Since I just finished vacation, having spent hours of my day conversing about domestic politics and world affairs, playing dominoes, running, biking, swimming, reading all the local rags, embroidering and visiting; some might wonder if it really was a vacation. I can assure you it was because I spent each day exactly as I wanted. Of course this doesn’t count all the random thoughts that race around our heads.
                     I have a few goals for myself and I think of how I will accomplish the physical challenges of those goals. I plan to run a 5k race on Labor Day. My webpage has been idle for three years, and I need to do something with that. This is the site I want to build so I can sell my ornaments. My fear is that one day I shall wake up and have a million orders. That is probably ridiculous to fear that because it would spell success to others. 
                     With some of the things I want to accomplish, the enemy is time. I am at an age that I feel I have to finish some of these projects, if only I did not have a full time job. I am careful how I choose to spend my time. It is sort of like when one buys a house and you build equity. At some point the value of your house outweighs purchasing another house. It makes no sense to double up on payments after you have owned your house for half the life of the mortgage. It is wiser to use your extra money elsewhere.
                     We all have albatrosses around our necks. Our family has a handicap van which typically costs the price of two vans combined (about 42,000). I have thought often about providing a service to those who need transport and are at the mercy of transportation which needs to be reserved 3 days in advance. The rest of the world does not have to reserve three days ahead of time, so why should the disabled community? The cost of the van is paid for with money my son receives in assistance. We would not need a van for transport if he was not part of our family. Having a family member who is wheelchair bound, requires a lot of money. The van had to be financed for ten years, and of course it will probably not last that long. The funniest letter I received was from the bank upon our purchase of the van. “Congratulations on the purchase of your recreational vehicle.” 
                     There are others struggling to maintain what they have. A local young man who just turned twenty-one and previously received 24/7 care in his home has had his services reduced to three hours per day. The young man has multiple disabilities, is non verbal and non ambulatory, and his parents are working full time. I worry about them and what may happen regarding their son’s care. The current financial crisis in the state of Maine leaves many people at risk in the same predicament. In a time when so many people think everyone deserves some sort of handout, I believe the best helping hand is at the end of your arm.  The wallet is empty.
                     It is good to be back from vacation and back into the work mode, but there is always something to do…..and I love it.

                    The art of blogging is my way to stay connected and share ideas which I find informative and interesting as well as a way to tell my stories. Sometimes I am not always sure what I will write. I have a folder stuffed with articles I have found interesting and hope to use as part of my blog content.
                     I am particularly interested in communication since time began as well as current affairs, and changes within individual families and how family life has changed over the years before the industrial revolution. These topics are repeated over and over in my blog because I find we need to stay connected to what is important and quite often those are values which have been eroded over time. Of course, this is only my opinion, but my beliefs are deep rooted.
                     Recently I read an article in AARP, dated March/April 2010, written by David Dudley. He is the editor of Urbanite Magazine out of Baltimore. The magazine was in a doctor’s office but I delighted in the very beginning…”We tweet, we text, we e-mail. Everybody’s chatting, but is anybody listening? Why America needs to revive the vanishing art of conversation. We need to talk.”
 He begins his story in the park with his little daughter and as she is talking away, he is answering an e-mail, somewhat out of touch with what she is talking about. He looked up to notice others connected to their iPods, and blackberries. He had a moment of realization.
                     The article mentioned Daniel Menaker (editor of New Yorker and Random House), who writes about  conversation in his book, “A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation” He says he is worried because he feels that people today may feel obligated to be available in a public space, such as the many social networking online sites. It seems to me that email may be no longer enough. Menaker feels that we may become a country of overly connected hermits. I think Menaker makes a valid point.
Thinking about my own email, it usually consists of comments from Facebook. Whenever our extended family does get together, the younger teens are often unavailable for conversation if they are connected to their technology.
                     The article also mentions a psychiatrist from Harvard, Richard Schwartz, who co-authored with his wife a book entitled , “The Lonely American: Drifting Apart in the Twenty-first Century”. Simultaneous Connection and Isolation are what our lives are about these days. He told of a patient asking if they could do a counseling session over the telephone.
                     According to Menaker, the golden age of conversation was in the pre-industrial era. Ideas came about because dialogue was exchanged. It was a civil society. Menaker spoke of his feelings that there will be a loss of humane regard as digital technology is on the rise. People can post anonymously and write what they wish , oftentimes with no regard to another person’s feelings.
                     Jacqueline Leo, former editor in chief of Readers Digest, writes in her book, “Seven: the number for Happiness, Love and Success”, about the distractions of digital media and the loss of the art of listening. She thinks that because we are addicted to the technology because of our conceit, that we cannot put it down. Technology gives us a feeling of importance.
                     All in all, I must say I am going to try to be more conscious of how I spend my time, but not before I post this to my Facebook. Then I am going to see if I can join Facebook anonymous because I know that I am not the only one!
 
