“…it profits the soul”

My Psalter

Psalm 40:3 “The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed; from his illness and all his infirmities, You will heal him.”

Psalm 34:13,2 “I prayed with my head bowed down.”

My Advent Prayer Book

Psalm 33:17 “The righteous called and the Lord heard them and delivered them out of all their affliction.”

Psalm 33:4 “I sought the Lord with diligence, and He heard me and delivered me from all my tribulations.”

Isolation

My bout with C19 brought me, literally, to my knees. As I was getting these treatments to assist my lungs, I was face down on a hospital bed. I had a halo around my face to keep me off the mattress, with a full mask on and the oxygen pumping at full capacity. And the nurses would feed the nebulizer up under the halo part and shove it into my mask. The room I was in was sealed off in the sense that the walls were bare and the oxygen in the room was forced outside through a large ducting system, complete with a pump. It went 24/7. When you add the breathing treatments every 4 hours and the sound of the Oxygen, I could hear pretty much nothing. And what is there to do? Can’t look at anything but the mattress sheet just at the end of my nose. I could sneak my phone under there while I charged it, which was great, but my hands could not reach it without disrupting everything they had me hooked up to. I had 4 IV’s in my arms, as well. I would turn it on and look at the screen saver and tell my husband how much I loved him.

My screensaver. August 2021

After I would look at that photo, of how happy we were that day, I would start praying. And because I was sick, some of the memorized prayers I have prayed for decades came out all jumbled up. I would recall bits and pieces of prayers. I would recall stories of the Saints and then I would be off seeking intercession. Then I focused on the angels. “St. Michael the archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil…:” and then I recalled the story of the angel Gabriel in Scripture. His story meant so much to me then that I can recall that prayerful moment. I also asked that all the people praying for me be rewarded with peace and the knowledge that I felt those prayers. The intensity of my prayers was probably the strongest it has ever been. I called upon my patron saints, St. Rita (patron of the impossible) and my beloved Ruth. I called upon the army of God to surround me in my illness, to literally stand around my bed and hold me up before God as I sought His help. I cried for it. And I felt it. I truly felt the intense love of God. I wept and was overcome with a sense of peace. I felt like God was saving me, and letting me know I was not done, yet. Why it took such a close brush with death, I have no clue. But I can assure you I am very aware that I was redeemed by God and my “infirmities” were cured. I was going to be fine.

Psalms

Each year, twice a year, the Church fasts prior to feasts. Right now, we are fasting and praying during Advent and the coming feast of Christmas. In the Spring, we have Great Lent, during which we fast and pray until the feast of Pascha, or Easter. I am Melkite Greek Catholic. We’re one of the many rites associated with the Roman Catholic Church, but we are distinct from Rome. We have our own Patriarch, and he is who I listen to, outside of what the Pope in Rome is saying. I sort of have one foot in being a Melkite, and the other in Orthodoxy. The Melkites are jokingly called the, “Orthodox of the West.” And because I posted a photo of a Psalter, and the other book (which I adore) called “Songs of Praise,” many Catholics and Protestants will be turned off. But it is not all that mysterious. The Psalter is nothing more than the Book of Psalms, in a book of its own, with prayers for before and after you read the days’ Psalms. You can get through the entire book of Psalms, twice, during the 40 days prior to Christmas or Easter. The other book, “Songs of Praise,” is a companion. Sylvia (the author) put all the Psalms in there, broken up in to each days’ group of Psalms, along with prayers and a short commentary/reflection for each day, and tons of room to journal. I have two of these books. One I use for “Advent” and one I use for “Lent.” I began doing this about 5 years ago. And I cannot begin to tell you how much it impacts your soul, and your outlook on the coming holy-day. I have all sorts of notes in there from each year and it is fun to look and see where I was and what I was thinking. But the most profound thing for me is that every time I read the Psalms, they jump out at me. How did David (the author) know I needed to hear that, now, in 2021? The Psalms have been described by the saints in so many ways! “No other book so glorifies God as does the Psalter. It profits the soul; it glorifies God together with the angels and exalts and extols in a powerful voice.” St. Basil the Greek.“The singing of the psalms adorns the soul, summons angels to one’s aid, drives away demons, dispels darkness, and produces holiness.” St. Augustine.

