We’re having a lot of soup weather this winter: wet, cold, high humidity, and windy from the north.  Nothing beats a warm bowl of soup in these conditions.  My husband loves hearty soups and he really likes beef stroganoff, so I decided to combine the two and make him happy.

Warning: this is high fat, but it is also very filling, which is what fat is supposed to do – fill you up for hours.

Ingredients

1 ½  lbs of beef stew meat (We get ours from a local processing plant which is less expensive than the grocery store).

½ stick of real unsalted butter (If you don’t use real butter it won’t taste as good).

1 small sweet yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon of dry mustard

2-3 stalks of bok choy, sliced, including the greens at the top

2 cups of chopped kale

8 ounces of sliced mushrooms

2 cups of beef stock

2 cups of whole milk

2 cups of cooked rice mix*

1 cup sour cream

salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions

Prepare veggies ahead of time, keeping the onion separate from the rest.

Prepare rice ahead of time.

Sauté onion in butter until it is transparent. I use a ceramic Dutch oven for this because it becomes the soup pot and I have fewer dishes to wash.

Add the dry mustard and stir to mix evenly into onions.

Dump the rest of the prepared veggies into the sautéed onions and stir up to get them coated with butter and mustard.  Set the pot on the back burner unheated until you get the beef ready.

Sauté beef chunks in a frying pan. You can use a non-stick spray for this if you want. I use a ceramic dish and dump the beef chunks plus any liquid into the Dutch oven with the veggies.  Then I move the Dutch oven to the front burner and…

Stir everything together.

Add gluten free beef stock plus milk to the mix.  If this doesn’t look like enough liquid, you can add more stock and more milk in equal parts.

Add the cooked rice mix to the pot, salt and pepper to taste and bring the heat up to a nice simmer.  Cover the pot and let simmer for a couple of hours so all the flavors can mix.

Before serving stir 1 cup of sour cream into the pot until it blends completely with the other ingredients.

*Cooked rice mix

I mix several kinds of rice together because it tastes really good.  To make two cups of rice for the soup and have leftovers for other things I take…

½ cup of whole grain brown rice

½ cup of red rice (from the health food store)

½ cup of Lundberg Wild Rice Blend

½ cup of wild rice

I use four cups of distilled water to cook this at a simmer after bringing it to a boil.  I don’t use tap water because it has stuff in it you really don’t want to be swallowing.  Well water is OK to use, too.

Many readers are probably better cooks than I am so tinker with this recipe all you like.  If you have ideas for improvement, leave them in the combox, OK? On a cold day this tastes great.

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V. Praised be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever!

(Click on the link above to read why I end my posts this way.

Jesus Healing the Leper, William Brassey Hole

Matthew 8:1-13 was the Gospel reading for the Third Sunday after Epiphany in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite.

The humble leper

We hear about the cleansing of the leper who with humble faith asked, but did not demand, that Jesus cure him.  God can do anything He wills and often He waits for us to acknowledge submission to His will before He grants our request. This abandonment to God’s good pleasure brings us close to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane who in agony submitted to the Father, ” Saying: Father, if thou wilt, remove this chalice from me: but yet not my will, but thine be done” (Lk. 22:42).

Because we are all sinners, our souls are leprous to one degree or another.  We all need to be made clean in the sacrament of Confession.  Our bodies, too, are often afflicted with disease and frailties.   The sicker we are, the more we need to throw ourselves on the merciful Christ with the words of that leper of long ago: “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.”

Every physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual adversity we suffer can be met with these words. All are an opportunity to practice humble faith and place ourselves in the loving hands of Christ.  If we take time to think about it, our asking in this manner is an opportunity to experience peace of heart.

The humble centurion

Centurion Beseeching Jesus, William Brassey Hole

In the same gospel we hear the tale of the Roman centurion who is used to ordering others around and getting instant obedience.  But he, too, approaches Jesus with a humble heart full of compassion for his suffering servant and complete faith in Jesus’ power to heal, even at a distance.  From this encounter with the Lord we have the powerfully compelling words, “Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof, but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed.”

From this passage in Matthew we draw the beautiful prayer we say together before receiving Holy Communion: “Lord, I am not worthy that Thou shouldst come under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.”

