Don't you just love great days? I have had one so far today, and heading out to the Reliv meeting tonight so it will only get better! When I look back on today, everything didn't go totally smooth, and it wasn't perfect, but I handled it all well, everything seemed to click. I can not recall any kids yelling or tomenting each other, I talked to several people whose lives are changing due to Reliv, there is money in the bank, groceries on the shelf, my hubby shoveled all the snow, then had his buddy come with a tractor and plow the driveway and road, it is NOT below zero, I have clean sheets on the bed (don't you love the first night on clean sheets?), I have talked more to my cousin via email than we have talked in 20 years, I could go on, and on, but I bet you get the idea by now...
I also just finished cooking a meal for a co-worker of Sean's that just had twins. They also have a 2 year old, bet they are having the best and worst times of their lives right now! I remember when Reagan was 14 months old and Jake was born...some days I didn't even get a shower. Those were hard days, and when you are in the middle of them, they seem like they will last forever. Good news and bad news is that they don't last forever, you blink and the kids are talking about where they want to go to college.
So, today was a GREAT day, tomorrow may be a different story, but I don't have to worry about that right now. I can just enjoy the rest of today, and I PLAN on it!!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
ReConnecting
I really LOVE reconnecting with people. People that were important in my life that for one reason or another had dropped out then came back. I guess after spending several years very ill it became important to me that I not take anyone for granted. We just do not know what tomorrow will bring. I guess lots of really good things came out of all those bad days, one of which is my continual journey at taking off the masks I have hid behind out of fear all my life and trying each day to really be who I am. I am trying to be honest in my relationships.
About a year and a half ago I reconnected with a friend I had known as a child. He was/is a pastor in Texas and had been a very important part of many mission trips as a child and teen. We have been emailing for that time and seldom does a day go by that we do not connect! It has added so much meaning to my life. He and his wife are precious people and I can only hope to serve my Lord with half as much sacrifice as they have in their lives.
I have also reconnected just in the past few months with several friends. Isn't it so wonderful how God brings different people into our lives at different times for different reasons? I only hope and pray I can be half the blessing that these guys have already been to me. My life is enriched because you are back in it!! thanks!!
Just this week I have a cousin that I have talked to for the first time in many years. He was our baby cousin and I can still remember well what a cute thing he was... but full of orneriness! Guess what? He is still ornery!! I LOVE THAT!
Here's to all the friends and family that I love so dearly. My heart feels like it is swelling and may burst with all the gratitude I feel, My life truly is rich!
About a year and a half ago I reconnected with a friend I had known as a child. He was/is a pastor in Texas and had been a very important part of many mission trips as a child and teen. We have been emailing for that time and seldom does a day go by that we do not connect! It has added so much meaning to my life. He and his wife are precious people and I can only hope to serve my Lord with half as much sacrifice as they have in their lives.
I have also reconnected just in the past few months with several friends. Isn't it so wonderful how God brings different people into our lives at different times for different reasons? I only hope and pray I can be half the blessing that these guys have already been to me. My life is enriched because you are back in it!! thanks!!
Just this week I have a cousin that I have talked to for the first time in many years. He was our baby cousin and I can still remember well what a cute thing he was... but full of orneriness! Guess what? He is still ornery!! I LOVE THAT!
Here's to all the friends and family that I love so dearly. My heart feels like it is swelling and may burst with all the gratitude I feel, My life truly is rich!
Lizzie
I am sitting here with Lizzie and she asked if she can tell a story on here. So, she will just talk and I will type whatever she says:
"I had a wart, but it's gone since Reliv. It was on my foot and it was big. and it was growing and I had my first time of Reliv. When I walked down the stairs it hurt then when I walked down the stairs one day I didn't feel it. I sat in the middle of the stairs, I checked under my pinky toe and it was gone. Reliv is helping me and my wart never came back. the end"
Reliv does not cure anything it is really good nutrition that helps the body do what it is designed to do.
I started this blog at the insistence of my older two kids. They wanted me to have a website or blog or something about Reliv. One thing is for sure, all three of my kids are almost more passionate about it than I am. It is so fun to watch other people's lives change. Sure, it brings money into the house...but the joy we get of watching those we love and care about begin to see their own dreams come true, no amount of money in the world could touch that!
