I learn a lot about the past in my present moments. This last week, my dear friend's husband had a heart attack. It was extremely serious--to the extent that it looks like a true miracle that he's doing well now.
My friend (from Jr. High and High School) gave me a call. Another friend who lived nearby had been notified. Each one of us wanted to "run to" my friend to help her. I've noticed that loving friendships can endure the separation of time and space and return as if no separation had ever occurred. Love is an amazing thing. I'm so grateful for my friends.
* * * * * *
I intended to do a Memory Lane Monday post using Amy Coffin's challenges, but it's now past midnight. My favorite food was homemade hamburgers, with chips or fries which we would dip in Thousand Island or Blue Cheese dressing, and green beans. I liked the familiarity of this Friday night meal more than the food itself, I think.
To see a more interesting post about food, Click here to see my Examiner article and Betty Harrell's comments.
Showing posts with label love. kindness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love. kindness. Show all posts
Monday, January 31, 2011
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Talk About It Tuesday: A Gift of Love
Talk About It Tuesday
Talk About It Tuesday is a daily blogging theme.
Talk about specific things you are doing this week to make a positive difference in your family line or about what you are doing to meet your family history goals. For Generational Change-makers (those who have “Joined the Quest” at www.familytreequest.com), identify yourself as a GCM and tell what you are doing to meet any one of the three goals to 1) Glean Wisdom from the Past, 2)Live Mindfully in the Present, or 3) Prepare Confidently for the Future. Consider recording this post in your journal (history-in-the-making) or personal history records
I am a GCM and I'm living mindfully in the present today. I am feeling an abundance of GRATITUDE for the loving kindness shown me and my husband from my second daughter, son-in-law and their young children yesterday. They came over with a surprise "gift" of their time and energy. The Fall decorations were put away (no small task) and out came the Christmas decorations, up they went, everything unnecessary was put away, the room was vacuumed, and dinner was even cooked and served. All that was left was Christmas Spirit and a mother's heart that could "rest" from the unyielding strain of concern about how the mountainous task of decorating the home would get done this year. What a gift!
Sometimes it's the gifts that don't cost money that mean the most in our hearts and homes. Are you considering any acts of love and service this holiday season? I'd love to hear about your plans
About our daily blogging themes: I hope you will use these themes in your own posts for blogs, Facebook, Tweets etc. as well as read them here. Please mention the title of the theme in your own original blog posts (example: Talk About It Tuesday: (then your title—not in parenthesis) for blogs. For Twitter posts, here are the hashtags: Memory Lane Monday= #memlm, Talk About It Tuesday= #taitu, Resource Wednesday= #rwed, Thankful, Think About it Thursday= #ttaith, Family Tree Friday= #famtf
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Winding Down
Talk About It Tuesday
It's the simple things of life that make living worthwhile,
the sweet fundamental things
such as love and duty,
work and rest
and living close to nature.
--Laura Ingalls Wilder
the sweet fundamental things
such as love and duty,
work and rest
and living close to nature.
--Laura Ingalls Wilder
Mortal life seems to be winding down for my sweet neighbor of whom I spoke in my posts about "Living Into Loneliness". ( Post #1 click here. Post #2 click here.)
Receiving the diagnosis of lung cancer, she is now receiving Hospice care. This has been a time of great reflection and adjustment for me.
I know most of us have had experiences with loved ones dying. There is such sorrow in parting, yet memories of the laughter and good times sustain us. I love laughing with my neighbor and will continue to do so as long as her health permits.
I'm once again watching how life is enriched with the simple things. It comes back to that in the end. It's our relationships and loving connections that mean the most.
What are your thoughts?
Receiving the diagnosis of lung cancer, she is now receiving Hospice care. This has been a time of great reflection and adjustment for me.
I know most of us have had experiences with loved ones dying. There is such sorrow in parting, yet memories of the laughter and good times sustain us. I love laughing with my neighbor and will continue to do so as long as her health permits.
I'm once again watching how life is enriched with the simple things. It comes back to that in the end. It's our relationships and loving connections that mean the most.
What are your thoughts?
Thursday, April 1, 2010
THANKFUL, THINK ABOUT IT THURSDAY
Living Into Loneliness: Update
Thinking about the feelings of sadness and melancholy I experienced last Tuesday, I realize that I have already learned a few things.
