"Science of Character"

This is really profound. 8 minutes long and worth that amount of time!

It has been too long!!

I have not blogged since August 2015, even with several friends urging me to write again. As I re-read Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande, I feel immersed in thoughts and reflections of members in the Wisdom Class book group concerning the end of our days. My father-in-law and a dear friend, both in WA State, are in those times, not going gently   Lots of memories, emotions, and fears circulate in my mind and heart.

Since my parents died in 1992 and 2002, I remember living far away and traveling to be with them in their last days. That is very important, and I want that time for my husband, too. However, he is teaching chemistry classes in a community college and awaits spring vacation in another week. Does he need to go? Will there be enough time left?

I am lucky that I have been in a group of friends who meet monthly to discuss books on death. We even call it the "Death Group." It has made us more comfortable to discuss death and dying over several years so that we are willing to discuss physical, spiritual, and emotional issues of dying. One member has ALS and wanted us to pursue this topic. She has helped the rest of us continue thinking about our final days.

Over this time, I have found various articles that help me. One of the best is by David Steindl-Rast, author of Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer. It is long, but very worthwhile:

Learning to Die by Brother David Steindl-Rast 

I hope I will blog again soon with love to all.

Grand Canyon: South Rim

When Chuck and I traveled to our new home in Virginia in 1972, we stopped to see the Grand Canyon. However, for the 20 hours that we were there, it was filled with fog, which is probably normal in late winter months. So 40+ years later, we decided to see it again (and really for the first time).

Driving from Albuquerque, we reached the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in the early afternoon and spent daylight hours there. It was beautiful, even though the view was hazy with smoke from major forest fires south of there.

Our first stop was the viewpoint where the 70-ft. high Watchtower is situated.

We ooh-ad and ahh-ed at the beautiful views and took some pictures. Then, I decided I wanted to climb the tower, while Chuck said he would wait for me below. That must have taken at least 30 minutes, because I had to look and take pictures at every window!

The first level of windows has a round room with paintings of Indians on the walls. These are in the Hopi Room which presents paintings by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie, who took the room's theme from the Hopi Snake Dance.

Viewpoint from the Watchtower

 The walkways up are narrow, with people trying to both ascend and descend. It got tight with me trying to make myself smaller than I am for people passing by! A few parts seemed very steep to me, so I was glad that Chuck had not attempted the climb.

The magnificence of the rock formations overwhelmed us, just as they have for centuries. It is hard to imagine early people seeing this, exploring and trying to find their ways with all these canyons and cliffs.  The tribes who have lived here are many, including the Haulapi, Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Paiute, and Havasupai. Go here for information about them.

Due to the smoky conditions, we decided not to stay late or to come back early in the morning before we drove off to Las Vegas.

Humanity Is An Ocean

I loved this so much on Facebook that I had to post it on my blog. This image is a gift with all the disruption in the U.S. government right now.

Namaste Cafe also posted a lovely piece about Gandhi, so go here to read it.

Why I Read

Today is National Literacy Day!

Why I Read

“I read because one life isn’t enough, and in the page of a book I can be anybody;
I read because the words that build the story become mine, to build my life;
I read not for happy endings but for new beginnings; I’m just beginning myself, and I wouldn’t mind a map;
I read because I have friends who don’t, and young though they are, they’re beginning to run out of material;
I read because every journey begins at the library, and it’s time for me to start packing;
I read because one of these days I’m going to get out of this town, and I’m going to go everywhere and meet everybody, and I want to be ready.”

Richard Peck, Anonymously Yours

With thanks to Diane for posting this on Facebook. It is from here. 

Choose Happiness!

I have lifted the entire post of  Joshua Becker from the blog Becoming Minimalist because it is such good advice. Let's choose one of these actions TODAY!

Consider this list of 12 Intentional Actions to Choose Happiness Today. Embrace one new action item… practice all of them… or simply use them as inspiration to discover your own.

