Eating Green

I eat green because green heals. But... like Kermit the Frog says, it's not easy... eating green.

To beat cancer, however, eating green means more than having a stalk of broccoli at lunch every day, which I do. It means steaming the "hardcore" greens, like kale or Swiss chard, and adding them to a fruit smoothie. Be warned (nonetheless.) Adding greens to a fruit smoothie will transform a rosy cheeked happy beverage into something that looks like baby poop. Now, while making baby poop smoothies is fun for the whole family (especially middle schoolers,) it's another thing entirely to actually ingest the thing. Knowing it is good for you helps, but...sometimes when alone and the giggles have descended back to the belly (from whence they came) it's not easy eating green...that looks like baby poop.

But no fear. Since cancer came into my life, I've developed a system for eating (or doing) anything I'd rather not...because it's good for me. I pray.

Now, I realize many people will want to emulate me in this activity, so I've written down a sampling of my prayer; and you can repeat it, like the prayer of Jabez, but for eating green smoothies.

Here it goes:

Lord, I know You made green things to heal us. But, in my fallen-ness, I've made a fruit smoothie with kale, and it now looks like baby poop. Please enable me to eat this without puking, but, instead, let it heal me, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

While this simple prayer is excellent for eating green, prayer also works for other things that are difficult to "swallow" like...chemo, reading Proust or watching Dr. Phil. Prayer helps with all things we know are good for us, but find aren't easy going down.