By now, anyone who knows me well enough know I love to read books. Not just reading them with my eyes, I mean the whole "using-all-your-senses" type of reading experience.
I love the way the paper feels in my hand as I'm holding and reading the book. I'm partial to the thicker pages and pages with a certain texture to them. It gives them an older feel. Almost like the book has been around longer because it's been enjoyed again and again....almost like the book has been passed on from friend to friend. It just feels good like a worn pair of jeans.
I love the way a book smells! (Is that crazy??) I love getting a nose-full every time I go into a library. Now mind you, magazines and newspapers have their own appeal which I like but books.....they're in a league of their own!
I also like to read a book before going to see it on the big screen. Some people told me that it'll just open me up to disappointment from the movie but I disagree. I would want to see if the interpretation is the way I imagined it.
When my daughter was little, she would love to listen to me reading her the Little House books. There was just a way of describing that formed wonderful pictures in our heads. When we got to a really good part, I would pause and tell her that a good writer such as Laura Ingalls Wilder could make us close our eyes and imagine for a moment that we were on that prairie surrounded by the waving tall grasses and looking at the endless blue skies along with her. When her sister, Mary, was blind, Laura would be her set of eyes and describe things around them. How wonderful to have such a loving and descriptive sister like that?
So what does reading have to do with "Listening Is an Act of Love"?
I recently came across a book and that's what the title is. The tagline is "A Celebration of American Life from the Storycorps Project". www.storycorps.net I had never heard of the Storycorps Project so I was interested. It gave me such insight to ordinary people. Everyone has a remarkable story to tell. This project collects the stories of ordinary Americans and gives it a vehicle for sharing, laying down burdens, remembering and often a way of connecting with others. There are little booths that you go into and have a recording device. You make a reservation and then you can bring anyone you want and ask them an interviewing open question. They can be as easy as "Who was the most important person in your life?" to deeper ones like, "How would you like to be remembered?".
At the end of the interview, the tables are turned and the interviewer has a chance to tell what they've learned from the interviewee and what they mean to them.
This was such an eye-opening book for me because living in NYC, there are thousands of people I see everyday on the street, passing by going on the subway; even just in my neighborhood that I don't "know their story" and how important they are.
I devoured the book in 2 sittings. All of the stories are distilled from these interviews. I don't even know how the editors picked from the thousands they received. It would be such a hard job. After I put the book down, I realized....
The only person that knows all their stories to the minute details is God. He sees what they've been through; He knows their every thought; He knows their pain; He feels their sadness; He has always been there. He will always be there.
No one is "ordinary" to God. Everyone is special in His eyes.
"Not even a sparrow, worth only half a penny,can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are more valuable to Him than a whole flock of sparrows." (Matt 10 29-31).
It made me wonder how many of these people knew God and had a personal relationship with Him? The words of love that they had for their parents, siblings, and spouses.... do they feel the same way about their Heavenly Father?
The pain that they feel when their loved ones are gone.... do they know that He who loved us first also misses us when we miss our quiet time with Him?
Thank you, Lord, for listening lovingly to every word I've said to You since I've learned to pray. Please help me to remember You not only when I'm in need but also when in times of thanksgiving. Please help me to lift up others in Your Son's name. Please help me also to remember that everyone is precious in Your eyes and no one is ordinary.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
I Got the F-Bomb...but not what you think!
After years of making sure my kids are up to date with their immunizations and the such, I've decided to go have my own health checked out. Years of being "inactive" and snacking inappropriately (aka kiddie snacks, aka yummy snacks.... alright, aka junk food snacks ), I made an appointment with my PCP (Primary Care Provider... I don't know why they're called that. Maybe it's a result of insurance and all their jargon? Makes doctors seem so unperson-able even though they stick in the "Care" in PCP)
Anyway, my doctor thought my blood pressure was higher than it should be...see, I'm even avoiding saying the obvious of "I HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE!" But it is what it is. She sent me to a cardiologist for a treadmill test. Great. I only envision "old" people who have appointments with their cardiologist.
Sorry, seniors who are reading this...."Older" people are the ones who talk about "my (fill-in-the-blank) specialists". My gosh, I AM getting old.... Wait, I'm not getting old, I'm getting OLDER. I'm only at an unhealthy stage in my life. That sounds so much better!
I get to the cardiology office, I get a ultrasound of my carotid arteries and my heart and get hooked up to an EKG to be on while I'm on the treadmill. I'm already having visions of me running up this treadmill at a 45 degree incline at cheetah speed (or in my case, warthog speed?).
After it was over, I must say, it wasn't bad at all. I was on that thing for not even 10 minutes. They increased the incline a bit twice. I didn't even have to have a death grip on the treadmill rails for fear of shooting off the back of the machine! (How embarrassing would that be?)
I waited for the cardiologist to look at the results. He starts by saying that my pressure is not where he wants it to be and then he whips out the Rx pad. WHOA, NELLY!
"I don't want to be on meds", I blurt out.
He looks at me over his glasses, "Nobody wants to be on meds"
I don't want to sound like a whiny patient so I try the scientific medical reasoning with him.
