Is Every Family Blessed with a Sensitive Child?

It took awhile before my oldest daughter was able to admit that she had birthed a chemically sensitive child. I sat patiently waiting for that day to arrive.

“Connor was out of control yesterday Mom. He was actually throwing himself on the floor. He reminded me of Joshua when he was that age!”

I was not surprised by Shannon’s comment. Connor and I spent a lot of time together during his week long visits and I was watching his reactions to certain foods. I was hoping that Shannon was finally making peace with the fact that my grandson was following in his Uncle Josh’s footsteps. 

It was not easy for Shannon to admit this bit of news. When she was young, Shannon became indignant when our lives were altered to meet her younger brother’s sensitive needs. She refused to understand why she had to “suffer” for her brother’s sensitivities.

Of course, I never thought our lifestyle was the cause of any suffering. Quite the contrary. I thought more of it as a lifestyle that promoted health.  Her memories of weird food and unusual cleaners prompted her to pray that her son could avoid his Uncle Joshua’s experiences. I sat back and watched knowing that time would reveal the truth.

“Do you have any idea what caused him to react?”  I wondered if she had an explanation for his uncontrollable behavior. I lived through many of those same moments with Uncle Josh.

“The cause was quite obvious. I was cleaning with a Swiffer duster. Connor loves to help, so I gave him one so he could dust the furniture.  It did not take long after he finished dusting for his nasty behavior to appear.”

I was impressed that Shannon was ready to face the truth. “What did you do?” 

“I gave him a dose of Staphysagria. Within a short time, I had my content little boy back. I’m happy you thought to send it home with us on our last visit!” I was very proud of my daughter and grateful that her brother taught us how to move chemicals quickly through a sensitive little body. I always felt blessed to have a sensitive child. Thirty years later, Shannon is blessed too! 

Why does Staphysagria work so well for these personality types?  According to The Homeopathy Bible by Ambika Wauters:

“The Staphysagria patient is very sensitive and has violent and passionate outbursts…It is useful for illnesses that have been caused by a person bottling up their anger inside. They… are sensitive to sounds, sights, taste and touch…” 

Connor is a Staphysagria child just like his Uncle Josh. Chemicals made Connor angry; Staphysagria helped bring him back to balance.

The main difference between sensitive children and everyone else is the instant affect chemicals have on their physical and emotional bodies. The quick reaction time makes denial almost impossible, alerting us to the poisons nearby.  I often wonder what we would have done without Joshua and Connor to help guide us back toward health.

Teaching Success

The smaller the child the greater the lesson.  Connor is almost 20 months old. He has been blessing me with his presence for the past 5 days while his mom was away at a business retreat. We spent many beautiful hours together, and I learned many valuable lessons from him. 

First, it is important to understand the responsibility of parenting and grand-parenting. Between the ages of conception and five years old, we, as their caregivers, are influencing the way they will think, speak and act. We have a direct influence on how their brains will be programmed throughout life.  Parenting and grand-parenting is a very important charge that requires thoughtful consideration. 

Connor clearly showed me how easily I was influencing him the other day. This is what I realized:

While reading one of his (and my) favorite books, If You Give a Pig a Party, we came to the page where all the animal friends are riding on bumper cars.  Connor easily pointed out Pig and Moose, Dog and Kitty.  He knew all of them well.  For some reason, he had a problem relating to Fox.  When he heard me say, “Where is Fox,” he was unable to remember who he was thereby pointing to the wrong animal friend. I was programmed to respond with a smile, “No.. that is not Fox!”   

It did not take long to recognize a problem.  By the second reading, when I asked, “Where is Fox,” Connor showed signs of nervousness.  More importantly, when I gave my usual reply, Connor felt upset with himself.  Had he done something wrong?  Did he fail?  Of course, he did not literally speak those words; however, his body language spoke them clearly that he felt disappointed in his inability to perform properly.

