Grown-up Christmas list
Do you remember me?
I sat upon your knee;
I wrote to you
With childhood fantasies.
Well, I’m all grown-up now,
And still need help somehow.(can you still help somehow)
I?m not a child,
But my heart still can dream
So here’s my lifelong wish,
My grown-up christmas list.
Not for myself,
But for a world in need.
No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,(and wars would never start)
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend,
And right would always win,
And love would never end.
This is my grown-up christmas list.
As children we believed
The grandest sight to see
Was something lovely
Wrapped beneath our tree.(wrapped beneath the tree
Well heaven surely knows
That packages and bows
Can never heal
A hurting human soul.
No more lives torn apart,
That wars would never start,
And time would heal all hearts.
And everyone would have a friend
The above Christmas song has become one of my favorites of the season. I did enjoy all the excitement of presents, wrapping and bows when I was younger=but the adult me doesn't really need all those trappings to celebrate. My husband Ernie and I's Christmas celebration for the last few years has centered less around presents and more around being in touch with family and celebrating Christ's birth through music, giving for others and just the chance to be together.
May you all find the peace and joy of Christmas and remember the true reason for celebrating-the baby in the manger came as a precious gift to us all to save us from our sins and enable us to have eternal life with Him.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Thanksgiving Along the River in Grafton, Illinois
Our Thanksgiving is always a special day for friends and family to gather together. For many years we enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner at the home of my parents in University City, Missouri. Dinner there always included what ever family was in town, an assortment of my parents dearest friends, and usually someone who had no other family or place to share Thanksgiving.
In November of 1998 my parents retired from their jobs in St. Louis. They were able to fulfill their retirement dream of building and moving to a house near the ocean in North Myrtle Beach, SC. That left family here to develop new Thanksgiving traditions. The weather in November and our jobs made travelling to Mom & Dad's for Thanksgiving not very probable.
Not wanting to celebrate alone, my husband Ernie and I turned to our church family for holiday celebrations. For many years, we shared a Thanksgiving dinner with our good church friends Art & Lorraine Carlson. We were privileged to have our dinner at the faculty facility the Whitmore House on the campus of Washington University. After Art passed away, we shared a few Thanksgivings with Lorraine- eventually at Sunrise- her assisted living home until she too passed from this life.
Then it was time for new traditions as we who had no local family gathered at the house of one of our church family members to share a Thanksgiving dinner. Usually the hostess provided the turkey and all of us guests brought a side dish or dessert or beverage to add to the feast.
This year, 2011, none of us was quite up to cooking. So we decided to start a new tradition-Thanksgiving out. Jane Vacho, her daughter Maryann, Ernie and I thought Thanksgiving at Pere Marquette Lodge in Grafton, Il. would be great fun !! November 24, 2011 turned out to be a warm, partly sunny day. That made the trip across the river to Illinois even more enjoyable. After a 2 1/2 hour wait, which we spent sitting outdoors on the patio chatting and watching the river, we were finally called to table. What a feast it was-turkey,ham,chicken, roast beef, a selection of salads, shrimp, salmon, cranberry sauce, 3 kinds of potatoes, cornbread and wild rice stuffings, assorted vegetable dishes and assorted cheesecakes, pies and cookies for dessert. We finished eating and were on our way back across the river right at sunset. A good meal, A good time and a wonderful trip was had by all !!
In November of 1998 my parents retired from their jobs in St. Louis. They were able to fulfill their retirement dream of building and moving to a house near the ocean in North Myrtle Beach, SC. That left family here to develop new Thanksgiving traditions. The weather in November and our jobs made travelling to Mom & Dad's for Thanksgiving not very probable.
Not wanting to celebrate alone, my husband Ernie and I turned to our church family for holiday celebrations. For many years, we shared a Thanksgiving dinner with our good church friends Art & Lorraine Carlson. We were privileged to have our dinner at the faculty facility the Whitmore House on the campus of Washington University. After Art passed away, we shared a few Thanksgivings with Lorraine- eventually at Sunrise- her assisted living home until she too passed from this life.
Then it was time for new traditions as we who had no local family gathered at the house of one of our church family members to share a Thanksgiving dinner. Usually the hostess provided the turkey and all of us guests brought a side dish or dessert or beverage to add to the feast.
