged because we come out when the mother is already eating, and we don't know who she is, so we can't give the tag her number.

Right now we're feeding one in the barn who was calf #7 the day I was out with Robert. We just could not figure out who the mother was. Robert was playing with it TRYING to get it to beller so that the mother would come, but nothing happened. That was really weird.

Since then Robert has been taking a bottle out to supplement it's milk supply, hoping that the mother would show up. Finally 2 days later, they brought the calf in as no mother had claimed it yet. Sometimes a dead cow might show up then, but nothing like that has happened, so that goes to show that a weakly mothering instinct is no good either.

So now this morning after Jacob and I milked the goats, I found Cora very upset as she had just had an experience similar to the one that I had with the "Angel" cow on Thursday. I offered to go back out with her and Andrew to try again, but she preferred Jacob, who can move faster than me. This left me to come in here and see what I could do to help energetically.

I prayed for wisdom to know what to do to help my children to be safe. The first thing that I had to do was cortices to all of the cows who would have their calves tagged today--there were 4 of them so far. Then I got the Reiki going to protect my children. Also the children needed Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to help them release the negative energies associated with other such situations in the past. This really helped ME too. Lastly, I had this wonderful thought, "I wonder if WRITING about tagging calves will help me to get rid of some of this built up stress at the thought of my children being out there facing mad mamas?" Hence, this blog post.

I decided to include a picture of a cow-calf pair that we had to get in the barn as she needed help and we ended up pulling the calf. Getting a cow into a barn, while she is in the middle of a difficult labor, is probably a topic that deserves it's own post, so I'll just say that I pray a LOT when this needs to be done too. It's worth it, though, when the calf is alive and we can see them happily bonding through the nursing process. It's another thing when, after 9 months of pregnancy and all of that work, the calf is dead as happened with one of Cora's cows about a month ago. It gets pretty gloomy around here then.

Mostly I started writing this to get rid of some steam while my children were out tagging calves. However, now they have come in all smiles at their success; they've taken their showers; and are eager for lunch. I guess that means that I'd best close this post about the hazards of tagging calves. If you happen to think of the farmer/ranchers at this time of year, I'm sure that there's not a one who wouldn't appreciate prayers for safety as they're out facing very protective mamas in the process of tagging calves.

SABBATH BLESSINGS TO ALL,

Dawn--the protector of the calf tagger

Search for joy

It's been a great day today, except for one highly critical email which I received this morning. For awhile it got me down and then I decided to release it. Now tonight, I received this forward from a friend and client. This picture just made my day.
Life is like this, isn't it? How many times I have sat and moaned about the torrent on my head when I could have relaxed a bit and splashed in the shower. It just goes to show that joy IS all around us. Some days we just need to search for it a little bit harder than other days.
I wish you joy--even if you have to search for it under a waterfall!
Dawn

A MIRACLE

Yesterday Robert came into the house with a GIANT grin on his face. Jacob and I had seen the Railroad pickup pull into the yard and Jacob had sent the man down to the Quonset where Robert was working on Andrew's grain cleaner.

Robert joyfully announced, "I think that we got rid of our rock piles!"

My heart skipped a beat for joy and then asked cautiously, "What do you mean?"

Robert laughed, "That man was from the railroad and they DESPERATELY need rocks for rip-rapping across Goose Lake."

Then he told us the details that the lake has risen and isn't safe to cross. The closest farmer who still had unburied rock piles wanted money for his, so they kept looking. Robert told the man that they can have all of the rocks they want with one stipulation--they MUST take ALL of the rocks.

The man told him that they didn't need all of them right now, but he figured they could find a place to stock pile the extras. You see, we don't want them on our property with their big equipment making a mess of our alfalfa fields more than once. They need to come in; take all of the rocks; and then get off so that the alfalfa can come back as much as possible.

Robert told him that he was thinking of burying them this Fall. He said, "Don't you bury those rocks," and they laughed together.

Rock piles are a pain to all farmers as they must be gone around, which takes time and slows you down. Also, it's almost impossible not to get caught up on at least one rock pile per field and then that damages equipment which costs $ to fix.

To the organic farmer, though, they're an even bigger pain. Weeds grow there as no tillage is possible on a rock pile (Jacob would say DA) and, of course, we don't spray. It WILL BE SOOOOOOOOO WONDERFUL TO GET RID OF THIS NUISANCE!!!

