Loving Life 2022

 I believe in God winks like when you randomly meet someone and you may not know at first that they change your life for the better. They also may have needed you to change their life. Those random meetings always affect both people involved. I saw this bit of wisdom in a store yesterday on a canvas board.

I gave my husband a card for his wallet shortly after we met 46 years ago. It said,  "All the world is better because of knowing you." It is so true and I smile because I realize as we grow older together that life in this world gets better with each God wink.

I believe that we are meant to meet the people who are going to make us a better person. Even when encounters are painful we can look for a positive thought in knowing that we may have made them look at life a little different.

Life is beautiful!

Elizabeth😉

 

Are You Tired Of Covid?

All I can say these days is that I am so done with Covid 19 and its' variants.   What a year it has been dealing with Delta and Omicron.  I think we all are exhausted from trying to outsmart the virus and worrying when it will show up uninvited in our daily life.  It hides itself among us all and attacks us when we least expect it.  I see no end to the invisible enemy.  I do not understand the minds of people who choose not to be vaccinated and to risk their lives and others.  I like for my body to be armed with antibodies as I feel at least I have a chance at living even if I do get infected from the virus.  This is an invisible enemy that we all need to join together and fight.  Please get vaccinated before we lose more loved ones.

I can officially say I have had Covid three times.  I had Covid twice last year and once this year.  I can tell you that the antibodies do wane as time goes by, but I am still alive because I was vaccinated.  I recovered quickly the third time.  Although, I felt like a semi hit me along with the loss of smell that was annoying and lasted a month.  I can tell you that eating is not pleasurable when you can't smell the food.  Covid also has taken my energy away.  I feel like I am constantly fatigued.  I am one of the lucky survivors that did not require a hospital visit.  

Everyone in my immediate family has had Covid, but not everyone has been vaccinated.  We are blessed we are all still here.  However, life is still full of uncertainties as the virus continues to outsmart us.  My husband and I are boosted up now but still use precaution when in crowds.  We are enjoying life as much as possible but every day there is a risk that the virus will try to take us down again.  

Who would have thought that we would have to live like this in fear?   Every time someone coughs or sneezes you can see people move quickly and wonder if their six-foot distance should have been ten feet. And then there are the people who still don't believe there is any reason to be worried because they choose to believe the virus is a hoax.   Perhaps they are delusional and need help accepting reality.  

Whatever side you are on just remember we are all vulnerable and we need to find compassion and join together and fight this virus.  I got vaccinated for me and everyone else and I hope you will do the same. 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a healthier New Year!

Life is beautiful!

Elizabeth:)

Living With Covid 19

Say it isn't so! We are living with a virus that just won't go away.  My husband and I always dreamed about what life would be when we were free to travel and be empty nesters.  We never dreamed we would have to learn how to live with Covid-19.  We were feeling good about having our vaccines and knowing that are chances of dying from the virus were less, but we still run the chance of getting the delta variant.  We have stepped up our precautions again and masking up when out in crowed areas.  The thought of me getting ill again from covid-19 has left a memory of great disdain from last year's two episodes.  I believe the virus has left me with some long term side effects.  

Life goes on and I wish that people refusing the vaccine would see things differently.  I do know some people that have gotten the virus again after vaccine.  They were not hospitalized and they may have felt awful.   BUT THEY ARE ALIVE!  

I think the driving force for us not to give up is our grandchildren.  They are so darn cute and funny and they think we are the greatest.  Life seems to go on for them and I hope since they are young that they will have very little recollection of this virus when they are older.  I hope by next year at this time we can all rest and breathe a little easier.

The time has come for all of us to be unselfish and do our part to change the world.  Get vaccinated and  wear a mask to save your life and all the people in your life.

Life is Beautiful !!

Elizabeth:)

A Year Later Since Covid-19

 It has been a year now since all the craziness started with the pandemic.  The time has flown by quickly and to me things seam quieter now than previously.  We have survived the last year in many ways.  As all the world has been affected by Covid-19, each of us has made changes in our daily life.  The normal we knew has changed and the farther we get from last spring the more our new daily routine becomes a new normal.  

My heart still aches for all those people that have died.  My family has been spared by death although almost everyone in our family has had Covid.  I too was not spared from this virus even with great precautions I took.  The sacrificing of all the holiday get togethers and never getting to hug my grandchildren and not socializing with friends did not stop the virus from finding its way into our lives. The mask were a natural part of our daily clothing when we left our home.  The mask will continue to be as long as it takes to stop the virus.  

I was so happy to get the vaccine and especially the second dose as it took a great burden off  me even though I had antibodies to the virus.  I am one of the chosen people to have Covid more than once. No one should assume that once they have Covid they are immune. Your antibodies don't last for ever  I am truly a survivor.  I am lucky that I did not end up in the hospital.  I would not wish this virus on anyone and I wish that people would take it more seriously as it does not matter if you are healthy.  It robbed me of my energy and left me with achy joints and problems with my right eye which has resolved.  I actually finally feel better after my second shot of vaccine.  Some of my problems have resolved and I was told the vaccine may have cleared the virus from my body.   

