Inspiration

Most of you know I am on the path of allowing my body to heal itself of breast cancer.  I decided not to go the conventional route of surgery; chemotherapy and radiation.  Instead, I changed my diet and lifestyle and have done some very deep emotional work to allow the natural healing to take place.  I have conquered my biggest fears and opened my heart to learning the true meaning of "unconditional love" for myself as well as all those who enter my life.


As I share my journey with the inquiring minds around me, I am surprised with all the responses.  For example those I thought would rally, being family, have made themselves ghosts in my world; or they think for some reason beyond my comprehension that I am lying.  Why the hell would anyone lie about something as serious as having  cancer?


For the most part, people have been very supportive and encouraging.  I am grateful for the few family members that are very positive and let me know that even if I've chosen what they would classify as an extreme path, they will continue to support me in every way possible.


There is one reaction that I am totally unprepared for; being an" inspiration"!  You see, I'm just doing what is natural for me.  Having never been in a hospital as a patient in my whole life, the thought of entering into that realm is very disconcerting.   People that find out what I'm doing make remarks to me about how "brave" I am or that I have a lot of "faith",but I see things differently.


I look at the women who have chosen to go the traditional path as having tremendous faith.  They are putting their bodies in the hands of men and women who can only offer them treatments they have learned in books.  There is no individual care; everyone is treated the same.  And pretty much everyone gets the same prognosis!  If you are still alive in five years, you are considered "cured" of cancer!  If you drop dead two weeks after that five year mark, well, you are still considered cured of cancer because you passed that five year mark.

I cannot imagine giving control of my health and body over to a bunch of strangers that are limited in how they are able to help me.  The path I have chosen keeps ME in charge.  I listen to what my body needs and am able to adjust my lifestyle to the way my body will heal.  I realize that just about any dis-ease is caused by not only a physical challenge, but an emotional and spiritual one as well.  Therefore the healing cannot be accomplished by only addressing the physical, but the whole person I am has to be addressed and changes made.


Physicians are bound by the law to offer only the conventional treatments to their patients, or risk being fined and thrown in jail, where upon they of course would also lose their license to be a doctor.   Their treatments have nothing to do with addressing each individual, and of course cannot even begin to treat the emotional or spiritual ailments.


So, when you put all that in perspective, who really is the brave soul?  One who listens and follows what their body tells them it needs, or the person who gives all control over their body to  those who MUST only treat the body?


Please don't misunderstand me;  I have total compassion for the thousands and thousands of people who go the "normal" conventional route.  After all, we have all been trained from birth that the Doctor knows what is best for us and that listening to our bodies or addressing the emotional and spiritual part of the ailment  is whack-o!  I daresay in this day and age, the medical personnel themselves got into the field with full intentions of helping their fellow man.  Somewhere along the line, however, helping people has taken a back seat to plying the patient with pharmaceuticals that address the symptoms instead of the true problem.


So you see, I am not really a hero.  I have simply chosen to listen to my body and address the root causes of the cancer as well as the physical dis-ease itself.  I'm simply doing what comes naturally!


I wonder how much more health and well-being would people experience if listening to their bodies and addressing those underlying issues was the "norm".

Contrast

Contrast.  What is it and how does it work?  


On TV sets, in the olden times anyway, contrast is the little knob you turn to make the picture sharper.  The same can be true in our lives.  


Contrast can be a slippery little knob, however.  If you turn the knob too much, the picture on the TV gets too dark and cannot be seen very well.  And, at the same time, if you don't turn that little knob enough, the picture is too light to make out any features.  
  
   
The same can be said about our lives.  Contrast is the little knob in our lives that helps us define what we really want.  It makes what we truly want sharper and more in focus and gives us a clear picture of our desires.  Without contrast, we would not have a distinct definition of what we truly desire. However, just as on the TV, if we spend too much time focusing on the contrast, instead of our desires, our lives become dark and brooding.  We cannot really distinguish what we want our lives to be like because we pay too much attention to the contrast.  In the same way, if contrast comes up in our lives and we don't fine tune it, we can barely make out what our true desires are because we don't spend any time exploring the options.  It is much easier just to skip over and ignore hard situations instead of finding out the true desires of our hearts.  


So, contrast is really something to embrace instead of push away.  What contrast do you have in your life that helps you define your true desires?

Missing Recipes

For the last couple posts, I've forgotten to add recipes at the end. So here are a couple favorites of ours. Minestrone soup, I make for Mark's lunch and Vegetarian Chili; a great cold weather, hearty meal.

Minestrone Soup

2 tsps Red wine

1 med Onion, chopped
2 clove Garlic, minced
2 med Carrots, peeled, halved and sliced thin
1 med Potato, peeled, cut in cubes
1 med Yellow Squash, cut in cubes
1 sm Eggplant, skin on cubed
1 tbsp Dried Basil
1 tsp Oregano
2 lg Bay Leaves
28 ozs Crushed Tomatoes, with juice
48 ozs Vegetable Broth

1/4 lb.Green Beans, trimmed and cut into pieces
4 ozs Tiny Shells or Tubettini
1 can Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed
Parmesan Cheese, grated  (I leave this off mine, but put it on Mark's soup)
3 tbsps Fresh Parsley, minced

1. In a large heavy kettle, heat red wine over low heat for 1 minute. Add onions and cook uncovered 5 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.

2. Raise heat to moderate and add carrots, potato, squash, eggplant, basil, oregano, and bay leaves. Cook uncovered 5 minutes stirring occasionally.

3. Add tomatoes and stock and bring to a boil. Adjust heat so that the mixture bubbles gently and cook uncovered 20 minutes longer.

4. Add green beans, cover and cook until beans are tender but still crisp. Remove bay leaves

5. Add pasta and cook until tender. Add additional water if necessary.

6. Add kidney beans. Cook 3-5 minutes longer until heated through.

7. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with the cheese and parsley.

Vegetarian Chili

4 med Zucchini, chopped
2 med Onions, chopped
1 med Green Pepper, chopped
1 med Sweet Red Pepper, chopped
4 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 c Red wine
2 cans (28 Oz Ea) Italian Stewed Tomatoes, cut up
1 can (15 Oz) Tomato Sauce
1 can (15 Oz) Pinto Beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (15 Oz) Black Beans, rinsed and drained
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded and chopped (*see note)
1/4 c Cilantro, fresh, minced
1/4 c Parsley, fresh, minced
2 tbsps Chili Powder
1 tbsp Raw cane sugar or Agave nectar
1 tsp Cumin, ground

1. In a Dutch oven, saute zucchini, onions, peppers and garlic in red wine until tender.

2. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, jalapeno and seasonings.

3. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

*When cutting or seeding hot peppers, use rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands. Avoid touching your face.

You can also use white wine; sherry; or vegetable broth to saute in any of the recipes I send out.  If you choose, you can also use Olive oil, but since I can't have any vegetable oils, this is how I cook.  Also, a nice crusty whole wheat bread is really tasty dipped in the broth of both soups. 

I hope you enjoy the above dishes as much as we do! Let me know what you think.