Well, the man left yesterday saying that he'd see what could be done about getting rid of ALL of the rocks. He just returned and said that it's a GO. I guess there is a train over by Braddock which they will not allow to pass through Goose Lake with the water level so high on the track. Last Spring one of their trains derailed there, so they're not taking that risk again. You may recall the post I wrote about that with pictures of our menfolk down by the spilt corn on the tracks near Kintyre. Anyway, THEY NEED ROCKS NOW

Robert said, "Go at it" so the man was going to call the boss and have him send the equipment down to our farm TODAY. We are thrilled that it will be so soon as at first he thought it may not be done for a month yet. Well, we need to get into some of those fields to seed them long before a month and they won't be allowed onto the fields after they are seeded.

This is a WIN-WIN situation, so we're all happy here. It would take us a lot of time and expense to bury those rocks. That's why it hasn't been done yet but now the good Lord has kept us from having to stick our energy and money into burying them. PRAISE THE LORD!!! This is a total miracle and we are sooooooooooooooooooooooo happy!!! GOOD JOB, GOD!!!!!

Keep your eyes posted on all of our blogs for pictures of the big railroad equipment working in our fields. It should be on it's very slow way as I write.

Later,

Dawn

Life is so precious!!!

I've received this Erma Bombeck forward several times before, but it REALLY hit me hard this morning. You see, there is a friend of mine who is dying of cancer. I offered her BodyTalk sessions for free because, when I was so ill in '06 AND we had the drought, their family blessed us in a very special way. I want them to know that I would LOVE to help her through BT, in return for their gesture of friendship when WE were going through such a hard time.

It is hard to sit and wait for a reply to my offer for I know that the BodyTalk skills that I now have MAY save her life. Also, I have several herbal/natural remedies which I would be happy to suggest that I USED WHEN I HAD CANCER!

These herbal remedies saved my life repeatedly, when I was dealing with what she is dealing with, but my hands are tied. Although I know the power of prayer, for me I've always had to DO something in addition to praying in order to conquer illness. At different times I've used wormwood, cloves, & black walnut tincture; Essiac tea; onion poultices; BT & Reiki; Tahitian Noni Juice IN ADDITION TO PRAYER!

This is very hard for me having grown up knowing the power of prayer. But prayer can move us to get in the boat or helicopter that God sends for us to rescue us from death! I pray then, for this woman on her deathbed, to step into the boat or helicopter that the Lord sends for her to step into. If that boat or helicopter is death, then I will pray for myself to accept it. In fact, I'm feeling an IMMENSE need for the Serenity prayer right now, so I'll share it with you as I say it to comfort myself.

GOD GRANT ME THE SERENITY TO ACCEPT THE THINGS THAT I CANNOT CHANGE;
THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THINGS I CAN;
AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!

Now I share Erma Bombeck's words in light of the fact which I am trying VERY properly to share which is: I ABSOLUTELY LOATH THE WAY THAT MANY AMERICANS RUN TO THE DOCTOR TO TRY TO BUY THEIR HEALTH--EVEN TO THE POINT OF DYING WITHOUT TRYING ANY OF GOD'S NATURAL REMEDIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There, now I've said it. Are you shocked???????????

The only thing I'd change in the forward is the comment about buying nothing for it's practical purposes. My goodness, some people must be RICH or something. I'd rephrase that thought to be something like, "I'd never buy anything that I didn't need, because that is poor stewardship when there are so many hurting ones in the world that I could be bless with my money instead."

So, I leave you dear readers, to ponder the words of a dying woman. Keep in mind that I was a dying woman once too (only 3 years ago). Maybe it was the German in me; maybe the desire to TRULY make a difference in the world; maybe it's that I didn't want to leave my children motherless like the family I'd just met then; maybe it was all 3, plus a whole lot more factors involved, but I wasn't so willing to just lay down and die as some people seem to be.

When God said, "We're doing Bee Venom Therapy," do you think I was all excited and overjoyed? NO-- but I lay my head down on the pillow for a whole year and let Cora sting me with 5 living, humming, buzzing, screaming BEES EVERY DAY because I wanted to keep living!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And then God blessed me with BodyTalk--not even a single skin break required--and I fell in love with it AND with Him for giving it to me.

