HOPE THE VALUE WE ALL NEED

Always have hope for a better tomorrow or even today. When God closes a door, he opens a window. Just have the courage to go forward- one foot at a time. One thought at a time! Change your thoughts to positive ones! For every negative memory try to remember two positive ones. We are told to have three things we are happy to have as over time it will change our outlook. So I am happy to have a job on Monday. Happy to celebrate with family often. Happy to have a readership perusing my blog. Oh just three-I could go on. Very few regrets in my life. I have learned if I have a regret just to do the thing I regretted not doing. For example, writing more. Taking on this blog has kept me writing, thinking, creating, looking for ideas and trying to finish those major writing projects in between. So hope is a good thing. It frees the soul to keep going! Are you hopeful? Do you try to keep positive in life?

TO WAIT OR NOT TO WAIT

Waiting is one of the most difficult occurrences in life. We wait in traffic. We wait to have a baby born. We wait for dinner to cook. Not knowing the answer to a problem. Wanting an answer. We all wait for something. Currently the waiting for answers to the MH370 mystery must be agonizing for the families. Waiting and not knowing what we are waiting to hear! Waiting takes patience. We wait for the work day to finish. Even the work week. Some people are better at waiting than others. The trick is to find an activity while waiting. People watch at the airport! Read a book! Make a grocery list! Life includes waiting whether we like it or not. How about you-do you find waiting difficult?

WHAT IS CLASS?

So what is class? Chatting with a work mate recently, we both came to the conclusion one does not need money to have class. There could be different definitions. It conjures up a sense of being polite, saying the right thing at the right time, not having to speak one's mind all the time,not being rude, standing out in a crowd. Of course there are supposed to be different classes like the poor, the middle class and the rich. Still being classy does not mean wealth. We have all met people with class. They stand out-don't they? There seems to be character. Steadfast! Memorable! What words would you use to describe someone with class?

THE NEVER ENDING WINTER

Will Winter ever end? As I walked to work this morning in the cold, I was not complaining. Watching the early news with the clips from the Maritimes and how they got slammed with snow, a little cold did not seem so bad. The sidewalks are almost free of ice. So I still walk on the grassy part of the edge of the road. Most of the snow has melted. A slow melt so the moisture will go into the ground to be used later in the season for spring growth.

So a little green with a little white giving some encouragement that Spring will come. Does our mood get affected by the weather, you bet. I wonder what the stats were this winter for hospital admissions for depression. The amount of sunlight sure makes a difference in the happiness mode. Do you ever notice on sunny days that people generally just look happier? Despite the cold this morning, there were many songbirds chirping and singing away. The little signs of spring are there. No snowdrop flowers yet in the garden. I guess it hard for them to grow through 2 feet of snow!!

WHAT LESSONS WILL MH370 TEACH US?

A needle in a haystack is the way the search for MH370 is going. Being around aviation personnel as a child there is such an appreciation for the whole industry of aviation. So many theories and speculation abounding. Do you notice when a pilot is interviewed the answers are very simple? The question is why did the plane end up in the remotest area on the planet? For the families wanting answers it must be so agonizing. The search will continue until there is crucial evidence of what happened. With all the talk and rhetoric my thoughts and the word sinister just come to mind. How about you? What do you think?