In the traditional Latin Mass we say this prayer three times.  Why?  Because in Hebrew expression there is no comparative or superlative as we have in English.  Thus, the triple repetition of something signifies the greatest emphasis possible in what is being said.  Since much of the Traditional Mass originates from the time of the apostles, we find this custom retained in the Latin expression of the Hebrew culture.  Thus, we, in praying this prayer three times at Mass, emphasize our great lowliness in the face of Jesus, our helplessness to cure ourselves, and our great faith in Jesus.  A second reason for the triple repetition is acknowledgement of the triune God.  Jesus is the second Person who cannot be separated from the Father and the Holy Spirit.

I write a lot from the viewpoint of suffering in this world.  Often we suffer because our souls need healing.  We need God’s help to root out anger, resentment, envy, covetousness, and many other evils from our hearts/souls.  Often, physical suffering can be eliminated or greatly ameliorated by the healing of the soul. This prayer of the centurion prepares us to receive the healing power of Christ in Holy Communion when we say it at Mass.

When we are not at Mass but on a bed of pain, we can repeat this prayer as an offering to God as we unite ourselves to the Passion of Christ and seek His aid in conforming ourselves to the will of God.

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V. Praised be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever!

(Click on the link above to read why I end my posts this way.

Awareness of God

Welcome to our Saturday meme hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace. Visit her to read other Catholic blogger’s moments of resting in the Lord or finding Him in the ordinary.

This week was busy.  Due to problems with a neighbor, we had to get a privacy fence installed along one side of our property.  Fortunately, it only took 3 days.  One to set the posts, one to let the concrete harden, and one to nail the boards. It looks lovely.  Between now and next spring I’ll have time to consider what to plant near it.  For sure it looks like this will be a great opportunity to start kiwi vines in a sunny section.  No problem presents itself without a corresponding opportunity. Meanwhile, I am praying for the neighbor when I otherwise wouldn’t have.  Sometimes God sticks stuff  right under our noses so we can’t miss those He wants us to pray for.

Sunlight through the red, orange, and yellow leaves casts a warm glow over morning and evening.  Just looking out the window at this intangible beauty is calming and peaceful.  Physical light is important and healthy for the body as the light of Christ is important and healthy for the soul. I’ve found that part of my wellness program is getting enough sunlight. On sunny days fibromyalgia pain is much lower than on overcast and rainy days.  Meditation and prayer brings the light of Christ into my soul which starts to wither away without it.  It’s like what Colleen wrote about last week: put God first.  I’ll add, or you’ll get lost in the dark and be in a world of hurt.

We are getting a kick out of the neighbor boy who is around 9-10 years old.  He is an outgoing, enterprising young man.  When we cleared the honeysuckle from the back fence, it exposed a lot of rocks – the Ozarks gifts of the ground.  He asked if he could have some and we said yes.  The next day he was knocking on our front door offering to sell us some beautiful rocks – the ones we gave him permission to take!  I thought it was hilarious.  He is a polite boy and very intelligent with an outgoing nature.  It’s always a Sabbath moment to see today’s children growing into decent people – a good antidote to the selfish and self-centered youth that dominate the news.  The Lord is raising wheat among the weeds.  We must all pray for the wheat to stay strong and not be choked out by the weeds.

Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.

V. Praised be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever. Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

OK, don’t go ewwww! at the idea of cabbage in anything.  My husband only used to eat cabbage under the guise of sauerkraut, but this recipe converted him and your family might like it, too.

Fall and winter are good times to haul out those soup recipes that warm the innards.  I found a recipe for hot and sour cabbage soup on the internet and changed it quite a bit to suit my gluten free needs and the tastes of my husband.  It was a great success so I’m sharing it here.

This recipe doesn’t qualify for meatless Fridays, but all you have to do is leave out the ground pork and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and you’ll be good to go. If you’re good at the technique of adding eggs to soup Chinese style, it will be a perfect Friday feast.