I just cannot imagine ANYONE (especially a believer in the God of healing) not turning over EVERY leaf, stump, rock, email, website ........... to try to find a way to keep living! I just cannot imagine being so complacent, when the Doctor tells you that you're dying, that you just LAY THERE AND TAKE IT WITHOUT EVEN PUTTING UP A FIGHT!!!!!

Thanks for listening, dear friends! I had no idea that it was time for all of THAT to come out this morning. It's just that, if I have to listen to one more obituary that may have been have been prevented, I don't know what I'll do. OH GOD, HELP ME TO ACCEPT PEOPLE'S RIGHTS TO DO NOTHING THAT THE DOCTOR HASN'T ORDERED TO TRY TO SAVE THEIR LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!

I covet your prayers in this matter!

Dawn

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER
- by Erma Bombeck (written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains. I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.'

There would have been more 'I love you's' More 'I'm sorry's.'

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute; look at it; and really see it . . live it and never give it back.

STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what. Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.

AND I ADD: AND LET'S BE WILLING TO FOLLOW GOD WHEREVER HE LEADS US!!!!

How can I say, "Thanks?"

Last night was awful!!!! My face was getting more and more swollen by the hour! My brain seemed to be shutting down, as I just could NOT think. I got scared and wrote to my BodyTalk practitioner, Elizabeth, "Reiki please." I kept praying for help to do a BodyTalk session for myself, but all I could think to do was cortices over and over. Finally I got my brain together enough to think that I needed to do something to help my circulation. I took cayenne pepper tincture then, which works miracles for ALL circulation problems.

My brain started to pull together a bit and I relaxed on the couch for a few hours. Then, about 1:00 AM, I woke up in terrible pain and realized that I had forgotten to take my pain meds for the tooth extraction. Just walking was painful, but I forced myself to take one step at a time over to the counter to get my "FIX". My head was still swollen so I did Fast Aid to the mouth and all of the reciprocals that are on the head. I slept a little then until 3:30 when I woke up dying of thirst.

I noticed, as I went to the sink for some water, that my head wasn't quite as swollen as it had been before at 1:00. I thought, "Thanks for the Reiki, Elizabeth," and I praised the Lord for a friend who knew how to help someone even in critical situations. I slept until 6:30 then--WOW.
I even went out to the barn this morning, as Cora needed extra sleep before she went in for Day 3 of her training. I was VERY weak and woozy but VERY glad that the swelling was going down in my head.

After chores this morning, I found an email which Elizabeth had written late last night--or I should say, "Early this morning." That was when I understood why my head had gotten worse yesterday instead of better like I had expected. I was reacting to something that was in the injection that they used to deaden my mouth. That's why my whole head was swelling up and I needed Body Chemistry to that chemical plus a lot of cortices.

You KNOW someone is a true friend when they do a session for you in the middle of the night after a busy day. May God richly bless my friend and fellow BodyTalker, Elizabeth Hanson!

Now I am even MORE committed to continue learning all of the techniques that Elizabeth knows so that I can help people in EVERY situation that comes along. I press on to the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus.

As Sabbath draws on, I rejoice that my head is far less swollen and I can even smile a little bit. It looks as though the worst is over and I rejoice that our whole family will be home for Sabbath tomorrow. There are no moves to be made; no hay to be hauled; no grain to be cleaned; no house to be polished; no feast to be made.... OOPS that reminds me, I need to clean the bathroom yet so I close with well wishes for a joyous Sabbath to all AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

SWOLLEN

PLEASE PRAY FOR ME TONIGHT!!! I did NOT sleep well last night, as the pain was intense. It was a different kind of pain than the night before. It wasn't the raw nerve pain of that old tooth, but it was the pain of someone digging in my mouth and pulling out that old tooth.

Today I've been resting; drugging myself; and doing a few BT sessions from my bed. Now the swelling has gone up into my ear and that hurts too. I took this delightful picture so that you can see the swelling on the side of my face. I tried to smile, but it just hurt too much. WHY, OH WHY DID I EVER EAT ALL OF THAT SUGAR THAT ROTTED OUT THE OLD THING IN THE FIRST PLACE???????????????????

To the whirlpool,

Dawn

It's out!