A NEW COMPUTER FORCES NEW LEARING

Time to learn something new. Well having a computer crash and buying a new one brings on forced learning-  new icons and where to find things has taken the best part of two hours. Some how I did find my blogger dashboard. Yeah for new learning. Just hope when I log out I will find it again. No photos as I need to learn how to upload and where to store them. I thought I would have to reconfigure everything. I remember the first time I had to configure my email addresses. Then they went from shaw to home to rogers in the period of a couple of months. Turning on this new computer and the latest Microsoft program it came on-well -I had to hunt for some things and get used to the new tabs. I am still happy I found my blog site and am writing a quick post. The hard part is they could not transfer my files from my old computer. So some of my writing is lost. Good thing I like to print all my stuff and save on hard copy. A matter of retyping or inputting as it is now called! Of course all my photos are on my memory cards or  previous CDs. I did have tons saved on the old computer so maybe I will discriminate about how many I want to upload. Oh yeah, the guy at the store said no one uses CDs anymore. I like to tell people that one can use as many items as needed. Just because it is new does not make it better. I am too stressed to try to upload any photos tonight. Just hope my camera does not crash. By the way, I opted for a PC as I like to use the computer-well in my computer room with all my books, dictionary, notes. It is a contained mess or maybe organized clutter with my piles of relevant items. I can close the door so the rest of the house that is fairly neat does not get affected. I also like the space as it allows great light during the day and for some reason I get more writing and work done in this contained space. Of course creative ideas are found everywhere. Thus my little notes that I make anywhere and everywhere. I am always thinking about what I will write on my next post. So this one has been a little rambling but I can write faster now as there are fewer glitches. It seems the technology has improved since we purchased the last computer 8 years ago. So I have to figure out so many things. If I had a few days at home then it would be easier. I have to understand how to use the system well because teaching my husband about all the changes will be a different task.

BUTTERFLIES HELP US LEARN ABOUT LIFE

Butterflies are wonderful to use as metaphors in life. As life changes its cycles, there can be many references to the changes in a butterfly's life that resemble our lives. I use the butterfly picture in my monthly end of life talk to new nurses. Some interesting and creative thoughts often emerge from the group and sometimes they don't get it! I like to tell people, the Monarch Butterfly is very Canadian since it does travel from Mexico and back again throughout its life cycle. Or maybe the babies travel back! Forget what is the life span? Perhaps the North American Free Trade Agreement had its roots with the butterflies. Butterflies are good backyard visitors. And they are very quiet! No chirping at 5 in the morning! There are butterly conservatories in the world. Niagara area has one that is always interesting for the tourists! I have some milkweed plants in my garden to attract the Monarch! Do you have plants or flowers that attract butterflies? Apparently yellow and purple ones are the best!!

NANA SAYS BEWARE OF CHILDREN CHOKING

With everyone on the move and in a hurry it is important to stop and eat! And chew. Little children must be aware of the potential for choking. It is not enough to tell a child to sit down. There was must be an insistence. Parents are so good at not introducing potential foods that cause choking but forget we all can choke on any food.. Children think it is funny and like to run away-especially from Nana! Okay-so I am quite stern when it comes to safety issues like sitting and eating. Look at your own behaviours as a parent or grandparent-do you sit and eat? Or do you eat on the run? In the car? We all need to breath. If your airway is blocked, well no breathing no living! The other important thing to do-if able after having a baby take one of those CPR courses for babies and children. Know what to do if a child is choking! Especially your child! How to prevent choking? Small pieces. Small bites. Chew your food well. While working on prevention, why not sit down and enjoy a family time or dinner together. Usually about 15-30 minutes of your busy time. Safety is always the most important message!

A FLOWER FOR CLARA HUGHES IN SUPPORT OF MENTAL ILLNESS

Spring flowers are joyous! The daffodil reminds us to support the cancer efforts. Is there a flower that would support Mental Health? As Clara Hughes rides across Canada in support of MH awareness maybe we could be creative in honouring this illness. Since Clara has red hair, perhaps a flower with some red like a Poppy or Red Rose? Can you think of another one that may work?

WINTER IS COMING TO AN END

Underneath the snow there are spring bulbs wanting to emerge. Taking pictures let's one imagine about the flowers that will come. But with a forecast of freezing rain tomorrow it will be a further wait for Spring to arrive. Do you look at photos of other years? Sure brings hope there will be an end to this winter.