This year, 2011, none of us was quite up to cooking. So we decided to start a new tradition-Thanksgiving out. Jane Vacho, her daughter Maryann, Ernie and I thought Thanksgiving at Pere Marquette Lodge in Grafton, Il. would be great fun !! November 24, 2011 turned out to be a warm, partly sunny day. That made the trip across the river to Illinois even more enjoyable. After a 2 1/2 hour wait, which we spent sitting outdoors on the patio chatting and watching the river, we were finally called to table. What a feast it was-turkey,ham,chicken, roast beef, a selection of salads, shrimp, salmon, cranberry sauce, 3 kinds of potatoes, cornbread and wild rice stuffings, assorted vegetable dishes and assorted cheesecakes, pies and cookies for dessert. We finished eating and were on our way back across the river right at sunset. A good meal, A good time and a wonderful trip was had by all !!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Joy's Bag of Tricks for Pain Relief
As promised in my last post, here is my bag of tricks for pain relief. Try one or all of them !!
Joy’s Bag of Tricks for Chronic Pain Relief
Over the Counter Remedies
Aleve Naproxen
Aspercreme Biofreeze
Icy Hot
Exercise –related Remedies
Stretching by Bob & Jean Anderson =a very good reference book
Swimming or whirlpool/hot tub
Walking- http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/walking/HQ01612
Yoga =www.yogajournal.com
Mindful Remedies
Creative Visualization http://hypknowsis.com/Visualization-Techniques/LV6-Guided-Visualisation-Exercises.php
http://meditation.org.au/online.asp
Natural Healing=http://www.natural-healing-health.com/index.html
Curl up with your dog/cat
Meditation- http://heartspring.net/meditation_music.html
http://theconsciouslife.com/how-to-meditate-a-guide-for-beginners.htm
Heat /Cold Remedies
Ice packs
Therma care wraps
Warm/cold shower or bath
Other Remedies
Massage= http://www.massagetherapy.com/learnmore/index.php
Physical Therapy- http://www.moveforwardpt.com/
http://www.mckenziemdt.org/approach.cfm?section=int
AromaTherapy- http://www.aromaweb.com/
Shopping:
http://www.relaxtheback.com/stores/naperville
www.giam.com
www.shelterpub.com
A couple of great sites for weight loss info and tools and programs:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/Index.aspx
http://www.sparkpeople.com/
Joy’s Bag of Tricks for Chronic Pain Relief
Over the Counter Remedies
Aleve Naproxen
Aspercreme Biofreeze
Icy Hot
Exercise –related Remedies
Stretching by Bob & Jean Anderson =a very good reference book
Swimming or whirlpool/hot tub
Walking- http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/walking/HQ01612
Yoga =www.yogajournal.com
Mindful Remedies
Creative Visualization http://hypknowsis.com/Visualization-Techniques/LV6-Guided-Visualisation-Exercises.php
http://meditation.org.au/online.asp
Natural Healing=http://www.natural-healing-health.com/index.html
Curl up with your dog/cat
Meditation- http://heartspring.net/meditation_music.html
http://theconsciouslife.com/how-to-meditate-a-guide-for-beginners.htm
Heat /Cold Remedies
Ice packs
Therma care wraps
Warm/cold shower or bath
Other Remedies
Massage= http://www.massagetherapy.com/learnmore/index.php
Physical Therapy- http://www.moveforwardpt.com/
http://www.mckenziemdt.org/approach.cfm?section=int
AromaTherapy- http://www.aromaweb.com/
Shopping:
http://www.relaxtheback.com/stores/naperville
www.giam.com
www.shelterpub.com
A couple of great sites for weight loss info and tools and programs:
http://www.weightwatchers.com/Index.aspx
http://www.sparkpeople.com/
MY AS STORY
As a tribute to April is Ankylosing Spondylitis Awareness Month I thought I would share my story. I am most grateful to the Spondylitis Association of America for their support and research. You make contact them at www.spondylitis.org
I must start off, for those of you who may not know, with a definition of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
***(thanks to Michael Smith of Spondyville for this info)
For several years Dr. Kantor and his replacement Dr. Christine Kovacs followed me faithfully. Dr. Kantor and Dr. Kovacs saw me through many ups and downs of AS, including repeated flare-ups of Iritis. During this time period, I experimented with various drugs to treat my AS, including Clinoril, Voltaren, Indomethacin, Prednisone, Daypro and Vioxx. After several years of experimenting the drugs ceased to offer any relief and I was still having flare-ups of the Iritis. Then, at the suggestion of Dr. Kantor, I began to take Azulfidene. This seemed to keep the iritis from flaring up quite so often. Every time I tried to stop taking the Azulfidene – the iritis would return!