I haven't liked to complain about this tooth business because I do NOT want this space in cyber to become habitually negative. Here's the story in a nutshell. About 2 years ago, my left, upper bicuspid broke out HALF WAY. Funds being short from the drought (AGAIN), I just kept putting clove oil on it whenever it would smart a bit.

Well, on Monday when Jacob and I were in Eureka, we were working out in the yard getting the shoots to graft unto our crab apple trees here. Cora said that we were going on an Appleseed Shoot (think about it). :) Anyway, we were hungry when we were done so, being the house is just as mom left it almost a year ago, we rummaged through the cupboards.

There was a box of very old and VERY HARD black licorice on the lazy susan so we grabbed it and took off. Half the way home we were sucking on that hard licorice and chewing it when it was soft enough.

Well, it turns out that this was NOT very smart as it took off the scab that my tooth had formed to protect itself. Now I was down to RAW NERVES. Last night it hurt so bad I almost screamed half the night as I walked the floor and tried to find something strong enough to put out the stabbing pain on the left side of my face. The only thing that worked long enough for me to sleep 2 whole hours straight was cayenne pepper tincture.

This morning I called around Bismarck to find ANY dentist who would see me. I found the Prairie Rose Dentist office had an opening at 11:00. The only trouble is that it was then 9:35. I said that I'd try to make it and went as quickly as I could considering that every move caused dreadful pain.

Well, don't tell on me, but I pushed 90 on the way up to Steele and then cooled it to 80 on the interstate. Jacob and I pulled up in front of the office at 10:57. I moaned all the way up as every bump was excruciatingly painful.

Get this, the dentist who saw me was DR. KING!!! I bet his name takes him places. He said that we were right that it needed to be extracted. He gave me a prescription for an anti-biotic and for a pain reliever.

JOY OF JOYS! They said that they'd take out the old bugger and I waited all of 10 minutes for them to take me in to be numbed. Now, I'm not crazy about shots in my face but the bliss of no pain in that tooth was WONDERFUL.

Dr. Quinn was very quick and the misery only lasted about 3 minutes. Then he said that I'd done a good job and he was out of there. The nurse was great too and reviewed all my post-0p orders. I was glad that it was written down as I was soooooooooooooooooo tired after little sleep last night and the anesthetic.

So IT'S OUT!!! Praise the Lord for getting me to the place I needed to be so that this problem could be taken care of once and for all. Of course, now I have a hole in my mouth, but that sure beats half a tooth that aches half the time. Now was that so bad, Dawn? :)

Thanks again for your prayers for my health. I've always known that the day would come when I'd be getting the mercury out of my mouth. I needed to be strong enough first, though, so I'm wondering now if the Lord is saying, "It's time to start that dreaded process." One day at a time!

Here's a hug. No smiles because my mouth hurts too much for that yet but hugs are nice too!

Sleep well and listen for my snoring,

Dawn

Moving Day

Yesterday we spent the afternoon helping Robert's parents move into this building called Library Square in Mandan, ND. This was after we got the chores done; the bull chased in; the new calves tagged; lunch eaten; and church finished on our one hour trip up there.

Here our family is ready to go to work. The snow was melting like mad and Andrew enjoyed standing in the little stream that was rushing down the gutters.

It ended up that we weren't able to get into the building. When we tried calling my in-laws on the intercom, the message we received was that the number was disconnected. The office didn't answer, as it was the weekend, and neither Robert nor I had my in-law's cell numbers in our cell phones. Here I sat and did my cortices instead of getting upset. We went back to the car and rested while waiting for someone from the family to come and let us in. It ended up being Uncle Yatsin who rescued us and put us to work. :)

This is a view from their living room window down to the street. Their apartment # is 405 and it really is quite nice.

This is the nice window in the living room. The plants just settled right in. :)

Being we had had a busy morning, we weren't there right away. As a result, most of the large furniture had already been brought up by Robert's 2 brothers and their families. With us, there were 15 people hauling stuff in to the apartment and trying to help find new homes for things.

This is Robert's brother, Barry; his other brother's wife, Bev; his Aunt Donna (a fellow BodyTalker); and his mom kneeling down.

The very first job I had was unloading the coolers into the freezer and refrigerator. Marly had said, "Just put whatever meat doesn't fit into one cooler and we'll take it over to Verna's." Verna is Earl's sister who lives up there. Later, when she asked me how much was left out, I told her that I got it all in. She was so amazed and I asked her, "Do I get a prize now?" Everyone laughed. I guess that I must have learned something about packing after having lived with Robert for 30 years--he is a GREAT packer.

