Daily Archives: October 26, 2012

In Looking Out

Posted on by
24

Snowflake

The frost is on the pumpkins

And covering all the ground

The snow is gently falling

Not making any sound.

The fireplace is burning

And I am watching from where I sit

Drinking hot chocolate from a cup

With an added bit of nip.

Soft music playing in the back

Fills the room with so much grace

I love how it relaxes me

And takes me away from human race.

Some don’t care for winter cold

They would rather it be real hot

But for me, the beauty of virgin white

From snowflakes falling will not be forgot.

Terry Shepherd

10/26/2012

 

Related articles

Daily Prompt, The Daily Post At WordPress

Posted on by
15

Watching and Blogging

Your blog just became a viral sensation. What’s the one post you’d like new readers to see and remember you by? Write that post.

In the beginning, when I started blogging, I had never heard of blogging. All I heard of is Facebook. I have been taking care of my brother for almost four and a half years, and I had been itching to do something.

I could think of nothing that I had any real talent for. Singing?, no way, dance, not!. I was good at restoring antique furniture, but since I moved back to Indiana, I had no place to do any real business other than here and there pieces.

Finally, I looked towards God and months went by before I got an answer. Actually, it was the same answer from God as it was from my dearest friend, go back and start writing. I gave it some thought, but I think I lost part of my confidence in myself, as I didn’t think I was capable of writing anything anyone would find interest in. I felt God keep nudging me, so I thought, what the heck, I will see where I can do some writing through the computer, and God led me very quickly to WordPress.

I started this back in March of this year, as most of you know already. It did not take long before I had many clicks and likes and comments. This was giving me the boost of confidence I needed to know that I was still able to care for my brother and feel useful at the same time.

As time passed by, I had some bloggers ask me if I had a book, that they would like to purchase one. I said, heaven’s no. I have no talent, I just write what is in my heart, and they kept urging me on, to the point, I once again, said, what the heck.

I am not a professional writer, and I am sure that there are plenty of errors to be found, but I have written my first book, well almost. I have three, I think, more chapters to write, and then it will be complete.

As I sit here at home and gaze at the pages of my new book, I am not real sure what I am supposed to do with it next. I have been given some good ideas, but there is a part of me that does not have the confidence to try to make it look like a book, so my thoughts are, to check around for someone who can check for mistakes, then find a company to bound it all together. It would then look like a book with my name on it and my title.

This would be a legacy I could leave for my children after I am gone. To have it go viral would be nothing more than a miracle from God. You see, I only write from my heart, with no classes to guide me, so God would be the one making the viral sensation grow like crazy, but then again, he can make this happen can’t he?

Related articles

FWF, Free Write Friday

Posted on by
16

Before I go further, I just want to say to Kellie, WELCOME BACK GIRL!!!!!

Sara went back to the house, where  the only thing found from the incident was this one couch, proving that something had stood here at one time,  a house. A home, where four people lived. Two parents, and a set of twins. Along with this, was one dog, that did not escape, and their tabby cat, who had been found safe.

She stood, and then kneeled down into the dewy grass, and stared at what was left, her eyes searching for any other scrap of memory, but she could find none. The bulldozer was coming in later this morning, and it would be leveling the ground, of what once represented a happy home.

Her other family members were back at a  relatives  home, probably just getting ready to be awakened by the smell of coffee being made. Room had been made with a spare bedroom and two cots brought in to the living room.

Her sister never stirred as she quietly climbed out of her home-made bed and quickly got dressed and no one called out to her as she made her way out the front door. She had gotten in her car, and had driven here to where they had once lived, hoping for the nightmare that she had experienced last night, to become a reality, but it was a dream that had already been relived, and she could not send it back. She was forced to live with it and what she had done.

It was her fault, all of her fault, and it didn’t help that others did not spend great moments of time, telling her how sorry they felt for her. No one particular was on her side. Instead she found conversations to be made out of  tears, and sadness, memories, and insurance companies.

She had screwed up big time, and at 17 years of age, she thought she knew everything. She had a girlfriend spend the night a few weeks ago, and they had sneaked out of the house and went to the closest drug store and had bought one bottle of cheap wine, and a pack of cigarettes.

After returning home, they snuck back into her bedroom, and began their adventure of drinking their first sips of alcohol, and smoking their first smoke. The wine made them dizzy and giggly and adding a mouthful of smoke on top of it, made the two girls too relaxed.

It was supposed to be a fun evening, with studying, fixing and eating snacks, and staying up real late,  but instead, the girls were tipsy and too light-headed, and ended up falling asleep earlier than planned, with lit cigarettes in between their fingers.

