The Narrow Road

The Robert Frost's famous poem that alludes to "the Road less travel" has been used many a time in different places lately. I am reading the Shack right now, and it shows up (well sort of) in one of the quotes that quotes Frost's poem... if you must know from a Larry Norman's song. Then there was that woman at the aforementioned (in The Allure of Sameness) speech who used it also beside a number of conversations I had lately where the allusion did show up. Very interesting.

Lately I've been pondering on how things are not what they seem, and really how there really is no such thing as "normal" and how "generally" is such a subjective statement.

My thoughts are really scattered tonight as I attempt to sort it, so bear with me here.

A couple of nights ago, my darling and I finally got to watch a DVD that I had taken out of the library over a week ago. (Yes, I'm loving it that we can renew DVDs now!)

The Devil Wears Prada starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway was a good movie. I won't spoil it for those of you who hadn't watched it by talking about its plot here, but it really made me think about choices we make and the excuses we use, and how we can lose sight of our priorities and convictions in the grind. (If you don't care to watch it and want to know the plot, here it is.)

There a scene where the main character played by Anne Hathaway is taking notes on her first day at work at this high fashion magazine where Streep's character is the Editor in Chief and Hathaway's the new assistant learning the ropes. Hathaway snickers aloud at a very funny and serious exchange about which belt should be used in a spread and unwittingly gets all the attention from everyone in the room when she was supposed to be a fly on the wall. Streep's character is a very sharp to-the-point kind of character, well respected and feared, and quickly puts Hathaway into her place by pointing out how her drabby sweater she wears shows how she doesn't care about fashion and how she thinks she's beyond it, but in fact all along she very much has been part of and subject to the whole fashion industry. (i.e. she really is not beyond it at all.) You can see the snippet of it in this clip. It is only the very beginning part so don't get lost!

This took me a back.

It is an easy trap as a Christians to sort of get comfortable and let the pride get in to think "we've got it," ya know? I know for myself, I've been snug feeling "safe" in my place a number of times, only to find myself fall the next instant. Pride goeth before the fall, etc, etc. My beloved C.S. Lewis also had said something to the effect of "the minute you think you're humble, you cease to be one." Oh so difficult, this not being full-of-ourselves business!

There's another side of it, too, though, in this trap of getting so snug about being "right." It comes from our misplaced care for wanting the person to be in a better place. We're such subjective creatures, the minute we understand we're in better place than before, we automatically thing that would be the best place for others to be, too, when that may not really be the best place for them to be at all. I become impatient with the person's pace in coming to their own understanding about one thing or another, and my mouth opens to assert something stupid. Ok, maybe not entirely stupid, but really unhelpful.

Where does this come from?

My guess is that I'm lacking faith.

Faith that God is working on that person at the best possible way. Faith that God is meeting the person in the best possible way where they can receive Him the most. And ultimately faith that God is in control of EVERY ONE at ALL TIMES.

So it comes down to Sovereignty of God.

My fretting comes from not being able to see the bigger picture like God does, too, BUT it mainly comes from that allure or the misunderstanding that we should be the same because I am uncomfortable that we are in different place. Besides, I, who is not the embodiment of Love like God, could hardly be expected to handle knowing the big picture fully like He does. I am so limited that way, but it is by Design and that is ok.

As much as I'd like to believe that I'm less prone to wander in that direction than... say 10 years ago, I am not exempt from that still. My nature craves to be in sync with my friends more than being in sync with God and that in turn breeds this impatience. It is so contrary to resting in trust of God's Sovereignty over all the Earth... and everything in it.

That scene in the movie also touched another chord: my being somewhat proud of being "serious" than "frivolous."

Lately I have been more serious about lots of things. In fact, so much so that I had wished I didn't know so much so I could enjoy some "frivolous" eating out or a potluck without fretting about the choices that were already made (like the styrofoam disposible dishes!) My impatience creeps in unannounced and I can become quite a party-pooper. I assume it is the same for some of us who are more conscious of our environmental impact and the truth about food, but I just don't desire to be obnoxious, you know? There's a fine line and a slippery slope there.

