Tag Archives: rebuild your life

Tender is the Night

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“The human heart feels things the eyes cannot see, and knows what the mind can not understand.” ~ Robert Valett

Tender is the night for tiny, premature babies and those who carefully and delicately nurse them through to another day.  I know all about that, firsthand. 

Premiering this week on Discovery Channel at 10 PM (ET/PT) is a 10-episode docu-drama series that visits behind the scenes of leading neo-natal intensive care units in Baltimore, San Diego and Cleveland. The Discovery Channel’s show NICU Diaries http://health.discovery.com/tv/nicu/   follows the lives of real families as they experience the rollercoaster than comes with giving birth to a premature baby. Watch doctors and nurses, as they work around the clock to serve the needs of their newborn, fragile patients. 

Without these dedicated professionals, neo-natal nurses and doctors, so many children’s lives would be lost and the dreams of parents seeing their child grow into adulthood could not be fulfilled. 

I am so grateful and appreciative of the extraordinary care that was given to me as a newborn many, many years ago, at a time when NICU units, as they are known today, were primitive at best. And for the blessings of God, without which I could never have survived. 

P.S. I am hoping to see my niece at work as a NICU nurse, in this upcoming docu-drama series! She works in the San Diego hospital featured. Thanks, E!! for dedicating your talents and expertise to the lives of teeny, tiny tots!

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Weekend Indie Publishing News

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Looking to submit your manuscript to book award contests this summer? Poets and Writers Magazine www.pw.org has put together a calendar of contests for all months of the year. To keep informed, please visit http://www.pw.org/submission_calendar/2010/7/all.

 Submit your independent short film into a contest! Submissions are now being accepted for the 4th International Indie Short Film Competition. All submissions must be received by November 15, 2010. This is an on-line short film and short script competition. The ISFC is looking to identify a new generation of talented filmmakers and screenwriters and to create exciting opportunities for outstanding talent. For more information on this contest, please visit http://www.indieshortfilms.net.

Winning awards adds value to your work, and creditability to you as writer, screenwriter or filmmaker. Don’t miss out on these opportunities and more! There are lots of contests and competitions to be found, hunt them down!

Wipe It Out!

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In faith and hope the world will disagree, but all mankind’s concern is charity.” ~ Alexander the Great 

 Last month at the 2010 Kiwanis International Convention, a historic decision was made to partner with UNICEF in an effort to eliminate all neonatal and maternal tetanus (MNT) around the world.

The $110 million dollar effort has it’s sites set on reaching it’s goals by the year 2015. The project will utilize 600,000 Kiwanis volunteers to help raise resources and awareness about MNT. This project helps in fulfilling the mission statement of Kiwanis International by “changing the world, one child and one community at a time.”  

 The first initiative to wipe out tetanus began in 1989. Kiwanis International contends that in this new century, no child or mother should have to suffer the devastating effects of MNT. This highly fatal disease is preventable.The partnership between Kiwanis and UNICEF will have the power to reach the 40 remaining countries where the disease is still a risk. 

I am proud to be a Kiwaniian! This is a very important project aimed at providing critical health services to some of the world’s most neediest countries. For more information on this important service organization, visit www.kiwanis.org.

  

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Journalistically Speaking

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“I like putting my thoughts out there. Sometimes it is just a relief to get things out.” ~ Sarah Whitfield

Have you ever used a personal shopper? I haven’t, I am a good decision maker and I like to be in control of my own destiny! Besides, I know all that I like and all that I don’t like – usually.

The other day, I began browsing the shelves for a new journal. It’s time, my other one is filled with oh so brilliant ideas! But, gone are the days when a simple diary, with lock and key, will do!  Before I even start my search, I had better decide what kind of journal toting person I am!

First, I need to decide whether it will be leather(english bridle, croc, italian, suede), hand-tooled, silk covered, canvas for the rough and tough, hardbound, envelope wrap, softbound, lockable, a zero carbon notebook, a mini or a maxi or somewhere in between!

Secondly, how about the paper inside it? Lined, blank, recycled, tibetan paper, rice paper, replaceable/refillable, handmade, colored, white?