With this information at my disposal, I decided to change my approach to teaching.  The next time we read, “If You Give a Pig a Party,” and we came across the bumper car page, I asked my usual question, “Where is Fox?”  As soon as I felt his energy shifting toward nervousness, I cautiously moved my finger next to Fox.  Connor immediately took notice and proudly pointed right at Fox!  My reply was, “Yes, that is Fox!”  Connor’s big smile confirmed the importance of that moment.  As he was learning to recognize Fox, he was also learning the feeling of confidence!

This moment made me realize how early we are programming our babies to feel failure and disappointment.  My intention was to teach Connor who Fox was without any negativity attached to it.  If I had not felt his feelings while we were reading, I may have continued to unconsciously teach him these emotions.  Although not my intention, it may very well have been the outcome. 

I will continue to listen to Connor’s energetic shifts to help me learn healthy grand-parenting techniques.  Every lesson he shares helps me become a more insightful teacher.

A Pain in Shan's Back

After arriving into Montserrat, the first thing I do is contact my children.  I reached Shan via Skype on Thursday to find out she was in terrible back pain.  “My back went out”, she informed me.  “I’ve been in pain since Monday.”  

“Do you want to know why it went out?”  I asked.

“Okay”, she replied.  I could feel the reluctance in her voice not understanding why she waited so long to ask for help.  And even now I realized she still had not asked.  I questioned myself whether I should offer; however, the mother in me could not help herself.  No matter the age, a mother is always read to kiss those boo-boos away.  We just do it differently as they get older!

Her ‘reading’ revealed that this energy actually went back to Saturday morning.  And I remembered that we had spoken Saturday morning.  She was in California setting up a major booth for a major trade show.  It was her first BIG show and Shan’s fears were coming through.  “Would it be good enough? Would her work be judged or even worse, would she disappoint those she worked with?”  

Shan is a wonderful employee, as she is equally a wonderful mom. Whatever she does, she does wholeheartedly and responsibly.  She has to - she is an Agrimony!  And as with all Agrimony’s, they forget sometimes to simply love what they are doing.  Shan is no exception to this rule.

Instead of loving what she had done, she began to surround herself in fear.  These fears were connected to failure, mistakes and rejection. Shan was connected to all of them.  It is these types of fears that settle in the space they are most comfortable; the gall bladder. And as with any gall bladder that is surrounded in fear, this energy can reveal itself as a deep pain in the lower back.

Once exposed for what it was, Shan noticed an immediate shift.  “My back is already beginning to feel better.”  That made me smile. My kisses were working! 

This was a very powerful confirmation.  Once recognized for what it really is, the energy is now able to move.  We are giving it the attention it is demanding of us and it is responding in a positive way.  It is this ability to feel the shift that lets us know we are heading in the right direction.  Keep going!

Now that she was connected to the real issue (also known as truth), I had her take 100 drops of Larch to ground her into confidence and self assurance.  I also suggested she take one Dandelion every day to help move this energy into the bladder where it could finally be urinated away.  Our bodies are perfectly designed to heal.

By the next day, Shan’s back was healing nicely.  She was almost pain free.  The lesson is a very powerful; one I hope she learns:

It is not important how others feel about who we are and what we do; 

however, it is extremely important how we feel about our ‘self’.  

Had Shan stepped back the day her work was completed and had she allowed her ‘self’ to know (without a doubt) that she loved what she had accomplished, the energy in her body would have floated in love. Instead, she feared how others felt and her body become stuck in fear.  Shan’s fear had to settle in the one place fear is most comfortable - the gall bladder.

Pain is simply the absence of love; it lets us know when we are not loving our ‘self’.  Pain demands us to return to love.  It’s pain-ful to choose anything else.  

Pain helps us remember that which we choose to forget.

As we heal, we come to the understanding that we can as easily love as we can fear.  These are the choices we must make with every situation we create. The difference being, we are taught so well to fear outwardly instead of love inwardly.  

Through my many years of healing, I am learning to teach myself differently and in the process, I am hoping to teach my children as well.

Healing Our Babies Eczema

Five babies, three with eczema.  I was informed, “Many babies have eczema.”  Does that make it normal?  Not in my world.  It did make me wonder, however, why 3 out of 5 babies had developed eczema.  The three young mothers all complained they tried every ointment available to no avail.  They seemed resigned to the fact that eczema was inevitable.