My neighbor had been taken to the hospital by paramedics, and on that day, I had wondered:
1) Are we prepared for emergencies?, and
2) Are we really “connected” to others in a manner that is meaningful?
One of my concerns last Tuesday had been that I did not have my neighbor’s daughter’s phone number in my planner. Well, I snapped into action and contacted neighbors who then snapped into action themselves. One neighbor had a key to my friend’s home and retrieved the daughter’s phone number from a paper posted on the refrigerator. (My neighbor HAD been prepared for emergencies by posting this info on her fridge.) While this was going on, another neighbor told me of a friend who would have the much-needed phone number. She didn’t have it, but contacted her sister who did.
The first neighbor showed up at my door with the number written on her hand. Meanwhile, the second friend called with the phone number that had been retrieved from her sister. I was delighted that we had the phone number so quickly, yet realize we were fortunate. With other needs, we might not be so blessed to have quick access to vital info or people who could help. I still know that I need to be mindful and proactive in pre-preparing for emergency situations. I’m grateful that we were able to contact her daughter.
Several of us learned who knew where a key to the house was, who had phone numbers and who needed updates. In this way, we all became more prepared. More than one person had had thoughts of updating my friend’s daughter’s phone number, but had not yet acted upon that thought.
Second, I’m deeply moved by the heartwarming “connections” that made themselves manifest through this experience. Everyone who knew my friend moved quickly into action on her behalf. The second source of the phone number is a young woman who took the day off work to go sit in the hospital with our friend. Prayers are being offered in her behalf. I knew she read the Bible each morning, so I offered to bring her a Bible, and I spent a little time listening to her feelings yesterday. She smokes and is going through some withdrawal symptoms while in the hospital—on top of everything else. She’s determined to not find herself in this situation with smoking and withdrawal again, so she asked me to get the remaining cigarettes in her home and throw them in the trash, and I did.
Thinking that my friend was depressed, people put their heads together and offered ideas about having their children visit her more often to cheer her up. They had ideas for pets that might be manageable at her age and give her companionship, etc. The list of ways to “connect” and help went on and on. This very week, I’ve seen that when others find out that someone they love is in need, the compassion they feel still moves them into action—even in this busy world.
Another thing I learned was totally unexpected. I did not expect to receive so many compassionate responses to my postings about my own sadness and melancholy. I was trying to stay focused on my neighbor, yet I was deeply touched and moved by the many responses to the pain of MY sorrow. People I know as well as strangers shared their feelings and hopes. Connections were formed and/or strengthened as compassion and love reached over the miles and settled into my heart to create both gratitude and appreciation for the many people who commented and reinforced the knowledge that we are not alone. Thank you, thank you, thank you to those who took the time to share your feelings and post something or send a comment. I can’t thank you enough.
The goals on my Family Tree Quest website are to:
Glean wisdom from the Past
Live Mindfully in the Present, and
Prepare Confidently for the Future
I’m learning again and again, that we simply do the best we can without beating ourselves up for mistakes or, in my case, for not writing down certain phone numbers. Then we evaluate and learn and set new goals. I’m grateful that so much compassion and love still exists in our world, and that my friend is doing a bit better each day.
* * * * * * *
NOTE: Many of you have asked how she’s doing.
My friend was diagnosed as having dangerously low sodium levels due to a blood pressure medicine’s side effects. This created great fatigue and weakness and perhaps feelings of depression from the imbalance. She was told that such low sodium levels could lead to convulsions or heart attack, so she’s in the cardiac unit.
As of today, she’s still in the hospital until her sodium levels are normalized and her blood pressure is regulated properly with a new medication. She will, most likely, need assistance when she gets home. I hope her daughter will help her get that taken care of.
Another NOTE: I’ve also learned from this experience, how important it is to know what the side effects of our medications might be. Doctor’s are not perfect and sometimes miss things. If we are prepared to ask specific questions regarding medications, that may save us a trip to the hospital. Many people are shocked to hear the implications of low sodium in our bodies and don’t know it could be associated with a medication. I know that I had no idea how serious low sodium could be. This is another good way to Prepare Confidently for the Future.
Link to Tuesday’s post (that I referred to):
http://familytreegal.blogspot.com/2010/03/living-into-loneliness.html
Thinking about the feelings of sadness and melancholy I experienced last Tuesday, I realize that I have already learned a few things.
