Category: Uncategorized

This blog will start a series on God’s miracles that don’t make it into the daily news. Some are real-life experiences, either heard first hand or in biographies of real people caught in real events, or “seen” as part of a near-death experience in the Spirit World.

Many of you may have seen the LDS movie, 17 Miracles, based on real history. One of those recounts a young mother who barely escaped a drunken husband with her two children. Then while sitting on the train waiting to leave, she saw him outside approaching her car. She quickly traded hats with the lady across from her but it did nothing to hid her face. Her husband came down the aisle, looking at each person intently. He came to her, scrutinized her face carefully, and then moved on. She was stunned but could only attribute his not recognizing her to a miracle of God.

Here are three more, the last one I heard directly from the missionary involved:

• From Through the Window of Life, by Suzanne Freeman, (pp. 84-85):  A young mother and her fussy baby were separated from her wagon train a short distance. Here’s what happened:

      “After a while, I heard footsteps, then voices. At first I was relieved, thinking that someone from our group had missed me and came back to help. But then I realized the voices were speaking the enemy’s language.” Stacey stopped and pressed one hand against her chest. “I nearly fainted. I was so scared. There was no place to hide, and there was no time to run away. Porter was fussing as much as ever, crying louder than ever. The only thing I could think to do was pray, and it was a fast one. Just ‘Oh, Heavenly Father, please help us.’

      “Those soldiers walked right past us, with just a bush between them and us. Not a single one of them paused or even stopped talking to one another. It was as if Heaven put earplugs on them or something. It was amazing. I thanked Father in Heaven over and over, but I was too scared to move until the search party came to get us.”

• From We Were Not Alone: How an LDS Family Survived World War II Berlin, by Patricia Reece Roper and Karola Hilbert Reece, a true story of an LDS German family in very adverse conditions. It began when the father (the local Branch President) turned down an invitation to join the Nazi Party, saying: I serve only Jesus Christ, which cost him his job and all others except menial work assignments where he could only visit his family sporadically. The youngest daughter in the family was the one to go search out sources of food because her older siblings were employed. She was told good farms were at the end of one particular train line, so when she arrived she took the one of three roads out from that station that no one else took. Soon she realized why:  there was a Russian garrison between the station and the village that was her only hope of food. If she turned back, she would return empty-handed, and her starving mother was only eating half her ration at each meal so that her children could eat enough to be able to work.

      She bravely set out and was soon given a ride by a local farmer who hid her in smelly, dirty straw. She arrived safely and soon found a shopkeeper who didn’t want to sell her anything until he saw how half-starved she was and how sincerely in need. She offered to pay whatever he asked as they were earning regular pay, but he said he would sell her whatever her bags could hold at regular market prices and that she could come back every week. And every week, she miraculously found rides coming and going, until finally one week, there was no ride in sight as she was returning and approached the garrison. Just then she saw the soldiers all coming outside and knew she was in a terrible situation. If she turned back to the village, she would miss the last train home, her family would be horribly worried, and her mother might not live through such trauma. Here’s her account of what happened next (pp. 195-6):

      There was no possible way that I could pass by them without being seen. If I were discovered, I could never survive what would be in store for me. There was no earthly help for me to plead for. No one was coming to my aid. So I turned to the only One who could give me the heavenly help I so crucially needed. Creeping between two trees by the side of the road, I quietly laid my nets down, folded my arms, and closed my eyes in prayer. I knew I urgently needed the courage to face the most savage enemies I’d ever known so that I could save the life of my mother. She was the one person on earth whose faith had sustained me and given me hope, courage, and a faith of my own at a time when all seemed lost. It was critical that I get home to her.

      That day I did more than pray. I begged the Lord for his divine intervention. I felt like I was truly wrestling with the Lord. As I used every ounce of energy I possessed to reach my Father in Heaven, I became deaf to the soldiers’ voices and the world around me. My only focus was my Eternal Father.

      The instant I began my prayer, I knew with all my soul that He was listening. He was right beside me, hearing each breath I took as I said, ‘I believe all the miracles Thou has done in the time recorded in the Bible. I also believe all Thou hast done for the people in the chosen land of America as recorded in the Book of Mormon. I know Thou art the same today, yesterday, and forever . . . . Dear Heavenly Father, I know Thou canst protect me. Please make me invisible to the eyes of those Russian soldiers so that I may walk through them unharmed, even as Thou hast done for Thy prophet Joseph Smith. Help me reach the train so that Mother will not have cause to worry beyond the strength she has to endure.’