 

 
 

                Mr Philip LaViolet, of Westbrook, was 18 at the time of the invasion of Okinawa. He passed away last year. Phil wrote "April 10th, 1945- Most of the Boys except a few moved down to our new Bivouac area where our big depot is going to be. As we passed the 96th DIV. cemetery, they were burying our soldiers and there were about 25 crosses. I’ll bet than in a few weeks we won’t be able to count all the crosses in this cemetery.”
                 This excerpt taken from Phil’s diary that he transcribed for the Westbrook Historical Society was quite revealing and poignant. That excerpt was written the first week of the invasion. I knew Phil for a few years and enjoyed talking with him often when he would come up to the historical society to work on his war veteran collection. I still miss his stories and his presence there.
 I knew about Phil’s diary but never read it while he was alive. He wrote with great humor, detail and with great historical references. I believe he was a born historian. After reading his diary, I am convinced of that.
                 He joined the army like so many young men of that generation did. Basic training was at Camp Shelby in Louisiana , with weeks of sleeping on the ground outside in the cow pastures full of manure and mud. There was a comical drawing made by one of his comrades of Bugs, known as Major Pritz. One of the fellows gave him that nickname because he had two front teeth which protruded. In Phil’s descriptions, every time Bugs would shout orders, they all began with, “Damn it!” The writing is very descriptive and it appears that the guys were entertained with Bugs’ charades. In later years, Phil had handwritten an addition to an excerpt explaining that they had the highest respect for Bugs, and the humorous anecdotes were in no way meant to be disrespectful of the man they calls Bugs. Several times in the diary, Phil credits Bugs for turning them all into men, part of a fine unit. He credits Bugs for helping to prepare them for what they were later to experience as the Invasion of Okinawa on April 1st, 1945.
                 One of his fellow friends was named Edward Sestak. I can’t help but wonder if Joe Sestak, veteran and politician, from Pennsylvania may have been a relation, because his family has military ties. It is interesting to read history and find these connections.
                 He wrote about their Sunday services and how they were lucky to have them. Interestingly, he noted that there were many more fellows attending these services than did so while in the States. He wondered if they were afraid, or cowards who wanted to repent. Phil was raised with a strong religious background in the town of Westbrook, Maine. He told me once that since there was no Catholic High School, his mother sent him to Worcester, Massachusetts to attend Assumption College High School to continue his religious education. Jokingly he told me that his mother didn’t think there would be too many girl distractions in Worcester, but Phil said that of course there were girls down there. 
                Once I started reading, I could not put the diary down. It was compelling to read as he wrote with much description. Phil wrote about the huge convoy headed for the Pacific somewhere. As far as he could see, he estimated about five thousand ships, and described destroyers, carriers, tankers, battleships and so on. At some point the convoy became smaller Phil mentioned. He thought it had split. In fact, when they finally found out that they were headed to Okinawa, he wrote about the convoy meeting again for the invasion. His description of the ships all together was most impressive. He felt that the invasion was larger than the one at Normandy.  (Battle of Okinawa was the largest amphibious invasion of the Pacific Campaign , quoted by one Okinawan as “storm of steel”) Quite often in his writing, he reveals his belief that there will be much friction between the European Theatre and the Pacific Theatre. The reasons were that their European counterparts had towns, taverns, women and were basically spoiled in comparison to those serving in the Pacific. The European Theatre also had USO shows. He wrote that this friction that would be ever present.
                 This young man thought and wrote as he journeyed across the ocean unaware of where he was headed or what was in store for him. Their only stop would be in Hawaii for a while. Before they left, Bugs spoke to the men and told them he would not be going with them but would be joining them shortly. Phil wrote how Bugs appeared a little choked up, but assured the men that they would be ok. He mentioned how Bugs probably just told them that to help prepare them all, unsure what their destination held for each of them. It had been 56 days with no mail from home. The moral was not good.
