Joys of life

These are the joys of life that NO TYRANT can take away from me! Of course there are many more than these five, but these are the ones that I have pictures of at the moment.

Welcoming a new animal into my life....

Watching animals interact with each other.....

Spending time with my husband of 29 years....

Wearing mother-daughter dresses--or jumpers in this case...

Playing piano duets with Cora Beth....

AND writing on my blog......

At least no tyrant has tried to take these from me yet. JUST LET THEM TRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Worse than I thought at first

Today was wonderful and terrible all at the same time. It was wonderful to have lunch with a lot of alternative health care practitioners at the hotel and feel what it was like to be a part of a group of healers. I've spent most of my life alone and have, most of the time, felt alone. However, today I was a member of a group that I can honestly say that I am proud to be a part of. That was the wonderful part.

The terrible part came at the capitol, when I got more of the details about what we are facing. To be honest, it is worse than I thought at first. Several Reiki practitioners in the Dickinson area have actually had the police interrupt their sessions. The police officers had massage therapists with them who made them do their work under close scrutiny to see if there were any massage techniques in use. THIS IS IN AMERICA, FOLKS!!! IN FACT, THIS IS IN NORTH DAKOTA!

There were about 30 people in the very small room. I was very proud of everyone who spoke up for themselves! I had no idea whether or not I would speak as I prefer to let Elizabeth represent us BodyTalkers. She's been in BodyTalk for 7 years and I only 2 1/2 years . However, towards the end of the meeting, Elizabeth turned towards me and asked me quietly if I had something to say. DID I!!!!!!!!

Elizabeth had said in her testimony that, through BodyTalk, she had been able to save several people's lives who were in the room. When I spoke then, I shared that I was one of the people that she had saved. I told briefly how I'd had shingles on my brain and almost died in 2006. I shared how I'd had almost 750 beestings in my head to try to keep living. I also said that I now work with others, some who are very ill, and that we NEED BodyTalk to be available to the people of North Dakota. I said that I happen to resent the massage board for thinking that they can try to keep me from helping others. This was a common viewpoint amongst all of us practitioners from every modality there--I think there were 5 modalities represented.

We all agreed that the Massage Therapy board MUST print a rebuttal in EVERY newspaper in the state and apologize to all of us!!! Elizabeth said that 2 certified BT practitioners in the state have decided not to do BT until they feel that it is safe to do so again. It's up to each practitioner to decide whether or not they want to take the risk as there is a $25,000 fine attached here. THIS IS CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What we need now is for all of you who have had BodyTalk sessions, to sign a form that states that you know that I was NOT doing massage on you when I worked on you. If you are willing to do that, please send me an email here: savedbybodytalk@gmail.com. I'll email you the form and you can send it back to me. I'm collecting these forms and will send them in together, along with my personal story of how BT saved my life. They will all get sent to the massage therapy board. One of the Core Synchronism people said today that many of her clients were a bit upset about this whole deal. They made comments about the massage board thinking that they're pretty stupid if they don't know the difference between a massage and a Core treatment. I could say the same thing about BT sessions. All of my clients would be deeply disappointed if they had thought I could give them a massage!

I asked Elizabeth how she will proceed with her business in light of this threat. She said that she is in the process of revising her consent forms. She'll include something about BT not being massage and her not being a massage therapist on the new forms. I guess I'll do that too. This means that I will need to have all of you resign consent forms the next time that you come in for your session. I apologize for any hassles here but it looks as though we need to take this extra precaution because SOME people want to rule the world. ): By the way, that's why I picked this picture. It's a little poke to those who think that they're so high and mighty that they just tower above everybody else.

Well, I am tired now and I have an hour and a half until most of my family gets home, so I'm going to rest a bit. The family went up north to look at another grain cleaner for Andrew to start cleaning with. After they decided to buy it, they went to the Bartlett's farm for a short visit. They left Andrew there for the weekend, so he is elated. This means extra work for me tonight at chores so I'd best get a little bit more energy before I need to do that.

Thank you to all of you who were praying for the Lord to protect us today. Actually, we don't know anything yet as the Assistant Attorney General (a very nice man) was merely collecting our thoughts. They will be passed on to to the massage board which should make some ears a bit red.

He asked us if we would be willing to meet with the massage board soon, in a bigger room, to discuss all of this. EVERYONE AGREED THAT WE'D DO THAT but that means more stress while we wait and another day at the capitol. The state's attorney told us after the meeting was over, that hardly ever do people attend these meetings and here we packed the room. I told him that he had hit on a nerve. He said that he had noticed. We all laughed because it isn't HIS fault--poor guy!

Well, I wish you all a blessed Sabbath rest. I miss my whistling boy already. Cora is bringing something home, though, that may help with the empty house syndrome. You'll want to check her post late tonight as I doubt very sincerely that she'll be able to sleep without writing about it.

Weary,

Dawn

PS. One awesome bit of news is that I picked up my courage when Bel and Tone-Lise, fellow BodyTalk practitioners, said that they were going to climb the stairs up to the 17th floor to get a little exercise. Bel and I both (we're both in our 50s) had to stop every couple of floors to pant, but we MADE IT TO THE TOP. Then we enjoyed the view together and went down one story to the meeting room. I just hope that my legs aren't stiff tomorrow. :) Thanks for your patience Tone-Lise--you're in GREAT shape!!!!!!!!!!!

Threatened

Dear friends,

I have been burdened of late and have not written until I could hopefully have some good news to share. You see, over a week ago we learned that the North Dakota Message Board has decided to throw it's weight around. Further, it decided to throw it's weight around in MY direction. It seems that someone on their board has a personal grudge against someone in another energy modality. This person wrote a rather ugly article which the Dickinson Press published. Here are a few of the details.