      After closing my prayer, I immediately picked up my sacks and, without a doubt in my heart, walked straight toward the Russian soldiers. I had to literally plough my way through them. As I pushed one soldier with my right shoulder to have a pathway through, he turned and said something to the soldier on my left. I looked into his eyes and he looked right through me, his big, clear, blue eyes holding no image of me. I continued on my way unscathed. They never even knew I was there. . . .and I caught the train home.

      When she told her parents what happened, this was her mother’s response:  Karola, you have made a tremendous sacrifice to get this food for us. I feel that the Lord has given you this test. You had a sufficient amount of faith to pass it.  Her father’s: The Lord will not require your sacrifice anymore, and neither will we. Don’t go again. The Lord will provide. He will open the way for us to get food from some other source. Several days went by and soon her mother was starving again. Karola watched while her mother continued to go downhill, the rest is in her mother’s words:  This morning after everyone left, I knelt by the side of the bed to pray. I had hardly begun when I broke down and cried to the Lord. I explained our pitiful circumstances. I have been surviving on faith and prayers for so long I knew it couldn’t last, and this morning it was clear to me that the end was near. It hurt me to envision your life [Karola’s] and the lives of the rest of the family if I should pass away. . . . I must have wrestled with the Lord for half an hour or more. When I finished, a great calm came over me, and I knew that help was coming. I lay down on the couch to rest and wait. . . . She opened the door some time later. There stood an America major. He merely said, ‘Wait right there,’ in his awkward German. I heard him run downstairs, and a few minutes later, he returned carrying several boxes. . . . ‘[these] are filled with food for you and your family’ . . . . He said that as he went past the PX store this morning, he felt as if someone pushed him inside. He took a cart and began to fill it with food. . . . He knew that he didn’t need anything, so he asked the Lord what he was supposed to do with it all. A deep impression came to him as he remembered the four young girls he had seen in church last Sunday.  He went to the mission home, got their address and came straight over, and he came every week until he was transferred away.

• A true story from a missionary just returned from an area in the Pacific where a very powerful hurricane had made landfall 3 months before and his was the worst hit area. It took three days for the Mission President to even make contact with his Bishop and assure his family that he and his companion were safe.  The background is that this missionary and his companion were living on high ground in a concrete block house and were asked to move about 3 weeks before the hurricane hit, but they couldn’t find anywhere that met Mission standards, so they were still there when the storm hit, and hit hard. 90-95% of the buildings were destroyed and about the same number of people died. The Elders survived by hanging on to the posts of their bunk bed while most of their possessions were sucked out along with one wall.

      They took in survivors until they were full, sharing their food and water from the small well outside their door. The last person they could accommodate had a somewhat fierce dog that kept others away. They then went and found their Bishop as the storm died down. He gave them a list of members and asked that they go and check on them. Miraculously, they had all survived which they then reported to the Bishop. In the meantime, he had found food and asked them to take it, go back and give it to each member.

      By this time, these young man started to fear for their safety as the final survivors were probably growing more desperate and bolder. In his own words, he said: “We were two white faces in a sea of brown faces. Everyone had always looked at us and everyone had talked to us. This time no one looked at us and no one spoke to us. It seemed we were invisible to them.”

      This Elder then chose to stay and complete the last 3 months of his mission doing service and cleanup, and I heard him speak in person shortly after he was released. I could see the fear he had experienced still deep in his eyes. The lesson was that he did what was right in spite of his fear and was protected. And who knows what this experience prepared him for in the future??

What stories will WE have to tell someday? Part of me shudders to think and part of me hopes I’ll rise to whatever challenge comes my way. So will we all have to have this trial and test of our faith? According to Elder Richard G. Scott in his October 2005 Conference talk, Truth Restored, we agreed to our mortal trials or at least knew they were coming:

So that the period of mortal testing and growth would yield its greatest benefit, you were taught and prepared for the circumstances you would personally encounter in mortality. Our Father’s pattern for guiding you through mortal life was explained. He would choose from among the most valiant, obedient spirit children prophets and other authorized servants to hold His priesthood, to be taught His truth, and to be guided to disseminate that truth among His children on earth. God would give each child moral agency, the right to choose His counsel or to ignore it. All would be encouraged but not forced to obey. You understood that while you could choose your path on earth, you could not determine the outcome of your choices. That would be decided by eternal law.