As I was reading through my Psalms for today, I was struck by the application to my experience with C19. Psalm 40:3 – “The Lord will sustain him on his sickbed..” Wow. He certainly did. I felt it. Psalm 39:1 “I waited eagerly for the Lord, and He inclined to me and heard my cry.” and Psalm 39:4 “Blessed is the man whose hope is in the name of the Lord.”

There is so much more we can glean from studying our bibles. And in particularly, the Psalms. Christ Himself quotes the Psalms all through the New Testament. And when he did, the people knew He was doing that, and they knew exactly what His meaning was. But most of us are ignorant of the Old Testament, which is a shame. There is a vast richness in all the books of the Old Testament. As I mentioned above, I adore Ruth. I read her story in the OT and I felt so drawn to her. Proverbs is a wonderful book to study and there is an entire ministry centered around Proverbs 31 and how to be a good wife and mother. I read that for my Mother-in-law’s funeral and it fit perfectly for our remembrance of her.

Don’t be afraid of this world and what is roaming through it, trying to devour our souls. We have God. And He wins. It is our journey, our act of being a sojourner in this life, that sets us on the path to eternity. And how we react to what happens to us. I’m bummed that I had to be deathly ill to resume my deeper prayer life, but I am thankful I did not have to live the life of Job. (Another great OT book). I am still able to learn, grow, and become better than I was yesterday, through the grace of God.

Psalm 36:4-5 “Take delight in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Disclose your struggle to the Lord; hope in Him, and He will act.”

Fierce Protector

Advertisement

It’s all because of my choices…

My bout with Covid was no fun whatsoever. I was exposed mid-September, was sick all of October, and am just now weaning off Oxygen (24/7 on a machine). My heart looks fine, which is a relief. But I was also diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes while I was sick. I have since learned that many Covid survivors are left with a Diabetes diagnosis. And I am learning more and more about this disease every day.

Diabetes – the type 2 variety – is a diagnosis that affects everything in your life. And it is also a disease of choice. Every bite I take affects this disease. And every bite I have ever taken has brought me to this place. Every time I chose to ride and not walk also brought me here. Couch potato life (or in my case – recliner life) also drove me down this road. While I was in the hospital, they did a blood test called an A1C. For diabetics, this test is almost as important as your daily blood sugar. The A1C somehow (I am no scientist) can determine your sugar levels over the past 2-3 months. It looks at how much hemoglobin is coated with sugar. The higher the number, the worse control you have had over your diabetes and the more likely for complications you are. My A1C was 8.3 – that is very high. Most people who do not have diabetes test in the 1-2 range. And what this told me was I have been dealing with this for quite a while.

When I was told I had this disease, I was so sick and fighting for every breath. The nurses would come and prick my finger 4 times a day and 4 times a day I would get insulin injections. Each time I would get 1 injection of short acting insulin and 1 injection of long-acting insulin. I was taught how to give myself injections and how to test my blood. But when I went home, I was prescribed oral medication and a completely different testing system. I spent days trying to figure it all out. (And only when I had to refill those test strips did I discover it was also a costly learning curve!! ) And I had serious bouts of dizziness, cold sweats, and nausea. Getting used to taking medication – and taking it at the same times every day – has been hard for me. I never even take Tylenol! A dear friend suggested setting an alarm on my phone. Genius! I am now taking the medication regularly.

Learning to eat differently has been a challenge. When I returned to my doctor I had been recovering for 2 weeks at home. I kept a daily log of all my testing and times and my blood sugar numbers. My numbers were never under 200 and lots were in the high 200s – not good. So the doctor doubled my medication. Side effects? Yeah. LOL. Shakes, frequent bathroom visits, but also calm and I felt more solid, if that makes sense. But my numbers all hover closer to 200 than 100. Very frustrating. Because I have not cheated – not once. Honestly.