                 Kamikaze planes shot at a few of the allied ships, in all taking out about 34 ships. The Japanese aircraft loss was very significant in the Invasion of Okinawa, almost eight thousand planes.  Upon arrival, amphibious landings proved successful partly due to all the practice landings they had done.  Phil wrote how they heard Tokyo Rose broadcasting and calling men in their unit by name as they were landing. Okinawa was situated about 400 miles south of Japan, proving to be a strategic location to cut off Japanese sea lines of communication and also their supply lines of materials from the south. The Japanese on the island did not choose to fight allies at the beach, but rather waited inland. By nightfall some 60,000 landed on the beach unopposed. Immediately, roads were built, and camps set up trenches and foxholes dug to accommodate all the soldiers. Then nearly every night they were raided by Japanese, either by planes or by snipers, sometimes flying so close to the foxholes, you could light a cigarette, Phil wrote. 
                Communication of world events was significantly far different then in comparison to today. For instance, Phil wrote that they heard had heard of the death of FDR ,however it was two days later when they received the news of their Commander in Chief’s death. They had also heard of Germany’s surrender later.
                About two or three weeks later, “Bugs” Major Pritz joined his troops again. The men were happy to see him, however their experiences had been quite intense since they last saw Bugs. The first day upon Bugs’ arrival, there was an air raid and the men grabbed their helmets and ran for cover, some for the foxholes. Bugs jumped into a foxhole and LaViolet later wrote that Bugs had pissed his pants. It wasn’t long before Bugs was shouting orders and busting people. LaViolet wrote that Bugs should be careful because “over here” someone wouldn’t care and could put a bullet into Bug's head. This was in May. 
                On June 20th, LaViolet writes about General Bruckner getting killed because he wanted to see what the infantry was up to in Naha, capital of Okinawa and was caught in battle.  Throughout his diary, he writes of the fighting, and death around him as he did in June when he wrote of six Japanese men killed. On July 5th, a dud exploded, killing twenty five Americans. His diary is full of photos of his comrades and places and events. He also attached several articles of historical interest to the campaign and also Japanese customs, though like any soldier did not think kindly of the enemy. Phil wrote of meeting a fellow Westbrook boy named Gerald Fluett in August. On August 10th Phil wrote of the excitement in the use of the A-Bomb to end this war. The following day, August 11th, there was a wild excitement and reckless celebration over the rumor that the Japanese were going to surrender. The reckless behavior continued long after the commanding officer’s shouts to stop the behavior were ignored. Phil and others dove onto the ground with helmets to avoid the gunshots by fellow soldiers. After the ordeal was over, six men had been killed from the wild behavior. Phil wrote that the guys went crazy when they heard rumor of surrender. Once the surrender did take place, Phil and some fellow soldiers went into town to look around. Evidently, they entered a building that had been shelled and they were scavenging. They heard some noises and a group of soldiers found some Japanese soldiers hiding. The Japanese were shot. They could have easily shot the Americans because the Americans were unaware they were so close. 
                 He later wrote of men having accumulated points. The men with the most points, because of being married and/or having children, would be allowed to go home first. It seems there was a lot of bureaucracy in getting the men home and frustrations mounted. At the end, LaViolet was to be part of the Occupied Army and was stationed in Korea after the war. It took some time but he finally got home. 
                I am grateful I finally read of Phil’s experiences. I have always held him in high esteem, a good humble family man whose true gift was his passion for history and his devotion to God and family and friends.

