I received an update/email from Kit Pharo today and decided to share this as my Wisdom Wednesday. I also need a little more time to research my other idea for today. I’m so excited to be sharing it next week and hope it encourages you as much as it has me.

There are many options for sweeteners on the market today, and for some reason, many of us assume that if something is on the market, then it’s been proven to be safe. I used to believe the same thing, but I don’t anymore. The truth is, we live in a fallen world, and sometimes profits are put ahead of public health.

Back in the mid-1800s a man by the name of Dr Semmelweis used his power of observation to discover why women were dying of puerperal fever in a maternity ward staffed with male doctors and medical students at a rate of 5 times higher, compared to women delivering with midwives, in another ward in the same hospital. After trying a few different approaches, and a lot of frustration, he hypothesized that cadaver parts were getting left behind on the hands of the doctors that were doing autopsies and they were then infecting the patients. He ordered everyone to start washing their hands before working with women, and the child bed fever dropped dramatically. You would think everyone would have been thrilled, but they weren’t. Doctors were actually upset that he made them look bad, and eventually dropped the handwashing again for a time.

Geese have been used throughout history as “guardians.” We added two male Chinese geese to our farm this spring. They are supposed to be the best guards. According to Myers Hatchery this breed of geese, “Obtained the nickname “swan goose” because of its elegant long graceful neck. White Chinese geese are frosted white and have a prominently raised knob and orange feet. They are prolific egg layers with a great personality. This is a very talkative breed that makes a great guard goose. They are perfect for alarming when intruders are near or when they feel threatened. Due to their small stature, White Chinese geese also make great weeders.”

I used to think that children shouldn’t have to work, and that kids that had to were like slaves. After all this is their time to have fun. I’m so thankful that God changed my heart on this issue several years ago, and that my husband didn’t waiver in his own beliefs that kids need some work. I now realize that if children don’t have meaningful tasks to accomplish that they will quickly become bored, ungrateful, lazy, and be more likely to become slaves as adults. I do want to be clear that I think it’s important for kids to have fun too and be able to have plenty of time to work on their own projects, but the habits we develop as children will be very hard to overcome as adults. I didn’t appreciate it at the time, but I have also realized how thankful I am to my mom for demonstrating and encouraging me in my work as a kid (although I was very spoiled).