And boy oh boy is there a lot of conflicting advice out there. At first it was no sugar, no carbs, low fat. What is left? I started reading labels. Sugar is in everything. It is mind-blowing. Things I thought were healthy are not – for me. Yoghurt is one of my favorite things. Well, I was eating what I thought was a good yoghurt, until one day I really read the entire label. Hidden sugars and carbs! It was making my situation worse. And cottage cheese. I have to watch which one I choose to eat. I can’t eat anything much that is pre-packaged. No rice. No potatoes. No fast food. No “last minute, let’s grab a bite to eat” evenings for me. Because every bite either shortens my life or extends it. It is really that simple.

I had pancreatitis twice in my early 30s. I had gestational diabetes with one of my pregnancies. I was diagnosed a few years ago with “metabolic disorder.” All these markers should have been sirens going off and red flags all over the place. Because each of them points to diabetes in the end. The nutritionist at the hospital wants me to lose 10% of my weight. I cringed. Yeah, I am overweight. And I lost 16 pounds through Covid. I have already gained 6 back. And I am eating healthier and eating smaller portions. Ugh. The pressure to lose weight is real. And I feel it and I desperately want to drop the extra pounds I have carried with me for the past 37 years. My body is comfy at this weight. I’ve worn this same size for decades. My daughter-in-law explained to me that our bodies have “set points” at which they are happy. I am at my set point. It hasn’t changed much over the years. And now I need to change that set point. No easy task.

I have searched through the internet and my daughter-in-law bought me a great cookbook. And I can honestly say I am tired of salads. Ha-Ha. My body loves it when I eat raw spinach. It settles my numbers down. And so I often eat it sometimes three times a day. My nutritionist told me I need 5-7 servings of vegetables every day. Trust me – that is a tall order. Even at breakfast? A serving is 1/2 cup so it’s not a lot. But still – thinking of 3 meals as just meals and removing that breakfast-lunch-dinner label is hard.

Years ago my husband and I did the Primal Diet. And we really liked it. Then we did Whole 30 and that was truly the most eye-opening. I think that between the two we had changed our minds and were resolving to think of meals as just meals. We could have what people would judge as dinner for our first meal of the day. We learned to think of them as meals 1, 2, and 3. And I have to get back to that mindset. This time, it has to be permanent.

When you are fighting an illness and are prescribed lots of steroids and antibiotics, it can artificially inflate your blood sugar. So none of my medical “team” is overly concerned, yet. They all have told me that it takes a few months to settle down and get a rhythm going. And I am hoping that works out to be true. In the meantime, I am trying to adjust to this new paradigm in my life. I am trying to gather as much information as I can. And I am equally determined to beat this thing into submission. Not sure what it is submitting to – my indeterminant will, I guess.

Every morning I wake up and before I do anything, I test my blood. I then eat some plain yoghurt so I can stomach my diabetes medications. Every morning. And I am reading this great devotional entitled, “Living Well With Diabetes” by Constance Brown-Riggs. And this book has brought the importance of relying on God for all things. Each day it has caused me to look at this differently. It’s not a life-long sentence of being full of disease. It is an opportunity for me to grow and learn and change. To make what I have better. I finally had a morning this week with blood sugar under 200…it was 144. That is the lowest it has been since my diagnosis. I felt like I had a small victory!!!

Sunrise in an Alaskan Winter

I love winter. I was born blocks from the beach in sunny Southern California. I hated being hot. I longed for four seasons. We finally made it to Alaska almost 9 years ago, and I love the seasons here. Granted, spring and fall are so fast you could miss them, but summer and winter are glorious. Our dogs love the snow. They are standard poodles and they have very deep foot pads. They get crammed full of ice and snow and you have to dig it out each time they go outside. If you do not stay on top of it, they will develop bleeding foot pads. Luckily the Iditarod mushers found a way to prevent this with booties and this salve you can put on their pads. The dogs hate the salve and the booties, but they work. Do sore feet keep them from running for hours in the snow banks and drifts? It does not! As a responsible pet owner, it is up to me to research solutions and to care for them and their feet. And so I insist on digging out the snowballs and caring for their feet. Every day, several times a day, in the wintertime.