At first I didn’t like Dr. Sommer all that much, having been spoiled by how caring and what a good doctor Dr. Kantor was. Over the years, Dr. Sommer has grown on me. He also is a deeply caring physician. This is evident in the fact that he never rushes you through and appointment. This keeps him behind schedule most of the time, but the assurance that he will listen to and devote as much time to you as you need is well worth the extra waiting time. This is also evident in that he recently moved his office from the University Club Tower building in Richmond Heights to the new DesLoge Outpatient Center at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, Missouri. The building in Richmond Heights served its purpose while his office was located there. Recently, there has been a lot of retail construction in that area and most of the services which were located in the building (x-ray, lab, MRI, etc.) have moved out of the building. The new Outpatient Center contains most of these services on the same floor, with space for doctor’s offices on the floors above. I remember several years ago, a center like this was just a dream for AS Patients and now it seems that the medical community has caught on to how helpful this type of arrangement is.
I must start off, for those of you who may not know, with a definition of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
***(thanks to Michael Smith of Spondyville for this info)
My experience with AS did not start with the typical lower back pain. Several years ago I worked in a small room which was crowded with 9 workers; very tight quarters.
At one time a virus ran rampant through our small work group. Shortly after that, I began having several cases of Iritis (also known as Uveitis. For a while, I even had the inflammation in both eyes. I also had a retinal hole, which was repaired by laser surgery in 1982 by my ophthalmologist Dr. Navin Amin. During a follow-up eye examination, Dr. Amin saw something-and kept urging me to go see a general practitioner. While cleaning up the kitchen after dinner one night my mother, who is a nurse, noticed that I could not turn my head from side to side very much and began to worry. She took me from doctor to doctor trying to discover what was wrong. A round of physical therapy only served to make things worse instead of better. I credit my ophthalmologist and physical therapist and my mother for actually putting all my symptoms together to figure out what was going on. Five years of visiting different doctors brought no answers. Yet I still had cases of iritis and back pain and could not move my neck in normal range of motion. Finally I found and made an appointment with Dr. Owen Kantor, a Rheumatologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital . The hospital is a teaching hospital of Washington University Medical School in my home city of St. Louis, Missouri. The school and hospital have the reputation of being one of the best in this Midwest area of the country, always getting in on the latest in medical advances.
Today, I can still remember my husband Ernie’s reaction when Dr. Kantor handed him a booklet about AS. He started flipping through the booklet, and after a few minutes he exclaimed, “This booklet is all about you”! In the back of the booklet was a form to send in to become a member of SAA. I, always being an information seeker, was quick to fill out and send this for.
For several years Dr. Kantor and his replacement Dr. Christine Kovacs followed me faithfully. Dr. Kantor and Dr. Kovacs saw me through many ups and downs of AS, including repeated flare-ups of Iritis. During this time period, I experimented with various drugs to treat my AS, including Clinoril, Voltaren, Indomethacin, Prednisone, Daypro and Vioxx. After several years of experimenting the drugs ceased to offer any relief and I was still having flare-ups of the Iritis. Then, at the suggestion of Dr. Kantor, I began to take Azulfidene. This seemed to keep the iritis from flaring up quite so often. Every time I tried to stop taking the Azulfidene – the iritis would return!
Sadly, Dr. Kantor died of a brain tumor in July of 1997. For a while I lived without seeing a doctor. Who could replace Dr. Kantor? Soon I ran out of my meds and got a really bad flare. I knew that I needed to see a doctor and return to taking my meds. Because of this circumstance, I then became a patient of Dr. Rand Sommer. I decided against visiting another doctor at Washington University/BJC because their offices are on the 16th floor and require a long walk from the parking garage to the office suite. Dr Sommer’s office was located in a medical office building on the 10th floor and could be reached by a short walk from the parking lot and an elevator ride.
