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It is a beautiful story isn't it Amanda? This was one of the first emails I opened this morning and it certainly put me in a good frame of mind. Amanda there is so much evil in this old world anymore reading and something like this sorta blunts the bad things for a little while anyway. Thanks for being my friend. :)

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Hello Evelyn,

Wow this story was just beautiful and so full of meaning.

Kevin is the richest man I know in God's love, he knows Jesus much better and with a total understanding of whom He is far more indepth than I do.

Kevin is a wonderful inspiration and example of coming to God with the faith of a child.

I also truly believe that Kevin is also the happiest of men, he delights in everything he does and looks forward to tomorrow and the excitement of what today brings.

Amanda

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Happy Friday friends and I wish for each of you a great weekend. You know it never ceases to amaze me when I get something in my inbox from a good friend that just seems to be what the doctor ordered, like this one. I hope it touches each of you, as it did me. :)

This is awesome...............Enjoy
I hope you will enjoy it half as much as I have!!
Don't start reading this one until you've got a minute, don't just
'scan' over it.. It deserves some time for reflection.

GOD LIVES UNDER MY BED

I envy Kevin. My brother, Kevin, thinks God lives under his bed.
At least that's what I heard him say one night.
He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen,
'Are you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed....'
I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.
He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult.
He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.
I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.
The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child.
He does not seem dissatisfied.
He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05, eager for a day of simple work.
He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores..
And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside. 'That one's goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps his hands.
His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights.
And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips.
He doesn't know what it means to be discontent.
His life is simple..
He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he
does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food
he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries
that one day they may not be.
His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working.
When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is
completely in it.
He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax.. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure.
He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.
Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid
to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always
sincere. And he trusts God.
Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to the Lord, he
comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with
Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.
In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my beliefs, I envy the
security Kevin has in his simple faith.
It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine
knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.
It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap..
I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all
become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.
Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all,
he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark
and soaking up the goodness and love of God.
And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are
all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God
heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.
Kevin won't be surprised at all!

FRIENDS ARE ANGELS WHO LIFT US TO OUR FEET WHEN OUR WINGS
HAVE TROUBLE REMEMBERING HOW TO FLY

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Hi Evelyn, and friends,

Your stories are beautiful with those special people. I think there is one in everyone's town. We have one too. They always have so much love to give

Amanda you are a treasure, love your deodorant. I never thought of making it, but now I will do that too. Thanks for the info

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Here we are on Page 101 Of Mary Evelyn's Koffee Klatch! In a few short weeks she has become the Belle of the Ball! YeeeaaaaHHHHAawww It must be Some Kind of a Record!!!!

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Hi Kathleen

Great story about Dave!

Amanda

I love your deoderant recipe. I am going to try it myself. All ingredients are great! The reason the baking soda works so well is because it is highly alkaline and germs which cause body odor cannot live in something highly alkaline or highly acid. Most of us are too acid systemically so alkaline is best.

I was surprised a couple of years ago to learn that our body makes sodium bicarbonate (baking soda). I also learned, as probably many of you have, that there is a doctor in Italy who cures people of cancer with baking soda. Imagine! The drug companies hate us learning these things. They don't really want us to die; they just want us to be sick as long and as often as possible.

Go ahead and sell your deoderant. We'll all come to visit you in jail, won't we, you all?

Just kidding! You wouldn't go to jail for making deoderant and selling it. Deoderant is not ingested so they won't be as concerned about that. Just start slow and see how well it goes. If you get really busy and have to hire people etc, then get licenses and such, but for now work under the radar. Make sure your prices are high enough to cover the added expenses when the time comes. The big stores may not carry your product but I bet many of the small ones would.

Helen

Amanda I have bookmarked the link to Cindy Crawford's website. I did not know she had a line of skin care products. I will have to check them out.

And I also did a search for you and found a couple of sites where you can buy the containers for your hand made deodorant.

2.5 oz White Oval Deodorant Stick This one you have to buy the caps separately.

Balm Tubes, White Oval Tubes w/ Caps

Plastic Deodorant Tubes

Anyway, maybe this will be a start in helping you find what you need. Some of them you can buy in small quanities and some larger quanities.

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Evelyn,

I have been on a mission reading and learning as much as I can how to avoid many of the harmful chemicals in our daily uses - what we eat and drink, wear, breath..It is has been staggering what I have been learning from the ingredients what they are and how harmful and it makes me so angry that all these common products that the average person buys on a regular basis has been deliberately sabotaged to harm us and dumb us down into complacency of acceptance of all that the Govt does and bring in the New World Order under Satan. - Not likely will I go along and I will be fighting every step of the way.

James and I plan to put in our own well in and a solar electricity back up, we would like to live off the grid as much as possible because prices are going to sky rocket.

I will keep you posted when I make the next homemade product, I pretty much have all the ingredients, except for essential oils / fragrance oils to make smell nice. I am not sure where I can buy these here and will have do a search. I did find a nice shop a couple of months ago when I was not looking and I cannot remember if it was here or one of the many other towns and cities nearby.

I have always used natural and organic skin care products. It has been a challenged to find when I run out from one brand I like to another because we have moved and in the new area I cannot find it. I have tried several online companies, which are often a little pricy.

My latest skin care is Cindy Crawford, Meaningful Beauty. I like her products, they last a long time as I only need a small dab. She also gave free gifts for trying or much reduced price for new products.

I have joined her Preferential Customer and buy so much cheaper.

Amanda

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Amanda now you're talking my kind of things. It's hard to find personal care products without the harmful chemicals. I have been using a bar of glycerin bath soap and now too with a well I don't have chlorine and fluoride in my water. I would love to fine a good chemical free shower gel. I have been buying my shampoo at Sally's Beauty Supply and according to the label there aren't supposed to be any harmful chemicals in it. Coconut oil has a lot of beneficial things in it. Good luck with making these and keep us informed on how everything goes.

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Hello Everyone,

I have been gathering ingredients to make my own soap, laundry power or liquid laundry soap, dish washing liquid soap and deodorant, because I reckon I can make it more healthy for my body without all the extra chemicals that manufactured soaps do to my skin, breathing etc - and much cheaper.

So this evening I made my first deodorant and poured into an empty washed out stick canister that you roll the wheel on the bottom to raise up the stick to use.

Here is the ingredients:

1/4 cup baking soda

1/4 cup corn starch or arrowroot powder (I used corn starch)

2 teaspoons coconut oil

a drop or two of fragrance oil

I placed the two dry ingredients in a small saucepan which I had warmed on the burner then dropped in the two teaspoons of coconut oil. It melted the ingredients into a pour-able paste in no time - I did not have any fragrance oils, so it is plain.

I had previously rolled down the tray in the canister so I poured carefully and it all fit then popped it into the fridge for about 30 minutes and it was set and tidied up any drips and put the lid on the solid home made deodorant and placed on the counter in the bathroom.

The second method I saw, that you might be interested in too..

1/4 cup powdered arrowroot or cornstarch

1/4 cup baking soda

6 - 8 teaspoons coconut oil

fragrance oil for scent

1 jar with a lid - about the size of a moisturizer jar.

In a bowl place the two dry ingredients, add about 4 teaspoons of coconut oil and blend into the ingredients - add more coconut oil as needed to produce a thick paste.

Add the fragrance oil and blend in then spoon out into a jar and screw on the lid.

Amanda