"Jesus, Tender Shepherd" and the Best Earache Remedy

The other night our almost 4 year old woke up in the middle of the night with an earache.


I bet it was from swimming every day during the hot weather that we had.


My old stand-by remedy is to crush a clove of garlic and then mix it with a tiny bit of water to create somewhat of a paste.


I dab the garlic paste onto the outside of her ear with a cotton swab.


I do not go into the ear canal, but I do dab it onto the earlobe.


Then I warm a rice-filled sock or just a plain dry cloth and hold it onto her ear.


I usually put a drop of peppermint oil on the sock or cloth, but our teenage daughter was using it for cramps and she wasn't at home at the time.


So this time I just used a warm cloth.

Then I gave her reflexology on the bottom top half of her foot (the side that the earache was on)~the toes and the area just underneath the toes.

I use firm pressure with my fingers and thumb.


Of course, this little child came into our bed and I asked her if she wanted me to sing her a song.


She did.




She chose "Jesus, Tender Shepherd" which is a bedtime song that my grandparents sung to me and all of my cousins.


All of us cousins still love that song to this day and we fondly connect to each other whenever it is brought up.


It is a favorite with all of our children, too!


Our little 'earache child' went to sleep shortly after and she slept the rest of the night!
Here are the words to our favorite bedtime song, which is actually a prayer but we have always known it with a little tune.


"Jesus, Tender Shepherd"

Jesus, Tender Shepherd, hear me;
Bless thy little lamb tonight;
Through the darkness be Thou near me,
Keep me safe till morning light.

All this day thy hand has led me,
And I thank thee for thy care;
Thou has warmed me, clothed and fed me;
Listen to my evening prayer!

Let my sins be all forgiven;
Bless the friends I love so well:
Take us all at last to heaven,
Happy there with thee to dwell.

If by chance you happen to see one of us 'Storm' relatives and you want to know the tune, we would be delighted to share it with you!

May God bless your days and your nights!

PS. Don't you just adore the painting? I found it on http://www.allposters.com/ and the original was painted by Bartholome Esteban Murillo.

The title is called, "Christ Child as Shepherd"

I am putting it on my list of favorites.

I Have A Headache! Can You Come and Rub My Feet?

Lenny: I have a horrible headache! I don't know, I think it's a stress headache! I have to lay down for awhile. Do you think you could rub my big toe for a little while?

Laura: Of course, Honey! Just lay down on the couch and take your socks off. I have nothing going on anyway.

Lenny: Really? Oh, great!

Laura gently puts pressure on Lenny's big toe.

Lenny: Ow, ow, that hurts! Not so much pressure.

Laura lessens the pressure.

Lenny: Ow! It still hurts too much!

Laura: Sheesh, I barely touched it! Is this better? (Very, very light pressure.)

Lenny: Yeah, that's better. (Laura is barely touching the toe at this point.)

Laura continues to very, very gently touch Lenny's big toe and says: How does it feel now, Honey?

Lenny: My headache is starting to go away! Wow, I can't believe it. But just rub my toe a little longer, could you please? (He is very gracious about asking. He should know by now that I run when he calls, but I guess he feels he should say please every once in awhile.)

Laura: Sure, Honey, I have nothing going.

Lenny: Oh, thanks! (He closes his eyes and is probably thinking he married the right woman!)

Within 10 minutes Lenny's headache is gone and we all live happily ever after!

This is a true story, mostly! I do not run when he calls and I always have something going on. The rest is true.

Reflexology is a reflex technique, based on the neuro-biochemical action that is produced by stimulating a specific area of the foot that corresponds with a certain part of the body and that has a general or partial repercussion in the body.

In other words, an invisible map of the body is outlined on the foot and the reflexologist puts a specific amount of pressure on the foot to send a message from the nerve ending to the brain.

(There are over 7000 nerve endings in each foot.) That message in turn tells that specific body part to start working on whatever imbalance there may be.

The reflexologist does not do the healing, but encourages the body to heal itself! It is amazing! It is very relaxing and encourages the body to release stress and relax, which in turn creates a more healthy environment for healing!

The AMA says that 85% of illness is caused by stress! If we can reduce our stress, we will be healthier! Reflexology is just one way to help your body do just that!

I am a certified Reflexologist and if you have any questions, I will be happy to assist you in answering them! It is wonderful to find non-evasive, non-threatening and relaxing ways to heal our bodies!