A year ago my grandson was crying because I could not hold him.  Now I have hugged both of my grandsons and wasted no time enjoying them.  I feel like I been let out of jail.  My husband and I are enjoying life.  I can tell people that it is a relief  to get the vaccine.  I was not afraid, the side effects from the vaccine were nothing in comparison to being sick with Covid.  I wish the media would stop reporting about the few people that have had complications.  There are always some people that have problems from any type of vaccines.  

All I can say is that I feel that I have done my part by getting vaccinated and I am still following the recommendations from the CDC.  Wearing a mask to me has been a small sacrifice to help put an end to a deadly virus.  

If  I were given one wish it would be that all Americans would be vaccinated.  Right now I am going to enjoy the arrival of another grandchild and thank God for that I am still here to enjoy life.

Life is Beautiful!!

Elizabeth

Respect

It is hard these days to get my time on the computer to write with my husband dominating the computer.  Covid-19 has him working from home.  I decided to write tonight while he is sleeping.  I am feeling empathy for others who are struggling with this pandemic and the disrespect of this country that is happening.  Some days it all seems like a scary Hollywood movie is playing right in front of our eyes.

I have always been on the sensitive side and I guess you could say that I was born into this world with a sensitivity to my surrounding.  As a child I was the cry baby, sensitive to touch and sensitive to sound and of course I have always been perceptive of other people's pain.  Some people call it a gift and some call it being an empath. 

An empath feels the emotional pain of others and it can be overwhelming at times.  Lately I have had to limit what I see as far as news on television.  I do however like being informed as to what is happening in the country. I also know that there is a lot of dishonest reporting going on in this country.  It is sad to say that we are a very divided society that has lost respect for one another.  Have we all forgot that we live in a democracy.

Democracy is the right for all of us to vote for who we would like to run the country.  It saddens me to see people threatening others who maybe on the other side of their political view.  I predicted nine years ago that we were headed towards a life where people don't care about others.  I saw this evolving right before my eyes as life was subjecting my family to unforeseen circumstances.  People who we hired and trusted with our life were more worried about their reputation.  They came across as if they forgot what empathy is all about..  Here we are today with a government that has forgotten that they are working for people that elected them.  Where has respect for one another gone.

I read daily articles written from several sources.  I always subjectively weed out the ones that I feel are are just an attack on a business or a subject for political gain. The empath in me follows Edgar Allen Poe's quote , "Believe nothing you hear, and only half that you see."  In other words I don't believe any of the articles that are being published by some journalist in some news columns.  It has amazed me that people are displaying some of these articles on facebook and other media sites.  They must be gullible or they like tearing down opponents they don't like.  I would rather see them highlight the good reasons we should vote for who they want in office.  I want to know what someone is going to do to better my life if  I elect them.  It is simple and if you don't like what is happening then start with trying to change things by being respectful of others to vote for what they believe in.  

Just think of what could happen if we all posted something positive about the people that are going to run in this election.  Stop listening to the media which is gloom and doom and start talking about the good things that are happening.  The mind is a powerful thing if we just change the words we say to change the world.

I don't always agree with a person's opinion but I do try to respect that they are allowed to have an opinion.  

Life is Beautiful !!

Elizabeth:)

Covid-19 and Masks

It has been since April 3rd 2020 that I last posted.  This has been some year and we are grateful for each day that passes and we remain healthy.  Hope that sooner than later this covid-19 will be behind us.  My time on the computer is limited these days as my husband has been working from home since march.  My laptop died a long time ago.  I had laid this blog to rest last year but I feel the need to document something about this crazy year.

Are we in the twilight zone or some dream that will end after the elections.  I ask myself that quite often now as the news media just won't stop with the fear factor and bashing of the political parties.  I think we all get it that this pandemic is not going anywhere soon.   We are trying to adjust to living life with social distancing and a mask.  The initial shock and fear of the virus has settled down.  As we have learned more about it, I no longer fear it's presence but I am still following the CDC guidelines.  I have an assortment of masks and wear them whenever out in the stores or in close proximity of others.  I stopped all that showering and changing clothes when coming home from grocery shopping.   I still wash my hands and decided to save my skin on my body from over disinfectant as my hands are dry enough from hand sanitizer and soap.  I don't want to look like a dried prune if I survive the pandemic.

