Flashback Friday - Stop complaining about the weather

I’m starting to weed out my old photo albums, get all those pictures scanned into the computer and throw out the albums. Clean up the clutter.

This past week, I emptied out an entire album, dated 1978 to 1980. I evidently liked to take pictures of the weather. And these shots, from May to May one year, will attest to the fact that here in northern Wisconsin, we’ve always had snow for way more months out of the year than we would like. 

May 5, 1979, my parent's front yard

September 1979, I must have thought these were colorful trees

September 1979, my dad's dog, Mac. Not quite fitting the theme here, but he was such a pretty dog

And here we go. October 23, 1979

The woods behind my parent's house

One of my trails through the woods that October

March 1980, heading into Spring 

May 1980, yup, finally Spring 

*I should add to Wednesday's post that it is also important to use a good mattress and comfortable pillows to get that good night's sleep. 😉

Coming to the Clinic, Part 11 - The Elusive Good Night’s Sleep

     On one of my blog post’s last week, I lamented about my lack of sleep. At the time, I realized that some of you would be willing to offer me advice on how to get a good night’s sleep, or probably more likely, you all wanted to share in my angst. It dawned on me that I should be offering solutions here, so I present to you, after over a year off, a new episode of “coming to the clinic”.

Here is the long list of solutions which insomniacs have at their disposal. (Disclaimer: Even though everything I’m writing about can have merit, don’t consider anything here as medical advice, talk to your personal health care provider for help with this or any other problems you have.)

     1)     Prescription medications. The number one drug prescribed for sleep is probably Zolpidem, the generic for Ambien. Others include Rozerem, Belsomra and Sonata. All of these are available by prescription only because they have long lists of side effects, should be taken with caution, and are not usually meant to be taken every night. Even though you might get a good night’s sleep, you could still be sleepy the next day. Other side effects include dizziness, imbalance, memory issues, and addiction.

     2)     Over the counter sleep aids. Diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and Doxylamine succinate (Unisom SleepTabs) are probably the oldest non-prescription sleeping pills. As with the prescriptions, they can also cause daytime sleepiness. Melatonin is the one I see most recommended by health providers as being the safest to take, which means it is pretty mild and may not get everyone who takes it to sleep.

     3)     Self-medicating. The distinction I’m making between these and OTC meds is that by “self-medicating” I mean taking something to help you sleep that wasn’t designed to do that. Such as drinking alcohol or smoking pot. Sure, you’ll be relaxed and possibly fall asleep, but really? Do you really want to do that to yourself?

I’m also going to put in this category benzodiazepines (aka “benzos”), which include Alprazolam (Xanax), Diazepam (Valium) and Lorazepam (Ativan). These are mostly prescribed for anxiety, but also for a wide range of other things, from relaxing muscles to controlling seizures to lessening the effects of alcohol withdrawal. And even though they can be prescribed for sleep, they are highly addictive and should only be used very occasionally for sleep. (OK, I should fess up at this point. Alprazolam is the one thing that helps me get the best sleep [and I’ve tried everything!], but my 30-pill prescription lasts me an entire year. I will go for two or three nights with very little sleep before I resort to taking a half a pill.)

     4)     Oils. I include essential oils and CBD (Cannabidiol) oil here. This would be a long discussion and more research than I am up to right now. But just so you know, these are options, but you really need to look into them for yourself. Proponents of both essential oils and CBD oil will say they can cure everything, but I just can’t bring myself to believe that.

     5)     Non-medication alternatives. These are the best option. There’s very little danger in any of these, they are mostly all natural, you can’t get addicted, some are free and others are still inexpensive. I’d love to go into the whole list in detail (and sometime I probably will), but here they are:

a.     Meditation and/or other relaxation techniques

b.     Guided imagery (this works well for me sometimes and other times, not so much)

c.      Massage therapy (if only my massage therapist could come to my house and tuck me in bed when she’s done)

d.     Physical therapy (again, you can’t do it right before bed, but it can help to relax those achy muscles, in case that is what’s keeping you awake)

e.     Chiropractor (I know that some people swear by chiropractors and some think they are witch doctors, but they can help with sleep for the same reasons as c and d can)

f.       Aroma therapy (probably part of the essential oil discussion)

g.     White noise, such as a fan on low or soft music

     6)     Lastly, Sleep Hygiene. This always throws me off because I see the word “hygiene” and think to myself, “but I brush my teeth every night”. But the definition of hygiene is conditions or practices conducive to maintaining health and preventing disease. So this can apply to things other than cleanliness.