Not to be esthetically incorrect,I had better match my genre of writing style with my choice of journal style. Shouldn’t a person who writes about cowboy adventures carry real leather? Someone who writes about the arts certainly does not want to tote anything too serious and business like – what would people think?

Next, what are my reasons for keeping a journal? To capture my life story? Enhance my creativity? Help me focus? Gain better organizational skills, help me get in touch with my feelings? Reduce stress? Improve my health?

Not any old journal will do – I had better think long and hard. My choice  could effect the way I am able to come up with so many of those oh so brilliant thoughts! I don’t know, I don’t know!  Shopping for a journal these days is enough to drive you mad! It could consume a whole day! This whole process of selecting a journal has me in a tizzy! I think I will, for the first time ever, call on a personal shopper – perhaps she can tell me what to write too!

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Meaningful Morning Menu

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“All people should spend one third of their time in recreation which is rebuilding, voluntary activity, never idleness” ~ Brigham Young

Morning is my cup of tea! As far as I am concerned, it is the most fulfilling time of day. My energy is at it’s peak, and before the world even begins to stir, I walk and ponder.

What glory nature provides in the dawn’s early light. The grass glistens with dew, the wildflowers stand at attention, birds cry out their excitement, the sun rises up from it’s night sleep, and the world comes alive before my very eyes.

Breakfast of nature’s most beautiful provisions feeds my soul, during the hush of the day,when I can appreciate the unfolding of the new dawn. The menu put before me, as I walk and observe, is there to celebrate and enjoy each and every day, as long as I rise to greet it.

Sunrise is the appetizer! The main course of the day for those who reside, work, live and play in Steamboat Springs, Colorado is what God has created for us – the river, the mountains and the scenic vistas. We can recreate till our hearts are content in this wonderous place!

Let’s see – what shall I do today, after the work is done? What ever it is, it is bound to be good!

Good Morning, Sunshine!

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Play it Again, Sam!

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“Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it” ~ George Bernard Shaw

Have you ever wished you could have a “do over” – a repeat of a day, an hour,  a moment? I’d like our country’s citizens to have a “do over” of yesterday, for one moment, each and every day.  America was hard at work celebrating all things patriotic. We waved our flags, pledged our allegiance and sang “America the Beautiful.” We celebrated with baseball games, parades, barbeques and fireworks. Forgotten were the woes of stock market statistics, the high price of living, and the lackluster economy. Instead we had fun celebrating the liberties and freedoms that we so enjoy. The American spirit reigned supreme!

Don’t let the 4th of July be the only day of the year that you show your appreciation for this country of ours. Play it again, Sam, for each and everyday you are alive in this fabulous country, The United States of America – the land of independence! Every time you hear the words of our National  Anthem “the land of the free and the home of the brave,” put your hand over your heart, cause that’s where it belongs, in remembrance of our honorable countrymen who have fought the battles for us. We continue to live the dream, in a land relatively free of strife and struggle, compared to many countries around the globe. Thank, God.

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History Revisited

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“Most things in life require effort even if, years later, they seem easy” ~ Unknown

I slept all the way through American History. Every time those two words were uttered during my Junior and Senior High School years, I hit the snooze control button and off I would go into La La Land.

Recently, I had a second chance to learn about the battle of Gettysburg. I visited, for the second time since childhood, the battlefields where the three day war, that forever changed our country, raged. This time I learned!

I learned about “Pickett’s Charge” in a way that drew me in, rather than turned me off. I was able to observe from the largest canvas painting in this country, about the Battle of Gettysburg. The circular painting, which measures 400 ft X 80 ft, is enhanced by lights and an audio recounting of the battle, complete with battle sounds. I even got a glimpse of artist Paul Philippoteaux, himself. He painted himself onto the canvas, and into the scene, positioned in the middle of the battle. For more information on this artist, please visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gettysburg_Cyclorama. Thanks to the painting of artist Paul Philippoteaux, I have a greater understanding this 4th of July, of how our country and it’s citizens fought to gain it’s independence.