Streep's character really nailed it. Whether we choose to be "frivolous" or "serious" we're part of the same thing. A part of a bigger thing means I am darn small! I quickly forget that it is not a bad thing contrary to the immediate feeling of forlornness that floods into me with the thought. Because He orders it all and I am well in Him. So I'm back to asking Him to fill me with Himself as to not leave room for "me" to get so full of.

Therefore, I need to let Grace spread around and not lord over what I consider "less" important because God doesn't see it that way. He sees each of His creation precious.

Perspective

I've been reading George MacDonald's fictions lately as some of you know. I'm really excited to have found him. He's a contemporary of Mark Twain, so you can imagine the language difficulty. (It does help that some are edited into more contemporary language, but I'd prefer the original if I could get my hands on them!) Yet I keep going for more. His stuff is rich in eternal perspective coming alive, I crave it.

Here's some quotes I loved from the latest read: The Laird's Inheritance. (Originally published as Warlock o' Glenwarlock.)

To know oneself safe amid storm and darkness, amid fire and water, amid disease and pain, even during the approach of death, is to be a Christian, for that is how the Master felt in the hour of darkness, because he knew it as fact.
- George MacDonald

I can hardly wonder that so many reject Christianity when they see so many would-be champions of it holding their beliefs at arm's length = in their Bibles, in their theories, in their churches, in their clergymen, in their prayerbooks, in the last devotional page they have read - all things separate from their real selves - rather than in their hearts on their beds in the stillness. God is nearer to me than the air I breathe, nearer to me than the heart of wife or child, nearer to me than my own consciousness of myself, nearer to me than the words in which I speak to him, nearer than the thought roused in me by the story of his perfect son. The unbelievers might well rejoice in the loss of such a God as many Christians would make of him. But if he be indeed the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, then to all eternity let me say only "Amen, Lord, your will be done!"
- George MacDonald

...Cosmo's mind sank into thoughts about the shadows all about him. Almost without realizing it, before long he was comparing the similarity between shadow and evil and law. He saw how the Jews came to attribute evil to the hand of God as well as good, and how Pal said that the law gave life to sin - in the same way as the sun, which is nothing but blinding light, causes shadows though there is no darkness in it at all. He saw too that in the spiritual world, we need a live sun strong enough to burn up all the shadows by shining through the things that cast them, and compelling their transparency - and that live sun is the God who is light, and in whom is no darkness at all. And where there is no longer anything covered or hid, could sin live at all?
- George MacDonald through his main character Cosmo

Wise words, don't you think? Anyway, I keep trudging along to find these gems.

Talking of wise words, in one of the blogs I visit, she uploaded John Piper's wise words concerning the upcoming US election. He put it so well, I hope you enjoy it.

The Allure of Sameness

Something I noticed recently is that there is comfort in "sameness."

I wonder when this happened?
I recall as a child really enjoying every new thing and change that I observed, yet from some unknown time I started to relish 'commonalities' and 'same-o-same-o.'


Today, my son asked me "Why can't I not be 'normal' like the other kids?"
This took me by surprise.
I remembered my heart yelling the same thing while I was growing up in Japan. Back then, that 'normal' meant being 'simply Japanese and nothing else.'

But this is not Japan! And this is coming from my son!

So I asked him: "What do you mean? What do you mean by 'normal'? What is 'normal' to you?" His answer revealed his struggle with having to go to an after-school-school: the Japanese school. Hmm.

It appears that in the growing changes chaos around him, he is trying really hard to hold on to what is most comfortable: his friends. None of his circle of friends go to an extra school for their extra language. In fact none of them have extra language kind of heritage being that mainly all English speaking even though most of them have mixed heritage. So he doesn't see that "we're all different."


About a month ago, I have listened to a speaker share her testimony that touched very sensitive subject. Because she surrounds herself in quite a small circle of like-minded people, although she was very sincere, her message caused fair bit of stir in the listening audience. I got the impression that she had forgotten how to speak clearly to people that don't necessarily believe things exactly as she does.