The hardest part has been not socializing with friends.  I haven't been out for a luncheon or get together since January.  I miss that eye to eye contact and the smiles on people's faces that are now hiding behind a mask.  Facetime and Zoom are nice but they still aren't like human contact.  I let my guard down and have embraced seeing my grandchildren occasionally as they have been at home for four months.  Sitting on the driveway in the evenings and taking walks allows us to say hi to some neighbors and catch up on what's happening.  Everybody seems so excited when someone speaks to them.  Let's face it we were meant to be social.   Thank goodness I have my husband at home for that release of oxytocin we need from hugging.  I feel sad for people that are alone during this time.

I try to visit my dad a couple times a week as we stay social distance from each other.  Thank goodness for summer as we are able to sit outside and visit.  If we are inside his home I always have the mask on.  His pleasure comes from seeing his neighbors outside and talking to them.  He also takes a ride in his car periodically just for a change in scenery.  He still does not go into the stores as he is in that vulnerable age group at 90.

I pray every night that those who are on ventilators will survive and people will start getting on board with wearing a mask.  It has been confusing about the wearing of mask but on the side of precaution and for the love of others I will wear a mask.  I feel it is just an act of kindness and hoping it will slow the virus from spreading.  We can be strong when we all join together.  Sending out loving prayers for everyone.💖

Life is beautiful!!

Elizabeth😷😷


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Hello From Coronaville

Since Valentines Day life has really changed and sometimes I think it is a dream.  Going out the house to get groceries is exhausting and the fear of getting Covid-19 is like playing Russian roulette.  We don't know where Covid-19 is hiding and everyone is a potential carrier of the virus.  My husband and I are doing our best to uphold staying at home.   There have been times when we must go out to get food and essentials.  We have discussed who should go out and we weighed our health issues and I felt he was in greater danger than I with his health history.  However this virus does not discriminate and I and everyone else has become a germaphobe.

There is so much info floating around about how to protect yourself.  It is like lining up ten doctors and getting a different opinion from each one.  Should I wear a mask and gloves or not ?  Should I follow the government guidelines ?  Talk about confusion and of course I am now in the age group of the most vulnerable.   We are told to stay at home as a prisoner and let others grocery shop for us.  I ask who is doing that. We tried the curbside pickup service at one grocery store 2 weeks ago.  That cost us some money.  Too many fees and too many substitutions and we ended up with charged missing items and one bunch of bananas that cost us seven dollars.  Took me two days to get a hold of someone in returns to tell me that they were not crediting our charge card due to current circumstances.  It was a twenty dollar loss for us.  Now as of yesterday grocery stores are no longer doing curbside pickup in our area probably due to a lack of employees.   Thank goodness I have some food to last us awhile.

I am going to share what happens when I do get brave enough to go to the store.  I get up at 6am and get dressed and arrive at the store at 7am.  From 7am -8am is for seniors only, as a police officer stands at the door to make sure your old.   I decided to wear what I feel comfortable to protect myself.  I wear my winter gloves which I wash every time I go out. There are no gloves to buy as they were either hoarded or sent to the hospital.  I will not complain as our medical professionals need them.  I also wear a mask that I made.  I have been told that they are not necessary,  but they make me feel a little better and they remind me not to touch my face. I also wear my eyeglasses to give protection to my eyes.   I never take the gloves off even at the register.  I found that I can still cash out with my debit card and press the keypad with gloves on.  As I work my way to the car I remove the gloves and put them in a bag and proceed to put groceries in the back of the car.  I then get in the car use hand sanitizer that someone was nice enough to give us as no store for hundreds of miles has any.  I then remove my mask and wipe my keys and steering wheel with a disinfectant wipe.   Upon arriving at home shoes are left in the garage and groceries are put in the laundry room.  I remove my clothes and put them in washer along with the gloves and mask and then I shower.  It sounds probably extreme,  but I learned years ago as a nurse to do this and if that is what it takes to protect me, my husband, and dad then so be it.  I also clean my debit card off.  Some of the groceries get cleaned off if feasible and some are left to sit for a couple days in hopes that the virus dies.

I also know that no matter how careful we are that sometimes we get caught.  I know that no disease discriminates and life is a gamble.  We take our chances but I am trying my best to protect myself and two of the best guys I know. They are my husband and dad who will be 90 years old in 10 days.  My dad laughs as I always have my mask on when I visit him and we stay 6 feet from each other.  I do his shopping and I am the only one who is allowed in his house.  He has been a trooper quarantining himself for 3 weeks.  I do however worry about how long one can go without socialization and I encourage him to go outside and visit at a 10 foot distance with neighbors.  He gets two calls a day from my brother and me.

I can't tell how long we can keep this up as I have already cried because I can't see my kids or grandchildren.  Video calling is alright, but not being able to hug grandkids sucks.  My daughter surprised me with a visit.  We stood in the yard and talked to her and my grandson as they sat in the car.  Of course I cried as my grandson kept putting has arms out for me to hold him.  How do you explain to an 18 month old that grandma and grandpa can't touch them.  This seems to be our new normal and for how long is a big question mark.