Now that she was standing here looking at how she had ruined so many lives, by throwing  caution to the wind, and wanting to show everyone that  they were big stuff, she instead, learned a valuable lesson of responsibility and how your actions can affect others lives for ever.

One dumb mistake, one arrogant attitude, had cost her family their home. She carried this with her through out the re-building of  their new home, and after talking to school counselors a few times, she decided to turn this terrible guilt and tragedy into a positive thing in her life.

She took her good grades and applied them and her pen to the blank pages of a college application. She was accepted, and did very well for her four-year therapist program. Today, she is helping teens that are struggling with fitting in and being  accepted.

 

http://kellieelmore.com/2012/10/26/fwf-free-write-friday-welcome-back/

Daily Prompt, The Daily Post At WordPress

Posted on by
20

Illustration of the Parkinson disease by Sir W...

Daily Prompt

by michelle w. on October 25, 2012

Take a complicated subject you know more about than most people, and explain it to a friend who knows nothing about it at all.

I don’t know much more than anyone else in the world, but I may know a little more about Parkinson’s Disease and from working in the hospice world and caring for end of life patients, I feel like I may be more aware of what happens to ill patients.

Parkinson’s Disease is an illness that affects the brain. It comes completely geared to appear in five stages. The first stages through fourth, are sometimes easiest to deal with. The patient may be able to still work, and lead a productive life, with some noticeable tremors, and some gait issues.

As each phase comes to life, the ability to stand straight becomes harder as the body stiffens. The brain does not let body parts know what to do next,  the legs stiffen and the feet can be found to shuffle along,and so falls can become a part of every day life. Eating may become difficult due to the tremors, which can be in the hands, legs, head, or sometimes the complete body will tremor.

This in turn takes its toll on the body and makes walking harder. There are medications that PD patients can take. They can not cure PD, but they can slow it down, but sometimes the medications themselves, can make it worse in the end result.

In the fifth stage of PD, walking becomes to the point of having to have help to walk, such as a caregiver, walkers, and sometime wheelchairs. Dementia along with confusion, tears, depression can be a part of every day life.

The fifth stage can bring incontinence, constipation, lack of eating skills, tube feeding, bed ridden, and can also stop the recognition of family and friends. PD does not take the patients life. Usually a lung infection or bad cold is the culprit that ends the life in the end.

As a caregiver, it is very important to have a compassionate heart with ill patients. The patient is suffering, sometimes not realizing why this is happening to them, or the fear of death may become an obsession along with fear.

A caregiver’s life can be quite stressful while taking care of the patient, a caregiver can actually forget to look after their own selves. You can become worn down, tired, stressed out, cry easily. It is very important that the caregiver takes good care of themselves, and takes the breaks that are offered.  You are not there just for the patient, or for the money you earn, you are there also for the family who is suffering right along with the patient.

To be a caregiver, it takes more than a body showing up to do a job. There has to be a desire from the heart to help this patient have the best quality of life he or she can  have. Someone to hold their hand, talk softly to them, read to them, and sometimes to just sit with them. When you can have this along with the daily care of feeding, bathing, dressing, doctor’s appointments, bill paying, you are a caregiver that everyone wants to have when the time in their own home, someone is needed.

As for me, I am tired, and I carry a lot of stress, but I would rather take care of my own brother who has PD, then to let him suffer alone in a nursing home, for as long as I can do it. I am gathering great memories, and will have these to ponder back on when this part of our lives are over.

We all need to feel loved and needed. ill and elderly can revert back to children, and we can all remember how much we wanted to fit in, and be accepted and to never feel alone.

I have taken care of a lot of patients, geriatric, mentally challenged, disabled children and adults, and the dying patients, but in my own personal opinion, PD takes the cake. It is the worst illness I have ever come across. There is no ending date, such as a cancer patient. PD patients can live long lives with this illness. There also is not that much information about PD, making it harder to get professionals to  understand what things are like at home.

I hope that one day when my brother’s time is near to go to see heaven, that he knows I did my best, and that I loved him very much.

Related articles

Continuing Story Part 38

Posted on by
11

Dahlia remained in the hospital for two more days, getting better and stronger. Everyone went back to school and doing what they did best, and in between, went to the hospital to

Dahlia

visit Dahlia.

On the day that Dahlia was to be released, Drake was the one who was there waiting with open arms to walk her to the car and drive her home. All paper work filled out and signed, she was released and Drake and her walked arm in arm out the double doors.

Dahlia blinked several times as her eyes were adjusting to the light that she had not seen for some time. Then she noticed everything around her. Trees, dogs running, people walking to and fro from the parking lot. She was taking everything in and Drake smiled down at her and gave her a big hug and squeeze right there. He did not care who saw this, he was in love.

