Coincidence... or Miracle?

I'm still not quite ready to believe it, but my brother's lazy eye problem is gone. He's had it since he was a baby, and just this past week he hasn't had to wear his corrective glasses anymore... wow!

God is completely to be praised. It is His work. Is it a coincidence, or is the fact that God has blessed us with abundant raw milk in the past six months His way of healing my brother's life-long problem?

Not Everything

Ha ha! Here's some joyful thoughts to counter my previous dour post :D

I've started tomatoes, peppers and basil for next year's garden!

My kitty (pictured above) is in an unusually friendly mood when it's cold outside :)

The cold weather makes the milk cool faster than summer.

I have 7 healthy, fun-loving siblings and 2 parents who love each other.

The Lord kept me safe on the icy roads yesterday, I only slipped once and managed to pull out of it.

God is teaching a friend of mine an important lesson.

My music theory teacher seems really impressed with the progress I've made.

My brother is going to graduate from college this Spring, and he has an internship at Intel.

God may be providing me with an opportunity to earn a Nutrition degree at Verity online!

Last night I had a great time re-uniting with a couple of great friends at Awana.

Mattie really is a good producer: she's still at 3 1/2 gallons after 3 1/2 months.

Spring is coming!!!

When Everything Goes Wrong

Well, days like this have to happen.

1. Our main producer, Mattie, was so dehydrated this morning, she went straight to the water buckets when I let the cows into the parlor and I spent an extra 15 minutes just filling them for her. The boys who are assigned to help me obviously are not doing their job.

2. When Mattie finally finished 25 gallons of water, she started stealing Jani's food instead of sticking her head in her own stanchion as all good cows know to do. Then, when I shoved against her (yes, I am an expert cow-handler), she spooked (maybe not so expert) and ran outside again. I finally had to ignore her until she realized that she was indeed hungry and minced back to her stanchion.

3. The grain they are used to came in as the wrong order, so Mattie is refusing to eat the substitute stuff we are giving them in the meantime.

4. Something is wrong with the vacuum pump, so the short tubes that connect the claw with the bucket slipped off again and I had to frantically try to re-attach them while keeping the claw out of the muck.

5. I let Jani out of the stanchion before milking Mattie (I'm drying up Jani and so she's done pretty quickly). Rule #1: never, EVER let one cow out while the other one is eating. I had to tackle Jani and push her away from Mattie's grain bucket and get her back into the field.

6. Mattie's production is down because of lack of water, the spooking incident, and because she refuses her grain which would help in this cold weather.

7. NORMALLY there is someone to assist me - give an extra hand when the tea kettle is whistling, the water bucket is overflowing, the calf is mooing, the machine is malfunctioning, the cows are knocking me over in their exuberant search for stray alfalfa, the cows have done you-know-what on the floor and it needs mucking, I forgot to add ice to the cooler, a lid fell on the floor and needs to be replaced, the bottle of CMT needs refilling... Caleb tends to sleep in in the mornings. 

Raw Milk: Ignorance is not Bliss

Read 'The Untold Story of Milk' written by Ron Schmid, ND.

Personal testimony: I have been able to drink Raw Milk for over 6 months now. At the beginning, I did not want to drink much because I believed that too much dairy could raise cholesterol levels in the blood, cause congestion and was just fattening (especially 5% butterfat milk that Jerseys produce). For years I often had sore gums, sensitive teeth, and other mouth issues which I thought were just normal. I no longer have any of them. There is no abnormal weight gain (except better muscle and bone density) when my family drinks a lot of milk. My family also has noticed a decrease in colds and other common illnesses.

Since then, I drink on average a half gallon of milk a day. Unlike a cleanse devoid of animal products, a Raw milk cleanse is satisfying, and is a balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein, fat, and vitamins and minerals (with the enzymes lactase, galactase, lipase, amylase and many others that are responsible for your body's absorbtion of these substances).

It will take years for me to see the extended results of this new lifestyle, and I know that my 18 years of drinking pasteurized, homogonized, rBGH laden 'milk' from the store has set in motion health issues to the point where it may be impossible to reverse the damage. The Lord is gracious, though, and He has the ultimate say in every health issue we may face. I chose to trust Him in the years ahead.

Learning so much truth about raw milk gives me a passion to expose the lies the FDA, CDC and USDA have fed Americans. The past hundred years of increased cancer, nervous system disorders, digestive diseases and increasingly antibiotic-resistant pathogens have not been sufficient warning to consumers who would believe the warnings of greedy corporate business owners above common sense.

