Living through lost life

I wanted to blog today about something that lies heavy on my heart.

It is great sadness that has brought me to write this post.

With the tragic death of Tim Bosma I started thinking about loss. I didn't know this man or any of his family but I share something in common. Loss. Loss of a father who was too young to be taken from this earth. I know the pain of not growing up with a male figure in my life to look up to. I've seen the sadness take hold of my mother in the quiet moments when her babies would curl up beside her and say ' I miss daddy'. I cannot compare my loss to anyone elses. My father died of natural causes not because of a ruthless monster's sick agenda. However, it's all relative. Loss is loss, no matter how you look at it. It all hurts. It all takes time to heal. It all doesn't make sense.

Another man who past away this weekend was a brother of a man I work with. My co-workers at the bar I'm employed at are like family to me. When one hurts, we all hurt. Each one of us has felt loss at some point in time. Even though we might not be able to put into words our sympathies we can easily put ourselves in his shoes and feel what he's feeling.

Both of these deaths ended lives too short. It all makes me question why? Why does this happen to good people, to young people. Whether it's a brutal attack, an unseen health condition, or a suicide because of bully and hate. It's never fair, it's never warranted.

After I pulled my co-worker aside and expressed my sadness and sympathies for the loss of his brother, his triplet, he graciously said thank you and then shared with me his thoughts on the whole thing. Even though he is broken and his heart is hurting he said 'life goes on'. He said: ' Life doesn't stop. I still have to take my daughter to dance, I still have to go to work to pay my bills'. I couldn't have agreed more. Granted I think some time is needed to deal with your emotions and be able to go about life without breaking down. However, it's true, life goes on. We need to keep living through the lost life of our loved ones. Everyone deals with grief differently and everyone has different outlooks on it. I don't speak for everyone but this holds true for me.

As we go on living after we've suffered the loss of a friend or family member that person lives on in our hearts. It is  in the little moments of life that we can feel their presence. This isn't just a thought or feeling I have, I've seen it first hand- I've felt it. When the night falls and my baby girl can't quite go to sleep by herself, I hold her in my arms and look at her precious little face and see my dad staring back at me. When I burst out laughing at something funny, I can hear his laugh. When I accomplish something great I can feel his presence and know he's watching and proud. My life goes on without my dad. It's never the same as it would be if he were here but it's the life I was meant to live. Everything happens for a reason regardless of if you know the reason or will know it in hindsight. God has a plan. If my dad hadn't passed away, my life would be vastly different. If could be better or it could be worse. I will never know and I don't want to. I suffered through the loss of loosing my father, of knowing he would never meet my baby girl, never walk me down the aisle, never be there to catch me when I fall. But I take great comfort in knowing he's always with me. He's forever in my heart. He is my heart, my soul.

If I can offer anything to all families who have lost a father, mother, sister, brother, child, friend, it is to live the life that they no longer can. It may feel like you can't go on  nor will it ever be the same but time will make it easier to live. The life of your lost one will live on in you, and that's worth living for.

In loving memory of Tim Bosma, Dave Willick and my father Stephen Cleverley- forever in our hearts

XO
Amber

The power of Coconut Oil

 

I'm so excited to share this post with you all. I have fallen in love with Coconut Oil and have been using it for a month or so now and feel it's time to let you all in on the wonders of this product.

Initially, I heard about coconut oil from a woman on my facebook feed raving about 'oil pulling'. I had never heard of this before so in usual Amber fashion I took to Google to find out what was so great about it. I learned that 'oil pulling' is an old Indian folk remedy which requires a person to 'swish' or 'pull' oil in your mouth for approx 10-20 min before eating or drinking. They say not to gargle or swallow the oil as it pulls toxins from your lymph nodes, gums and teeth and would be harmful to swallow all that garbage. It can aid in a multitude of things health wise. Once you are done swishing the oil you spit it into the toilet or garbage. Don't let it go down your sink drain because it will solidify and cause blockage. It's recommended that you use coconut oil, which comes in a solid form. Other types of oils can also work. Learning all of this info lead me to research coconut oil in more depth.

Like I mentioned, it comes in a solid form. The best way to describe it is that it looks like lard. You can purchase it in the organic section of your local grocery store. So how has coconut oil changed my life? I have suffered with psoriasis for years now. Sometimes it's really bad, sometimes its nonexistent. Last summer it covered my calves and forearms. It's embarrassing and painful and just plain ugly. This spring it decided to disappear from my legs and arms and resurface on my stomach. As if having a belly covered in stretch marks wasn't enough I now had red blotches of dry skin too. It was especially painful in this area because it was conveniently located on my hips right where my jeans would sit. By the end of the day my skin hurt so bad from having my pants rub on the infected area all day long. Something had to give. I tried Gold bond, which I heard helped other people with this problem. It would take the pain away slightly but wouldn't ever make it go away completely. Not to mention it smelt horrible. I'd seen a dermatologist and he didn't have much to say about it. He wanted to prescribe a bunch of different meds for it, all of which were costly and not practical. It wasn't until I discovered coconut oil as a moisturizer that I found relief.