Ingredients for 6 servings

• 60 oz. of chicken broth
• 1 lb. cooked and crumbled ground pork
• 1 small head of green cabbage, cored and shredded
• 2 large stems of bok choy, chopped
• 8 oz. of sliced, fresh mushrooms
• a couple of green onions chopped
• ½ tsp. minced garlic
• 1/3 cu. apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
• 1 ½ tsp. sesame oil
• ¼ cu. gluten free soy sauce
• 1/3 tsp. cayenne pepper
• either 1 tsp. ground fresh ginger root or ½ tsp. ground ginger (you can put in a dash of Chinese five spice if you like, also, which I do)
• If you want the soup to have more bite, add an ounce or two of Szechwan sauce or a few shakes of Tabasco sauce.

My personal tips for making this soup

Because of my various neurological issues, I bought a good sized Salad Shooter which makes shredding the cabbage really easy.  Busy moms or arthritis and fibromyalgia patients, if you have to do a lot a shredding or slicing, this kitchen helper is great for keeping your hands and arms from wearing out or getting sore.

To keep the amount of fat down, I cook the pork sausage and drain off the fat before adding it to the broth.  I like to simmer the soup after bringing it to a boil long enough to make the cabbage fairly transparent.  This could take a couple of hours.

Leftovers?  Yum.  Economical? Yes.  Ground pork costs less than ground beef in our area, and cabbage is also inexpensive.  I use organic chicken broth and cut it with 2 cups of distilled water to bring the cost down, too.

Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.

V. Praised be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever. Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Awareness of God

Welcome to this meme hosted by our faithful Colleen at Thoughts on Grace.  Sabbath Moments are times when we rest peacefully in the Lord or times when we are aware of Him through the ordinary moments of life.

Dilled Asparagus Beans

Monday of this week I took our great harvest of asparagus beans from last week, pickled six jars of them and froze the rest.  I like dilled anything and these beans taste slightly sweet with the vinegar.  They are delicious cold by themselves or cut in small bites and put in egg salad or potato salad.  Just about any way you can use dill pickles you can use dilled asparagus beans.

I thank God often for my discovering these beans last year and for being able to grow them this year from seeds I saved from the beans I grew last year.  It reminds me of the true meaning of stewardship. Another great thing about doing this work is that following the regimen my natural health doctor has me on has given me energy and strength enough to perform it.

Japanese Beetles

Japanese Beetle (photo courtesy of Northrup Photography

God is generous in giving us means to deal with pests – means that are not harmful to man or animals.  Such are the very effective Japanese beetle traps we hung for the first time this year. Thirteen years ago there weren’t any Japanese beetles in Missouri and now we are totally infested with them.  They chew up the leaves on our sand cherry to the point of making them lace, and their attacks on crepe myrtles are legendary.

I tried using Neem on them last year and this year but it didn’t seem to help and they have no known natural enemies.  Even the birds won’t touch them, although I know a lady whose daughter hand picks them (yuck!) off her plants and feeds them to her chickens.

People who bought traps last year complained that they attracted all the beetles in the neighborhood, making the problem worse. Hmmm…beetle traps attract beetles from all around.  They fall in the sack and die, rendering it impossible to lay eggs and repopulate themselves every year. So what if every beetle in the neighborhood makes it into my yard and ultimately into my traps?  How is that bad?  It’s just that many grubs less to turn into beetles next year and aggravate everybody.

I thanked God many times this week for the effectiveness of the beetle traps.  It’s the means He’s given us to preserve our landscape and enjoy the beauty He’s given us, beauty that is a dim reflection of His glory, but a reflection nonetheless.

Early Morning Quiet Time

This week I’ve been waking up early for some reason.  It’s been an opportunity to pray and meditate, especially for pleading God’s mercy on the world. We each are missionaries of the love of God to those around us, those we reach through our blogging, and those we pray for but will never meet in this life.

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V. Praised be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever. Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

The Blogger's Tool

As a Catholic blogger who posts several times a week, I’ve asked myself whether my blog is helping me do what God wants of me in my life at this time.  When I started I put everything in the hands of the Lord and asked Him to send me the readers He wanted me to have and that’s how I’ve left it.

I don’t expect to be famous like some Catholic bloggers are, nor am I expecting to get wealthy as some do.  I just want to help people come closer to Christ and take care of their bodies better because a wellness attitude helps our spiritual life, too. That’s why the article at Nineteen Sixty-four, a research blog for the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University edited by Mark M. Gray caught my eye. (HT to New Advent for the link.)