                     I sought permission from one of Phil's daughters to post this story and she obliged graciously.

                    A recent trip to Florida, I met a new older woman who I enjoyed conversing with immensely. She was retired as a patient service coordinator, the liaison between patients and doctors and the facilitation of necessary medical services which could help the patient. She loved her job and she was good at it. I had a great sense of that after our day long journey on the water filled with conversation. With the various experiences our family has had with the medical field, I know just how important her job is to patients.
                     She was full of wisdom and that is why I think I have always enjoyed conversing with those who have experienced life longer than me. They have a different perspective on how it all fits together. She said that it all boils down to “A little respect goes a long way” She spoke of how she put up with a lot of things with her first husband that she would never put up with now. She was also working in a funeral business talking with families who had come to make arrangements for their loved ones. She also was very good at that. Sometimes people just need to talk and have someone listen to them.
                     The older I get, the more I seem to understand about certain things. I always  believed in God but was not really sure of what role God played in my particular life. Some of my life experiences, I have consciously reached for help in my distress. I found by doing so that I was able to come to some peace with turmoil I had been experiencing. Anyone who has been married for any length of time could tell you if they chose to share, that it is difficult sometimes to stay together because we all change as time marches on. We handle things differently and it is not always together as a couple. Marriage is different for all of us. I have come to believe that it is our faith that helps us through painful life experiences and for some, to persevere through the bad times as well as the good times. Marriage is not for wimps. Some people just accept their lot in life and try to find meaning in that. Maybe I am way off, but this is what I have come to believe. 
                     Acceptance ….accept ourselves that we could possibly be similar to our parents whom we do not always tolerate…..accept our parents because they did nothing but try their best, with no instructions to raise us into decent human beings, and always loved us unconditionally even when we disappointed them….accept your children the same way your parents accepted you. Life is sometimes sad when we don’t receive what we expected, in the form of perfect children, perfect spouses, and aging parents. Life is about constant change and how we choose to react. Each day is new, and the older we get, we can count our blessings that we saw the sun shine again, or the snow fall. Live life, because it is now. Time wasted is just that. Time wasted. Ask yourselves, what can you do to make things a little nicer for someone else? After all we have to live with our own selves and it is “not all about me”. There is room enough to fill your hearts with love and face the day with a smile knowing that you did your best today.
 

