PONDER THE PATH OF THY FEET

Yesterday during church I participated in an excellent discussion about Priorities. The talk, originally from Julie Beck Women's Conference 2010 states that "When priorities are out of order, we lose power".

Consider our Daily Choices... Now, humor me and  make a list with 3 columns:
Essentials: Put things here of Eternal nature- prayer, church, scriptures, love, callings, etc.
Necessities:Put things here that are "have to's to live", eating, sleeping, hygiene, shopping, laundry ( I suspect this is where most of us live, most of the time)
Nice to do: Put things here that you enjoy doing ie. hobbies, pleasures, etc.

One young lady commented that when she was stressed out, she found herself filling her time with "Nice-to-do's", but later while on a mission, her life was filled with "Essentials" and she found so much joy in serving others, it naturally became her "Nice to do's".


Another comment I found insightful: 
Self Worth does not depend on the length of your to-do list! 
How many of us find ourselves busy beyond belief and accomplishing little?

Take a moment today to Ponder on the Path of thy Feet. 
Blessings!

Shutting the Door to Lyme--- Forever?

I stand behind a heavy door that reaches to the top of the universe, ready and more than willing to slam shut the illness that has racked my body for the past several years.
Questions come to mind:

• What do the little twitches and random numbness in my cheek mean? 
• What about the bouts of fatigue?
• Is there really such thing as remission with Lyme?
• What if I get bit again?
• Will I ever be 100%?

Knowing most of the answers,  I resolve to do what I have been taught to do:

• Keep my chin up and continue to pray.
• Count my many blessings.
• Keep my covenants and remain faithful.

What else can one do?  As I reflect, I seek for answers in my journal and realize that I am much further along than I expected, and for that alone, I rejoice. 

Journal dated December 5, 2009:
It has been almost 1 1/2 years since my last entry.  It has pained me to write, as I really do not want to actualize the words that I must write.  As the days and years have gone on and I see the purple edged spine of my lonely journal, my insides groan and I resist.  Why do I resist?  I am a coward, I suppose.  Perhaps by writing, I will reveal things I don't want to believe myself, however, time is of the essence, so to speak and I must write now, before the time may come that I won't be able to anymore. I am scared.  For the 1st time in my life, I face the fact that the keys of mortality are jangling in front of me and I am simply not ready emotionally to face that.  But, come what may, it is a fact of life, that God gives it, and at some point is taken from us.  But thank the Lord for eternal life, and eternal families.  How grateful I am for that.  My health has taken so many twists and turns but continues to decline, as I see it.  In 2005, I was vibrant, active, and healthy and walking 15 miles minimum a week, organizing conferences, writing a book and homeschooling successfully, I was primary president, I had life wrapped around my finger. Today, I am sedentary, my speech is slurred, my tongue is numb, my throat won't swallow, I can't remember things and I say things backward, use the wrong words for simple things, have labored breathing and am unable to participate in activities, exercise or organizations.  I can't lead or take charge of most things.  My gait is unsteady, I have no appetite, my eyes hurt and sting and I can't see when I get up.  I am taking about 25 products to keep my brain healthier and being treated for late stage disseminated Lyme disease, Epstein Barr Virus, chronic fatigue syndrome, a bacterial infection in my lungs and now my symptoms are manifesting ALS.  More than anything I want to be well again.  I want to raise my family, be a wife to my husband and live. I will try to be positive and happy and keep a good perspective. It is scary.  The things I read aren't good and the prognosis is awful.  There is no cure.

I am turning the knob now............

My Lyme Rollercoaster

This past year has been quite the rollercoaster ride, and I hate rollercoasters.   I have been in treatment for lyme disease for the past 2 years and  many days I felt like I simply wasn't going to make it.  I thought people thought I was just faking it.  My body was not my own and somedays, if it weren't for my children and husband, I wanted to die. I can remember one night, really late, laying in bed and thinking about my life, and the quality of my life and trying to swallow, and it was so hard to swallow!  I started to cry and it was one of those uncontrollable cries. I couldn't stop crying.  I wondered if I might not be able to breathe through the night- what if my tongue got stuck in my throat because it was so numb?  My sweet husband just held me and stroked my hair.  We both had a good cry together in the middle of the night. These are the memories I have from this dreaded disease.  The following are some lyme notes that I kept when my symptoms were at their worst and manifesting ALS- Lou Gehrigs Disease.


