Roots Day

December 23^rd is “Roots Day”, a day to celebrate heritage. 

My parents are sort of a mixed bag of ancestry. Grandpa on my dad’s side was born in the US to Czechoslovakian immigrants.  

Grandma was born in Yogoslavia and came to the US when she was three years old.  

Dad was the oldest of four kids - 

Mom, on the other hand, has family in the US going back before the Civil War. Trying to trace her history has been an adventure! We know that somewhere in the distant past, there is Irish and English - even a splash of Native American. I never knew my grandparents on that side. I wish I had - but mom was a great lady.

Mom's cousin traces the family history and used to share with us stories and the things he learned.  

So half of me is third generation immigrant and the other half is 100% United States American.  

I wish I knew more about the people in my family tree and maybe someday I will. I am grateful for the family I was born to - I am grateful for the love that we've shared. I treasure my roots and all the branches that stem from them.

Happy Roots Day.

Do They Know it's Christmas Time at All?

I was driving home from work last night, listening to Christmas music and envisioning the upcoming day with my treasured family.   Then the song, "Do They Know it's Christmas?" came on.  I've heard it before, many times, but I've never really heard it, until now - and it made me feel small.

Back in 1984, a group of musicians got together and formed a "super group" to raise money for the famine that was happening in Ethiopia.  The song that came out of this effort was "Do They Know it's Christmas?" -

As I said, I've heard this song many times.  My thoughts have been, how wonderful of these bands to help people.  But it's never really driven my heart before.  But as I listened I thought about our society and the hustle and bustle and needless over spending to celebrate this season we call Christmas Time.  I thought about my own attitude and my own heart position.  It was an eye opener!

Post Thanksgiving Reflections

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone.  I was busy the whole week preparing so that on the day I could enjoy my family.  And that's what the holiday is all about.  Family.

I think back to Thanksgiving as a kid.  My dad had a pretty large family - two sisters and a brother and their spouses and children...  And we all gathered together for laughter and love.  We would go to grandma's house early on.

Sometimes it would be at our house with my mom's brother's house and we shared the day with his family.  

World Diabetes Day

I spent a couple of years being a nanny to my two beautiful great-nieces.  I had so much fun with them, learning about them and growing to love them deeply.

During that time, the oldest was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at 8 1/2 years old.

 It was a terrifying time for her family as they learned all the things that could happen and all the things they had to do.  This sensitive little girl had to learn to poke herself multiple times a day and make herself bleed.  She had to learn how to calculate the "carbs" in everything she ate.  She had to be brave - as did her sister and mom and dad.

But this family rose to the occasion.  Daddy bought Ava a punching bag so she could "punch out diabetes" when she was frustrated.  Mommy bought her a journal to write down her thoughts.  They encouraged but never coddled.  This is the new reality.  And Ava handled it all like a trooper. 

She is now soon to be 14 years old - a smart girl that does great in school, has friends, is an athlete and lives like any other teenager - except she still has to check her blood sugar, count her carbs and be constantly aware of her diabetes.

In honor of Ava and every other child that has T1D - #WearBlue and learn what you can about this disease and how you can help in the research on #WorldDiabetesDay

International Diabetes Foundation

Glade - World Diabetes Day

Veteran's Day

Today is Veteran's Day.  A day set aside to honor the men and women that have served our country and remember those that paid the ultimate price for our freedoms.

Our country seems to be in a state of flux these days.  There is so much anger and disrespect, it's hard to have any conversations about our personal thoughts and beliefs.  I am reminded of a conversation in one of my college courses.  I was a human studies major and one of our core classes was "the relationship with the other".   As we discussed other humans as the "other", we talked about values and why we choose the people we do to hang out with.

 One of the women told a story of the group she hung out with - beer drinking, music loving pals.  They were friends for several years.  One day, one of the men divulged that he was a skin head.  They all froze.  This went against all the things they believed.  But she began to question - Is he different now than he was the day before?  Did this information change the foundations of their friendship?  Some of the group decided it did.  But she decided it did not.  This was part of who is was and what shaped the person she had grown to love.  They had some long discussions about why he felt this way.  I don't know if he ever changed,  but her attitude certainly changed me.

Another remark made by the same very wise young lady, was about people we would normal turn away from - that dirty homeless person or the person that is getting signatures for an issue we disagree with - her question was simple.  What is their story?  She took the time to start conversations with people to understand who they were.  She did not judge, she simply listened.