EVERYONE CAN BE IRISH ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY

St. Patrick's Day- time to bring out your green if you have any. The story of St. Patrick is well known. Irish like other cultures immigrated to the far corners of the world. There are many decendants in North America.
In our family there are Irish roots- great-grandfather and great-great grandmother on my mother's side and some temporary Irish roots on my father's side-actually Palatine Irish.

I do not have many green pieces of clothing. Just some shamrock ear rings and a button or two. Lots of coloured tights but none of them green. No green beer in the house. But will some Rapini do. A little Italian but like the Irish the Italians travelled to many parts of the world. With real Celtic blood, I can boast some Irish, English and Palatine German roots so it is a day to celebrate our heritage. How about you? Do you have some Irish roots? Anyway with Irish roots or not, a day with food and good cheer is worth celebrating. So just join in the fun!!

A POSTCARD FROM THE PONTE VECCHIO FLORENCE ITALY

Any trip to Italy warrants a visit to Florence-Firenze. Our trip to Italy in 1991 included this little city in the Tuscany-Tuscania region.  Home to amazing art galleries and sculptures, there  is also wonderful shopping. I still have a fashionable suede blue suit that Adolph bought me. Walking around and enjoying the scenery on a very hot August day, like every other tourist we encountered the Ponte Vecchio- the old bridge. Well if truth be told there is an old bridge in just about every city in Italy and probably other cities in the world. But the Ponte Vecchio in Florence is the famous one-why? Perhaps there is a story. It does join one side to the other with market stalls!  The postcard in the middle  has Bellotto-Firenze-Verduta dell'Arno enscribed on the back. It is from another historical era in the city's history.The bottom one is a reproduction of Hollaender's Ponte Vecchio- hanging in the Galleria d'Arte Moderna in Florence. The top card or really a picture looks like a postcard. However, I took it! Could be made into a postcard. If you or your friends have been to Florence, you could have the exact same pictue. There is spot to stand to take the picture that gives this amazing shot. It may have been marked spot to stand to get a great photo. I like my picture because it took in more scenery of parts of the city we did not visit. It is also a moment in time from our visit which makes it unique to Adolph and me. Tourists like to have the same pictures that everyone else has taken. The only thing missing is a Selfie! Perhaps if I have the opportunity to visit Florence again, I will do just that at the spot!!

PHOTOS FROM THE CANADIAN AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM

On a visit to the Canadian Air and Space Museum on the Downsview site in July 2011, I took over 60 pictures inside the musuem. Over 2 years ago, the museum had to move in a hurry because of some development issue on the property. Now the musuem is sitting in containers near the Pearson Airport waiting for enough funding to rennovate a building to have a new museum. Why it did not occur to me sooner but I decided to ask the people in charge if they would like my pictures by email or snailmail well you know the answer- a resounding yes. So last night with my slow system of uploading to email attachment- 5 at a time on each email I sent them off. It made me reflect on how simple pictures can bring joy to others. The photos are not great but the quantity of showing the museum and various themes from several angles may be used by those responsible to set up the new museum. Trying to preserve a piece of Canadian history which aviation entails is vital to our future. The musuem hosted class trips for schools in the GTA. There were classes and activity sessions. Perhaps there was no time in the rushed move to take any pictures so I hope mine may be useful. Clicking and recording on photo or video take a moment in time. Since our family was around aviation, the area on Air Canada memorabilia was fun to see.

Of course the museum is looking for funding so if you know anyone who is interested, check out their website for more information. Meanwhile, I hope I put a smile on the faces of those who are managing the quest to find a new home for this piece of history. Just to let you know, I was not pleased with most of the photos and almost deleted them shortly after my visit! Have you ever taken a bunch of photos and them found them a new audience? Tell me your stories. Of course I have another photo story or two!