Anyway, Robert snapped this picture of me while I was on the floor unpacking the coolers and trying to figure out how Marly would want her refrigerator arranged. I hope that she can find everything that she needs sometime this week. :)

We women went to work putting things away while the men continued bringing in the rest of the furniture and boxes. This is my niece, Darby, who came with her dad, Barry, all the way from Aberdeen, SD to help with the unpacking. Darby has always been a special person to me, so it was nice to get to see her for a LITTLE while.

Question: How many Germans does it take to hang a shower curtain?

When I asked this question, Marly, Donna, & Bev all cracked up and I said, "THREE."

Then they turned it around and said, "Four because one of them has to take the picture." :)

What a gorgeous bathroom Earl and Marly have now. We could fit 3 of ours in theirs. I told Marly (my mother-in-law) that I'm trying hard not to covet her bathroom, but she just chuckled.

Here my brother-in-law, Ron, and his son, Jason, were bringing in the brand new hutch. Marly's hutch in the Eureka house was built in so she needed a place to keep her special glassware.

Robert helped move it to it's final location. I wondered why he was standing in the corner. :) For

over 30 years now, I have loved the twinkle in his hazel, mischievous eyes.

Jacob was the official doorman while the last of the boxes and stuff was carried in. Then I put him to work with his Gerber cutting the tape on ALL of the boxes so that we could start to unpack them. He helped with other things like putting Grandma's spices turntables back together again. Here Andrew dropped in to see if he needed any help and Aunt Donna seems intent on making sure that it's done right. :)
Cora's big job, (I helped a little too when I wasn't' doing other things) was to cut the shelf liner and fit it into ALL of the cabinets and drawers. She worked at it most of the afternoon. If you notice her hair clip, it was in the box of old jewelry that we inherited last week when we were down in Eureka helping to thin out Earl and Marly's STUFF. It looked so lovely in her gorgeous, auburn hair.

After Cora got the shelf liner in, we ladies started putting things in the drawers. I'm not sure why, but I just love pretty towels. I was glad that this job fell to me. Of course, just as I sat down on the floor (my head still hurts if I look down too long), Robert said, "Dawn, can you move?"

Andrew and Robert were asked to get the desk out of the way. The trouble was that I was in THEIR way. Lots of that went on around there yesterday.

FINALLY all of the big furniture was in place; most of the boxes were in their proper rooms for emptying later; and we realized that we were HUNGRY. When we ladies were getting supper ready, Cora realized that the microwave didn't work. She tried; I tried; Bev tried; ANDREW EVEN TRIED, but we could not get it to start up. At supper, the men were teasing Earl that at least he doesn't have to pay for the repairs to it. I can see where that will be a blessing to him, as he begins dialysis this week, and that is enough for anyone to have to deal with. Truthfully, he did not look well at all yesterday so we are all relieved that the move is complete and they can start to focus on his health care needs. How I long to help him with BodyTalk, but he is not willing, and I am learning to accept it.

After supper, it was decided that the hutch needed to be moved just a tad to the right--no that was 2 tads, so now 1 tad to the left--goodness no, that was a Tish to much so back to the right again just a hair or two. GOOD--right there, but OH it's still not right. What can the matter be now. I'VE GOT IT--IT'S NOT LEVEL!!!!!

That was when we all suddenly realized that it was time for the Robert Bornemann family to head home for chores. Here Andrew was telling his Grandma Marly "It was nothing," when we all know that we could never have gotten all that we got done without his help. All 15 of us children and grandchildren were working ALMOST constantly so all who helped deserve a big round of applause--look for that at the end of this post.

Here the group was STILL trying to decide how to right the hutch. Earl is seated. Cora, Marly, Donna and her husband, Yatsin are all involved in the debate.

Here "My" Robert is checking with his precious mother if "All is well." How could she not be pleased with her family who all pulled together so beautifully to make the move possible. Still, all of us knew that the reason for the move is so that her husband can begin kidney dialysis. Just know that ALL of us would appreciate soooooooo much if you would cover them both with your prayers this week. Making all of the arrangements was a big stress and now the dialysis lies before them. I pray that God will bless you all richly who uphold our family and extended families in your prayers!

