A BIT OF GRACE

Written by: Julia Grace McCammon
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  • Summary

  • Julia shares her Ability to See things Differently! Shining awareness, fresh perspective and insights on situations of everyday life. An experienced natural-born healer caring to find solutions and improve lives. More info at: https://JuliaGrace.ca
    2024 Julia Grace McCammon
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Alternative & Complementary Medicine Hygiene & Healthy Living Personal Success Spirituality
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Episodes
  • Break Free of Constant Grading and Rating

    Break Free of Constant Grading and Rating
    Feb 9 2024

    Over the years I have had the pain and pleasure of working with all sorts of teachers. In my area, there are two universities, one college and plenty of elementary to high schools. Some of my aunts were teachers, plus my husband and son are teachers. So, all varieties of teachers have crossed my path, needing to improve their situations and symptoms.

    Most teachers’ response to anything new is to grade it. It’s happened in hundreds of sessions with university and college professors, high school teachers and elementary school teachers. Let’s face it, they are trained for judging in their jobs. Rating and grading the performance of their students makes for a strong habit to rate everything.

    We All Rate Our Experiences

    Problems are created by a lack of intuitive connection in a world full of information and statistics. When a person’s first response is to be critical and negative, there’s no chance for change or growth in their life. It is entirely possible to shut down any chance for improvement when all judgment sees is what’s not good enough. How can we know and trust what “feels” right when our analytical mind is in control?

    Control Issues Block People’s Progress

    Another level of resistance many teachers present, is wanting control of every step along the way. After all, they’re trained to keep control of students in their class. Teachers aren’t the only ones struggling with this problem. Giving up control can be scary, for some, it’s all they have left. When illness has taken control, it can be brutal for individuals who are used to orchestrating every detail in life. Letting go, allowing another to guide and assist may not be an easy choice.

    Fear and Doubt Hide Behind Control

    The ocean of doubt produces question after question. Sometimes questioning is competitive, trying to show they know more. Why would anyone want fear and doubt to control them? Fear and doubt can keep us frozen and stuck with nowhere to go. Change can be uncomfortable as we rise and transform. Some people prefer staying stuck, living with depression and pain. It’s a comfortable misery, a familiar story they are used to.

    Eventually, most people let the reins go, and we make real progress together! We all benefit when we allow wiggle room for new and different experiences.

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    The information provided on A BIT OF GRACE podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Always consult with a professional for medical advice.


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    3 mins
  • Summer Fizz - Refreshing Strawberry Rhubarb Soda

    Summer Fizz - Refreshing Strawberry Rhubarb Soda
    Aug 2 2023
    In recent years, I’ve been exploring the world of fermentation to improve my gut health, digestion, and lower inflammation. I’ve tried lots of different recipes with various foods to help heal my gut. Fermented drinks and fermented foods have definitely improved my digestion and overall tummy comfort. I’m going to share a favourite fermented soda recipe I’ve had fun creating. It’s such a lively summer flavour, I thought you might enjoy it.Website post - Fizzy & Fresh – Fermented Strawberry Rhubarb SodaIt’s a Strawberry Rhubarb fermented soda that’s lacto-fermented. For my lacto-fermentation soda recipes, you will need to start with a ginger bug. You’ll find lots of recipes for a ginger bug on YouTube and in other places. It’s a combination of sugar, ginger, and water that you add at various times to build up and get it fermenting. It becomes the activator for all of your fermented soda drinks.Today’s flavour is Strawberry Rhubarb. The colour is just beautiful and the flavour is really refreshing! Let’s get into the ingredients. I figured the ratio that’s best for me is double the amount of strawberries to rhubarb. What I’ve used lately has been 2 1/2 cups of cut up fresh strawberries and 1 1/4 cups of sliced rhubarb from my garden.Then I add 1 cup of organic sugar and put all of that in a pot with about 4 or 5 cups of filtered water. You do not want any chlorine in any of this. Always remember to use filtered water. I let that simmer with the lid on for about 20 minutes to keep all the flavour in. Then I take the whole pot and put it in an ice bath in my kitchen sink to cool down to about room temperature. You need to get it cooler because you don’t want to kill off your ginger bug when you add it later.Next, you strain off the juice into a larger, pourable container and pour that juice into a 2 quart glass Mason jar. To that, you will add 1/2 cup of the strained ginger bug and then top it up to the top of the bottle with more filtered water. Give it a stir with a non metal utensil, then we put on a lid. I use the silicone fermentation lids that go on the top and you can put a metal ring or plastic ring on top of that. Once you have it all together, it’s time to allow this colourful mix to become a lacto-fermented soda.You’re going to let it sit out of the sunlight for about 3 to 5 days, as it gets going with lots of bubbles and activation. Place it in another room away from other fermentation projects like bread, so it doesn’t get cross contaminated. Every day, I shake it once or twice to keep it moving and prevent mould. After a few days, you will find it starts to get nice and bubbly. If you use regular canning lids, watch out for pressure building in the jar and burp as needed. As it gets more bubbly and very active, it’ll be time to give it a taste.Just lift off the lid and stir it up. Don’t use metal utensils. If tasting too early, it may taste too sweet. If you let it go too long, it’s going to get boozy. Somewhere in between, give it a little taste and see if it suits you. If you like it, it’s and it’s at the right point, it’s time to bottle it. I use swing top glass beer bottles. For this amount, you can fill four of them. I actually use only 3 at a time, along with 1 plastic bottle. I reuse a plastic drink bottle about the same size as my tester. It’s handy for testing when the strawberry rhubarb soda is ready.After bottling and putting all the caps on, you leave it on the counter somewhere out of sunlight. The plastic bottle is handy because you can squeeze it to feel how much pressure is building. At first, it will give a lot, and then as time goes on, it will become firmer over about 12 to 18, 24 hours. I don’t have an exact time. I check it every few hours. It depends on your environment and temperature. You’ll feel the difference as it gets firm. Once that tester bottle is hard to squeeze, your fruity fermented soda is ready for tasting.I pour a little into a small glass over a couple of ice Cubes to see if it’s fizzy enough and tastes delicious. When you are happy with this fermented soda flavour, it’s time to put all your bottles in the fridge. This slows fermentation and prevents too much pressure. You don’t want blow ups. Keep them in the fridge and enjoy drinking within about 2-3 weeks. This is about the longest I’ve had them last because I really like the flavour. For longer storage, be sure to occasionally burp them.Keep your hand on top of the bottle when burping. Lift the cap a little to let some pressure off. That’s why I put a hand over the top. One time, my son quickly opened a bottle, and it sprayed a ton of fizzy goodness all over the place. That’s your warning about the bubbliness. This lacto-fermented strawberry rhubarb soda is a lively, refreshing probiotic drink that’s good for gut health. Using the ginger bug is my favourite way to make these fermented sodas. They have a really nice flavour and a ...
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    6 mins
  • Life Memories and Mulberries