CANADIAN FORCES DESERVE A THANK YOU FOR SERVING IN AFGHANISTAN

As the Canadian Forces leave their mission in Afghanistan, it sure is a time for reflection. Lives lost, stories told and evaluation. For this average Canadian, thank you for serving. You left the country with hope for a better tomorrow. Infrastructure was put in place. The problems of that country are very complex. The region even more! NATO tries! What to do! When you see someone from our Armed Forces, give a nod and say thank you. Support efforts to have better pensions, medical services and continued assistance for those needing services to continue to live in Canada with appreciation and dignity. Even write your local MP! Remember to honour the families and friends who lost loved ones there! They sure deserve it.

NANA SAYS ICE CREAM AND GRANDPARENTS ARE GOOD FOR CHILDREN

Ice cream and grandparents make for a fun time. Especially during March Break. For those working parents unable to take time off or go away, the support team can help with some fun times with the grandchildren. This Nana will have one group for a Saturday sleepover. Giving some relief to the parents and well-just enjoying the little ones! Exposing children to different generations in a family is important! Grandparents can tell their grandchildren stories that their own children are very tired to hear! Hearing stories about their parents when they were little seems to warm their hearts. Of course, only the positive parts. I remember once when my older daughter was asking my own Mom how I was when I was little. Her response was-"she was perfect". With a little wink, when Natasha could not see her, I smiled. Of course, I was a good kid-but perfect, hum!!! Children relish from the love of several generations. Memories are created for a lifetime. So here's to ice cream and grandparents!

WALLS CAN BE INTERESTING

What we put on our walls can show who we are and our interests! A wall with family photos, well shows a love of family. Art work-modern, landscape or portraits gives away our likes. An empty wall in many homes can demonstrate either no money to buy anything or no interests. Don't you think it is funny when selling a home, everyone is advised to take down all family pictures as the buyer will not be able to envision it being his or her home!! Sometimes I laugh because it is really about location, location, location not what you have on a wall that sells a house. Walls divide rooms and sometimes countries- the Berlin Wall, the Great Wall of China! Offices with walls give workers a place for privacy and quiet to work alone. Therapists need walls to assure confidentiality for their clients. Walls can be painted or wall papered to suit the likes of the person. Pretty murals especially in children's rooms are popular. Being flat-nothing can fall off the wall. I have lots of pictures, limited edition prints and some original art on my walls! What do you have? Do you showcase your family? Do you exhibit a particular artist?

IS SITTING BAD FOR YOUR HEALTH?

Apparently sitting too long is the new smoking, i.e. not good for your health. Someone always has to write a new study to tell us something we already knew. Where did the term couch potato originate? Well we have known for a long time that getting up and moving around helps to energize us. Clears the head and well keeps us awake. But is it really as bad as smoking, eating fatty foods and drinking too much! Hum- I think not. Most people fidget so their butt does not go numb. Some jobs and activities require sitting but also require thinking-so the brain gets exercised. My work has a combination of moving and sitting but not one for very long. Those that run around all day often blow out their knees! Well does life just catch up with all of us? If one lives long enough, one will get something! Hopefully just old age!

DOES AN HOUR MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Does an hour make a difference in our lives? The start of a day and it seems there are too many or sometimes not enough hours. The end of a day and trying to get everything finished in an hour before dropping off to sleep. An hour of exercise every day keeps one fit. A project with a good hour's worth of work can accomplish a huge chunk of it. Waiting at the doctor's office for an hour past your appointment time is a drag. An hour exam often does not give enough time to complete properly. So the time change of Springing ahead one hour for Daylight Savings Time feels like more than an hour when getting up an hour earlier than normal. Adjusting to the hour of difference takes more than an hour-usually a good week! But everything I do today is a hour earlier than last week. Yes home time will be quicker! How are you adjusting to the time change? Hello are you up yet!!!

