From Light to Deep Sleep Using Essential Oils
I have always been a very light sleeper. Anything that sounds out of the ordinary at night and I wake up. It got to be so bad that I would use something like a fan, soft music or ocean wave sounds to help block out the odd sounds that would wake me up at night. That all changed when I was introduced to essential oils.
I had read about oils several years ago, but I never tried them. Then my wonderful massage therapist, Gina Westlake, mentioned that she was selling oils though Young Living. Since Gina has helped me a lot with my neck and shoulder issues, I trusted her recommendation enough to give them a try. So I signed up and bought a kit and a diffuser. It has been one of the best things I have done lately.
I started out using Frankincense in the diffuser while I meditated. I have been meditating for many years. My usual routine is to meditate with some soft music playing, such as Jim Brickman’s Soothe CD ( #soothe ), right before I go to bed to calm my mind in hopes of sleeping better. I set the diffuser near me and the scent of the Frankincense helps me achieve a deep state of relaxation faster and more often than what I would normally. So I decided to experiment a bit and use the diffuser at night while I sleep. I tried a couple of oils like lavender and I did notice a bit of a difference.
Gina made a post in our Facebook group, “Good morning! There are a LOT of oils that will support a good night’s sleep. This trio (Valor, Lavender & Envision) has been my go-to the last few days (a couple drops of each on my feet before bed) and I have been sleeping GREAT. Seriously like knocked-out-great, which is unusual for me. What oils have worked for you?”
One of the members replied that she used a combination of lavender and lemon. Since I had those two, I decided to give it a try. The lavender and lemon combination works great for me. I still wake up one or two times a night, but I am sleeping deep and feeling more rested than I have in a long time. I wish I would have known about this a long time ago.
If you have ever thought about trying essential oils, we would like to give you a chance to try them out. We have put together a little essential oils starter kit giveaway. Our starter kit includes:
A diffuser
A bottle of Young Living Lavender oil
4 oil samplers: Lemon, Peppermint, Peace & Calming, and Thieves
An Essential Oils pocket guide
A Young Living product guide
What Are You Expecting?
Try as we may, we all go into different situations with expectations. It is hard as human beings NOT to sit in anticipation of what will happen. Whether we’re expecting a miracle in a situation only God can control such as someone’s health issues, or we’re expecting a raise for all of our hard work, if we’re honest, we’re all sitting in anticipation of something.
For the vast majority of Seniors, they are expecting to walk down the aisle at their graduation ceremony in just a few, short days. They have no idea that all the years they complained about school will actually be the best days of their lives when they look back on things. When all you really have to do is go to school, study, and make good grades all while hanging out with your friends, oh yes, these are the best days of your life. You just haven’t realized it yet. When you get out into the real world, you will, though. Whether you go to college to further your education or you go out into the work force, you will soon realize that the world does not revolve around you and your friends. It can be, and often is, a cruel world out there. I bet of all the things you’re expecting your adulthood to be, you won’t be expecting the harsh reality of those that occupy the planet with you caring very little about your well being and your success. Don’t let people, their actions, or their lack of care and concern make you lose sight of your goals in life. Be the best YOU can be.
There was once a guidance counselor at my husband’s school that discouraged him from going to college. The guidance counselor said such damaging things like, “You clearly are not college material.” That stuck with my husband, and honestly, it discouraged him a great deal. It was, indeed, damaging to hear the guidance counselor, of all people, say this to him when he was looking for … well … guidance … for his future plans. My husband certainly didn’t go into the office that day expecting THAT. Thankfully, though, he has a spirit of determination, and those words were actually the words he needed to hear. He didn’t give up like ones would do under those circumstances being told such things. Instead, he forged ahead, and he went to two technical colleges, and THEN he entered the big university where he graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering!
Don’t EVER discourage someone when they come to you seeking advice. Especially if you’re in a position such as this guidance counselor! Instead, be a great encouragement to them. My husband went in there expecting encouragement from the guidance counselor, but instead that was not what he received. Yet, in the long run, he proved the guidance counselor wrong! He not only went to two technical colleges where he obtained an Associates Degree, he went on to the big university where he obtained his Bachelor Degree! Although he’s never gone back to that guidance counselor to show them just how wrong they were about him, I wonder if the thought has ever crossed his mind.
What are you expecting? Where are you in life and what are you looking forward to, anticipating, or expecting? Are you expecting to go on to bigger and better things? Who is stopping you then? Go for it and live your dream! If there is a way possible for you to embark on the path that will lead you to your destiny, do it!
Live your dream. Reach for the stars! You CAN do it!
Family Devotional Bible
I remember it all very well. Looking back on my childhood years, I recall this big shelf of books. Lots and lots of books! And there I sat looking through them all to find the one that would keep my attention. What captivated me was this rather large, beige book that felt like it had a leather cover. There was a picture of Jesus on the front, and my little eyes marveled at the man before me. At that age, knee high to a grasshopper, I thought that was truly a picture of Jesus right there on the cover. I remember staring into His beautiful eyes before running my fingers along the corner of the cover and opening the Good Book. Page after page was filled with scriptures, of course, but my, oh my, the pictures within this book that almost told the story all by themselves. I was mesmerized by each and every story with pictures to go along with it!
Fast forward all of these years later, and I am almost reliving the moment. This time, it is through my youngest daughter.
When the mail lady pulled up in our driveway honking the horn, I knew she had a package for us. The only one I was expecting at that point was the one containing the ESV Family Devotional Bible by Crossway. I thanked the mail lady, and we had a brief conversation before she pulled away to continue her route. My daughter sat on the burgundy wrought iron bench in the front of our house looking out over our flowerbed. We have bird feeders and a bird bath out here, and that is one of our absolute favorite spots in the entire yard! As I walked toward her, she couldn’t help but see the package in my arms. Curiosity killed the cat as she asked, “What’s that?!” We typically always have to play the Close-Your-Eyes-And-Hold-Out-Your-Hand-For-A-Big-Surprise-Game. As I placed the bible in her hands, she opened her eyes, immediately widened them as she said, “Wow!” I smiled as she began to thumb through the first few pages.
That was all it took. She was hooked! Just like I was as a little girl when I discovered our family bible with illustrations!
I wondered if she would just look through the bible that day and put it aside, but much to my delight, she didn’t! When we went on a trip the next week, she carried this bible with her! As we drove along, she would read the stories out of the bible, look at the pictures, and then quiz us on the story line. Some of the stories from the bibles we could remember well while others would take some brushing up on our end to recall all that happened. She was so happy to take the opportunity to refresh our memory as she read aloud parts of the stories to us.
This Family Devotional Bible has become a favorite in our household with our little girl. If you have little ones yourself, we encourage you to enter our giveaway below!
Special thanks to FlyBy Productions/Propeller for allowing us to participate in this giveaway. I did receive a free sample of this product, but the opinions expressed are mine and were not influenced by this opportunity to review the bible.