1. Count your blessings. Happy people choose to focus on the positive aspects of life rather than the negative. They set their minds on specific reasons to be grateful. They express it when possible. And they quickly discover there is always, always, something to be grateful for.

2. Carry a smile. A smile is a wonderful beautifier. But more than that, studies indicate that making an emotion-filled face carries influence over the feelings processed by the brain. Our facial expression can influence our brain in just the same way our brains influence our face. In other words, you can actually program yourself to experience happiness by choosing to smile. Not to mention, all the pretty smiles you’ll receive in return for flashing yours is also guaranteed to increase your happiness level

3. Speak daily affirmation into your life. Affirmations are positive thoughts accompanied with affirmative beliefs and personal statements of truth. They are recited in the first person, present tense (“I am…”). Affirmations used daily can release stress, build confidence, and improve outlook. For maximum effectiveness, affirmations should be chosen carefully, be based in truth, and address current needs. Here is a list of 100 daily affirmations to help you get started.

4.Wake up on your terms. Most of us have alarm clocks programmed because of the expectations of others: a workplace, a school, or a waking child. That’s probably not going to change. But that doesn’t mean we have to lose control over our mornings in the process. Wake up just a little bit early and establish an empowering, meaningful, morning routine. Start each day on your terms. The next 23 hours will thank you for it.

5. Hold back a complaint. The next time you want to lash out in verbal complaint towards a person, a situation, or yourself, don’t. Instead, humbly keep it to yourself. You’ll likely diffuse an unhealthy, unhappy environment. But more than that, you’ll experience joy by choosing peace in a difficult situation.

6. Practice one life-improving discipline. There is happiness and fulfillment to be found in personal growth. To know that you have intentionally devoted time and energy to personal improvement is one of the most satisfying feelings you’ll ever experience. Embrace and practice at least one act of self-discipline each day. This could be exercise, budgeting, or guided-learning… whatever your life needs today to continue growing. Find it. Practice it. Celebrate it.

7. Use your strengths. Each of us have natural talents, strengths, and abilities. And when we use them effectively, we feel alive and comfortable in our skin. They help us find joy in our being and happiness in our design. So embrace your strengths and choose to operate within your giftedness each day. If you need to find this outlet outside your employment, by all means, find this outlet.

8. Accomplish one important task. Because happy people choose happiness, they take control over their lives. They don’t make decisions based on a need to pursue joy. Instead, they operate out of the satisfaction they have already chosen. They realize there are demands on their time, helpful pursuits to accomplish, and important contributions to make to the world around them. Choose one important task that you can accomplish each day. And find joy in your contribution.

9. Eat a healthy meal/snack. We are spiritual, emotional, and mental beings. We are also physical bodies. Our lives cannot be wholly separated into its parts. As a result, one aspect always influences the others. For example, our physical bodies will always have impact over our spiritual and emotional well-being. Therefore, caring for our physical well-being can have significant benefit for our emotional standing. One simple action to choose happiness today is to eat healthy foods. Your physical body will thank you… and so will your emotional well-being.

10. Treat others well. Everyone wants to be treated kindly. But more than that, deep down, we also want to treat others with the same respect that we would like given to us. Treat everyone you meet with kindness, patience, and grace. The Golden Rule is a powerful standard. It benefits the receiver. But also brings growing satisfaction in yourself as you seek to treat others as you would like to be treated.

11. Meditate. Find time alone in solitude. As our world increases in speed and noise, the ability to withdraw becomes even more essential. Studies confirm the importance and life-giving benefits of meditation. So take time to make time. And use meditation to search inward, connect spiritually, and improve your happiness today.

12. Search for benefit in your pain. This life can be difficult. Nobody escapes without pain. At some point—in some way—we all encounter it. When you do, remind yourself again that the trials may be difficult, but they will pass. And search deep to find meaning in the pain. Choose to look for the benefits that can be found in your trial. At the very least, perseverance is being built. And most likely, an ability to comfort others in their pain is also being developed.

Go today. Choose joy and be happy. That will make two of us.

From here.http://www.becomingminimalist.com/choose-happy/

Creativity and Connections

 

I have met thoughtful, interesting people through blogging. I consider them to be my friends. Now I find connections with them through Facebook and Pinterest. 

The soaring birds from the keys of a piano indicate creativity and maybe even ascending ecstasy and this was posted by Philomena Ewing, whom I first met at Blue Eyed Ennis.

This connected with an interesting article that artist Sybil Archibald posted on Facebook about creativity. I met her through her blog where she states that "making art is my spiritual path."

I also posted the article "The Creativity Crisis" by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman on Facebook where Quaker Dave, one of the first bloggers I ever met when I started blogging in 2006, posted it and said he was going to share it with his fellow teachers. High praise!

I've never felt I was "creative" but didn't know how to become so. Now that I am taking piano lessons, I understand that my brain has to be exposed to and grown in new connections for growth to occur. It seems like there has to be some foundation of structure, though I think some artists emerge out of "nowhere." Mistakenly, I thought that one was BORN with creativity or not, which meant that I was NOT. Plus, I isolated creativity to the arts and not other areas.

It is wonderful learning new things and ways of being!

Here is glimpse of "The Creativity Crisis:"

"Overwhelmed by curriculum standards, American teachers warn there’s no room in the day for a creativity class. Kids are fortunate if they get an art class once or twice a week. But to scientists, this is a non sequitur, borne out of what University of Georgia’s Mark Runco calls “art bias.” The age-old belief that the arts have a special claim to creativity is unfounded. When scholars gave creativity tasks to both engineering majors and music majors, their scores laid down on an identical spectrum, with the same high averages and standard deviations. Inside their brains, the same thing was happening—ideas were being generated and evaluated on the fly.

"Researchers say creativity should be taken out of the art room and put into homeroom. The argument that we can’t teach creativity because kids already have too much to learn is a false trade-off. Creativity isn’t about freedom from concrete facts. Rather, fact-finding and deep research are vital stages in the creative process. Scholars argue that current curriculum standards can still be met, if taught in a different way."

The article is worth reading, so go to "The Creativity Crisis."

Good Friday: Inner Challenge

Lynn Jericho composed a set of questions to ask oneself today for the Inner Challenge of Good Friday:

As I wrote the questions below, I realized they ask you to experience yourself as a victim or a perpetrator.  A victim has a perpetrator, a perpetrator, a victim.

But the I-beyond-consciousness does not live in stories where there are victims or perpetrators.  Certainly, Christ Consciousness is not about victimhood, shame, guilt, hatred or other feelings, attitudes, or judgments that separate, divide, or kill the heart or soul of anyone, especially your own.

As you look at these questions, can you feel the pain without shame, guilt, hatred, any feeling that is not permeated with love.

False Witness
Do you lie about yourself to yourself, to others?

And when have you silently born false witness on another's soul? Why?

 If we don't offer the dark, selfish parts of ourselves compassion and forgiveness, will we ever be whole - resurrect into a new vital experience of I.

The Judging
Do you know the prejudiced judge in your own soul that accuses the part of you that longs to speak the truth, love freely, do powerful deeds?

Have you accused, judged, and condemned yourself or others?

Have you ever washed your hands of standing for the innocence of another or the strength of your own goodness?

The Flogging and Mocking
Have you had to suffer the pain of flogging and the humiliation of mockery?

 What is self-flogging? Is it your constant self-doubt, your food binging, your obsession with knowing everything, your inability to earn enough money? And self-mockery?

What do you do when you look in the mirror? Do you mock your body? Do you write from your heart and then rip it to shreds? Do you tell yourself you are unworthy and undeserving?

The Bearing of the Cross
Often the crosses we bear are the weight of our own defenses and identities we created to hide or avoid or survive.  What are the crosses that you bear?

Does anyone ever offer to help you carry them by listening to your stories, caring for your suffering, seeing the truth of your heart?

The Crucifixion and Death
So often our destiny requires that we suffer and die to ourselves. Each year on Good Friday we can ask ourselves have I died to myself so that I can live for others?

We don't need to say yes, but it is very good to ask ourselves the question and be willing to be surprised by the answer.

Mary, Mother of Our Tribe

By Ruth Councell in ECVA Exhibit

Just getting back to the computer today, I was cheered by seeing these different artists' renderings of Mary at the Episcopal Church Visual Arts "Mary, Mother of Our Tribe."

There are 40 pieces of art, each of which you may see more closely by clicking on them. They are unique and lovely. Catherine, a blogger I met at Come to the Table, linked this site on Facebook.

Here is another:

by Posey Krakowski (quilt)

By Chuck Kirchner (photo taken in Peru)

Go and look at "Mary, Mother of Our Tribe!"

Contemplative Practices

© The Center for Contemplative Mind in Society
Concept & design by Maia Duerr; illustration by Carrie Bergman

For printing: Download a 2.6 MB, 8″ x 10″ .jpg image of the Tree of Contemplative Practices (if you require a .pdf or other sizes or formats, please contact us.)

For low-resolution use: Download a 185 KB, 600 x 608 pixel .jpg image of the Tree of Contemplative Practices

Mary and Jesus

Ever since having my own children, nursing and loving them intensely, I have wanted to find art showing Jesus' parents holding him as a baby, instead of sticking him in the itchy manger all by himself. I look for nativity scenes with him being held, which are rare.

Today I found a link to early Christian art showing Jesus as a babe being breastfed (and obviously held) by his mother. That was the most natural way to raise a child 2000 ago, just as it is now.

Madonna and Child (Madonna Litta)
by Leonardo da Vinci 1452-1519

 

 

IF you want to look at more paintings of Mary and baby Jesus, go here.

Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Advent
by Christina Rossetti

"Come," Thou doest say to Angels,
To blessed Spirits, "Come";
"Come," to the Lambs of Thine Own flock,
Thy little Ones, "Come home."

"Come"--from the many-mansioned house
The gracious word is sent,
"Come"--from the ivory palaces
Unto the Penitent.

O Lord, restore us deaf and blind,
Unclose our lips tho' dumb;
Then say to us, "I come with speed,"
And we will answer, "Come."

Fourth Sunday of Advent reading in Run, Shepherds, Run: Poems for Advent and Christmas selected and presented by L. William Countryman, London: Morehouse, 2005. 47.

I think I like this so much, because it reminds of the early morning mass at Lebh Shomea in Sarita where the priest says over the Eucharist, "Come, Lord Jesus." The people respond with, "Come."

I haven't gone there for over a year. I miss the quiet time spent there.

Looking at their website, I am reminded of the beautiful creches they arrange with plants and flowers they have dried in the time before Advent. Here are pictures from their website:

As we prepare for the birth of our Lord Jesus, we invite you
to share some Advent scenes at the House of Prayer.

---

To join in our joyful celebration of the Incarnation, we invite you
to spend time with some Christmas scenes at the House of Prayer.

Power of Introverts

Susan Cain is the author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. A good friend recently recommended it to me to read.

I found Susan Cain's TED's Talk about introverts, which is featured below. I love her beginning segment, where she talks about going to summer camp for the very first time with a full bag of books that her mother helped her to pack. She came from a family who enjoyed reading together, each with his/her own book. That sounds like my family!

Whether you are an extrovert or an introvert, this 19 minute video is entertaining and interesting! I hope you'll take the time to watch it.

1/10,000th of a Second!

1/10,000 of a second 

When I visited Jan at Happening Here I found this great video of a wombat that is a flash animation of the world and how "we have to get along" with all our neighbors. I went to the website this was from Global Mind Shift and found the link to the above little animated video about time. Since I've been teaching Sunday School lessons about God, cosmos, and evolution again, this quickie trip through time really hit me. So go up and click on the clock and you can see it, too!

And if you go and explore the website, you'll find many more little videos under the category of Memes.

New mystery series!

I love books. I have many, many--too many to fit on my book shelves. Plus, there are more than I count that I haven't read yet!

My friend Nancy gave me five paperback mysteries for my birthday--to introduce me to the mysteries featuring China Bayles, who lives in the Texas hill country. This is an extensive series (20+) by Susan Wittig Albert about a former defense lawyer who owns and operates an herb store in a fictional town and her love interest who is a former cop. Quirky and interesting things happen in and around the little town of Pecan Springs with fun characters who recur in subsequent books.

I am hooked on these books and checked out nine of the books from my public library, as I am trying to read them in order. I also compulsively bought two intermittent mysteries for my Kindle, as I could not find them in the library.

Go here for a listing of the China Bayles mysteries in order.

The titles and cover art of the books are too "cutesy" for me at times, but the stories are captivating. Since Albert started writing these books in 1992, your public library will probably have many of her books, as will used book stores.

Dewey's Read-A-Thon!

Have you ever heard of Dewey's Read-A-Thon? I never had until I saw its announcement at Bonnie's Books. The first Read-A-Thon was started by Dewey in 2007; sadly she has since died. Others are continuing the tradition in both April and October!

Questions about the Read-A-Thon are answered here, with a few copied below:

Do I have to stay up the whole 24 hours?

No, although it’s more fun if if you do. Cheerleaders only need to commit to at least one hour, and Readers can either choose to stay up the entire time or take breaks as they need to. There are some prizes that you’ll only be eligible for if you participate all 24 hours.

Do e-books count?

Well, sure! Also audio books, reading to the kids, etc.

To sign up as a reader,

click this link.

The Read-a-Thon starts at the same time all over the world. I'm in the Central time zone of the United States, so the starting bell for me is at 7:00 a.m. this Saturday, October 22, 2011. Starting times for other parts of the world can be found here.

Have you checked out Dewey's challenging 24-hour Read-a-Thon?

Be a reader .........
......... a cheerleader
a promoter .................
.......... but be a part of it!

For me, it looks more reasonable to be a cheerleader (reading for 1 hour) and a promoter (posting this on my blog!). If you like reading, you could do one of these things, too!

Write a letter, a note, a postcard!!

Since new meds are helping my hands feel better (from RA symptoms), so that I can again write notes with a pen, I am newly aware of the demise in letter-writing. I don't write like I used to, but recently I sent out postcards to a few friends. Mail that is personal is such a surprise to find in one's mailbox.

So I went to look at a site I visit infrequently Letter Writers' Alliance, which sent me on to Write a Letter.org, which directed me to the following article by Adam Schwartz, which was posted on April 26, 2010.

Keeping Alive the Lost Art of Letter-Writing
by Adam Schwartz

For thousands of years, letter writing has been the primary form of human communication. Now, with e-mail and text messaging, mailed correspondence is becoming as obsolete as film and LPs.

Just as those old technologies have their fans, though, a quiet subculture of people is keeping alive the art of writing letters the old-fashioned way. This group includes not only people who grew up before computers gained prominence, but also the under-30 set—and they’re invigorating the practice with pen-pal clubs, hip stationery, and letter-writing groups. Those of us who have been seduced by the speed and convenience of instant communication are missing out on one of life’s pleasures, they claim.

Loves Lotsa Mail

Letter writers find like-minded souls through the Letter Exchange, which publishes a print bulletin three times a year for its 400 members who are looking for pen-pals. According to Lonna Riedinger, co-director of the operation, members’ ages range from 20 to 80, with most in the 40- to 70-year-old range. They don’t accept listings from the lovelorn or from prison inmates, but only from regular citizens who simply enjoy writing and receiving letters.

Members can submit a listing in a variety of categories including genealogy, health and wellness, philosophy, and daily life. This appeared under the “Potluck” category:

“Midwest pen pal gal loves lotsa mail! Likes 60s music, old diners, postcards and recipes. Write today!”

That Belongs In A Letter

Because receiving a personal letter is so rare these days, it can feel like a gift. Handwritten letters are especially prized.

“If you write me a letter by hand, I know in a way that cannot be faked, that you put more effort into it,” says Margaret Shepherd, author of The Art of the Personal Letter: A Guide to Connecting Through the Written Word. E-mail may be great for routine tasks, she says, but not for special occasions like thank-you notes: “For anything special, it’s nothing special.”

Shepherd is no Luddite. She routinely sends text messages to her grown daughters. It’s the letters she’s received from them, however, that hold a special place in her heart. She fondly recalls one:

“‘Mom, the last three weeks have been really hard for me. You’ve been a big help.’ Now, that really belongs in a letter. I’ve still got those letters.”

Hope For The Penmanship-Challenged

For those who are afraid to write letters because of bad handwriting, Shepherd has good news. “You’re more critical of your handwriting than anyone else will be. You’ll find that most people feel, when they receive your handwriting, that’s it’s still infinitely better than e-mail. I think even the worst handwriting has more going for it than the best e-mail.” Handwriting preserves the personality of the hand that wrote it. “When I see your handwriting, I know it’s you.”

But what if your handwriting is truly illegible? Is there any hope for improvement? “Absolutely,” says historian and professor Bruce C. Smith. Smith claims to have taught thousands of children and adults alike develop beautiful cursive and print handwriting using a method that he’s called Smith Hand. It’s an improvement over the Palmer and D’Nealian Methods, he says. Clear handwriting is easy, as long as you don’t write way you were taught in school.

“The biggest problem that comes from the traditional methods is writing large, circular letters. You have to extend your fingertips away from your palm in order to make these larger, awkward letters. If you keep your fingers up close to your palm, and write narrow—up and down—you’ll find that you can write much more rapidly, much more easily, and your hand doesn’t tire out. You can do a much better job.”

Overcoming The ‘Block’

Even if you’ve improved your handwriting, there’s always the fear of “writer’s block.” In The Art of the Personal Letter, Margaret Shepherd offers rules of thumb on how to write all sorts of letters, from letters of advice to letters of apology to break-up letters. Her rule of thumb for writing a love letter?

“Talk about us, then talk about you, and only then, talk about me.”

No Wi-Fi Required

Young people are writing letters for a different sort of experience they get from electronic media. Twenty-eight year old graphic designer Kathy Zadrozny of Chicago uses Twitter to keep up on what’s going in the stationery field, but she’s also a frequent letter writer. Her goal? To “resurrect the art and elegance of letter writing.”

Zadrozny co-founded 16 Sparrows, an Internet stationery store that sells her line of quirky paper products. (The store’s motto: “Where sarcasm is folded in half.”) She also co-runs the Letter Writers Alliance, which offers its members a pen pal swap and such retro letter-writing products as vintage, uncancelled postage stamps.

“We really need to continue having letter writing in our society. It is an integral part of how we communicate,” Zadrozny says. “Just because technology is coming to a point where everything is instant doesn’t mean that we can’t allow the slower things to run parallel to that.”

Zadrozny calls herself a “vintage enthusiast,” but says others don’t have to be retro to get into the letter writing habit.

“There are definitely a lot of people I know of who are very into technology, who just like letter writing because it’s taking break away from their everyday. It’s almost like a little bit of a vacation for them to sit down with a pen and paper.”

Those who feel they don’t have enough time to write letters, says Zadrozny, need to rethink the way they see letter writing. Letter writing can be done anywhere, anytime—no Wi-Fi necessary. “You can write a letter on a bus, or while waiting in line. It’s a good use of your time. And whenever you see mailbox you can just mail it off.”

The Letter Writing Club

Letter writers in Vancouver, British Columbia, have the option of writing in a group with other like-minded folk. The Regional Assembly of Text, a hip stationery boutique in that city, holds a letter-writing session it informally calls “the Letter Writing Club” on the first Thursday evening of every month.

For about three hours the store is closed to customers while the letter writers take over. The store owners set up twelve manual, portable typewriters. They make tea and cookies. The sessions attract some 25 to 30 people, ranging in age from 10 years old to over 60, with most in their late 20s to mid-30s.

The store’s co-owner Rebecca Dolen says they began the sessions to encourage people to write letters. “I think that it’s such a wonderful thing to receive a letter in the mail. We thought if we gave people the opportunity and the motivation to do it, maybe we would get more letters out there.” Participants appreciate the opportunity to write in a group. “We get a lot of thank-yous,” says Dolen.

A Typewriter Renaissance

“People really enjoy using the typewriters. We get a lot of comments about the difference between writing a letter and sending and an e-mail. Most people have a lot of fun.”

Dolen believes that letter writing makes for better thinking.

“When you’re sitting down to compose a letter,” she says, “you really have to think about what you’re going to say, formulate your sentences before you start writing. There’s no delete key. There’s no going back and fixing mistakes, which keeps it sincere and lovely.”

Speed Is Relative

Even if you’ve improved your handwriting, overcome your writer’s block, and found time to write, there’s still the problem of all those days and weeks it takes to get a reply to your letter. But is ‘snail mail’ really so sluggish? Or have we just become impatient?

“Ninety-six percent of local mail gets there overnight,” says Norman Scherstrom, a spokesman for the United States Postal Service. The average length of a cross-country mail delivery isn’t too shabby either: three days.

Perhaps it comes down to one’s attitude. To people who are accustomed to the speed and ease of instant electronic communications, waiting weeks for a reply is intolerable. Letter writers, on the other hand, relish the days or weeks that take place between mailing a letter and getting a reply. The delay creates one of the joys of mailed correspondence: anticipation.

Writing Slow Makes The Mind Quick

Scherstrom, a former schoolteacher, shares Rebecca Dolen’s opinion about letter writing’s ability to train the mind. “Speaking makes a quick mind, reading makes a full mind, and writing makes a precise mind,” he says. “The act of writing—narrowing your thoughts and double-checking them and getting them to say exactly what you want—is a wonderful intellectual exercise, and letter writing promotes that.”

“I’m afraid that some of these modern forms of communication—whether it’s quick e-mails or Twitters—really don’t improve the precision of the mind. I fancy them more like speaking. They might help to make the mind a little quicker, but they will not improve its precision.”