So I conclude from this that we all have individual paths ordained for our growth, and we don’t have every trial that is possible for others, just the ones we most need to demonstrate our worthiness for the level of glory we wish to attain in the next life. Additionally, here’s advice my mother was given in a priesthood blessing by her bishop many years ago: Your life has been designed to be the MOST perfect life it could be for your growth and development. If this was true for my mother, it must be true for all of us, because she was just another person like us, with strengths and weaknesses, and God is “no respecter of persons.” See the original blog post on my personal site, Just a Little Chipmunk in God’s Big Forest, for a fuller discussion.

One further thought: our prayers asking for protection will be answered in accordance with our premortal agreements and the Lord’s will. See a beautiful example Karola Hilbert’s family prayer early in World War II as adversity overtook the citizens of Berlin and all of Germany (p. 101):

Mother bowed her head for prayer, and we reverently lowered our heads and put our arms around each other, interlocking them so that we because a tight, unbreakable circle. Mother prayed. All the yearnings of her soul were opened and laid before the Lord. She asked him for our lives, that we would be spared the devastation that surely lay ahead. That somehow we would survive, if that was his will, to raise future generations in righteousness to him. She prayed for our purity, that we would be chaste and no one would steal this from us. That our hearts would be pure and we would not fall into the temptation of working for vengeance or withholding our forgiveness from our predators. That we would share the light and the love of the gospel in whatever circumstances we would be sent. Lastly, she prayed for our possessions and our home. In closing, Mother humbly said, “We ask for these things, kind Father, only if it is thy will. We leave it to thee to decide if we will have or have not. We place all our lives, virtue, and possessions into they hands: do with them as thou wilt.”

Those prayers were answered but not after they had been tested to see if they would live the Gospel in adversity. They shared what they had, they were an example of faith to their friends and neighbors, and they surrendered their wills, their safety, and their lives to God. Her mother was even willing to starve, that her children might live. And the Lord allowed her to come within days of dying before He accepted her sacrifice, released her from it, and brought them much needed food. But we can’t all count on being spared adversity, suffering, and possibly even death in the days ahead, no matter how hard we pray and how beautifully we live the Gospel. May we all take a page from the Hilbert family’s story and rise to a higher plane of faith and surrender!

I alternate between being a whiner and a tantrum thrower when adversity seems to gang up on me. Many times I can take the road of faith, strap on my backpack filled with spiritual tools, and tackle that particular mountain. But with other challenges, life all of a sudden seems unfair, and I think I can’t possibly have signed up for this.

Sitting in Sacrament Meeting my first year as a new convert, I silently whined to the Lord: What gives? I just dedicated my life to you and it just got worse – why? The Lord’s answer in my mind: It wouldn’t be a test, would it, if it weren’t a REAL test?

So evidently, goodness doesn’t bring immediate rewards, or even just trying to be better. Years ago, I read this thought in an LDS singles newsletter, paraphrased from memory:

The reason we don’t have immediate rewards or punishments is that the Lord wants us to choose the right way because of our love and commitment to Him.
If He were to provide immediate blessings or negative consequences, many people would live “righteously” just for the reward and not really become better people. When good deeds don’t bring a visible result, it’s a much truer test of our intentions.

Along that line is the old saying: Virtue is its own reward. And what is that reward? Since I discovered God and His restored church as an adult, I could clearly see the difference that changing my intentions, then words and actions, brought: greater self-respect, and quickly too. It also brought improved relationships, greater achievement on the job, and a happier home life with my very deserving children.

Then I dimly remembered this thought from the Prophet Joseph Smith:

If you live up to these principles, how great and glorious will be your reward in the celestial kingdom!
If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates.
(LDS Church Manual, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Chapter 39).

So we get a reward in the Celestial Kingdom and the company of angels in this life – this is getting better.

Years ago, my mother told me about a priesthood blessing she received from her bishop, paraphrased from memory:

Your life is the MOST perfect life you could have,
for your growth and development.

She was on a long road to see my father join the Church and needed regular encouragement. She was finally rewarded when he was baptized at age 85 and three months before her death. He stayed faithful and we participated in their sealing 9 months after her passing. Another eternal reward, and a true principle for all of us.

Then in a Stake Conference talk years ago, I heard this thought (sorry, no idea of the source), but it rings true:

The angelic choirs in heaven are singing praises to God
for the mortal adversities that brought them to Christ.

