That Feeling

Last Saturday I went with some ladies from my church to a seniors’ facility.  We sat with the residents and made simple Christmas ornaments for them to hang on their doors.

The woman who sat next to me was a little reluctant at first, until we were introduced and she learned who my husband was (he’d helped her with her computer a few years ago) and that I was Kathryn With A Why.  And I was surprised to learn that she is the mother of one of my church friends.  Anyway, we hit it off and enjoyed figuring out the instructions for making the ornament together.

As we worked, we talked.  She told me some of her history – how she met her husband on the coast when he was in the Navy, and how she lived in a one-room house when she first moved to Alberta.  When we were done making the ornament, I went to her room to help with some computer problems she was having.  I updated her browser and she showed me the Il Divo music videos that she enjoyed watching on YouTube.

When it was time to go, I gave her a hug and asked if I could come back and visit sometime, maybe bring my kids.  She seemed happy about that, so that’s what I’ll do.  I think we’ve just adopted a new Grandma in town!

The neat thing is, when I started out that morning, I had planned to do good for others.  I didn’t realize I would go home with that feeling – like my heart was going to burst with joy.  I’ve had that feeling many times, but each time it’s a wonderful surprise, though it shouldn’t be.  It’s that feeling God always gives His children when they show love for each other – at Christmastime and all year long.

I wonder how many other seniors would appreciate a visit.

The Corn Invasion

Don’t worry about aliens or foreigners.  The real invaders are already here.  Corn products.  They’re everywhere!  Hiding, maybe even hurting.

I didn’t realize this until a few months ago when I ate two yummy cobs of corn.  Almost immediately the roof of my mouth felt bumpy and my tongue hurt.  After an hour or two it went away, but it left me wondering if I was allergic to corn.  Sure enough, a consultation with a Naturopath revealed that I was highly intolerant to corn (as well as a few other things).

It was easy to avoid corn on the cob, cornflakes, and cornbread, but when I started paying closer attention to the ingredients in packaged items, I realized it was a lot harder than that.  Corn is in everything!  Well, not quite everything, but a lot.

There’s corn flour, corn starch, modified corn starch, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, and dextrose (which is sugar usually made from corn) to name a few.  It’s in canned soup, taco seasoning, and breakfast cereal (including oat and rice varieties).  I even checked the ingredients on a bag of sticky rice the other day:  rice, corn syrup.  I couldn’t believe it!

When we use too much of something (even good things) we can develop intolerances to it.  I wonder if we’re headed that way with corn products.

Lots of people are out to make the big bucks.  This often means sacrificing quality for quantity.  Why not use cheap fillers, like corn, especially when they can be passed off as natural foods? 

It’s one more reason to try harder to do what we should be doing anyway:  eating a variety of foods as close to their natural state as possible.  Good for the waistline, good for the wallet.

Choose the Right

Remembrance Day approaches and once again we take time to show our appreciation for those who fought the evil regimes which threatened to destroy our freedom.  We won!  We’re free!  And we’re grateful.

At least we should be.  The freedom they purchased with their lives enables us to make choices.  Every day.  We’re free to vote, free to complain, free to go to school, free to choose our employment, free to attend church, free to write things that anger others.

As we’re reminded often, we all have the right to make our own choices.  But the bigger question is:  Are we making the right choices?  What are we doing with the freedom we’ve been given?

What constitutes a “right choice” will depend on the person making the choice and his or her circumstances, but we would do well to remember this time-honoured truth:  Every choice has a consequence.

Consequences can be good or bad, immediate or delayed, minor or catastrophic.  They can affect one person or millions.  They can be easily foreseen or a surprise.  But while we are free to make choices, we are not free to choose the consequences of those choices.  I can choose to stay up ‘til 1:00 a.m. reading, but I can’t escape the possible consequence of being tired the next morning.

Thus, instead of telling each other repeatedly that we have the “right to choose”, wouldn’t it be better to help each other “choose the right”?

How can we know what is a right choice?  We read.  We think.  We pray.  We discuss our options with those who care about us.  We make pros and cons lists.  We study history and the experiences of others.  Then we weigh the information carefully and follow our hearts and consciences.

And we remember that, like those who chose to fight for our freedom, the best choices aren’t always the easy ones.

Sweet Nothings

Oh goody, it’s that time of year again:  the day we celebrate evil and high blood sugar.

Every year I scratch my head and wonder why people find the day appealing.  My husband says it promotes community spirit.  I hope so.  I can see the fun of dressing up and pretending, but I can’t believe people actually buy blood-spattered chainsaws and horrific masks in the name of good clean fun or community spirit.

Then there’s the sugar.  Studies have shown that refined sugar suppresses the immune system and can make us more susceptible to colds and flu.  Of course, other studies have supposedly disproven this.  All I know is that Halloween seems to be a great kick-off to flu season and my kids are more likely to get sick when they’ve been sitting in piles of mini chocolate bars, lollipops, and bubble gum.