Under the care of Dr. Sommer, I have been through many more up and downs of AS and other medical conditions.
At first I didn’t like Dr. Sommer all that much, having been spoiled by how caring and what a good doctor Dr. Kantor was. Over the years, Dr. Sommer has grown on me. He also is a deeply caring physician. This is evident in the fact that he never rushes you through and appointment. This keeps him behind schedule most of the time, but the assurance that he will listen to and devote as much time to you as you need is well worth the extra waiting time. This is also evident in that he recently moved his office from the University Club Tower building in Richmond Heights to the new DesLoge Outpatient Center at St. Luke’s Hospital in Chesterfield, Missouri. The building in Richmond Heights served its purpose while his office was located there. Recently, there has been a lot of retail construction in that area and most of the services which were located in the building (x-ray, lab, MRI, etc.) have moved out of the building. The new Outpatient Center contains most of these services on the same floor, with space for doctor’s offices on the floors above. I remember several years ago, a center like this was just a dream for AS Patients and now it seems that the medical community has caught on to how helpful this type of arrangement is.
Today, my AS is kept pretty well under control with daily doses of Celebrex and Azulfidene and twice weekly injections of Enbrel. I also take other medications for GERD and Hypertension and Depression/Anxiety as well as a multivitamin, B12 and Benefiber. At night I sleep with a CPAP machine to control obstructive sleep apnea. Recently added 2 different nasal sprays for sinus problems. I try to do my stretching exercised on a daily basis, but still struggle with getting enough aerobic exercise. When time and pain levels allow, I do enjoy walking, swimming and riding an exercise bike, some Yoga and working with a Balance Ball.
Many years of living with the pain and discomfort of AS has led me to develop my own bag of tricks for pain relief. I share them in my next post.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
No Material Presents But A Gift
December 25, 2010- a day for joyful celebration. This year time just seemed to slip away until before we knew it Christmas was here. My husband and I both work for organizations where the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas are some of the busiest days of our work lives.
Christmas isn't about material gifts or it shouldn't be. It's about rejoicing in the greatest gift ever given. Long ago, in a land not known to many today, a young lady and her carpenter husband left there new home of Nazareth and journeyed back to Bethlehem as requested by the authority of the time-to be counted as part of a census. Who knew that they would arrive and find no place to stay? Who knew they would settle for a stall in the stable ? Who knew that the young lady would give birth that night ? Who knew that the tiny baby in the lowly manger would be the greatest Christmas gift any of us would ever receive ? Who knew that this tiny baby would be sought out by people near and far ? Who knew that he would grow up, preach and teach, have many followers ? Who knew that eventually he would die so that each human being could have life ? Who knew that he was and is one who remembers us, even when we keep him at a distance, far from our hearts ?
What a wonderful gift we have been given. A being who took our form, lived among us and eventually lost his life to save ours.
This is the miracle we celebrate at Christmas. This is the greatest gift, a gift not to be kept for ourselves, but shared with every person we meet on our journey.
Merry Christmas and may all of you remember to share the Greatest Gift !!
JOY:)
Christmas isn't about material gifts or it shouldn't be. It's about rejoicing in the greatest gift ever given. Long ago, in a land not known to many today, a young lady and her carpenter husband left there new home of Nazareth and journeyed back to Bethlehem as requested by the authority of the time-to be counted as part of a census. Who knew that they would arrive and find no place to stay? Who knew they would settle for a stall in the stable ? Who knew that the young lady would give birth that night ? Who knew that the tiny baby in the lowly manger would be the greatest Christmas gift any of us would ever receive ? Who knew that this tiny baby would be sought out by people near and far ? Who knew that he would grow up, preach and teach, have many followers ? Who knew that eventually he would die so that each human being could have life ? Who knew that he was and is one who remembers us, even when we keep him at a distance, far from our hearts ?
What a wonderful gift we have been given. A being who took our form, lived among us and eventually lost his life to save ours.
This is the miracle we celebrate at Christmas. This is the greatest gift, a gift not to be kept for ourselves, but shared with every person we meet on our journey.