11/18/09 through 12/10/09  Dysphasia, tongue numb, balance
12/12- dysphasia, tongue numb, balance, foot falling asleep, fatigue 
12/14- 1000mg IV - after IV felt good for a few hours
12/15- Tired, slow, tongue swallowing issues
12/16- good day, IV in afternoon, Tired but energetic; balance improving
12/17-12/23 IV's daily
12/22- swallowing issues coming back, balance poor, fatigue
12/25- nap 2 hours, balance, tongue tingling, swelling, thick, swallowing issues back
12/27-balance, eyes sore, fatigue, nap, yeasty, swallowing issues
12/28-severe headache,right shoulder pain, fatigue
12/29- arm hand stiffness, balance poor, fatigue
12/30-swallowing slow and numbness bottom/back of tongue , balance, fatigue
12/31- tongue tingling bottom and back, balance poor, legs sore and stiff


This continued until Feb 1 when my balance was restored!  No more walking around holding on to things.  The following 5 months consisted of IV's 4 days a week along with 5 other oral antibiotics.  My last IV was May 19th.


I Hate Lyme Disease, but dare I utter that I am getting better?

Just Down a Couple Flights

I' m falling out of Heaven,

Just down a couple flights

I don't remember this ever happening before.

Inside of me I want to keep falling,

part of me that is.

The other side doesn't want it all that bad.

I'd like to clutch my Bible and say to it,

Motivate Me, Read me your stories

but I can't right now

because I am falling out of Heaven.

I wrote this poem when I was a junior in high school and trying to find my way. Sometimes I find myself still trying to find my way. Don't we all?

COURSE CORRECTION

At various times in the travels of our lives comes a time of redirection. Redirections can come to us in many ways. Perhaps we are seeking a new Job or Relationship. Perhaps it is even more personal- maybe a call to Repentance or Forgiveness-

Some call this Course Correction. How many of you have used a GPS? If you plug in a destination, the GPS generally gets you where you need to go. But you know that little voice that speaks to us when we go off track and says "re-calculate"? That little voice is similar to the one we hear inside our head when we receive new information. The opportunity is then ours to either change course, or stay the same path. Occasionally, recalculation is due to a new roadway that a GPS is unaware of- In our personal lives, I would relate that to a new pathway that has been Course Corrected, and replaced with a more improved and positive pathway.

Course corrections are rarely comfortable, but nearly always necessary and healthier in the long run. With redirection, we may find a new friend, a job, repair a relationship, or seek a new destination, that we may never have known was possible.

Could it be that little word called- Change that we are running away from?

5 SIGNS OF A CONSECRATED LIFE and OTHER GREAT IDEAS

I love to hear talks that are to the point.

Today I listened to our church's semi-annual conference for 4 hours and heard multiple talks just like that!

It was a welcome breath of fresh air. One favorite talk by

Elder D Todd Christofferson gave us detailed reasons why these 5 subjects are signs of a consecrated life- Is it any wonder to you ???

• PURITY
• WORK
• RESPECT FOR OUR LIVES
• SERVICE
• INTEGRITY

Another favorite - Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf- said:

Ask yourself: what things matter most to me??

Answer - God, Family, Fellow Man, Ourselves

So- Where have we drifted for a 'more excellent' way??

Loved this: " Simplicity is the Ultimate Satisfaction" Leonardo deVinci

and finally:

L-O-V-E is spelled T-I-M-E

To wellness- MA

Can we talk Grace... again?

One of my treasured books is- "Gift From the Sea". You might have guessed or even wondered by the title of my blog that my truest desire is to be an Argonauta. HOWEVER- The chapter on the Channelled Whelk has some great insights and I'd like to share:

Anne Morrow Lindbergh says of the Channelled Whelk... "I want to give and take from my children and husband, to share with friends and community, to carry out my obligations to man and to the world, as a woman, as an artist, as a citizen. But I want first of all- in fact, as an end to these other desires- to be at peace with myself. I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can. In fact- to borrow from the language of the saints- to live "in grace" as much of the time as possible. I am not using this term in a strictly theological sense. By grace I mean an inner harmony, essentially spiritual, which can be translated into outward harmony. I am seeking perhaps what Socrates asked for in the prayer from the Phaedrus when he said, "May the outward and inward man be at one." I would like to achieve a state of inner spiritual grace from which I could function and give as I was meant to in the eye of God."

