I’ve had an amazing week. And here are some superlatives.
Travel–Enjoyed a week at His Place, in Saarland, Germany run by the loving German Community Without Walls. A beautiful, restful and warm place with delicious healthy food. Loved it.
Luxembourg—Luxembourg City is gorgeous, and literally on a gorge. Enjoyed the staggering views, and the buildings built on a rock. I could have spent a couple more days there, just wandering around… Next time.
Wayne Negrini—Greatly enjoyed the hyper-energetic, larger-than-life, warm-hearted wise founder of the Community Without Walls, who spent several hours talking to us over a couple of evenings. He is as knowledgeable about natural health and healing as about the things of the Spirit.
And ladies and gentlemen, I intend to gradually educate myself about the former as much as the latter
The Eat to Live Programme—Part of my problem with weight loss is that I could never hear clearly from God as to what diet to follow. And I guess I needed to repent of and renounce seeking comfort or stress-relief or highs in food rather than God.
Well, I have done that, so was in a right place when Wayne suggested the Eat to Live programme by John Fuhrman M.D. lending us some videos on it. It’s a low-carb vegan diet. I have been vegetarian before, for long periods of time, but never low-carb vegetarian, and never vegan.
But this diet (unlimited fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, and limited nuts and seeds) is doing wonders for me so far. Some weight lost easily, and I find I need remarkably less sleep, my mind is clearer, and my ability to think and concentrate is vastly increased.
Zoe and Roy who both independently wanted to go vegetarian are on it too. Irene burst into tears at the thought of it, as she loves meat and dairy, but so far, she’s enjoying the creative vegetarian food, and we’ve told her to eat up on meat and diary at her school lunches!
Pre-Raphaelites at the Tate—A glorious exhibition, including many paintings from private collections.
Best Blog Post I’ve Read This Week.
Loved this post by Glennon Melton in which her husband tells her The News, and she’s suddenly a single mom. My philosophy of blogging is a little like hers, but being American and Californian, she goes much further in openness, honesty and self-revelation.
Glennon says: A life well lived is one lived in the light. I learned long ago that living a secret life doesn’t work for me. To be healthy and sane —to feel safe—I have to live out loud. There is a saying in recovery: we are sick as our secrets. I refuse to be sick again. So I have to share my truth with you.
“I only know as much of myself as I have the courage to reveal to you,” John Powell wrote. The best blogs I think come out of a relentless pushing towards honesty and truthfulness.
Best passage from an audiobook
We listened to “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” on our way back from Germany. Loved this description of how sanctification works.
The selfish Eustace is turned into a dragon, his animagus or daemon. Then Aslan, the Christ-Lion leads him to a well.
The water was as clear as anything and I thought if I could get in there and bathe it would ease the pain in my leg. But the lion told me I must undress first. Mind you, I don’t know if he said any words out loud or not.
“I was just going to say that I couldn’t undress because I hadn’t any clothes on when I suddenly thought that dragons are snaky sort of things and snakes can cast their skins. Oh, of course, thought I, that’s what the lion means. So I started scratching myself and my scales began coming off all over the place. And then I scratched a little deeper and, instead of just scales coming off here and there, my whole skin started peeling off beautifully, like it does after an illness, or as if I was a banana. In a minute or two I just stepped out of it. I could see it lying there beside me, looking rather nasty. It was a most lovely feeling. So I started to go down into the well for my bathe.
“But just as I was going to put my feet into the water I looked down and saw that they were all hard and rough and wrinkled and scaly just as they had been before. Oh, that’s all right, said I, it only means I had another smaller suit on underneath the first one, and I’ll have to get out of it too. So 1 scratched and tore again and this underskin peeled off beautifully and out I stepped and left it lying beside the other one and went down to the well for my bathe.
“Well, exactly the same thing happened again. And I thought to myself, oh dear, how ever many skins have I got to take off? For I was longing to bathe my leg. So I scratched away for the third time and got off a third skin, just like the two others, and stepped out of it. But as soon as I looked at myself in the water I knew it had been no good.