Merry Christmas and may all of you remember to share the Greatest Gift !!
JOY:)
Friday, October 15, 2010
The Ultimate St. Louis Staycation
I never did understand those people who say there is nothing to do in St. Louis. On a Staycation in the Fall of 2010, my hubby Ernie and I found plenty to do. This vacation was just the right mixture of work and play.
We started out or vacation week doing yardwork-one of the necessary chores of home ownership. Ernie cut and trimmed the grass, while I tackled sweeping/raking up dirt and leaves on our patio. Unfortunately, I could hear leaves and acorns falling as I was working. A quick look on Tuesday am found the patio covered in leaves and acorns once again. Oh well- yardwork will be an ongoing thing with 3 large pin oak trees in our backyard.
Monday -After a morning of yardwork, we had lunch from our favorite neighborhood spot-Russo's Gourmet Catering. Yum-Yum. We finished out Monday with a trip to Home Depot to look at towel racks and a trip to (my favorite) the Dollar Tree Store. Monday evening we talked to my Mom in North Myrtle Beach as usual, then just relaxed and watched TV for the rest of the evening.
Tuesday-I had an appointment with my Sleep Medecine doctor for follow-up. Due to scheduling, I saw him at his office in O'Fallon Mo. The nurse spent at least half an hour trying to make my mask work-to no avail. She put in an order to Provider Plus for a new mask. I am still struggling to make CPAP work effectively, but keep trying. My next follow-up appointment will be in December, back at St. Luke's.
Next, we drove back in to west St. Louis county to take in the Butterfly House. They had a special exhibit of Orchid & Owl Butterflies which was quite interesting and lots of fun. We even answered a short quiz and got a free gift !!
The Butterfly House visit was followed by lunch at Annie Gunn's, an exclusive restaurant in the Chesterfield Valley. The restaurant prides itself on using a lot of locally grown meat and produce. Lunch was delicious !!
Wednesday=the big outing for this day was a stock-up trip to Sam's Club. This we do 3 or 4 times a year. You know, Ernie can't live without Starbucks Frappacino. We followed this with lunch at another St. Louis fave restaurant, San Sai Japanese Grill. Couriously, this restaurant only has locations in California and St. Louis. My Curry bowl was good for three meals !!
Thursday- We did pack a lot into this day. The am saw us on the road to Provider Plus-where I got a new mask (Opti=Life) for my CPAP machine. Hopefully this one will be THE ONE. After this jaunt we headed back to Wal-mart for grocery shopping and the Container Store to look again for a towel rack. Thursaday afternoon brought a follow-up visit to the dermatologist for Joy. Thursday evening brought us to a trip to the UPS store to return a phone which I had received earlier in the day. Next, on to the T-Mobile store to obtain new phones. Our normal Thursday evening choir rehearsal finished out the night.
Friday- Our 27th (yes count them) wedding anniversary. I started out the day by making Eggs Benedict, Vanilla Coffee and a Apple Juice-Champagne Sparkler for breakfast. We got happy anniversary wishes via telephone from my Mom in N Myrtle Beach, SC.; from my Dad who is visiting my brother John and family in Joliet, IL, and our good friends Kathy & Leon DeDonder (whom we are having lunch with on Saturday). The rest of the morning brought a trip to the Art Museum to view the Joe Jones exhibit. Joe Jones was a painter and activist from the Midwest. He was not a formally trained artist. He identified most with the working man. Quite an interest part of history which was uncovered for us by the SLAM.
Friday afternoon saw a long stretch of down time during which we watched TV and played with our new phones.
Friday evening we celebrated our anniversary with dinner at the Terrace View Restaurant in downtown St. Louis, followed by a walk around the area's newest park, CityGarden.
We started out or vacation week doing yardwork-one of the necessary chores of home ownership. Ernie cut and trimmed the grass, while I tackled sweeping/raking up dirt and leaves on our patio. Unfortunately, I could hear leaves and acorns falling as I was working. A quick look on Tuesday am found the patio covered in leaves and acorns once again. Oh well- yardwork will be an ongoing thing with 3 large pin oak trees in our backyard.