I am off to join the United Methodist Women, in cutting up strawberries for the Strawberry Festival being hosted by the Pioneers of Tred Museum, take in the nordic combined ski jumping and roller ski racing competition and the parade down Lincoln Avenue, in scenic Steamboat Springs, CO. far from the battlefields of Gettysburg. Happy Independence Day!

 

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Smell a Blog

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“All glory comes from daring to begin.” ~ Unknown

The day of independence is almost upon us! In honor of this holiday, one of the things I have decided that I am going to do is to strike out, be bold, and add more herbs to my diet. Today, I thought I would cook up a batch of flavorful gazpacho soup in readiness for the holiday weekend.

I will begin with tomatoes, not common beefsteak tomatoes, but some juicy, ripe off the vine, heirloom tomatoes! May as well start out right and stew them up! Now comes the good part – I’ll add some of those herbs that the Indians used to keep their bodies in tune with nature and helped them maintain proper balance. Into the pot will go:

  • Basil for a little Love
  • Chives to make myself more Useful
  • Parsley for some Merriment on this 4th of July
  • Thyme – why not? I said I was going to become more independent minded and daring in my cooking!
  • Rosemary – to help me Remember the loved ones
  • Chervil – to add Serenity, and just because!
  • Garlic – I don’t think so! That won’t make me any friends!

Umm – Smells good! Can you smell it? Of course you can’t, silly me! Until some entrepreneurial soul decides to spice up the blogging world by adding smell a blog as a new feature, you won’t be able to! Rest assured, that entrepreneurial soul will not be me! I am too busy trying to make my life more fulfilling! How about you?

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Handing it Over

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“It’s not the things you get but the hearts you touch that will determine your success in life.” ~ Unknown

Many people wait until their days are limited to consider the question “Am I living a fulfilling life?” Last summer as I was about to loose a lifetime friend to cancer, I stumbled upon a poem that poignantly helped me to consider this very question.

“The Dash” by Linda Ellis (www.lindaslyrics.com) perfectly demonstrates how despite the brevity of a poem, its depth in meaning can rival a 500 page book. In less than 250 words, this poem helped me to consider the question “Am I living a fulfilling life?” Moreover, it brought clarity to me that my friend’s life had indeed been filled with what matters most and it was time for me to “let go and let God” take my friend as he saw fit.

At the risk of copyright infringement, I will not post the poem “The Dash.” This poem serves another purpose, too. It aptly demonstrates how poetry can involve the reader by communicating thought provoking ideas. Quality of content is more important than length, just like our lives. Although, everyone likes a good long story, too! One they can settle into and enjoy.

If you are struggling with whether there are things in your life you would like to change, “The Dash” says it all. check it out.

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Seniors on the Rise

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“Until he extends his circle of compassion to include all living things, man will not himself find peace.” ~ Albert Schweitzer 

Eldercare has become big business! Marketers have not contrived a need for eldercare services, there is a real need!  Our senior citizen population is growing at a fast pace! Adult children are looking to fulfill their parent’s senior care needs, in the best way they know how, by researching information and making good decisions about Alzheimer’s facilities, cancer care facilities, long term care facilities and other housing arrangements. Many are looking for advice on fitness for seniors, hospital concerns, privacy issues, in-home care options, integrative health issues and more. 

We are fortunate that in this country, experts are available to guide and advise senior citizens and their adult caregivers on a multitude of issues. On-line support is also available at sites such as:

http://www.parentgiving.com/expert-nswers/caregiving/housing-choices/. On the team of experts of this site is eldercare consultant Mike Campbell. Mike has written a new book called “When Mom and Dad Need Help.” Mike shares advice and information for seniors facing difficult decisions about housing choices and long term care options. Through his consulting business, Campbell Consulting, Inc. Mike has visited hundreds of senior care facilities across the country and has seen, first hand, what is positive and what needs improvement. For more information on this very valuable resource book, please visit http://www.iffenwen.com. 

Seniors deserve good, quality care. If you have an obligation or desire to help your parents when the time is right, make your job a little easier by knowing the facts.

 

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