The eczema rash is red and raised. It is often itchy and sometimes oozing.  It can also be dry and flaking.  It is forever changing.  It appears in different places on different children.  Sometimes it may begin to fade, only to reappear red and irritated. 

Connor’s eczema revealed itself first on his face and eventually spread to his back. Connor’s rash would not allow us to deny it; we were forced to look at it every moment. 

The two other babies’ eczema manifested behind their knees.  This clearly spoke of yeast.  Yeast likes warm and moist places.  Is eczema simply a symptom of yeast? If yeast likes warm and moist, why did Connor’s yeast reveal itself on his face and back?  So I began to think about yeast and babies. 

What causes yeast?  Digestive issues are definitely a cause as well as severe trauma, x-rays, and overuse of antibiotics; and if a mother has yeast when carrying and birthing the baby, the chances are increased that the baby will have yeast too.

Connor was admitted to ICU an hour after his birth due to trouble breathing at Denver’s high altitudes.  The trauma of that experience could very well have created yeast.  Although I am not privy to all that went on in ICU, I imagine drugs and x-rays were part of the normal ICU process. So Connor’s chance of being full of yeast were greatly increased by this early trauma in life.

Why the face?  The first three months of life, Connor was attached to an oxygen tank.  I understood the necessity.  Making sure our baby could breath safely on his own was everyone’s main concern.  His breathing tubes were attached to his face with little round tapes.  For three months, these tapes held his tubes and damaged his skin all at the same time.  So it made sense that yeast would manifest at Connor’s most weakened or damaged spot.  From this very spot, it grew and spread, until both cheeks were completely covered with the irritating rash of eczema. Why?

Having Connor stay with me during the holidays for two weeks helped me understand a little more.  I was able to watch and learn.  I learned a great deal.  

“Is there anything new you have introduced into his environment?” I asked.  Shan admitted using dryer softening sheets most recently.  When she was still an infant she was much more careful about what she introduced into his environment.  Funny when they age, we change our behaviors.    

Connor liked to rub his face on furniture, new clothing, anything and everything.  Rubbing his face on sheets washed with chemicals began a serious reaction.  My new couch did not help either. New furniture is full of chemicals and Connor took every opportunity to rub his face on the couch upholstery. I also realized that although we were careful to wash Connor’s new clothing, had we all washed our own?  How silly were we!  So to help reduce these two irritants, I kept Connor’s face away from the furniture and we washed our new clothing.  This helped a little.

Connor’s parents tried all types of creams including the conventional ones.  His back would clear up; his face would not.  The eczema on the face was persistent, and if they stopped the creams on his back, his eczema reappeared.  Maybe a different cream would help. The one that worked immediately and without a doubt was Avalon Vitamin C Antioxidant Cream which is meant to nourish the sensitive skin under the eyes.  It nourished Connor’s sensitive face, yet it did not heal the problem.

There is always a cause to a problem, and I believe Connor’s yeast was the cause.  However, once a problem is triggered, the world around us (such as chemicals in furniture and clothing) can irritate the condition.  Food in no exception. It dawned on me that one of Connor’s favorite food was organic sweet potatoes. He was eating it every day, and yeast LOVES sweet potatoes.  We immediately stopped feeding Connor sweet potatoes!  I noticed an almost instant improvement. 

Next step? Add a probiotic supplement to his bottle right before bedtime.  That was easy and it seemed to help even more.  Yet it was still not healed.

When the body uses the skin as a detox organ, cleansing the liver and/or spleen is always part of the healing process, and tissue salts fit that bill nicely.  They are a favorite of mine for little people.  They are safe because they nourish the body on a cellular level.  This is what I chose for Connor:

• Silicea to cleanse and nourish his skin
• Natrum Phos to balance acidity (usually yeast is connected to an acid state in the body)
• Nat Mur to help balance digestion
• Calc Sulph to cleanse the lymphatic system  

Most important, I watched for the emotional aspect attached to his yeast. Rash is always connected to anger, and although babies don’t come with anger, they immediately begin to learn it from each one of us.  

