Thanksgiving and An Abundance of Love For Life

Happy Thanksgiving everyone !! The turkey is in the oven and the house is starting to smell good and   I am excited that all my children will be here shortly to celebrate how thankful we are to spend another wonderful day together.  My husband and I are grateful for another year to celebrate life.

This is the first time in four years we have not had to travel across the country in the month of November and it has been a great November.   I have been enjoying much time with my friends and we are all blessed this Thanksgiving with good health and lots of love.   I will say that God is great when we open our hearts and let him fill us with blessings.

I give thanks to my children who I am very proud of.  I send love and blessing to heaven for our parents who have passed before us.  We will share memories of them as we gather around the table today.  They are never forgotten and they are what brought us here to celebrate once again on this Thanksgiving day.

We pray today for peace everywhere and hope that people can set aside their differences and realize that we all are allowed to have our opinions without harming others.  We pray that others do not judge us, but learn to move forward with positive thoughts and bring about positive changes for everyone.  Change your thoughts to positive ones and the world around you will change.

God bless everyone who has touched my life and may your Thanksgiving be filled with a lot of good food, family, and great abundance.  Amen !!

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth:)

There Can Be Happiness After Trauma

I woke up today with a kiss from my husband and sunshine streaming through the window.  I needed the boost of happiness.  This early winter weather had started to make me feel a little blue. I don't like the bitter cold and gloom.  It is suppose to make it up to fifty degrees by Sunday.  My husband and I are going to try and walk outside if the rain holds off.  We went walking a the Mall last night, as we both felt like we were becoming a blob of mush from lack of exercise.  It is going to be a long winter and I am trying very hard to keep myself busy to pass the days away.

It is hard to believe that this year has almost slipped away from us.  We are very grateful that my husband continues to feel well.  It has been four years now since his cancer  diagnosis.  We are feeling very grateful these days.  The emotional pain is slowly diminishing and we are looking forward to some goals in our life.  I am proud that we both have changed for the better and we have come away from this journey with much courage, love and strength.  We have lost some friends along the journey and gained some new ones.  There are people who come and go from our lives, it does not mean they are awful people. Perhaps their own life script has taken them to a new journey in life.

Everyone has to do what makes them feel comfortable and happy in life.  With all the emotions Cancer brings into our life, it is hard not to let our anger and deep emotions surface.  We are all complex beings and when we feel that our life expectancy is threatened the mind and neurological system reacts.  The body has the capability to protect itself from life threatening stress and sometimes the body gets stuck in a cycle of fear.  It does damage to the the body organs and the brain.  I wish we could stop the stigma that people are crazy.

We need to understand that there are treatments and therapy to help people cope with stress.  I have been speaking up for people who have traumatic events in their life and encouraging them speak up and tell their doctor that they need help to cope.  The mind is part of the body and just as we treat high blood pressure, we need to treat our minds.  We are not afraid to say we have high blood pressure or other diseases.  Yet there is still a stigma that if we tell someone our mind is not working correctly we are labeled crazy.  Please stand up and stop the stigma.  We are all faced at times with traumatic events and having the courage to tell someone without being scrutinized would help a lot of people who walk around depressed and feeling alone with their personal struggles.

I have done a lot of research on doctors and nurses who also feel great emotional pressures while practicing their profession.  The suicide rate is very high amongst the health care professionals and medical students.  We need to bring awareness to the public and people should not be scrutinized or called wimpy,  because they need professional health care for their mental disabilities.   We are all human and no matter how smart or educated we are, there are times in life that we just can't cope any more.  I always remember a little saying from my own childhood.  All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy today.  Perhaps doctors and nurses need to make a point to stand up for themselves and take time off to sleep and have some fun.  As the saying goes, when we make an effort to change, the world around us changes.  Patients will appreciate the the doctor who admits that they are burned out and that they need to take time out.  If their colleagues don't agree then perhaps it is time for the doctor to stand up for their self and change so others will understand.

