As a freelance writer and publisher of a weekly marketing email newsletter, Brainy Tidbits, I am often sent books to review. Most of them, quite frankly, do not hold my interest. But Dylan’s Story by Cristin and Joe Fergus is an amazing story of one family’s journey to learn about and heal their child of autism.

Thankfully, I do not have a child with this problem. I do have a friend whose child has been stricken, however. I have also raised two children with sensitivities to dyes, preservatives and chemicals as well as various food allergies.

This book clearly discusses how to eliminate these toxins from a person’s environment and how to move toward a healthier lifestyle that includes whole grains, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables, and organic foodstuffs. Several recipes and numerous resources are included in the book, making it an essential reference book for anyone dealing with food and toxin sensitivities.

It is written in an easy-to-read style and discusses the ordeal these parents went through for almost 6 years before healing their son. I highly recommend this book, especially if you have an autistic child. It may be your way to heal your own child.

~Lois

You can now buy Nancy’s books directly from her through her new website. Check it out:

Nancy Bondurant Jones’ Website

~Lois

An Explanation of God from the 8-Year-Old’s Perspective

“One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes
them to replace the ones that die, so there will be
enough people to take care of things on earth.

He doesn’t make grownups, just babies. I think because
they are smaller and easier to make. That way He
doesn’t have to take up His valuable time teaching
them to talk and walk He can just leave that to
mothers and fathers.”

“God’s second most important job is listening to
prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some
people, like preachers and things, pray at times
beside bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to the
radio or TV because of this. Because He hears
everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in
His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it
off.”

“God sees everything and hears everything and is
everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you
shouldn’t go wasting His time by going over your Mom
and Dad’s head asking for something they said you
couldn’t have.”

“Atheists are people who don’t believe in God. I don’t
think there are any in Chula Vista. At least there
aren’t any who come to our church.”

“Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work
like walking on water and performing miracles and
trying to teach the people who didn’t want to learn
about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to
them and they crucified Him. But He was good and
kind, like His Father , and He told His Father that
they didn’t know what they were doing and to forgive
them and God said O.K.”

“His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done
and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He
didn’t have to go out on the road anymore. He could
stay in heaven. So He did. And now He helps His Dad
out by listening to prayers and seeing things which
are important for God to take care of and which ones
He can take care of Himself without having to bother
God. Like a secretary, only more important.”

“You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to
help you because they got it worked out so one of them
is on duty all the time.”

“You should always go to church because it makes God
happy, and if there’s anybody you want to make happy,
it’s God.

Don’t skip church or do something you think will be
more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And
besides the sun doesn’t come out at the beach until
noon! anyway.”

“If you don’t believe in God, besides being an
atheist, you will be very lonely, because your
parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to camp,
but God can. It is good to know He’s around you when
you’re scared, in the dark or when you can’t swim and
you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.”

“But…you shouldn’t just always think of what God can
do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take
me back anytime He pleases. And…that’s why I believe
in God.”

~Lois

This book is the only one you’ll need if you are planning to adopt a child. It is filled with practical advice, stories of success (and a few failures), and loads of online resources divided by state. Priced at just $34.95, this book can help you get through the process, whether it’s a local, foreign or direct adoption. There are even useful tips for the birth mother.

Mardie Caldwell, the author, certainly knows what she’s talking about. It’s available in paperback through Amazon.com and most bookstores.

~Lois

In this quick-to-read book by Doug Hewitt ($16.95 from Hatherleigh Press, the author discusses 101 creative, affordable and fun weekend activities to do with your children. Many of the ideas can be used with just about any age child.

My favorite—one that I used when Erin was little—is the “Make up a story” activity. Hewitt calls it “Round Robin Stories.” Erin loved it. I would generally start the story. Something like:

“Once upon a time there was a little brown bear named Delilah. She lived in the woods with her mom and they went blueberry picking every day. It was a fun and delicious adventure, but one day…”

And then Erin would have to continue the story. When we first started this game, she would say something like:

“Delilah met a rabbit in the blueberry patch and…”

And then she would give it back to me. But as time went on, she got better and better at telling stories. Sometimes she would go on and on with a very elaborate tale. We always had loads of fun.