There is such a draw to just associate with people like 'us' when you're walking life with a certain conviction whether that be faith, choice of education, politics, etc. This, I think, is even more magnified when you're going against the status quo. Every group has their lingo, and while there's comfort in that, we become dulled or lazy about communicating clearly to the people who do not speak our lingo. This I believe is the slippery slope to the ineffective Christian witness.

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
- Nelson Mandela

Because our Greatest Commission is to communicate the gospel to the ends of the Earth, I'd say 'communication' is the #1 priority. Yet we are very lazy to form our 'sayings' in a comprehensive way for the hearer.

As you can see in the diagram, more forms we have (i.e. visual aid, gestures, voice, tones, language, etc) the better chances of communicating the right content to the receiver. Increasingly in the electronic age, we're becoming single-method communication whether it be email or texting where it is void of tones and gestures. This I think is making it more imperative that we say what we really mean. but I digress. (The article on "communication" on Wikipedia is very interesting, and I highly recommend it. Link from above.)

It got me thinking of how this direction to sameness is so human. The antithesis to this of course is God's way: diversity. When we look around, every single person is unique. Yet, as humans we don't find that comforting. We strive to look for the sameness or commonality so we're not 'alone.' This reminded me of another quote it used to somewhat puzzle me:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
- Marianne Williamson (this is the original source!)

This used to sound really bad to my ears. It sounded awfully gloating, yet not quite so. It also rang a faint tone of truth, yet I couldn't grasp it.

We're not comfortable being 'us' by ourselves.
...Ok, that sounds weird. Let's try this way: I am not comfortable being simply 'me' all on my own. My guess is that most of us are in the same place. The only place I have come to feel comfortable being simply 'me' is in relation to my Saviour Jesus Christ, because He covers me. All the ugly parts of it is washed out and I don't need to be afraid. After all He is my light.

I think children instinctively know this because they have a trust relationship. As children grow older, they all learn to mis-trust, and their trusting hearts are eroded by all the hurts that come their way. More we learn, we grow afraid.

In light of this, I can finally understand the quote. It all boils down to 'trust' in the Sovereign God and His ultimate intention, His all-loving nature and plan.

Knowing Him makes all the difference in how I view the world and how I view myself. Psalm 46 was what I read recently with my aforementioned son:

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.
The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.
He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields with fire.

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

When I read this, I can confess the same with the psalmist because I have seen Him be my refuge and strength and every present help in time of trouble time and time again.

And I rejoice that my body is the temple where His Spirit dwells, and the river of life doesn't run dry.

With all the economic turmoil they keep talking about in the news, I don't dismay, because He is with me. No matter what happens around me, to me, I know He is Sovereign and I am safe in Him for I am not just a 'body' which will cease to exist but an eternal creature with soul He saved (which cost Him all - namely Himself).

I look all over the Earth, high up to the starry heavens and low into the minute micro-detail of our world. I see His hands, His designs, splendor of diversity complex yet functioning well. (How much more perfectly would it be if the world wasn't fallen!)

I see His intent is "Peace" because He will make wars cease and breaks bows. He must so hate all this fighting.

This brings me to conclude that His Ways are so perfect because it is all governed by Love Himself. We, who lack love and need love and crave love, complicate all manners of things coming our way. Including communication. We fret, we whine, we worry... acting as though He isn't there.

Well, whether we acknowledge Him or not, He is.

When we cease from all activities but to be still and 'know' Him, we come to harmony... to trust.

All of this, I have shared with my son a few mornings ago. How much of that remains in him is yet to be seen.


So, going back to that speaker... God is All in All. Hallelujah!

What I perceived a 'disaster' and potential harm to the larger group of people, God in His Wisdom and Might has turned into something beautiful. People are talking together, praying, learning, searching. As a result of this event, every group has grown closer to each other. This, in spite of the speaker's short comings, was accomplished because of the speaker's obedience. When I think of this, I just praise God in awe, and it really gives me a hope. He isn't going to ruin His reputation on any of His children. Then, I'm safe, too! What a good news it is that all He requires is our obedience, and not a perfect performance 100% of the time.