"I had a wart, but it's gone since Reliv. It was on my foot and it was big. and it was growing and I had my first time of Reliv. When I walked down the stairs it hurt then when I walked down the stairs one day I didn't feel it. I sat in the middle of the stairs, I checked under my pinky toe and it was gone. Reliv is helping me and my wart never came back. the end"
Reliv does not cure anything it is really good nutrition that helps the body do what it is designed to do.
I started this blog at the insistence of my older two kids. They wanted me to have a website or blog or something about Reliv. One thing is for sure, all three of my kids are almost more passionate about it than I am. It is so fun to watch other people's lives change. Sure, it brings money into the house...but the joy we get of watching those we love and care about begin to see their own dreams come true, no amount of money in the world could touch that!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Forgiveness vs Judgement
I was reading a post on Tabitha's blog this morning and she was talking about forgiveness. ( http://tab907.blogspot.com/ ) It got me thinking a bit about some of my past experiences. I do think there are things that as humans it is hard to forgive. I also think sometimes we get way too wrapped up in the faults of others. I have had two experiences where unforgiveness of others has surprised me. I guess for me maybe it falls more into judgement than unforgiveness. The first experience was years ago when we had taken in several children from an abusive situation. They had lots of issues and we were 23 at the time. Within 2 weeks we found out I was pregnant and so we began finding homes for the four children in their biological family. I will never forget what some of the people from church said to about "loving unconditionally" and "loving like Christ". I was floored. It was my first experience with what I term "legalistic, judgemental" Christians. My non-Christian friends seem to be more understanding and encouraging, which opened my eyes a bit. But confused me at the same time. Then these past years I struggled with my health and along with the physical stuff I had SEVERE anxiety and depression. Many Christian people I know have told me how much I was sinning because if I just trusted God I would not be anxious or depressed. I bought into it and would just beat myself up more and then it created a desperate cycle of MORE depression and anxiety.
I just think until we have walked in exactly someone else's shoes, we should give them the benefit of the doubt and extend a hand of love and not judgement. I bet if I turned that critical look back on myself I will notice I do have a large log sticking out of my eye, which makes my sister or brother's splinter seem quite small!
I just think until we have walked in exactly someone else's shoes, we should give them the benefit of the doubt and extend a hand of love and not judgement. I bet if I turned that critical look back on myself I will notice I do have a large log sticking out of my eye, which makes my sister or brother's splinter seem quite small!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Food
How exciting that Friar put me in his blog! I want to set some things straight though. Reliv is a food science company out of St. Louis, MO. It has helped me tremendously with allergies, specifically to chemicals and foods, but it is basically just really good nutrition. I have seen it help so many people with so many different things. My 5 year old has had great results with stomach issues. My teens have had results with acne, energy, back pain, and just overall less mood swings. Prevention is a huge reason we take it, we hardly ever get any illnesses in our house and if one of us does, it seems to stay isolated and does not get passed around. I will post a story here from some of my good friends, Zak and Kara Grosfield. I knew Kara as a teen before and after she became ill and I can not express the joy to see where she was compared to where she is now! PTL!
I reprint this with their approval:
Hi, this is Zak Grosfield, Kara’s husband. When we were married two and a half years ago, the doctors had told us that I would probably be in a full time care-taking position by the time my wife was in her thirties and that she may even be wheelchair-bound. They told us that our first year of marriage would be the best, and that every year thereafter would progressively get worse and worse. When we first heard about Reliv I really didn’t believe that it could help something as serious as my wife’s Rheumatoid Arthritis. What attracted me to the company was the business opportunity. When my wife’s illness got to the point where she couldn’t work any more, that would have cut our income in half, and it would have been very difficult to provide for our family as a massage therapist. We went to a Tuesday night presentation and were blown away by the stories we heard about what this product was doing in people’s bodies and by what this business is doing in people’s lives. We decided to become distributors at the top profit level in Reliv which we call the Master Affiliate before we even started on the products because we wanted to get the products at the best possible price and we knew that we had at least a couple family members and friends we needed to share this with. I take the products primarily for prevention. I don’t have any serious health issues and I never have, but in my family history there is cancer, heart disease, diabetes, alzheimer’s, and many other health issues and as a massage therapist I understood that if I wanted to prevent these things in my future it has to start with essential nutrition. I have also seen a huge increase in energy since starting the products, and low-back pain I have had since an accident I was in almost four years ago is almost completely a non-issue now.