Perhaps there is a little bit of each shell in all of us.

Just for now, I am ARGONAUTA FOR A DAY.

Which shell are you?

REJOICE-- WITH MAX GXL!

I want to tell you about the most amazing product I have ever tried with the most rewarding benefits.
Many of you know how ill I have been and have been in treatment for over 3 years for Chronic Fatigue, Epstein Barr Virus, cytomegalovirus, herpes complex syndrome, endocrine disorders, Lyme disease and co-infections of lyme.
Crazy at it seems, less than 4 weeks ago I started trying out a product I found out about through a friend.
Skeptical at first, I started feeling a difference in 3 days time and now I am feeling better stamina, more clarity, and more energy than ever before! I truly feel I am going to not only make it, I will have regained what I have lost in the past 3 years.

The product I am using is called Max GXL, and it is only sold through independent distributors for a company called Max International, based out of Salt Lake City. This product is affordable, natural and it WORKS!

Have you have experienced less energy, poor concentration, listlessness, lack of sleep, aging, illness?
You are NOT alone! Our bodies glutathione levels reduce significantly as we age and when our health declines. We lose 8-12% of our glutathione levels every decade and as oxidative stress levels increase, we don’t have enough glutathione to help support our immune system.
· What is glutathione? A major antioxidant and protector against free radicals and is essential for our immune system. As we age, or have illness, our glutathione levels decrease to the point of no return.
Important Roles of Glutathione
• Fights against oxidative cell damage (from free radicals)
• Protein synthesis
• Amino acid transport
• Cellular detoxification
• Immune system enhancement
• Enzyme activation
• Fights cellular Inflammation
• ATP (energy) production
Our cells are constantly under attack by free radicals, which can cause a reduction of our cells' ability to function optimally.
· How can I raise my glutathione levels? Oral Glutathione is not effective because the molecular structure does not and can not penetrate cell walls, so to get glutathione levels up in your body, you have to have a product that stimulates our amazing body to create its own glutathione. Max Gxl does exactly that. It is a patented product that raises glutathione levels in the lymphocytes, developed by a medical doctor that researched glutathione for over 20 years. ((I had been doing my own research while I was sick and found the same thing: Our bodies NEED glutathione to live, and when we are sick and as we age, glutathione declines.))
· How do I get this product NOW and start feeling great in just a few days? Order online under my website at wholesale cost: www.max.com/255092
· Click on Preferred Customers, to receive wholesale pricing, or click ASSOCIATE if you want to be a part of this business today. NEXT- click on the product you desire (Max GXL in 60 individual packets, Max GXL Sport (180 capsules), Max N-Fuze (liquid patent pending nano technology that further supports glutathione production) /OR /Max WXL Weight loss technology- a product to retrain your body to regulate its leptin signals, without harmful stimulants or ingredients.
· Autoship is easy and if you choose not to reorder, simply cancel autoship for the following month and no order will come.
· The best news for me is: I AM GETTING BETTER AND STRONGER EVERYDAY AND I FEEL FANTASTIC!
If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to call or email me and I will find out the answers!
If this product doesn’t sound like something you would be interested in, but you know someone that it might help, please forward this information to them or let me know and I will contact them. They will thank you forever.

To wellness!
Maryalice
www.max.com/255092

REFLECTIONS

Writers Block~
If I could muster up the strength
to hoist myself to the top of that wall
and take just a peek over the top,
I wonder: would I have the courage to climb over if I saw-
Stacks of unfolded laundry, unscrubbed floors, and bedsheets draping off unmade beds,
Half written poems and stories scribbled on paper napkins, and calendar dates crossed out, left empty?
Would time stand still, or march right on past my worn out body and decomposing brain,
with its nose held high in the air?
Babes and faithful mate bat uneasy eyes my direction.

Will she ever be whole again?
Just thinking of the wall is a powerhouse workout.
Just wondering what is on the other side, a labyrinth with no exit.
If only the power of the seed that fuels this infirmity would change its mind.
Should my strength allow me just one small peek,
I might shudder at what I see.