People don't like change because it is scary and we get in comfort zones.  I have been there, but I am now glad that my journey with my husband 's Cancer disrupted my life.  All the things that happened good and bad have brought about positive changes and made me fight for my own health and made me realize that my happiness comes from me and no one else.  If your feeling blue, overwhelmed, or struggling with the day to day stress, stand up and tell someone.  If they scrutinize you walk away and keep speaking up for yourself, because you are the one who knows how you feel.  You deserve to be happy and feel healthy.


I love you my husband always and forever!!

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth :)

Surviving Winter

My prayers are going today to the people in Buffalo, New York who are literally buried in snow and freezing bitter cold.  Mother Nature has really buried them in one of the worst snow storms.  I can not imagine living there.  It has been bitter cold here and after hearing how much snow Buffalo had, it makes our snow fall seem like a dusting.  Regardless winter weather is dangerous and black ice is no fun to deal with.

My prayers have been answered so far in regards to my neighbor's tree.  The tree has survived some gusting winds of  35 mph.  It is going to be awhile before they can clean up the branches that did fall. It is too cold for anyone to be outside for very long.  The last two days we have had high winds, blowing snow, and wind chills below zero.

I ventured out yesterday to see my dad and despite the fact I was bundle up, I still got very cold.  The wind stung my face and my hands felt like I did not have gloves on.   I wish I was somewhere else where the warm breezes blow.  I just keep dreaming about flip flops and sandy beaches.

My husband and I are usually still walking outside this time of the year, but the weather is definitely not cooperating.  We were discussing the fact that we need to find something to do for exercise before we turn into couch potatoes.  We will probably have to start going to the university to walk.  It is hard to believe that is has been almost two years ago that we walked our half marathon.  I wish right now that I was in San Antonio.  We need to set a new goal and get ourselves in shape.  It is the only way to get through this awful winter.

I just got a smile on my face as the sun has come out.  I can still hear the winds howling, but that sun is a sign of hope.  I am going to venture out again to meet some friends.  My gratitude today is for my warm house, sunshine, and spending time with friends who help chase away the winter blues.

Stay warm and safe where ever you are.

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth:)

The First Major Snowfall And Winter Has Not Officially Started

My prediction for the first major snow fall has come true.  We awoke this morning to snow everywhere.  The schools are closed and their unfortunately was a fatal accident this morning on the highway.  Many prayers are being sent to the family.  This is not going to be a good winter and I am fearing a repeat of last winter.  The winds are suppose to pick up as the day goes on and the temperatures will continue to drop.  Tomorrow the temperatures will be highs only in the single digits and with wind chills well below zero.  YUCK!

This picture is the back patio area.  The snow is continuing to fall and there is suppose to be five inches before it ends.  There is a scarecrow sitting on the ledge of the fence beside a mum which is now history.  We need prayers because the tree you can see to the left has split from the weight of the snow.  It is actually our neighbor's tree.  The leaves are still on it, as the leaves are still on a lot of trees around the area.  If the winds continue to pick up as they are, my fear is this tree will split again and it is coming right at our house.  It is actually bigger than the picture depicts.  Some of the branches have already fallen over the back fence which is about fifteen feet away from this patio fence in our yard. I told my husband this was going to happen.  I wish people would trim their trees. 

You can see that the tree is towering over the second story of the house behind us.  I just looked out the upstairs window and a big branch is resting on their swimming pool.  This is going to be a big mess to clean up.  Please God, do not let this tree fall our way.  I also am praying it does not damage my neighbor's house.  Trees are beautiful in the summer and when the snow falls, but they are dangerous especially when  loaded with leaves and wet snow.

My husband said I will hear the tree fall if it happens.  He said he heard the first split this morning as he ate breakfast.  He didn't know what it was at first and then he looked out the kitchen window.  This fall is already proving to be awful and just think it is not winter yet.

The road crews have announced that no secondary streets will be salted because, there is a shortage of salt  from last winter.  I pray that people are extra careful driving on the roads.

Laney loves running through the snow and it is fun to watch her.  It is not fun to clean her off.  She looked like a big snowball earlier as the snow sticks to her fur.  Thank goodness for hair dryers, towels and mops.  What can I say, hello winter and goodbye to flip flops.  Stay safe and warm !

