Today is the last day of March and the temperature is 78-80*. Unbelievable when one and a half weeks ago we had 8-10 inches of snow. I guess Missouri does not have spring!

I have talked to several people and must report that my back is doing better. I still have that pain about 3 inches over from my spine, but it no longer goes down my leg. I am very careful about bending over because that seems to put something out and then it takes a while to get it back where it belongs. I am going to see my therapist one more time.

But I have to tell you about the crazy thing that happened this past Sunday and Monday. I actually took a pic of my face but decided to delete it. No one should see that face! Anyway, on Sunday evening I started getting bumps all over my body. Welts, you know, like hives. Around my waist, under my arms, between my legs and halfway down to my knees, under my breasts. I was a real mess. They itched a little. That afternoon Doug and I had both had way too long naps. So when I finally went to bed at 11:20, I could not sleep and neither could Doug. I finally got up at 12:57 and came out to the computer to try and find out what was wrong with me. As I sat here I could feel a wave start at my chin and go right up my jaw nearly to my ear. It felt like slow moving water just running slowly under my skin. I got up and looked in the mirror and sure enough, my jaw was swollen and my lower lip looked like all those lips of women who pay money to get their lips plumped up! and I didn't have to pay for it!

So I spent two hours looking up everything I could think of that might be wrong with me. At 3am, I laid on the couch and slept till 7. Got up and Doug looked at me and whoa! I started to talk and could not talk. I tried to clear my throat and could not do that. My voice was nearly gone. Tried to bite my cheek like I do a lot and could not do that. My breathing was never affected, but my throat and vocal chords definitely were.

I was sitting in the bathroom once again trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Suddenly a word popped into my head. It was STRAWBERRIES! I walked out and said to Doug, I am having an allergic reaction to strawberries. I knew that was it. We started eating strawberries on 4 March for Dad's birthday and have had them in our frig most of the time this month. We got some beautiful ones at Costco on Friday and on Sunday I ate quite a few. But all month I have had swellings in one jaw or another, one eye or another, little finger tip size itchy places under my arms and didn't really think much about it. The swelling would go away during the day and that was it.

I was feeling fine and following a good itch after my shower, I got ready and went upstairs to Sister Bouy who is the nurse. She said to take 2 Benadryl and so I did. Went to work and everyone there said I need to go do the doctor, so Doug called and we went. I did not want to go because I believe I had learned my lesson. The doc took my temp, BP, weight, looked at ears, listened to heart, pushed on belly and that was it. Then I had a little blood drawn to test a couple of things. Didn't look at anything on my body and the swelling on my jaw had gone down a lot by then. She just sent two prescriptions to the drug store and said bye. We went to Walgreens to find out what the Epie pen would cost and found that we would have to pay $42 of the $200 cost and I thought we have one of those already, we don't need another that will expire and the other prescription was for steroids. Well, I told the druggist I was not going to take that. So we left. The swelling is gone, I am not eating strawberries right now but feel confident that I can eat them in moderation in a while.

I told you about Elder Snow coming and trying to teach us to listen to the Spirit. I have thought about that a lot for the past week, and for the past few years I have really been trying to see the Lord more in my life and giving Him credit and thanks and taking action according to the promptings. Trying to be aware of when He is prompting me and helping me make decisions. Well, the word STRAWBERRIES popped into my head out of nowhere and I recognized immediately that it was the spirit telling me what was wrong. I know that he used strawberries,
to show me that even in the physical and temporal things, He is there to help me. Elder Snow said we just need to be quiet more and pause and not just blurt out an answer that we already know, but listen and maybe we will learn something else. The Spirit speaks in quiet times and is soft, but you definitely get it in your head and heart.

I have felt so good about the experience and hope that I can pause and be more aware in all aspects of my life.

Loves and hugs to all. All is well.