Well, I have already blown the NaBloMo. But I can’t be too hard on myself. After all, I started a day late; so, in all honestly, I started the blog blown.
But last week was a very hard week. I had a stomach virus and another friend died.
Actually, the last couple of weeks have been rather tough.
In the past month I have had my Associate Pastor and two friends die. The first two were expected. Although dreaded might have been more appropriate.
Fr. Giacosa was diagnosed with pancreatic Cancer in August. He was given two to three months to live and he lived for two and a half of those months. And fortunately, I do mean he lived. He had parties and entertained until the last two weeks of his life. Then, he spent his final days with family and close friends.
Another recent loss was of a wonderful older woman named Minnie. When her daughter faced a difficult patch, she came out of retirement to move in with the family and help with the children. That’s how I met her. She was diagnosed with lung cancer a little over a year ago. She fought hard, and for awhile, I thought she was going to beat it. But that was not to be.
Then last week, Ricky died. I knew him through his twin sister Vicky. It was quite unexpected. His wife just woke up to find him dead in bed next to her. They still don’t have all the results yet.
You know, sometimes people sit around and talk about how they want to go. My father has often said that he wants to die just like his father: in his sleep after a big party. But I have never really been one to dwell on such things. I figure I don’t know the day or time, and I don’t really enjoy speculating on it. The truth is, I’m Catholic, so I do have certain ideas and hopes for the afterlife. But I also have long term plans for my life.
Basically, I have life insurance and a retirement plan.
Is that so wrong?
Plus, I just don’t like to dwell on the moment of transition from this life to the next.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Throwing the Virgin in the Volcano
I was watching a wonderful show about volcanoes the other day. It showed the history of the volcanic atolls all around the world. I didn't realize how much land volcanoes added every year. In fact, volcanic eruptions are the only way that land actually grows. The land they create is sterile at first, but in a geologically short time, this new earth becomes very fertile, replenishing minerals that plant and animal life has depleted.
O.K., so now that the nature lesson is over, I can get to the point. The fact is that all this good comes from an explosive mountain burp. But a lot of destruction comes as well. The entire top of Mount St. Helens blew off, people lose homes in Hawaii to lava flow, and we have all seen the destruction that Tsunamis can wreak.
But that is the nature of change. It gives and it takes.
Ancient peoples so feared this change, they had been known to throw a virgin into the mouth of the volcano to "appease the gods."
I couldn't help but compare this to the fears of climate change. Now, don't get me wrong. I believe that we need to recycle and I am all for alternative forms of energy. But I'm not so sure that: a)there is all that much change occurring or b)we have anything to do with it.
I have read and studied about global warming for many years. The truth is that there has been cyclical warming and cooling on earth for billions of years. We can chart this warming and cooling through a variety of ways, but over the last several thousand years, we can chart it through recorded history. In fact, every time mankind has made major leaps, it has been during times of global warming. These are the periods in our earth's history that water has been freed form the polar ice caps and land has been more fertile. It is during those times of global cooling that we have historically suffered drought and illness.
But just as ancient people offered the destruction of an innocent in the hopes of forestalling an eruption, I have met people who are willing to destroy our entire society simply on the chance that it might stop climate change.
The fact is, life changes. We need to be thoughtful and responsible in how we meet this change.
O.K., so now that the nature lesson is over, I can get to the point. The fact is that all this good comes from an explosive mountain burp. But a lot of destruction comes as well. The entire top of Mount St. Helens blew off, people lose homes in Hawaii to lava flow, and we have all seen the destruction that Tsunamis can wreak.
But that is the nature of change. It gives and it takes.
Ancient peoples so feared this change, they had been known to throw a virgin into the mouth of the volcano to "appease the gods."
I couldn't help but compare this to the fears of climate change. Now, don't get me wrong. I believe that we need to recycle and I am all for alternative forms of energy. But I'm not so sure that: a)there is all that much change occurring or b)we have anything to do with it.
I have read and studied about global warming for many years. The truth is that there has been cyclical warming and cooling on earth for billions of years. We can chart this warming and cooling through a variety of ways, but over the last several thousand years, we can chart it through recorded history. In fact, every time mankind has made major leaps, it has been during times of global warming. These are the periods in our earth's history that water has been freed form the polar ice caps and land has been more fertile. It is during those times of global cooling that we have historically suffered drought and illness.
But just as ancient people offered the destruction of an innocent in the hopes of forestalling an eruption, I have met people who are willing to destroy our entire society simply on the chance that it might stop climate change.
The fact is, life changes. We need to be thoughtful and responsible in how we meet this change.
Saturday, November 3, 2007
In the Beginning. . .
After reading the update from the Writing Road, I thought I would give blogging a try. Both Beth and Tiffany are, of course, writing goddesses, and know so much more than I. But I have to admit, I am off to a rocky start this month.
November started with a bang. Well, actually, more like a crack. My days generally start fairly early. I set my alarm for 4:45 so that I can workout at the gym before work, which starts at 7:30. This means I usually hit the snooze button at least twice and end up eating a breakfast bar as I'm driving down the road. Anyhoo, while eating breakfast in my car on the way to work Thursday, I hear this sickening crack. I knew it couldn't be my bar, since I've found that low fat, sugar-free bars generally lack both flavor and texture. I suspected that I had broken my only tooth with a root canal, and I knew that there was only one way to deal with it: ignore the whole thing and get on with my day. But I did take the precaution of simply not eating anything. This worked for about four hours. Unfortunately, hunger drove me to eat a piece of cheese. This managed to drive a broken piece of tooth up into my gum like an arrowhead, leaving me in pain, and searching for my dentists number.