I remind myself everyday that I made it through 7 months away from home in 2011 as my husband went through cancer treatment.  I look for the light at the end of the tunnel.  I know this time I am not alone.  We are all in this together.

We will continue to stay at home to slow the spread and say a pray every night for all the healthcare workers, EMTs, police, government  and all essential workers that are trying to help us get through this difficult time.  May God bless all of us and give us the strength to overcome this virus.

P.S. Wash your hands!!!!!

Life is beautiful !
Elizabeth❤

Happy Valentine's Day 2020!

The sun finally came out today after a long absence.  It has been like gloom and doom for about the last six weeks.  Winter has finally showed its' ugly presence with snow and ice along with wind and single digit temperatures.  The countdown until spring is on and I have a feeling it is going to be late.  The seasons have shifted and the gray skies have left the mood here dismal.

January seemed to last forever and it was unkind to my husband and I.  We suffered through a bout of Norovirus that took the wind out of our sails.  As we grow older it gets a little harder to recover.  I have been hibernating and have been out only for groceries and one luncheon with friends.  The fear of getting another illness such as the flu haunts us.  The schools have closed a couple of times to try and slow the spread.  So much for our flu shots which seemed to be ineffective this year.

I was at the store today looking at flowers trying to imagine what summer feels like.  There were a lot people picking up Valentine gifts.  My gift is food for the soul.  It is always a pleasure to cook for my husband.  He enjoys the food and so do I.

This year has brought higher health insurance cost and medication prices still increasing.  I am hoping for the sake of all of us that the government will pass something to lower the cost.  My heart always aches when people can't afford their meds.

We attended a seminar last night about getting the most from social security and the new changes.  Overall consensus is high cost of healthcare and insurance if you retire before 65.  There are not many companies these days that will pay for insurance if you retire before 65.  We fall into that category.  Cobra is very expensive.  The advice to young people working is to plan not only for supplementing social security but start a fund for medical expenses if you want to retire early.  Hopefully by the time our children retire their will be a better system in place for affording healthcare.

I need to look at something beautiful to get through the rest of this gloomy weather.

                                                     Happy Valentines Day !!

Life is beautiful !!
Elizabeth :)

Caregiving and Finding Yourself

I have made the decision to move on with my blogging to a new blog called  https://underthesunnyskies.blogspot.com .  The decision came after much consideration that my life with Laney as my back drop has ended.  She will forever be in my heart.  The blog "My Four Legged Friend", will remain  on blogspot.

I hope the people will continue to read about the adventures I had with Laney.  She brought me through a difficult time in my life as a caregiver. She was the best companion and I miss her very much.  She helped me at the end of a difficult day after caring for someone by being there for me.  Pets love you unconditionally and make no judgment on you when you are emotionally and physically exhausted.  Laney was always by my side or in my lap letting me know that I was not alone.

The decision to keep writing is a part of me and I feel that my story and what I learned about being a caregiver can help others.  Under the sunny Skies  is about me finding myself and giving purpose to my life.  It will be my story about being a caregiver for my spouse and parent.

As we age and our parents age we are sometimes thrown into a role of caring for someone we love.  It is an emotional time in our life and can happen at times when we are also becoming an empty nester as our children grow up.  It can be very lonely  without help and support of others.  I hope I can reach out to someone out there that feels lost and perhaps I can give them hope.

Someone said something recently that has given me the courage to keep writing.  They said you are an expert about your caregiving because you lived the story.  You can relate to other caregivers.  I'm not an expert in the sense that I have studied caregiving for a loved one or that I have written a book about it.  However I can tell my story and the mistakes I made and hopefully people will find some peace in knowing that they are not alone.

Follow me won't you please to Under The Sunny Skies.

Loving you always and forever Laney!!

Life is beautiful !!!
Elizabeth:)

Investing In Our Health And Growing Old

Today is Tuesday and a rainy day that makes you want to curl up with a good book.  I awoke this morning and decided to read before I started my day.  My brain is quiet and uncluttered in the morning.  I ran across a saying that made me think about my inner dialogue...others can say what they want and I get to choose how to react.  The saying was about being angry at something that someone did and how we carry the anger from it.  That anger is hurting our body and making us feel terrible and the person that made the mistake created in our mind has moved on.  Think about your feelings next time you get angry over some one's mistake or unkind words.  If we can train the mind to accept that a mistake is not ours it squelches the anger.  Own your mistakes not someone else's.

I love elderly people and we can learn a lot from them.  I have been studying the behavior of some of my elderly friends.  I have some that are in their eighties to late nineties.  They are all still physically able to take care of themselves.  They are very cognitively up on current events and modernization of society.  I am trying to learn what is keeping them thriving.  Any help I can get on how to stay active and healthy as I grow older will help.