These are things you can get into the habit of doing which are conducive to a good night’s sleep:

a.     Go to bed and get up at the same time, even on your day off

b.     Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature

c.      Don’t watch TV or use your computer, phone or other electronics in the bedroom or just before going to bed

d.     Don’t consume large meals, sweets or caffeine before bedtime

e.     Get enough exercises throughout the day

f.       Decrease areas of stress in your life (yea, right, like this is going to happen)

So those are some of my thoughts on the subject of sleep. And none of them are concrete answers. No single thing is going to work safely for everyone or work for any individual all the time. And I should know. It’s way past my bedtime already.  

Example of poor sleep hygiene - too many dogs in the bed.

Better sleep hygiene, only one dog in bed. 

Strength

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” Isaiah 12:2

So, the other day when I started telling you about what my word of the year was going to be, I think I mentioned that the word (in one form or another) is found 232 times in the New International Version of the Bible.

“Lord, be gracious to us; we long for you. Be our strength every morning, our salvation in time of distress.” Isaiah 33:2

Here’s new information for you. It appears 27 times in the Book of Isaiah alone.

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” Isaiah 40:29

I really can’t think of much more that I can say about it.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

Except that some of these are our most beloved Bible verses.

“The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” Isaiah 58:11

I must have chosen a pretty amazing word for this year. Only with the help of God can I make this year just as amazing. 

Draft horses always impress me with their strength and gentleness (in general). 

Word of the Year, 2020

 but those who hope in the Lord

    will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

    they will run and not grow weary,

    they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:31 New International Version)

Once again, I have a new idea. After looking at the date, duh, shouldn’t we all pick something like 'vision' or 'seeing' or 'perfect eyesight' as our word (or words) of the year.

Nooo, don’t be silly. Or totally unoriginal. I was thinking about something like "soar" or "fly" or "rise above". When I did a search of Bible verses with those words, I came up with the verse above. 

So, that is my verse for the year. And my word is 'Strength'.

I think most of us want to be strong. Work-out and get in shape, have the ability to kick some butt if the opportunity ever arose.

Or mentally and emotionally strong. I’m not going to cry at the end of the sappy movie. I’m not going to let some bully get the best of me. I’m not going to fall apart when things go awry.

Maybe being strong, having inner and outer strength is all of those things. Yes, maybe things I’d like to strive for this year.

But mostly, I want to seek the place where that strength best comes from. 

Stay tuned. . . 

Word of the Year Teaser

     Since 2014, I’ve chosen a Word of the Year. A word to guide me, to inspire, to maybe keep me on track or bring me back.

Throughout the years, those words have been: Acceptance, Anticipation, Possibility, Peace and Serenity, and Purpose (the Lord’s purpose). The word for 2019 was Gift. That one didn’t work out so well, as the year seemed to be anything but a gift. Or maybe I missed the boat on the whole concept. Maybe I didn’t see the Gift in all the bad things that happened over the year, or maybe I didn’t ask God to show me the Gift in all of that. Or more likely, I totally forgot about the Word of the Year thing and focused more on just getting through each day.

But here we are a week into a new year already. And here I am at one a.m. typing this, wide awake for yet another night, unable to sleep, my mind all over the map. My husband says I have too many boxes open in my head. Perhaps. But I work to close all those boxes, put to rest all my thoughts and cares, and still I lay there awake, with a peaceful mantra going through my head or even counting sheep (believe it or not, I have resorted to that, but looking at all those sheep, my head goes off on another tangent).

Last week, I chose my word for this year, but I’m thinking that maybe I should change it to Sleep.

 When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

    when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 

Proverbs 3:24 (New International Version)

Along with my Word of the Year, I find a Bible verse to go along with it. I just checked my BibleGateway source and there are 111 verses containing the word sleep. I could keep digging and find an even better, more inspirational verse. Maybe.