“Then the lion said” – but I don’t know if it spoke – “You will have to let me undress you.” I was afraid of his claws, I can tell you, but I was pretty nearly desperate now. So I just lay flat down on my back to let him do it.
“The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off.
“Well, he peeled the beastly stuff right off – just as I thought I’d done it myself the other three times, only they hadn’t hurt – and there it was lying on the grass: only ever so much thicker, and darker, and more knobbly-looking than the others had been. And there was I as smooth and soft as a peeled switch and smaller than I had been. Then he caught hold of me – I didn’t like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I’d no skin on – and threw me into the water. It smarted like anything but only for a moment. After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I’d turned into a boy again.’
I am in a mid-life process of revising my daily life, schedule, work habits and rhythms, and making them more beautiful, more godly, more monastic if you like.
Some things I can sort of do on my own—put on Rescue Time or Antisocial to avoid internet distraction when I write; wake earlier; exercise; tidy up.
For some things, like eating when stressed or sad or bored or frustrated, a habit I formed decades ago, I need help.
And sometimes, the help Aslan/Jesus gives can hurt at first, but then, it feels so good.
Read my new memoir: Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India (US) or UK.
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My book of essays: Wandering Between Two Worlds (US) or UK
HopefulLeigh says
I love that passage from Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Thanks for linking up with What I’m Into!
Amelia says
Thank you, Anita, for this post. I’m with you on this at so many levels. Am journeying back to my former vegan lifestyle, but having to help my husband eat healthily when typical American junk food and meat and potatoes appeals to him makes my journey much more challenging. Thanks for the reference to Dr Fuhrman’s Eat to Live and your personal testimony. I have been there, done that, and need to do that again…with new recipes! 🙂 (Thankful for my Omega juicer, a birthday present this year.) First and foremost, I’m still striving to walk in the Spirit. Loved the Glennon Melton quote, too!
Anita Mathias says
Hi Amelia, Yes, I think new recipes is the only way to sustain veganism–so rather than just try substitutions discover new and wonderful fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes and recipes. I am doing well–sleeping a lot less. Though since I am also cutting back on green tea–it’s challenging!!
Debra Seiling says
Dear Anita,
I like that you will be periodically sharing more about the vegan food program you are on. I’m very curious about it and adaptations you make in your cooking when you can’t use eggs or milk in recipes. Thanks so much, Debra Seiling http://bible-passages.blogspot.com , http://christian-ivereaters.blogspot.com
Anita Mathias says
Debra, we tried substitutions–adding mushroom and nut balls instead of feta cheese to salads, ut I think the best way to go is new recipes, and trying new vegetables and juices. Perhaps the gradual change I first envisioned http://dreamingbeneaththespires.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/my-amazing-96-pound-adventure-in-52.html –one dietary change a week would have been best, but I decided to jump straight into an optimal diet. We are using vegan cookbooks!
Joy Lenton says
Your travels have been both physical and spiritual, I see. It is a useful exercise to revise and evaluate where we are in our lives and see if any positive changes could be made. Sounds like you’re having an early ‘Spring Clean’ session on yourself rather than the home! Hope it continues to bear fruit for you.
I love the extract from “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”. I’d forgotten what gems of wisdom were contained within its pages. Quite makes me want to try and find my old battered copy and read it again. On second thoughts, perhaps it’s best to start from the beginning of the story rather than nearer the end!
I can identify with the ‘hurt’ we may feel when Jesus gives our lives a clean sweep as He requires us to leave our old clothes behind before He can dress us in the new.
A lovely optimistic post. Thanks, Anita 🙂
Anita Mathias says
Thanks, Joy, am feeling quite energetic on the Eat to Live vegan diet. It’s also meant to cure auto-immune diseases.
Have you come across this claim? The diet is vegan- just fruit, veg, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds. Shall report weekly progress on the blog.