Submitted by Rose Huynh
Watch the video below or read the full article HERE
Submitted by Rose Huynh A new, unexpected treatment is saving lives. Who knew it would involve 'poop'?! If you or someone you know struggles with a C. difficile bacterial disease like Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis, watch the video below to learn more about medical alternatives to improving the quality of your or their lives! Watch the video below or read the full article HERE
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I found this picture on www.promtedtowrite.com. When I saw it, I called my 89-year-old mom who lives in Shanghai China. “Happy Mother’s Day!” I cheerfully exclaimed after mom first answered the phone. “Oh …“ her hesitation told me that she didn’t even know it was Mother’s Day. But she quickly and perfectly replied “Same to you!” I look at this picture again with teary eyes … I am blessed to still have a mom to talk with on Mother’s Day. My mom laughs like this with her moon-shaped eyes when she has a good time; she carries a little purse just like this when she is out somewhere, and sometimes walked with a cane too. But! She would never wear a skirt like this because elderly lady in China is not supposed to show her legs :) This picture was taken when I visited mom in Shanghai this past March. I hopped all over her but still didn’t feel close enough to her. I lost my dad over a year ago. I want so much to hold my mom in my arms for as long as she is alive. She wasn’t the most appreciative young mom when her three children were little, especially to the middle daughter like me. Mom tried to apologize when we were looking through some old albums of our childhood pictures. She said, “I didn't know you were the best of the three until now. Sometime when you are old you begin to realize what you have already lost in life,” she said, choked up. I put my arms around her and whispered in her ear “I love you mommy!” She put her head back and laughed with her mouth half open, like the lady in the picture above. Then she shouted in the air “I am so blessed!" What a special picture for Mother’s Day. Three ladies from three generations are sharing a bundle of love. Like my daughter, Jenny, said in the Mother’s Day card she sent me: “I am who I am because of you! Thank you for a lifetime of love!” Mom: do you hear that? Happy Mother’s Day! If you're stumbling across hard times today, stop for a second to send a prayer to Japan, whose hearts and homes are breaking. Let's not forget to appreciate what we have, and step out to help those who don't have it.
If you haven't read about the recent, and biggest earthquake in Japan's history, here are some links with more information: Record quake unleashes tsunami in Japan Tsunami waves hit Ore. coast after sweeping Hawaii Relief Funds are starting to form. Globalgiving.org has already raised $14,310, and their goal is $90,000. Please go to their site for more information: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/japan-earthquake-tsunami-relief/ If you know of any other relief funds, please send them our way and we will post them here. Below are a few powerful pictures of the aftermath, taken by The Atlantic. To see more click here. Diane: "You will look the same today as you will in five years, in my eyes. You understand?" Reporter: "What do I look like?" Diane: (Pause) "Well . . . very tall. You definitely eat a lot of chicken and dumplings." Having a ball at our Eat, Drink and Live Well Party,
while ringing in the Year of the Rabbit with Bugs! Click HERE to see the rest of the party pictures (credit: AP Productions) Click HERE to try doing nothing for 2 minutes. If it's more of a challenge than you think, you might want to re-evaluate your priorities :) According to the Chinese Zodiac, this is the Year of the Rabbit, the luckiest sign on the calendar.
Last year belonged to the Tiger, a year of power. 2011 will be all about Speed. So, hurry up. Quit stalling. Start acting. Because if you're not fast enough, the rabbit is going to fly right past you into 2012. * Other insights on the year of the Rabbit: The Year of the Rabbit will also be a time where you can calm your nerves. It is time for negotiation. Don't try to force issues, because if you do you will ultimately fail. To gain the greatest benefits from this time, focus on home, family, security and diplomacy. Make it a goal to create a safe, peaceful lifestyle, so you will be able to calmly deal with any problems that may arise. There is a memory that sticks in my mind, from almost 24 years ago. When my daughter Jenny was two and a half, I took her to the park to search for rainbows the day after a torrential rainstorm. Her tiny feet could not help but jump up and down; her petite arms reached high trying to touch the rainbow; her beautiful smile bright, as if lit up by the seven colors of the rainbow itself. Her delight was contagious. As I followed after Jenny, looking up at the rainbow myself, I saw the bold arch of colors as a reflection of her intrepid resilience and appreciation for all aspects of life – two qualities that made her into the bold little person she was. I was pulled from my musing when I suddenly heard a splash, accompanied by the scene of Jenny sitting in the middle of an enormous puddle, covered in mud, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes. Just as she titled her head back, ready to start wailing, a crowd of old women gathered around her, prattling and jabbering about the poor little girl in the mud, and where was her mother who didn’t run to comfort her daughter. But instead of crying, Jenny’s eyes widened looking up at the old women, and started to giggle! My motherly instinct to rush over and sweep my muddy daughter up into my arms was immediately calmed by Jenny’s funny change of heart. Instead, I walked over to her and said “You CAN do it! Stand up slowly . . . and come to Mommy!” Encouraging her to get out of the mud herself, I knew she was learning a survival skill that would help her for the rest of her life. The experience was uplifting. Those noisy crowd that was criticizing me for not rescuing my daughter, began to cheer on Jenny’s every move, until finally her little muddy arms were wrapped tightly around my legs. Now we were both soggy, but our spirits soared high. I’d like to think that small victory marked the beginning of my little girl’s journey towards becoming a strong, resilient woman. * The runner in the picture on the left is a survivor. Going from being diagnosed with Crohn's and Colitis at the age of 14 to becoming a Marathon runner today, he seems to have been in his own muddy situation for the last 20 years. But his attitude pushes him to keep running through and eventually out of the mud, into that lush green forest just a few tenacious sprints away. This runner knows that he is responsible for his own choices, and he chooses to survive. * The husband of a friend of mine was recently sent to jail, for who knows how long. As a mother of three, and still in school, my friend can barely afford to pay for her kids and the mortgage. She doesn’t want a divorce, even though the law might not allow her husband to live with his family once he gets out of jail. Her options are thin; her outcomes are limited. She has no one; worse yet, she is too proud to ask anyone for help. What would you do if you were in her shoes? Whatever your answer, it’s probably easier said than done. I recently had a chance to communicate with my friend via e-mail. And much to my surprise and relief, I was inspired by her words: “I’ve thought a lot about the whole ‘survival mode’ for the past month or so. I know my situation appears frightening to others, but I am not afraid.” * The point is this. Survivors come in many forms: little girls, muddy runners, mothers of three, even me. I’m a survivor: of the communist labor camps in China right after high school; of an 18-year long marriage ending in divorce; of immigrating to a new country at age 40 with my three-year old daughter and just $10 in my pocket. We have all survived something. The trick is: can we surpass survival, dwelling on the edge of life’s debts, and instead, collect the profits of living? Dear Milly,
There are few absolute gems in this world today. They are the ones who make a tremendous difference in so many ways. Selflessly they smile as they lend a hand, and they warm the hearts of everyone across the land. They expect so little in return; from them others have so much to learn. They are incredibly unique and humbly meek. They are enormously thanked and very highly are they ranked. They are endlessly appreciated as a one-of-a-kind, for people like that are hard to find. So I dedicate this to you my dear friend; past, present and future in my heart you are a gem! Love, Debbi |
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