Is Interest in Catholicism falling online? is worth a read.  Gray writes:

In this post we reveal some new and perhaps disturbing evidence about the intersection (or lack thereof) of faith and new media. Searchers from the United States for anything with the term “Catholic” in them have dropped significantly in the 2004 to 2011 period (e.g., Catholic school, Catholic Church, Catholic Charities). The graph above shows weekly search volumes in Google (which dominates the search industry)…

Is this cause to panic? Certainly not. Should we be concerned? Yes. These graphs represent the behavior of millions of people (Catholic and non-Catholic) online. These aren’t responses to polls or attitudes expressed in a focus group. These are real world observations. People are doing less of something and when that thing is “Catholic” online we should wonder what the future is for Catholic new media.

You really need to look at the graphs in this post to get the full visual impact of the findings. Gray’s report and graphs raised some questions in my mind:

How does this drop in interest compare with other Christian denominations over the same time period?

Is this a sign of a further decline in people’s interest in a relationship with God and increased pursuance of the things of this world which will pass away?

What does this report indicate about focus on parish communities and activities vs. a sense of belonging to the universal Church – the true meaning of “catholic”?

Why is the interest in things Catholic not increasing in the area of learning the meaning of the Faith?

What does this report imply about Catholic approaches to evangelization?

Are most of us “pew sitters” who attend Mass for social reasons and leave the lessons of the sacred liturgy at the door, thus depriving others of the joyful witness to God’s love for all?

How much of an effect does the poor handling of sex abuse over the last 50 years have to do with this drop?

Is this drop a reflection of increased indifference to God in the world?

Is this drop indicative of greater ascendancy of the culture of death?

These are only a few questions that came to mind as I read the report.  My blog is meant to appeal to a niche group, not to the whole world.  My time writing is worth it if even only one person becomes closer to God because of what I write.  But I do care that the world seems so much more interested in things, power and wealth than in living the Gospel.  I do care that Catholics as a whole, not known for very good evangelizing skills, apparently aren’t taking effective advantage of the new media in a way to build more interest in the Faith.

The world has the greatest population now than ever in history.  More people are suffering today from hunger, disease, injustice, government corruption, and neglect than ever before.  The need for the Church and the hope of Christ is greater than ever before.  Without a relationship with Christ, without the love of the Father and the comfort of the Holy Spirit, what meaning does life have? We practicing Catholics can see this.  What do we need to do to catch the attention of those who do not know God and who are indifferent to Him so that the Holy Spirit may take root in their souls?

Last question: Hope and joy are partners.  Do we show the joy of loving God to others in our lives so that they want what we have?

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V. Praised be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever. Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Here’s another health related post based on my personal experience.

A friend who works out at the therapy pool when I do told me about Ionic-Fizz Magnesium Plus.  Coincidentally, my Natural Health Doctor had mentioned that people with fibromyalgia are known to be seriously deficient in magnesium. Because I had severe muscle pain for over two months from slicing a roast, he suggested I get a magnesium supplement.

Off I went to the health food store and found this product.  It says on the label it’s good for bone and cardiovascular support and is great for leg cramps.  Hmmm… I thought.  If it stops leg cramps, what would it do for my incessant muscle cramps in my back – the kind of cramps every fibro sufferer has to deal with.

Here’s what happened since I began taking this supplement in February.  The arm pain lessened in a few days and was gone in a few weeks.  The muscle cramps disappeared. I still have burning muscle pain but I can now get through Sunday Mass without squirming and twisting to resolve cramps in my back and around my ribs.

Not knowing all of what magnesium could do, I began noticing another very welcome effect.  I’m a sugar addict.  One of those people who can’t open a box of candy without eating the whole thing.  It runs in the family for generations and has resulted in diabetes in some of my relatives.  Taking this product brought my sugar cravings to an abrupt halt.

Addictions are a result of faulty brain chemistry.  I know this intellectually, but handling it correctly is quite another thing.  Magnesium brings about a proper chemical balance in the brain and helps control blood sugar levels.  This is really important for people suffering from fibromyalgia because most of us are insulin resistant and have blood sugar problems.  My sugar cravings have disappeared and I am finally starting to lose weight.