I used to think it was all genetic... the longevity.  However if you look at the siblings of the elderly I have studied they did not all live long nor were they without health problems.  I did look at their lifestyles.  The nine that are still alive are ranging from 81 years to 96 years old.  The number one common thing is they all socialize frequently with other people.  Three are widowed and the rest married.  They all do some kind of exercise everyday.  Walking was the number one exercise.  The 96 year old still golfs when the weather permits.  They still take care of their homes.  They take a multivitamin and they eat healthy.   They read the newspaper and three of them I know have a computer.

One of the ladies has had lung cancer twice and been treated and is in full remission.  She is a very joyous person who at 91 still goes out with her girlfriends and starts everyday with a plan on what she wants to get done.  She takes no medicine that I know of.  She is married and her husband despite some medications is till doing fine.  They like to travel and play bingo.  One couple still goes to Florida for the winter.

None of  the nine elderly act like old people.  They come across as much younger.  I don't mean that they don't have wrinkles or that they walk a little slower.  The way they present themselves and their poise and happy personalities makes them seem much younger.

So is it genetics or taking care of your body and mind.  We take care of the flowers so they can flourish and we must take care of ourselves.  Investing in your own health lifestyle allows you to plant the flowers.  The nine still have beautiful yards and flowers.

May we grow old surrounded by friends, flowers, take our multivitamin and keep walking.

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth😊

The Brain Is an Important Organ

It is Monday and a new day and week. The past is gone and we should be focusing on today and not worrying about what is happening in the future. I have been working at living by these words of wisdom.  They will set you free if you can get your mind to focus on what is happening right now.  I think for a lot of people worrying about what will happen in the future causes them great anxiety.  I have been guilty of this.  We miss the beauty of the day when we worry about the future.  Even if we have a bad day let it go like throwing away the trash.  Replace the thoughts with something positive that happened.  We can not change the past but we can react differently to situations that may have caused us pain in the past.  We can not control what others say but we can control how we react.

We all know stories about patients that recover quickly and others with the same illness that never get well.  My conclusion on this subject is the mindset.  The brain is a powerful organ. It controls our other body organs and yet it is to me the most overlooked organ at the doctor's office visit.  It is our own computer in our head that is controlling our body.  We call the computer geek to fix our laptop.  We are more worried about our laptops and phones crashing than our own brains.  So the people that are getting well faster perhaps have a healthier brain.  Do we look at the brain when people are ill?  Think about it...could an unhealthy brain affect a patients recovery.

I have seen situations where a patient is being treated for cancer and they are not doing well and have unhealthy thoughts.  No one addressed the brain and the fact that it is controlling all the organs, the mind and thoughts.  Where is the geek who fixes the brain our control center.  The brain is the center that stores our thoughts, controls our impulses, controls the neurological system, and identifies who we are.  The brain  is affected by past experiences, drugs we take, food we eat and injuries to the head.  We need to look at the whole person and certainly acknowledge the brain that is controlling us.  It can be treated and addressed as the other organs of the body are.

There are some doctors that address unhealthy thoughts and neurological problems when treating a patients with long term illness.  Those patients are the lucky ones that will hopefully live a happy and positive life.  They are not just an illness treated with drugs.  They are humans with a brain controlling them that deserves to be healthy.

My thoughts changed after I was treated for a B12 deficiency.  The brain relied on the B12 to produce healthy neurotransmitters.  I thank God everyday for the doctor that didn't treat my symptoms but treated the cause.  He searched for the cause of an anxiety and the exhausted person I had become.


For beautiful eyes look for the good in others,
For beautiful lips speak only words of kindness,
For poise walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.
Audrey Hepburn


Life is beautiful!!
Elizabeth

Health Insurance Cost Took A Big Leap

Is it possible to get my blog back up and running.  It has been a busy year of selling our home and moving into a new one.  There has been no down time to read or write.  Today is here and it is already Halloween.  This year has flown by and I am comfortable and warm despite a big drop in the outside temperature as a blast of cold air is blowing in upon us.  Started catching up on some hot topics that I like called medicine and science.  I am always intrigued about what is new in medicine.

I missed The Light the Night for LLS the second year in a row.  Life has been moving along at lighting bolt speed and September was packed with a to do list.  We went to closing on our home the night of the annual LLS walk and I totally forgot that September was also B12 (Pernicious Anemia) awareness month.  It is never to late to catch up and make a donation.

I have rested a lot since we got rid of our other home.  Having two homes was exhausting and my energy level is not what it used to be.  Just started catching up here at the new home which we absolutely love.  We have a beautiful view out the back of a wooded area with a tree line that is bursting with fall colors.  It is going to be interesting watching the snow come in from the west  as we are about 8 feet off the ground due to a lookout basement.  The back of the house is facing west with view from a triple sliding glass door.  I wish that view was the ocean instead of snow.

