“In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” ~Dietrich Bonhoeffer~
As a young girl, I was given a little lock and key diary. Every day lined up one on top of the other. It had gold edges on the outside of the page so that when you closed it and locked it, you could see two inches of shiny glittering finish. It was never clear to me what I was supposed to write in a diary so mostly I filled the pages with gratitude, which at the time, I judged as rather lame. My life was pretty ordinary with little drama to fill these secret pages! I gave up after a time simply because I had bored myself. What was the point of writing thank you for this and for that?
It’s only now, as an adult well into mid-life that I can actually appreciate that being grateful is a gift. There really is so much to be grateful for in life, in particular- in my life. I wish now that I had saved that boring little lock and key diary so that I could truly appreciate that young girl all those years ago.
For me, gratitude and grace go hand in hand. My gift of gratitude is grace, “Divine love and protection bestowed freely on people.” That’s the dictionary definition and it is a truth in my life.
So this blog has been named Grace Notes. It is a place to continually give thanks for all that I have learned and a place where I can share that learning.
Also, my granddaughter’s name is Grace. She is a gift and I am so grateful for her in my life. All that I have to offer with the new website, blog and eBooks is simply a grandmother’s desire to pass on what I learned while raising children, “in sickness and in health”! Through my mother I am also able to access great-grandmother wisdom as well. My legacy from her is a wealth of common sense when helping children heal from childhood illnesses.
I am grateful to have been born at a time when fever and infectious childhood illnesses were treated at home, usually by my mom. My dad was called upon on occasion to make Vick’s VapoRub woolly sock neck wraps when we had sore throats, but for the most part, it was my mom’s cool hand on a fevered head that I recall. (I can still conjure up that energy on days when I feel unwell!)
So I grew up with all the infectious childhood illnesses: chicken pox, measles, mumps, rubella, yellow jaundice (hepatitis) and numerous other colds, coughs and sore throats.
My two sons however, were born in the early 1980’s at a time when “good parents vaccinated”. I trusted that what the doctors told me was true; a vaccine would confer life-long immunity. I never questioned vaccine safety and I certainly never considered that I had the option of choosing to vaccinate or not.
I have since learned otherwise and my two sons are now in the age group where re-vaccination is urged because they are not immune to infectious “childhood” illnesses. They are as susceptible now as they were as children.
So I am grateful for both experiences because after studying to be a homeopath and researching for 15 years, I now know that there is a gentle, non-toxic system of medicine that can help children (and adults) heal from childhood illnesses so that they have life-long immunity. Homeopathy is 250 years old and has historically proven itself in whooping cough, scarlet fever and influenza epidemics. It will prove itself effective in any return of infectious childhood illnesses as well.
If you are a vaccine-free family, join me on regular blog posts as I share information on fever, childhood illnesses and homeopathy. I’d love to hear from you so drop me a line or two and let me know what your experience is as a vaccine free family. I’d like to address as many of your concerns as possible with the blog and the newsletter.
