Sometimes the best gift is receiving timely information. People often say, “I wish I knew this before” or “I wish someone had told me.” Timely and relevant information can help us avoid tragic mistakes and can change the course of our lives for the better. Here are some of the most important things I am thankful to have discovered on time:
Homeschooling. Initially we didn’t think about homeschooling seriously because we didn’t clearly understand what was wrong with school. We learned more about homeschooling soon after our first baby was born, when we read “The Underground History of American Education” by John Taylor Gatto. Then everything made sense. We’ve read many more books and articles since then, but it was after Gatto’s book that we made up our minds about homeschooling, and the later information only confirmed our position. I am thankful that it happened before our firstborn daughter reached school age, so our daughter didn’t have to go through the school experience which could have possibly caused damage before we would have pulled her out.
Homebirth. Thanks to the “Pushed” book by Jennifer Block, we learned about homebirth before I got pregnant with our first. Before that, I had thought that homebirth was something extreme and weird. After reading Block’s book and doing some further research, we became convinced that birthing at home with an experienced midwife was a safer choice for uncomplicated pregnancies. It was a pure accident that we discovered Block’s book, and I’m grateful that it got into my hands on time so I was able to avoid going through the hospital experience and possibly encountering first-hand some of the issues described in the book.
The truth about abortion. Personally, I would have never done it anyway, because I am naturally suspicious of invasive medical procedures. But I had never known before that abortion was wrong and I thought it was something similar to an elective cosmetic surgery which is usually unnecessary, avoidable, risky for health, but otherwise entirely up to the woman. Thanks to a very informative website LifeSiteNews I’ve discovered – to my horror – that abortion was in fact murder. The website helped me achieve moral clarity on this and on many other issues, and I am glad that I’ve discovered this resource while my children haven’t reached childbearing age yet, so I can pass these moral lessons on to them and potentially save them from tragic mistakes.
No wheat. This one is not as life-altering as the other ones, yet it caused a dramatic and permanent change in our diet. Thanks to the “Wheat Belly” book and blog and other resources, we’ve discovered that, regardless of gluten allergies, wheat and other similar grains have always been unhealthy for the human body, especially now as nearly all modern wheat is a product of genetic tinkering. In the beginning we were reluctant to entirely eliminate bread and other wheat products from our diets, but we eventually did it more than two years ago and have never regretted it. We have lost plenty of weight and maintained healthy weight and energy ever since. I am glad that we’ve made this change while our kids are still young and not as attached to wheat-based junk food. They still get their bread, pizza, and cookies, only that we make these with almond flour and it tastes just the same if not better!
Knowledge is power, especially if it’s received on time. We should continuously educate ourselves, do research, and stay open-minded and curious. If we come across a credible piece of information which contradicts mainstream beliefs, why not investigate and probe further? If we meet people who do interesting things that are different from what we’re used to do or who think differently from the way we think, why not keep the conversation going and ask for more details? As you can see, sometimes even seemingly crazy ideas deserve to be scrutinized. Who knows, one day our curiosity and open-mindedness may be rewarded and we may stumble upon useful information which can potentially improve or even save our lives.