Hope!

We all need to take responsibility for the health of those we love – dogs included – as well as ourselves. We have to acknowledge the problem and take steps to correct it. I sought out resources for our dogs’ feet; why would I not be as diligent about my own health? And so I have found some resources through the assistance and suggestion of friends and family. I am coming to terms with my emotions about having a disease, because until I learned more I did not know diabetes was a disease. I had never thought about it, honestly, and had assumed it was just a metabolic mis-wiring. I had no idea of the far-reaching consequences of living with diabetes. LOL. I was also given some app suggestions for my phone to learn about counting carbs and sugars and fats. Label reading is now part of my life. As I mentioned before, my daughter-in-law bought me a cookbook, “Diabetes for Beginners.” What an amazing collection of recipes. I am trying new things in the kitchen. And because I acted on learning more, discovering more, and wrapping my brain around this whole subject, I have garnered hope! And hope is an amazing thing. I truly believe action helps give us hope, so I am continuing to learn. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Ha!. I am an old dog, for sure, but I am still learning. Each day I hope is a better day for my diabetes. Stay tuned, my friends. I am sure this will be a bumpy ride.

Well, hello there!

We’ve had a pretty dismal fall. Cold, damp, windy. We had a snow storm a week or so ago and the snow tried to stay around in the shaded/lee side of things. It was an odd Halloween here in Alaska, because there was no snow. I loved it when our neighbor drove his snow sled full of kids down the street in all the snow. This year, we all were sort of holding our collective breath.

New snow

We had a weather report that we would see some light snow – about 1.2″ from one report and then another said it would not stick. Well, they were all wrong. It started snowing in the late evening on Wednesday and it finally stopped late Thursday night. This photo above is Thursday afternoon. When all was said and done, we got about 10″ of snow. And it took everyone by surprise. The temperature has remained below 20 degrees, so this snow is staying around awhile. Well, hello there, Mr. Winter!!!

If you are like I am, surprises can be a great thing, or they can be the worst experience ever. Snow – well, I happen to love winter and cold temperatures and snow. I love hearing it crunch under my feet. And the world gets so quiet and so still. I find great peace in wintertime. So that surprise was a joyous one for me. There are other surprises that have occurred that I am not that happy with.

Surprise!!

Did you know that the CDC sent out a letter confirming that there are no recorded cases of someone, who is not vaccinated and gets Covid, and recovers, infecting anyone else? How can they require us to be vaccinated???? And there have been numerous studies verifying that immunity lasts over a year??? That there are more deaths and vaccine injuries (side effects) for people who are vaccinated? Of course you have to get the vaccine to get a vaccine injury, but most of these injuries are from subsequent injections. How many boosters will there be???

When I was a child, I was lined up in school for vaccination against smallpox in the early 60s. I was in the gym in kindergarten, which was already a scary place because it was so big, with all these nurses and doctors dressed in white, who I did not know, directing us to “shot stations.” There were these stainless steel long containers full of these weird things with points on them that they jabbed into your shoulder area. It hurt so badly. After that, while crying, we were offered sugar cubes to make us smile, but it was actually the polio vaccine, given orally. I remember the blister and then the scab from it, and I still have the scar from the smallpox vaccine. Yesterday Bill Gates warned everyone we were not prepared for another smallpox outbreak. This came right on the heels of his new smallpox drug getting approved. No surprise there. Always, always, follow the money. Always. News for Bill – have the scar – had the vaccine. They stopped giving it because it was eradicated. Hmmm…wonder what Bill has up his sleeve now?

Kolbe and Maggie wanting to go outside – again – to play in the snow!

I still think most of this fear-mongering is about money, power, and control. It’s crazy to keep going back for more. As an example, my dogs love the snow. But poodles (yes, they are standard poodles in desperate need of grooming – Covid to blame) have these very deep pads on their feet. They are water dogs and the deep pads help them swim. But these same pads get a lot of ice and snow packed into them. It damages their skin and we have to put this moisturizing dog-musher concoction on their feet (necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and the dog mushers solved this problem). Do sore feet deter these dogs from zooming through snow banks and jumping over buried raised garden beds, sometimes for hours? It does not. The fun is worth the pain. Think about this vaccine craze for a moment. Is the danger worth it? All the kids with myocarditis? The many soccer players throughout Europe now experiencing health issues – most of them heart related? Women experiencing all sorts of issues with fertility. There are children having heart attacks. A mother posted a photo of her son, I think he was 7, coming out of a coma surrounded by Fruit Loops and a pizza, after his injection with the vaccine and subsequent heart attack. Her comment? “Thank goodness he’s vaccinated – there are so many sick people in here.” No issue with the horrible side effect her son experienced – heart attack and coma – because of the vaccine. Is it worth it? I do not think so. And yet so many jump in line to get this chemical cocktail, aka vaccine.

The Covid Vaccine – necessary??

Facing many of us is the vaccine mandate. Either submit to this chemical cocktail or lose your job. In some countries (France, Norway, Germany, to name just a few) they are enacting lockdowns that prohibit the unvaccinated from leaving their homes – period – no exceptions. How do they eat? Work? Pay bills? Is that what is coming to Biden’s America? Have you looked at the draconian mandates Los Angeles County implemented? In LA County you have to show more ID to get a Starbucks coffee than you do to vote! Insanity.

I always thought our 3 branches of government were for balance – as in “checks and balances.” A FEDERAL court ruled Biden’s mandate could not move forward. The judicial branch – one of the three legs that hold this footstool together. The executive branch – aka the White House – told companies to keep preparing for the deadline, even though the Federal court told them to stop. I never thought our laws were made at the direction or whim of a President. That would be the purview of our legislative branch – aka Congress. And OSHA? They are primarily about workplace safety – not healthcare. They certainly are not part of law enforcement. They have no jurisdiction to arrest people or fine companies for a MANDATE – which is not a law. Personally, OSHA has gotten a little big for their britches, much like the EEOC. They are bureaus – more bureaucracies – and we have far too many of those (think alphabet agencies).

Schoolhouse Rock – the 3 circles of government!

I remember when Civics was a part of our schooling. I thought it was so interesting. But they pretty much scuttled that in our schools anymore. I saw a great quote about that; “Why do they not teach about our rights in schools anymore? Because it’s easier to take them away if you don’t know what they are.” Bill Gates said he did not want the schools to teach thinking. He did not need thinkers. He needed workers. People who would blindly punch a time card, do their work, and go home at night. He doesn’t want thinkers – or people who question things. Boy oh boy – between his vaccination fascination, his depopulation plans, and his dumbing down of America, why do we listen to him? He comes from a rich family – they set him up in business. But he never graduated from college (neither did Zuckerberg) and has no medical training. He’s a rich businessman sticking his nose where it does not belong, but people allow it because he’s rich and powerful. Follow the money – always.

Whats Next?

I wish I knew what was coming. I do think we are all going to have to make hard choices and soon. Vaccine mandate. Some will have to choose between their job and losing everything for not capitulating to an illegal health requirement for working. (Will that same company pay me 24/7/365 for my lifetime because I have to carry the vaccine all the time and not just for my 8-5 job?) And with inflation starting to rear its ugly head, we all need to seriously stock up on essentials. Make plans in case the supply train doesn’t come to you. Make plans if the power grid goes down. Have a place to meet family members if there is a disaster. Do you have an alternate – and safe – source of heat in case natural gas or coal are too costly or unavailable? Get sleeping bags, blankets. Think smart. Stock up on things like aspirin and other OTC and Rx mediations that help make life easier. Bandages and bandaids. And yes, toilet paper and feminine hygiene needs. Water. A gallon per person per day. Dog/cat/pet food. Gas for the car before it’s too expensive to buy at all. There are lots of things to think about when planning for the worst case scenario, not to mention bad weather and natural disasters.