And that reminds me of another quote, from one of the survivors of the Willey Martin handcart companies, when he stood up in Sunday School after hearing some strong criticism of their leaders for choosing to leave late in the summer, putting their people at risk. This gentleman stood up at the back of the class and said, paraphrased:

You do not know what you’re talking about.
I price I paid to know my Savior was worth it,
and I would do it again!

By now, I was feeling properly put in my place, especially when this scripture rang in my mind:

Doctrine and Covenants 88:5-7:
5 Which glory is that of the church of the Firstborn, even of God,
the holiest of all, through Jesus Christ his Son—
6 He that ASCENDED up on high, as also he DESCENDED below all things,
in that he comprehended all things,
that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth;
7 Which truth shineth. This is the light of Christ.
As also he is in the sun, and the light of the sun,
and the power thereof by which it was made.

If Christ needed to DESCEND before He could ASCEND, the greatest ever to walk the Earth, it must be true for us. My thought: Since we are to fill “the measure of our creation” (D&C 88:15-19), doesn’t that also mean we are to descend an equal distance below our real potential for goodness to qualify for the rewards that come with personal triumph?

Then, the phrase, Sweet Are the Uses of Adversity, echoed through my mind as I tossed around ideas for this post today. I also realized that we sometimes fall for a mistaken belief that: The more we live righteously, the more we’ll be protected from adversity.

That logic certainly appeals to our “natural man” and our desire for a “white-picket-fence” lifestyle, where everything is hollyhocks and rose buds. But a lifetime of observation and then gospel study contradicts that thought, absolutely. And as the Lord said, It wouldn’t be a test, would it, if it weren’t a REAL test? Ouch! We don’t have to like it, but we’ll get further if we just accept it, buckle on our backpack of faith, courage, and perseverance (qualities I’m counseled to cultivate in my Patriarchal blessing), and get on with it – another ouch!

So where did that phrase, Sweet Are the Uses of Adversity, come from? I thought it was a hymn but a search of the hymnal came up empty. Then I did a phrase search on the Church website and it seems the earliest reference is from a BYU Devotional, given February 2, 1962, by Elder Harold B. Lee (and later prophet), click HERE to listen to it – 36 minutes, it’s a corker and you’ll be glad you made the time. Sadly, no transcript is available, but here Elder Lee quotes Dr. Victor Hess, Nobel Prize winner for the discovery of cosmic rays:

Real faith for a scientist, as for anyone else, is often a matter of bitter struggle.
The victory must be won or the gift must be discovered by each one in his own soul.
It often takes the personal experience of grave danger of death
to bring conviction and prepare the way for faith in divine providence.
What is certain is that when faith comes,
there follows a great serenity of soul
and a deep peace in the human heart.

Mirroring that thought, Joseph Smith taught that “a religion that does not require the sacrifice of ALL THINGS never has the power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation” (Church Website Guide to the Scriptures: Sacrifice, first paragraph, EMPHASIS added).

Going back to my earlier question: Did I sign up for this? Evidently I did:

So that the period of mortal testing and growth would yield its greatest benefit, you were taught and prepared for the circumstances you would personally encounter in mortality. Our Father’s pattern for guiding you through mortal life was explained. He would choose from among the most valiant, obedient spirit children prophets and other authorized servants to hold His priesthood, to be taught His truth, and to be guided to disseminate that truth among His children on earth. God would give each child moral agency, the right to choose His counsel or to ignore it. All would be encouraged but not forced to obey. You understood that while you could choose your path on earth, you could not determine the outcome of your choices. That would be decided by eternal law (Elder Richard G. Scott, Truth Restored, Conference Talk, October 2005).

So what chosen trials will you be thankful for someday as you sing praises to your Savior in some glorious heavenly choir?

I, for one, am just realizing that the dynamics in my life that created far too much solitude, even social isolation, was a pure gift, as I became my own best companion and then a daughter of a Heavenly Father who’s a treasured counselor and fatherly comfort. I also now see what seems to be a boring trudge through long years of school, taught in a dry left-brained, sequential way, has given me an organized brain – paths I would never have chosen on my own.

You might start with the trials you’re facing today and apply Gospel principles to navigate through them. If you’re not thankful now, you will be someday as you warm up in your own heavenly choir!

So, let’s tackle the big one: The Time of Tribulation coming towards us. How we handle our current challenges is how we can best prepare for those we’ll face in the future. And studying the wars of the past will prepare us for the wars ahead. Remember that the generation that lived through the Great Depression and then World War II were later called The Greatest Generation, and for good reason. Out of great adversity, comes greatness of soul. That greatness built a powerful and prosperous new age. Sadly “moles” have crept in with a different agenda, bringing the next big fight in order for freedom, fairness, and goodness to triumph.