We started sharing this business and these product with people immediately. All we were doing was introducing the people we wanted to share Reliv with to the people who had shared it with us. In our first month we earned back our entire initial investment in the company and profited a little under $800. In 2006, even though we only had part time effort to put into Reliv, we did it with a full-time attitude and Reliv paid us almost $13,000 that year. In 2007 now our income has nearly tripled, and our highest check in a month was over $12,000. That income has allowed both my wife and myself to come home and work Reliv full time. We set our own schedule, we travel when we want and we come back from traveling when we want. We are 22 and 24 years old and we are literally starting to live our dreams. Two years ago we couldn’t see past the worry of how we were going to pay our bills the next month, and now all we do is dream.
We want to make it clear to everybody that Reliv does not cure anything, and Reliv makes no claims to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness. It is simply the best possible nutrition that you can put in our bodies, and when our bodies are given the right nutrition, they can do amazing things. If Kara stopped taking the products then she would go back to the quality of life she had when she wasn’t taking the products, but as long as she takes them, her body has the nutrition it needs to do the best job it can possibly do to improve her quality of life. The business also makes no claims. We are earning the kind of income that we are because we put hard work into this business, as we would any other true business opportunity. I will say however that other than choosing to follow Jesus and choosing who we would marry, becoming a Master Affiliate with Reliv International is the best decision we have ever made, and we’ll never stop sharing this opportunity.
I reprint this with their approval:
Hi, this is Zak Grosfield, Kara’s husband. When we were married two and a half years ago, the doctors had told us that I would probably be in a full time care-taking position by the time my wife was in her thirties and that she may even be wheelchair-bound. They told us that our first year of marriage would be the best, and that every year thereafter would progressively get worse and worse. When we first heard about Reliv I really didn’t believe that it could help something as serious as my wife’s Rheumatoid Arthritis. What attracted me to the company was the business opportunity. When my wife’s illness got to the point where she couldn’t work any more, that would have cut our income in half, and it would have been very difficult to provide for our family as a massage therapist. We went to a Tuesday night presentation and were blown away by the stories we heard about what this product was doing in people’s bodies and by what this business is doing in people’s lives. We decided to become distributors at the top profit level in Reliv which we call the Master Affiliate before we even started on the products because we wanted to get the products at the best possible price and we knew that we had at least a couple family members and friends we needed to share this with. I take the products primarily for prevention. I don’t have any serious health issues and I never have, but in my family history there is cancer, heart disease, diabetes, alzheimer’s, and many other health issues and as a massage therapist I understood that if I wanted to prevent these things in my future it has to start with essential nutrition. I have also seen a huge increase in energy since starting the products, and low-back pain I have had since an accident I was in almost four years ago is almost completely a non-issue now.
We started sharing this business and these product with people immediately. All we were doing was introducing the people we wanted to share Reliv with to the people who had shared it with us. In our first month we earned back our entire initial investment in the company and profited a little under $800. In 2006, even though we only had part time effort to put into Reliv, we did it with a full-time attitude and Reliv paid us almost $13,000 that year. In 2007 now our income has nearly tripled, and our highest check in a month was over $12,000. That income has allowed both my wife and myself to come home and work Reliv full time. We set our own schedule, we travel when we want and we come back from traveling when we want. We are 22 and 24 years old and we are literally starting to live our dreams. Two years ago we couldn’t see past the worry of how we were going to pay our bills the next month, and now all we do is dream.
We want to make it clear to everybody that Reliv does not cure anything, and Reliv makes no claims to diagnose, treat, or cure any illness. It is simply the best possible nutrition that you can put in our bodies, and when our bodies are given the right nutrition, they can do amazing things. If Kara stopped taking the products then she would go back to the quality of life she had when she wasn’t taking the products, but as long as she takes them, her body has the nutrition it needs to do the best job it can possibly do to improve her quality of life. The business also makes no claims. We are earning the kind of income that we are because we put hard work into this business, as we would any other true business opportunity. I will say however that other than choosing to follow Jesus and choosing who we would marry, becoming a Master Affiliate with Reliv International is the best decision we have ever made, and we’ll never stop sharing this opportunity.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Fun!
I forgot how fun blogging can be. Fun to write down things and it is interesting how writing it down can take you to a deeper level on a subject than you had considered before. Weird, like I learn things about myself when writing them down. Also, very intriguing that two people that used to be a big part of my life and have not been in it much of late have been my biggest fans. Humbling really... Life is like that I suppose. Surprising...
