The Appeal of Organic and Natural

Organic! Natural! No preservatives! Buy local!

It's everywhere we look today. It's in the grocery stores, on TV, all over Facebook. Everyone wants to live a natural life as much as possible. Hormone-free meats and diary, less processed junk, no GMOs, etc., etc. The list can get pretty long.

But there is one area of people's lives in which they seem okay with adding hormones to their bodies or using unnatural devises in their bodies. It's rather mind boggling really. How can you be so picky about your food and other chemicals you and your family come in contact with, but be okay with these other things?

I am, of course, talking about the pill, IUDs, and any other devise that is used as birth control by millions of people every day. 

Courtesy of iusenfp.com

I find it confusing when I see friends of mine post things on Facebook about GMOs in food or any other unnatural, food additives that are illegal in other countries but okay with our FDA here in the US. I'm confused because often these are the same people I happen to know also use some form of unnatural contraceptives in their bodies.

I'm not saying that we shouldn't be concerned about the food that we eat and serve our families. We should, absolutely!! I want my family to eat healthy foods, to not be ingesting hormones they don't need or chemicals that are bad for them. I share those same concerns.

And it is because of those same concerns, among other reasons, that I don't take the pill or use some unnatural devise to prevent pregnancy. Yes, one of my main reasons is the teachings of the Catholic Church, but this other stuff plays into it as well.

Here's the thing. The pill contains hormones your body doesn't need. You are adding more hormones into your body with regular consumption of the pill than you would ever get from a steak that came from a cow who was given extra hormones. So if you're so concerned about your food, you really should be more concerned about the pill.

I saw some recent discussions in which friends of mine shared that they had seen the copper IUD held up as a "natural" form of birth control. Seriously? Inserting a devise made of copper into your ... is "natural." I'm no science expert, never took anatomy in school, but I'm pretty sure copper is not a natural part of our bodies. Anyone??

All those devises that can be inserted for long periods of time, they also have hormones in them. How do you think they work?? Again, it's not natural for our bodies to be getting more hormones than we need. And long term, they can cause all sorts of problems, from infertility to cancer to who knows what else. Why take that risk??

Okay, so you see the point, maybe? Or at least you have something to think about? Do some research yourself and read a bit more if you think I'm crazy or smoking something. Regardless, maybe you're thinking that this is something to be rethought. Maybe you'll just use condoms or something in the meantime. No hormones there, right?

True, no hormones there. But condoms are one of the most unreliable forms of birth control there is. Take your chances if you want. But remember this, when you give yourself to your spouse you should be doing it totally and completely, giving him ALL of you, holding nothing back. It is about you and him (and God) and no one, or nothing, else. How does a piece of rubber fit into that equation?

Courtesy of the Couple to Couple League

While you chew on that for a bit, let me introduce a new concept to you: Natural Family Planning, or NFP for short. 

Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! you say!! STOP! Don't close up this window. Hear me out and keep reading.

Natural Family Planning is NOT the Rhythm Method. It does not assume that every woman has cycles the same length or that individual women have the same cycle time after time. NFP is a series of different methods that work WITH your body's natural processes. You learn to observe the fertility signs your body naturally goes through, chart those, and then identify your fertile and infertile times. It's really very simple once you learn it.

I won't go into the various methods here. But I do want to leave you with a list of resources. Keep an open mind and check them out. Remember, this is all natural. You like it when your food says "All Natural, No Preservatives" on it. Shouldn't other aspects of your life also be "All Natural?"

I Use NFP

Live-The-Love

One More Soul (resource with medical information, articles, and ability to find an NFP doctor in your area)

Taking Charge of Your Fertility (a non-religious site on fertility awareness)

NFP and More 

Various NFP methods include:

Symto-Thermal Method, taught by the Couple to Couple League: http://www.ccli.org/

Creighton Model: http://www.creightonmodel.com/ and Creighton Fertility Care: http://www.fertilitycare.org/

Marquette Method: http://nfpstudy.marquette.edu/

Billings Method: http://www.woomb.org/

Serena: http://www.serena.ca/ (based in Canada)

This post was written and inspired by this week's NFP Awareness Week (many more resources available at this website). This post is also part of the "7 posts in 7 days" challenge.
I've also linked this post up to an NFP Week Linkup at NFPandMe.blogspot.com. 

Saturday Smiles, no. 15

Image source: morgueFile

How did you feel God's presence in your life this week? Or how did you feel closer to God in the last week? I was very busy this week and received some incredibly sad news about a friend and the thought of doing this post was not at all on my priority list.

But then, very early Thursday morning (see Take #2 and 4 on this post) I stepped outside and looked up and was caught by surprise. It was still very dark out; it had been a clear night. And the sky was covered in little bitty stars. It caught me off guard, I think, because I hadn't really looked up at the night sky in a very long time. Something I used to like to do a lot.

It made me smile and it made me think of the vastness of time and space, the indescribable creation God has placed before us, and just how small I am in it all. But despite my smallness I know God loves me. That made me smile even more.