********************************************************************************

I wrote this back in January when I didn't know if I could even make it one more step. I have to say, I have arrived! I feel so good. I have written a hundred posts in my head since January, and hadn't the strength or desire to get them written here. I am a butterfly in a cocoon and I see a small sliver of sunlight peaking through the opening and I am ready to fly. My secret to success isn't really a secret: it's MAX GXL. If you want to Feel Good again, Feel Alive again, Have clarity of Mind and Energy for your day, please, please check out Max products! www.max.com/255092 (That is my web address for preferred customer discounts.)

I am still in treatment 4 days a week. That part is a drag. But life is GOOD, and I am gonna LIVE!

Blessings for a splendid day~

Maryalice

GRACE

While GRACE has many meanings, I wouldn't argue that Grace in the truest sense is that unmerited favor given by our God. I feel so blessed that all that is required of me is a little faith. I love the words of Alma...

" But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words. " Alma 32: 27

But oh, that is so difficult sometimes!

That is where Grace in another definition comes in for me... Grace- that ability to trudge through in the face of adversity with head held high. I am talking about the purest form of Grace, the sweet almost passionate form that actually stands for something. The Grace that doesn't Flinch.

I am aiming for Grace, wanna join me??

Ether 12:27 "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."

SUPER SOUP

One of the sweet pleasures in life that I have always enjoyed is cooking. I remember concocting my own homemade Reese's peanut butter cups using ice cube trays when I was about eleven. I learned most of my culinary skills from my Grandma Alice, and after almost 23 years of cooking for my husband and family it truly has been very enjoyable, up until a few years ago when I just became too tired to cook! The problem with that is that I rarely use a recipe! So, all those yummy from-scratch dinners are up in my head somewhere mixed in a jumble of misfiring neurons. I think I've still got it though. This is an old standby (my kids love it!) that happened when I pulled all the veggies out of the fridge last night.

CREAMY BROCCOLI SOUP
In a Large Pot (short stock pot) add:
2-3 chunks of broccoli cut up
1/2 cauliflower cut in pieces
a big handful of the mini carrots
1/2 an onion
1 stalk celery
2 spoons of minced garlic- refrigerated
1/2 pot of water
1 tablespoon of chicken bouillon
sprinkle of garlic salt
couple dashes of pepper

Cook until veggies are softish.
Scoop into the blender ( I used another container to put the blended veggies in)
Blend until smooth

Pour all blended veggies back into stock pot and simmer
Add 1 can of evaporated milk, or about a cup of milk for creaminess

All done. Total time: 25 minutes for a yummy, healthy, gourmet soup!

To Wellness,
MA

THE ONE KINDA RAIN I'M DEFINITELY GONNA WELCOME

I recently had the most amazing massage/reflexology treatment I have EVER had. The treatment, Essential Oil Raindrop Therapy was a Christmas gift from my wonderful hubby. Actually it was the only thing I asked for and I have 2 more treatments still waiting!

Some great points about the therapy:

• Application of several Aromatherapy oil blends from the highest quality Young Living Essential Oils are applied
• Tibetan Vita Flex Reflexology and Energy Balancing techniques used
• Designed to bring balance and clears the energy center of the body without using force or excessive pressure
• Detoxifies and eliminates bacteria, virus and toxic residue dormant in the spine
• Works for 5-7 days after treatment
• Successful with conditions such as Scoliosis, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, back pain, headaches, depression, and when experiencing symptoms of a cold or flu

The whole experience, from the tiny breath mints in the mini paper cup, to the soft music and dimly lit room, Kimberley's gentle massage and hot rocks, to the Thieves essential oils added to my water bottle on the way out the door~ I am SOLD on Raindrop Therapy!

To make an appointment or for more information call Kimberley at Inner Peace Healing-360-636-2636- www.innerpeacehealing.vp.com I promise you Won't regret it!

To Raindrop Therapy!

Peace and Be Well~

MA

PS- There is a Valentine Special going on right now: 3/100.00!

LOOKS CAN BE DECEIVING

• This picture, albeit not necessarily one of the best, was taken in the Fall of 2007.

This is the face of lyme disease. Such is the case for most people with lyme. They don't LOOK sick, so are they just all fakers??