It seems that this particular massage therapist (I have several friends who are massage therapists and I'm happy of it) took it upon herself to try to stop EVERY energy modality out there. She stated that people who do Reiki, Core Synchronization, Healing Touch etc (BodyTalk falls under the etc.) ARE practicing massage therapy without a license to do so.

There are a few of our techniques which involve rubbing on the skin but we are doing BodyTalk and not massage. Our intention is to normalize stress levels in the body or to move their lymph. We were taught to ask if we are to do the rubbing or if the client is to do so and to act accordingly. This is how I know that I have not ever offended a single one of my clients by touching them if they minded. Further there are no complaints against any BodyTalk or Reiki practitioner from anyone in the state.

Communication attempts have been made on our part, but the massage therapy board is still taking it's complaint to the Assistant Attorney General's office tomorrow at 3:00. Well, what are we to do?

The meeting is open to the public, so many of our practitioners are planning on attending. As I am also a Reiki Master/Teacher this affects me on both accounts. Elizabeth will be representing us as BodyTalk practitioners and the other modalities are also having their leaders speak out about how we are NOT doing massage therapy.

I'm asking all of you to pray that the people listening to the "Evidence" will have clear minds and will listen to ALL of the thoughts presented. Further, if you could pray for me to trust the Lord and NOT GET STRESSED OUT, I would be very grateful!!!

I'm enclosing below (in black) Elizabeth's email from last night for those of you who want to read up on this. If you are interested in attending the meeting, it will be held at 3:00 tomorrow afternoon on the 17th floor of the Capitol building in the Attorney Generals office. I plan to take pictures if I am allowed to do so. There was some talk of television coverage, so this could end up to be a big thing.

One of my main reasons in writing here is so that you will know, if you hear about this on TV or in the newspapers, that this whole thing is motivated by jealousy. We are getting wonderful results and some people have come our way who may have gone to massage therapists previously. It's totally ridiculous, really, as there are so many hurting people that we couldn't possibly have enough alternative health practitioners! Besides this, like I said to Robert, "There's nobody stopping ANYONE in the world from pursuing training in BodyTalk!"

As Elizabeth mentions in this email, a number of BodyTalk practitioners have begun to collect signatures from their clients stating that they are VERY happy with their sessions. If you are one of my clients (or another BT practitioner's) and would be willing to sign such a petition, please let me know. I'm not pursuing this for tomorrow, as there is no way to be sure if they would even take such "Evidence" at this time. However, if the need arises in the near future, I would be VERY thankful for your support. If you could drop me a short email at: savedbybodytalk@gmail.com, or a comment here, stating that you are willing to speak up for your right to continue receiving BodyTalk sessions, it would certainly relieve some of my current tension. May God bless you for it!!!

Please cover us with your prayers tomorrow!

Dawn

PS. Elizabeth is the woman whom God used to save my life in 2007, and I hold her in the highest regard!

Thank you to those of you who took the time to view and listen to the telewebinar concerning the changes to the North Dakota Massage Therapy Law. At the time of that meeting, Xxxxx let us know that there was to be a meeting with the Attorney General’s office on January 29th concerning this law. Since I did not have any prior knowledge of the meeting I could not elaborate on it at that time. Since then I have spoken with many alternative modality providers across the state and learned more about the situation.

What I originally stated in the telewebinar remains true. The ND massage law has changed. The wording of it is suspect that the massage therapy board is attempting to regulate those who do alternative therapies, other than massage. However, the current law that went into effect in August 2009 does not affect our practice of BodyTalk because we are not manipulating tissue for the purpose of massage.

One of the biggest issues has been the ill worded and misleading article that appeared in the Dickinson Press on December 15, 2009. This article overstepped the letter of the law and made suspect anyone practicing alternative modalities in North Dakota who does not have a massage license. Because Reiki, Core Synchronization, Yoga, Healing Touch and Hands on Healing were named specifically and BodyTalk was included in the "etc” many practitioners have been upset and worried about the future of alternative therapies around the state. A news article appeared in the Bismarck Tribune last week, very different from the one in Dickinson and very, very short and factual. It lacked the misleading information and just informed the public that the massage therapy laws has been changed with an address to contact the board.

As stated in the telewebinar the best way to combat this type of misinformation is by having clarity with the pubic including our clients and family that what we “do” is not massage and by the professional behavior of all who practice alternative modalities. For a complete list of what you can do to make sure your clients all understand what you do and the laws of ND please refer to the telewebinar.

Concerning this meeting on Friday, January 29th at 3 pm I have learned that it is an administrative rules meeting regarding the implementation of the statues regarding massage therapy article 49 of the ND century code. This is a strictly a procedural meeting. It is open to the public but it is unclear if any evidence or complaints will be heard. You are welcome to attend.

The meeting will be held in the 17th floor conference room of the North Dakota State Capital. In the last week YYYYYYY has had conversations with the attorney general’s office which makes it seem that attendance is not really urgent at this time. I am planning to attend and invite you to come if you wish to observe the proceedings and lend your support to North Dakotan's having the right to choose alternative therapies for their care.

Some efforts have been started by many around the state to get their clients to sign an affidavit stating that they understand that the alternative modality being provided is not massage and that the practitioner is not a massage therapist and sending these to the state Assistant Attorney General Mr. Edward Erickson, (600 E Boulevard Ave. Bismarck, ND 58505-0040.) This is a great way to show the attorney general how many people this unlawful attempt at regulation may be affecting. Others are contacting their state senator or representatives to let them know that they want alternative therapies available in North Dakota. This is also a good way to let our elected officials know we care about having alternative therapies available in this state.