So what is new for 2020  health insurance.  The premiums went up and the out of pocket jumped to $6000 per individual.  It was $2000 five years ago.  The drug copays all went up along with doctor visits.  It is safe to say a lot of people will be self care.  I feel sorry for families with long term illnesses.  We think long and hard about going to an ER because of a new ruling that started in 2018.  If you go and it is determined that the visit is not life threating the insurance won't pay.  I have a friend who's husband went for chest pain and it turned out to be GERD. They had a whopper of a bill as a lot of test were run to rule out a heart attack.  It is a hard to know what is wrong when experiencing chest pain.  We all know if it is chest pain don't hesitate to go to the ER,  but be prepared to have insurance decide if it is life threatening.   You may have GERD  and severe anxiety when the bill comes.

Sometimes I think they want us to skip the doctor and meet with an agent from the insurance company. They have a protocol list for your ailment and they seem to think they know what is best for all of us.  However our bodies are all unique and we need individualized health care.  I still recommend seeing a doctor. The doctor has years of education and training to individualize your care when they can get the insurance company to agree.  The new talk at the doctor office visit is I'll have to make sure that the insurance will allow us to do a test.  As a patient we must ask the insurance company if we are covered for test and is the provider covered by our insurance.

No wonder that everyone has so much stress as everything we do now days has to be approved by someone.  Life goes on and we adapt.

                                                      Happy Fall !

Life is beautiful!!
Elizabeth :)

A Big Yeah For The Astros

The world series is underway and the Houston Astros have won the last three games.  It has been exciting and we are happy that they will be returning home for the finally.  It has been exciting watching baseball as my husband and I are rooting for Houston.  Tomorrow evening will be exciting as we keep our fingers crossed that the team can win and declare victory.  Way to go Astros way to go.....

It has been five years since we were last on Texas soil and that is a good thing as that means we are enjoying life and feeling healthy.  We celebrate the fact that we lived 7 months in Houston to get my husband well and spent 3 years going there every three months for treatment.  That's a shout out to MD Anderson.   We miss Texas and seeing family but we are happily enjoying live here in the north.  We however have that close feeling to the Houston  Astros as we love baseball and saw them play several times in Houston.

I guess I'll dig out my Astros T-shirt and get ready for the game tomorrow evening.  Where's the popcorn, cracker jacks, and peanuts?  I best be going to the store load up on the snacks.

And Its one, two, three strikes your out to the Nationals!

Life is beautiful !

Elizabeth✌

The Beauty Of Fall

This tree is a beautiful depiction of what beauty we enjoy here in the north.  My husband and I took this picture last evening on a stroll through the park close to our home.  The park had several of these trees.  They are smiles from God as flowers are also.  I wish this beauty would last through winter.

Life is Beautiful !!
Elizabeth

Inspired To Take Leaps Of Faith

I am taking this very moment today to write.  My absence from writing has been my choice as my life has been busy.  It is not easy to move or to change our life, but the benefits of doing so has made a world of difference.  I have witnessed loved ones around me fall into a comfort zone with life and verbalize their dismay in the direction their life is going.  The only advice I can give is take a leap of faith and go after what it is that you want.  It takes effort and planning that doesn't just happen magically.  If you look at most successful people they are working towards their dreams rather than complaining about how it just can't happen.  It is true like karma if you start talking about something those around start listening and the world start responding.  My inspiration to fulfill my dreams comes from believing that I am worthy of making my own dreams come true.

After my husband spent four years under going treatments to send cancer into a place called remission.  I started spending my time healing from severe anxiety and learning how to get the live I deserved.  It has not been an easy fix but a learning process and believing in myself.  I turned to some gurus for help and started weeding out the negative people in my life.  I still have days where there is a lot of stress, but know I appreciate every minute and know that the past is gone.  It only defines you and paralyzes you if you let it. We all get angry when life throws us a curve ball, but it makes us stronger if we look for positive from the experience.

My husband and I took a leap of faith and we didn't let anyone tell us that having a new home was out of reach.  I did something I have talked about in my blog and I looked for people that were positive and wanted to help us build our dream home.  They were a team that believed in us.  There were a few nay Sayers who tried to point out all the bad that could happen but I kept telling myself those thoughts belong to them and I don't want them.  I am living in this moment today in my new home and we will face the future when it happens.  We want to live the happiness today not wait for it to magically happen.

My heart is saddened by all the destruction from tornadoes and the shootings of innocent people.  We all have survivors guilt and  we were fortunate not to be affected directly by all that has happened.  However we see around us everyday the destruction that mother nature caused and we are blessed to have a community of people that have set forth in helping to rebuild.  Life goes on and we must all keep moving toward our dreams.  We must keep smiling and being kind to others.  Every positive leap of faith you take helps change the world.

Keep smiling and remember that flowers are smiles from God!