At the end of our discussion, the instructor stated, "it is important to hear alternating points of view.  It does not mean we need to marry them, only entertain them". 

In today's divisive political culture, I think these things are important to remember.  I don't have to agree with you, but I can learn by listening and being respectful of your ideas and belief systems.  And in doing so, I would hope you would do the same for me.

But back to veteran's day.  Do we respect the people who have dedicated, even given their lives for us to be able to disagree by treating each other so disrespectfully?  Let's start showing our gratitude for these sacrifices by appreciating the fact that we can disagree. 

We live in a great country, regardless of all the negativity we are currently experiencing.  So I for one say thank you.  Thank you for wearing that uniform and reminding me of how truly blessed we are to live here.

Life goes on...

It's been awhile.  Life has been crazy.  September was full of vacation and guests and preparing for the new school year at work.  I've started training teachers and had several workshops to plan.  Then before I knew it, October was here and some of those workshops I'd planned so carefully were ready to be presented.  Then more company and then, then....

I had a cat.  Bucky.  In May of 2007 we found this little guy in our potting soil out back.  No mom around and no siblings.  Just this tiny little guy with his eyes barely open.  It was estimated that he was 10 to 14 days old.  We decided to take him in and foster him.

I had no idea what I was getting into.  Did you know kittens don't go to the bathroom on their own?  When mama cat is licking their bums, she's stimulating them to go.  I had to learn how to do that - no, I didn't lick him. I learned to simulate that with a little wad of charmin. 

Every two hours he ate.  And ate.  He had to come to work with me so I could feed him.

 And I sang after every feeding - You are my Buck-shine, my only Buck-shine.  You make me happy, when skies are grey.  You'll never know dear, how much I love you.  Please don't take my Buck-shine away".

The years past and this tiny little yellow cat turned into a robust big yellow fella.  We loved that cat.  He was trained on a leash so he could safely go outside.

 And he slept in the bed with us.

Then, suddenly, without warning, he had a heart attack on October 16 during the night.  We had no idea what was happening, only that he couldn't breath and he collapsed.  He started breathing again while we were looking for a 24 hour vet and seemed to be recovering.  The next day we went to our vet and she thought it was asthma.  She gave him steroids and antibiotics and we went home.  He didn't get better.  He stopped eating.  He lost weight.  On Monday, October 23 we took him back.  My sweet boy was in congestive heart failure.  It was time to say goodbye.

As he lay fading from consciousness, I began to sing - You are my Buck-shine.  My only Buck-shine... and I sobbed.

It's been a rough couple of weeks.  I've lost beloved pets before, but never have I felt the depth of sorrow this boy has left.  There is an actual energy void in our house.  We feel that he's not here.  My heart has been aching.

But life does go on.  We are trying to move forward without our boy, but God.  I miss him.

Summertime, and the Living is Easy...NOT!

Holy moly!!  Has it been more than a month since I was here?  It's just been that busy - I've been researching early retirement, like next year.  Well, that's not going to happen.  I don't qualify for Medicare for three more years and health insurance is untouchable without it or a job!  And so I decided they are stuck with me for three more years.

I've now moved into planning a business - something that will help get some bills paid off while I'm still working and will supplement the retirement income (AKA Social Security) after I stop working.  I am going to do workshops for Early Learning Professionals - but I had no idea how much went into planning, not only the workshops but the business it's self - wow!!

And now, getting back to summer.  Oh, haven't I been there yet?  Well, it's been a HOT one!!  I've never been one that enjoyed really hot days, but as I travel through those crazy menopausal days of personal heat coupled with the really hot days (I mean like 110 one day), it's been nasty!!

Now some of you from warmer climates might say, "oh that's not hot!  It's like that here every summer", need to understand I am a West Coast girl all the way!  I grew up in the temperate climates of Southern California - a beach community no less.  Our temperatures were almost always between 50 and 78 degrees,  depending on the season.  Then moving to Oregon, we have real seasons here by comparison, but the hot summer days are usually one three or four days all summer and, maybe, in the 90s.  This year we had five days in the triple digits that started with a week in the upper 90s and was followed by a week in the upper 90s.  And today there is rain.  Not so hot, but oh so humid.

And my poor ol' menopausal body is just not liking it....