There is talk and cooperation between the various alternative therapies to join together and form a board of alternative therapies so that this type of overstepping of authority by the massage therapy board will not happen again. North Dakota’s next legislative session begins in a year and a half and legislative sponsors have been secured to create a board so it is a goal that is possible.

Elizabeth Hanson, CBP, BAT, RMT

-- BodyTalk North Dakota--An organization to promote the BodyTalk System of Health Care and support BodyTalk Practitioners in their pursuit of excellence

Progress

Dear friends,
Our experience with the GMO wheat battle in 2002 was the beginning of our political involvement. I'll always remember that hot day in July, as our crops were drying up, sitting with 3 children all day as we listened to testimony from EVERY realm of life (except Monsanto's of course) how GMO wheat would destroy our farm economy!!!!! How well I recall our education THAT day! How well I recall our subsequent houndings of our congressmen in Bismarck only to hear the same thing over and over, "Republicans are NOT opposed to progress."

This was when Robert got busy and testified in front of the ag committee about how GMO wheat would destroy, not only our organic farm, but also our cleaning business. I am very pleased to announce that OUR REPUBLICAN SENATOR was the only one who voted against the introduction of GMO wheat. WHY? Because Robert took the time out of his very busy schedule to personally sit down with our Senator and show him that HE is representing US.

THAT WAS WHEN I GOT MY FIRST GLIMMER OF HOPE THAT WE DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO OUR REPRESENTATIVES.

To make a long story short, all of the other Republicans voted against protecting us from destruction. In other words, they IGNORED all of the expert testimony advising them of the dangers to our state and to our state's farms if they would not act to block Monsanto's moves to force us to accept GMO wheat pollen into our atmoshpere.

What happened then is that the group we were involved with, DAKOTA RESOURCE COUNCIL, got a grass roots campaign going. Through MANY people talking against this, Monsanto withdrew their campaign and WE WON. What this taught us was that a lot of people working together can even stop an international corporation who will use ANY methods to get what they want. What do they think they can take over the whole world and we're just going to lay down and and let them???????????//

So this morning, when I read this new release from Parental Rights.org, I was again greatly encouraged. We hear so much rubbish about big business and big government that it serves to make us feel small and insignificant. Can you see now that this is EXACTLY HOW THEY WANT US TO FEEL????????

Please take a few moments to sign the petition for the PARENTAL RIGHT'S AMENDMENT to pass. EVERY LITTLE PERSON IS A VOICE WHICH, WHEN JOINED TOGETHER, WILL BE HEARD!!!!!!!! Every person who can grasp this concept IS progress.


Turning America Back: What Brown's Election Means
One week ago, the unthinkable happened; the state of Massachusetts elected a Republican senator, and that in an election with a very high voter turn-out. Since then, we’ve heard countless pundits telling us precisely what Senator Brown’s election does and does not say about our nation. As a general rule, of course, no two of these pundits can actually agree.Regardless of what the “experts” say, it’s clear to us that Americans are simply tired of out-of-control government and even more out-of-control spending. We want less government, more respect for our money and our personal rights, and greater control over our elected officials. We’re tired of telling our lawmakers what we want, only to have them ignore us and spend billions of dollars on whatever they feel like anyway.We want to turn back to the days of limited government and strong personal responsibility. We want to get back to respect for the Bill of Rights, which preserves personal liberties by placing specific government limits into the text of the Constitution.

The proposed Parental Rights Amendment does exactly that. Our government federalized banks, then federalized the auto industry; it is in the final throes of a failed attempt (we hope) to federalize health care. But it is still in a position to federalize child rearing through court decisions and the potential ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. By prohibiting the government from intruding on parental liberties except in cases of abuse or neglect, the proposed Parental Rights Amendment mirrors the example of the Bill of Rights and turns back a government bent on control. Please click here to sign the petition to support it.
Action Item
We urge you to help in two concrete ways this week. First, pass the above message on to all of your freedom-loving friends and family members, and urge them to sign the petition at parentalrights.org. Second, pass the message along through Facebook, Twitter, blogs or bulletin boards, especially those you frequent and those connected with freedom organizations or the new freedom/Tea Party movement.
Together, let’s get the word out about parental rights. For many lawmakers, it was the last thing they heard before the din of Health Care drowned everything out. Let’s grow our list toward making it the first thing they hear in the ensuing quiet as well!
Join the Network
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To summarize my thoughts, I decided to share this quote that Jacob just read to me from Marian Wright Edelman,founder of the Children's Defense Fund. What do you think of this thought? "So often we think we have got to make a difference and be a big dog. Let us just try to be little fleas biting. Enough fleas biting strategically can make a big dog very uncomfortable."

GO FOR IT,

Dawn

What do you do if? Part 2

Q. What do you do if there's a blizzard outside and everyone else in the house is busy except you?

A. You draw up plans for a brand new house that maybe SOME DAY you'll build. I'm not holding my breath, as this is the second house that Robert has designed for here, but it sure is fun to dream a little. We were all putting our thoughts into it and didn't realize that it was getting very late. The guys were looking at brand new pool tables on this computer while Cora and I were looking at brand new grand pianos on hers--what a bunch of dreamers.