Life is beautiful !

Elizabeth:)

I Love Writing

I guess we are having an early winter as we are about fifteen degrees below normal high for this time of the year.  I think the whole country is getting a taste of the cold weather.  I have stayed inside the last couple of days as it is bitter cold and my body has not adjusted yet.  We had snow flurries yesterday and it won't be long before we have the first big snowfall.

Since the outdoor activities have been curtailed, it is a good time to do some purging of what we think are keep sakes.  After 34 years of marriage and raising children, we have decided it is time to start cleaning out the attic and letting go of the past.  It has been quite interesting finding things we had forgotten about.  A trip down memory lane and suddenly you realize that we haven't changed as much as we thought.  We have just matured and hopefully grown a little wiser.  My children are getting a surprise as I am turning over their stored belongings.  They can store them at their own homes.  Ah, yes it feels good to let go and sad as we are reminded of some special moments in life.  I always get a little teary eyed when I see their baby pictures and memories of their childhood. 

As, for my husband and me, I have found papers from our college days.  It has been interesting reading some of the papers we composed.  I do say that some things never change as a college professor told me I had a gift of writing and he hoped I never let it go.  I guess it was in my life script to write as I still love to express myself.  

After all the trauma in my life the past couple of years, I had questioned a couple of times if I had lost who I really am.  Now that I am feeling better, a lot of my memories of my life are returning.  I pinch myself everyday as I am feeling like a new person.  Least I not forget who I was in order to get to who I am today.  All the good and bad things in life make us stronger and appreciative of the simple pleasures of life.  So out of trauma there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  I chose to change and write a new script.

My new script is filled with happiness for myself and a new healthy me.  So glad I stuck up for myself and kept moving forward.  Life is beautiful when your body is functioning in harmony.

Stay warm wherever you are !

Elizabeth:)

November Is Caregiver Month

It is hard to believe that the first week of November is almost over.  I am still wondering what happened to October.  My husband and I enjoyed the fall weather so much that October slipped away from us quickly.  We woke up Saturday to snow on the room tops and the cold north winds howling.  November let its presence be known.  I hope it slips by as fast as October.  I spent Monday and Tuesday pulling up the last of my flowers that said goodbye, as the snow had done them in.  I hibernated today as the winds picked up again, and it was cold.  Unfortunately here comes winter.

We spent some time last month visiting my best friend up around Lake Erie.  It was a fun weekend spent shopping at a huge outdoor market.  I have never seen so many fresh vegetables and fruit.  I actually saw some fruit that I had never heard of.  It was fun shopping and then cooking all the fresh veggies.  Wish I lived closer and could shop there regularly.  After eating good food we hiked through Cuyahoga Falls.  It was beautiful and the falls were fast and full due to a lot of rain.  The hiking made us sleep well.

I am feeling better these days and my energy is returning.  I am thanking and blessing those lady health care professionals for helping me.  The thing that really gave me that extra nudge to call them was the fact that my eyebrows were falling out.  It sounds strange but despite feeling so tired and yucky all the time, the thought of no eyebrows was starting to concern me.  I am hoping now that what I have left will remain.  Slowly but surely everyday I continue to feel better and better.  Our body tells us when something is not right and we need to pursue getting medical help when we feel badly for long stretches of time.  We must learn not to give up because a doctor or anyone tells us we are just being whinny.  I had some severe deficiencies that  had messed up my whole body, biorhythms, and  hormonal system.  These deficiencies were starting to cause all kinds of health problems.  I hope I continue to get well.   Remember that when your body hurts and feels tired, it is trying to tell you something is not right.  Keep advocating for yourself  by asking for help and eventually someone will hear you.  Don't give up.

It's caregiver month and all caregivers remember to take of yourself.  We are appreciated and needed and sometimes we need someone to take care of us.  Don't feel ashamed to ask for help.  Be strong and stick up for yourself.  You are in control of your life.

PS.  I managed to wear pink everyday in October for all those who have battled breast cancer.   My mother-in-law was smiling from heaven.

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth:)