Pure Essence Labs makes this product.  Here’s what they say about magnesium:

Magnesium is the world’s most overlooked nutrient. Without it, calcium cannot be efficiently deposited to bone tissues. When calcium does not reach the bones, it can form arterial plaque, bone spurs, kidney stones, etc. It can also cause calcification of brain cells, thus undermining mental function.

Over 80% of Americans fail to get even the minimum daily requirement for magnesium. Less than one in 20 get the amount that progressive nutritionists suggest. Magnesium deficiency can lead to osteoporosis, insomnia, cardiovascular problems, migraines, muscle cramps (especially cramps in the legs at night), constipation, poor mental function, lack of energy, high blood sugar levels and countless other problems.

This is what they say about why getting minerals in this fizzy form works better:

The smallest, simplest, purest forms of minerals are “ions.” Calcium and magnesium can be absorbed into the blood in this pure, ionic form through a process of passive diffusion. They can also be bound to amino acids in the stomach, and then absorbed through an active transport system in the first few inches of the small intestine.

Minerals that are bound to amino acids are called “chelates.” Because these minerals are reasonably well absorbed, many nutrition companies try to make chelates in industrial processes. However, commercial chelation processes are not nearly as efficient as the chelation that occurs in the stomach. So, many of the minerals that are sold as chelates are nothing more than mineral salts that are extremely difficult to digest.

Naturally, the harder these salts are to digest, the harder they are to absorb. Since digestion loses power as we age, the older we grow, the less valuable such minerals become. And, even if we could digest them well, the body chemical used to digest them is the hydrochloric acid made in the stomach. Since this is the same digestive juice used to digest protein, the more of it we use to break down minerals, the less efficient our protein digestion will be.

This means that the best mineral supplements are those that are in their free, ionic form. Because they require no digestion, they can be immediately absorbed through passive diffusion, or joined to amino acids in the stomach, and then absorbed via the active transport mechanism. Pure mineral ions are the only minerals that can absorbed in both these ways.

Here’s a partial list of conditions that could indicate a magnesium deficiency and be helped by taking this product:

ADD/ADHD

Alzheimer’s

Angina

Anxiety Disorders

Arrhythmia

Arthritis – Rheumatoid, Osteoarthritis

Asthma

Autism

Auto Immune Disorders – ALL Types

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Congestive Heart Disease

Depression

Diabetes – Type I & II

Eating disorders – Bulimia, Anorexia

Fibromyalgia

Gut disorders – Ulcers, Crohn’s Disease, Colitis, Food Allergy

Heart Disease – Arteriosclerosis, High Cholesterol, High Triglycerides

High Blood Pressure

Hypoglycemia

Insomnia

Kidney Stones

Lou Gehrig’s Disease

Migraines – ALL Types

Multiple Sclerosis

Muscle Cramps

Muscle Weakness, Fatigue

Obesity – Especially Associated with High Carbohydrate Diets

Osteoporosis (just adding magnesium reversed
bone loss)

Parkinson’s Disease

PMS – Including Menstrual Pain and
Irregularities

Raynaud’s

Stroke

Syndrome X – Insulin Resistance

Thyroid Disorders (low magnesium reduces T-4)

Many people with fibromyalgia or other chronic pain issues suffer from quite a few of the above problems.  Magnesium in sufficient amounts taken by this method may be a partial answer for many to start feeling better.

Wellness is a way of life and while we likely won’t ever feel like we did at age 20, taking a natural healing approach can help us improve our quality of life and our mental outlook. God meant for our bodies to be in balance and our bodies constantly strive for it.

My doctor and I are always looking at new and developing approaches to correct the systemic issues I face.  Progress over the past year has been slow, steady, and significant. I hope that readers will find clues for their own solutions in my posts.

The most important thing I’ve learned is to keep looking for ways to address health issues using natural methods that keep stress on the body down.  From personal experience I can also say that a healthy body is an asset to a healthy spiritual life.

One of my happiest childhood memories is running around with my brothers and sisters, barefoot in the grass. Mom and Dad didn’t like us to be outside without our shoes but something about kids and bare feet just go together. Today the science of health and wellness shows that walking barefoot in the grass can be a simple and cheap way of feeling better.

