When I look up

From my truck I see kayak racks:  looks like it’s time for a road trip South.

From our flagstone patio I see the bluest hue of sky that comes with the chill of this season.

From my jewelry studio comes the reflections of many table lamps bouncing off the walls as I strain to create, to sew, to knot into the night.

From our bed I ponder this life as the hours pass in the dark, in the light since the popcorn ceiling never made any sense when I tried to connect the dots up there anyways.

From lying on the kitchen floor I cover my eyes and cradle my head to minimize the brightness of the nickel light fixture, the damage from the internal unrest tossing me about, and the discomfort from not making it to the bed in time.  The pup sniffing my hair is sweet indeed.

And when I look up from my heart to my mind’s eye I see my Lord who whispers His words of comfort that this strife too shall pass.  He makes all things new don’t you know and this happens whether we can see it, feel it, find it in this fleeting moment of a day.  This is where I must persevere as I never cease to look beyond today to a better tomorrow.  It must come.  It will come!  Oh yes, it does.

Psalm 121 (NIV)

A song of ascents.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

puffy clouds

 

Mercury Toxicity Resource

Sierra Exif JPEGGentle Readers:

If blog posts here have peaked your interest in mercury detoxification and chelation, you are invited to join a new Facebook group.  This closed group specifically covers the Quicksilver Scientific protocol and related issues.  We are simply fellow sojourners sharing our experience, strength and hope; we are not experts.  Check it out at:

Quicksilver Mercury Detox Group

This is by no means an official Facebook group of the company Quicksilver Scientific!

The official company Facebook page is:

Quicksilver Scientific

The company’s product-oriented Facebook page is:

Quicksilver Scientific International Distributor

While there are many protocols for mercury chelation, detoxification, and ridding ourselves of toxic heavy metals, this is the lab I have chosen for testing and remediation.  Godspeed to all on the path for wellness and may your journey ultimately lead you to the person of Jesus Christ.  He is our true hope!

With love,

Just Julie

Breakfast of Champions

Keeping it real today:  it was the best breakfast I’d had in a long time.  Held me over for hours.  Can you believe it?

The ingredients were:  gluten-free oats, coconut/almond milk, ghee butter, lactose-free whey powder, 2 walnuts, and bacon!  Gee I often wonder if I need a ketogenic diet (KD) since I feel so much better after eating ghee butter and red palm oil spread by the tablespoonsful!  I’d like to try the KD when I can find the medical professionals I’d need to calculate ketones and monitor cholesterol levels in this middle-aged frame.  Otherwise it’s probably not a good idea long-term.  Until then, just please pass the avocado oil for my coconut cream and blueberry smoothie!

The “champion” this morning was not me, however.  My beloved Stevers was my hero as I was unable to move without eliciting seizure attacks in bed.  So he fed me.  Spoonful by spoonful of rich bliss came to me with breaks in between bites to catch my breath.  I was so depleted from another hellish night dontcha know that I needed to rest often.  And then I revived enough to take myself to the bathroom and return to bed for more sleep.  A brief noxious episode ensued, an indeterminate amount of sleep, and waking convulsions on the other side.  Holy cow!

My other hero today who kept me company when I awoke sometime in the afternoon was our pup, Elle.  She often watches over me these days, sleeping within view of the bed.  Next to Jesus Christ, I love having a friend nearby with fur-on.  That is true only if my friend with skin-on has to go to work!  My beloved got there 2 hours later today for having taken care of me this morning.  I am so grateful for his care and hope his boss understands . . .

The afternoon was slow-going as I progressed from being beat-up to stable.  I recovered quickly from a brief afternoon replay of this morning.  I am glad that thereafter I was able to finish the Fall clean-up for Winter and gather some anise hyssop seeds for a friend before lopping off the last of the spent garden beauties.  Then I plopped myself down in front of the computer for a few hours and was able to do nothing else.  My sewing project 2 feet behind me, due in 2 weeks, will wait once again.  Such is life in the preparatory stages of mercury chelation.  Working on kidney detox to aid the chelation pathway for inorganic mercury.  Hmmm.  Sure hope I clear before Thanksgiving . . . sure would like to travel to see some friends and family . . .

My heart is heavy with all of this.  Knowing my brother may be stuck in a nursing home for more months is a burden too.  His Social Security Disability Income will likely take awhile to be awarded even though the left side of his body remains quite debilitated from the stroke in April.  I am glad that he was able to go “home” with his fiancé for a few hours yesterday:  the first time since this all happened.  Finally!  Sish.  The occupational therapist in me has been frustrated more than once by the whole ordeal.  Therapy is on hold again for Mike due to Medicaid paperwork delays.  So life in a better nursing home is where he will be indefinitely.  Kinda sad, really.

