Before Christ’s birth, the angel Gabriel visited Mary. "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women...For thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:26–28, 30–31).
Praying For...Micah and Oakley......families and orphans who struggle to have the basic necessities of life and live with the reality of hunger, fear, cold, and sickness daily...leaders of nations will be touched by the spirit of charity and stop using usurped or illegal power to destroy liberty...all around the earth can feel the love of Jesus this season...
Sound of Music...listening Christmas Caroles by the old favorites, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Judy Garland and so forth on You Tube...They could really sing.
Bibliophelia...sorta stalled a bit this week...still on the same books.
The Herbalist...when we went to Phoenix a couple weeks ago, I forgot to take X-ceptic. Of course a crumby virus attacked. By the time we got home, it was in full swing with coughing and all that nasty stuff. I took X-ceptic plus Lung and Bronchial Formula, Mullein leaves, Chickweed, Marshmallow root, Pleurisy root and Lobelia, to keep it from turning into pneumonia. While I was still sick all week, the virus stopped traveling toward my lungs and lost strength. I'm almost 100% today. Glad I decided to stop taking herbs by capsule and start using tinctures to make herbal infusions. Several times a day, I have a warming cup. It makes me feel calm and happy instead of gross and anxious.
Garden Gate...We are still covered in a blanket of snow.
Bee Buzz...resident Robins and and Northern Flickers sit in the lilac tree waiting to pounce on any bee confused enough to exit the hive on a sunny but cold afternoon.
Pantry...finished my lesson on 72-hour kits and portable pantry to teach at Relief Society next month. If I say so myself, it turned out pretty good with a video and 13 page booklet. I'm so excited to stock my kit and pantry in a box again. I have all the articles, but need to gather them into one location.
Aging Fearlessly and Well...my in-laws were a good example. Before the terrible cancer and dementia hit, they went out of their way to reach out and form a group of friends. They vacationed, served in the temple, went out to dinner weekly, and held monthly dinner parties with this group of four or five couples. If someone moved away, they located a replacement. In the end they had their nucleus close by and friends in far flung places to visit. My grandmother is another example of reaching out socially. She has more friends than anyone I know. At her 75th birthday party, friends outnumbered family. Now at nearly 95, most of the friends are gone, but miraculously, she still has some. Most days someone in the family calls, visits, or takes her out to eat. She still plays games with friends and attends a weekly church social after services. Social isolation is a big threat to empty-nesters and the elderly. Loneliness and isolation reduce physical vitality and promote dementia. After our friend Terry died and even a few months before, we stopped asking our friends over for game nights. This is something we need to change. I'd also like to hold monthly potluck/FHE for empty-nesters from my congregation. Hmmm...we'll have to see how it goes.
Project Joy...Feeling joy and happiness knowing Jesus atoned for my sins and the doctrine of eternal families. God designed the human body to heal itself. If we have faith and are proactive, we can witness the amazing things our bodies can do to put things right. I'm so delighted our favorite handyman, Pat Dowse, is a diligent detailed worker. All the years we've lived here, I've been embarrassed by our basement. Now it is a delightful, cheerful, airy place--that's saying something, when it is a low ceiling, windowless, 1950s location. Loving my twice daily cup of miso soup with veggies. I love my husband and family.