            It has been a long time since I put pen to paper. Now that I am back home, enjoying life in my new kitchen, it is time to start posting some more blogs. You know the older I get, I am so lucky to have a nice family. You can fill your life up with so many distractions… that sometimes we forget what is important. At the end of the day, it is my parent’s  and my sisters whom I call each day, sometimes more than once. I spoke with my sisters about this and one of my sisters feels the same, but the other sister is very independent and knows our parents are always there for her, so she seldom calls, as she is very busy herself. Once I read a newspaper column about a man who was en route to the emergency room, very upset because he had no time for being sick. He filled his life with work… and in the end, at the emergency room as he lay dying, there was nobody with him…..and yes that article bothered me somewhat. It stuck with me.
             Since I am back home, I have been trying to be more tolerant of those who need me a little more than I sometimes wish to spend. It is difficult to be a caregiver but it is not the person’s fault in any way. Sometime’s it is a lesson I need to be taught, for whatever reason. Life is really about acceptance on many different levels. I have a lot to learn because after all, none of us are finished products.
             Sometimes it is about having to let go… letting go of bothersome issues with the past and somehow finding peace with them, letting go of feeling like we are in some sort of control of our young adult children, because they have already learned what you tried to teach them, and letting go of demons from the past. I can say that I believe that women and men of yesteryear, had so many issues as married couples, but they never burdened their kids with them. Sometimes I wonder if it is better that we were left out of the realities of marriage, of parenthood, the realities of childbirth and the realities of being a woman. 
            Today a woman has so many choices but it boils down to one thing. We cannot have it all even though we have been led to believe that we can have it all. Something has to be sacrificed. I do not wish to be a big CEO executive. I want to find balance between being a mom, a wife and something for me. I think most women feel this way, if they are part of a family. I do not want to be identified by my work, even though what I do as a hobby is important to me, more important than my real life profession. 
I think about people I knew and are now long gone…and what I learned from them. I learned from my cousin Marietta about the grace of trying to live as normal a life as she could. She was tough in her own way. She lived before inclusion became a law and never had full independence and she died at the age of thirty-one in a nursing home because her mother died a few years before from cancer. 
            I recall David Roberts, the young man who lived down the street. He just lived his life, and experienced many medical difficulties. He went to dialysis three times per week, but rode a bike often and made puzzles and toys from wood. It is the hope that tomorrow will be a better day and to accept that. That takes a great deal of courage and grace. These people I knew have so much to offer and they think that their lives have nothing to offer…. Though they are rich in the experience and the secret of the happiness to life…because their distractions are prioritized…… if only we could know where our priorities lie… and then we would unlock the secret to the real happiness in our lives. May we all learn acceptance somewhere along the way, and to recognize when it is presented to us.

 

The current political events of the day, seem to get me wound up on so many levels. I believe that the destruction of the US dollar, our economy and Capitalism are inevitable because the new global economy, and world health system, redistribution of wealth will replace our current government. I believe that Capitalism needs to be destroyed if it is to be replaced by a new global government and currency.  Capitalism is a threat to the new world order, I believe. After all, why would anyone ever want to get ahead? Of course I am being facetious .I think our grandfathers who fought in World War 2 would not recognize what they were fighting for today because today we are becoming more of a communistic society.  Their war would not be won, because of 24/7 newsfeeds. Then everyone was part of the war effort, not like today where America is so far removed from the warfront that they are most likely shopping somewhere. Soldiers and their actions would be scrutized, held to a standard which nobody could attain. This is only my belief. Unfortunately , some news stations warn of the US government straying from the US Constitution. It stirs discontent amongst us, which is good, because we need to be aware. However, the US government has been far removed from the US Constitution since before the Great Depression. People lost everything during the Depression, had land confiscated and generally lost all their properties and basic human rights which were violated. Some were even murdered by their own US soldiers, including a time when Patton, Eisenhower , and other notables took orders from their Commander in Chief (US President) and fired and bayoneted the citizens of the US because the citizens only wanted their Bonuses for serving in WW1 which they had been promised. They had marched on Washington, ten or so years after the war  and after the attack, they left empty handed  with no bonus money. The reason for the Bonus Marchers journey to Washington, was that many were unemployed and had very hungry families at home . Today unemployment in many counties across America is at twenty percent. People who worked on the trains allowed many to ride the rails for free hopping on boxcars all across America to convene in Washington DC to collect their bonus money. It happened then and it can happen again. People were starved and it continued for much longer than needed- all because those in power wanted to keep the average person down. Though President Hoover was pretty much blamed for the Stock Market Crash, it was FDR who was accused of prolonging the Great Depression, a time when people in America actually died from starvation. Many people interviewed in Studs Terkel’s  book, Hard Times, referred to FDR as the Great Destroyer. Knowing the history of our country can help us not to repeat the same mistakes . Today, so many rely on the US  government to solve so many of their problems, and some are seemingly just plain lazy, that we are not so different from our Communist counterparts, waiting for that check to come in so we can buy our food, pay our rent and get whatever it is that we are ‘entitled’. It reminds me of the time I lived In Germany when the wall came down and the feelings the West Germans had for their East German neighbors. Many felt that the East Germans had become lazy over time, waiting for the government to solve their problems and they became infuriated when the East Germans came to West Germany to take jobs and get priority housing and retrieve their government checks at the work station. The East Germans received assistance and discontent grew amongst the West Germans because they subsidized those entitlement checks. We have grown lazy and I wonder why our grandfathers ever fought WW2, because they would not recognize the complacency which has replaced being actively involved in government affairs. Complacent,uninformed,and many uneducated citizens have replaced the last generation. Is it always a good thing to give your children everything, so that they may have a better life than yours? My thoughts are as follows. After reading a lifetime’s worth of diaries from the mid 1800’s of an ancestor, I have found that money was regarded as a highly valued tool. My ancestors did not have their mailboxes filled with catalogs, or a television selling them 24/7 items that they felt they needed, or malls or magazines…or grocery stores They took a  newspaper once a week which had advertisements. My ancestors, bought only what they needed, spent very little on frivolous things, and more importantly had a great deal of money because taxes were not that high .I read about transactions of thousands of dollars, in a time when taxes were 24 dollars per year, including property, and poll taxes. I read most often that money was used as a tool, and when loaning to relatives, the stipulation was to always pay back with interest. Nobody was ‘given’ anything. There were no free rides .It is interesting to compare that time period when prices were tied to the land, for instance the cost of grain compared to today and how the dollar is all afloat, not tied to anything of great value. I have come to believe that were are chained to China and Americans may want to rethink their dependency upon China. Americans should be concerned.

