A Book in a Jar

A couple of years ago I was really worried about losing my memory. Then I started taking vitamins after reading a comment by Sharon K. Mayhew who was thinking about the possibility of vitamin deficiency. It turns out that doctors have become very serious about testing vitamin levels in their patients' blood tests so they can give them supplements if needed. My doctor specifically prescribed Vitamin B-12 for me. She was worried that my levels were too low. She is given instructions to make sure all of her senior patients (above 55) are tested and then treated if they need supplements. I hope that all of her patients are as lucky as I am. I have developed a liking to reading as if I have just learned to read. A couple of years ago, I could read magazines and small articles but when it came to fiction I would not remember the first chapter after finishing it and I was not able to follow through when I started the second chapter. I would be lost and feel so devastated that I would just put the book down. I was confused because English Literature was my favorite subject. All through my college life I would not go to bed without reading and sometimes I would get lost in reading a book and forget about dinner even. So when I was not able to concentrate I was getting irritable and feeling helpless. Now that I am able to enjoy a book, I feel like sharing my joy with everyone. Some people say that instead of making resolutions for the New Year, they take a jar and put in the jar every nice thing that they have achieved. This year I finished a book in five days. 

                                           

Happy New Year

Best wishes for the New Year and the years to come. 

The best New Year's Resolution I came across is to take care of one's health and make sure that their family is healthy and happy. All my life I have made New Year's resolutions only to forget about them after a month. I am not going to make any resolutions because it is hard work to keep a check on them. Instead I will check mark the things that I finished doing and feel good that I got something done. When it comes to weight I will not worry about the numbers, instead I will just eat right and go for walks. 

I hope that the new year is full of good things from the beginning to the last day. I may sound as naive as a child but is there anything better than hoping for the best? Let us think about the ways we can have peace and aim at making this world a peaceful place. I don't know how I can reach people in far off places to talk about peace, but I can do my share by doing small things in my own way.

I wish everyone a safe and happy New Year. I pray that everyone gets (and gives) a gift of kindness and understanding in every situation. I hope that everyone is in good health. Amein.

My Favorite Christmas Memory

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 My favorite year was 2008 when on Christmas day my husband came home from the hospital after open heart surgery  (a quadruple bi- pass surgery). His surgery took place on the eighteenth of December. It was a six and a half hour long surgery when they had to stop his heart and use a heart - lung machine so they could work on his heart. I remember that very well, when I kind of collapsed with happiness when the social worker told us my husband is safe and is in the critical care unit. When I saw the surgeon later that evening I did not have enough words to thank him. That week we were going crazy making back and forth trips to the hospital as his recovery was taking longer than expected. There were days when we would be happy with our three year old grandson wishing everyone Merry Christmas and there were days when we were worried about my husband's heart rate and his other numbers. Even on Christmas Eve we were not certain as to when he would be coming home. Then finally on Christmas day the doctor gave an OK for my husband to come home. That morning our home was not as clean as I would have liked it to be and I did not have a lot of fancy food, but our home had our whole family. My husband, my two sons, my daughter, my daughter in law and my grandson were all on the table eating whatever was there. Simple healthy food. That year is still in my memory. We will always be grateful to God.

Pray for School Children

It does not seem very long time ago when poverty was the only hardship children had to face to get education. I guess we can say that children whose parents could make just enough money to provide food and shelter and maybe a couple of outfits would get devastated if their children wanted to go to school and they could not pay the fee. I remember my own parents giving up their hobbies and things they liked to make sure we were able to go to school. I also remember my brother and I sharing a case of color pencils and a compass box. Today most of the countries of the world are rich enough to provide free education, and thanks to global generosity children can afford proper supplies for school.  Yet children are suffering more than their share of hardships. Some have actually lost their lives simply because they happen to be in school. Some will suffer from  PTSD for a major portion of their lives. Two years ago on the fourteenth of December was the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary school and this morning we heard the horrible news of the attack on a school in Pakistan.  Some of us have children and grandchildren who go to elementary school. Some of us have children who go to college even. 