FINDING YOUR WAY WITH YOUR PROBLEMS

No matter how big the problem appears, finding the opening to go through it and solve it can present itself in life. Tackling it head on can bring some creative solutions. Social Workers are known as problem solvers. Actually we facilitate our clients to look at their problems and think about ways in their own lives to find meaningful solutions that work for them. So problem solver or problem adjuster. Often my language is not about problems but concerns the person may have. What are your concerns? Have you thought about ways to work on your concerns? Like Rome that was not built in a day, neither are our concerns solved in a day! Taking a step back from them often gives a new perspective! Do you ever watch reruns of favourite shows? Well watching the West Wing- Leo had a good joke. A man fell into a hole, a priest went by and he asked for help. The priest threw in a prayer. A doctor went by and the man yelled for help and the dcotor threw in a prescription. A friend waked by and the man yelled for help, so the friend jumped in the hole. The man said now we are both in the hole. The friend said but I have been down here previously and know the way out! See your Social Worker sort of like the friend so you can be helped out of the hole! Thanks for sharing my Social Work week with me.

CANADIAN CHURCHES ARE WONDERFUL PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES

As Lent has begun, the weeks ahead lead us to Easter. Not only visiting a church for religious reasons, Canadian churches are wonderful pieces of architecture. On your outings and adventues, photos of these beautiful places of worship can be keepsakes. Learning about the community that built them can be local learning for not only you but other family members. Do you have photos of churches? Do you know where this photo was taken?

NANA SAYS FAMILY VACATIONS CAN BE FUN BUT ALSO CHALLENGING

Everyone wants that ideal family vacation which actually does not exist. Family vacation yes with all the warts does. Travelling with children especially teenagers can be challenging. When fish are out of water they do become more active and vocal. All the great planning in the world does not replace the real event. For little children whether by car, train, bus or plane-food and activities. For the older child lots of patience. Sure some children will be glued to whatever electronic hand held device they own. However, extra charges and roaming charges may be a big hit after the trip so make sure that is not an issue. Travel is to try to open up your children's minds and have some adventure so put your own devices away! Do you really need your laptop at the beach? Do something old fashioned like write a few postcards to friends and family? Grandparents love the little handwritten notes that can be treasured. If a good beach to find shells, well go shelling! If you are having a staycation, local events can be fun. I remembered the other day how a trip to the Art Gallery was fun for my daughters-they had activity sheets to complete while looking at the paintings. Asking a child what they like most in a room of art can be a point of conversation. Of course the most recent movies and a lunch/dinner out with the kids can be fun! Take out is too easy! Time to teach some proper social table manners! To enjoy family, energy must be quiet so get into your children's space and see from their eyes. For example, running around Disney World for 10 hours to get your money's worth may be an adult's adventure but seeing it from your children's point of view may reveal bored , tired children. If you are at a hotel with a pool, that's where the kids may prefer to be. Watching them can help you relax or jump in the pool with them. I remember on our trip last summer when at the pool at our hotel, 1 ten year old boy was asking his mother to come in with him but she was too busy texting on her cell phone!!! She will probably ask in a few years why does my son not want to spend time with me??  Actions speak louder than words so if planning a family time together, remember everyone's opinion counts! So the 3 year old can have a say about an activity. Giving everyone a turn to decide what to have for dinner, what to do, where to go for a walk etc gives some autonomy to everyone! At the same time teaching democracy, respect and other fine family qualities! Family time is always challenging usually going in a direction unintended. If you really tire the children, perhaps they will sleep better and you can have your own version of family time!! Enjoy whatever family vacation you are planning to have! Memories are made and stories can be told!

NATIONAL SOCIAL WORK WEEK 2014

Celebrating Social Work Week gives a chance to showcase what Social Workers do. Often a misunderstood profession-you get people money- maybe sometimes but not really. Found in many locations like schools, hospital, child welfare agencies, mental health facilities, private practice and in management positions in many public and private workplaces, social workers are able to provide a variety of services. Crisis intervention, discharge planning, therapies of many kinds, family and child therapy, conflict resolution to name a few modalities, social work can take one down many roads. This year in Ontario the motto is- Social Work-Champions for Positive Change. For those who are interested check out the Ontario College of Registered Social Workers and Social Service Workers website for a more comprehensive overview of the profession. For me the profession has allowed a varied career in different areas. Thus ending my working years with eclectic experiences in a variety of settings hoping to have a small private practice when retirement eventully happens. Being available to people in their toughest moments gives honour to a profession that facilitates change for individuals, families and communities. Like giving an umbrella doing a rainfall, assists to get through a tough time-that's social work!! Have you ever used Social Workers? What has been your experience?