            The past few months have been very busy. Since June, I made a commitment to myself, to change my ways and make exercise a part of my life. If it was not for my husband, I would not have connected with a trainer who changed my life. My husband paid my trainer up front for a few months of sessions, so that I could begin to feel better. He gave me a business card and told me to call the trainer, whose name is  Davis. Remembering our first meeting, I recall how scared I was to meet with my trainer. I was embarrassed that I had let myself get into such bad shape over the years. Since Davis was only 20 years old, I was also intimidated by his youthfulness and athletic ability but I quickly realized how dedicated he was to health and fitness. I knew I had to make some changes because I felt I would not live long as I did not feel well. Davis was committed to me three times per week. Every visit was different as he mixed up the circuits and exercise. He quickly learned what my abilities were and planned every meeting with my exercise program in order. I can honestly say I seldom did anything twice. I ran up and down the stairs at the old Dana Warp Mill, lifted weights, did cardio workouts on the stair master , hopped, jumped, ran and did extreme abdominal workouts. I did jumping jacks, hopped across rope ladder rungs and threw heavy medicine balls. I laid on my back doing abdominal twists, scissors and bridges. Later on, I would meet him at a track and I was able to work my way up to running nonstop for one mile. I ran up and down the football field, ran up and down the bleachers and also ran up and down the hill. Davis has been a wealth of information and as I told his employer, “Davis knows his stuff and has changed my life”. I learned how to do planks, bridges and rows, and dead lifts, thanks to Davis.
             My reason for mentioning all of this is that it has been six months and we have reached the end of our 3x per week training sessions. I have lost 22 pounds and about four inches around my waist. If I can do it, any one of you can do it. Too many people are looking for quick weight loss solutions but I firmly believe that it takes very hard work to achieve your goals. I have done things I never thought I could do and Davis pushed me harder than anyone ever has pushed me. There are no quick solutions. The best advice I could give anyone I know is to hire a personal trainer because I have learned so much from Davis. I would highly recommend him because he is very serious and he is dedicated to helping you achieve your goals. You can't put a price on good fitness and I can honestly say I feel like I have my former life back. My weight was about 190 lbs and it incapacitated me. If anyone is serious about changing their lifestyle, I can put you in touch with Davis. I am going to miss my sessions with him. Thank you Davis, for being committed to showing me the way to a lifestyle filled with better health and fitness. You have changed my life. I hope to still see you at the gym.
 