"If you look over the health history page that I filled out, I have not been actively exercising, I have had bad eating habits, and you can also note that I don't have any history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, heart attack or any of that such on either sides of my family. I want a chance to redeem myself with a plan from you."
He closed my chart, sat back in his chair and gave me a grave statistic. "9 out of 10 patients tell me this and fail ."
"But Dr H, I'm motivated, I'm goal oriented, I'm a good patient. If I have a plan from you, I will do it! I promise. You'll see! I deserve a chance."
He sighs and counts off on his fingers. "30-40 minutes of walking everyday..."
"Regular walking? 30-40 minutes a day? I can definitely do that"
"No.... I meant POWER WALKING, " He swung his arms like he was jogging. OK, so that's what he meant.
"...And with the diet, mainly fruits, vegetables, and lean protein like chicken, turkey and fish. Cut down the sugars, fats and the such. You should not be drinking anything with sugar in it. No sodas or juices. Healthy clear soups or water."
My gosh, he sounds so serious. So cardiologist-sounding!
"Well, what about the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet....?" I asked hopefully.
"No, not good for longterm." He said firmly.
"No Atkins, no South Beach....So I'll be on the F-diet, right?" I asked. He looked puzzled.
I explained, "You know, the 'Feathers, Fins, Fruits and Feggies' diet?"
He finally cracked a smile, "Yes, exactly. I'll see you in 4 weeks." Then he winks,"...No, let me see you in 6 weeks. I'll give you an extra 2 weeks for professional courtesy and a rousing argument against meds!"
On the way home, I stopped by the supermarket and loaded up on my F-diet foods.
We'll see how well this goes. But let me say again, I'm motivated, I'm goal-oriented, I'm a good patient and now I have a plan! 6 weeks, here it goes!
Anyway, my doctor thought my blood pressure was higher than it should be...see, I'm even avoiding saying the obvious of "I HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE!" But it is what it is. She sent me to a cardiologist for a treadmill test. Great. I only envision "old" people who have appointments with their cardiologist.
Sorry, seniors who are reading this...."Older" people are the ones who talk about "my (fill-in-the-blank) specialists". My gosh, I AM getting old.... Wait, I'm not getting old, I'm getting OLDER. I'm only at an unhealthy stage in my life. That sounds so much better!
I get to the cardiology office, I get a ultrasound of my carotid arteries and my heart and get hooked up to an EKG to be on while I'm on the treadmill. I'm already having visions of me running up this treadmill at a 45 degree incline at cheetah speed (or in my case, warthog speed?).
After it was over, I must say, it wasn't bad at all. I was on that thing for not even 10 minutes. They increased the incline a bit twice. I didn't even have to have a death grip on the treadmill rails for fear of shooting off the back of the machine! (How embarrassing would that be?)
I waited for the cardiologist to look at the results. He starts by saying that my pressure is not where he wants it to be and then he whips out the Rx pad. WHOA, NELLY!
"I don't want to be on meds", I blurt out.
He looks at me over his glasses, "Nobody wants to be on meds"
I don't want to sound like a whiny patient so I try the scientific medical reasoning with him.
"If you look over the health history page that I filled out, I have not been actively exercising, I have had bad eating habits, and you can also note that I don't have any history of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, heart attack or any of that such on either sides of my family. I want a chance to redeem myself with a plan from you."
He closed my chart, sat back in his chair and gave me a grave statistic. "9 out of 10 patients tell me this and fail ."
"But Dr H, I'm motivated, I'm goal oriented, I'm a good patient. If I have a plan from you, I will do it! I promise. You'll see! I deserve a chance."
He sighs and counts off on his fingers. "30-40 minutes of walking everyday..."
"Regular walking? 30-40 minutes a day? I can definitely do that"
"No.... I meant POWER WALKING, " He swung his arms like he was jogging. OK, so that's what he meant.
"...And with the diet, mainly fruits, vegetables, and lean protein like chicken, turkey and fish. Cut down the sugars, fats and the such. You should not be drinking anything with sugar in it. No sodas or juices. Healthy clear soups or water."
My gosh, he sounds so serious. So cardiologist-sounding!
"Well, what about the Atkins Diet, the South Beach Diet....?" I asked hopefully.
"No, not good for longterm." He said firmly.
"No Atkins, no South Beach....So I'll be on the F-diet, right?" I asked. He looked puzzled.
I explained, "You know, the 'Feathers, Fins, Fruits and Feggies' diet?"
He finally cracked a smile, "Yes, exactly. I'll see you in 4 weeks." Then he winks,"...No, let me see you in 6 weeks. I'll give you an extra 2 weeks for professional courtesy and a rousing argument against meds!"
On the way home, I stopped by the supermarket and loaded up on my F-diet foods.
We'll see how well this goes. But let me say again, I'm motivated, I'm goal-oriented, I'm a good patient and now I have a plan! 6 weeks, here it goes!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Let's get cozy with Cozi!
After a few days of using the Cozi Calendar www.cozi.com with high hopes.... It's not going as smoothly as I anticipated. I thought it would all go like clockwork. No more nagging people to do things, no more trying to remember what people have to do on different days, no more forgetting to put things on the shopping list, etc...
I'm mainly trying to get the family schedule in control right now. I'm also trying to get everyone used to their own "To Do" list. Putting the family schedule on the calendar is a no brainer. It took a good 1/2 hr to get everything from the manual calendar transferred. It's also great that I can put on anniversaries, birthdays, and the such once and it'll give me a reminder every year. That, I like. Automation!
With the list of things to do, that's a question of compliance! Hmmm...I had told my kids to check the Cozi Calendar after they finish homework. There is a separate "To Do" list for everyone in the family. I put down stuff for them to do like "do your own laundry", or "clean hamster cage". This is how it goes down...
-Did you guys finish homework?
-Almost.
-OK, well, crack-a-lack on it. Check the Cozi Calendar for your list of things to do afterwards. Not too much hee-hawing around, alright?
-Check the what?!
-The Cozi!, the Cozi Calendar! The thing I told you guys about...the family calendar I set up on the computer!
-Oh, that!
I'm looking forward to it replacing the manual calendar of my scribbles and cross-outs in each small square for the days. I will look to write something down and see that someone has scrawled across the entire square "CLASS TRIP!! BRING LUNCH!" I guess it was really important for whoever wrote it and for me to see it but, come on, leave some room for the rest of us to write stuff. The only thing missing from that "class trip" note was neon lights and sound effects.
I'm looking forward to that sweet peaceful day when I'm sitting in my favorite sofa, reading a book and sipping a mug of hot lemon tea knowing that my hectic scheduling has been reduced to a few click click clicks on the computer.And somehow, everyone in the family speaks with British accents all of a sudden!
-Mother, when is my school trip? (instead of: "Mommy! I forgot when my school trip is! When is it??")
-Check the Cozi, dear. (instead of: "School trip? Did I even sign the permission slip? I don't remember!")
-Of course, apologies, Mother, my mistake. (instead of " Mommy! You're supposed to keep track of these things!")
We'll see how this goes...
I'm mainly trying to get the family schedule in control right now. I'm also trying to get everyone used to their own "To Do" list. Putting the family schedule on the calendar is a no brainer. It took a good 1/2 hr to get everything from the manual calendar transferred. It's also great that I can put on anniversaries, birthdays, and the such once and it'll give me a reminder every year. That, I like. Automation!
With the list of things to do, that's a question of compliance! Hmmm...I had told my kids to check the Cozi Calendar after they finish homework. There is a separate "To Do" list for everyone in the family. I put down stuff for them to do like "do your own laundry", or "clean hamster cage". This is how it goes down...
-Did you guys finish homework?
-Almost.
-OK, well, crack-a-lack on it. Check the Cozi Calendar for your list of things to do afterwards. Not too much hee-hawing around, alright?
-Check the what?!
-The Cozi!, the Cozi Calendar! The thing I told you guys about...the family calendar I set up on the computer!
-Oh, that!
I'm looking forward to it replacing the manual calendar of my scribbles and cross-outs in each small square for the days. I will look to write something down and see that someone has scrawled across the entire square "CLASS TRIP!! BRING LUNCH!" I guess it was really important for whoever wrote it and for me to see it but, come on, leave some room for the rest of us to write stuff. The only thing missing from that "class trip" note was neon lights and sound effects.
I'm looking forward to that sweet peaceful day when I'm sitting in my favorite sofa, reading a book and sipping a mug of hot lemon tea knowing that my hectic scheduling has been reduced to a few click click clicks on the computer.And somehow, everyone in the family speaks with British accents all of a sudden!
-Mother, when is my school trip? (instead of: "Mommy! I forgot when my school trip is! When is it??")
-Check the Cozi, dear. (instead of: "School trip? Did I even sign the permission slip? I don't remember!")
-Of course, apologies, Mother, my mistake. (instead of " Mommy! You're supposed to keep track of these things!")
We'll see how this goes...
Friday, November 4, 2011
How fitting that I start blogging on the day that I set up my Cozi family calendar online!
I've gotten to the point in my life where it's all confusion for the most part that is left up to me to figure out.
I remember the "good ole' days" when it was just me and all I had to worry about was when my next exam was coming up and when my best friend's birthday was.
This blog is dedicated to my life....as a Christian, living the Christ-centered life; as a dentist, loving it; and as a mom of 2, gotta laugh about it!
Hence my blog name which didn't take all that long to think up. Christian Dental Mama aka Live, Love, Laugh.
It's also the reason I had to finally have a Cozi family calendar.
I've gotten to the point in my life where it's all confusion for the most part that is left up to me to figure out.
I remember the "good ole' days" when it was just me and all I had to worry about was when my next exam was coming up and when my best friend's birthday was.
This blog is dedicated to my life....as a Christian, living the Christ-centered life; as a dentist, loving it; and as a mom of 2, gotta laugh about it!
Hence my blog name which didn't take all that long to think up. Christian Dental Mama aka Live, Love, Laugh.
It's also the reason I had to finally have a Cozi family calendar.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)