They walked slowly to the car, letting everything sink in that Dahlia was seeing as if for the first time. Getting into the car, she snuggled close to Drake and they drove home. When they entered the front door, they were welcomed home with cheers and bright home-made banners that said Welcome Home Dahlia. Everyone went to her and hugged her and told her how happy they were to have her back home, and to be able to see, what a miracle God had performed. Rachel led them all to the kitchen, where the girls had baked a welcome home cake and there was iced-tea and punch. They all filled their plates and sat around the table talking about all that had happened the past week.

Then the conversation pointed towards the menu that should have been started a few weeks ago. Dahlia and Drake looked at each other and gave each others hand a squeeze, and Drake commented that he was so happy right now, he didn’t care what they had to eat that day, as long as he was pronounced married. They all laughed but Rachel brought it back to reality and said the guests would be disappointed if they came to a wedding and had nothing to eat, so we need to start planning

It was going to be a small wedding, and held outdoors, and so they were going to have more of a festive buffet style, comfortable and easy. So together with everyone’s talents being included, they decided on ham sandwiches, but on bread with the crust cut off, to make them a bit more festive. Some were going to make salads, including potato salad, a pea salad, and coleslaw. Others were going to make their special deviled eggs. There was going to be fresh strawberries, and slices of watermelon. Sue offered to make her famous whipped salad, that  had pieces of apples, grapes, and pineapple, with tiny nuts, all wrapped around a whipping cream. The neighbor, whose specialty was baking beautiful cakes, had offered to make their wedding cake as a gift. There would be punch with ice-cream floating in it, iced-teas, and coffee served.

Dahlia said that she wanted to speak and everyone hushed for a short time. Dahlia went on to explain how thankful she was for the day that Rachel and Ralph took her in, and helped give her a start of fulfilling her dream of becoming a teacher. She told them all that she felt so close to each of them, and she was so happy she was a part of this family. Dahlia continued to say a big thank-you to each of them for being there with her and for her while she was in the hospital, and everyone smiled as they agreed with all she was saying. Ralph spoke up and said that they were so happy that she was going to be an official part of their family, and that Drake had made an excellent choice. With all of the cheering and thanking and praising God for sight, the welcome home party dwindled down, and they all stood up, with each having their list of duties they would perform for the food at the wedding.

One month to go and the big day would be here. School was starting to wind down with the hard labor of learning and home work. Spring was in the air and trees were starting to show buds on their naked branches. The smell of spring was to be admired by all who walked the sidewalks of town.

Dahlia returned to school and the miracle of Dahlia’s eye sight coming back was the whispers of the school. Each class she went to , everyone clapped and hugged her, and the talk of her was what started each class off.

When she entered the dance class, the teacher was waiting for her as she entered the door. The teacher gave her the biggest hug of all, Dahlia thought. The teacher had tears of joy in her eyes, as she welcomed Dahlia back. Dahlia was able for the first time to see the big dance room, with all the bars and the shiny floor. She was introduced to the student she had been working with , and Dahlia leaned in and gave her a big hug and told her how beautiful she was.

That day flew by and Dahlia felt like she was Cinderella for the entire day. Classes continued and soon one day slipped into the next, and the days ticked by quickly, with school coming closer to an end, graduation coming, and then the wedding.

Exams were starting to be put together by all of the teachers. Students were going into the office to make final plans for further studies or new jobs. Everyone seemed to be in a great humor as one door was beginning to close and another one starting to open.

On weekends, families started going to the parks, picnics were being seen. People could be seen walking more and more as people were coming out of their cocoons of winter.  Dahlia and Drake spent every free moment together. They wrote their wedding vows and practiced saying them to each other, until each of them had them memorized.  The rings were picked up and the flowers were checked on to make sure of the date they would be delivered. Dahlia went into the dress shop and took a last peek at her wedding dress, that was hanging in the back waiting for her to come get it. Drake made sure that his suit was still waiting for him.

One afternoon Drake and Dahlia walked over to the neighbor’s house and checked in to see if all was going as planned with the cake. They were told that it would be a white cake, two tiers high, with lots of red roses surrounding the edges. It sounded beautiful. As they left her house and walked down the street,  Drake stopped Dahlia and took her in his arms and gave her a big kiss. Dahlia  interrupted and said not here, Drake, out in the open for all to see? Drake answered back, he didn’t care, he wanted everyone to know how he felt about her. He hugged her  and kissed her again,  and then let her go and together, the two walked hand in hand back home.

 

Related articles