Pure Living with Kathleen

There is just something about the waking hours that go hand-in-hand with a warm cup of something in your hands. For a huge number of people in the world, that hot mug is filled with coffee. I for one did not begin to enjoy the beverage until well into adulthood. The smell always made me swoon, but my brain could not synchronize that glorious coffee aroma with the bitter taste of it. Eventually, the allure of sharing coffee with my husband in the morning or with friends in a coffee shop won out, and I learned to like it...with cream; I still can't stand it black. Coffee is good for you in moderation. It contains antioxidants that can help you fight heart disease, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, and maybe even Type II diabetes. However, there can  be downsides, and I have discovered two of them: 1) The acidity of coffee can cause digestive issues and 2) it can cause rapid heart rate in someone who is sensitive to caffeine. Both decaf and full strength coffee contain chlorogenic ...

At church, we are in a series called Lies We Believe. Today's sermon focused on lies we believe about God, specifically these three lies: 1) I can earn God's love, 2) My sin makes it impossible to be close to God, and 3) God could never use me. I'm basically a half-hearted believer in all three of those lies; intellectually, I know these statements are all false, but oftentimes it's difficult to get my heart to concur.  I grew up in a very legalistic environment. Missionary kid boarding school was filled with rules enforced by leaders who showed no mercy to anyone who dared to step a foot across a line, no matter how senseless that line seemed. Much of this was reinforced at home. It appeared it was a sin for boys to have hair that touched their collar. Sundays were for sitting in your dorm doing nothing. If you stepped foot out of your dorm to go to church or a meal or a walk (no running allowed!), Sunday clothes were required. Off campus, if someone sported a tatoo or...

 Happy Chocolate, I mean Valentine's, Day! I mean, honestly, EVERYday should be Chocolate Day, right? (I know a few people who don't like chocolate. Isn't that strange? How can you not like chocolate?) This morning, I enjoyed Valentine's breakfast with a dear, sweet friend. She is the kind of person who is a joy to spend time with, and you leave not only feeling loved and encouraged but also knowing she needed you too.  She is so thoughtful and brought me a sweet treat in honor of the day:  I am not as thoughtful and came empty-handed. Though I can assure you we indeed engaged in some deep conversation, eventually we began to discuss chocolate, and I remembered an article I had read months ago about heavy metals in chocolate. I mentioned it but couldn't give specifics. I decided to do a deep dive when I got home so I could share all about the good and bad of chocolate (seriously, how can there be any bad?). Chocolate, especially dark chocolate, contains a good quant...

He restores my soul...  (Psalm 23:3a, NKJV) Restores. Renews (NLT). Refreshes (NIV). Revives (TPT). Restore  is the word I chose for 2025. (I know - I'm a little late for the ritual of New Year's resolutions. But those never last anyway.) Last year was a tough year for many reasons; the most difficult valley was hearing the news that our little grandson has a terminal, degenerative form of epilepsy. Although our acceptance of his condition has become a part of our "normal" life, I knew 2025 needed to be a time of restoration for my body, mind, and soul. I have gone on many a health kick over the years; I've done Sugar-Free January, I've done a Whole 30, I've "gone" gluten-free. All of these things have helped, but I don't usually stick to them. Honestly, overall, my health is better than it was 15 years ago when I first began to pay better attention to the food I put in my mouth. At that time, I was reading every book and watching every docum...