My neighbor had been taken to the hospital by paramedics, and on that day, I had wondered:
1) Are we prepared for emergencies?, and
2) Are we really “connected” to others in a manner that is meaningful?
One of my concerns last Tuesday had been that I did not have my neighbor’s daughter’s phone number in my planner. Well, I snapped into action and contacted neighbors who then snapped into action themselves. One neighbor had a key to my friend’s home and retrieved the daughter’s phone number from a paper posted on the refrigerator. (My neighbor HAD been prepared for emergencies by posting this info on her fridge.) While this was going on, another neighbor told me of a friend who would have the much-needed phone number. She didn’t have it, but contacted her sister who did.
The first neighbor showed up at my door with the number written on her hand. Meanwhile, the second friend called with the phone number that had been retrieved from her sister. I was delighted that we had the phone number so quickly, yet realize we were fortunate. With other needs, we might not be so blessed to have quick access to vital info or people who could help. I still know that I need to be mindful and proactive in pre-preparing for emergency situations. I’m grateful that we were able to contact her daughter.
Several of us learned who knew where a key to the house was, who had phone numbers and who needed updates. In this way, we all became more prepared. More than one person had had thoughts of updating my friend’s daughter’s phone number, but had not yet acted upon that thought.
Second, I’m deeply moved by the heartwarming “connections” that made themselves manifest through this experience. Everyone who knew my friend moved quickly into action on her behalf. The second source of the phone number is a young woman who took the day off work to go sit in the hospital with our friend. Prayers are being offered in her behalf. I knew she read the Bible each morning, so I offered to bring her a Bible, and I spent a little time listening to her feelings yesterday. She smokes and is going through some withdrawal symptoms while in the hospital—on top of everything else. She’s determined to not find herself in this situation with smoking and withdrawal again, so she asked me to get the remaining cigarettes in her home and throw them in the trash, and I did.
Thinking that my friend was depressed, people put their heads together and offered ideas about having their children visit her more often to cheer her up. They had ideas for pets that might be manageable at her age and give her companionship, etc. The list of ways to “connect” and help went on and on. This very week, I’ve seen that when others find out that someone they love is in need, the compassion they feel still moves them into action—even in this busy world.
Another thing I learned was totally unexpected. I did not expect to receive so many compassionate responses to my postings about my own sadness and melancholy. I was trying to stay focused on my neighbor, yet I was deeply touched and moved by the many responses to the pain of MY sorrow. People I know as well as strangers shared their feelings and hopes. Connections were formed and/or strengthened as compassion and love reached over the miles and settled into my heart to create both gratitude and appreciation for the many people who commented and reinforced the knowledge that we are not alone. Thank you, thank you, thank you to those who took the time to share your feelings and post something or send a comment. I can’t thank you enough.
The goals on my Family Tree Quest website are to:
Glean wisdom from the Past
Live Mindfully in the Present, and
Prepare Confidently for the Future
I’m learning again and again, that we simply do the best we can without beating ourselves up for mistakes or, in my case, for not writing down certain phone numbers. Then we evaluate and learn and set new goals. I’m grateful that so much compassion and love still exists in our world, and that my friend is doing a bit better each day.
* * * * * * *
NOTE: Many of you have asked how she’s doing.
My friend was diagnosed as having dangerously low sodium levels due to a blood pressure medicine’s side effects. This created great fatigue and weakness and perhaps feelings of depression from the imbalance. She was told that such low sodium levels could lead to convulsions or heart attack, so she’s in the cardiac unit.
As of today, she’s still in the hospital until her sodium levels are normalized and her blood pressure is regulated properly with a new medication. She will, most likely, need assistance when she gets home. I hope her daughter will help her get that taken care of.
Another NOTE: I’ve also learned from this experience, how important it is to know what the side effects of our medications might be. Doctor’s are not perfect and sometimes miss things. If we are prepared to ask specific questions regarding medications, that may save us a trip to the hospital. Many people are shocked to hear the implications of low sodium in our bodies and don’t know it could be associated with a medication. I know that I had no idea how serious low sodium could be. This is another good way to Prepare Confidently for the Future.
Link to Tuesday’s post (that I referred to):
http://familytreegal.blogspot.com/2010/03/living-into-loneliness.html
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