We had fun yesterday. It was a blah day around here... the teenagers were off doing school and church stuff. Which is not why it was blah... it is nice for them and for us to get separation at times! :) But Lizzie, my 5 year old, Sean and I were just here and we decided to go and just have fun. We did Burger King for lunch. By the way, that was the first time I had eaten Burger King in years...it still leaves you with that bloated, yuck, fast food feeling! Lizzie had a blast though, there were several girls there and they played and played! Then we went to the movie, and finished up with several hours at the library. Lizzie got her first Library card and it was red letter day!
Isn't it funny when you are in a library with tall bookshelves and you can stand there and it feels like you are all alone? I like that feeling, like being lost in the middle of all the books you could ever read. Well, I was standing there in my own little world, just browsing, and suddenly this massive hand comes thru from the other side of the shelf and begins to push and pull books into a straight line! First of all, it ripped me from my little serene world I was creating for myself, and secondly..."what the heck is this guy doing???" Well, you know in movies where people look between the shelves and see someone else? It was like that, only he ran quickly away. Guess I scared him as well. I still have NO idea what it was about. My best guess is he has OCD and must straighten books on shelves! Any thoughts on this one?? Any similar experiences?
We had fun yesterday. It was a blah day around here... the teenagers were off doing school and church stuff. Which is not why it was blah... it is nice for them and for us to get separation at times! :) But Lizzie, my 5 year old, Sean and I were just here and we decided to go and just have fun. We did Burger King for lunch. By the way, that was the first time I had eaten Burger King in years...it still leaves you with that bloated, yuck, fast food feeling! Lizzie had a blast though, there were several girls there and they played and played! Then we went to the movie, and finished up with several hours at the library. Lizzie got her first Library card and it was red letter day!
Isn't it funny when you are in a library with tall bookshelves and you can stand there and it feels like you are all alone? I like that feeling, like being lost in the middle of all the books you could ever read. Well, I was standing there in my own little world, just browsing, and suddenly this massive hand comes thru from the other side of the shelf and begins to push and pull books into a straight line! First of all, it ripped me from my little serene world I was creating for myself, and secondly..."what the heck is this guy doing???" Well, you know in movies where people look between the shelves and see someone else? It was like that, only he ran quickly away. Guess I scared him as well. I still have NO idea what it was about. My best guess is he has OCD and must straighten books on shelves! Any thoughts on this one?? Any similar experiences?
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Vows
Sean and I renewed our vows on Christmas Eve. It was a neat time with just a few friends and family. It was just about us. It had been a rough year at the Grabbe house. We celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary in July and actually had a temporary seperation in September. It was the first time we had ever "seperated" in all those 20 years and it was a bit scary. God is a God of miracles though and don't ever doubt it.
We attended a marriage seminar in October and I heard a new take on lots of different things. One thing they talked about was a new concept to me. They talked about the fact that Adam just accepted Eve based on the fact that God presented her to him. Adam knew nothing really about Eve, other than he like how she looked naked. :)! But seriously, Adam trusted God and Eve was a gift from God, so Adam accepted Eve. I think we are too quick in our world to push our spouse aside as unacceptable or replaceable. I don't even mean in a big way, like divorce, although that is true. I mean in all sorts of small ways. I wonder why in marriage we get so durn nit-picky about what we think is acceptable or not in our mates? I know there are big issues that should not be ignored. I also know even the big stuff can be dealt with one piece at a time, one day at a time. If God presented me with this gift, called Sean, isn't He going to also lead me thru this thing we call marriage? He will if I bring Him in and seek His guidance. Who knows, He may even decide to do a miracle!!
Back to Christmas Eve... We did flowers and new rings and was it fun! I LOVE my new ring, it is beautiful. We were driving home from the counselor yesterday and Sean said, "I love my ring. I just play with it all the time because I love to touch it. You know why I love it?" me..."no, why?" (as I was thinking what to fix for lunch!)" He said, "It means so much more than the first ring because this time we knew what it meant. It meant good things, but also lots of hard things, but we both decided to sign up again anyway! It means you chose me even knowing what that will mean." Lunch was gone from my head then and with tears streaming down my face I said, "Yea, that's true."
ew beginnings...pray, but don't do it lightly, do it expecting miracles, cause they still happen!