I thanked God for putting me in a place where I could see something again that is always right there for me to see but that I hadn't taken the opportunity to see in a very long time. I definitely appreciated the quiet stillness of the early morning, the coldness in the air, and the beauty of the sky more than I had in the past. God's beauty was everywhere that morning. I'm so glad I got to experience it for a short time.

Now it's your turn! Comment below or link up your own blog post. I'm looking forward to reading your experiences with God this week.

Saturday Smiles, no. 13

The landscaping around Mary has completely changed
but I haven't had a chance to get a new picture yet.
Still, I love this statue!

I left my office on Friday just after lunch and as I walked to my car in the pouring rain, balancing the umbrella, a couple bags, and my water bottle, I looked over at the Mary statue in the side garden of the Newman Center and pondered what God wanted of me right now, at this time in my life. Did He want something from me? Or maybe He had a lesson for me I am supposed to be learning? What, I wondered, was I not seeing that God wanted me to see?

I know God is with me all the time. Intellectually, I know and understand this and completely, faithfully, accept it. I know His presence is in my life and in the people's lives all around me. But I often feel as if I miss seeing Him. 

These thoughts flitted in and out of my mind the rest of the day. How is God working in my life right now? I'm not sure I can answer that question. And the problem is that I have very little practice at answering that question.

For the first 26 years or more of my life I really didn't think about God's presence in it at all. I have always been a believer, I have never knowingly rejected Him, but He certainly took a backseat in my life for many years.

In hindsight I can see how God worked in my life and I've acknowledged that many times in various posts. But it is the present, the day-in and day-out of living and acknowledging God's work in my life as it is happening. I don't expect to recognize it all the time, but right now it is never. 

So here we are at the 13th installment of these "Saturday Smiles" posts and I am struggling. This will always be a struggle for me, I know. I'm okay with that. But I keep hoping I'll get just a teensy bit better. 

It's a work in progress. I'm a work in progress!

Nevertheless, despite these deep thoughts and my doubts of my own abilities, God has given me plenty to smile about: a wonderful family, family and friends that want to see us when we are passing through town, the ability to take a week off to visit family and take a vacation, wonderful friends in my life, and the ability to attend Mass in any city and have it be the same Mass as if we were at home.

Now you tell me: Do you recognize God's presence in your life? How did you this week? 

Saturday Smiles, no. 11

St. Aelred, patron saint
of friendship

The power of friends really showed itself to me this week. I love how God places people in your path that are always the right people for the right time. God knew what he was doing when he made us creatures that desire companionship. Friendship is a big component of that.

So going back to Saturday when I had my talk, the focus of the talks that day were basically on friendship. With those talks on my mind, more so the deacon's talk rather than my own, I went into the rest of the week thinking about friendship. Then two things happened this week.

First, I ran into an issue (one I don't want to expound on here) and was rather angry about it one evening. I had been told one thing and then found out another and was not happy with the situation nor the position it put me in. I went to an online group of women that I trust completely and consider friends (although I've only met a handful of them in person) and used their patience and friendship to vent about it. I wasn't expecting anything from them, I just knew that they would let me vent, not judge me, and offer prayers for the stress I was dealing with. I got prayers, sympathy, no judgement, etc. and much more. I got some assistance and reassurance that I wasn't expecting! I suddenly felt relief for the first time that evening and felt like the problem may solve itself easier than I had anticipated.

Wow, what a great feeling that was!! These ladies were just the friends I needed at a time when I really needed that love and support. And they may just have solved the problem for me. That's still to be seen. But the point is: I felt so much better!! I was assisted in my need by a group of friends in a way that I probably would not have been able to do on my own.

The second thing is directly tied to the talk I gave on Saturday. I gave that talk in my role as a volunteer leader for the Cursillo movement in my diocese. Our Cursillo movement has a men's weekend coming up in December and we usually always struggle to get enough attendees to hold these weekends. This time, however, we are already getting more candidates than I usually have this far out from the weekend. This can be attributed to the power of friendship. Each candidate must have a sponsor and the sponsors really seem to be praying for their friends hard. One sponsor told me he has been working on some of his friends for two years now! He has several of his friends already signed up to attend.

I'm amazed at the response so far! Only through a trusting, deep friendship are we able to pray our friends into attending these weekends. I told the group on Saturday that our goal is not to get our friends to come to Cursillo, but to bring them closer to Christ. Cursillo is just a bonus. Right now we have lots of people who have been brought closer to Christ and now want to do more.

Only through true friendship are these things possible. And true friendship has to be based on something. I believe when a friendship is based on God and faith it can know no bounds.

Thank you, God, for the power of friendship. Help me and all my friends to continue to deepen our friendships with each other and especially with you and your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

What made you smile this week?

Yes, You Heard Me Right

Shy? Did she say she was shy? Was she joking?

If you read my post from Monday and thought anything along the lines of the above statement, then this post should help explain your confusion.

Yes, you heard me right: I am a shy person.

This has always just been a fact of life for me and something I assumed everyone around me easily picked up on. But then several years ago I mentioned it to some colleagues and they looked at me like I had two heads. No way, they told me, are you a shy person!

Anyone who has known me from the time I was a kid will not be surprised by this at all. I imagine that my friends from college and grad school may also view me as a shy person. Although I would venture to guess that I was starting to appear less so sometime in the grad school years.