 

The Day the Music Died

 

                    1970……doesn’t seem very long ago. In the seventies, various forms of music delivery were possible. Everything was hard copy. I had friends with eight track players, cassette players and we all had vinyl. As a young teen, I had a large vinyl collection which soon sat on the shelf collecting dust as I began purchasing cassettes as they became my music media of choice. As an adult, I prefer to purchase CD’s now digitally mastered. Today my kids listen to YouTube or they purchase iTunes which enables them to prepay for downloads. Vinyl had dimension. In comparison to listening to a digitally mastered CD, my belief is that the music is very flat, no volume. With technology continually bursting upon the horizon, something is always lost however the excitement of something new and innovative holds our interests. The day the Music died, doesn't just refer to the death of Buddy Holly from Don McLean's song  American Pie. The music has changed today.
                    Back in the fifties,, several artists might sing the same song hence many covers available for purchase. I think today several artists are doing the same thing. The technology is amazing. The popularity of YouTube is partly due to the social networking it promotes amongst the people. The baby boomers enjoy the nostalgia of searching for old clips from television programs, and all ages enjoy the tutorials. Occasional humorous clips entertain all ages. It is a tool, also a way to spread messages across the masses. Now imagine if we had to go back to the days before the internet. I read an article from WebBiz Winter 2010 issue. It stated that the internet had first been available to college students. A college student Marc Andreeson, age 21, worked on the first browser Mosaic which quickly spread by “word of mouth” [the viral loop] over the internet. According to the article by Adam Penenberg, when Bill Clinton became President in 1993, there were approximately 20 websites. Penenburg said today there are over one billion websites today. From the days of my youth, I would write a letter and anxiously await a reply when today I can have an instant reply either by email or by instant messaging via the web. I can probably say that I am grateful I did not have these distractions as a young girl. How could our kids possibly understand our world before the internet?

            The Wall Street Journal dated January 11^th, 2010 had an article by L. Gordon Crovitz {Information Age} entitled ‘China’s Web Crackdown Continues’ kept my interest as I read about Nicholae Ceausescu and his oppression of the people of Romania. Who would have thought that owning a typewriter warranted registering it or one could be committing a crime punishable by death?This was in 1967. It was all about the control of information and the power to censor material written against the leader who was eventually tried and executed with the collapse of communism some twenty or more years later. Today, no matter where one lives, governments control the flow of information to the masses. In the United States, we may be known to have several alternative forms of media, unlike the rest of the world, however it is my belief that our delivery of information is somewhat censored depending upon the subject matter. I can safely say after reading the article, I feel fortunate that I can access sites such as YouTube, Twitter and Face book, all sites banned in China. However last week many Chinese, some 300 million internet users were surprised to find they could access sites for a short time until the government stepped it up to replace the sites with error messages. I think it is basically a tool to keep the people suppressed, so they will not revolt against their government. Those in charge are afraid of the masses because we out number them. Their government monitors the people through their internet use. Hmmm… I wonder what our government is doing in this regard. This all reminds me of the mill workers in the late 1800’s. Mill bosses would place many different nationalities on each floor so they would no organize against the bosses and cause a mill shutdown, due to bad working conditions. If the language equation is then dismanted, then the power of a united voice is lost. This kept the bosses in power. There have been many times in history when governments have monitored the people and this has been bad. This is a perfect example of the people fulfilling their duty to keep a watchful eye on the growth of government. We should never feel that circumstances are beyond our control.

 

            Each year, I like to get together with my mom and sisters and go window shopping in Portland. We usually buy a few trinkets and some real gifts however the time we spend together is most important. Driving through Portland, I am delighted each year to see more and more of Pandora LaCasse’s illuminated sculptures adorning the buildings and trees throughout the downtown and the parks.

            This year,we walked around the streets darting in and out of shops looking for unique treasures. We went into Gritty McDuff’s for some food and drink. I can think of no other way to spend time during the holidays than with family. Receiving Christmas cards from friends near and far allows me to realize how lucky I have been in life, to have a been a friend and to have friends.