So I searched for the word that I had already chosen, and that one is in 232 verses. I think that one is the winner, hopefully, the one which I can carry with me throughout the year. Which might be inspirational enough to allow me to sleep on nights like this.

You’ll have to check back on Friday for the big reveal.

 When I started looking for pictures of a bed to go with the theme of sleep . . .

 . . . who would have thought I would have taken this many pictures of beds from my last trip to Kenya. 

Finally Finding the Answer

This is the final installment of this year's series of Christmas inspirational blogs. Since the first Sunday in December, I have been reposting an updated version of the blogs I posted in 2011 and again in 2016. I thought they were kind of cute, so decided they were worth revisiting. All the pictures were taken when either I or one of my kids was in Kenya over the years.  

When the time came for the purification rites required by the Law of Moses, Joseph and Mary took him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male is to be consecrated to the Lord”, and to offer a sacrifice in keeping with what is said in the Law of the Lord: “a pair of doves or two young pigeons.” Luke 2:22-24 (New International Version)

Dove 1: What are you doing out there?

Visitor: Who me?

Dove 1: You’re the only one out there. The rest of us are stuck in these cages.

Visitor: I’m sorry about that. What are you doing in there?

Dove 1: I asked you first.

Visitor: Well, see that couple over there, the one with the baby?

Dove 2: The people who are looking to buy one or two of us?

Visitor: Yes. I have been following them all over the country side for months.  Their baby was born about six weeks ago, and I think he is the reason I have been tracking them.

Dove 1: But you don’t know why you are following them?

Dove 2: That doesn’t make any sense.

Visitor: I know. I just wish I could talk to them. Find out who the baby is. Other animals I have talked to have said that he is a savior and a king.

Dove 1: All I know is that if you don’t want to end up in one of these cages with us, you should fly away. You should appreciate your freedom while you have it.

Just then a man lifted the cage with the two doves in it and handed it to Joseph.

Dove 1: Fly away now!

The stranger who had been following Mary and her baby raised his wings and did as the caged bird had commanded. He flew high into the air above the crowded city. Yes, indeed, he had his freedom. Looking down on all those people in the market place on their way to the temple, it dawned on him. That’s why the baby had been born. That’s why he was called Savior and King. He had come to grant them all freedom, the freedom from sin that only came from believing in him, in Jesus Christ.

(This picture is of my daughter when she was staying in Saikeri, Kenya in 2010.

It remains one of my all-time favorites.) 
I hope you enjoyed this series of blog posts.

Have a happy New Year and may all your travels be safe.

2019 Christmas Letter, Part 10

Here we are, three days into the New Year already. We had a good Christmas and were able to spend plenty of time with family and friends, while even remaining healthy. We were at four family get-togethers in eleven days and four different cities. Yikes! Not gonna do that again. Just saying.

First up was my cousin's annual party (that's her on the floor on the right).

 My daughter was happy with her pizza stoneware from the gift exchange. 

 My son was happy, also, with his, until it got stolen in the stealing frenzy. 

 This little pumpkin got a great present, but no one would dare steal it from her. 

 Christmas morning at my house. 

Even Dino thought there were way too many presents, again. 

 Way too many.  

 Way, way too many. 

 Help, I'm drowning in presents. Does this mean that we really love each other that much? 

 Hubby wasn't sure if this present was given in love or not. 

 Over at Grandma Kincaid's house. 

 Her tree was beautiful as ever. 

 Then that Saturday between Christmas and New Year's, my daughter had her first real holiday party at her house. I took a few pictures and then promptly misplaced my camera. I came to realize that it wasn't the end of the world. 

On New Year's Day, everyone was back at my house. Hubby and his brothers with their mom. 

 Grandma with some of the grandkids. 

 And what's the holidays without a picture of the rest of the family. 

 I'm exhausted. You may be saying the same thing . . .

I guess now that the year is over and I look back at all my pictures, dredge up all the memories, yes, we had a lot of bad things happen. But at the end of the year, I can still smile, tell myself that I made it through and came out on the other side. And look forward to all that 2020 will bring. 
   God bless, 

   Chris