It’s been awhile since I’ve posted on a health topic because in my coping with fibromyalgia I’ve hit something of a plateau and didn’t have much additional to write concerning wellness. However, the subject of the benefit of negative ions has caught my eye recently and I want to share with readers how they can contribute to our sense of well being no matter what our health issues are.

I’m not a scientist so I’ll try to keep this simple.  If you want more info on studies that have been done, The Benefits of Negative Ions is a good place to start.  These paragraphs caught my eye:

Metabolism, which is the process of acquiring nutrients from the blood and excreting waste out of the body, is extremely important to the human cells. The more Negatively Charged Electric Ions there are in the blood, the more efficient the cell’s metabolism process.

On the contrary, the more Positively Charged Ions there are in the blood, the slower and less efficient the cell’s metabolism. This causes the body’s cells to become weak and the body will tend to get sick more easily and aged faster….

The benefits of negative ions:

• Strengthen the functions of autonomic nerves
• Reinforces collagen (tissues that are resilient and tension-related)
• Improves the permeability of the cell’s prototype plasma membranes (improves metabolism)
• Strengthens the body’s immune system

A number of companies are marketing negative ion products but you don’t need to spend money to get the amount of negative ions you need.  Adjusting your lifestyle to include more of the outdoors will make a difference.  Here are some easy ways to do it:

You know how great it feels to sniff the air after a thunderstorm?  The air is filled with negative ions.  Dust and pollen particles have been washed away and the air is really fresh.  Step out the door or sit on a covered porch during a rainstorm and you’ll feel refreshed.  If there’s no lightening, be like a kid and go play in the rain.

Take a walk on a nature trail or get near a waterfall.  Sit on a beach or swim in a lake, ocean or natural stream.  The earth itself is loaded with negative ions and direct body contact with it transfers those ions into our bodies.

Go barefoot in the grass in your yard for 15 minutes to a half hour every day. While you’re at it, expose your skin to the sun to take in the amount of vitamin D you need.

Take a long shower and breathe in the steam. We take in negative ions through skin contact and breathing.  Even elderly people or those confined to wheelchairs can use bath benches or chairs to enjoy a long shower.

One of the more important benefits of exposure to enough negative ions is the effect of reducing depression. Chronic pain patients have big problems with depression, immune disorders, blood sugar balance, and other systemic problems.

Since I have decided to spend at least 40 minutes a day in the yard, I am making sure that some of that time I spend barefoot.  Even if it is hot and humid, walking barefoot in the grass in the shade – or even sitting barefoot in the grass is something I can do.  In southern Missouri I can do this three seasons out of the year.

God’s creation is His gift to us to live in.  I didn’t realize how much better I could feel by spending more time in it.

Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.

V. Praised be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever. Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Awareness of God

Welcome to Sabbath Moments hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace. These moments are times when we are with God, or recognize His presence in our lives.

This week I have been following the plight of the Japanese after the earthquake and devastating tsunami, and praying that God have mercy on them.  Most especially I am concerned about the people in shelters with no heat, scant water and food, and those who have lost loved ones. Some of the photographs have served as sources of Lenten meditation, to which I have devoted extra time for the conversion of the Japanese and relief of their suffering.

Spring is advancing and I can tell because the energy level of my fellow therapy pool friends is up.  It’s always good to see familiar faces and new faces, too, as we all are working on improving our quality of life.  I am especially grateful to God that we have the money to belong to the rehab center. I don’t think I could keep up strengthening my muscles and controlling the fibro pain without regular workouts in the therapy pool.  It is also a great blessing to be with others who are dealing with the same kind of thing I am in a positive way.

The sound of cheerful birds in the mornings is giving me the itch to get veggies planted, but it is too soon.   We will be getting help this coming week to ready our soil – another blessing.  This morning I woke to blooming forsythia, a sure sign that the worst of winter is over!

Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.

V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Awareness of God

Welcome to Sabbath Moments, a meme hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace.  Visit her to see what other bloggers are contributing and join us in sharing if you can.

(1) This week I was delighted to discover daikon radishes at our health food store.  I am not a radish lover, but in many of the Japanese movies I own, I see daikons used in scenes involving cooking, eating, or taking vegetables to market, so I’ve wanted to taste some.