            One can’t help but to think of family and friends who are no longer part of our Christmas Tradition. Each year we recall those we have loved and are now gone, keeping their memory close to our hearts. Still, Christmas is about celebrating the gift of the birth of Christ. If anything, it is not our place to cast judgment upon others. When I read tragic news headlines, I wonder how families can cope with their tragedies. Then I think that we are human so it is beyond our ability to sometimes forgive. I suppose that is one of the reasons I believe in a higher power. I believe casting judgment is in God’s hands, not mine and I also believe he is not vengeful, because that would make him human- like. Treat others with regard to how you would like to be treated. Unfortunately, Christmas is stressful because many emotions are tied to the holiday season. Christmas time is when we think of many with whom we are acquainted and for whatever reasons, we have lost touch. Maybe we had a falling out, a misunderstanding, a fight, yet we are too stubborn to make amends. Pride stands in the way. Time does not heal wounds, it only masks them. Years pass and memories come and go and I often wonder how people are doing at this time of year. I know there are many who struggle this time of year. Every family experiences loss.

            This Christmas was spent at my parents’ home with my sisters and their families. We had a wonderful dinner and spent a great deal of time playing games organized by my sister, Sharon. It was a great way to spend the day. It was perhaps the simplest Christmas we have ever had, very few gifts and little stress. It was all about spending time together. On one shopping excursion, a cashier at the bookstore told me that many people this year were paying with cash and using their debit cards, instead of credit cards. In the city, several vendors told us that it was not a busy year. The Santa Claus fund in the local paper was 100,000 dollars less than last year. I pray that families find new and creative ways to survive this year.

            Wishing you all the very best for the New Year, in prosperity, health and the compassion and love we all need to get by in our lives. For those of you with children; remember a television does not teach our children to love and to have compassion. There is no substitute for family, one that is involved in each other’s lives. A family is about caring for one another. It is about treating grandparents with respect and making them feel they are still vital members of our families. The older I get, the luckier I am to know I have had the love and support of my family all along the way.

            Today, Dec 11th, there was for the first time a H1N1 flu clinic for people with chronic illnesses, especially adults. Previously, healthy schoolchildren and babies have been vaccinated. The old, sick and those living with chronic illness have been having difficulty getting the shots. I spoke with the public health person for Cumberland County and I was told the healthy are being vaccinated to prevent the virus from spreading fast amongst the general population. Each week, I have been calling all of my son’s specialists, with no information on when the H1N1 shot would become available. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is an illness which should be at the top of the list for the vaccine, but that has not been the case.
             Today I prepared to be at the clinic when it opened. I drove to 180 Park Avenue, in Portland and was there maybe fifteen minutes after it began. I saw swarms of cars entering the parking lot, so I followed them. The lot was full and I saw many turning around on the street trying to find a close parking space. It was very bitter cold outside. All the handicapped spaces were full, with vehicles which did not qualify, I might add. So I drove off trying to find a place to park. My son and I were able to park about 1/10th of a mile away. After maneuvering the sidewalk, we approached the building. I saw many people in the hallway. When we opened the door, it was complete chaos, not noisy, but people all over the stairs with their strollers, children and no apparent sense of order , very unorganized. Worst of all there was nobody there acknowledging the crowd. I waited for about ten minutes at the most assessing the situation. I looked into the room from where I stood, near the entrance door, because we could not move any further. The room where people would be getting their shots was standing room only, no order whatsoever. I saw two men filling out paperwork on a clipboard. I am not sure where they received the clipboards. After ten minutes, I turned around and left. There were hundreds of people there and I felt we would be there all morning. To be honest, my first thought was that the room was probably a germfest, and may not be the best place to be. Much to my disappointment, I left very upset and drove to the pulmonary doctor’s office on Congress Street. They had no vaccines for adults, only children under 36 months. 
             Could the delivery of these vaccines been better? Why is it not accessible for the chronically ill? Portland Public Health knew a large shipment was arriving so why wasn’t it divided amongst the many specialists who deal with the chronically ill? Perhaps it had to do with the source of the funding. I am not sure, but I am very disappointed that it has been unavailable.