I bought a jar ($15.99 @ Zehrs) and would apply it directly to the trouble areas on my stomach twice a day. It became part of my getting ready routine and my bedtime routine.  It melts in your hands from the heat of your body and is super oily but absorbs a lot into your skin so I didn't feel like I had an oily film on me all day. It also never left residue on my sheets and night. Over the course of a few weeks I used coconut oil religiously. I also got my mom hooked on it. She uses it as a substitute for butter in her pancakes that M loves so much. She melts it on her potatoes and also puts some in the pan when making stir-fry. She loves it as much as I do. It’s so good for you. Inside and out it’s the best oil to use.

I am now a month into using this miracle product. It has pretty much cleared up my psoriasis completely. And those stretch marks M graciously blessed me with, well because they were in the area of my psoriasis they got covered in the oil too. They have faded significantly. I've tried Bio Oil and Strivectin, both of which were a waste of time and money. My stretch marks were pretty horrible, red and wide. I knew they'd never go away completely but I just wanted them to be clear or white not red and purple looking. They are now almost the same colour as my skin. It's amazing to me!!!

Some of the other health benefits from Coconut Oil are listed below:

·     Kills viruses that cause influenza, herpes, measles, hepatitis C, SARS, AIDS, and other illnesses.

·     Kills bacteria that cause ulcers, throat infections, urinary tract infections, gum disease and cavities, pneumonia, and gonorrhea, and other diseases.

·     Kills fungi and yeasts that cause candidiasis, ringworm, athlete's foot, thrush, diaper rash, and other infections.

·     Expels or kills tapeworms, lice, giardia, and other parasites.

·     Provides a nutritional source of quick energy.

·     Boosts energy and endurance, enhancing physical and athletic performance.

·     Improves digestion and absorption of other nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

·     Improves insulin secretion and utilization of blood glucose.

·     Relieves stress on pancreas and enzyme systems of the body.

·     Reduces symptoms associated with pancreatitis.

·     Helps relieve symptoms and reduce health risks associated with diabetes.

·     Reduces problems associated with malabsorption syndrome and cystic fibrosis.

·     Improves calcium and magnesium absorption and supports the development of strong bones and teeth.

·     Helps protect against osteoporosis.

·     Helps relieve symptoms associated with gallbladder disease.

·     Relieves symptoms associated with Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and stomach ulcers.

·     Improves digestion and bowel function.

·     Relieves pain and irritation caused by hemorrhoids.

·     Reduces inflammation.

·     Supports tissue healing and repair.

·     Supports and aids immune system function.

·     Helps protect the body from breast, colon, and other cancers.

·     Is heart healthy; improves cholesterol ratio reducing risk of heart disease.

·     Protects arteries from injury that causes atherosclerosis and thus protects against heart disease.

·     Helps prevent periodontal disease and tooth decay.

·     Functions as a protective antioxidant.

·     Helps to protect the body from harmful free radicals that promote premature aging and degenerative disease.

·     Does not deplete the body's antioxidant reserves like other oils do.

·     Improves utilization of essential fatty acids and protects them from oxidation.

·     Helps relieve symptoms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome.

·     Relieves symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (prostate enlargement).

·     Reduces epileptic seizures.

·     Helps protect against kidney disease and bladder infections.

·     Dissolves kidney stones.

·     Helps prevent liver disease.

·     Is lower in calories than all other fats.

·     Supports thyroid function.

·     Promotes loss of excess weight by increasing metabolic rate.

·     Is utilized by the body to produce energy in preference to being stored as body fat like other dietary fats.

·     Helps prevent obesity and overweight problems.

·     Applied topically helps to form a chemical barrier on the skin to ward of infection.

·     Reduces symptoms associated the psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis.

·     Supports the natural chemical balance of the skin.

·     Softens skin and helps relieve dryness and flaking.

·     Prevents wrinkles, sagging skin, and age spots.

·     Promotes healthy looking hair and complexion.

·     Provides protection from damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.

·     Helps control dandruff.

·     Does not form harmful by-products when heated to normal cooking temperature like other vegetable oils do.

·     Has no harmful or discomforting side effects.

·     Is completely non-toxic to humans.

(Taken from: http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/)

 

I will never go without Coconut Oil ever again! I highly recommend adding it to your diet or skincare regimen. If you choose to experiment with it, make sure you are buying 100% pure organic Coconut Oil. 

Hope you fall in love with it as much as I have. 

 

XO

Amber