    Life Memories and Mulberries
    Jul 3 2023

    Have you ever had the opportunity to go berry picking?
    I’m not talking about the little packages of berries you’d pick up at the store.
    I used to do a lot of berry picking when I was young, and it was a favourite activity. It usually also involved a chance to go out for a picnic with my mom and grandfather, Cappy Guy. My mom would prepare the meal and pack it up for the three of us. We would take off in Cappy’s little car, which he never did seem to get, to handle and how to shift it properly! So I remember bouncing around while riding in the back seat, but I loved every second of the trip.

    After dinner, they would sit and have coffee together and Cappy would light up his pipe. I still like the smell of pipe tobacco when I get a whiff. It always reminds me of Cappy Guy and picnics. Then we would start berry picking. Mom taught me to dress in clothing that would keep me covered up to prevent vicious scratches from the berry bushes. I did get a few scratches each time. It was unavoidable, I was young and those prickly Blackberry bushes were nasty to reach into.

    I remember the delight of getting down into the woodsy area where the berries grew. The three of us would quietly be picking berries. Of course, we would be eating a few berries along the way. A lot went in my mouth first. Then when I was full of berries, they would started piling up in my little container. No one was talking. We were all quiet, enjoying picking the berries. When a container was full, I would hear them talking to each other. I was rarely the first one with a full bucket since many berries went into my stomach.

    It was such a calm, peaceful place. Being in nature, safely tucked away in the forest with my mom nearby. Everything was green, lush and warm, and it was a beautiful time of the year. There were birds and breezes I would pause and listen to. It was a joy to be in nature. Do you feel that way when you get out in nature, whether it’s in a park or provincial park or in the woods somewhere?

    Nature Brings Us To A Calm Place

    It settles us down to a more grounded, peaceful space. Unfortunately, we don’t get to that space often enough.

    To this day, I am grateful for every opportunity I get to pick fresh berries. My husband laughs at me when I full stop to pick a few wild berries when I spot them.

    These days he’s gets a chuckle seeing me at the front of our house. When we moved here, we discovered a special tree at the front of our house. Just beyond my office window there is a beautiful little mulberry tree. This year it is a very happy tree loaded with nutritious, yummy mulberries. I have been out there daily picking some of our prolific crop of sweet little purple mulberries. I certainly eat more than I keep, that is half the fun of this tree. Plus they fall off the tree so easily, many go on the ground and the birds steal those ones. It is a pleasure having my own mulberry tree for berry picking. Every time I go for more berries I think of my mom, knowing she would be right beside me if she were here today.

    It is important to remember and enjoy and be grateful for our fond life memories as they arrive. Enjoy those little pleasures in life, even if there isn’t a fond memory attached. I suggest that you enjoy your little pleasures. Take a moment to pick those berries. Take a moment to breathe in fresh air. Notice your surroundings and be grateful. We must recognize the lovely little treats in our life that come along. Be grateful for them and for those who taught us how to recognize a good opportunity.

    I will always be grateful to my mom for teaching me the pleasure of picking berries and tending to a vegetable garden, for watching things grow in nature and being grateful for its gifts.

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    The information provided on A BIT OF GRACE podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Always consult with a professional for medical advice.


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    4 mins

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