Monday -After a morning of yardwork, we had lunch from our favorite neighborhood spot-Russo's Gourmet Catering. Yum-Yum. We finished out Monday with a trip to Home Depot to look at towel racks and a trip to (my favorite) the Dollar Tree Store. Monday evening we talked to my Mom in North Myrtle Beach as usual, then just relaxed and watched TV for the rest of the evening.
Tuesday-I had an appointment with my Sleep Medecine doctor for follow-up. Due to scheduling, I saw him at his office in O'Fallon Mo. The nurse spent at least half an hour trying to make my mask work-to no avail. She put in an order to Provider Plus for a new mask. I am still struggling to make CPAP work effectively, but keep trying. My next follow-up appointment will be in December, back at St. Luke's.
Next, we drove back in to west St. Louis county to take in the Butterfly House. They had a special exhibit of Orchid & Owl Butterflies which was quite interesting and lots of fun. We even answered a short quiz and got a free gift !!
The Butterfly House visit was followed by lunch at Annie Gunn's, an exclusive restaurant in the Chesterfield Valley. The restaurant prides itself on using a lot of locally grown meat and produce. Lunch was delicious !!
Wednesday=the big outing for this day was a stock-up trip to Sam's Club. This we do 3 or 4 times a year. You know, Ernie can't live without Starbucks Frappacino. We followed this with lunch at another St. Louis fave restaurant, San Sai Japanese Grill. Couriously, this restaurant only has locations in California and St. Louis. My Curry bowl was good for three meals !!
Thursday- We did pack a lot into this day. The am saw us on the road to Provider Plus-where I got a new mask (Opti=Life) for my CPAP machine. Hopefully this one will be THE ONE. After this jaunt we headed back to Wal-mart for grocery shopping and the Container Store to look again for a towel rack. Thursaday afternoon brought a follow-up visit to the dermatologist for Joy. Thursday evening brought us to a trip to the UPS store to return a phone which I had received earlier in the day. Next, on to the T-Mobile store to obtain new phones. Our normal Thursday evening choir rehearsal finished out the night.
Friday- Our 27th (yes count them) wedding anniversary. I started out the day by making Eggs Benedict, Vanilla Coffee and a Apple Juice-Champagne Sparkler for breakfast. We got happy anniversary wishes via telephone from my Mom in N Myrtle Beach, SC.; from my Dad who is visiting my brother John and family in Joliet, IL, and our good friends Kathy & Leon DeDonder (whom we are having lunch with on Saturday). The rest of the morning brought a trip to the Art Museum to view the Joe Jones exhibit. Joe Jones was a painter and activist from the Midwest. He was not a formally trained artist. He identified most with the working man. Quite an interest part of history which was uncovered for us by the SLAM.
Friday afternoon saw a long stretch of down time during which we watched TV and played with our new phones.
Friday evening we celebrated our anniversary with dinner at the Terrace View Restaurant in downtown St. Louis, followed by a walk around the area's newest park, CityGarden.
Saturday brought lunch with our dear friends Leon and Kathy at the Royal Buffet.
Sunday- Church, football and more projects.
All time not spent in a certain activity was spent doing chores, working on projects or relaxing. What a week of wonderful weather, lots of good food and many other pleasurable experiences. Monday-back to work-but it really feels like we have had a vacation !!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
An Artful Journey
Our family has a dear friend who died in January 1999. He was a Sculptor, a dear friend and a deeply religious man. His name is William C. Severson (know to us as Bill). Bill's artwork can be seen world wide. As part of our vacation this week, we spent a day driving to and viewing some of his local artwork.
Our first stop was Bellefontaine Cemetery. Bill and his family members are buried here. He actually designed an obelisk for his gravesite which is quite interesting. It is in two pieces and when the solstice occurs each season, the two pieces cast a shadow which forms a cross shape on the ground. Above, in the middle is a picture of it.
Next we travelled to a site just across the river, The National Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville Illinois. Here we viewed two of Seversons pieces, the Millenium Spire (with Candlearium) and the Angelus Bells. Pictures of them are on the top of this page left and right.
We are lucky to have memories of our dear friend left behind in the form of the many works of art he has made and installed worlwide.
Bill you will always have a special place in our hearts.
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