Raising a baby and working can be a time of great stress for new parents.  It is a time we may get into bad habits of how we treat one another using stress as an excuse to resent, blame and become angry.  None of these emotions are attached to love.  It is a time we may forget how to love one another. 

I now turned my attention to Shan and Jesse.  For the past week, I did not feel they were being very loving toward one another, and I noticed how their anger affect Connor’s eczema.  If they became angry; Connor’s rash became angry.  Our children are a reflection of our self.  If they wanted Connor to heal, they had to heal individually as well.  If they were not loving each other, they were also not loving Connor in that moment.  That was a thought they had not considered.

Neither could deny that they were learning to speak to one another in an unhealthy manner.  Neither could deny that they were using blame to continue this behavior.  Neither were taking responsibility for their own actions.  I wanted to help them become more conscious.

I asked Shan and Jesse to pay closer attention to how they were communicating with one another.  Wasn’t it as easy to speak lovingly as it was to speak angrily? I also taught them that every injury, imbalance or pain in a body needs loving attention.  So if we look at Connor’s rash with fear, anger, disdain or disgust, it will not help to heal the problem.  Practice loving Connor’s rash as you love Connor; it is a part of who he is right now, and the truth is, we love all of him.  Connor’s rash did not change the fact that Connor had a beautiful face; Connor is beautiful with or without a rash.

I was very proud of them.  They took my advice seriously and began to practice communicating in a more loving and healthy way.  Within days, it was evident we were on the right track.  Connor’s face was improving quickly. We stopped feeding the yeast, and we remembered to nourish his soul with love. 

Consciously Moving Away From Fear

If we have the ability to recognize fear, would we know what to do with that information? I was given this opportunity most recently as we planned our trip to Tuscany for Josh and Wendy’s wedding.

High season for travel to Italy is in the midst of summer vacation. And because Wendy is a teacher, the most convenient time for their wedding was the first week of July. The cost of airlines tickets was high. Prices were fluctuating from $1,500 to $1,800, way more than we had budgeted for. Would we be able to afford our trip together as a family?

It did not take long for fear to take hold. And with fear comes distorted emotions. Before long, Josh and Hollybeth were bickering over incidental issues. Shan was calling me from Denver, adamant that she and Jesse would not be able to afford the high costs associated with this type of adventure. Fear was turning into anger, and I did not like what I was seeing.

Under “normal” circumstances, I would have jumped right in… judging this or trying to control that. Normal is who I no longer choose to be. I have been working diligently to test my ability to move away from fear and here was my opportunity to see how far I have come.

Instead of meeting their emotions, I stepped back and watched the energy as it was playing out. It became clear that my children were fearful that they would be unable to raise enough money for our trip together. More importantly, I realized the original fear came from the thought of missing out on an opportunity to love and support their brother through his wedding day.

Now that I had information in hand, I chose to express myself free from the fear that surrounded each of them. I wrote the following letter:

Dear Shanny, Josh and Hollybeth…

I am watching each of us travel down the road of “fear of money”, and I feel that our fears are getting in the way of our love of one another. So I am going to move my fears aside in the hopes that you can do the same.

I am ready to express what I am able to do so we can all share in the joy and love of this wonderful opportunity to be together again in Italy. In order for me to do that, I need each of you to express truthfully exactly what your fears are.

Can you think about how much money you are certain to have for this trip and how much you may be able to save before we leave? Can you think about how much money you may need from me and Dad to help you, as well as any other fears or concerns you may have attached to our upcoming adventure?

I would like very much to have all my children together in Tuscany, ready to share our love at Josh and Wendy’s wedding.

Would you join me on my quest to face my fears and move through them so we can just love one another?

Love Mom

And then a funny thing happened. Energy began to move. Josh and Hollybeth immediately forgave one another for their silly misunderstanding. Shan and Jesse found lots of things they had not used in years and could easily turn into money.

