Ancient Oils of the Bible

When a loved one has surgery, it really causes you to rethink so many different things.  Many times, you think, "Well, we're just going out of town for a couple days, I won't need to do this until I get back."  But that thought is so different when you're going out of town for a surgery.

 

As I type this, hubby is currently in surgery having a reversal of the partial replacement he had done last year.  I'm having the Asian entree for lunch while I wait for his Dr to call me and let me know how things went.  

 

As a caregiver, the cafeteria is such a blessing!  I know many of you who read this are very adept at being in hospitals as the caregiver.   This particular hospital has been one that I've become familiar with because it is our 2nd time here.  I love the people here and find myself relaxing more than I'd thought I would, even for the 2nd time here.  

 

For the past few weeks my mind has been on "what can I do to make things easier for my hubby once we get home."  So, we rearranged the sectional in the blue room, cleaned everything up, made sure where he is recuperating is equipped with an outlet for charging his phone, a side table for his water, coffee, meal tray, and pain meds.  I wanted to make sure everything was done, cleaned, and in place before we left so that once we got home, he could just get comfortable and rest.

 The next day I'll run to town and get his medication filled, get whatever groceries we need, then come home.  I won't leave him unless someone is with him with explicit instructions--if he falls, do not try to help him up, just call 911 to help.  He is going to be in a lot of pain and to help him up may strain his shoulder and/or hurt him further. 

 

I try to plan out the things that I need to get so that I am not away from him for too long.  I plan for some of his favorite foods and making them nutrient dense, so the healing process is moved along at a good rate.  

 

I usually don't leave him after surgery for 2 weeks or until I feel well enough that he can get himself some water, make a sandwich, or let the dogs out.  He may be a little bit longer with the recoup this time though, so I need to mentally prepare for that.  

 

With all this going on, we also have our grandbaby coming in mid-June some time, so his big brother will be under our care while our son and daughter-in-love are giving birth and recuperating in the hospital.  What a blessedly busy time!   Giving of ourselves, caring for others, and loving on them is one of those things we are called to as Christians.  I take this call seriously and do all that I can within my own power to fulfill this calling.  Caring for others does not mean you are weak, but to the contrary.  You have to be strong for the work physically, spiritually, and mentally.  It demands many things of you, so to take some time to yourself to rest, nap, read a book, or do something you enjoy is not selfish at all.

 

Our hearts are full, our plate is full, our arms are full, and God is so good!  

 

(This was written 5/24 while hubby was in surgery.)

 

Today--June 2nd, 2022

 

It's been a little over a week since my husband's surgery.  I've been working hard to balance caring for him, doing what I can at home, tending to appointments, driving, as well as trying to allow myself to rest as well.  Isn't that just like many of us who just don't allow ourselves to rest, or nap?  

 

When we came home from the hospital, I was focused most on making sure he had ice packs, meds, food, and enough pillows to rival the "Princess and the Pea."  LOL    

 

THEN...

 

When going to the Dr yesterday, he removed hubby's staples:  

Then he moved hubby's arm around in some pretty incredible ways and told me to "not baby him" and do this at home, too.  So, I'm putting a lighthearted loving spin on it by having him put his arm up on my shoulder.  It's not nearly as high as Dr lifted, but it helps.  Tomorrow I'm going to add a sway to it and a smile.  I think he needs that, too.  

 

He'll start PT next week and I'll be driving him places he needs to go until he's no longer taking meds.  He's had a pretty significant surgery, so he kind of needs those to help him with the pain at least for now.  

 

So for now, I've been putting a couple drops of Frankincense on the top of his shoulder, not the incision yet, a couple times each day.  I've also put Peppermint around the incision to help with swelling.  These are the only two oils I've used with him so far.  I plan to add Cedarwood, Lavender, and Cistus as well once the incision heals.  I'm going to put them in a roller bottle for him to use more easily twice a day.  I'm going to take a look at more oils in the Ancient Oils of Scripture Collection as well for their help with healing.  I'm sure I'll be looking at Hyssop and Myrrh, but I want to research all of them more in-depth.  Hence the reason I always say, "If I had 7 lifetimes to learn all there is to know about essential oils, that still wouldn't be enough time!"  Whew! 

 

As time goes on, I'll share more about the process and what we come up with.  

 

In the meantime, have a wonderful day!