But triumph we will. Read this description of that glorious new day:

Revelation 14:1-3, 6-7, 12-13:
1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion [Zion in America],
and with him an hundred forty and four thousand,
having his Father’s name written in their foreheads.
2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:
3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne,
and before the four beasts, and the elders:
and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
6 And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven,
having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth,
and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people,
7 Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him;
for the hour of his judgment is come:
and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea,
and the fountains of waters.
12 HERE IS THE PATIENCE OF THE SAINTS
[patient through the tribulations]:
here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.
13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth:
Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours;
and their works do follow them.

To recap:

• We must DESCEND before we can ASCEND above our trials to claim the glory promised to us.
• No matter how hard our trials are, our rewards will be greater, far greater. See my previous blog post: A Feast of Fat Things.
• Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning (Psalm 30:5), and the Lord will wipe away all tears from our eyes (Isaiah 25:8; Revelation 7:17, 21:4).

Finally, think about the “mansion in heaven” being prepared for you (D&C 76:111). It will be your perfect home in a world of great love, cooperation, goodness, and amazing creativity. Think of all the history and cultures that will come alive to enrich every day. As Sarah said in 17 Miracles to her fiancé George, as he tackled life and death struggles: It will all be worth it! He lost the mortal battle for survival but gained new life with Sarah by his side, eternally.

Let’s all use that mantra as we go through difficulties, large or small, and not lose our focus on the ultimate prize – reunion with our most real and ultimate Father, as well as all who’ve gone before.

Bon voyage!

© 2023 Janet Kent – all rights reserved

When we’re exposed to a flood of new spiritual insights, experience, or simply information, it’s easy to get pulled off center from the basics of Eternal Truth.

Brigham Young once said, It’s all right to think far out, just don’t forget to think your way back! (from memory). As usual, his common sense advice finds application in many situations, and this is one of them. So I try to keep these characteristics of God and Light clearly in my mind, as well as my understanding of Satan and the Dark side, as I integrate new learning with what I already know. It’s important to follow French philosopher Simone Vey’s advice, as quoted by Kate Holbrook, while at the Church History Dept:

All wrong translations, all absurdities in geometry problems,
all clumsiness of style, and all faulty connection of ideas,
all such things are due to the fact that
thought has seized upon some idea too hastily and,
being thus prematurely blocked, is not open to truth.

So here is how I see and describe God, His Kingdom, and His works, paired with Satan’s counterparts – in my TOTEM POLE OF TRUTH:

GOD and LIGHT	SATAN and DARKNESS
GOD exists	SATAN and evil are real
JESUS is the CHRIST	Satan’s ANTI-CHRIST is a false “Savior”
GOD, JESUS are SERVANTS	SATAN and the A-C are TYRANTS
Author of CREATION, ATONEMENT, IMMORTALITY, & ETERNAL LIFE	Goal: TOTAL DESTRUCTION of Mankind with no progression
Christ is our ADVOCATE	Satan is our ACCUSER
Men have FREE AGENCY	Men are ENSLAVED to the will of Satan
THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS is the Work of God	THE CHURCH OF THE DEVIL and the WHORE OF BABYLON is the Work of Satan
JOSEPH SMITH is called of God to organize God’s Restored Church.	SATAN’S LEADERS organize Secret Combinations.
PROPHETS & APOSTLES: Leaders trusted by God, or He removes them	SATAN’S MINIONS and SLAVES, Evil and Unclean Spirits
God of LOVE and all its offspring	Author of HATE and all its offspring
God of TRUTH Good is Good, and Bad is Bad. God keeps His promises. He delights in “plainness.” (2 Nephi 31:3)	God of FALSEHOOD Good is Bad, and Bad is Good. Satan is a liar from the beginning. (D&C 93:25; Alma 5:20-25)
God of PEACE and CONFIDANCE	Author of FEAR and INSECURITY
God of ABUNDANCE Matthew 6:33: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.	Creator of SCARCITY Artificially created for power and profit. D&C 104:17: For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare;
GOVERNMENT of the people, by the people, and for the people. Inspired the United States Constitution. Christ heads world government in the Millennium.	GOVERNMENT of TYRANNY Socialism and Communism Promises everything but never delivers. Satan is bound during the Millennium.
FAMILY is the organization of heaven, focused on serving mankind.	The focus is on the INDIVIDUAL and anything that separates each one from God.
MARRIAGE only between 1 man and 1 woman and shall “become one flesh” with total fidelity.	IMMORALITY enthroned, any deviation from God’s law is encouraged and supported.
CHILDREN are loved and cared for.	CHILDREN are abused, exploited, murdered.
FAMILIES build COMMUNITIES to support life, creativity, all good things.	SATAN builds SECRET COMBINATIONS that undermine human life & civilization.
COMMUNITIES build the KINGDOM OF GOD	SECRET COMBINATIONS build the KINGDOM OF THE DEVIL
Our DESTINY is OUR CHOICE	Satan controls our DESTINY