This Holiday season let us all pray that our young ones stay safe anywhere they happen to be. 

  

Thanksgiving Prayer

                                                                     

  I feel kind of funny writing a post about Thanksgiving Prayers while it is snowing outside the window like it is January already. It has snowed in November quite a few times in the past, but for some reason I feel that we have been robbed off of Autumn. It could be because the mall managers have decided to let Santa Claus come in the week after Halloween or it could be because we have started seeing Holiday ads on the television . Actually a lot of decor items from October colors have been marked down to clearance prices. So it is not that expensive to set the table for Thanksgiving. I guess I do not have any reason for complaining about time rushing us and making us edgy. I simply wish that we start being a little less fussy about holidays anyway. I remember going all out and shopping until the last minute to make sure that I had every single detail taken care of. I feel that I should not  have to do that any more. My husband thinks that if I feel this way I should be the one to talk and let my family members (and friends) know that I am going to resort to just one entree( or two)  and one desert and maybe salad and other vegetables. Sure, people might snicker and gossip but if we care about each other it is best to make it simple for everyone. This is one of my prayers. Simplicity and care. Why wait until we become frail. This way the transition into senior life will be a little easy.

 I am also praying that my family, my friends, my blogger friends and my neighbors stay happy and healthy. I am thankful that I get to read wonderful blog posts while I am hardly writing. I may not have commented a lot but I do enjoy the funnies and appreciate fine writing. I am thankful that people read my posts and I do welcome and thank new readers and new writers.  

I am also praying that everyone else around the world get to improve their lives  and have hope and love. Amen. 

Wrong Message

" I am - - - - - (such and such person) and I approve this message" .  I think almost everyone of us have heard this line at least a dozen times while watching the television or even listening to our radios in our cars. "Taking part in politics is a dirty game," they say but it would be much more appropriate to say that it is more like a game of immature high school kids.  Why else would they make a list of negative qualities of their opponents and start making fun of them. All through the years that I have been a citizen of America and have been thrilled to use my right to vote, I have ignored this side of politicians, giving them a benefit of doubt that they do not mean any harm. However, this year I am feeling disgusted by a negative message from a candidate who is a mother, a doctor and a leader. She may not have written the message herself, but she certainly did not double check the message written by someone else. She is just using the message very carelessly. Why am I so upset? The campaign ad is making fun of the opponent's last name. Just because his last name rhymes with the word "Phony or Baloney" it does not mean that he is a bad candidate. Besides making fun of the last name is very childish. Like my daughter says we do not have any control on our last names.

I just happen to know someone whose son was teased for having the same last name that rhymed with the words phony and baloney. I had told the dad not to worry because as people get older they do not make fun of others. I think that I am upset that I did not know better.

Attention Span?

Working as a vendor auditor had been an easy job, as my mind used to be focused only on one task at a time. Check the numbers, match them up with the system then pass or fail the audit. Customer service however is a different story. Listen to the problem like it is your own then check with the manager and while waiting for the answer, keep the customer entertained. I still send blessings to my teachers who taught us good business manners during field trips to different shops to get extra credits in business school. So it became my habit to train new people to be the best they can be.
 A lot of people wonder as to why they should do their best when they don't get even a smile from cashiers when they shop. I guess when discount stores offer us savings we go there in spite of not getting a smile. However I still did not get used to the carousel of bags that rotates as the cashier puts the merchandise in them. We are supposed to pick them and put them in our carts. I am used to handing the bag to the customer therefore I expect the same courtesy. My husband must have explained this to me several times that not every store is the same. I think that I will have to come up with a mantra to remember not to leave a bag of merchandise (that I payed for) in the carousel. I am not upset about the money but I am upset that I have to focus on the carousel only. I wish that just once, the cashier would look through and ask if I took every bag from the carousel. I know that I could just tweet about my complaint but I did not think that it was enough. I had to write a blog post.