I watched this short video and realized how incredibly lucky I was that my ovarian cancer was diagnosed and removed at such an early stage despite my ignorance of the symptoms. Many women are not so fortunate.
Please watch and share.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
Happy Birthday Martin Luther King!
My Grandson does not have school today because it is Martin Luther King's birthday so, he is spending the day with me. It's way to cold to be outside (5 degrees...I don't want to know what the wind chill factor is!) so we are having an indoors day with some cartoons, finishing a chapter book and making some chicken noodle soup.
I had just finished reading an article about Martin Luther King's crusade for the Civil Rights Movement and glanced up to a photo on my desk.
It's an old, faded photo of a young Asian woman with her young daughter taken in the 1950's. During that time, this young woman was struggling with life in an unfamiliar country without any family other than her little daughter and had been deserted by her husband.
I remembered a little story she once told me about the time when she was still pregnant with her daughter and living in Michigan. She decided to go and visit a friend that was living in Missouri and had to take a bus to get there. Language was a tremendous barrier for her but she immediately noticed that people of "color" were seated in the back of the bus and "white" people were seated in the front of the bus. She just stood there because she didn't know where she should sit.
She finally managed to ask the bus driver where she should sit. The bus driver scratched his head and she realized that he had no idea where to seat her either. Finally, he reached out and pulled down a small jump seat right next to him and indicated that she should sit there. What a bus trip that must have been!
I found the story fascinating because it tells of a time when such humiliating practices were "normal" and wondered how strange it must have been for her to try to understand this while trying to find a way to adapt to such strange customs in a even stranger country. Then again, that time in this country seems so surreal to me. Thank goodness for people like Martin Luther King.
Happy Birthday Dr King!
Mai
I had just finished reading an article about Martin Luther King's crusade for the Civil Rights Movement and glanced up to a photo on my desk.
I remembered a little story she once told me about the time when she was still pregnant with her daughter and living in Michigan. She decided to go and visit a friend that was living in Missouri and had to take a bus to get there. Language was a tremendous barrier for her but she immediately noticed that people of "color" were seated in the back of the bus and "white" people were seated in the front of the bus. She just stood there because she didn't know where she should sit.
She finally managed to ask the bus driver where she should sit. The bus driver scratched his head and she realized that he had no idea where to seat her either. Finally, he reached out and pulled down a small jump seat right next to him and indicated that she should sit there. What a bus trip that must have been!
I found the story fascinating because it tells of a time when such humiliating practices were "normal" and wondered how strange it must have been for her to try to understand this while trying to find a way to adapt to such strange customs in a even stranger country. Then again, that time in this country seems so surreal to me. Thank goodness for people like Martin Luther King.
Happy Birthday Dr King!
Mai
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Ice Skating
It's been a while since my last post...2012 was a challenging year and I have been spending most of my time "reorganizing" my daily life (with positive results I might add!).
I am still finding that there are some activities that are prohibitive though. Some of these activities are because I need a little more healing time but some are simply because I lack the skills and my body simply does not tolerate some of the potential consequences that could result from said activities...ice skating for example.
Drew has absolutely enjoyed joining the Cub Scouts. His Pack went on a tour of the courthouse last night and the pack ended the evening with ice skating at a skating rink nearby.
This was Drew's first ice skating experience. I have had a few experiences with ice skating. None of them ever hinted at any chance that I may have a talent in this arena. Never ever!
I am also still in "recovery mode" and the simple act of carrying groceries into the house will result in my body feeling like I have attempted to do 50 sit ups so I couldn't imagine what a fall on the ice (which is pretty much of a guarantee with my grace) would feel like afterwards.
Since his Mom had to work, a very good friend (thank you, thank you, thank you, Geoff!!!) took Drew to this event.
Ice skating seems to be another activity that comes to him rather naturally! He thoroughly enjoyed this new experience. Skates were put on and even with a few cartoon like moments of gaining his balance while hanging on to the rail, he pushed himself off and he was skating on the ice!
He also told me had several falls but this was not a deterrent. Landing on his rear end a few times never stopped him.
I watched a video of him that absolutely amazed me at how kids can seemingly "glide" through such challenges. Hmmm....perhaps they are more successful at this because they don't view it as a challenge whereas I would view it as a challenge.
Another life lesson from Drew...stop thinking of so many things in life as a "challenge".
Thanks Drew!
I am still finding that there are some activities that are prohibitive though. Some of these activities are because I need a little more healing time but some are simply because I lack the skills and my body simply does not tolerate some of the potential consequences that could result from said activities...ice skating for example.
Drew has absolutely enjoyed joining the Cub Scouts. His Pack went on a tour of the courthouse last night and the pack ended the evening with ice skating at a skating rink nearby.
This was Drew's first ice skating experience. I have had a few experiences with ice skating. None of them ever hinted at any chance that I may have a talent in this arena. Never ever!
I am also still in "recovery mode" and the simple act of carrying groceries into the house will result in my body feeling like I have attempted to do 50 sit ups so I couldn't imagine what a fall on the ice (which is pretty much of a guarantee with my grace) would feel like afterwards.
Since his Mom had to work, a very good friend (thank you, thank you, thank you, Geoff!!!) took Drew to this event.
Ice skating seems to be another activity that comes to him rather naturally! He thoroughly enjoyed this new experience. Skates were put on and even with a few cartoon like moments of gaining his balance while hanging on to the rail, he pushed himself off and he was skating on the ice!
He also told me had several falls but this was not a deterrent. Landing on his rear end a few times never stopped him.
I watched a video of him that absolutely amazed me at how kids can seemingly "glide" through such challenges. Hmmm....perhaps they are more successful at this because they don't view it as a challenge whereas I would view it as a challenge.
Another life lesson from Drew...stop thinking of so many things in life as a "challenge".
Thanks Drew!
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