Going back to my son... He is learning. He needs to find out for himself who God is to him and who he is in Him. I didn't arrive to appreciate my heritage from the get go, and neither I will expect him to appreciate it already. It is a hard lesson, because it involves admitting that 'I' am not all sufficient, 'I' lack. So I'm praying that he will resist the allure of the Sameness and seek the Maker of the Universe. Because He is the only one that can give him sufficiency that he seeks.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Fall comes early to us here "up north" Strong and Free. I spent a few glorious days at the local organic farm helping out the harvest before the frost hit. And indeed, it did in the middle of my helping stint.

So, as we celebrate the bounty and the Giver of all good things, I thought I do a list of things I'm grateful for. Count your blessings is always a good thing. (I also love the hymn.)

1. Friendships

I'm so blessed to have friends who will talk with me direct with no guise. Speaking truth in love whether I'm being a pill or a good friend isn't the easy thing to do. I know - believe me. But the fact that they choose to do that and value our friendship so much to risk it in order to keep it healthy, makes them the BEST. Love you guys!


2. My hubby

I'm SO grateful that he is my mate. Obviously he is NOT perfect human being, but I can see that he is perfect for me. With all your faults, I love you!


3. Family

I've got great inlaws. Can't complain at all. I still miss my father in law. I'm blessed with two great kids. I'm blessed with my own family where I come from where their love in genuine.

I'm also grateful for the family of God. Those that God brought into my life to fill in some place my natural ones couldn't. It fills me up with gratitude that God cares so much to do that. Family was designed to be the wholesome place for His creation. Yet, in this fallen world, so much goes awry and corrupted especially in family. His provision in the church for the healing of this particular, has really changed my life. I could go on and on, but I'll go into "church" more later.


4. God

Words cannot describe my gratefulness to Him. Though I sometimes forget and act as though He isn't the most important person in my life, I'm grateful that He knows my frailty and yet continues to see me with love. All because of what Jesus has done. He sees me through Jesus and calls me His friend.

I'm grateful for who He is; the vastness of His love, the unquenchable zeal He has towards us, the incredible amount of His mercy... and the fact that He is always even better than what you ever dreamt Him of being. AND that He never changes! I can go on and on. Knowing Him has been the chief pleasure in my life.


5. Heritage

Because of my upbringing, I kind of had a love/hate relationship with my heritage all through the years of growing up. But now that I'm somewhat all grown up, I can truly appreciate both sides of my heritage: the Japanese and the Argentine. More so the Japanese, probably, because I know more. But I'm grateful to both my parents for making the effort (and effort it is!) to making both a part of my life from early on.

I'm grateful for the Japanese tenacity, neatness, appreciation of the simple things in life and love of beauty. I'm grateful for the Argentine love of company, easy-going relaxed attitude (though sometimes to a fault), and their open arm embracing welcoming nature. So much of both is who I am, and I'm grateful for the chance of knowing both sides so intimately.


6. Canada

My adopted country where I am no longer an anomaly but simply part of a whole. I love this country. The vastness of the land, the polite people, the variety within. Obviously, it isn't a perfect place without faults, but for me the good is outweighs the bad.


7. Organic Farmers

I'm grateful for the people that work the land the way it was meant to be. In the age where the imitation foods are easily confused with the real thing, and people don't even question the former, their quiet passion for growing variety of food in the labour intensive way in the face of "all about convenience" culture is simply admirable and appreciated.


8. Church

Whether it be the worldwide body or the local one or the group of people gathered to pray or for support under the name of Jesus, it is a beautiful thing. ...when it is working properly. It still amazes me that God would risk all the human garbage for it, but when it is working properly I can see and appreciate God's Faith.

I'm grateful for my own local church. The people that make it up, their all contagious faith and love, and the diversity within. There are people in all walks of life, conviction and ambition. Yet we are all united under one Lord in heart and Spirit. What a marvelous beautiful thing it is!

I only listed them under the big headings because I noticed that I could go on and on. Isn't that wonderful? I noticed that at this moment, I'm so filled with gratitude, I can honestly say that I'm even grateful for those "sandpaper" type people in my life, too! (You know the kind! The kind that you just don't hit it off at all, and they rub you the wrong way at every turn!) Although I don't necessarily feel like this all of the time I'm around these people, I know that God in His wisdom has put them on my path to teach me and mold me into the image of His Son. Therefore, I can be grateful for the purpose they will accomplish in me... even if I grind my teeth all the while.

