Thursday, June 28, 2007

Always searching for better

I know I am not the only person who goes through this, but I don't know how many other women do. Have you ever found yourself in a similar situation:
You are serving your family food you can afford. Doing the best that you can.
You then hear of another homemaker who makers her own bread. So, you spend time finding out how to do that. You start making bread for your family.
You then hear about another homemake who grinds the grain for her family's bread. Now you are searching for information about grinders. You find out they are expensive but "know" that your family's healthy depends on it.
Next you hear about organic grains and how much better they are. Now you are off and searching for places that you can get organic grains.
Next you hear that you are supposed to soak your grain before grinding or at least allow your dough to do a long slow rise to make it better for you.
The same day you hear that sourdough bread is better for you. So now you are searching for recipes to make better bread. You thought you were doing the best for your family but you keep hearing that there is always a better way.
After you have been making sourdough for a little while-and the kids complained because they didn't like the taste but you made them eat it because it was good for them- you hear that soaking the grains or doing a long rise really doesn't do that much for the nutrition of the grain.
Who do you believe? What do you do?
This scenario can be done with so many things in our lives. How about meat? Should we eat meat? If we do eat meat, should it be only grass-fed, hormone free meat? What if we can't afford that kind of meat? Should the wife now go to work so they can afford this expensive meat?
I have spent so much of my life hearing about things that seemed better, how what I was doing just wasn't good enough for my family. I can't tell you the times I have changed our eating habits because this way or that way was better. Once we were vegans. Why? Because I read how much better it was for us. Did my dh want to eat that way? No. Who worked so hard to provide for us to come home to a dinner he didn't want to eat?
There has to be a balance. Doing the best that we can at this time in our life is all we can do. We have cut out a lot of things in our diet (and life) where we can but not everything, it just isn't possible. Would I prefer to feed my family a mostly organic, raw diet with very little cooked food? Would I prefer to juice organic fruits and veggies daily to serve to my family? Do I want all of my family's foods to be organic and if meat, all grass-fed, hormone free? Yes to all counts, but we can't at this time in our life. We are doing the best that we can with what we have. That is all that any of us can do. Don't feel bad that you are doing what SuzyQ over there is doing, be thankful for what you do have. Don't get envious because Martha gets new healthy cooking gadgets all the time, be thankful for what you have.
We have to learn to come to peace with what the Lord has given us and until that time, we are going to be miserable. Believe it or not, once you come to this realization, you won't find much peace in whatever area you are struggling in; whether it is your diet, home, your dh, your kids, your curriculum, etc., etc.
Learn to be happy with what you have and where you are.

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