As a result there's not enough time left for me to go outside and help with chores as I need to do a distance session at 9:00. I need to finish supper dishes yet too but I wanted to share this little forward that a friend sent over today. Some people have the knack of saying a lot with just a few words, but that isn't me. :)

I hope that you'll enjoy this thought and I hope that you all are staying warm in a house with ELECTRICITY!!! Many people around here have been without it for a few days already. We're so thankful that ours only flickered a little bit on Saturday--even if it was when I was in the shower. THAT WAS INTERESTING!!!

Keep warm everyone.

Dawn

WITHOUT GOD….our week would be:

“Sinday”,
“Mournday”,
“Tearday”,
“Wasteday”,
“Thirstday”,
“Fightday”,
“Shatterday”, ….

Without God – makes one WEAK!

What would you say if...

What would you say if your neighbor called you up and said, "Can I come over and bring you a belated birthday present?"

"Sure, why not come over for tea tomorrow afternoon," is what I said.

Then, what would you say if your neighbor said, "Well, it's just a 'Little something' that I've been working on," and when she comes you learn that it's a brand new quilt that she made especially for you because she knows that you love roses and birds....

What would you say later on when you realized that you were so excited to see the new quilt, and then to visit with her, that you didn't even serve her any tea? "What kind of a hostess am I

?" is what I thought. MY GOODNESS--HOW EMBARRASSING!!!!!

What can I say now but, "Tamera, your gift has touched my heart in a VERY special way! I most certainly WILL think of you every time that I snuggle up with it." THANK YOU FOR EVERY STITCH THAT YOU PUT INTO IT WITH LOVE! I AM HONORED BY YOUR FRIENDSHIP MORE THAN I COULD HAVE SAID THAT DAY, BUT I'M SAYING IT NOW.

I hope that all of you will enjoy these pictures from that day!

I have more to say along these, "What would you say if," lines, but I need to get cleaned up for Sabbath, so I'll share those thoughts for later. Besides, Tamera's quilt deserves a post of it's own. Wouldn't you agree?

A blessed Sabbath rest to you all,

Dawn

Oh for joy--a quilt made with love just for me! I have never received such a gift before and I am at a loss for words to express my joy!

"You said it's for snuggling up with someone that I love so you were the first, dear friend and neighbor!"

Jacob, Sophia, Josiah, and Mariah playing as we moms got caught up on our news. I'll admit that it was a bit heavy on the goat end of things as Olivia kept calling her mom with the latest kid news. To quote the narrator in Scrooge, "What of it--it is the very thing that I like!" I also learned what may have killed several of our goats recently (goat polio) and what to do to prevent it. Thanks for being willing, as usual, to share from your vast supply of knowledge, Tamera! :)

My family and I looked at the pattern closely that evening. I was struck with awe that Tamera would spend so much time to make a quilt just for me! How it warms my heart now to think of it again.

The border is just strikingly beautiful. Tamera said that, when she saw it, she knew that she would make the quilt for me. It is this rich fabric covered with lovely roses. It's a little hard to see here but there are also birds in brown so that one gets the lovely sensation of being in a garden. Tamera knows me well enough to know that there is nothing that I love more than being in a garden. She also put some roses in the star burst. Can you see the large stars? I can honestly tell you that I know enough about quilting to grasp the vast amount of work that went into this gift. I further know that I am NOT gifted in this area, so most likely will not be the kind of grandma to make quilts for my grandchildren's births. Fortunately I have a neighbor who just happens to love that sort of thing. :)

THANK YOU TAMERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Puppies

What is it about puppies? My brother, Duard, sent me some pictures of dad in his new home. One of the nurses in the assisted living facility brought in some of her new pups. Look at my dad. He always was a nut about dogs. I am soooooooooo grateful that he is happy in his new home. What's not to like?

I want to write soon about my neighbor, Tamera's, visit yesterday but I can't do that wonderful subject justice now, so it will have to wait in my "To write about," bin. Sorry Tamera, but the perfectionist in me just will not allow me to deal lightly with your gift. :)

Later,

Dawn

PS. Who on earth could resist a cute, little puppy?

Share a blessing

I have come to enjoy reading the blog of Bethany Knight who found me a few weeks ago. You can find her blog listed on my sidebar. She is a deep thinker and one who is seeking for peace also.

I grew up in chaos. I never knew what peace was. I never knew that peace was a priority. I can remember when I started my recovery work 20 years ago, my massage therapist said to me, "It sounds as though you like to stir up trouble." I was instantly infuriated. ME--STIR UP TROUBLE. She said, "You're like me. You grew up in so much chaos that you're used to it. When things are peaceful, they're "Boring," so you stir up trouble so that you can maintain the status quo." It was hard to admit, but I could see that she was right. Those were the words that sent me on my search for peace. They sent me straight into the office of an incest counselor which was anything BUT peaceful.

When I look at this pattern that I HAD of stirring up trouble, I can see that it led to my near-death experience. ENOUGH OF THAT!!! I want wellness for myself, so I must work for peace
within myself. I want wellness in my family, so I must work for peace within my family. I want wellness within my community, so I must work for peace within my community. I want wellness within my world, so I must work for peace within my world.

Bethany shared this video on her latest post. I share this with you with the hope that you too will come to see that peace IS the goal. May this pattern of blessing others bring you peace as you begin to receive back that which you put out. This is my prayer for ALL OF THE WORLD!!!

PEACE!

Dawn

Best day

This is the best day that I've had in a loooooooong time. I called the Assisted Living facility in Eureka this morning. The nurse there told me that dad is doing, "Just great." It's been a looong time since I've heard those words in relation to my dad, so I was glad that my friend had prepared me for this possability with her email.

The nurse went on to say that my dad has been doing so well in lots of ways. His walking is more stable; their exercise program is decreasing the pain in his shoulders; he eats well; and is well liked. THIS LAST PART IS THE SHOCK OF THE DECADE.

Then Lettie said, "In fact, we nurses were talking yesterday that Harvey has adjusted to his new home better than ANYBODY WE HAVE EVER SEEN!" How could I resist? I told her that I've been doing BT on dad for several months now. I said that he didn't seem to be doing all that great, even with his sessions, but now that he has a more positive home envioronment, he's taking off. She said that he had just told her that he was going to the bank this morning. WOW--after all of the concern for dad this past year, to think that the worst could be over made this day the best day that I've had in a looooong time.

Then I got a call around supper time that a family needs sessions for their 10 year old son. I just finished that first session and was so encouraged when the mom said, "Wow--that is so neat. Now I want to try it to see what would come up for me!" :) Do you suppose I can find some time to work her in????????????

Just now, though, the day got EVEN sweeter. Robert likes to read at the Organic Consumer's Assocition's site. I noticed the title to this post and just HAD to share it. Ever since hearing Percy Schmiser's story at the organic convention years ago, we've dreamed of the day when Monsanto will have to close it's doors from bankruptcy. I'll have to share that later, but for now I'd like to share this bit of good news from France.

Keep smiling,

Dawn

GMO Giant Monsanto Loses Another Day in Court
By Aaron Turpen Natural News, Oct 29, 2009 Straight to the Source
France's highest court has ruled that Monsanto lied about the safety of its weed killing herbicide Roundup. The decision came just days ago and confirms an earlier court judgment in France finding that Monsanto had falsely advertised Roundup as being "biodegradable" and that it "left the soil clean."The original case was brought to court in 2001 by several French environmental groups alleging that Roundup's main ingredient, glyphosate, has a classification as "dangerous to the environment" by the European Union. That case drug on for years and finally ended in a ruling against Monsanto in 2007. 1The GMO giant quickly appealed and that appeal was heard in 2008 in the Lyon court. Monsanto lost that case as well. They appealed again. This time it went to France's Supreme Court; it lost that hearing and now faces fines and nowhere else to go for further appeals.The court levied a 13,800 Euro fine against the company (about $22,400USD). Monsanto is also looking at continued losses with fourth quarter losses of $233 million (US), mostly due to plummeting sales of the Roundup brand.2 So far, Monsanto has made no public statement about the court`s ruling, but it is also possible that the ruling could mean civil cases from farmers and communities harmed by the false advertising. That could mean millions of dollars more in losses.Roundup is the world's best-selling herbicide and is marketed as a weed-killer to both commercial farmers and home owners. Monsanto is also the world`s largest purveyor of genetically modified seeds (GMO seeds). Often, the seeds are sold in conjunction with Roundup, the seeds being modified to be "herbicide tolerant" (HT-ready).Some have argued that these GM crops and seeds are worse for the environment and could be a real problem. Crop failures of GMO seeds in Africa have highlighted the lack of a crop diversity issue while other studies have found that GM versus non-GM seeds have little or no bearing on higher yields, as seed companies like Monsanto have claimed.
>>> Read the Full Article

OH FOR JOY

Just before supper I received this email from my parent's dear friend from Eureka. I just HAD to share this wonderful news with you and thank every one who has been praying for my dad to be able to move on with his life. OH FOR JOY!!!!!!!!


Just a quick note. I was at church for our Tuesday morning prayer time when I saw that Harvey had some mail in his church mailbox. I pulled it out and took it to him. The church news letter was in there so I thought he would appreciate that.

I found Harvey as good as I have seen him since Erdie died or even before. He had shaven, clean clothes, shared and was so glad that I came to see him. This afternoon he was driving around town. He is so much better and we just praise the Lord for that. He was so alert and was able to carry on a good conversation. He wants to go to church so hopefully the weather will be better so that he can go to church on Sunday. That is a postive sign.

Just knew you needed to know that he is so much better.

Take care and keep in touch

What wonderful news this was and I rejoice--what a weight has been lifted off of me. I was thinking about it at supper when suddenly I started to cry tears of joy. "Oh, I'm just so happy," I said and everyone started laughing. Has anyone else wondered why they start to cry when their joy is at the utmost limits? Any theories?

Well tomorrow I'm heading to Bismarck for my BodyTalk day at my office. The boys are coming along to have a skating party with the Dagley boys and anyone else who will show up from the home school group up there. How absolutely wonderful it is that the weather is so lovely now!!!

Blessings,

Dawn

Technology

I am soooooooooo thankful that Andrew lives with us as I am totally lost when it comes to technology. You see, we've been working on our New Year's letter for a couple of weeks. Well, it just kept getting longer and longer with all of our great pictures that we took for blogging. How could we chose from so many highlights of our year? Well, we chose a LOT of them so thankfully Andrew knew how to get it compressed to send through an email. I thought that those of you who won't be receiving a copy may want to look it over too. I have no idea at all if it will work for you to click here or not, but let's find out. If you'd like to see it and this doesn't work, just send me an email at:savedbybodytalk@gmail.com. I'll send you over a copy. ENJOY!

Dawn for the Bornemanns who all contriuted in some way to this project.


Dear friends,

At long last we have finished our New Year's letter. It's the longest one yet, so you'll want to make sure that you have some time when you dig into it. We are very busy here on the farm and we didn't want to leave anything out. :)

We wish you a wonderful year of God's blessings.

