Very Disturbing

At one of the care centers I visit, there was an old man who had been there a few weeks. He was always very rude to me. He told me he was a Russian Orthodox Catholic and that he wanted nothing to do with a Baptist. The story was that he had been living in a monastery but required much more physical care so he was taken to a nursing home. This man also was mentally ill. A week or so ago, on a Tuesday, he told me, "I just want you to die." Apparently I didn't react the way he expected. I said, "Oh, thank you! I'll just go to Heaven." His reply was "huh?" The next Sunday we were there for afternoon church service and he was in his bed with oxygen, apparently not recognizing anyone. For obvious reasons, I did not disturb him. When I went back on the next Tuesday, I learned that he had died. It disturbed me very much but I know there was no way I could have talked to him about the Lord. My only hope is that someone he respected reached out to him.

What Determines a Good Mother?

I'm not sure I was a good mother when my girls were growing up. For the first several years I had problems with an almost constant feeling of irritability and impatience. I yelled at my girls even when they probably weren't doing anything bad. I hated the way I felt. When the girls were about 8 and 10 (I think) I discovered B Complex, thanks to my sister. It contains all of the B vitamins, which nourish the nervous system. After about a week, I was a different person. Before that, I was irritable and mean all the time. I have wondered much about this rapid change but, after studying a few things, I decided that my body just didn't seem to absorb the B vitamins from the food I ate. I most certainly had a deficiency. Also, although this may have nothing to do with it, I had a reaction to the "saddle block" anesthesia I was given when my first child was born. My neck became extremely painful and stiff. I had a terrible headache and had to lie on my back for a couple of days in the hospital. My back hurt from the labor (I guess) and it hurt to lie on my back. I was on muscle relaxants for a couple of weeks and nursing my baby at the same time. Who knows what effect any of this had on my nervous system, or on the baby.

I still take B Complex (which contains numerous forms of vitamins) every day. I can tell within a few hours if I forgot to take it. I get irritable and grumpy. I have made my girls promise to make sure I get my daily B Complex if I have to be in a nursing home.

Other reasons I wonder if I was a good mother: I was never the hugger, smoochy, on my lap kind of mother and I regret that. I don't remember my Mom doing that but I never once thought she didn't love me. I never let my kids have what they whined or cried for. I didn't praise them for every little thing they did right. My girls were part of the family, not the center of it. I didn't do a good job of teaching them to be homemakers (hard when you're not good at it yourself). But I did encourage them to draw, read, write, and use their imagination, to look down when walking across the prairie, to see the bugs, flowers, and weeds.

One of my favorite quotes is when someone asked the elder President Bush (after he had been the head of the CIA, vice president, and president): What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment? He answered: "My children still come to visit me." That is my greatest accomplishment. My children still call me and visit me and show me respect I'm very proud of my daughters.

Does History Really Repeat Itself?

Does this sound familiar?

The Presidental campaign of 2008 was fought out in a country deep in the trough of depression. It is now the fashion of some economists and certain critics of the Obama plan to say that recovery was beginning in the summer of 2008. Certainly, by the fall of 2008 no one realized it. Mr. Bush (McCain) ran on a "do-nothing, let nature take its course" sort of platform. Mr. Obama was going to do something, but was not very specific about what he was going to do. He earned a reputation as a shrewd politician but there was nothing in his record as Senator from Illinois to warrant any general expectation that he would be a strong man in a crisis. He was clever enough to know that he did not have to commit himself, that the people were so determined to get Bush (McCain) out that his wisest course would be to avoid commitments which might offend his potential supporters. Minority candidates spoke to large audiences and did discuss real issues, but, the very audiences which applauded them made it clear that their set purpose was to eliminate Bush (McCain). This was done. Mr. Obama was elected by an immense popular and electoral college majority, but with less of a devoted following than some of his defeated Democratic predecessors.

Now change Bush (McCain) to Hoover, Obama to F. Roosevelt, 2008 to 1932, senator from Illinois to governor of New York, depression to recession.

The New Deal, Doctrines and Democracy, edited by Bernard Sternsher
Article: The New Deal in America, by Norman Thomas

I Was So Naive!

Listening to all the talk about swearing in our first black president tomorrow, I began thinking about my only black childhood friend. I was raised in a small town in Colorado where there were Caucasians, Hispanics and a few Japanese families. There was one boy whose mother was Hispanic and his father was black. In junior high, we would occasionally have school dances in the gym. I would get pretty shy when a boy asked me to dance. My brother-in-law asked me who I danced with. When I told him I danced with S.W., along with other boys, he teased me mercilessly. After graduation from high school I moved to a larger city where there was a black population. That was in the late '50s so many rights were not available to all. Then, and only then, did it dawn on me.... that my b-i-l was teasing me about S.W. because he was BLACK. I had always thought he was teasing me about him because he was a BOY! Even to this day, it is hard for me to fathom the reality that blacks were not allowed to vote during those days. Here in Colorado discrimination didn't seem to be so intense as in some places,(this coming from someone incredibly naive about such things at the time). In the 60's a group came in to encourage the blacks in one of our cities to protest at various businesses. They were told, by the local black leaders, to leave. The locals could work anywhere they wished, at all the major places of employment, etc. I am glad we have reached this point in history although I would prefer a more conservative person.

The Answers

1. An acre originally was the amount of land that could be plowed by a yoke of oxen in one day. By the time Henry VIII reigned, there was universal agreement that an acre should be 43,560 square feet.
2. A vaccination mark is scar tissue, in which the hair follicles are destroyed. You can trasplant hair to a vaccination mark if desired but you could never bring the dead follicle back to life.
3. The two Ms stand for Mars and Murrie, the head men at the candy factory in the early 1940s.
4. And yes, it is a mini sonic boom. Whips can reach a speed of more than 700 mph when snapped, breaking the sound barrier.

Some of you got some of it right, some didn't. :)

Some Interesting Questions?

1. Why is an acre 43,560 square feet?
2. Why can't hair grow on a vaccination mark?
3. What does M&M (as in the candy) stand for?
4. Why do whips make a cracking sound when snapped?

I hope for some interesting answers. I know the answers already so you can't fool me!

What Month is This?

:)I have very little to say right now. I am holiday weary and I didn't even go shopping, didn't cook any big dinners, didn't decorate my house, didn't participate in any cantatas, plays, etc. Every year after "the holidays", I feel I need to restart what few routines I have, get back on the proverbial road, and become a person again. I don't understand it but that happens every year. I almost forgot to pay my bills, which I always pay on the first of the month. I've lost track of the days off and on for a couple of weeks. See, I don't even need a lot of stress to get stressed!