Gracey Lou

Just thought we needed a little Gracey Lou today...

GLUTEN doesn't work for me...

Someone at church asked me if I had a knee replacement. She asked where my cane went??? Was I healed or something?

Yea, I guess you could say that. I had prayed to find my pathway to healing. The answer came 4 years later when the new girl at work asked if I had ever tried going off gluten. I didn't even know what gluten was.

In the meantime, I had been taking some great supplements and going to physical rehab which helped and gave me some improvement. But the pain and swelling in my joints never went away completely. And at my very worst, I had rented a wheelchair.

I hadn't expected that removing wheat, rye, oats(some can tolerate oats but not me) and barley from my diet would change my life. But it has. I've had a few setbacks. Like when I realized that I was bathing in wheat filled shampoo, lotion and hair styling products. And the unexpected GLUTENATION from cross contact. I sometimes wonder what good is gluten if so many are allergic?!

This post is not meant to give you any in-depth info about going gluten free. Just do a search and you'll find lots of great blogs and sites for that. I am mainly proclaiming here that living gluten free can feel mighty good, so don't be afraid to try it, especially if you've tried other things and you're desperate like I was. Here's my story in more detail.

I feel good and have hope for continued improvement. And it's all because of one person who said:

Have you ever tried giving up gluten?

This post is part of Works for Me Wednesday...but for today it's What doesn't work!

23rd Psalm: Past, Present...and Future

Past...

I've mentioned the 23rd Psalm in a few posts. It was my late husband John's favorite scripture and lifeline. When he passed I found those prayer cards everywhere. So when I hear those words, I think of him in a special way.

Present...

This is a blog about the words that change me. Words have power. And the 23rd Psalm says exactly what I believe about God and His purpose in my life.

So a few weeks ago, when this Psalm happened to be in the readings at church I could feel a tear gliding down my cheek.

Those words. They speak to my heart. I feel them deeply. This is some of what they mean to me:

Abundance. Protection. Comfort. Purpose. Mercy. Eternity. Love.

And then I saw her. The woman in front of me wiping tears from her eyes too. Her young daughter grabbed her arm and whispered "What's wrong momma? What's wrong?". She just shook her head.

Nothing. Nothing is wrong.

It's just those words.

Future...

I never forced my daughter to visit her dad's grave. And so when she finally went this year she was a little shocked to see my name on the headstone too. What can I say. They said it was cheaper and easier to do it all at once while they had the stone in the shop. And when I had to chose the words there was no question. Under our names, under the words Father and Mother, the cities of our birth, the dates...

The Lord is my shepherd.

(join me at the water cooler at ethos...**edit**no..."join me at the watercooler is NOT on my headstone...I just can't seem to put this line under the embedded video below!! for great techie stuff, that I really have to read, GO TO THE WATERCOOLER!)

Day of Prayer

MAY 2008


That Christians may use literature, art and the media to greater advantage to favour a culture which defends and promotes the values of the human person

~~The Pope's prayer intention for May

Starbucks Rewards

She stepped out of the cab as I turned in to the Starbucks drive thru. I live in the motor city. Everything is drive thru.

She was wearing a black brimmed hat and matching black ensemble. She looked like a fashionable Manhattan socialite. But this wasn't Manhattan. I think she took a wrong turn at this factory laden Southern Ontario city.

I ordered a decaf. The barista said it would take a full minute to brew. Some would balk but that means the freshest possible coffee. Well worth the wait.

And there she was. I could see her sitting at a table by the window, black brimmed hat and all. She even chatted stylishly. I watched her for the full minute. Wondering what brought her to Starbucks in a cab.

I imagined she was here to escape an abusive and controlling husband. She was left at home with no car. He didn't allow her to dress up. So while he was at work, she put on her best clothes and the black brimmed hat that made her feel beautiful, called a cab and met her very best confidant at Starbucks for an expresso. So she could feel real again.

The barista handed me a certificate for a free beverage, any size, to compensate for my wait. That minute had passed by fast as I imagined the story of the Manhattan Socialite.

Well worth the wait.

For more water cooler creativity click here...Ethos.

Lights, Camera...Dessert!

They were having a gluten party at The Bakery. They call it "Dessert Night". Since it is for gluten eaters only I wasn't going. But I went to the Pre-show. That's when the professional photographer came to clickety click those luscious looking morsels of sugary goodness. He's a regular too.

It was a "real" photo shoot with one of those 12' umbrella lights, a spotlight and a tripod. He never told the cake to "show me more emotion". He didn't have to. Those cakes were quite expressive on their own.

I found it funny to watch customers come in and not even blink about the photographer and lights. Just here to buy cookies and bread...

I got to taste the fillings for the crepes. Just a spoonful. The Baker could see the look on my face and he said 2 things:

I need the rest of that!!

and

All is right with the world now...

I nodded in agreement. In my world, at this moment...all is right.