Life is beautiful !
Elizabeth

Absent From Writing And Holding Space

My curiosity has gotten the best of me right now.  I saw that someone clicked on my blog post, "Holding Space Is A Beautiful Act Of Kindness."  I have been absent from writing as this has been an eventful year for me.  I always wonder who has been reading my blog.  Perhaps someone that is holding space for me or perhaps someone that needs someone to hold space for them.  I hope whoever is reading has been graced with the act of holding space.  It is comforting to have people that can hold space for all of us when we need it.

I decided tonight to write even though I am very exhausted and my head feels like it is going to roll right off my body.  It has been a year of lots of vertigo with an unexplained reason.  It is hard to walk a straight line with balance issues.  Maybe I need someone to hold me up instead of holding space.  LOL!

So when I am determined to do something watch out.  My motto is never say never and don't tell me that dreams can't come true.  My husband and I with a lot of determination decided that we needed a change and we moved.  It has not been easy as we did all the moving ourselves.  We always wanted a brand new home and we have accomplished it.  It was an adventure picking out everything we wanted and has been a busy time purging out the old.  We have let go of the past.  I have realized that I am not as quick on my feet and my energy has plummeted.  However everyday is a gift and we have really made the most of  everyday.

So whoever you are out there holding space send me a comment.  Send me some positive acts of kindness.  We all need space to rest and live our own life story.

Life is beautiful !!!

Elizabeth:)

Life Is Not The Same Anymore....Scary Spring

Today is May 30 and it is 1am and I am afraid to go asleep as many other people are tonight.  We are expecting more storms to go through the area tonight.  The word tornado has become a frightening word after living through multiple tornadoes touching down in various places this past Monday.  A Memorial Day evening that marked history for a lot of us.  We are so grateful to be here in our home and yet scared of the super storms that keep coming.  It seems that no matter where you live they are happening.  Mother Nature is not discriminating.

I have lived in the same area all of my life and never worried about tornadoes but this year has been the scariest for all of us.  My husband and I spent three hours in closet under our stairway Monday night as tornado sirens were going off and rain was falling along with hail and wind.  All I could think about was not being with my children and my dad.  We spent the eve texting and calling each other as the tornadoes kept changing course.  We were in the direct path of two of them and at the last minute they turned southeast of us.  So grateful for neighbors that got my daughter, her husband and my grandson and invited them to stay in their basement.  Our family is safe tonight despite some damage to our homes and no electric or water.

Our surrounding communities will never be the same.  The destruction from multiple tornadoes has been devastating and has left us all very sad.  It is going to take a long time to recover from this as some areas look like war zones.

Every time the sky darkens and a storm comes we all are frightened.  This has turned out to be the scariest spring that I can remember.

In the after math we are also dealing with trees that are falling due to all the rain and wind that has weakened them.  A huge tree fell in the middle of last night at my dad's home.  It just missed his home.  He said it sounded like a bomb going off and it shook his house.  It fell from the woods behind his home.  It was an old tree that snapped in the still of the night.

We never know from day to day how blessed we are until faced with disasters of nature.  Make sure you tell your family that you love them. Make sure you all have a plan of where will be a safe place during a tornado.  Pack a survival pack and make sure your children now what to do.  When a tornado comes there is no time to dilly dally  around you must seek shelter.

Let us all pray that this weather system slows down and we can feel safe again.

Life is beautiful! 
Elizabeth😴

PTSD Doesn't Make You Look Different

Spring has a hard time coming this year, but today it made an appearance.  Not only was it a warm beautiful day but it was also the first baseball game of the year and the REDS won!!!  I am now coming alive again after a long hard winter.  It has felt like this has been the longest winter in history.  Slowly but surely there are some buds appearing on the trees and a few plants peeping out of the ground.  I had to get flowers to lift my mood and now have pansies planted in pots on my porch.  I am hopping that we don't dive directly into a hot summer as we are still suffering the affects of a drought from last summer.

The news has been on fire with so much hatred and our government has left me wondering what is in store for my golden years.  My goodness do they give Emmy awards out for the news.  It is like a daily soap opera.  I don't know any more what to believe and I am glad spring is coming, so our attention will shift to being outdoors and away from TV.

Speaking of TV my television literally went out with a bang two nights ago during the news.  I guess it was fed up with the shenanigans going on in this world and blew up.  It is officially dead.  Too bad I have more than one TV and I can still watch more Russia obsession.

Sadly the news is reporting massive destruction from tornadoes and flooding.  My prayers are being sent to those people living through the devastation.  I am hoping that FEMA and insurance companies will help them rebuild quickly.

My heart is also saddened to hear of all the people committing suicide.  We must acknowledge and educate people about PTSD.  It happens not only to people in war, but anyone who experiences a life threatening situation.  I know because I have had PTSD.  I was taken back by people who say, "You don't look sick".  No people with PTSD don't look different, but they sure feel different.  It is scary and you may feel depressed, have severe anxiety, panic attacks,  insomnia, fast heart rate, upset stomach, sweating and a feeling of isolation.  There are many more symptoms as your nervous system goes haywire.  However there is treatment and people can recover.

