I had my annual wellness visit with my doctor last week. I guess they don’t call it a “physical” anymore because it’s not just about checking physical health. There’s a mental and emotional health component as well. They’re all related, of course, so some of the questions on the form I had to fill out asked if – and how often – I’ve felt sad or depressed in the last four weeks, and how many days, if any, I had trouble falling asleep or getting [...]
I’ve learned a number of things since my husband had a heart attack two weeks ago. Among them are how many steps it takes to circle our house, where to find tofu in the grocery store, and how quickly you can get used to something when your life depends on it. Actually, I already knew that last one, since I had to make a number of dietary and lifestyle changes years ago when I sustained severe heart damage from chemotherapy. Until then, I never thought [...]
“You should get some good stories and blog posts out of this,” my husband said. He was right. And the reason he made that comment is the same reason I didn’t get a blog post out at all last weekend. Last Saturday morning, my husband had a heart attack. He was at the health club working out, when he felt a tightness in his chest. Nothing serious, he thought. The kind of thing that happens every once in a while, for any number of reasons. [...]
One of my fond childhood memories is working on jigsaw puzzles. We’d set up the card table in the living room, and work on the puzzle whenever we had a chance. As the puzzle got close to completion, my sisters and I were in the habit of taking and hiding one of the pieces, because we each wanted to be the one to put in the last piece. I don’t remember what negotiations were involved in bringing out the missing pieces, but we always got [...]
I was doing housework in my sleep last night. Not doing it, exactly, but dreaming about it. Apparently, we were having company, and in my dream I had just finished vacuuming, and cleaning the mirrors and windows, and was in the process of sweeping the floor. Thankfully, I woke up before I had to scrub the toilets. I don’t recall ever dreaming about doing housework before, and whenever I wake up remembering a dream vividly, I like to try to figure out what in my [...]
My message this week is a simple, but universal one. I wish for you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season. I hope you find the peace and comfort we dream of and sing about in our hymns and carols at this time of year. I pray that you stay safe and healthy as you enjoy whatever festivities and celebrations you take part in with family or friends. And I hope you find the New Year to be one of promise and possibilities, with [...]
I had another blog post written and ready to go, but I had a change of heart after watching all the news about the devastating tornadoes that wreaked havoc throughout the Midwest over the weekend. It didn’t feel right to post a light-hearted, holiday-themed message when there are so many people who lost their homes, their businesses, or their lives in these unprecedented storms. As someone who grew up in a “Tornado Alley,” and has been in the direct path of a tornado on several [...]
We’re apparently developing a new Thanksgiving tradition, although it’s not one of our own choosing. Our power went out yesterday, just as it did last year on Thanksgiving Day. On that day, it happened early in the morning, and didn’t disrupt our plans too badly. Because of COVID, it was the first year ever that my husband and I were spending Thanksgiving at home, with just the two of us. I still wanted to have a traditional dinner, so we cooked a turkey – a [...]
I don’t know where or when he heard it and got it stuck in his head, but my husband was singing and humming a line from an old Irving Berlin song all weekend. The line is, “And you’ll fall asleep counting your blessings.” With Thanksgiving just a few days away, ‘tis the season for counting our blessings. Which we should do all year long – and many of us do, of course – but it’s more on our minds, and talked about out in the [...]