We attended a marriage seminar in October and I heard a new take on lots of different things. One thing they talked about was a new concept to me. They talked about the fact that Adam just accepted Eve based on the fact that God presented her to him. Adam knew nothing really about Eve, other than he like how she looked naked. :)! But seriously, Adam trusted God and Eve was a gift from God, so Adam accepted Eve. I think we are too quick in our world to push our spouse aside as unacceptable or replaceable. I don't even mean in a big way, like divorce, although that is true. I mean in all sorts of small ways. I wonder why in marriage we get so durn nit-picky about what we think is acceptable or not in our mates? I know there are big issues that should not be ignored. I also know even the big stuff can be dealt with one piece at a time, one day at a time. If God presented me with this gift, called Sean, isn't He going to also lead me thru this thing we call marriage? He will if I bring Him in and seek His guidance. Who knows, He may even decide to do a miracle!!
Back to Christmas Eve... We did flowers and new rings and was it fun! I LOVE my new ring, it is beautiful. We were driving home from the counselor yesterday and Sean said, "I love my ring. I just play with it all the time because I love to touch it. You know why I love it?" me..."no, why?" (as I was thinking what to fix for lunch!)" He said, "It means so much more than the first ring because this time we knew what it meant. It meant good things, but also lots of hard things, but we both decided to sign up again anyway! It means you chose me even knowing what that will mean." Lunch was gone from my head then and with tears streaming down my face I said, "Yea, that's true."
ew beginnings...pray, but don't do it lightly, do it expecting miracles, cause they still happen!
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Let Go and Let God
Isn't it funny how so many things in life bring both joy and fear? Sometimes mixed together?? Tonight I was doing the Reliv presentation, well I was nervous. I have heard it said that man's greatest fear, even above dying, is to stand up and talk in front of people. I think that is true. I also think when God places a passion in your heart, I mean PASSION, it will find its way out of you sometimes in spite of you. When I think of Reliv my chest fills with SO much emotion I feel I might burst. I will try to find the words to describe it... gratitude, joy, humbleness, honor, excitement, all wrapped up. Underneath all of that is a great sense of urgency for all those out there that are praying for answers. I just feel like I have to find them and share before it is too late, either health wise or financially. That is when I have to let go and let God. My job is only to be a messenger. Did you know God placed 14th out of 60,000 distributors in December? The bonus check has Sean and my name on it, but it isn't really ours, it belongs to Him. All we did was exactly what He told us to each day, that is why He gets all the credit. It is so true that no matter where we are in life, good or bad, it will not last forever. That is life. Life is like a roller coaster ride, sometimes scary, sometimes exciting, but always surprising! God is the safety bar that never fails. He will keep us grounded and safe, but we must pull Him to us and hold on to him tightly when it gets scary. When I hear the click, click, click of the roller coaster coming to a stop one day, I want look back on this wild ride called life and know in my heart I did all that God asked of me, no more and no less. Only then will I be able to say it was a GREAT ride!
A New Day
Here I am on a new blog journey! I had a blog once, years ago. It was way back when the rug had been swept out from under my feet and I was floundering thru life. I would spend weeks without leaving the house and blogging was a connection to the outside world I suppose. I am so grateful to not be in the dark place any longer! In fact, just this morning I went to town with my two girls and it is something I was not able to do for many years and am SO grateful to be able to just live life again.
My purpose of this blog is to document my Reliv Journey. For those of you who do not know, Reliv is a food science company based in St Louis, MO. It is patented nutrition. In short, it is powder in a can...but boy, what that powder has done for me and my family is amazing! I used to suffer from Environmental Illness, basically my body overreacted to almost everything it came into contact with...like perfumes, gasoline, cleaning supplies, processed food, etc.. I now go places and do things that were impossible for me before. I have my life back!! I praise God for everything about Reliv, the products and the business as well. There really are not words to describe being able to share this with someone and watch their lives change as well. This is truly a ministry to me and I am humbled and grateful that God is allowing me to be a small part of nourishing our world!
My purpose of this blog is to document my Reliv Journey. For those of you who do not know, Reliv is a food science company based in St Louis, MO. It is patented nutrition. In short, it is powder in a can...but boy, what that powder has done for me and my family is amazing! I used to suffer from Environmental Illness, basically my body overreacted to almost everything it came into contact with...like perfumes, gasoline, cleaning supplies, processed food, etc.. I now go places and do things that were impossible for me before. I have my life back!! I praise God for everything about Reliv, the products and the business as well. There really are not words to describe being able to share this with someone and watch their lives change as well. This is truly a ministry to me and I am humbled and grateful that God is allowing me to be a small part of nourishing our world!
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