The Bornemanns

Instructions from the resident tech. expert: Due to the large number of photographs included in this years letter, it has become necessary to use a high level of compression to achieve a small file size. Although this may be desirable to reduce the strain on the e-mail system, it has the adverse effect of making the pictures less pleasing to the eye. That said, I have decided to produce two different versions; One being of the smallest possible file size, and the other of a higher graphical quality. Which you choose to download is totally your decision... You will find both of the files available here: Letter Download If you have any problems downloading the letter, just let me know! I can e-mail it directly to you also, if you prefer. Thanks! Andrew B.

HE'S HAPPY!!!!!!!

Note* baby calf pictures just added

I've been meaning to write for a few days to share some WONDERFUL news, but first we got the flue here and then, today, my computer has been out of commission. Seeing now that Andrew's repair job has been successful and hearing that my family is downstairs in the midst of a Foosball tournament (I just woke up from my nap), I decided to take this time to fill you in on our updates and share this news which is a true answer to prayer.

First of all, we had another blizzard. So far that's 2 for this year. I recall last Winter counting up to a dozen, but then I quit counting as it was too depressing. A blizzard, I recall reading from Webster's last Winter, is when you have heavy snow with very strong winds for at least 4 hours. We're VERY thankful for the 9030s as they can make mountains out of 2 foot deep snow everywhere in record time.

The evergreens are beautiful when they're packed full of snow. You can see that our deck snowbank is now almost half way up the doors.
Well, the weather outside is frightful but inside it's so delightful. This is Clara and I together in the milking parlor. I sit on an upside-down 5 gallon pail beside her and do her sessions. A friend asked me the other day why I would waste time doing sessions on a cow when there are so many sick people in the world. "Well," I said, "while I'm waiting for her milk to empty out, I'm not doing anything else anyway." There's another thing too--Clara lets me work on her and she actually gets grumpy if I skip too many days. :) Right now I'm behind with posting her session reports but I do try to give her a session every 2 or 3 days. One of my goals is to have the oldest cow in the world some day. As I fill her life with all sorts of love (Including BodyTalk sessions), I don't see why she doesn't have a fighting chance. :) Isn't my Brown Swiss absolutely beautiful?

This is a closeup of the snow on Clara's back. I can see why she has to be balanced often to Winter.

Cora had a surprise addition to her family this week. Robert went out to feed one 20-degrees- below-zero morning and came back to the milk room with news that one of Cora's cows had calved. We rushed through the rest of chores and headed up to the milk room. The little bull calf was pretty cold. Here I am giving him a BT session while Cora rubbed him vigorously.

We rolled him over so that she could rub the other side too. I worked on the feet and we pulled both heaters as close as possible to the little fellow. All of our efforts paid off when, later in the day, Robert and Cora took him down to the cattle maternity ward in the other section of the goat barn. Mama and baby took to each other like hungry boys take to food and it was a successful match--YIPEE!!! Now Cora has 3 cow-calf pairs in the barn so it is so much fun to watch the babies romping in the straw as we milk the goats. :)

We had a surprise visit from our Keister friends last week. As always, Sarah is a wealth of information as she reads more than anybody that I know. This visit she got us thinking about building a cider press. The speed at which you can process apples has great appeal to me as we didn't get all of our apples put up this year. I never mind giving a few apples to the goats, but they'd be just as happy with the pulp left over from the press. If I can get my dad's apple shoots grafted on to our baby crab apple trees this Spring like I'd like to, we'll need a press even more. Here Sarah and I are pondering God only knows what. :)
And now for my big news. I called my dad on Thursday to see how he's doing. We visited a little bit about the food in his new home and the activities that they do together. I asked him how he's doing and he said, "Pretty good." Then out of the blue he said, "I am so happy that I am in here--at least for the Winter." PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!! I didn't drag it out of him--he offered this opinion all on his own. HE'S ACTUALLY HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh for joy!!!! I'm thanking all of you who have prayed for his transition to his new home. May the Lord bless you all! Here's a picture of their kitchen in the assisted living facility from the day that we moved him in there.

Well, it looks as though if I want to pop the corn for Sabbath Night at the Movies, I'd best cut this off. You KNOW how much I love popping popcorn. How about if you come over and join us? Who could resist freshly popped corn and a Bonanza re-run? You're all welcome!!!

Waiting for the first kernel to pop,

Dawn

Finding the Balance

Dear friends,

This morning my emotions are as tumultuous as the weather--AND WE'RE HAVING ANOTHER BLIZZARD!!! You see, my family urged me to re-read my last post with an eye for what may seem like I was being critical of others. I could see it right away, when I re-read it and so I deleted the post immediately.

My goal in starting this blog never has been to be critical of others. If I have ever appeared that way to you, I beg your forgiveness!!! Those of you who REALLY know me know that, if I am critical of anyone, it is of MYSELF! I have a very strong melancholy personality and those of us with this disposition are very hard on ourselves. This tendency leads to such health problems as, for instance, shingles on our brains. I almost DIED of this tendency to be super-critical of myself and so I struggle daily to learn how to be kind to myself.

Furthermore, I would not ever discourage a person from seeking help through BodyTalk. Many of us have found our addictions fade away as we deal with the underlying issues which make us obsess in a certain area. Actually there is nobody walking the planet who isn't out of balance in some ways. I pray, then, that everyone who read yesterday's post will now understand that I was expressing a desire to be secure enough in myself so as to not allow others to abuse me.

I do realize that this will only happen when I stop abusing myself. At first it seemed like the right thing to do to delete that post which seemed critical of others. However, just minutes after I deleted the post, I received this comment on it. "What in the world are you saying to me, Lord," I prayed?

