Do you trust me? The repeated question that changed my grief journey.

The other day I was sitting rather mindlessly allowing my thoughts to move with ease bouncing back and forth through memories and my current day situation. This relaxed state of mind practice seems quite natural to most but non-existent to many who are grieving. To allow the grieving mind to drift is to consider the thought of physically jumping into a boxing ring. You don’t know what thought will take that swing that leads to a knockout. The fact I was free to relax my thinking and coast back to review the lived-out chapters showed I was making progress.

As I sat there seeing the chapters of life without Dave flipping before me God revealed a piece of His beautiful offering that had helped provide me with shelter in the midst of the pelting grief storm. It was a question that was posed to me over, and over, and over, and over, and over, again and again. A question of weighted words that wouldn’t make space for a flippant answer. It was a question pointed like a magnifying scope looking straight to the core of my entire being.

“Do you trust me?” -Jesus

You see, my body and mind took many different forms in my grief: from laid out flat sleeping to a curled-up sobbing fetal position. From arms waving in the air praising, to my head resting on my Bible soaking. From scuffing my feet through the red soil of Africa serving, to lounging at my friend’s cabin receiving. From voraciously studying and creating in order to provide my way, to trying to relax just enough to find calm in my racing heart with solitude and rest.

I was scared in the face of the unknown and I was doing everything I knew I should to find my way and make my path straight. Until I couldn’t, and then I would run like crazy and try to escape the pain. Until I realized the pain follows you because it is part of you, it dwells within. There is no escaping it. So, back to creating. Back to learning. Back to doing. Back to… you name it.

BUT THROUGHOUT.

This is the part that matters most. This is the plumbline of truth that keeps our foundation level when we build upon it. That repeated question asked throughout the mayhem of my stability-building attempts: “Do YOU trust ME?” -Jesus?

The question would often catch me off-guard, stop me in my tracks, and take my heaving breath away from me. My vision would narrow in on Him, eyes locking, nerves settling, worries decreasing, fear subsiding, grounding found. “YES.” “I trust YOU, Jesus.”

“I question this world and the people in it, myself included. But I trust you yesterday, today, and forever.” Honestly. In the wake of the storms, my answer is still YES. More now than ever. and with that trust, the next step comes a little easier. Jesus is indeed trustworthy even in the unknown and in the broken.

I could write five chapters on this but for now, I want to keep it to this next point: When the unknown of your future gets loud or feels shakey, there is a way through it. This pattern of a repeated trust statement changes things. The key is that you have to believe it. You have to envision a very real Jesus holding your hand, scooping you up, leading the way, walking alongside, gazing into your eyes, and seeing the very core of your being. He knows you, He loves you, and every single thing about you matters to Him. He has a plan for you and it is a really good one.

Not despite the broken but because of it.

Do you trust Him?

4 Ideas for Lymphatic Cleansing

The lymphatic system is like your body’s second circulatory system. It is responsible for the following:

• Detoxification of waste products from the body

• Immunity boosts to keep the body healthy

• Transportation of nutrients throughout the body

It might help if you think of the lymphatic system as your body’s trash collector and disposal system. It pumps lymphatic fluids throughout the body in order to absorb toxins + waste so that it can eliminate them from the body. If your lymphatic system slows down it can quickly clog and cause major problems with major organs and systems within the body.

The lymphatic system plays another very important role by absorbing the fats + vitamins you take in and delivering them where they need to go. When we take all of that into consideration, and we recognize how our physical bodies impact the brain, mind + emotions… Well, you can see why it is vital to do your best to keep it working smoothly.

So, I put together four VERY simple and easy techniques that are gentle + kind to your system. For those of you in the thick of grief I know it is easy to get overstimulated and overwhelmed, so I wanted to keep it super simple.

These are all things I have been using over the last few years, I actually began them prior to Dave’s passing, during his illness. I am here to tell you, no matter what shape you are in, you will feel SO MUCH better implementing these.

Just pick one, after a few days try adding another if you feel up to it.

GUA SHA is a simple technique that you can easily do yourself. There are several youtube tutorials to follow. You will need the following items:

• a GUA SHA stone

• Essential Oil Face Serum w/ Frankincense, Lavender, Myrrh, Helichrysum, Hawaiian Sandalwood, and Rose. (PLEASE, only use certified + pure, 3rd party tested eos, many are adulterated + filled with toxins in the name of “fragrance”)

Here is a Gua Sha Beginners video (click here)

HYDRATE more water, more water, more water. Increase your water to 50% of your weight. HNow does that work - claculate by taking your weight in pounds + drink half of that in ounces of water. Make SURE it is filtered. No plastic bottles. No carbonation. No juice. Just water counts for this one. You can have other drinks but they don’t contribute to your count. And caffeine can actually take away from it.

Drinking water with 1-2 drops of lemon or grapefruit essential oil in it is excellent for detox + your body while at the same time it will really uplift your mood.

• Berkey Water Filters are some of the best around for removing bacteria, pesticides, minerals and metals .

• Lemon essential oil, or grapefruit, are essential to add to your water for a gentle detox.

• Hydro Flask makes my FAVORITE water bottle to use with essential oils. Using a water bottle helps keep the tracking easy. (You want to use metal or glass when using eos.)

DETOX BATH SOAK is oh-so relaxing + calming to the mind it is also an AMAZING way to pump up that lymphatic system.

Hot water will dilate blood vessels, the epsom salt and baking soda draw out the impurities. Essential oils boost your body’s natural ability to purge what it needs to + support your lymphatic system.

• 2 cups Epsom Salt

• 1 cup Baking Soda

• Essential Oil Blend specifically designed to help boost your body’s detox system with Tangerine Peel, Rosemary Leaf, Geranium Flower/Leaf, Juniper Berry, Cilantro Herb essential oils.

  Directions: Fill the tub with hot water. Mix the salt, soda + 6 drops of the essential oil. Blend well. Add to bathwater just before soaking and stir in well. Soak for 30-45 minutes.

  Repeat weekly. Make sure and hydrate extra well after your soak, and the following day.

Now, let’s talk REBOUNDING.

This is SO incredibly good for all the cells in your body. It is gentle on the joints. It totally helps with mood, especially when you pump up some. music.

It stimulates the lymphatic system and moves those nasty toxins right out of your body. This is one of the fastest ways to jiggle + shake ALL those lymph nodes in your body at one time.

I have a jamming playlist I play on my earbuds as I get in the zone. I also pop a couple of peppermint beadlets in advance because there are studies done on the effects of this essential oil and increasde physical performance. PLUS it opens the airways and completely lifts my mood.

You don’t have to jump intensely, just hop on a bounce gently, pick it up a little and then back to gentle. Have fun with it.

I like the ones with handles, and some are foldable for easier storage, like this one that’s available on Amazon: Rebounder

Check out this diagram with all the lymph nodes in the body. Crazy right? I figured seeing them may help you want to do something to help them be tip-top.

Now, go jiggle + jump, hydrate + flush, soak + release, and massage those babies.

Make sure and let me know what you try and how it works. Let me know if you have any questions.

If you are really spurred on to do all you can and you really want to dive in, you can always go for a full-on detox kit. We have a great natural option that steps through the elimination pathways in the proper order so that you get maximum detox results without side effects. When you purchase the kit you will also receive an ebook + gift box from us. You have us to help walk you through it as well. This is something we highly suggest doing two times a year. You’ll be amazed at how clear your skin is, how your energy increases, and mental clarity. BOOM!

You can purchase your all-natural detox solution here: Detox Kit