A (mostly) Healthy Blog
Recipes, health tips & my wellness journey from a (mostly) healthy chef
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Category: Inspiration
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One day as I sat by my dads bed, longing for the end to his struggle with a body that was wasting away, yet clinging to his hand that still felt as it always had…I was deeply conflicted over how to pray. Shortly after I got a poem prompt from Jennifer Camp on the topic…
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I’m still at a loss for words. A few weeks ago we found out that my dads bladder cancer has metastasized…stage 4 bone cancer in his pelvis, sacrum, back and ribs. It caused acute kidney failure, he had a double nephrostomy, and has been in and out of the hospital since February. We are counting…
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I had drawn inside the lines, neatly, creating what I though was a near perfect scene. Until a bucket of red paint fell and splattered all over it…and what a mess! I went to clean it up…but then looking more closely…realized that what it created was something more vivid, more intricate, more interesting, with more…
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I was reading Deuteronomy this morning, the part when Joshua is about to lead the Israelites into the promised land, and God commands them, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (1:9). A few things struck me. One is that the…
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I’ve needed constant reminders lately of what faith is, what faith needs to look like in my life, and the promises that will follow when I abide in that faith. That walking in faith means not needing to see the road ahead…because of the assurance that the finish line is there…and at it is the…
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There’s an acute heaviness in our world and the problems around us are so big, I easily feel helpless and like my prayers can’t even begin to make a difference. Can anyone else relate? So often when I do pray, I feel deeply conflicted. How can I pray for peace, for the safety of millions…
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Look who came to visit me in the hospital after my surgery!! Mike and I have known each other since we were 4 year old preschoolers at PVCA but had only seen each other once since high school graduation. His lovely wife Tara had seen my FB posts and put us in touch, as Mike…
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Four weeks since my tethered cord release surgery! My surgeon cut through the muscle down to my spine, removed the piece of bone covering my spinal cord, then cut into my spinal canal and removed the very bottom portion of my spinal cord, called the filum. My surgeon told me that when she cut into…
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For any of you who have followed my blog from its early days, you’ll remember that it used to be called “Cooking Up Reciprocity” and was where I shared my adventures as a volunteer intern in the Philippines with PEER Servants/CCT, and where I played the role of “Elsa” for every Filipino child who laid…
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I recently wrote this poem…Hoping to make some light of the past year and ring in good cheer! And it ended up being published in the Tampa Bay Times this past Sunday. I hope it makes you laugh…just make sure you’re covering that with a mask😷🤣 A Very Covid-Free Christmas Written and illustrated by Ashley…
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O Holy Night O holy night, the stars are brightly shining It is the night of our dear Savior’s birth Long lay the world, in sin and error pining ‘Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices For yonder breaks, a new and glorious morn Fall…
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Thank You!! Last June, I shared with you the need to raise $10,000 to build a girl’s dormitory at a tribal school in the Philippines…I place I lived for nearly a year, volunteering with an amazing Christ-centered microfinance organization called the Center for Community Transformation (CCT). I was truly humbled and in awe of your…
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Easter would not be complete without my family’s favorite rice pudding. And if you need a last minute desert…I bet you have all of the ingredients already on hand! And don’t limit this to only Easter…it is a perfectly acceptable breakfast, lunch, dessert, or snack. It’s even been known to count as dinner during the…
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My Tree I got a free tree in the mail from The Arbor Day Foundation, and I finally planted it in my front yard. And as I was planting it, I started thinking… What will our world look like when this tree has grown a foot? Will this pandemic still be ravaging our world? How…
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Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, I always go back and read this blog post from 5 years ago when I was living in the Philippines, working in microfiance and playing Elsa as a side job. I also want to thank so many of you who gave so generously towards the building…
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Amidst the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season, I always go back and read this blog post from 4 years ago when I was living in the Philippines, working in microfiance and playing Elsa as a side job. It’s easy to think that the magic of Christmas is just for kids eagerly awaiting that…
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A little comic relief and post to give you the warm and fuzzies as I make light of my total dating fails! As you are bombarded by images of love today, be reminded of our father’s immense and eternal love for us that is never going to change. I wrote this post 4 years ago…
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Rice Pudding for #GivingTuesday The Black Friday and Cyber Monday madness is over…congratulations for making it through without being trampled in a department store somewhere or getting carpal tunnel from those long hours spent surfing the web for the best deals. And today is #GivingTuesday and just like last year I will donate $1 to…
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We lost my Auntie Lorilee to cancer 9 years ago today. I was there holding her hand when she passed, my uncle and cousin weeping quietly by her side; my mother softly quoting Psalm 23. The day of her wake was on Halloween and for years when October came around I wanted to go to…
A (mostly) Healthy Blog 