I used to encourage my children to make their Halloween candy last until Christmas – or longer – thinking that a little sugar each day wouldn’t be so bad.  I’ve changed my mind.  Maybe I’m a sucker but I’d rather have them binge on Halloween night, throw up if necessary, and be done with it.  One heavy night for the pancreas and then back to normal.

Then there’s the hyperactivity – another theory that has been poo-hooed and discarded.  Maybe I should see if those discrediting scientists want to babysit my kids the day after Halloween.

Sorry.  I wasn’t planning to treat you to a sour anti-Halloween tirade but I guess it’s a day that brings out the best in me (and so many others).

I actually planned to enjoy Halloween this year – even started putting together costumes back in August.  But try as I might, I can’t sugar-coat it.  There’s pretty much nothing I find sweet about Halloween.

Too Much Info

At first I thought the trend to put decals representing family members on rear vehicle windows was a cute idea.  But when I considered buying some for myself, I realized it was a bad idea.  Why would I want strangers to know how many family members, including pets, rode in my vehicle or lived in my home?

Consider the following:

Someone sees your vehicle with 6 stickers on the back:  mom and dad, 2 boys, 1 girl, and a dog.  He follows you home and learns where you live.  Later, he watches from a safe distance while a teenage girl rings your doorbell.  A few minutes later, mom, dad, 2 boys, and a dog leave.  Now Mr. Rapist knows only a babysitter and your daughter are home.  Too much info.

Someone sees your vehicle with 3 stickers on the back:  mom and dad, and 1 boy.  He follows you home and learns that you have a big house, two vehicles, and an RV.  He realizes that a wealthy family with one child is more likely to have expensive furniture and electronics inside.  So Mr. Burglar waits for mom, dad, and son to leave the house then strikes.  Too much info.

Someone sees your vehicle with 5 stickers on the back:  mom, 3 girls, and a cat.  He follows single mom into the grocery store and strikes up a conversation with her in the kitty litter aisle.  Before long Mr. Pedophile is dating mom and knows he’ll soon have access to 3 daughters.  Too much info.

It turns out those cute stickers that display our family pride are a security risk.  They simply give out too much information.  Maybe I’m being paranoid but if I ever buy them, it’ll be 5 men and 12 dogs that never leave the house.

Write, Read, and Remember

As I helped my daughter sort through her “special box”, I noticed there was a fancy journal she had started but decided not to continue because she had messed up a page and thought it was too ugly to keep.

I tried to convince her that diaries didn’t have to be neat.  In fact, sometimes the messy writing, scribbled diagrams, or tear stains are part of their charm.  She didn’t believe me, so I went to my cedar chest and dug out my box of old journals.  My children gathered around as I lifted these treasures out one by one.  I carefully opened the pages and showed them what my printing (starting at age 7), then cursive, looked like.  I pointed out mistakes and misspelled words.  They were enthralled and convinced that perfection is not the point of keeping a personal record.

What is the point of keeping a journal?  To remember special moments, learn from past mistakes, relate to youngsters, and resolve family disputes.  But most of all, to leave a record of your life so your children and grandchildren can know you.

When email came on the scene, I noticed my journal entries decreased.  Instead of spending a half hour on Sunday afternoons to write, I found myself typing emails to my family and friends instead.  But then I got smart and printed off these emails to put in a binder journal.

Then came Facebook.  I recently realized that precious information about who I am in 2012 while my children are young is being sent into cyber-wherever-ness instead of being preserved in something tangible.

So I bought a pretty spiral notebook and began to copy my status updates into it.  I add extra personal information as needed – et voila! – I’ve got another valuable record that I can read, remember, and share with future generations.

Now Is The Time

This past week marked two years since my mom was hit by a car while crossing a street in Lethbridge.  Yes, she waited for the light to turn green and she was in a crosswalk; nevertheless, a car ran straight into her.

She doesn’t remember much except lying on the ground for a long time while emergency workers assessed her injuries.  She required surgery to set a broken leg with metal plates and pins.

That wasn’t a phone call I was expecting.  Fortunately, by the time I was notified, the news “Mom was hit by a car” was followed with “but she’s alive and came through surgery okay.”

Times like this make me refocus.  What’s most important to me?  My relationships.  Does my behaviour reflect this?  Am I quick to apologize, to forgive, to spend time, to say “I love you”?  Sometimes when those phone calls come, it’s too late to go back and change things.  Now is the time.

As for driving, let’s slow down, shoulder check, put away the cell phone, and invest in sunglasses.  And pedestrians, even when you have the right of way, make sure the cars around you are stopping before you cross.  Make eye-contact with drivers to ensure they’ve seen you.

My mom endured painful physiotherapy, did her exercises faithfully, limped around on crutches for awhile, and her leg healed.  But the strain on her knee took its toll and a few months later she required knee replacement surgery and more rehabilitation.  Now she’s up and about, but the accident caused permanent nerve damage and she’ll never be the same.

Still, when I think of how that phone call two years ago could have gone, I am thankful my mom is still with us.  Who are you thankful for?  Now is the time to tell them.