Ken and I took care of the rest… and somehow money began to funnel in.. more than enough to take care of all our needs…

A little over 2 months before our planned departure, we found a direct flight from Boston to Rome for $1225.00 per person, a price that now felt like a bargain in comparison. Since we had a party of 5 with a 5-month old to boot, I decided it was time to take the plunge and booked our flights.

As we began to redirect our energy toward being in Italy, fear moved out of the way and creation took over. We were on our way… free of fear and full of love…with memories that will last a lifetime.

My Child is A Reflection of Me …

I laugh when I hear parents say, “I’m done when they turn 18”. In a spiritual world, we are never ‘done’. We can’t be done. We made a lifetime spiritual commitment with our children. Whatever we do will affect each of us throughout our lifetime together.

Connor, like every soul born unto the Earth, has his own special mission. Shannon is learning to guide him through that mission and not get in the way of it. In order for her to do that, she first must recognize who she has become and what she needs to learn from him.

It did not take long for the journey to begin. At six weeks old, I received the first frantic new-mother phone call. “Connor has a cough, Mom. I don’t know what to do!”

My reply was immediate, “What are you resenting?”

Connor was speaking to his mother through the language of symptoms. And Shan was about to learn what he was trying to tell her.

“Connor’s symptoms are letting you know what you need to change in you. His body is responding to your energetic reactions to a situation. He is your mirror. His cough allows you to look at your self and your own resentments.”

Although Shan is now working from home, she resents having to work at all. She would love to be a stay-at-home mom. So “having to work” is the core of her resentments.

Now that she understood the issue, her next question was, “How do I fix it?”

“Speak truthfully to Connor about your feelings. Make sure he understands that your resentments are not about him. Love your self through the situation presented, and love him through his desire to help you. Then give him a drop of Willow to move the energy that is stuck in his bronchial tubes. And finally give yourself a week’s worth of Willow to help you recognize your own resentments.” Once the energy was honored, Connor’s cough immediately cleared up.

How do we honor energy? First Shan had to recognize the energy for what it was – a choice to be resentful. Her next step was to change the energy by truthfully expressing her feelings.

Children are never too young to hear our truth. And because truth and love are of the same vibration, it is through truth that Connor and Shannon will develop a loving relationship.

Two weeks later, another frantic moment, “Mom, help! Connor started coughing again.”

My reply was the same, “What are you resenting?”

Shan is being given an opportunity to recognize her patterns of behavior through Connor. It was a win-win situation. We played the same game as last time – recognize the resentment, honor it by speaking to Connor truthfully and follow with a little Willow for both of them. The following day Connor was cough free.

Two weeks later, enter round three (do we see a pattern here?): “His cough is back, worse than before!”

I asked Shannon to think about what happened on that Wednesday, two days prior. She admitted to me that Wednesday had been a ‘bad’ day for both she and Connor. Shannon’s resentments were turning into “hating having to work”. Connor’s deep cough was a reflection of Shannon’s hate.

Shannon had to decide where she wanted to focus her energy. She could focus on hating having to work or she could focus on loving that she is able to work from home and be with Connor at the same time.

Shan recognized her resentments, now turning into hate, for the third time (and three just may be a charm). This time however, after her forgiveness talk with Connor, he needed two drops of Holly, which spoke to me about how deep her resentments were stored. Holly energy can manifest as hate in the lungs, and isn’t it funny that Connor had an issue with his lungs only 2 hours after birth. How interesting…

I asked her exactly what it was she wanted to teach Connor, anger or love. She got the point, apologized to him for teaching him her negative behaviors and turned her anger into love toward her baby and her ability to work from home. Connor was cough free later that afternoon.

Our children come to Earth to help us heal. Once we recognize this energy for what it is, we can easily move through it. Connor’s cough is a simple and effective way to get his mother’s full attention.

We affect one another through our thoughts, words, and actions. Children do not come with resentments, guilt, fear or shame; they learn this behavior through us. Can we just as easily teach them love and truth and peace?

