DAY 111 Forgive Me ... But You Have Food Allergies

Yes, you.

Truth be told, I am just trying to be helpful. I did not wake this morning with the intention of trying to ruin your day by telling you about your food allergies.

 I understand that this can be an emotional issue, so let me be clear; I will not be telling you what to do, and I won’t be taking any foods away from you.

And please remember, I am just the messenger.

It is reasonable to believe that every person has a least one food allergy.

Food allergy is one of the most common causes of a laundry list of chronic health conditions. Signs and symptoms of chronic unwellness such as pain, fatigue, arthritis, headache, high blood pressure, diabetes, weight gain, depression, congestion, constipation, and reflux are often indicators of food allergy.

I could have just let you suffer. Or, I could have just sold you treatments for your ailments, without ever discussing their causes. No one would have blamed me because most people aren’t even aware of the endemic problem of food allergy. But, I can’t do that to you.

What’s wonderful and amazing is that each and every one of the signs and symptoms that I listed above, usually responds amazingly, or completely resolves when food allergens are removed from ones diet.

So, just give it some thought; would you trade a few foods to get rid of some of your illnesses? Or, maybe you can’t live without your Gouda cheese.

See; I didn’t take anything away from you, and in fact I may have just given you your life back.

The ball is in your court.

DAY 25 -I Come From a Divorced Family

For me, a very important part of writing this book, is the opportunity to tell the world things I believe are true, that have great importance, and that are largely unknown. So, here is one of those bits of wisdom.

Ever since I can remember, I have heard, and heard of, parents expressing their fear that their children had been, or would be damaged,... wounded by divorce. I have talked with divorced parents living with guilt, and apprehensively watching their children for the outward expression of the emotional scarring that had to have occurred when the family was severed. Many of those parents were certain that a child could not grow up whole and well-adjusted without both a mother and a father in the home.

I was eight when I found out that my parents were divorcing. I remember my Dad being angry at my Mom for choosing to leave. I don’t remember experiencing any worry or distress about separating from my Dad. I actually felt relieved.

My Dad tried to guilt me into living with him. It was so painful as an eight year-old trying to figure out how to answer him. I remember him asking me, but remember nothing of how I got out of it.

Through my teens, I never once wished that my parents were still together. On countless occasions, I felt nervous and uncomfortable as a result of my father’s ongoing anger toward my Mom and the divorce; my brothers and I were often caught in the middle of his feelings.

My comfort through the divorce and my youth, though I was not conscious of it at the time, came directly from feeling and knowing that my Mom adored us and would care for us no matter what.

I am not saying that some children aren’t harmed by divorce. I am saying that NOT ALL children are harmed; and I can’t be the only one.

If a culture like ours, talks and acts as though a child must be harmed by divorce, will that prophecy tend to be fulfilled? If it is common knowledge that a child with only one parent is not just disadvantaged, but incomplete, how might that affect a child’s view of himself?

There are many people in the world who have no one. Not just one parent; no one.

I would wish for every child, for every person in the world, one person, just one someone who cares about them deeply, who shares their joys and sorrows, and whom they know will stand by them to the end. That person could be a parent, but it could be a grandparent, an aunt, an uncle, a sister, a brother, or a dear friend; just let there be someone.

I hope someday we will not assume that divorce must wound all children.