My dentist is a kind and wonderful man who I am sure I would enjoy talking to anywhere else but his office. Perhaps its because once I'm in his chair, all conversation is reduced to a slurred form of ventriloquism. Or maybe its the needles and drills.
His receptionist promises me a opening as soon as I can get into his office. Now comes the task of finding my boss. As a nanny I can hardly just leave. Especially when the baby is asleep in the nursery. Unfortunately, both Mom and Dad were in meetings, and I couldn't get in touch with them.
I continued to pick things up around the house while redialing their cell phones every fifteen minutes. One of the tasks the father asked of me was to pick up the balls that had rolled into the creek that runs through their backyard. I carefully made my way down the bank and got two of the balls out, then headed for the football that had floated under the little footbridge. That's when I fell in.
So there I sat, wet, covered in mud, with a half-inch arrowhead of tooth jammed into my gum. Now usually when I find myself in these type of situations (oh yes. You just don't know me yet!) I have to either laugh or cry. They're both good choices. This time I opted for big slobbery tears. Luckily, by the time I reached the hiccuping stage, the Mom called and was heading home. This busy woman cancelled the rest of her day so that I could get to the Dentists office. I feel appreciated!
But now I had to face the dreaded dental chair!
I have to reiterate how very nice my Dentist's whole office is. Knowing I was in pain, they showed me right back to a room and where they had Novocaine waiting. Then they got ready to start the drilling!
"Sthloow, hlows yowl lwife goin?" I ask the Dentist without moving my numb lips or knocking the cotton out of my mouth.
"Oh, fine" He replied being fluent in nervous mumbling. He set about preparing my tooth for a crown. He explained that since the root canal had removed the blood supply from the tooth, I really should have had the tooth crowned six months or so after the first work. I knew this. I had just been putting it off.
For about two years (O.K. maybe a little more.)
An hour later, my impressions were off to the lab. The broken piece was out of my gums. And I was the proud owner of a temporary crown. Oh, and he only said "I told you so" once.
The next day, the three year old asked if I was a princess since I just got a crown.
I looked at her and said:
"Of course I am!"
November started with a bang. Well, actually, more like a crack. My days generally start fairly early. I set my alarm for 4:45 so that I can workout at the gym before work, which starts at 7:30. This means I usually hit the snooze button at least twice and end up eating a breakfast bar as I'm driving down the road. Anyhoo, while eating breakfast in my car on the way to work Thursday, I hear this sickening crack. I knew it couldn't be my bar, since I've found that low fat, sugar-free bars generally lack both flavor and texture. I suspected that I had broken my only tooth with a root canal, and I knew that there was only one way to deal with it: ignore the whole thing and get on with my day. But I did take the precaution of simply not eating anything. This worked for about four hours. Unfortunately, hunger drove me to eat a piece of cheese. This managed to drive a broken piece of tooth up into my gum like an arrowhead, leaving me in pain, and searching for my dentists number.
My dentist is a kind and wonderful man who I am sure I would enjoy talking to anywhere else but his office. Perhaps its because once I'm in his chair, all conversation is reduced to a slurred form of ventriloquism. Or maybe its the needles and drills.
His receptionist promises me a opening as soon as I can get into his office. Now comes the task of finding my boss. As a nanny I can hardly just leave. Especially when the baby is asleep in the nursery. Unfortunately, both Mom and Dad were in meetings, and I couldn't get in touch with them.
I continued to pick things up around the house while redialing their cell phones every fifteen minutes. One of the tasks the father asked of me was to pick up the balls that had rolled into the creek that runs through their backyard. I carefully made my way down the bank and got two of the balls out, then headed for the football that had floated under the little footbridge. That's when I fell in.
So there I sat, wet, covered in mud, with a half-inch arrowhead of tooth jammed into my gum. Now usually when I find myself in these type of situations (oh yes. You just don't know me yet!) I have to either laugh or cry. They're both good choices. This time I opted for big slobbery tears. Luckily, by the time I reached the hiccuping stage, the Mom called and was heading home. This busy woman cancelled the rest of her day so that I could get to the Dentists office. I feel appreciated!
But now I had to face the dreaded dental chair!
I have to reiterate how very nice my Dentist's whole office is. Knowing I was in pain, they showed me right back to a room and where they had Novocaine waiting. Then they got ready to start the drilling!
"Sthloow, hlows yowl lwife goin?" I ask the Dentist without moving my numb lips or knocking the cotton out of my mouth.
"Oh, fine" He replied being fluent in nervous mumbling. He set about preparing my tooth for a crown. He explained that since the root canal had removed the blood supply from the tooth, I really should have had the tooth crowned six months or so after the first work. I knew this. I had just been putting it off.
For about two years (O.K. maybe a little more.)
An hour later, my impressions were off to the lab. The broken piece was out of my gums. And I was the proud owner of a temporary crown. Oh, and he only said "I told you so" once.
The next day, the three year old asked if I was a princess since I just got a crown.
I looked at her and said:
"Of course I am!"
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