It is More than likely at the time of this photo that I had the following symptoms going on:

• Numbness in more than one extremity
• Tongue lesions and/or sores in my mouth
• Extreme fatigue upon a full nights sleep and requiring a long day nap
• Eye pressure due to encephalitis-(inflammation of brain tissues)
• Gall bladder pain from gall stones
• single or double ear infection
• vision issues
• memory difficulty and word finding issues
• brain fog
• vertigo

Sound familiar? I used to think that people that had these issues on a daily basis that actually fessed up to it were.... HYPOCHONDRIACS!

Now I am fighting the fight. Unfortunately just over 2 years later, the list above is exactly the same, minus the gall bladder, (because I had it surgically removed), but with new and exciting symptoms, such as difficulty swallowing, tongue numbness and very poor balance.

Here are the promised steps for PREVENTION- to keep you and your family from harms way while roaming around in the great outdoors :

• Perform frequent, thorough tick checks
• Wear light colored clothes
• Tuck your pants into your socks
• Put clothes in the dryer for 30 minutes to kill ticks
• There are products for the skin containing DEET
• There are products for the clothes containing Permethrin
• There are clothes which protect against ticks

That is pretty much it. If you SEE a tick on you, STEPS to FOLLOW:

1. Do not burn or use any substance on the tick
2. Do not grasp, squeeze or twist body of the tick
3. Grasp the tick close to skin with tweezers
4. Pull tick straight out
5. Use antiseptic on the skin
6. Disinfect tweezers
7. Wash hands thoroughly
8. Always see a physician for possible diagnosis, testing and treatment
9. Improper tick removal increases chances of infection

Had I known these facts in 2000, I would probably not be telling them to you today. The lyme disease variety I have is neuroborrelia. That basically means that the Borrelia Burgdorferi (lyme bacteria) host on my brain stem and cause neurological damage. The damage that the BB cause, without treatment, could eventually lead to ALS, Alzeimers disease, MS or Parkinson's Disease. More on this fascinating deadly bacteria another time.

To Wellness~

MA

Whose Afraid of This Little Tiny Tick?

Answer to the riddle: common deer tick- shown opposite in larva, nymph, adult female and adult male forms. And now for the rest of the story.....

An epidemic disease is on the continual rise in not only America, but in nearly every country in the world. The disease is called lyme. In some areas it is becoming as ordinary as the common cold, and in the US, it is far more common to get than the West Nile Virus. Symptoms unchecked could lead to fatal diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Multiple Sclerosis or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The general tell tale sign of a tick bite, besides seeing the tick sucking your blood, is the bull’s eye, or EM erythema migrants rash. Unsuspecting individuals might mistake the bull's eye bite and/or rash site for something like a spider bite and/or ring worm, like I did, years and years ago.

Unfortunately, this little bugger can create problems in an individual that might not be recognized for years to come. Patient as dawn before day, infected tick bites can emerge later, without warning, on unsuspecting souls. The scariest part of all- anyone can be bitten at anytime, anywhere, (with a very small exception of a few subnormal climates). So, if you aren’t planning a trip to Antarctica on your next vacation, but you want to protect yourself, even while gardening in your own back yard, stay tuned for some tips to keep you and your family safe as spring comes on.

Now you know what is puzzling me. I have it. I didn't know it. Now it is killing me.

WHAT'S PUZZLING ME....

Many of you know that I am a puzzler. Well, that is a funny way of saying it. I write puzzles. I have for years. I publish them in a church magazine called The Friend. In 2007, I became the co-author of a book of puzzles- 101 of them, in a book called LDS Puzzle Pals. Super gratifying, beyond words gratifying. The very next year, my co-author and I ventured out and published yet another book- LDS Puzzle Pals- Prophets and Apostles. At that point, twice authored, our first book had received an award for best book in the category of Puzzles and Games from our publisher, Cedarfort.

Why do I say all of this? I say all of this to tell you that there is something puzzling me! I have a riddle for you and feel free to comment if you know the answer:

Here’s the riddle: what is smaller than the head of a pin, houses a deadly weapon, lives anywhere there are plant life and sunshine, and has up to 20,000 babies at one time?

Whirl it around in your head and let me know what you think.

Until next time,

MA