Dear Dawn: Jesus led me to your blog this morning; what a delight! Thank you for witnessing with such passion and joy. Sometimes I think healers can make the most difference in the subtlest ways....which attract those who are ready for transformation. Jesus doesn't SELL or ADVERTISE himself either...he just draws us to touch his robe. So, who is Cora? She is referenced twice...and I am clueless, and I didn't see a link to the blog of hers you reference.Your sister in Christ, Bethany Knightwww.tenderlovingcalling.blogspot.com

WOW--NOW WHAT DO I DO? I already deleted the post and don't have the heart or time to re-write it. Still, seeing as Jesus led this woman to read that blog post and to comment like this to encourage me, I felt led to share my real intention in writing yesterday.

I just want to say that I am healing and in no wise view myself as "There" yet. I sin (against myself too) and make mistakes every day for which I need to repent--just like everybody else. The joyful difference, though, of which I was writing yesterday is that I no longer feel like I need to disappear in order to please everybody.

In the program which I did years ago, called LOVE HUNGER, I learned that dysfunctional families don't allow their children to develop in the ways that God wants them to develop. They force the children to take roles so that all of the needs of the FAMILY can be met--even though this is not healthy for the children.

The four main roles are the black sheep; the hero; the family clown; and the lost child. The black sheep is forced to take the blame for ALL of the problems in the family. The hero can do no wrong, which is a lie as we're all sinners. The family clown is expected to be humorous at all times--even though great sorrows surround them. The lost child, which is the role that I played, is the one who bears the shame of the family. They're taught to keep their mouth shut to keep the family shame from being exposed.

This blog was begun over a year ago as my way of coming into being as a person. I no longer am willing to keep my mouth shut so that all of the takers of this world can continue walking all over me. I have found in BodyTalk the release from the negativity which kept me in slavery to the silence. I have found the peace that God intended for me to have all of my life. I feel that this gives me some hope to share with the world. That's why I named my blog A RAY OF HOPE.

I can see now that the Lord wanted to encourage me this morning not to give up on this worthy goal. How loving and kind He was to bring Bethany here today, for the very first time, and have her write what she did!!! Thank you so much Bethany and may God bless you richly for your obedience!!!

Still, I would not use this spot in cyberspace to harm anybody. So it is that I named this post FINDING THE BALANCE. I guess for the rest of my life I will be working towards finding the balance between protecting myself from the rejection and abuses of others while I am busily working to offer others the hope that I have found in God's natural ways of healing. If any of you have learned ways of accomplishing this, I would be grateful to hear your insights.

Now to answer your question about Cora, Bethany. Cora is my lovely 22-year-old daughter who lives with us here on our organic farm. Her blog is named: Maiden in the House of God, and I am sure that you would enjoy reading about our doings here on the farm. She writes daily of our family activities while I write more about my attempts to bring healing to those whom the Lord leads to me. The Lord led me to BodyTalk 2 years ago as I struggled to survive from shingles on my brain which began in 2006. I praise God that He is healing me daily and leading me to the place of peace that He has for ALL of His children--which is everybody on this planet.

Thanks to all for listening and I covet your prayers for my continued healing and growth. As I've been studying my Module 3 material, I am reminded that I can only help people as far as I have gone myself. So, like Paul, "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. " Philippians 3:14

Dad's new home

If you are a regular reader on Cora's blog, then you already know that my dad is moved into his new Winter home. I still want to write about that day, though, as it was a big day in my life too.

On December 29th, the boys and I headed down to Eureka, SD (my home town) to meet with 4 of the staff members from their Assisted Living Facility. It was very much a Winter day and I'd much rather have stayed at home where it was toasty warm. I did a BodyTalk session on my dad on the way down, to help him with the transition, as Andrew drove quickly down to the meeting.

My brother, Duard, and his wife, Sharel were at the meeting too and had brought dad up to the meeting. I found dad calmly chatting with the pretty nurses, so he seemed in good spirits. This is the conference room where they meet with family members. We were told that we can reserve this room for family gatherings and have them cook our meals (if we let them know in advance) for the price of $5.10 per meal. I'm not sure why the 10 cents is necessary but that's the way it is. These ladies are the nurses from the hospital which has been moved upstairs. The facility where the residents live actually was the hospital which I was a patient in several times in the "Olden days." Nowdays one of the nurses goes through every 2 hours at night to check on the residents.

When the hospital quit having births, they moved the hospital upstairs and converted the main floor into this assisted living facility. It REALLY is quite spacious and VERY nicely decorated. I felt my spirits lifting as the ladies went over what the facility has to offer the elderly to help get them back on their feet--and then keep them there.

After the nurses shared what they have to offer, they went over the list of things that they expect from their residents. They expect Dad to eat his meals with the group in the dining room which is GREAT. He's had 8 months of eating alone and frankly, he's not eating one bit healthy. Dad is expected to participate in their group exercise every morning and the group activity in the afternoon. In fact, a resident can be asked to leave if they do not participate in group activities--they were quite serious about this. I sighed a deep sigh of relief when Dad said that he would "Give it a whirl for the winter." Here he's signing the admission papers.

I enjoyed seeing the nurses dealing with dad. He'd been lazy that morning and hadn't shaved. They said, "We'll let it slide today and then, after that, you get one warning, Harvey."

"Then what?" my dad asked.

"You DON'T WANT TO KNOW," the nurses teased but they made it clear that dad WILL keep himself clean, neat, and respectable at all times. HOW WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
After the papers were signed, the nurses gave us a tour of the facility. This is the waiting room. I remember sitting on these wretchedly awful straight chairs in that very room when I was a girl and my parents were visiting somebody in the hospital. Can this be the SAME PLACE? Everyone is heading into the dining room.

