I was invited to a family reunion today with a wonderful family at a park in South Jersey. It was not my family, however, this family graciously treated me as if I were one of their own. We saw white bulls swimming and basking in the sun at the edge of a river. We fed the ducks and tossed the fish some bread when we walked down to the river. It was supposed to rain and it drizzled some, however, the sun had come out and stayed with us for the remainder of the afternoon. The family made my daughter and I feel right at home.
Later, after the picnic was over, we went over to the farm house of one of the family’s matriarchs. It was such a serene and peaceful area, being out in the country, surrounded by corn fields, orchards and pastures of green. While we were inside of the farm house, the matriarch confided that she was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. I saw a bottle of valerian root powder on her kitchen counter. I asked her why she used the valerian root. She replied that she takes it everyday as an herbal remedy for her irritable bowel syndrome. She went on to say that it really works and that it was a money saver. She had tried the prescription medications but said that she was tired of the negative side effects and of the high cost of the meds.
I told her that some people take valerian root for anxiety and for help with insomnia. She expressed pure gratitude for having the valerian root 
available to her. She also told me that she couldn’t live without it. She added that her health had improved significantly since she started using valerian root. It showed; last year she was sickly and in pain and this year, she was healthier and happier, with a large smile on her face and beaming with the satisfaction of being out of pain and happy to be alive.