Divine Providence

Deep into this nightmare, it was natural to question the presence of God. I used to joke that there must have been something I did that really made Him mad. Though even at the worst of times, especially at the worst times, there were amazing moments that changed our lives for the better.

Olivia’s doctors and nurses were surely blessings. Our friends, during the first five months, before my long-term disability went into affect, were amazing. Countless dinners arrived at our door. One night, a professor from Chris’s college rode up on his motorcycle to deliver a loaf of warm bread he had just learned to make. We were invited to dinner with a few close friends, which turned out to be over five hundred very caring people. The culinary arts students at the High School hosted an additional benefit lunch with the leftovers.

A day before the dinner, my life became an episode from the 1994 television show, Touched by an Angel. A beautiful card came in the mail, resembling a wedding invitation. As I opened it, we puzzled over who might be getting married? Instead, it was an invitation for a cut and style at a local salon at significant discount. My husband said, “Call her.”

I explained my situation and she made an appointment for me the following morning. I walked in the door and instantly, Tina, herself battling Lyme disease, knew something was terribly wrong. At 5’ 9”, I was fast approaching super model dimensions. We talked as she cut my hair, then she stepped away from her island and called her husband, asking him to run home for a book for me. It was a book written by Jordan Rubin, a young man with Crohn’s disease called, The Maker’s Diet. I left her salon with a new book and new friends.

I found The Maker’s Diet fascinating for its blend of science and Christianity. It is rare for the two to meet and they did in this book splendidly. Rubin, a religious man, became extremely ill with Crohn’s disease and like me, was having an impossible time eating. It occurred to him that a huge increase in autoimmune cases in recent times might be related to our processed diets and he began researching and eating a Biblical diet, with healing results. I was pleasantly surprised to find I had already stumbled on a few of the same foods: organic dairy and baking supplies, oatmeal, fish, and pumpkin. I began adding probiotics: kefir, olives, stuffed grape leaves, fresh mozzarella. To my joy, I found I could tolerate all. I also read that flax seeds were excellent for inflammation of the gut. I began stirring a spoonful into my yogurt each day and my abdominal pain improved. I was learning how to eat to avoid the pain. I still couldn’t eat a “big person’s” diet, but at least I was holding my own!