Essentials

I bet a lot of you have been hearing about essential oils lately. I've had the pleasure of going to a few very informative parties and trying some oils out myself.  I'm researching (recipes and safety) and testing... and learning chemistry.   I'm finding great success using oils on myself and my family for all sorts of ailments.  Even my more pessimistic children are asking to use oils when they don't feel well.  It is true that I've always liked having a little "medical" bag with my herbs and now the oils make it possible for me to have a more complete, accessible and compact kit.  I'm like a kid in a candy store!

Wednesday my middle son fell.  He had tied an old martial arts belt around the zip line in the front yard and it broke as he flew across the lawn.  My oldest son came running to alert me.  Now when I was a newer mother I would have dropped everything and rushed to the scene of the accident.  I could see him from where I was and he was not crying out, he'd just had the wind knocked out of him.  I walked over to assess the damage, still aware of how different my reactions as a 41 year old mother were from the 21 year old mother I was when I began my mama-ing. 

My poor guy.  All his parts were still in order, but he was going to be sore.  You know how we look for certain things when our children are injured or sick?  My oldest son wants to stay home sick often so when he tells me he's sick I look for certain signs that tell me he really is sick.  With him it's more than just telling me he doesn't feel good, his body language says a lot about whether it is an emotional "illness" or physical.  When injury is being considered I look for how my child moves and interacts after the injury.  In this case my son was willing to get up on his own, though he was careful not to put too much weight on his left leg.  I noted that he did not cry out when he put pressure on his leg even though it was clearly uncomfortable.  He was also willing to try and climb on his big brother's back for a piggy back ride to the car.  He thought better of it, but those actions told me we probably weren't going to be waiting around in an ER that day.




When we got home from our outing I sat my sore guy on the couch and put essential oil on his wounds.   The aroma was just as important to the "patient" as the healing properties.  The aroma let him know that help was on the way.  Now this post isn't about which brand I use and why.  This isn't about what blends or "recipes" I have for cuts, bruises and crazy little boys.  This is more about what I want my children to understand about God and His love for us as I tend their owies.  When I applied the oils I prayed for my son.  I reminded him that we thank God for His mercy and acknowledge that He is the great physician and without Him we would not have herbs or essential oils. 

 

I love trying to help my family.  I love being able to participate in bringing comfort and relief when there are emotional or physical injuries.  I love offering aid when my littles (and bigs) are sick.  And it is quite satisfying when a remedy works. I do admit that as soon as one of my children complains of an ailment I reach for my essential oils or herbal reference books with my hands, but I try and remember to always have a prayer in my heart.

For the record, my son is healing nicely.  He is very proud of the six inch bruise he has on his upper thigh.  He came up tonight requesting oils for his bruise because it was causing him some pain.  He liked that we prayed first, giving glory to God for all things.  Yes, a lot of times I miss the moments to point my young ones heavenward.  I'm not always calm.  I often think of what I should have done after the fact, but I hope the moments I do remember will have a great impact. 

*If you want to know more about essential oils I am certainly willing to talk about them, why I like them, which ones I use, etc.