Things you can do at home to assist your body in healing itself:

1. Find a golf ball and put it on the floor below your foot. Push down on the golf ball with whatever amount of pressure you need and roll the golf ball around to get to all the parts of the foot. You may find some very tender areas. You can work specifically on those areas a little more and then lightly on the rest of the foot. (If you have no golf balls around just let me know, I could send you one or two or 50,000!)

2. If someone in your family has a headache, put medium pressure with your thumb on the big toes, working one at a time. Work the entire toe and in the crease and underneath on the ball of the foot. This is also good for learning disabities and ADD, etc.

3. There are nerve endings in the hands, also, so you can press the soft spot between the thumb and the index finger to also relieve a headache.

4. To encourage a stubborn baby that does not want to come into this world on time, you can rub the area around the ankles of the expectant Mommy with firm pressure. We tried this on Crystal and her little darling was just WAY TOO STUBBORN! She decided she just wanted to be 18 days overdue! I do believe it helped Mommy to relax a little bit, though! It was successful for one of my pregnancies where the doctor wanted to induce me in the morning. I rubbed my ankles quite a bit the day before and I went into labor on my own! *Do not try this in your first trimester, though, as it really does encourage premature labor in some women!*

5. When a loved one is feeling sick, they love to feel pampered and reflexology can ease their aches and pains and feel loved at the same time. Just put pressure with the thumb on all areas of the foot. Using peppermint essential oil with lotion or a carrier oil does wonders, too. The peppermint is a natural pain and fever reducer.

I hope you can try a few of these ideas! It is always fun to come across new ways to incorporate different ways to bring a little peace into our lives!

Thanks for visiting!

Blessings to all of you!

Golf, Yoga, Thrift Stores and Pride and Prejudice In Traverse City

Lenny and I were lucky enough to go with our 2 older daughters to their annual varsity high school golf tournament in beautiful Traverse City, Michigan. We arrived on Tuesday evening and I talked the team into doing yoga with me on the beach. We focused on breathing, relaxing, strengthening the spine and stretching. They had a big 2-day tournament starting the next morning and I wanted to help them relax. So, this is the scene: 8:25 pm-the sun is setting over Big Traverse Bay (gorgeous, of course). Seven teenage girls and I waltz over to the nearest beach access and politely get "kicked off" by the private condo-owners. We had to walk a block down to the boat rental area and found a tiny bit of sand to have our 'class'. The sand was cool and we enjoyed a short yoga class making use of our 'sunset salutation' while the real sun was sinking into the water. Ahh, the simple pleasures of life. We are so blessed!


Golfing on Wednesday: Girls at the course at 7 am. Gorgeous morning. Lenny and the coach are at the Coach's meeting and the girls are at the driving range feeling pretty nervous. I remind them to practice their deep breathing. It is amazing how well these girls can hit the ball. I am impressed! I don't say much else as I am not an expert. There are over 30 teams at this tournament and the place is full of color coordinating teams of very serious golfers. It's a wonderful experience for both the girls and the spectators (we get to walk the course with them). Eight hours later, it's over for the day. Ups and downs, smiles and tears-it's very emotional. Tomorrow is another day. Time for a quick nap back at the hotel, dinner with the team, the girls go to the range again and then play putt-putt. They are golfers, what can I say? I am back in the hotel room and I find Pride and Prejudice on the television! I am so excited! It is so Romantic! Absolutely, one of the BEST books I have ever read! Lenny comes in after bringing the girls to the range and I say, "Quiet! It's Pride and Prejudice!" He says, "Oh great! I suppose you want me to start dressing like those guys now!" I say, "It would be nice and you can start talking like them, too." He rolls his eyes and acts like he's not interested. Karissa and Brooke come into our room after putt-putt and I give them both a short session of reflexology. Their feet are sore from golfing all day and from all the emotions of a tough, mental game. I feel very lucky to be able to have this time with them. They watch a little of Pride and Prejudice with me. Lenny is making fun and trying to act like he knows what is going on. I say, "Shhhh, this is the part where Mr. Darcy comes out of the mist to find Elizabeth!" It is SO ROMANTIC! The girls go to bed and Pride and Prejudice ends, very romantically I might add! Ahhh, life is good! Tomorrow is another day!

This post will continue tomorrow! Until then.....