Rooted in Creation

Gosh! It's been a minute since I last posted. A little over a month when I look. It wasn't intentional. You know the saying, "Life happens"? Life does happen. While I'm trying to be consistent even when life happens, I, probably, like most of you, do get overwhelmed by some of it, especially when it's the domino effect. Suffice to say that I've had multiple branches of life HAPPENing all around the same time, which were unexpected and sort of threw me off center. I guess I'd compared them to a personal earthquake where you're the epicenter. It takes a minute to make sure you're still breathing, still standing, and nothing's broken beyond repair. Is that a good analogy? Have you ever experienced a similar scenario?

One positive thing in this mix was my book, Rooted in Creation. It is almost complete and ready to publish. At its basis, it is about how growing a few essential nutritious and medicinal herbs can help us rediscover our innate relationship with the earth and all of nature. I want to share the introduction here as part of the blog post today, because I'm really excited about what this can do for you, or anyone, who is trying to find a more peaceful, holistic, health-centered lifestyle. But as I was contemplating the Rooted in Creation theme, I had the revelation that truly all of life is rooted in creation whether we acknowledge it or not. I don't believe in accidents. Nor do I believe in chance. There are only opportunities. As I meditate on what all has happened over the last few weeks, I have the opportunity to CHOOSE to rail against the impositions and oppositions or thank and praise my heavenly Father for the trial or the test that will move me closer to Him, allow me to witness His amazing provision for me yet again, and continue conforming me to His likeness. With the right perspective and worldview, these seeds of testing become oaks of testimonies that shape my character, my life, and my destiny. There's a song by Casting Crowns entitled, Praise You in the Storm. It is so apropos for times like this.

That's where we need to end up after the earth stops quaking, the dust settles, and we realize we're still breathing. We can be exhausted, things can seem impossible, we can "feel" defeated, or we can choose to hope, forgive, rally, & believe. The only thing that determines our outcome is where we choose to live. Our thoughts, our treatment of those we feel wronged by, our attitudes about the situations all produce some type of garden whether poisonous weeds or healing flowers. And those, my friends, are seeds that were definitely Rooted in Creation. In Deuteronomy 30:19, God says, "I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live." I choose life. How about you?

Thank you for letting me share my heart. And now, here's the intro to my new book, Rooted in Creation. It should be out on Amazon by April 15. I'm also looking at how to turn it into an e-book that you can purchase directly from me. AND, for any homeschoolers out there, I have written a year-long curriculum of the same name, Rooted in Creation . It is adaptable to any age, 4 through adult, and takes the student on a nature journey that covers cross disciplines of math, science, language, and the Bible. Contact me directly if this is something you or someone you know might be interested in checking out.

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Introduction

It seems that in today’s world, everyone is searching for something — less stress, more energy, better health, healthier food, deeper relationships, or simply a sense of peace. We are all in it together, running from one thing to the next, hoping the answer is just around the corner.

We rush to doctors searching for the latest magic pill or cure. We take vacations that cost more than we hoped and often leave us more exhausted than when we left. We wander the grocery store reading labels, squinting at ingredients, still unsure if what we’re buying is truly what it claims to be. Or we throw up our hands and grab the quickest, tastiest, easiest thing we can find, hoping convenience will relieve some of the strain even though it seldom does. Many of us rarely exercise. Others exercise like warriors, hoping to become the strongest, fittest, most disease-proof humans alive. Neither extreme solves the deeper problem.

All the while, media and advertising tell us that we are incapable of caring for ourselves. We are taught to rely on corporations, processed foods, pharmaceutical giants, medical experts, and influencers for the “best” of everything: the best nutrition, the best medicine, the best financial advice, the best lifestyle, the best you-name-it.

You know what I say? “FOOEY!”

What if the answers to many of the crises we face aren’t as complicated as we’re told? What if simplicity, not complexity, is what we are starving for?

In an overly complicated, fast-moving world, we can choose to step back, breathe deep, and reclaim our presence, our intellect, and our equilibrium. It takes effort, yes. It takes unlearning the marketing mantras that whisper (or shout), “This is normal. You can’t change it.” It takes stepping outside our comfort zones and choosing a new direction — even if it means giving up the old “normal.”

I learned this from a dear friend who suffered a traumatic brain injury. Whenever she felt discouraged, friends and family would reassure her, “Just hang in there… one day you’ll be back to normal.” One particular day when those words automatically left my mouth in an attempt to encourage, she looked at me, exhausted and hurting, and stated with utmost clarity tempered in anger, “Stop saying that. I will never return to normal. I have to find my new normal. Don’t you get it?”

Her words, while startling at the moment, changed something in me for always. Because she was right. Life shifts, people shift, the world shifts, and the “normal” that gave us comfort over time slips further away with every shift. What once felt stable now feels uncertain. We breathe out our fears, whisper our confusion, or shout our frustration because everything seems to change faster than we can keep up.

But here is the truth. If we can just stop, take a deep breath, and learn to listen, we can create our own new normal rooted in balance, simplicity, and wisdom, a way of living that protects our well-being in a chaotic world.

This is the heart of my company, Between the Wildflowers & the Weeds. I believe deeply in living clean, staying healthy, and helping others do the same. I believe in the power of nature to bring joy, tranquility, curiosity, grounding, and healing. I believe in nurturing others who wish to walk the same path.

This book, the first in the Between the Wildflowers & the Weeds series, was written slowly and intentionally, shaped as much by observation as by experience. The ideas were formed through years of living close to the land, observing the seasons, and listening to the quiet teachers that reveal themselves when we stop long enough and become silent enough to see with our hearts and hear with our whole being.

Together, we will reach back and reclaim the knowledge hidden under the blanket of modernity using the God-given elements of Creation as our starting point. Through the humblest herbs and the most ordinary plants, we can positively influence our mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being and still only begin to understand the magnificent design that calls us to lovingly steward those things that sustain life at the most basic level.  We can come to know and appreciate the cycles of life that are ever moving us forward as we pass the baton from one generation to the next.

My prayer as you meander through these pages is that you will find deep joy, boundless hope, bountiful confidence, brilliant motivation, complete healing, unflappable curiosity, and true peace, the Shalom of God, through the actions you take as a result of this journey. Whew!  ALL of it!!!

So come with me. Let's go get dirty. Let’s celebrate the harmony between wild beauty and everyday life. Let’s be present on purpose, plant a tree, grow a weed, nurture a caterpillar, kiss a frog (yes, a frog), water a bee, feed a bird, embrace your space…and LIVE the life that is Rooted in Creation.

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Don't forget to check out the rest of my website Between the Wildflowers & the Weeds and follow me on FaceBook Between the Wildflowers & the Weeds. I have several new tinctures and products that I haven't had time to post. I also do consultations at no charge and special requests for specific needs.