LEARNING AT THE POTTER'S WHEEL

“You know that stuff you gave us? It stunk up our refrigerator!”

This is how one of my friends tells me that the tincture I gave her didn't help her kids. I gave it to her with instructions for dosage and storage. It took three days to formulate. She forgot to take it out of the car where it sat in the heat. Then she forgot to administer it regularly. So, no, it didn't work.

Her kids are perpetually sick. They have a steady diet of processed foods, ‘enriched’ dairy products, canned foods, pesticide laden fruits & veggies, unfiltered water, sodas, lunch meat, etc. My friend knows that all of the prescriptions that the doctors offer her only mask the symptoms and that the antibiotics are becoming less and less effective over the years as her little ones get sicker and sicker. . .

She knows that the endless ear infections, bronchitis, sinusitis and asthma are taking a toll on their overall health and development . . .

She knows that the time and money lost running back and forth to the doctor, the hospital, purchasing gas, arranging babysitters, are exhausting to her and robbing her of precious resources . . .

But when she asks me how my kids stay healthy, how I keep them from suffering, and I offer her a book or a blend of herbs or ANY alternative to what she is doing, she tells me that it’s too hard. It’s too expensive. It takes too much time.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

She does everything a good mother should. At the first sign of respiratory distress, she administers the right therapies and drugs and then transfers to the emergency room. She visits the pediatrician at the first sign of sickness. She tries to avoid prescriptions when she can . . .

She knows that her kids are suffering. She asks me what to do, but she doesn’t want to hear my answer to her questions. Even as the answer comes from my mouth, before I’ve finished the sentence, she begins to tell me why that would never work, why that tea or treatment or whatever just couldn’t possibly help her in her circumstances.

Meanwhile, her babies are frail and sick and getting sicker. They are starving for nutrients in a house full of food. Their air passageways fight for oxygen while mucus and inflamed tissues make it difficult. They try to be well behaved while they just don’t feel well. They struggle to thrive in the environment their mother says is the only option because she just can’t get past the idea that by taking responsibility for what is, she could make a new reality for them.

So, nothing is solved. It can be frustrating to see others suffer.

Why do I tell you this?

Because I know that everyone has someone like this among their friends or acquaintances. This is the person that always wants to know what you’ve been learning about Natural Health. This is also the person that will alternately tell you something won’t work or make a joke at your expense. These people are so caught up in not being held responsible for the things that affect their health that they reject what helps they could use. They ask questions and get angry with at the answers -- especially those that suggest trying a small change.

But they come back again and again.

Just know that it doesn’t happen only to you.

Your knowledge is a treasure. There will always be those who want the benefits without the responsibility of knowing how to manage the wealth.

For me, I offer the information freely when asked, hoping that some of it will sink in and MAYBE get used. I am sad for those who refuse to be helped, but I can’t join them in their downward journey. I just keep tossing lifelines and pointing the way.

Maybe one or two will join us.

I know of One with another more important message that isn’t always well received. I see in His example a compassion that compelled Him to offer His remedy even though He knew few would receive it. It helps me to know He understands: