The Family Tree

This is a picture of my great-grandfather and great-grandmother, my father's maternal grandparents. I did not know a picture of them even existed until recently when a cousin sent it to me along with a family tree which traced our line back to the 1600's. This couple came from France to Canada with five children, including my grandmother. Now, a little over a hundred years later, the family in France is hosting a family reunion and have contacted their Canadian relatives. They have invited us to attend and to reconnect with them. They have asked each family to submit their family tree, going forward from our grandparents to the present generation. Now each tree is submitted and will be sent to France. Amazingly, from this one couple there are over one thousand descendants! None of us would have guessed the number would be so high. I wonder what this couple would think if they knew how their little family of five had grow to over one thousand within a century. Keeping the family strong from one generation to the next. . . it's a good thing!

Family You Can Count On

Most of the time we take our family for granted. Today something happened to me that reminded how fortunate I am to have family I can count on. It is another bitterly cold day. I was driving on one of our city streets today when I hit an ice patch (ok - I probably was driving a little too fast). My car swerved out of control and did a 180. I found myself facing the opposite direction with the back end and passenger side of my car stuck in a snow bank. I barely missed a couple trees on both the front and back of my car. I was stuck. My car just wouldn't move. I knew that because it was so cold, I would have a long wait for a tow-truck. I called my husband and son. Within ten minutes they arrived, gave me a push and I was on my way. As I pulled away, it struck me that I take those little things my family does for me for granted, things like - well, like getting pushed out of a snow bank. Having family you can count on for the big and little things . . .it's a good thing!

Connected to American Idol

I have never been a American Idol (or Canadian Idol) fan. I am not much of a reality show person. But even I might tune in to American Idol this year, not because I am caving in to the reality show craze, but because there is a Prince Albert connection . The grandparents of one of the contestants, Kendra Campbell, live here. Kendra's mother grew up in a town close to Prince Albert and her grandparents have lived here for many years. Couple this with the fact that I am a huge fan of both Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez, and that Simon Cowell - and his negative attitude - is no longer on the show, I think I may watch a little American Idol this time around, at least as long as Kendra Campbell is still a contestant. Just don't expect me to lay awake nights worrying about my favorite contestant or to faithfully watch each and every episode. It would just be nice that the next American Idol has a Prince Albert connection. Having a good reason to watch a mediocre program . . . it's a good thing!

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

It seems like it has been so cold for so long! Everyone you talk to is complaining about the weather. A few times over the last couple weeks we have been promised nicer temperatures "in a few days" by weather forecasters only to see that forecast change and the cold remain. I think this is a good time to count our blessings, rather than lament the frigid outdoors. I and everyone I know has a warm home to go to each night. Most of us have safe vehicles we can depend on. Not everyone has those comforts. Those of us who can afford to pay our energy bills should be thankful for the heat in our homes. Yes it's cold, but we can cope and we can survive. Looking at other parts of the world, I think we are very fortunate that the only thing we have to contend with is cold weather. Australia has suffered with flooding. New Zealand is recovering from a horrific earthquake. All over the world, nature has been spewing rain, drought, earthquakes and fire. Thinking of what other countries are living through, you have to admit we are quite fortunate. Living a good life - even in minus 30 weather for weeks on end. . . .it's a good thing!

Happy Memories

Pamela Johnson, the creator of the on-line “Secret Society of Happy People” has written that there is one thing she knows for certain about happiness - that our happiest memories are the ones we get from relationships. She is right! We don’t get warm fuzzy feelings remembering the hours we spent at work, or awards we have received, or things we have bought. We do not get teary-eyed remembering how clean our house was or how well we did a project. Our most poignant memories are of meaningful time we have spent with people who like or love. Those are the memories which make us smile the most and which make us happy. Spending time with family or friends creates pleasing feelings and in turn, joyful memories. Meeting new people through volunteer work, travel or taking a class makes us happy and when we think back on those moments, we remember them with joy. The more people in your life you love and who love you back, the more laughs and fun you have, the more happiness you’ll have – now and when you look back on the moment. Being happy and creating blissful memories . . . it’s a good thing!

Fill'er Up

“Fill ‘er up? Anything else I can do for you”? The gas jockey at my favourite filling station asks the question through frozen lips. On a bitterly cold winter day, when my gas tank hits the empty mark, I can think of no one I appreciate more than the friendly gas jockies who pump gas for me. I dislike pumping my own gas, so I always appreciate the employees at the filling station. I am even more appreciative when it is really cold. I am always amazed at how friendly and helpful they are even in frigid temperature. They always impress me with their smiles and pleasant personalities. After all, I would let them pump my gas even if they were not nice to me! No matter what they get paid, it is not enough. I don’t know how many pairs of underwear, t-shirts, gloves and scarves one would have to wear to be that happy in cold weather, and I don’t want to know. Appreciating friendly service, especially in cold weather . . . it’s a good thing!

A Week-end for Me

For the first time in a long time, I am going to have a relaxing, stress-free week-end. I have had a rather hectic couple of months, with little time for myself. I am going to make up for that this week-end. It is a long week-end, Monday being Family Day. Sometimes in your life, you need to say “Enough is enough. I need to take care of myself”. This is one of those times for me. I will catch up on some reading, sit by the fireplace, enjoy a glass or two of wine. On Saturday night, my husband and I are going to a banquet and an evening of fun with some good friends. I am looking forward to a relaxing evening out. Sunday will be our “Family Day” meal. And that is it! That is all I am doing this week-end. The rest of the week-end, I plan on being house-bound, no make-up and just enjoy some free time. Knowing when it is time to put the brakes on and slowing down to take care of yourself . . . it’s a good thing.

Snuggle With Your Baby

If you have had a baby, chances are you have used Ann Moore's invention. She invented the snugli! She was a Peace Corps volunteer and while in French West Africa, she noticed mothers carrying their babies securely on their backs. She admired the bond this created between mother and child. When she returned to the USA and had her own child, she decided to design a carrier similar to what she had seen in Africa. With her mother's help, she worked on creating one that fit on her back but could not keep her baby from slipping. Finally, the created a carrier that has become commonplace all over the world - the snugli. She patented it in 1969. Mothers and fathers everywhere are grateful to Ann Moore for her wonderful invention. Being able to go about your housework while snuggling with your baby . . . it's a good thing!

Wangari Maathai

Wangari Maathai was born in Kenya. She was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. She was active in the National Council of Women of Kenya from 1976 - 1987, serving as its chair from 1981 to 1987. This caught my attention as there is a Council of Women here in my city to which I belong and we are affiliated with the National Council of Women of Canada. What Professor Maathai accomplished while serving on the Council of Women is amazing. In 1976, she developed the idea of community-based tree planting, both to protect against soil erosion and to provide a source of firewood for cooking fires. This idea grew into an organization known as the Green Belt Movement and has assisted women in planting over 40 million trees in Kenya! Her organization has now spread into many other African countries. In 2004 this amazing woman was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace". Another example of a determined woman helping other women, she continues to campaign for the betterment of women in Kenya. If you want to know more about Wangari's vision, check out the video at: http://takingrootfilm.com/trailer.htm.

Applauding women who single-handedly make a difference in the world . . . it's a good thing!

Blue Collar Humor

On Saturday, I went to a “Blue Collar Concert” with my husband and a couple of friends. Bill Engvall, Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy were at their best. The show was hilarious and the comedians were hilarious. This got me to thinking: what a great way to make a living – going up on stage and making people laugh! These three performers are accomplished entertainers and are comfortable on stage. We had excellent seats, being three rows from the state. Because of this, I was able to closely observe the ease with which they bantered and how much they enjoy each other’s humour. How wonderful would it be to go to work when your job is to make people laugh and to be brought to laughter yourself by your collegues? Even if you were having a bad day, going up on stage and hearing your audience’s laughter and sharing laughs with the people you tour with couldn’t help but cheer you up. Enjoying what you do and bringing laughter to people . . . it’s a good thing!

Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is always bittersweet for me. While I enjoy the flowers, chocolates and the various expressions of love, February 14th was also my Dad’s birthday. He has been gone now for over twenty years, yet the void is ever present on his special day. When we were young, Mom always planned his favourite meal and we bought him the “perfect” gift. As he became older, his birthday became a reason for the family to gather. Dad always enjoyed celebrations and loved being the life of the party. His joy of living produced some wonderful memories cherished by his children, especially on Valentine’s Day. Enjoying Valentine’s Day and its celebration of love and remembering a special birthday . . . it’s a good thing!

Zainab Salbi

I believe it is important for women to know about the struggles and successes of other women. Zainab Salbi is a woman who is a shining example of what one woman can accomplish. She was born and raised in Iraq during Saddam Hussein's reign. She saw that the hardest-hit victims during her nation's wars were the woman and children. She saw how their suffering came in many forms - women became widowed, children became orphans, women were used as tools of war through torture and rape. She was determined to help these victims. In 1993 she founded Women to Women International. This organization helps women survivors of war rebuild their lives by providing training, financial assistance for business start-ups, and basic schooling such as learning to read and write. Since 1993, Women for Women International has raised over $24 million and has helped more than 55,000 women in wartorn countries. In 2006, WFWI was awarded the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize, which included an award of $1.5 million which was used to continue its work. Imagine: one woman's vision has created an organization which has helped over $55,000 women worldwide! One person can make a difference. Is there something we could be doing to help other woman? If you want to learn more about this amazing woman, she has written a book called "Between Two Worlds". Knowing that one person can make a huge impact on the lives of thousands of other people . . . it's a good thing!

Relieve Stress - Eat!

It's almost too good to be true! For those of us who have weight issues and who eat when we are under stress, the medical community is finding that sometimes stress-eating is ok! Well, you DO have to eat the right foods - not chocolate, or cake or chips. There are some foods that actually work to calm you down when your stress level is rising. Stress increases your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and obesity. How wonderful that now we can "eat" away our stress! The best stress-busting foods include almonds, pistachios and walnuts, avocados, skim milk, oatmeal, oranges, salmon and spinach. Each of these foods contains different minerals or vitamins which work to calm your heart rate and reduce blood pressure. Oh joy - being able to eat in order to relieve stress! How perfect is that? Eating because it's good for you . . . it's a good thing!

Photos From The Past

I think old pictures are priceless. I, like most people, have pictures of my parents and my grandparents when they were young. I remember as a child looking through my Grandma's pictures and being spellbound by photos of her and Grandpa in the early days of their marriage, and pictures of my Mom and my Aunt as children. Grandma had a soft leather-bound photo album with black pages that the pictures were attached to. How I loved that photo album! Without that visual, I would not have known my parents and grandparents in their youth. It was a shock to my young mind to realize that they had not always been "old". It taught me that they had once been young and had had very different lives than the one they were living now - just as we all have once we leave home. The picture in this blog is of me and my Dad. The photo tells me so much. If it had never been taken, I would not have known that one day Dad came in from his chores, and picked me up and held me. The picture of the farmer in his work clothes holding a baby, lovingly dressed in beautiful clothes by her mother, reminds me of the love between all parents and their children. I don't know who took this picture, but I am grateful to that photographer. Old photographs that tie the past to the present, and remind you of who you are - and who you were . . . it's a good thing!

A Matter of Colour

OK – I admit it: I am a “colour” person. I am influenced by colours. I first became aware this was true when taking a class at university aimed at preparing us for studying. We were taught different ways to study and we were told that if we were “colour” people, our study notes would be more effective if each topic was written in different coloured ink. In order to decide if we were or were not colour people, the instructor asked us to think how we feel about colours. Do we buy things like notebooks and pens in certain colours because they “make us good” or do we just buy these items in whatever colour we happen to grab first? Do certain colours make us feel happy or do colours have no effect on us at all? I knew after answering those two questions, I was a colour person. I definitely bought notebooks, pens, pencils, pencil-cases, and rulers in colors I enjoyed looking at. I used the “coloured ink” system for my notes and it worked very well for me. Even at work, the items I use everyday are usually in colours I like. I will go out of my way to buy a journal for work in pink rather than blue or black. Now, I find there has recently been actual scientific research to back up the “colour person” theory. A survey of 600 people was done in which their pill-taking habits were examined. Over 75% of those studied were more likely to take pills if they liked the colour! They also found people were less likely to forget to take their pills if the colour pleased them. When I think back to my own pill-taking experiences, I realize that I too am more likely to remember to take a pill or a vitamin if I like the colour. It’s good to know that I am normal, after all! Being a colour-person and knowing it is ok to be one. . . it’s a good thing!

Heart-brake!

It’s true what they say: rejection does break your heart – literally! Or at least, it slows it down to what scientists are calling a “heart-brake”. A study done at the University of Amsterdam and Leiden University found that social rejection can cause your heart’s rate to drop for a moment or even longer. Researchers enrolled healthy 18 – 25 year old students in the study. Pictures were taken of each student and sent to another university. The students at the other university looked at the picture and decided if they liked that person or not, simply by looking at the picture. They were instructed to write yes or no by the picture. The pictures and remarks were then returned to the original university where the participants were hooked up to an electrocardiogram. These original participants were in turn shown pictures of the other students and asked to guess whether each person had liked or disliked his or her picture. They were then shown the results and that is when things got interesting! When the feedback showed that the student was not liked by a student, the participant’s heart-rate slowed momentarily. And interestingly, the slow rate was more pronounced if the student taking part in the study had guessed that the other person would like them. The cardiac response to unexpected social rejection was larger than to expected social rejection. So, if you are rejected by someone you already know doesn’t care for you, your heart rate slows a little. If you are rejected by someone you think likes you, your heart rate slows more dramatically! Scientists are saying these findings show that humans are strongly motive to feel they are liked, and that this study shows that the brain processes social and physical pain in the same regions. This study was done between people who had never met each other and were simply basing on photographs their decision on whether or not they liked the person. Imagine how dramatic those results could be in real relationships! Knowing that everyone wants to be liked and working hard not to create – or suffer from – a heart-brake . . . . it’s a good thing!

Wyatt

Last week I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting another brand-new great-nephew. Wyatt is even more perfect that I imagined he could be. At barely three months old, he already holds his head up, his neck is solid and his legs are strong. It is easy to forget you are holding a newborn. My nieces have suddenly become old enough to marry and have children. This amazes me! Where did the time go? It seems like it was only a couple years ago I was holding them in my arms, and now I am holding their children. Our family is growing, new boyfriends and husbands are becoming a part of our circle and new babies are appearing. The next generation is on the move. We are quickly becoming “the old aunts” – a title once relegated to my father’s sisters. While I love my new nieces and nephews, I wish time would slow down just a little. Let me get used to having grown children and to seeing my brother and sister with grown children. Now we are suddenly grand-parents and great-aunts. It is all, as they said in the Lion King, a part of the circle of life and we need to relish every moment. Loving each new member of our family, even as we longingly look back at our own youth . . . it’s a good thing.

Be Smart: Talk To A Friend

Talking to a friend for ten minutes can give your brain a quick boost and make it easier for you to problem solve! Who would have thought that the “gift of the gab” could make you smarter? The University of Michigan did a study last year and that is exactly what they found! The study measured 192 undergraduates’ performance on cognitive tasks after ten-minute conversations with each other. The study found that this friendly conversation boosted memory, self-awareness and problem-solving skills! Interestingly, the study also found that students who conversed in a competitive tone did not receive this boost and did not benefit cognitively. Becoming smarter simply by talking to a friend . . . . it’s a good thing!

The Giving Pledge

I have always admired Bill Gates for his spirit of giving. I first heard of Gates' generosity when he donated computers to every library in North America. He continued to give to many different charities and organizations over the years. His latest "project" is his most generous, and he is inspiring other billionaires to give away some of their money! Gates and his friend Warren Buffet have created a new organization called "The Giving Pledge". It consists of only billionaires and they must pledge to give away at least half of their total wealth to charity during their life or after their death! The extremely wealthy in the USA are impressed, and the new organization is receiving an incredible response! Billionaires are beginning to have important conversations with their families about their wealth and how to use it. There are so many poor and struggling families in North America, it is admirable that Gates and friends would help out in this unique and generous manner. Although Bill Gates could live in his own world of comfort and excess, how refreshing and wonderful that he continues to want to help those who have not been as fortunate as he. A super nice pledge from the super rich . . . it's a good thing!

Green High Heels

When I was about five years old, my Mom had a pair of olive green high heel shoes. I loved those shoes! I would wear them around the house every opportunity I had. I made Mom promise me that she would keep the shoes for me until I was old enough to fit into them. She promised that she would. I would periodically check her closet to make sure my prized green heels were still there, waiting for my feet to grow into them. In my "little girl mind", I would envision how beautiful I would look wearing them, and how lovely they would look on my feet when I wore them to the ball. Of course, I did not really know what a ball was, but I knew that princesses in beautiful shoes danced at balls. Mom kept her promise and saved the shoes for me. However, by the time I grew into them, my friends and I were not wearing heels. Platform shoes and boots were in style and so the green shoes sat in Mom's closet. Eventually, she moved them into the "dress-up box" for her grandchildren when they came to visit. I never did wear those shoes as an adult, but I always loved them. Over the years they have disappeared, but I remember every detail of those green high-heel shoes. Perhaps I remember them so well for two reasons: the first because I loved them so much, and the second because my Mom loved me so much that she stored them for all those years. Beautiful green shoes fit for a princess - and her mother - to wear to the ball . . . it's a good thing!

Diet, Exercise and Drink Wine!

This is just too good to be true! Dutch researchers recently released their study on the benefits of wine. Yes - the BENEFITS of wine! They found that drinking a half-glass of wine a day might help you live longer - five years longer! They said wine may contribute to longevity because it seems to prevent the build-up of fatty tissue in the arteries. For people who suffer from arthritis, the Dutch scientists found that drinking wine significantly reduced inflammation and even reduced the risk of developing several arthritic conditions! But here is the best news of all: women who drink a light to moderate amount of wine tend to gain less weight than women who don't drink! Bringham and Women's Hospital in Boston conducted a study of 19,000 women over 13 years and found this to be true. This is the best diet aid I have ever heard of! They are not sure why it works, but suspect the reason is because women who drink moderate amounts of alcohol tend to eat less food, particularly carbs. So, bring on the wine and shed those pounds! Enjoying a glass of wine or two because it's healthy for you . . . it's a good thing!