progress

Around mid-June, Daniel began an extended vacation of sorts. Some leave time that had piled up along with increasing mental and physical fatigue forced a major change in plans for our summer. My man who is a go-getter, active-just-for-fun, always reaching for the next thing, eternally optimistic, and oozing faith was just kind of... well... done.

Over the course of the next few weeks, he rested, read, prayed, dug into the Word, rested some more. And while the mental/spiritual cobwebs and clouds seemed to part way and his soul could breathe a bit again in time, it simultaneously became increasingly clear that his body was not as healthy as it should be. Whether the physical caused the mental and spiritual fatigue or the other way around, we may never know. Regardless, we found ourselves in a place of needing to address both.

After a full battery of tests, there was seemingly nothing wrong.

Cue a visit to a nutritionist and Daniel borrowing, oh, about 10 books on health and nutrition from the library. He wanted different opinions and varying schools of thoughts in hopes of finding the common threads in them all.

At the end of the day, we were pretty certain his digestive system was working pretty terribly. Stress has a way of really wrecking a body, you know.

So after a week-long trip to Dayton, Ohio for a worship leading and speaking commitment he had made, Daniel came home and began a 2-day cleanse followed by 2 days of juicing in order to give his stomach a break. The next day, we began following the Whole 30 food plan after reading (upon recommendation and loan from a good friend), It Starts With Food--a book that really resonated with us based on all the prior reading and learning. The idea with Whole 30 is that you take 30 days to fill your body with the stuff it really needs and eliminate everything that could be causing problems. After 30 days, you begin reintroducing foods in a way that allows you to "learn" your body-- which things agree with you and which things don't. Although neither Daniel or I thought that he had major sensitivities (and we still don't) to anything in particular, we knew a diet rich in nutrients and with zero of the stuff that's harder to process for 30 days certainly wouldn't hurt and might even help.

That was two weeks ago.

And Daniel is feeling so good.

His color is better. His muscles have stopped aching. The extreme fatigue has lifted. We know there is more ground to take and that nutritional deficits aren't overcome in a day or even a few weeks, but we are incredibly encouraged by the progress made.

I feel better (I'm doing it, too) and I didn't even know I didn't feel good! Ankle pain that has plagued me every morning upon waking for the past few months is gone. I've stopped craving ice by the jar-full all day every day. I have more energy.

And don't worry: we're not hungry-- quite the opposite, as our plates are loaded with healthy, nutritious vegetables and proteins and fats three times a day.

I'm so thankful.

Thankful for the time of rest. Thankful for the spiritual and mental cleansing and healing that has taken place. Thankful for wisdom and encouragement from dear friends and people who are eager to see Daniel's body whole. Thankful that some nagging less-than-stellar health I've had for years (let's be honest: I've been nursing and/or breastfeeding for over 12 years) seem to be resolving quickly and easily just as a side benefit. Thankful for a community of believers who have been beyond gracious during this season to the point of praying for us, relieving us, ministering to us, and blessing us. Thankful for a God who gives wisdom to us when we ask by faith for His help.