My job is to help Shannon recognize the language behind the symptom. Her job is to choose to love her ‘self’ and Connor through it.,

Nurturing a New Mom Back to Health

At one point during my menopausal years a hormone kicked in that clearly stated: “I am ready to be a grandmother.” My children did not cooperate at that moment, and for years I patiently waited for their hormones to catch up to mine.

My patience paid off, and one memorable day, my daughter announced, “We’re having a baby. Will you be with me for the birth?” I could barely conceal my excitement; I had to make sure I heard her correctly.

“You want me with you in the birthing room?”

“Yes Mom. I don’t think I could do it without you.”

And in that moment, any pains of our past began to dissipate. Together we had a mission that began immediately.

Shan’s pregnancy with Connor was smooth. Early on she experienced a few days of morning sickness. It was quickly healed when I explained the emotion that is often attached to the nausea. “Morning sickness is usually connected to fear of motherhood.” Shan quickly recognized her thoughts and healed her fears. One thing she was not afraid to be was a good mom.

Pain was a different story. Her connection to “fear of pain” would not allow Shan’s labor to be quite as graceful as her pregnancy.

Early contractions began a week past her due date. Four days later, they were consistently 20 seconds apart. Sleep was a memory of the past, and exhaustion was inevitable. We were back at the hospital for the second time listening to the same story. “She is not ready; go home until hard labor begins.” I could not help but intervene. Something did not feel right; the pains had become stronger but refused to progress any further. I insisted that she was not leaving the hospital until the baby was born. That began a process of intervention which Shan obviously needed.

When all attempts to help her into the next faze of labor failed, she was induced. After a long, painful afternoon followed by three hours of pushing, Connor entered the world, healthy and content. I left mom, dad and baby late that evening knowing our new family was happy and safe.

Early the next morning, everything changed. A few hours after his birth, Connor had twice stopped breathing and was immediately admitted to ICU. Amongst tubes and doctors and nurses, Mom and Dad visited this perfect little being hoping to love him back to health.

This scenario made no sense to me. Connor was healthy and strong. What was the issue? One doctor commented that he was the healthiest baby he had ever seen in ICU.

On his third day of life, Connor was discharged from ICU, connected to a tank of oxygen. Three weeks and a specialist later, his condition was finally diagnosed. Denver babies often have a hard time connecting their brain to the thin air of the mile high city. Connor simply needed a little help until his brain and lungs are able to work together. Eventually, he will be off the oxygen, but for now, it was essential. We all came to peace with this reality.

Once Shan and Connor were home, I realized that I was not there to take care of Shan’s baby at all; I was there to take care of mine. And in the process of doing that, my baby was able to take care of her baby. Shan's traumatized state would not excuse her from a mom’s need to take care of her newborn child. My job was to ensure she maintained her strength by taking care of everything else.

The long list of the “do’s and don’ts of parenting” that accompanied them home from the hospital began to cause great stress for everyone. And the don’ts seemed longer than the do’s. Don’t hold him too long; don’t let him sleep in your bed; don’t this and that to the point that fear was becoming a part of her mothering technique. My advice was simple: “Do what feels good and makes you happy; as long as it is done with love it cannot be wrong.” And from that moment, Shan and Connor settled into a routine of loving being together.

In between the dishes, the laundry, the cooking and cleaning I took time to spend precious moments watching the two of them bond as mother and son. There is a beautiful energy that takes place during those early days of life. Connor learned to feel safe and secure in his mother’s arms, and Shan learned to love nurturing him. I was blessed to witness it all.

As the days went by, the trauma Shan experienced during labor and birth was evident. Her body demanded that she be gentle with her self. With the help of Rescue Remedy, Arnica, magnesium and me, Shannon began to heal.

It was many days before I took Connor into my arms. I was in no hurry. Connor was where he belonged and I loved watching from a distance. Eventually, in the middle of one night, my daughter handed me her precious child. “I’m so tired mom. Will you hold Connor so I can get some sleep?” It was my time to bond with my new grandson. From that moment, Connor and I spent intimate time together somewhere between the hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. It was the happiest part of my day.

I am forever grateful for this wonderful experience shared between a mom and her child.