It is imperative that family members and doctors ask people if they feel they have lost hope for life.  It is no longer acceptable as far as I am concerned to overlook the power of the mind.  Your brain needs medical care just as the rest of the body.  People with PTSD are not crazy they are medically ill. They don't look different than they always do.  It is like a silent killer that we don't see.  Their body has gone into a fright flight response and has gotten stuck.  Let's get rid of stigma and realize that anyone of any age may need help with mental health.

Let's all put down the phones and listen to the people around you.  You may save a life!

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth:)

A Social Life Is Healthy

You never know any more who is watching you in the world.  The cameras everywhere tell all.  I was at an appointment this morning and we were discussing the fact you can not go anywhere without smiling for the camera.  Also a lot of stores are closing and the mall is going to be a thing of the past.  It is hard for me to think about what the world will be in the future.  My husband and I have noted less and less people in department stores including the grocery store.  Are we headed for a anti social society?  The mall was like a place where you went and occasionally met up with someone you hadn't seen for awhile.  It was somewhere to go on cold rainy days.  Now everyone is ordering on line including groceries and having it sent to their home.  Are we becoming hermits?

I still like strolling in the store and engaging in conversations and trying on clothes.  I prefer to pick out my own groceries...you know the fresh produce.  I like seeing a variety.   What a nice apple looks like to one may look yuck to another.  It is all personal taste.  Perhaps everyone will forget how to communicate verbally.  Texting has already taken over for the younger generation. 

I use to get my name called out when we were waiting to be seated at a restaurant  and now it is a text to my phone.  At least someone still escorts you to the table.  No wonder everyone is feeling all alone.  Human interaction triggers those feel good endorphins.

Well it is going to be interesting to see what happens.  Everyone will be a robot and look pale and pasty from lack of sunshine.  They won't need to leave their home.  Let's make it a point to talk to one another.  Try everyday to talk and maybe we can change the world back to a place filled with love and happiness.

Let me say that face to face interaction, respect and trust is what we need to start working on.  Let's teach our future generations the importance of human interaction. 

Maybe we will understand that part of being healthy includes a good social life.

Life is beautiful !!!!!

Elizabeth😊

Building A Verbal Trusting Relationship

Everyday the way we live is changing.  We are consumed with the Internet as a resource to shopping, gathering information, texting, e-mail and even seeing a doctor on line.  The life of actually sitting down face to face in the same room is getting less frequent.  I have observed that everywhere we go almost everyone has a cell phone in their hand and they are scrolling on it continuously.  I have often wondered what it is on there that I am missing out on.  Perhaps  I am not missing anything important but an addiction to social media which seems to me has become an easy way to avoid getting to know people.  They know more about their phone than their family.

I have not been a fan of texting people as I prefer to hear the human tone of voice rather than the ding that my phone makes when a text comes in.  I have been told better to text and e-mail so there is a paper trail.  What has happened to our trust in what we say and hear.  Do we always need a trail.  I perhaps like to be discrete sometimes.  I don't always want my business out there for everyone to critique.  And, then there are hacks and leaks of our personal information.  Our life is no longer our business.  It is out there for anyone to look up.

I remember as a child that if someone wanted to talk to you they called on a phone with a short cord attached to the phone that was attached to the wall.  If you weren't home they called back later.  And if they really needed you they got in the car drove to your house.  They saw you face to face.  They listened to you.  There was a trusting relationship  between you and the other person.  The only trail was the trail they took to get to you.  I miss everyone and I long for those days when you got together and paid attention to the people around you and not your phone.

Okay I can't stop until I say something about the medical profession.  I don't like my medical history on line and I don't want to see a doctor on line. I know it is easy to find information out about a patient in emergency situations and keep their history updated, but once your info is hacked then you no longer trust anyone.  It 's like being robbed and feeling violated.  I am talking about this because it use to be we signed papers for a release of information and we knew who was going to read our file.  I am astounded that when switching to a new doctor that they were able to see our records before any consent was given.   They knew all about me and more than I knew before I even decided if I wanted them to be my doctor.  It was right there on the computer.   I don't have anything to hide but the principle of it is we have no privacy anymore.

Imagine sharing something painful to a medical professional because you thought that it was only for their eyes and ears.  Think again when months later someone gets in your file and shares it with the whole staff or anyone.  What happened to patient doctor confidentiality.  Might as well just announced it over the PA for the world.

I am guilty of posting things in my blog about myself and my life.  The only difference is I get to choose if I want the world to know.  Let's be a little more discrete and ask people their permission before we share anything.  Let's remember to talk to one another and build a verbal trusting relationship.

Life is beautiful !!

Elizabeth:)