A POSTCARD FROM WAIKIKI HAWAII

My parents received lots of postcards over the years. This one is from friends who went to Hawaii. Most folks in British Columbia go to Hawaii like those in Eastern Canada go to Florida, Mexico or the Caribbean islands.

" Feb. 5/92-Aloha-Maisie and Ellie-By now-Maisie, I hope your back is much better and you should be over here walking (slowly) with Bob. He is doing not too bad. Some days his bones ache more than other  days but he keeps on going which is good, he found a hot tub at another Outrigger so goes up to it and he feels better for it and for me , I'm doing great and must do some shopping as the next month will go by fast. Wished you were here and maybe another yr. you will come over. So take care. Love Betty and Bob"
I love Waikiki. In this card the fireworks at New Year's are featured. Diamond Head is visible in the background.

If you want a postcard featured here, email me at abdm@rogers and I will send you my address so you can send me a postcard.

MARCH CAME IN LIKE A LION

In Canada, we have a saying for March. If it comes in like a lion then it should go out like a lamb. The forecast is to be unseasonably colder than normal. Big surprise for this winter. Colder! More snow! More ice! Not a surprise at all! More shovelling today. Adolph tried to convince himself the sun would melt the snow after a sprinkling! Maybe it will end like a tiger! We are closer to spring so whatever March brings let's just enjoy and accept whatever it brings! When I look at my front garden, I know under the four feet of snow, there are spring bulbs wanting to come out!

A POSTCARD FROM THE ELEPHANTS AT THE TORONTO ZOO

The nice thing about postcards is they tell a story. Looking for cards to use in this blog, I found many I have bought from various trips to the Toronto Zoo. Innovative when it opened in 1975 some of the concepts are common now. The Elephant compound was always popular but the elephants were aging and one bull had some behaviours. Bob Barker the television personality visited the Zoo finding the elephants should have a better home. Controversial with debate and varying opinions, he wanted to move the elephants to the PAWS Wildlife Sanctuary near Savremento, California. It was suggested so the elephants could live in a warmer climate. Toronto Council voted in 2011 against the Zoo Board and agreed the elephants could move. It took negotiations and planning so finally in October 2013 aboard trucks and after a 50 hour trek across 9 states with helps, veternarians and zoo staff- Toka, Thika and Iringa arrived in California. A CBC-Fifth State documentary in the Fall of 2013 showed the trek and the arrival. So was the move a good one? Would the elephants adjust to thier new digs? I would miss them at the Zoo as I have several pictures from the many visits there. Elephants in captivity have a life and no need to worry about poachers killing them for their ivory. So the Toronto Zoo elephants did have a life. What about elephant behaviour? The argument is this-elephants like to live with other elephants. Elephants like and need to roam. The sanctuary in California allows it. There are other zoos that have asked to let their elephants go to California but the requests has been denied. I love elephants and have read and watche many shows on them. They are social, matriarchal and mourn their dead. Anyone who has been to Africa seeing them on the reserves there as there is a risk to live anywhere else due to the poaching say they do not want to visit a Zoo. However zoos are not the enemey. Zoos do save rare species of animals allowing for breeding. People are the enemy. So to my Toronto Zoo elephants, here's hoping you will live a better life with other elephants. In the meantime-I have my postcards and pictures.

If you want a postcard featured here, email me at abdm@rogers.com, and I will send you my address so you can send me a postcard.