Thanksgiving puts us in the right frame of mind, though. In fact, it is the only place we can firmly stand. I notice that I'm no good to anyone if I'm not thankful for the things that I do have. The world keeps at us saying "you need this" or "what you have isn't good enough" or "there's better thing here" breeding in us a mounting dissatisfaction with life. When we have thanksgiving in our hearts, though, we are made possible to be "content" and at peace with life. That enables us in turn to fully be in the present, owning all feelings, possession and decisions. And surprise, surprise - it is only when we're here that God will move us ahead.

What are you thankful for today? Would you count them just to see? Try and see if God will not move you forward.

Unity

Oh that if we could stay in Him and attain the unity of the Spirit!

With prayer, I post this...

14 years! wow

I'm quite at awe that it is already 14 years since we've been married. Labour Day Weekend always takes me by surprise and I'm always ill prepared for all that awaits me in September; starting schooling, our anniversary, and yes also my darling hubby's birthday. This year was no exception. Not only was I kept physically busy with prepping the house for the market but I was also mindful daily of my friends online and their various struggles/challenges. This resulted in the weekend hitting me like a 2x4 thrown to me sideways and hitting me on the head. (I guess my kids get the dramatic streak from me! LOL)

It is very hard being so far, hurting for them and being unable to do any physically significant help of any sort. Knowing the only thing I can do is to pray just seemed like a cop out even though I knew it is the very best thing to do. I know this from experience, yet my flesh heaps on the "you're no help" in my head and is SO loud. So I've been gloomily coexisting with this feeling while being kept busy. Then I was reading from my beloved George MacDonald book, trying somewhat to distract that loud taunting, and here's what I read:

I left the house in a gloomy mood. I know I ought to have looked up to God and said, "These things do not reach to Thee, my Father. Thou art ever the same. I rise above my small as well as my great troubles by remembering Thy peace, and Thy unchangeable godhood to me and all Thy creatures." But I did not come to my self all at once. The thought of God had not come, though it was sure to come.

I was taken aback. The character was mirroring exactly how I was feeling! All of the misery that happen on this Earth doesn't alter who He is, and He is big enough to take care of all of us individually and give us the best for each at the best time. It is the deception of the flesh to make us thing we're so powerless. That is only half truth; if we remain on our own, we are just that, BUT if we acknowledge that and also acknowledge the One who is Almighty then together we are so powerful. Hallelujah!

So like what Reepicheep said "Come further up and further in!" Whether it is the prayer journey or my marriage, that is what I keep hearing these days.

On a different note, I thought in honor of my online friend Perri, I'll do the fun questionnaire she put up on her blog. I figured out that we got married the same year and I was so happy.

1. Who is your man? Mr.Frank, honey, AKA Chin Spinach
2. How long have you been together? Married 14 years.
3. How long did you date before you got married? 4 months 'til engagement, married within a year.
4. How old is your man? He turned 43 a few days ago.
5. Who eats more? He does, though not nearly as much as he used to.
6. Who said "I love you" first? It is still a mystery to this day who was the first.
7. Who is taller? He is. He is almost 6" and I'm only 5"3'
8. Who sings better? I do. He's a drummer.
9. Who is smarter? He's more logical, creative and methodical. I'm creative, relational and social.
10. Whose temper is worse? Definitely mine. I'm the rhino. He's the hedgehog.
11. Who does the laundry? We both do. Mostly me, but he pitches in whenever the need is obvious without asking. (and I do appreciate it!)
12. Who takes out the garbage? He does.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're lying down, he does. If you're looking at the bed standing, I do.
14. Who pays the bills? He does.
15. Who is better with the computer? He is. There I admit it. My computer knowledge is getting fossilized by the day.
16. Who mows the lawn? He does. The few times I attempted, I couldn't get the thing started with my short arms and lack of strength. Hate that pull thing.
17. Who cooks dinner? Mostly I do, but he loves to cook. His pizzas are famous around friends.
18. Who drives when you are together? He does unless it is a long trip and he needs rest.
19. Who pays when you go out? He does.
20. Who is the most stubborn? Me
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Well, most arguments usually winds up me being wrong, so I guess the quick answer would be me. But in the rare occasion that he is wrong, he does admit it very quietly.
22. Whose parents do you see most? My mom gets to see us more by osmosis because she lives closer and we eat weekly together. We do see his mom at least once a month.
23. Who kissed who first? This is another point of contention, but really I blame it on the fact that both of us had prayed that God would not let us blunder into a relationship because each didn't want to be the initiator. So I'm fine with that. I just know that the first kiss was very sweet ;o)
24. Who asked who out? See #23
25. Who proposed? He did. On a beach after we were greeted by a naked man and figured out that it was a nudist beach.
26. Who is most sensitive? He is - though I sometimes forget because he could be so dense.
27. Who has the most friends? Me - no contest.
28. Who has more siblings? He does. He's the oldest of 5.
29. Who wears the pants in the family? He's the head whether people can see it or not. I'm just loud, but what he says goes. He's just very flexible.
30. How did you meet? At an university Christian club retreat.

