Chicken Soup With Garlic and Lemon

Chicken soup.  Who doesn't love a nice hot bowl of homemade soup when you're feeling under the weather.  Growing up in the Middle East, I learned to use a lot of garlic and lemon in my recipes.  Both of which have many healing properties.  Raising kids as a single parent and having gone through some rough years with no health insurance, I quickly learned a lot of "natural" remedies that saved me from having to run to the doctor every time one of the children had a cold.  I'm going to share my favorite recipe that my grown kids still request when they don't feel well.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
1 Whole Chicken
4 Lemons
4 Cloves of Garlic, Chopped
3 Sticks of Celery, Chopped
1 Whole Onion, Chopped
1 Cup of Rice
Salt and Pepper to Taste

DIRECTIONS:
Clean the whole chicken, inside and out...salt and pepper.  Place in large pot and cover with water.  Add the onion and celery, bring to a boil on high, then reduce to medium and let simmer for an hour and a half.  Occasionally check the water level and add more if needed.  Remove chicken onto plate (covered with tin foil for easy discarding) to cool.  Let cool for 30 minutes and turn chicken broth to low.  Peel skin away from chicken and add pieces back to the broth.  Add the rice, juice from the lemons and garlic  Bring broth back to a simmer for 20 minutes

The Fish Saved His Head and Later Provided a Meal

I'm going to share a personal story (with some humor thrown in), at the suggestion of a good friend of mine.  Growing up overseas in third world countries probably made my Mom become a nurse out of necessity, rather than by choice.  I believe I was seven years old and my Brother was three, and we were living in Yemen at the time. We did not have a television, so had to rely on other forms of activities for entertainment. 

One particular evening, we were playing the game spoons.  My Brother slipped and hit his head, cutting it open on the door hinge that had been left in place where there was no door.  As head wounds bleed a lot, he was quite a frightening sight to behold. My Parents quickly went into action mode, my Mother yelling for my Dad to grab some ice to place on the wound.  He ran to the freezer and yelled back that there was no ice.  My Mom then told him to just grab anything cold, probably thinking a bag of frozen peas would do.  He came back with a frozen fish and slapped it on my Brother's head and off they went to the hospital.

Getting to the hospital was a story all by itself, as hardly anyone owned cars at that time and many roads were not even paved.  People got around mainly by donkeys and on motorcycles.  My Dad owned a Yamaha and would drive, while my Mom would sit in the back and sandwich all three of us kids in between them. She would have rocks ready to throw to ward off the wild dogs that would roam the streets and chase the motorcycle.  It was definitely an adventure just leaving the house.  Needless to say, trying to transport a bloody kid to the hospital on a motorcycle was not the best solution, so they finally got a hold of a friend who did own a van.  Upon arriving at the so called hospital, there were more animals running around than people.  After herding some of the goats and other such animals out, someone came to attend to my Brother and almost fainted taking one look at his head.  The fish had thawed out by this time and it was all matted into his hair and it dawned on my Mom that the Doctor thought the fish was my Brother's brains.  Quickly reassuring him that it was not, my Mom removed the fish and placed it in a nearby sink.  The Doctor then stuck a long rusty needle into my Brother's head and walked off for awhile, only to later come back and admit  that he did not know how to stitch it up and sent my Parents off to the Red Chinese Cross Hospital.  They passed the sink on the way out, where the fish had disappeared.  Apparently, some poor soul had stolen it for his dinner.

I guess the moral of the story is, creativity in a crisis is a gift, and no matter how stressful things can get, it's nice when you can look back later and laugh instead of cry.  Of course, not all stories turn out funny or good in the end, so when it does, you have to count your blessings and be grateful you survived. My Mother certainly has this gift and we have many more stories in our family history of travels of where this one came from.  My Mother has been encouraged for years, by friends and family to compile all these happenings in a book, which she is currently working on.  I can't wait for it to be published, so that I can take a trip down memory lane and have some good chuckles.

Take Your Soul To Work

I once read a great book a friend loaned me, called "Take Your Soul To Work" by Tellis Helliwell.  It talks about how our souls affect our lives and well being.  Working a job that you are not passionate about will make you feel stressed and tired, and will ultimately feel like just a job, no matter how much you are getting paid.  Doing something you truly love will give you enormous amounts of energy and will help you feel fulfilled, regardless of your wages.  Of course, salary drives us all, as does paying the bills, and one can only be so lucky to "do what he or she loves" and get paid the big bucks, yet trying to find that balance is so important.  A good read that makes you question what you are doing if you haven't already found your passion.

“Insanity is hereditary. You can catch it from your kids.” - Erma Bombeck

This quote is from one of my all time favorite authors, Erma Bombeck! There's no question about it, being a parent, whether with the help of a partner or doing it all on your own, is not an easy job.  It can seem thankless at times, make you want to pull your hair out and question your own sanity, yet it can also be the most rewarding thing you've ever done.  Keeping a sense of humor, remembering to always stay the parent, more than the friend, learning how to have buckets of patience, maintaining open lines of communication and being flexible as your little chicks blossom into individuals with their own sense of style and purpose, are crucial.  If you ever want to have a good laugh, pick up a copy of Erma Bombeck's book, "If Life Is a Bowl of Cherries, What Am I Doing in the Pits"

Relationship Quote from John Gottman

"Well-known relationship researcher John Gottman, author of The Relationship Cure among other books, suggests that 69% of all relationship conflicts are irresolvable. The difference between couples who succeed and those who don’t is their ability to accept these differences without consistently butting heads."

Nice to know!  69% is a big majority of arguments.  To think most of them will never be completely resolved and will continue to be rehashed, is more than frustrating.  This is helpful and does give us a better insight into what is "normal", within most relationships, and will hopefully help us to "lighten up" and not place such a huge emphasis on those particular conflicts that are never ending.  Agree to disagree, compromise and re-connect to your enjoy your partner once again. 

Healing Baths Salts to the Rescue for Fibromyalgia Pain

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia a little over ten years ago.  It took awhile for me to realize what was wrong.  My Mother and her Sister have both suffered with it for years.  There is still a lot of misunderstanding with this disease among doctors.  Usually it strikes women and for the most part, until diagnosed they are made to feel like it is all in their head and family members have a hard time empathizing.  From what I have learned, it never truly goes away, yet can be managed through healthy eating, exercise, getting a good night sleep on a regular basis and reducing stress.  I have experimented with many things to relieve the chronic pain and fatigue that this can bring on, especially during times of stress.  I am not the best with exercises, staying away from sweets or being strict on my diet, so that has gone up and down depending how disciplined I am being. The one relief that I have found to be a constant, though is Epsom Salts.  I use them religiously in my bath on a nightly basis.  I keep a big stash by the tub, empty two cupfuls into hot water and soak for at least 20 minutes.  Many Fibromyalgia sufferers have found to have a low supply of Magnesium in their bodies and Epsom Salts delivers this through the skin upon soaking in the water, which helps to relieve the ache that comes with this disease.  Once the ache and tension leave the body, you find your mind then relaxing enough to help get a good nights rest, which is so crucial to the healing process.  Adding things like Lavender oil also aids in the stress release process of the bath and makes it so pleasant.