There are greater minds than mine who believe Biden, and his cohorts on both sides of the aisle, are trying to literally bring the USA to its knees by locking us down, starving us, stopping the flow of utilities, and giving us these chemical cocktails. As Ronald Reagan once said, “The scariest 7 words you will ever hear are, “The Government is here to help you.” Will you allow it? Taking it on the chin and giving in to government pressure is no way to live. Is the vaccination passport worth it? Is the pain worth it? Is our freedom? Our rights? We are still relatively free people. We need to remember our freedoms and protect them, or memories of them are all we will have.

Shaken and stirred….

Have you noticed how the world is spinning wildly out of control? If you only watch regular TV or listen to mainstream pundits, you are missing out. There have been marches in France EVERY SATURDAY against the vaccine. All over Europe people are demonstrating against mandatory vaccinations on a weekly basis. There have been walk-outs of entire companies over being forced to get a vaccine. Today was designated “International Walk Out Day” for people to not work in demonstration against mandatory vaccinations. I am not against vaccines, per se. I am against forced capitulation to a government mandate (which is not law) into my medical and personal life. I saw where Utah wants to implement a digital driver’s license to which they can add your credit score, your vaccination status, your taxes, spending habits, etc etc etc. That should scare the poop out of everyone. But it got very little mainstream press coverage.

I also watched some videos that were of different masses where priests denied communion to maskless parishioners. In one case the priest told the parishioner to leave because of no mask, and it then turned into a brawl on the altar with fellow parishioners dragging the man out! I was in shock. My faith in my Church has been badly shaken. Why were churches closed? Why didn’t our priests stand up for their parishioners? If Catholics truly believe that is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ they receive, what are they afraid of? Would not Christ protect His faithful? People accused of trespassing for not wearing a mask? Seriously??? Why were countless other churches shuttered? Temples? Mosques? Why were we not allowed to gather? Why were restaurants and bars closed? Why were Walmart and Costco and Home Depot allowed to remain open?

Patriots Gather in Taverns

One theory is that when people gather together in bars and taverns, in restaurants and in churches, they talk. They discuss. They take note of what is going on in their country. They hatch plans to made changes to what they see. There are lots of theories out there about why there is a growing awakening among “We the people.” It certainly did not come from being educated on our rights! No one gets too much education on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in schools these days. But we are certainly aware when our rights are trampled upon. I am learning that ALL our rights, delineated in the Bill of Rights, and our Constitution, are equally important.

As long as I can remember, I have been pro-life. I vehemently defend the right of every person to the gift of life. A natural birth to a natural death. I do not believe abortion is an option under any condition. There is absolute, definitive proof, there are no reasons under which an abortion can save the life of the mother. There is never a medical need for it. Ever. It is a need of convenience. It is a need for the right gender. It should never be a method of birth control. It is something evil. It is giving to the cult of Baphomet. It is horrific.

In the USA, there has been a constant battle for women to be allowed to kill their unborn children. And they march on the Capitals and they scream, “My body – my choice.” What I find interesting is that it is not their body – their bodies are not being torn apart or deprived of oxygen and covered in acid wash. No. That happens to the body of their unborn child. And now we have passed laws that if a child survives that procedure, they can be left to die. By the very doctors who vowed to do everything they can to preserve life – to do no harm. But still they scream, “My body – my choice.”

So why is this vaccine being imposed upon the masses not treated with the same loud cries of “my body – my choice?” Why is some medical procedure – whether I have had the vaccine or not – now supposed to be public knowledge? Do I need to wear a yellow star? Am I to be rounded up and sent to some quarantine camp? (Have you delved into what is happening in Australia???). I normally do not get the annual flu shot. I always get sick from them. But I would take my mom for hers – along with her annual pneumonia shot. It’s not that I am against her choosing, along with her doctor, for her to receive those injections. It is her right and she did so. But it should also continue to be my right to choose NOT to receive a vaccine.