Here are the names of the family members who helped with the move. I'm starting with Robert's oldest brother, Barry, as he is the oldest. He brought his second daughter, Darby, and she brought her husband, Justin all the way from Aberdeen, SD. It must have been close to a 4 hour drive for them--ONE WAY! That was 3 movers.

The Robert brought me and our 3 children so that made 8 movers.

Robert's youngest brother, Ron, was their with his wife, Bev. Their children, Jason and Valarie, were there. Val's friend, Adam, helped too and they all came from Fargo. With this family we had 5 more movers so that made 13 people helping.

Then Marly's youngest sister, Donna, came and brought her husband, Yatsin. They live in Center, ND which is about half an hour NorthWest of Bismarck. They've been close friends with Earl and Marly for decades so it was great that they will be closer together now. With Yatsin and Donna, we had FIFTEEN movers yesterday.

It was so nice to see how everyone pulled together. Once I was in the elevator with these people whom I hardly ever see. I knew that we'd be in there at least 5 minutes so I looked around for something to talk about. I noticed that there was a little bulletin board on the back wall of the elevator.

I said, "Do you suppose we should leave them a note on this bulletin board so that it doesn't look so bare?"

They looked at it but didn't say anything so I was still in the hot seat.

I said, "Maybe we could say, 'Your elevator is soooo slow."

Then everyone cracked up and my nephew, Jason said, "When I was holding some of those heavy boxes, I was very glad for the rest that I got in here."

I laughed and the ice was broken. The young men proceeded to tell Cora and I how they shoved the king size mattress in the elevator and tried to fit themselves in with it too. All too soon, the elevator opened and we ushered out of it and went back to work.

OH THAT FAMILIES WOULD HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER AGAIN, LIKE THEY DID IN THE "GOOD OLD DAYS"! I WONDER WHAT MIRACLES WOULD HAPPEN THEN???

Well, I'm tired so I'm going to rest. I just wanted you all to see the apartment that we'll be going to now when we go to see Robert's parents. I just "LOVED" the French doors but had to comment to Darby that I wondered why they put them on the GUEST BEDROOM. I mean I love seeing through French doors, but most people prefer to get dressed in a bedroom with doors that you CAN'T see through. :)

Thanks for your prayers! May God bless you richly for coming here and checking up on me from time to time. It is so nice to know that there still are a few people in the world who haven't forgotten me after I dropped out of society nearly 4 years ago to try to recover my health. I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Spring,

Dawn

PS. I counted 32 tulips out of the ground this morning! We planted 100 last Fall so Cora and I keep checking every day now that the flower bed is no longer covered in SNOW!

Prayer requests & Praises

Hi everyone,
I have much to do in the little time left before Sabbath starts at dark, but I REALLY need prayer, so I'll be brief.

First of all, this prayer request is for our friends, Tim & Louisa, who gave birth yesterday morning. There were 2 baby boys and BOTH WERE DEAD!!! This was their first pregnancy so PLEASE keep them in your prayers as it was a BIG shock to them.

Secondly, we are moving Robert's folks to Mandan tomorrow. We are calving now, in the slop, so we need to leave Andrew at home to keep an eye on the cows/calves. So far we've been able to keep them all alive, but what we really need is some sunshine. Please pray for a safe move for them and safe calving.

Lastly I have a praise that I've had a breakthrough with my finger. It's been 4 months since this fungus attack on my immunity began. I will write soon of all that I've learned through this, but will just say that FINALLY on Wednesday, as Cora drove me to Bismarck, the virus came up in my BodyTalk session for the immune system to attack. Yesterday the swelling was down and there was a tiny amount of healthy skin showing. PRAISE THE LORD--I THINK THAT THE WORST IS OVER.

Another praise is that I just talked to my dad and it sounds as though there may be a buyer for his house in Eureka. That would be so awesome if things went quickly. Their house has a gorgeous view of the lake so I imagine it won't take long to fill it with a new family. Only trouble is that I'm having a hard time dealing with the thought of someone else living in the place where I lived the first 22 years of my life.

I covet your prayers as I move through all of the shifting sand around me. I am sooooo glad that I've built on the solid rock who never fails!!!

Sabbath hugs and blessings to all,

Dawn