Daikons are huge – way bigger than your biggest carrots.  The store had organically grown daikons from California bundled in threes – the smaller radishes.  I saw a giant daikon in a movie that had to be 2 ft. long at least!

Daikon radishes

These Asian radishes are white in color and mild.  As with asparagus beans, you get a lot of veggie for your money along with great taste. You can also cook and eat the greens at the top. My husband loves radishes and his only complaint was they didn’t have as much “bite” as the ones we typically find at the grocery store.

Everybody needs a new adventure every now and then, and this was mine.  Will I buy them again?  Probably.  They make good snacks if you’re on a weight loss program and delicious additions to various salads and dishes, too. If you’d like to know more about daikons, many ways to use them and their excellent nutritional value, visit What’s Cooking America?

(2) Yesterday we had mild weather and sunshine.  It was a perfect time to go out and start weeding the vegetable garden.  The large amounts of snow we had made the ground perfect for pulling up the grass and weeds, roots and all.  Sunshine and exercise are very important for us humans, especially those of us with systemic diseases. You can bet I was thanking God in my heart for the chance to get fresh air and do something relaxing.  Good thing, too, because today it’s overcast and freezing.

Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.

V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Welcome to this fun meme hosted by RAnn at This That and the Other Thing.  Be sure to visit her to read other Catholic bloggers’ posts for this week.  You never know what gems you will come across.

I wrote about a surprise awakening I had in Goal Setting Success Made Simple – A Wellness Skill.

At British Humor Hits Home I posted a funny video on Modernists.  You just can’t beat the Brits for great humor.

Praying the Psalms – Psalm 54 is a short meditation on a meme I really like.

Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.

V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Awareness of God

Welcome to Sabbath Moments, hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace. If you’d like to join us, create a post linking to her, visit Colleen and link to your post.  Be sure to leave a comment, too.  Or you can just visit everyone and enjoy the moments when we experienced God in a special way in our lives.

This week I wrote my first article for Suite 101, a first person account of the goal setting skills I used to improve my quality of life, living with fibromyalgia (Goal Setting Success Made Simple). When I finished it I was struck by how much God has blessed me to be a stubborn and determined person, to have placed special people in my life to help me, and everything He has taught me in the past seven years.

He’s been hard at work for me even when I didn’t notice, but now I see, in retrospect, all of His graces and am so thankful.  My next challenge is how, in writing for secular consumption, I can bring God into the equation – we really can’t do anything without Him. Battling the New Age hocus pocus – not selling out to the zeitgeist – while speaking in a language people will receive is going to take a lot of prayer. Please remember me in yours as I pursue this avenue of evangelization and, I hope, supplemental income.

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V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Rays of God's Blessings - A Moment of Delight, Photography by Yun, http://www.yunphoto.net/en/

An interesting thing happened on the way to improved quality of life for me in 2010.  Not only did God bless me with an excellent Natural Health doctor who has guided me toward a clearer mind (goodbye fibrofog), He helped me develop my writing voice and skills through blogging.

The best surprises are always from the Lord! It’s only in retrospect that I see what regular blogging has done for me.

• I’ve found wonderful blogs by Catholic/Christian bloggers that have given me opportunities for interaction on faith and Catholic living.

• My spiritual life has improved.  I see what God is doing for others as they risk sharing His miracles in their daily living.

• I’ve made valued friends I’d love to meet in person and have a good chin wag with.  Maybe someday that will happen.  If not, that’s OK.  We can continue to encourage each other via comments and show our caring that way.

• The big surprise: writing has become a wellness skill for me. It means a lot that what I’d hoped to do when I started this blog – help others in some way – is happening and I feel good about that.

Where will writing take me?  I’m not sure, but I hope to be able to bring in a little income to supplement our Social Security. Here’s where you wonderful readers can help me.

Lend Me a Hand – A Corporal Work of Mercy

I’ve joined Suite101 and am learning ways to promote my work to others who can benefit.  This past week I posted a first person article on simple goal setting skills anyone can use, but it’s especially geared to people who may be tempted to discouragement because they suffer from disabilities such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, and other afflictions where quality of life is easily compromised.