I was recently hospitalized with Covid. It was not a fun experience. I lost most of October to this thing and am still battling to fully recover. While I was in the hospital, I was denied my vitamin regimen. My assigned pulmonary specialist feels vitamins do nothing but create “expensive urine.” He even noted on my discharge papers to cease – immediately – the list of vitamins I had told him I was taking. I ignored those instructions and am still furious at him, and every morning as I take my vitamins, I mentally toast him. There are a myriad of ways to treat this plandemic. The doctor told me they have no protocol. They are doing what they can, each patient as different as night and day. So to have him tell me that vitamins do nothing when they have no protocol or game plan to treat patients certainly seems to fly in the face of common sense. He denied any correlation to vitamin C and the common cold. Vitamin D3 and mood – up here in Alaska doctors routinely recommend vitamin D3 to ward off the depression inherent with living in the arctic. So for me, to deny a patient simple vitamin therapy flies in the face of a common sense approach to patient care. And it also highlights what’s wrong with our medicine. It’s all based on pharmaceutical therapies. Give them an IV (I had 4 at one time). Shoot them up with more meds (I was given 6 – 8 injections every day). Take this pill – oh and now take this one, too! Then prescribe oral medications when you send them home!

Did you know that among all our Congressmen, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals is the 5th most common investment? Hmmmm…..wonder why they push their vaccine so hard? Have you heard the speech at WHO where they delineated the contracts with Pfizer, as well as some of the other companies, with countries? The countries have to give so many vaccines in order to fulfill their side of these contracts. This is NOT about health. This is about control and about money. Ever see the photos of famous people flaunting the mask mandates? “Good for thee but not for me.” I do not belittle this virus – it almost took me out. And I agree it is virulent and spreading. But it is not the global killer it is being made out to be. (Go online and look up numbers by nation. Italy revised its numbers down by over 100,000 deaths! Research is our friend). Do you get sick? You bet you do. But does it warrant the hype and the mandates (which are not law) and people loosing their means of employment over???? In my humble opinion (IMHO) it does not.

Still and all, my experience with Covid only solidified my opinion that we are the masters of our own destiny. We are the ones who should decide how we take care of ourselves. To those who say that not wearing a mask endangers others – please explain that logic to me. If you wear a mask, how does my not wearing one endanger you, if you believe that masks work? And to those who say by not vaccinating, I am endangering you, please explain that to me! If you are vaccinated, you are protected from the virus. So if I have it – you’re safe. In fact, there is increasing evidence that vaccinated people are more likely to spread the virus to others, and, if they get sick, they are the ones who get very, very sick. (Look at the numbers from England). Also, there are more and more evidentiary studies that indicate there are severe enough reactions to the Moderna vaccine for 11-18 year olds that they are holding off on releasing it – myocarditis is not something you can get over. Your heart is forever changed and you will forever be on heart medication. That alone would give me pause. (One of the vaccines was released for use in 8-11 year old children). Think long and hard before you allow yourself or your children to receive these experimental chemical compounds. They are not officially a vaccine until the studies have been done and guess who is a study participant? Every person who willingly take these vaccines. Is that you?

So I have been shaken and stirred and am still a little wobbly. Today over most of America is election day – something that stirs up so much emotion. Do I trust election results? I am hopeful the various precincts around the country are hyper aware. There are still investigations going for the 2020 election. I think that makes this election cycle even more important. Voters need to know that “We the People” are who run this country. Elected officials work for us. The bureaucracy needs to be cleaned out – the SWAMP is wide and deep. We are who we elect. So we get what we vote for. And even if you think your vote does not mean anything, there are elections that come down to a dozen votes. So every vote means something.

All of these things are what have shaken me. This stupid virus shook me to my core. While I was laying face down, getting breathing treatment after breathing treatment, I had hours of time to review my life. To seek forgiveness for my sins and shortcomings. And to pray. My brain went blank so many times but I KNOW there were legions of angels and saints surrounding me, helping me to gain lung function back again. I KNOW the power of prayer and the mercy of God saved me. And I KNOW the power of prayer can save our Country. America deserves our prayers. Our country is still the best thing, the best place, on earth. We need to defend our rights – all of them – and keep America the place people flock to. Yes, there are many other problems facing our Country, but prayer conquers all. God wins. Always. Forever. Eternally.