On Foraging for truth

I've been mulling a few thoughts around for the last few weeks and needed to write them down for my own memory, but I also think many of you might need this reminder as well.

First a story. Because that it how it starts for me. Something I am doing, which is usually is connected to food in some way, growing, cooking or eating (this is a new realization for me, which just makes me smile to know that my Father speaks to me using something I love); that causes me think about something I am currently learning, worrying about, or life circumstances.

We have a community garden plot that is at a lovely little lake and trail. During the summer, we will go each morning to water and then walk around the trail. Our walk takes us to "Stumpy", Christopher's favorite tree stump. Yes. Tree stump. As we make our way to Stumpy, we pass bush after bush after bush of wild blackberries. So we started picking and eating them every time we were there. There are lots of other plants around that also had berries on them and I began to wonder if they were safe to eat as well.

So I bought a book about foraging in the PNW. I downloaded an app that will take a picture of the plant and then tell me what it is. I then research it at home to find out if it is safe to eat and what it is good for. And oh my goodness, there is so much out there. I've found Plantain which is good for bee stings and skin conditions; chickory which is used as a coffee replacement, rosehips which are high in vitamin C and used to make syrups and jellys; tansy which is good for fevers and GI issues; Oregon grape which is also good for GI issues. Ive also found Poisonberry among other harmful plants!

I've been eyeing the rosehips all summer long waiting for them to be ready to pick. Last week on our usual garden trip, I grabbed a bowl and told Christopher we were going to forage for some rosehips. They have turned red and I wanted to try to make some syrup with them. As I was picking them, I questioned myself over and over. These are the rosehips right? So I would look at the stem and the leaves. Yes, rosehips. You know those converstations you have with yourself, Yes No Yes No?! Yes, I was confident that these were actually rosehips. I spent all summer looking at them!

Because one thing Ive learned in foraging is that there are look alikes. There are counterfits. And alot of times those counterfits are poisonous. Poisonberry happens to look very similar to a rosehip. And there happened to be one about 10 feet from my rosehip bush. If you arent careful, If you dont know the details of what you are looking for, you might mistake it for something that looks and smells like the real thing. But I only learned the difference by studying the real thing! 

Ive been thinking about how Satan tempted Eve. He didnt lie to her. He just questioned what God told her. When Satan tempted Jesus in the desert, He used scripture to do it. He convinced Eve, who had no concept of sin or evil up until this point, to doubt who she already knew YHWH to be, by having her question if what she knew to be true was in fact true. Satan disguises himself as the angle of light! He crafty, knows scripture and knows how to tempt us.

We are a church full of people who don't know the truth. Or only know parts of it. We like the parts that make us feel good about ourselves. We avoid the parts that confront us with the truth of who we actually are, sinners in need of a Savior. And by not immersing ourself in the scriptures, we miss the truth of who YHWH truly is and we cant tell what is truth from what sounds like truth.

And there are so many things out there right now that are claiming to be right and true and we cant see that they are counterfits because we don't what the real thing is. And the only way to know what that is is by being in the word. Its memorizing it. Its reading it over and over. Its mediating on it. Its allowing the Holy Spirit to use the words that YHWH has ALREADY SPOKEN to us and allowing that to determine what we believe about our Creator. Because that is what is at the root of all of this. Not knowing who He truly is.

It is so easy to twist scripture to fit our agenda. And unless we know the word of God, Unless we know the heart of God, we mistake the things that sound mostly good and mostly right as the truth.

As we were on our walk today, I was thinking about all of this again and John 15 came to mind. "I am the vine, you are the branches, if you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing."  I had to look at the whole plant, leaves, stem all of it, to make sure I was picking the right thing.

There are alot of voices out there claiming to speak truth and we need discernment. “Discernment is knowing the difference between Right and almost right.”

Elsie Jeanne

I started writing out Elsie's birth story/family update when she two months old. She is now over 3 months old and I am attempting to finish. Wish me luck!

Three months.
How is that possible? Also how have I survived three months without sleeping?! So many times I have wanted to write out her birth story so I wont forget, but I just havent been able to. Mostly because of time, but also because I could almost cut and paste Christopher's story because they are so similar.
Before Elsie was born, we both wondered how Christopher would do with a new sister who required much of the attention he was used to getting. And while we all had our moments of adjusting to this new change, Christopher surprised us all with how great he did. He has been such a good big brother and loves to give Elsie kisses and hugs. I melt inside when he asks to hold her. This time around is flying by. I can't believe she is three months old. It has been hard. Much harder that I thought it would be. But seeing my two babies together is worth it. Sleep is needed. The dishes pile up. The floor is covered in toys. Going to the store with two kids is no longer fun. But both of my babies are growing up right in front of me. Most days I count down the minutes until Chet gets home for a bit of relief, but I get the joy of being home with them all day.
Christopher is speaking full sentences and is blowing us away with how smart he is. Elsie is his biggest fan and whenever he is in the room with her, he is all she looks at. Christopher has started to speak to her in grunts and she responds with the same.
And while I know all kids are different is it fun this time around to have a comparison of sorts and see things develop early on that have become part of who they are. Christopher was grabbing and holding things with his hands at about two months. And even now he is always "working" and using his hands. Elsie could care less still. Christopher wouldnt crack a smile until he was between 3-4 months old. Elsie has been throwing them out left and right for a couple months already. I cant wait to see how her personality develops. And I hope and pray that they will continue to love each other they way they do now.

