The end of the beginning....

Angie completed kindergarten yesterday.  The milestone is a little bittersweet for me but mostly I am just so proud of her progress.  It was the end of the beginning-the beginning of a new love for learning.  So much has happened for our girl this year, and she has finished strong.

I waited to share some exciting news and now I am ready.  About 4 months ago, I became interested in doTerra essential oils and how they can be used to heal my family in place of medicine.  I still believe in the power of medicine, but since starting to use essential oils, I have been able to treat fevers, earaches, back pain, tummy aches, sore throats, pink eye, headaches, insomnia, anxiety and allergies without medication.  The most valuable results, though, are the impact that essential oils have had on Angie's ability to self-calm, focus, and regulate her impulsivity. We have used blends of essential oils at home and at school with some pretty indisputable results.  And it gets even better.......

Last month, I added a blend called DDR Prime to Angie's protocol.  DDR Prime is reported to facilitate the regeneration of cells and has been used to help children and adults with ADHD, autism, brain injuries, and developmental delays, among other things.  I love to read the stories of other families' results but Angie's story is my favorite.  Since using the blend each morning and evening, Angie has increased the use of her right, previously unused, arm to help with daily tasks.  She has increased her recognition of letters, shapes, and letter sounds by approximately 30-50%.   Most importantly, she recognized two high-frequency words for the first time ever last week.  Our girl is going to read!  Her language skills have improved and her use of language has become much more complex over the past month.  You have to admit this is pretty spectacular.

If you know little or nothing about essential oils, or if you do not believe in their healing power, that is okay.  I still want you to know about Angie's amazing progress this year.  The other major factor in her progress is Ms. Stafford, her teacher, and Mrs. Villines, her educational assistant.  These two women learned Angie and they continued to change approaches to help her succeed.  They were patient and unfailingly kind and gentle, even when Angie challenged them.  We are so blessed to have them and there really are no words to describe our gratitude.  As a team, we have decided that Angie will benefit from another year of kindergarten and we pray that both of these important people will be able to continue what they have begun.

Yesterday was a school-wide field day and this year the kindergarten class was invited to participate.  Both Ms. Stafford and I had reservations about having Angie participate but it in the end I did not want her to miss an opportunity to celebrate the end of the year with her class.  Jordan went along to help and they had a blast!  Angie was able to participate in the sack race with one adult holding the sack and another helping her jump as her classmates cheered her on.  I am sorry I missed it, but I suspect I would have been in tears watching.  It was the perfect end to a challenging, yet ultimately rewarding year.

If you interacted with Angie this year, thank you.  You know who you are: friends, family, teachers, assistants, community members, classified staff.  You are all partially responsible for Angie's successes and we look forward to sharing more of this unending miracle with you.  It is the end of the beginning.