So when someone doesn’t want to accept the officially published word of an Apostle of the Lord because they don’t like that Apostle’s personality, I remember that the Lord will not allow His prophet, counselors, nor Apostles to teach falsehood in their official capacity (see item 9 above). But I also search the scriptures to find corroboration and further enlightenment.

See my previous Blog Post, O Say What is Truth? for more to chew on. Do study, but study carefully and keep early opinions squarely in the Maybe Box, until evidence and revelation bring greater clarity. And do spend time in your intellectual and spiritual sandbox, enjoy the journey, and don’t take yourself too seriously – remember we’re supposed to become as little children (3 Nephi 11:37-38) . . . .

© 2023 Janet Kent – all rights reserved

Right after celebrating an early Thanksgiving with my children and grandson on Monday last week, I woke up at 4 am Tuesday morning with violent chills and body aches. Thinking I had picked up a flu bug the week before on my visit to Idaho where two of my friends were either getting sick or getting over a nasty flu, I settled in with the usual: Vit C, lots of water, and Motrin for the pain. But later in the day as I only got more miserable and also experiencing both a dry cough and creeping lung congestion, I said to myself, Really, really! I’ve been brave enough – where’s the relief? I don’t suffer illness readily and was complaining to the universe about the unfairness of this illness.

Then I remembered a workshop several years ago taught by Claudia Orgill where she gave us a list of her top anti-viral herbs. The three I have tried in the past: Olive Leaf, Chinese Skullcap (not American), and Dyer’s Woad (from the Indigo plant). About 8 years ago, I came down with a nasty flu that was going around, about a week before Thanksgiving. I hated the thought of missing the get-together with my brother’s family, so I quickly ordered both Chinese Skullcap and Dyer’s Woad (Woad Supreme brand) from Amazon. The Skullcap came first and quickly. Taking a capsule about every 4 hours brought little relief.

The next day, the Dyer’s Woad arrived and I took that every 4 hours also, along with the usual Vit C, liquids, etc., and very shortly I started feeling better. Within 3 days, I felt perfectly well and stayed that way another 2-3 so I had an extra reason to be thankful: I didn’t miss any of the fun or wonderful food that year.

So I dug out my Woad Supreme, taking it every four hours, and added my homemade Respiratory Salve (1/4 lobellia, 3/4 mullein) and slavered it on my neck and face. Plus I had just gone to a Homeopathy Workshop by Angie Christensen, bought her kit of remedies and added Sepia (1 drop on the tongue, about 4x daily), reportedly helpful for infections. Plus I took 1 – 200 mg Motrin with each dose too.

On Wednesday, I saw real improvement, but was still noticeably sick. On Thursday most symptoms were gone, I was just tired, so I spent most of the day in bed. By Friday, I felt normal enough to tackle my neglected cooking and household tasks. Sadly, I overdid it and had a minor relapse of symptoms.

So yesterday (Saturday) I finally went to Urgent Care and tested positive for COVID – no surprise. The doctor was very pleasantly surprised at how good my numbers were: 96% blood oxygen (a high for me), perfect blood pressure, normal pulse, good skin color and obvious close-to-normal energy level. I told her about my remedies and she wrote down Dyers Woad/Woad Supreme – hopefully she at least tries it personally. Here it is Sunday and it’s too soon to attend church safely, plus I still feel a little weak and light headed, but other symptoms are reduced by 90%. I call it a victory for the lowly Indigo plant.

This is only an account of what’s worked for me, and it’s not intended as medical advice. Consult your own medical professionals, do your research, and decide for yourself. But the links above will provide a start to your study – be safe and well this beautiful Christmas season as we celebrate the gift of life, both here and in the eternities.

© 2022 Janet Kent – all rights reserved