And now for the real reason I am writing this:

My pregnancy was as smooth as could be. It felt much harder because I had a very active toddler to chase and carry up and down the stairs. For the first time, basically ever, I started an exercise class when I was about 20 weeks. I was desperate for a few moments to myself as well as some adult interaction. That class has turned into much more and I have no doubt it made it easier to keep up with C. I even managed to go up until the day before I went into labor.

A week before my due date, I woke up with extra strong and more frequent braxton hicks contractions. I called my mom and put her on alert as they werent scheduled to come up til the end of the week. They were my child care. Mom and Dad must have heard the panic in my voice and Dad flew up that day to be here when it was go time. Of course, she didnt make her entrance until the end of the week, but I was able to relax so much more knowing that C would be taken care of.
We went about our usual business that week, just with some extra contractions. I woke up on the 17th, my birthday, to some cramping. I told Chet it felt different. I called mom and dad and said "Maybe?" Chet went on to work but by 10am I knew they were real contractions and texted my midwife. Chet came on home, with my birthday cake, which came in handy. :)
Dad got to the house in the middle of the afternoon and the contractions were still about 8-10 minutes apart and I was able to do most things in between them. Around 6:00 pm they really started to get stronger and closer and I didnt do much else besides kneel next to the bed and sway.
By 8pm, they were really intense, around 6-7 minutes apart and I had to have Chet put pressure on my back. Midnight rolled around and still 6-7 minutes apart, but now I was starting to throw up. We were waiting until we got to about 5 minutes apart and by 1 am we still just werent getting there, but the intensity kept getting stronger and I continued to throw up. The same thing happened with Christopher so I was hopeful at least some progress was being made. I called my midwife and she said to go ahead and come on in. We got to the birthing center around 2 am and after a quick check of vitals I climbed in the tub. I really hoped I would be able to deliver her in the water, as I needed to get out with Christopher. I was in the tub for about an hour when I felt I needed to start pushing and I just couldn't get in a good position. I labored at home on the birthing ball and found that the most comfortable (as comfortable as one can be), so I asked them to bring me one and used that.
I watched a live homebirth a few weeks before and for the most part she labored and pushed in silence. How anyone can do that is beyond me. I was screaming and yelling and telling them to get this kid out of me. At one point they said, "We can see her head" and I asked, "Can you really see it or are you just telling me that to make me feel better?". They really could see her head. It was right around that time that my water finally broke and ten minutes later, after an hour of pushing, Elsie Jeanne made her debut at 3:54am on October 18th. She is a smart girl and didn't want to share her birthday with mama and held out until she got her own day.
They gave her to me and did their initial check on her until my placenta was about ready to come out. They left us to just be together for a bit. We had pretty much decided on her name, but spent that time discussing to be sure. Elsie started to nurse right away and has been a nursing champ ever since.
Our midwives came back in about 30 minutes later and had Chet cut the cord. They then took all of her measurements. She was a whopping 8 pounds 6.5 ounces and 20 inches tall with a head full of hair. A few weeks before my due date, I met with my alternate midwife and she told me I hadnt gained enough weight. If you know me, you know I dont shy away from food. So it really was stressful work to try to put on a few pounds, so when they told me her weight I had to laugh. And I made sure to add that .5 because I worked hard for that!

It was at this point that I really regretted not bringing some of my cake with me. 20 hours of contractions. 1 hour of pushing. Let me eat cake! 

It was my turn to get checked out and stitched up. They then left us alone to get some rest for a few hours. Which really meant, Chet and Elsie got to rest. As exhausted as I was, there was no sleeping for me. I was starving (still am) so they brought in a big breakfast for us.
We tried to rest for the rest of that day. Elsie continued to nurse well, which was a huge relief as I struggled early on nursing Christopher. More food was brought in. Mom and Dad brought Christopher over that afternoon and he was a bit unsure about his new sister but warmed up to her by the end of the visit.
We broke free that evening as I wanted to be home to put Christopher to bed. Those next few weeks (months) are a blur as we had little sleep and lots of visitors.

Our little Elsie Jeanne is a joy and we cant imagine life without her!