I believe God's Word when He speaks about the food that we eat and the results of obeying or disobeying His commands. The Bible mentions milk alone 45 times! Just as it is sin to worship food as the healer of our bodies (as so many new age health-food people advocate), it is sin to ignore the fact that we will be held accountable for not only our spiritual habits, but also our abusive physical and eating habits. God is the giver of good food, He talks of it all over the Scriptures!!!

Health, fruitfulness and long life are the rewards of obedience. Food is not the miracle, though God uses natural means to accomplish His supernatural decrees. I believe God's Word is always true, whether it is the year 2009 B.C. or 2009 A.D. The curse of America - cancer and other plagues virtually unknown before the last couple of centuries (and directly tied to the increase in processed, pasteurized and chemical laden foods) is one of the ways I believe God is punishing this wicked nation. We are reaping what we have sown.

"Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord swore to give your fathers, to them and their descendants, 'a land flowing with milk and honey.'.. a land for which the Lord your God cares; the eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year... and I will send grass in your fields for your livestock, that you may eat and be filled." Deuteronomy 11:8-17

"The Lord your God will make you abound in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your land for good. For the Lord will again rejoice over you for good as He rejoiced over your fathers." Deuteronomy 30:9

"When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people, if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land... (if they turn away, then) 'Because they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.' " 2 Chronicles 7:14-22

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10

"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him." Revelation 22:1-3

"Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are... Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's." 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 & 6:19-20

My goal: to be educated in God's Word and the examples that history and science have left to us who would listen, to give people the priveleged opportunity to obtain wholesome Raw Milk to nourish their bodies, and to be able to provide all of the supplies, help, and encouragement that they need to start and own their own family cow business.

God bless you if you have taken the time to read my thoughts and God's Word on the subject. Please contact me directly if you wish to learn more.

Clarity, Clarity, Clarity

The one major piano competition I entered in was adjudicated by a Russian teacher who had this to constructive criticism to say of all of us, "When playing, always think clarity, clarity, more clarity!"

Who else feels that they need to work on clarity of speech, clarity of mind, and clarity of purpose? What clouds up clear perception? How about hectic schedules, music constantly playing on earphones, and driving to and fro from too many activities?

To clarify: someone asked me if the picture at the head of my blog is of my house. No, it is the unlived-in house across the street, which if I had a million dollars I would buy and turn into an idyllic inn and farm the 20 or 30 acres and woods that surrounds it! The view of Mt. Hood is always incredible, a blessing to me every time I feel the 'wanderlust' and take a walk in my beautiful countryside.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

The brain is such an amazing organ. All those cells firing at once and dealing with every function needed to keep us living. Don't you feel sorry for those pre-historic ape men who are supposed to have developed their brains into human intelligence and individuality over time? I can just picture one of them looking over at their buddy that just dropped dead, "Oops, I guess a synapse must have misfired."  

My older brother and I went running this morning in the frigid winter countryside. Just thinking about the mitochondria in my cells with their incessant task of taking in oxygen and providing energy was enough to take my breath away if my breath had not already been taken away :)  

Did you know that you get a whole new body every 10 years from age 20 on? The problem is, each new body is like a picture that is copied: each time the image is less perfect than the one before. The fine hairs in the cochlea that sense sound can be damaged permanently, and like the cells of parts of your eye, are never replaced in your lifetime.  

Treasure the sound of music, the smell of firs, the sight of a red clover field at its peak bloom, the taste of the year's first apples, and the feel of January's icy breeze.

Light in Darkness

"I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." - John 8:12

Avenues of Life

The older I grow it seems

I understand less.

Each day shines upon avenues

beyond the next bend.

Some flaunt trees of gold,

others, streams of tears,

The first lights my laughing lamp,

the other, hides a cloak of ashes.

Gray firs guard the way,

each avenue waits

for the traveller who will enter their gate

 and learn the lesson taught.

Each fleet moment a storm rages...

do I stay? Do I turn?

The avenues send me on

but often I stand.

Fearing what lies before me,

I choose the older roads.

Hiding my eyes

and only seeing the lessons of the past.

Those who linger in the way

churn black waters

That extinguish the light

and fill the avenue with darkness.

A Voice calls me forward,

away from the lane

Which I would soil by reluctant feet...

May I find the morning.

A new dawn rises

and, remembering the forest

I yet face light's burning,

glimpsing diamonds in sorrow's stream.

If I once again traverse

the avenues of yesterday,

who will see the stream that trails

among mighty oaks of tomorrow?

So I set my face and press on

to the misty avenue before me.

And wonder if it will be the path

that leads me Home.