Three times a day the residents gather here for their meals. In between times, they can come here for a glass of milk or juice or a light snack kept in the refrigerator. That day the snack in the frig was veggie pizza--YUMMMMMM. I made sure that Dad understood that he is NOT to drink directly out of the jug in THIS refrigerator--the nurses agreed wholeheartedly. :) Dad also has a small refrigerator in his room for moments when walking half way down the hallway is just too far to go for a drink of OJ. I don't suppose anyone will yell at him if he drinks out of THAT jug. :)

Right outside the dining room, we found this bulletin board. I guess they always have some little item here where residents can give small gifts to each other if they so desire. Not that dad lives there, there are 11 little stockings.

This is also where the schedule is posted for their group activities. I noticed that they have singers come in at times to do hymn sings with the residents. I asked if they would ever want US to do so or to bring our puppets in for the residents. OH YES--WE ARE VERY WELCOME TO DO SO!!!!!! They have a grand old upright piano in the corner for just such purposes. :)

When we got to Dad's new room, his new neighbor came over to greet us. LO AND BEHOLD, THIS WOMAN JUST HAPPENED TO BE OUR NEIGHBOR OUT ON THE FARM WHEN ROBERT AND I WERE NEWLYWEDS!!!!! This woman taught me to save seeds and was a wonderful neighbor to us! Next month she turns 99 years old and is in better shape than dad is. I'm so hoping that living in this place will be as good for Dad as it was for Mary who has lived there 6 years already.

This is Dad's room. It has a toilet in a spacious bathroom. We put a cabinet in there for him to store his laundry supplies--everyone in the building does their own laundry instead of paying someone else to do it. The frig is sitting on top of it. This is Sharel, Dad, Duard, and Bonnie who is one of the nurses in charge of the program.

This is the community shower. Each person has a time slot of their choice which they are expected to use daily. I wonder what Dad will think of such a waste of water? :)

Dad checking out the laundry room while Andrew and Lettie, the other nurse in charge of the program, look on.

This room is the beauty shop. :) The nurse said that Dad can ask any barber in town to come up there and cut his hair. He asked if his "Girl," would come up there to give him a haircut and they said, "Oh yes, she comes up here all the time." How's THAT for service? See the hymnals along the wall? They're for the hymn sings any time that they can get a pianist to play for them. :)

Well, once it was all agreed on, we took dad to his house and proceeded to take it apart. He needed a twin bed which is the one thing that he didn't have. Sharel told me that they had already ordered one with a built-in headboard that would be delivered the next day.

Dad needed his recliner; some lamps; a small table and chair; his laundry things; his clothes; and personal care items. My nephew, Cody, came over and we hustled. Within a few hours, everything was up in the room and the house looked like Swiss Cheese. I regretted that I didn't have time to make it look a little more homey, but there was no time, as we needed to get home for chores.

I did a load of laundry and Sharel came downstairs to talk about what else needed to be done. We decided that the best thing to do would be to empty the refrigerator. Just before we left, then, I went through the frig and threw out everything that had green growing on it. Then I sorted off what dad wanted to take up to his room and the rest we loaded up and brought home.

This was a VERY hard time for me. I was crying in Dad's basement, after I started the washing machine, when Sharel came in. I wished that I'd had more time to think it all over but I knew instinctively that if we didn't move him when he was willing to go, that we'd regret it later on. I said to her, "Some day you and I are going to have to go through everything that is in this house." We both groaned but I knew that somehow the Lord would give me the strength when that day comes.

The boys and I ate supper with my dad and then took a few more things up to dad's room. Andrew took this picture of Jacob and I in the group's living room. It all is very pretty and, for an institution, it is very homey. I didn't realize, until I looked at this picture later, how stressful the whole day was for me. I was STRESSED OUT but was stuffing it for dad's sake!!!!!!

After this, we visited with Mary a little longer; drove 80 miles home; and carried in the contents of Dad's refrigerator. When everyone went out to the barn for night chores, I tried so hard to make myself go out to the barn after I'd washed up the milking supplies. I walked over to the barn closet and looked at my barn clothes. That's when the alarm went off in my head which I got used to listening to in '06. It said, "You've had enough stress for one day, Dawn."

Then I went over to the food and decided that I should at least be useful enough and put the food away. I started looking through the 4 boxes of things when the alarm got louder. I literally do hear an alarm in my head when I've reached the limits of my endurance. I listened to it for 4 months in '06 when I had a freight train running through my brain constantly night and day.

Finally I LISTENED to the alarm and went into the whirlpool room and started filling the water. Even with a wonderful, long soak that night, the next morning I felt as though the freight train had run over me. Still, there was a peace that I'd not had in 8 months since mom's death. I did Access on myself; popped 2Tylenol; and headed to work in my office in Bismarck. All that day I noticed that a most glorious calm was starting to seep into my spirit. It grew and grew all day and hope started to enter in where the despair had been. GLORY!!!

That wonderful peace has stayed and I know that the reason is because DAD IS IN A SAFE PLACE NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! As hard as it was for him to leave his home, his new home is a very nice place! Now he's with other people who use walkers when they need them; who exercise daily while sitting on the couch; who need to sleep 12 hours a night; and whose children were getting stressed out by having them alone in their homes after their spouses died. Besides all of that, he can come and go as he pleases! What could be better?????

PRAISE THE LORD FOR DAD'S NEW HOME!!!!!!!!! I'm sending many thanks to all of you who prayed for him to get over the hump of mom's sudden death. God bless!

Dawn