 

 

Love & God Bless,

A tired, but thankful...Regina Graham

 

This day is a wonderful day to show our love to one another. But, what about the other 364 days of the year?

What about Love Languages?  Are we focusing on one other’s love language?  What are love languages?

*Words of Affirmation 

*Quality Time 

*Acts of Service

*Physical Touch

*Gifts

To begin, we probably ought to know our own love language.  So, ask yourself, when do I feel loved the most?  Is it when someone verbally appreciates me?  Is it when someone spends time with me?  Is it when someone does something for  me?  Is it a hug, a back rub, foot rub, or a kiss?  Is it when someone gives me a gift?  

When we know our own love language, we can better communicate with others, "When you do this ______, I feel loved."  Is this selfish?  NO, not at all!  The Lord made each of us so very unique with specific needs, so why should we not know our own love language?  There are many little quizes you can look up online to see if your love language is stronger in one area or another, too.  

Why do we need to know other's love language?  When it comes to our kids, we need to speak their love language to know exactly how they feel loved.  We need to know as their parents to speak their language so they know how much they are loved!  

The same could be said of our spouses as well!  Imagine a world where each spouse is actively seeking to speak their spouse's love language daily?!  That's 365 days a year that LOVE is being spoken in verbal AND nonverbal ways, but the message is loud and clear--

I LOVE YOU! 

 

My love language includes all of the above to a certain extent, but I’m mostly acts of service.  I love spending quality time with my family, getting and giving hugs and kisses, doing things for others, encouraging and lifting others up, as well as giving gifs.  I try to find out what others' love languages are and speaking that language loud and clear. 

Years ago, I asked my husband to stop bringing me flowers.  

*GASP*  

Yes!  I did!  

But why?

I looked at the flowers within a week or two and they died.  I didn't like that because I know the love that went in to picking those out.  So I asked my husband to give me living flowers instead.  That way they can come back year after year and it will remind me of his love for me.  

...so this year...

He included our little grand blessing in the digging! 

He said, "Can I do it, Papa?"

...and the next day he found these in the yard...


So he grabbed the grandblessing and out they went to dig up the dirt! 

They transplanted the Rose of Sharon while I was at the grocery store.

He speaks my love language very well! 

They transplanted another tree on the other side of the yard, too, but they did that while I was napping to surprise me. 

So what did he plant for me?

I asked him instead of flowers this year, if we could get a maple tree for the front yard.  That was the first one above.  Then we put a ribbon on the branch of a Rose of Sharon bush when it was blooming last year to transplant when it was dormant.  I love that when I look at it I can think of the Rose of Sharon mentioned in the Bible in the Song of Solomon 2:1.  It's also a beautiful oil in the Ancient Oils of Scripture, too!  If you haven't smelled it yet, let me know!  I'll be glad to send you a sample!  

We're planning to transplant more things as we look around and decide what to do with them.  We have quite a few lillies to decide where to plant.  I'd love to get some fruit trees and some berry bushes, too.  

So what did I do for my husband for Valentine's Day?  I made him a cheesecake on Sunday so he could have it before he started preparing for a colonoscopy!  Hooray!  Yes, the picture above is my cheesecake.  It is a Gluten Free Sugar Free cheesecake.  It is a chocolate almond flour crust and coffee cheesecake.  

So, for those of you who are wondering about giving up your favorite foods, you'll be happy to know, there are some wonderful ways you can make adjustments to what you already do to be a bit healthier with your diets.  It's more nutrient dense, so that's a plus, too!  

What do you do that is "Unconventional" for Valentine's Day? 

Love & God Bless,

Regina Graham

Can you imagine the scent of Hyssop mixed with the vinegar the Roman guards offered to Jesus just before He died?

This very plant is spoken about in God's word in Psalms51:7 "Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow."  Hyssop is very cleansing!  There is so much to learn from the Lord about all the wonderful oils of scripture!

I have an educational group on Facebook, for those of you who do not know about it.  I would love to invite you so you can see this absolutely fantastic class among other classes at your leisure.  You can also search information that you might be interested in, like "Lavender", "Babies", or "Deodorant" for example.  

Send me a message, text me if you have my number, send me an email, smoke signal or any other means of communication works, too.  I'll get you to that class!  Sharing the love of the Lord through the healing oils of the Bible is my passion.  The Lord gave us, "...the leaves of the trees for the healing of the nations." [Rev. 22:2]

Love & God Bless,
Regina Graham