Despite the fact that I have given a number of presentations over my professional career at a wide variety of venues; despite teaching a graduate school class to roughly 25 students a semester for 3-4 semesters; despite my years as a performing musician with the occasional solo performance, I still remain a shy person. It's a fact of my life.

In order to do some of the things I do, I have worked hard and taught myself to be more "out going" when necessary. I have purposely put myself in situations where I was forced to get out of my comfort zone and speak to people. And over the years I have gotten better, but it doesn't get any easier. Starting a conversation is one of the hardest things for me to do. I don't meet people easily and often prefer sticking with the people I know when in a large group of mixed company. This is not to say I can't do these things, I can, but it is difficult. It takes a lot of effort! And I leave large gatherings (parties, conferences, receptions at work, etc.) completely exhausted.

So yes, I am a shy person. It is one of the reasons why I think I enjoy blogging so much. But maybe that is a post for another day.

Tell me, are you a shy person, too? How have you learned to overcome it (as much as you can "overcome" an inherent quality) in order to develop friendships or do other things that are difficult to do as a shy person?

Or maybe you are an out-going individual? If so, I'm curious what normal life things you find difficult to do that is comparable to the challenges I face as a shy person. Would love to hear your thoughts!

Image source: morgueFile

Natural Family Planning: Evangelizing to My Doctor

One year and 6 weeks ago

One year ago today I had my 6-week check-up with my doctor following the birth of my two precious babies. Believe it or not, I still remember that appointment.

Just to clarify, I like my doctor a lot, she's super nice and compassionate but also gets down to business. We do chat a little, but not a lot. I feel like she gives me the time I need but she also gets to the point. She's busy, it's a busy practice, but I never feel rushed. Because she also had a baby last year and was on maternity leave and because of the high risk status of my pregnancy I actually did not have her as my doctor for the last three months of my pregnancy and someone else did the delivery. But my doctor did my follow-up appointments.

At that last follow-up I had with her we talked a bit about when I would see her again. "Don't need to come back for another year," was the consensus. But then she added, "unless you get pregnant before then."

She and I have gone round and round on the whole NFP thing. I have issues, I can see it in my chart; someone I know who is a former OB/GYN can also see it in my chart. But my doctor, as much as I like her, has no clue. She obviously puts no stock in using NFP as a way to avoid pregnancy for a period of time.

I know she respects my decision (mine and my husband's) but she doesn't trust it. Which is fine, I'm not asking her to use it and I appreciate that she does respect my choice. I also appreciate that she no longer asks me about birth control. In a city that has very few choices for NFP-friendly doctors and no NFP-only doctors (OB/GYNs, anyway), that's all I want. Respect and no one asking me repeatedly about something I have clearly stated I morally object to, more than once.

I know her final statement was made in light of her distrust of anything NFP. It doesn't bother me (I know it would bother some), it actually kind of makes me laugh. My husband and I have talked about adding to our family, but we have discerned that we need more time; not just because we have twins and that by itself is a lot of work, but also for my health.

Funnily enough, I do need to call and make an appointment since it has been a year now. I have the desire to point out to her that it has been a year and we have successfully avoided conception for now. But I most likely won't do that, probably not polite to do so.

I prefer for her to put the pieces together herself and recognize that maybe, just maybe, there is something to this whole NFP thing. I prefer evangelizing through my actions rather than my words; plant the seeds and let them take root where they may. In this case especially, I can witness to my doctor what using NFP is really like and maybe she'd be more open to it when the next NFP patient comes along.

I can dream!

P.S. Speaking of NFP, NFP Awareness Week is coming up July 22-28. I'm sure many bloggers will be posting NFP-themed posts and I'll probably add my voice to the mix as well. Something to look forward to!

Be More Aware

How aware are you of what is around you?

Do you notice a beautiful sunset even when you're having a bad day?

Do the antics of a small child make you smile even in the midst of disorder?

Does a pretty little flower growing up among the weeds catch your attention?

Are you aware of the small things in life, the things God puts in front of us to remind us of His love for us and all the world?

Every week I meet with a group of friends to pray together and to share how God is working in our lives.  We share how we are approaching our prayer life, what we are studying, reading, or listening to that helps form us as God's people, and how we are using our own lives to spread the Gospel message.

One of the questions we struggle with each week is how did you most feel close to God this week.

It doesn't sound like a difficult question, but it is.  Especially when you have to think about it week after week.  Of course, that is the point.  We should be thinking of it all the time.

For me it comes down to awareness.  I need to be more aware.  And I'm guessing it is an exercise many of us could get more practice at.  So I have a proposal.

During this coming week take some time to be more aware of God's presence in your life.  What makes you smile?  What touches your heart?  What takes you by surprise this week?  A beautiful sunset splashing lots of colors across the sky can remind us of God's love for the world just as much as changing that horribly stinky diaper can remind us of how much God loves His children (i.e. us) and would do anything for us.

Next week I will post about how I recognized God's presence more during the week and I hope you'll add yours too. Be more aware and stay tuned.

Image source MorgueFile