Food for thought

Part of our decision to go WWOOFing had come from our growing concern over food. I remember the very first time I was made aware of some of it, quite casually, by this video:



Gotta admit they've done a pretty good job, haven't they? So much so that my kids know Store Wars way better than the Star Wars.

Here's another one:



There's even sequels to these, but I won't post it. You can find it on your own easily on YouTube.

When I first saw these, they were just a couple of nice things to know but the reality of the higher prices in organic produce and our limited budget still kept me mostly inactive. It just remained nice little videos to circulate, and a nice knowledge to have.

Then our family was hit with colon cancer. First my hubby's dad, his aunt (his dad's sister), and my mom. Even some of my friends family members were hit with this cancer. With the progression of their sickness, we've learned that most likely our family is prone to this and it is mainly dietary rich country illness.

Around the same time we came across a pretty scary documentary. The actual documentary itself as a whole isn't on YouTube, but a good intro of it is.



This shed a whole new light to it. I was forced to consider my inaction, and the responsibility that comes with knowing. I could no longer continue as though I didn't know what was going on around food because I knew now. Maybe not as fully, but a big problems I was aware of. With just the intro, you may think that the whole documentary is a fear-mongering, but it really isn't. They're being as objectively informative as they can. This is a real threat.

We started switching as much as we can from generic to organic mainly because it was the only guarantee that it wasn't genetically modified. We learned more about organic standards, nutrition, and farming. We got involved as much as possible and get to know our farmers. All of this of course came with a cost, but by this time we had already lost hubby's dad to cancer and we made a decision to alter our diet instead of seeking genetic testing to see if our family were prone to colon cancer.

Then Darling came across this book. He raved about it. He'd been reading all sorts of book regarding food and nutrition, but he even said "Every line is quotable!" We've read anything from Kevin Trudeau's "Natural Cures they don't want you to know about" to any book to do with 100 mile diet. But this he herald as a MUST HAVE.

All of this have gone to our growing sense of inadequate Christian witnessing or the lack of Christians in this arena. We dismayed with every documentary we've seen where a few Christians are featured in passing how they just wasn't coherently witnessing and rather backfiring with their poor stewardship of the knowledge they possess. We felt the gap, and the curiosity our presence seem to cause in this group of people when they find out we were Christ-followers. Not to say that there aren't any Christians that share our convictions beside us, but it has been sorely few that we've met. Then I realize that there had been a couple of people in university who tread this path way sooner than we have, and I long to reconnect and glean from their experiences since.

A friend of mine in a similar journey (she lost her mom to colon cancer around the time we lost Dad) has taken on a different slant than us. She has gone vegetarian. I find it interesting that having come across practically the same information, our responses have been so different. But I can understand how she made that decision, especially knowing what she's read.

Our God is a God of diversity, and I believe the biodiversity was His design. Just as He is big enough to deal with us individually, I believe He revels in the individuals and each of their lives. Our response to the knowledge we have gained has matched with the WWOOFing, because of all these steps along the way.