Vervain

Vervain: (verbena officinalis) original flower essence.

I got this little bottle of vervain, which is one of those Holistic remedies they have for just about anything that ails ya. This one is for naturally occurring nervous tension. It's supposed to "help you relax when you are over enthusiastic or strongly driven." Worth a try, I thought a few years ago when I purchased it.

But here's the rub. The directions say, "Take 2 drops in water and sip at intervals... take a minimum of 4 drops 4 times a day." First of all, I don't sip water. I guzzle it. Mostly because if I wanted to sip something, it would be hot and tasty, like coffee. Not water. Water is to hydrate. And water only satisfies me when it's really flowing into my dry, parched mouth and throat. It's functional, not tea-time stuff.

Maybe the truth is, I am too over enthusiastic and strongly driven to sip a glass of water 16 times a day!

Well, today my Vervain-ian dilemma ended when I over enthusiastically grabbed something off the shelf and knocked said calming potion down, causing the calming fluids to flow all over my floor.

And the bottle was good til Dec. 2014! I had another 2 years before I had to throw it away.

Oh, Vervain, you were all in vain!!!

Courage

I got to read Bible stories to the grandkids this week. This, by the way, is a great way to start a New Year!

In the Bible, God called Joshua to fill in for Moses and to take a new land full of wild animals and huge enemies. Reading it this year, I was reminded of the paraphrased, kid-friendly version we did of what God said in Josh. 1:9

"DON'T BE AFRAID, AND NEVER GIVE UP; THE LORD YOUR GOD GOES WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO." Joshua 1:9

Well, it seems that little Miles (2 year old) was listening. On leaving a restaurant, we ran into a very big sheepdog of some variety. The owner was insisting that it was friendly, as almost all owners do, but Miles was convinced of 2 things. This was a wolf, and it wanted to eat him. Miles was afraid of that with Shorty, Umpa's little dog, as well, but, well, I won't go there.

Anyway, this dog stands up and it's pretty much nose to nose with little Mi-Mi. It IS a big dog! Then Miles went toe to toe, nose to nose, with that hairy beast. Wagging his finger in it's face, Miles firmly said, "NO EAT ME, WOLF!"

You go, Miles!

TAKE COURAGE, DON'T BE AFRAID, AND NEVER GIVE UP, THE LORD YOUR GOD GOES WITH YOU, WHEREVER YOU GO!