I enjoyed my quick scan trhough Hewitt’s book, The Practical Guide to Weekend Parenting. It reminded me of several activities I plan to do with my granddaughter when she comes to visit.

Get more information and ideas from WeekendParenting.com

~Lois

Because JMU’s annual Employee Appreciation Day is Thursday, May 10, we are POSTPONING our Women’s Forum Meeting one week.

Next meeting:
Thursday, May 17
12N-1P
Spotswood Country Club
$12 Members/$15 Guests

Speaker: Deb Bullis, Program Coordinator, Hand-in-Hand Resource Mothers Program

The Hand-in-Hand Resource Mothers Program is a mentoring program for pregnant and parenting teens from early pregnancy until the baby’s first birthday. Its mission is to improve birth outcomes for teens and their babies.

Why are we having this program (since most of us aren’t teenagers)?
After the teenage mother in Harrisonburg abandoned her newborn in January and the baby died, I thought it was important for everyone to know about this amazing program that’s helping teens in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham area.

Our speaker, Deb Bullis, has a Bachelor of Science in Health Education from Western Michigan University. She’s been in the position for the past 10 years and has seen the Hand-in-Hand program grow from 10 teens in 1997 to 57 enrolled last year (over 102 touched in 2006)! Deb got involved with the program after doing a few years of homebound teaching for the county schools. Most of the students she taught were teens that had just delivered their babies. She saw a lot of very unprepared teens that just needed a little guidance and support.

“When this position became available, it seemed like a perfect fit and it has been! I love my job!” says Deb.

We’ll also have a 5-7 minute member introduction by Linda Elliott.

To register, email Lois at lcf@marketingideashop.com or call 540.820.3840.

Or be brave! Use the online registration and prepay for your meeting. It’s very easy. Just click on the link below and follow the prompt to do it through a secure shopping cart.

Members: $12
Guests: $15

~Lois

I was out walking with my 4 year old daughter. She
picked up something off the ground and started to put
it in her mouth. I took the item away from her and I
asked her not to do that.

“Why?” my daughter asked.

“Because it’s been on the ground, you don’t know where
it’s been, it’s dirty and probably has germs” I
replied. At this point, my daughter looked at me with
total admiration and asked, “Mommy, how do you know
all this stuff? You are so smart.” I was thinking
quickly. “All moms know this stuff. It’s on the Mommy
Test. You have to know it, or they don’t let you be a
Mommy.”

We walked along in silence for 2 or 3 minutes,
but she was evidently pondering this new information.
“OH…I get it!” she beamed, “So if you don’t pass the
test you have to be the daddy.”

“Exactly,” I replied back with a big smile on my face.

~Lois

I found an interesting blog that y’all might enjoy. Lisa McLeod is a bit like Irma Bombeck. Take a look and listen.

Lois

~Lois

Being a veterinarian, I was called to examine a ten-year-old Irish wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives.

Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, “I know why.”

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life—like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The four-year-old continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay as long.”

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

SMILE with your Eyes.
LAUGH with your Heart.
LOVE with your Soul.

~Lois

What 4-8 year-old children said about love:

“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on
shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.”

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of
your French fries without making them give you any of
theirs.”

“Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you
don’t yell at him because you know it would hurt his
feelings.”

“Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still
says he is handsomer than Robert Redbird.”

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and
little stars come out of you.”

“You can break love, but it won’t die.”

“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired
of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My mommy and my daddy are like that. They look gross when
they kiss.”

“When my grandma got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and
paint her toe nails anymore. So my grandpa does it for her
now all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too.
That’s love.”

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is
different. You just know that your name is safe in their
mouths.”

“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see
anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.”

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left
him alone all day.”

“You really shouldn’t say “I love you” unless you mean it.
But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.

And the winner: a 4 year-old child whose next door neighbor
was an elderly man who had just lost his wife. When the
child saw the man cry, the little boy went over into the
man’s yard and climbed on top of the man’s lap and just sat
there. When the boy’s mother asked him what he’d said to the
neighbor, the little boy said, “Nothing, I just helped him
cry.”

~Lois