In case this is sounding like a pity party I will end it right here.  Just keeping it real.  I still have that joy in my heart that I wrote about this past weekend.  I still have hope that I will be restored to health and probably land in an even better place a couple of years from now when the mercury chelation process has succeeded.  I still am grateful for so many blessings that were never in my life even one year ago.  I have a plan for recovery!  I still look forward to the simple pleasures that make life so sweet.  Ah yes, here comes our German shepherd wagging her tail from having played with my hubby in the front yard since arriving home from work.

It’s late.  It’s time for the dinner of champions, Steve and me.  And it’s a good thing I saved a little bacon for us too.  I mean who doesn’t love bacon?  JJ

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The leopard print scarf in the bed

Perhaps it is the sheerness of the fabric that adds allure to the leopard print scarf in the bed with me this evening?  After all the fine braided fringe is as delicate as it is a bit racy draped from my waist, a little off to one side.  Yeah that was fun while I was upright earlier today!  I accepted the compliment from the only homo sapiens of the female genre that saw it.  Oh how I love a great twist on the ol’ oblong scarf look!

But this look continued long after bedtime and not for any reason other than I was not in any shape to return it to the scarf organizer.  So after a wretched series of breakthrough convulsive episodes I finally had the fine motor skills to untie the knot and remove it.  I rather like it draped around my neck in the wee hours of the morning as I sit here blogging in my partial day-wear, partial night-wear.  That’s in style, right?  The ultra casual look of pajama-like fabrics with a twist of animalistic flair?  Sigh.  O.k. It’s just plain weird, I know . . .

The part of the evening that went extraordinarily well was our new Skype Bible Prayer Group.  I am blessed to join a couple of lovely ladies, fellow bloggers for a bit of gaggle, scripture, prayer, and more gaggle.  It’s almost like having them over for a cup of bullet-proof coffee-n-coconut cream (my fav!).  If you too are largely homebound or isolated and want to join a couple of gals on Thursday nights who love the Lord, please contact me via this blog.  We are praying for the gals who may join us in the future; could it be you?  I will also help put together a gentlemen’s group if there is interest then bow out.  Please don’t sit there alone if there’s a tug on your heart to get back into some uplifting fellowship, k?

So some things are a little wild around here as I tweak a new treatment plan for mercury toxicity.  Steve and I are hopeful, really hopeful.  Healing crises are often in the mix of these kinds of things so we will hold on to the promises and cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ as we proceed.  Who knows?  I may even start a new bedtime fashion trend in the meantime!  Who says leopard prints are only for daywear anyways?  Tee hee.  Now I know where your mind just went and I’ll bet your beloved would agree to join you there.  Maybe it’s time for a little spice in this journey too?  Hmmmmm.  JJleopard cub

 

Keeping the faith!

When texting with a fellow sister in Christ today, I’m hoping that the Lord graciously encouraged her with these words.  If you are hurting in any way, I hope they encourage you too.  Jesus loves you!  JJ

We can do this my dear sister! Cling to that cross with your baby fingernails and hold on!

When facing death so many times when my breathing stopped I asked Him if this was the end?  How could I possibly go on?  I feared going to bed every night because the episodes were worse at night.  They hurt my frame.  They hurt Steve.  They hurt our marriage.  And one day the Lord spoke gently only the words that I would not die.  He made His presence known at my darkest points of personal hell.  Then things got worse.  And my measure of life became only the fact that my eyes were open!  With this I learned to live in the wonder of the moment and He sustained me with just enough grace to get to the next one . . .  Then after 3 years time, some answers and the beginning of restoration have come into view.  Whoa.

I am sad for your suffering!  I was hoping you had more relief by now.  I know God is showing up to do the things you cannot do alone in your weakened frame.  Reaching out to others when you have big needs?  And so much more.  Whoa.  Yeah God!

I pray He will speak to your heart today.  Like letting down our swords and shields and letting Him gird you gently with His truth.  And He “speaks” that truth of in so many ways doesn’t He? I know He loves you and cares for these needs, grieves for your suffering.

When someone asks me how I am doing I have often replied, “hanging tough.”  My brother Mike taught me a better answer, “keeping the faith.”  Yes indeed.    Love you, Julie

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