So write a letter, stick a stamp on it, and drop it in a mailbox—if you can find one. You know those blue collection boxes that used to be on about every third street corner? Because of the overall reduced use of the U.S. Mail, last year the Postal Service removed 2,400 of them.

~~~~~~~~

A postcard is quick!

Happy 4th of July!

Go to The Star-Bangled Banner to learn about the preservation and restoration of the flag raised at Baltimore’s Fort McHenry to celebrate a crucial victory over British forces during the War of 1812 on September 14, 1814.

Quick facts about the flag are here.

What to Eat?

After posting three times yesterday, today I am wondering if anyone wants to know how my health is. . . .I am not sure if many of you ever look at my RA blog, which is mainly where I am questioning RA and sometimes complaining about it. (Sign up for that blog to be emailed to you, if you want regular updates.)

So I am going to copy the post I put there this morning here:
I am still wondering about diet and RA, while being flummoxed by various sites, books, and advertisements. Who to believe? Today I went to Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior's site, where she addresses "Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet: 3 Key Questions."

"She writes in this post:

As I wrote recently, there is no Rheumatoid Arthritis cure. That includes diet. But that is only the beginning of the discussion of RA and diet. We still want to know 3 things**:

1. Can I eat something to make my Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms worse?
2. Can I eat anything to make my Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms better?
3. Despite both of those answers, are there foods or supplements which can fight the effects of the disease?"

Those are definitely the questions I want answered! RA Warrior wrote about this two years ago, and she probably has much more info on her website than I know about yet. A post with lots of info: "Rheumatoid Arthritis Diet: Part 2: Ten Easy Tips."

Going along with these questions is tomorrow's appointment with a naturopath. (Consulting him does not mean I will stop seeing my rheumatologist.) Surprisingly, both my husband and I are having individual appointments. Although Chuck is a PhD. chemist, he has been influenced by an elderly friend whose RA was improved with diet, as described in this fluffy and not-too-scientific book How to Eat Away Arthritis by Lauri M. Aesoph, ND. (I liked The Anti-Inflammation Diet and Recipe Book by Jessica K. Black, ND much better.)

A healthier diet will improve both Chuck's and my health. He has painful knees due to osteoarthritis and we are both overweight. So there is a lot to learn; at least we are looking and asking!

Letter Writing MEME

I do not write letters like I used to, but all my life I loved writing letters to friends and family. I remember growing up on military bases and seeing my father type a letter to his mother every week. Without easy access to long-distance telephone calls and no concept of internet communication, the only way to communicate for the first 25-35 years of my life was through mailed letters. Through the years, my writing has degenerated to notes I write, except lately when my hands hurt too much from RA.

I was thrilled to find someone who likes letter-writing through RevGalBlogPals: Susan at Fruitful Words. In 2009, she even did a series of posts about letter-writing. In one of these, she had a letter-writing MEME. (Remember when we were all doing meme's back then?) So I decided to do that here!

Answer in the comment section, please, or take these questions and answer them on your blog. Be sure to link back here so I can read your answers.

Tag 4 people and then write one of them a real letter! Let’s inundate the postal service with some “love” mail. Be sure to tell who you sent your letter to and why.

• What was the last letter you wrote? To whom? The occasion? Was it a letter or more of a note?

The last note I wrote was to my two daughters who live in Seattle. (This won't be a surprise for them now!)

• Do you prefer writing with a pen/pencil or with a mechanical device like a Blackberry or computer?

For long letters, I prefer to use Word on the computer. When my hands are not hurting, I like to use a pen on stationery/notecards.

• Do you prefer receiving handwritten letters/notes over email? Or makes no difference, it’s all communication.

It is so rare to receive a handwritten letter that it seems almost silly to say I prefer those. Still, an actual personal note via email is nice.

• Do you save your hand-written letters? Why or why not? Describe a special letter that you’ll never toss.

I save hand-written letters from my children and from special friends. I am glad that I saved a few written by my mother: someone's handwriting brings forth their presence, even after their death.

• What kind of paper do you typically use? Envelope? Stamp? Embellishments?

I like notecards and love to find special cards to send people. I find really good ones on my visits to WA state every summer; there are much better cards sold there than I can find in south TX.

I like to buy pretty stamps, which I often learn about at Letter Writers Alliance.

• What is the most unusual letter you’ve ever sent? Received?

Probably on puzzle pieces.

• What was the last handwritten letter you received? From whom? The occasion? How did it make you feel?

I got a long handwritten letter from a 94-year-old woman who used to attend the Wisdom Class (weekly book study) at our church, but has moved to Houston. I know it is an effort for her to write, and I loved hearing about her life and thoughts. Plus, a handwritten note or letter makes me feel like someone cares enough about me to take the time to write!

• Tag 4 people and then write one of them a real letter! Let’s inundate the postal service with some “love”mail. Be sure to tell who you sent your letter to and why.
• (I think I will be sending out left-over postcards from my trip to Spain, because my hands were hurting too much back in May to write all the ones I'd bought there!)
  

Thank you, Susan, for this!!