It was after I had written and posted the article that I realized the kind of goal setting I wrote about is a wellness skill. I want to inspire others and give them hope. We can’t truly function well without skills, inspiration and hope.

The Blogger's Tool

What you can do:

• If you have time, read the article. It won’t take long.

• If you know people who can benefit from it, send them a link and encourage them to read it.

• If you can write a blog post about it and link to it from your blog, that would be immensely helpful.

• Tell me what you think about it, and, if you wish, suggest other topics I can pursue that would help others.

We are made of body, mind, and soul/spirit.  I’ve learned that when one is in trouble, the other two also need help.  Wellness applies to all three.  I want to write more for Suite101 that will be both practical and uplifting.

God bless you, dear readers, and thanks for reading my blog.

Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.

V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

May this coming year be one of great blessings for all my readers!

We went to Dallas as usual for the holidays and spent time wrapping up details of my parents’ estate.  Fortunately we all get along very well and were able to agree with no conflict on who would get what of Mom’s jewelry, etc. This is all thanks to a sister, brother, and niece who did a great job of organizing and listing everything in an Excel worksheet, even left over household items. Our plans are now to write what we know of various items and decide who we want to pass them on to when we are gone – or before, as I plan to do.

Mom gave me a bracelet that she was given by her grandmother, and I have pieces from her mother.  It occurs to me that if we did not live in a country that has known peace within our borders for 150 years, it would not be possible to do any of this. Looking at European cities after World War II gives only a small idea of what was lost of family histories and possessions, let alone friends and relatives.

On the other hand, since we are destined for a place where worldly possessions and family histories are of no account, I am continuing my attitude of detachment and believe that the most precious thing we can leave to further generations is a good example of living a good Christian life. My parents did that by having a good marriage that lasted 65 years.  That takes dedication to duty, sacrifice, and changing what needs to be changed in ourselves.  Now is only the means to the end.

How did you do on your 2010 New Year’s Resolutions?

More than anything I wanted to improve my mental functioning, and thanks to my natural health doctor, I did.  It has taken a lot of work and has been more than worthwhile.

I also set a goal for myself to have 100 articles posted to the internet, which seemed almost impossible to me at the time.  With 320 posts on this blog, four on http://www.editingandproofing.com/blog, and about 25 articles in other places on the web, I more than met it. One of the biggest helps to achieving this was not only my health improvements, but also fellow bloggers who host memes I enjoy participating in.  Thank you, faithful hosts!

So how did you do in 2010?  If you didn’t accomplish your resolutions, don’t fret.  There’s always 2011.  Keep things simple and realistic.  You might surprise yourself.

V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Sabbath Moments are special times during the week when we experience a closeness to God.  We are conscious of His presence in what we are doing or not doing, as the case may be.  Colleen at Thoughts on Grace hosts this meme, so visit her to read other bloggers’ Sabbath Moments.

This week I finally overcame the feeling that getting some mending done was just too much trouble. Our house is very small so my sewing machine is in the garage.  We had a day warm enough I could go out and mend a sheet, pillowcase, and a dress, and by golly, it feels great to have that finished after months of procrastination.  Of course, as soon as I got everything washed and put away, I found another pillowcase that needs mending!  lol

We went to Mass on Wednesday, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, at Immaculate Conception parish.  Before Mass was over I suddenly realized that if we prayed for the pope before we left, we had fulfilled everything necessary for a plenary indulgence. Another

I’m squeezing time out to read Father Lovasik’s wonderful book, The Hidden Power of Kindness: A Practical Handbook for Souls Who Dare to Transform the World, One Deed at a Time and also an interesting book titled Meeting With Japan: A Personal Introduction To Its People, Their Culture And Their History by an Italian professor who was interned in Kyoto during WW II.  It’s helping me understand and appreciate my Japanese classic movies a lot more.  The book first came out in 1959 so I’m getting an excellent picture of immediate postwar Japan, which no longer exists except on the silver screen.

The most important thing happening to me is not suffering depression in these days of waning light.  My Natural Health doctor has been a huge gift to hubby and me this year.  This fall marks the first year since I can remember that I am not going through a major battle with depression. Now that makes for a lot of Sabbath Moments.

V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)