A Sickly Child

I did not start out well, but I hope to finish well. The New Testament has a verse that compares life to a race. After five years of age, I was a sickly child and racing was not my best sport. I was pigeon toed , knock kneed, and tender footed and could not turn around once without getting dizzy (I hated merry go rounds). When we played swing the statue, it was hard for me to get my balance and stand still I was so dizzy from the swinging. But I was a spunky child and tried to play as hard as the rest.


Daddy said a nurse they hired for me when I was a baby drugged me during the day and I did not sleep at night, so he had to walk the floor with me. I do not know if that had anything to do with my coordination problems, but it might. I could not play the rhythm games and the hand clapping games girls love. I worked and worked, but could never get my hands to go the right way on time. I could not jump rope either. When I ran, I tended to trip myself and fall and skin my knees. Over and over. I learned to roller skate at 12 after many, many falls on the skating rink rim. Gymnastics were not popular then, but cartwheels were. I was not able to do them. In the 70’s I learned why. I have a vertebrae that is attached to the sacrum. I also have an extra vertebrae and two extra ribs. So my back can not cooperate for a cartwheel. Wish I had know that as a child.


I had the “German” measles when I was 5 and was very sick with a high fever. My blonde, curly hair went dark brown and straight and I looked like an emaciated war orphan at 6. In the second grade I weighed the least in my class at 32 pounds and I was the smallest child. Red Rover found me hanging on the arms of the kids by my neck. It was hard to break through the line that way. No momentum, no leverage!


When I was 9, I went to the movies and ate a big bag of popcorn. That night I got very ill. My parents thought it was from the popcorn, but Daddy realized when I started doubling over that I was very sick and called the doctor. I went to her office near Centennial Park in Nashville and she examined me. Another doctor was called and I was sent to the hospital. They pumped my stomach and I had surgery to remove my appendix. Mother said I almost died, since the appendix was about to burst.


If I sat on the grass when I was playing outside I got large whelps. I also got them when chiggers or mosquitoes found me, too. Sometimes the bites got as big as a half dollar. My skin was very sensitive.


One day Mother put makeup on me for a Christmas play. To take it off she used a beauty cream. “Deep Magic “ cleansing cream was my nemesis. My entire face swelled and was red and my eyes almost closed. She was careful after that about what she put on me.


Today I do not get sick as much. I eliminated the foods that I am allergic to for a number of years and now I can eat some of them if they are organic and I eat them in moderation. I take homeopathic drops, if I need them, for tree, grass, ragweed, mold, dust, and yeast allergies. But they are seasonal, except for the last three. I try to avoid mold, dust, and yeast. God has done a lot of healing in my body. I am very thankful for His kindness. A lot of my healing was emotional and mental. But that is for another day of blogging.
　

Staying Young

　
I know how I got here. One day at a time. But the days have gone by quickly and I am surprised to be this old. No, I am not seventy. Just headed there, slowly I hope. Do I feel old? At times. Do I act old. Not most of the time. At least I do not think I do.I enjoy younger people and children, so I stay young by learning new things from them and doing new adventures.

Lately, I have learned to make knitted hats. I tried to knit in the second decade, but I had trouble keeping the yarn untangled. Then I tried in the third decade and I kept dropping stitches. But now I have an almost foolproof round loom. I say almost, because if I try to watch tv, I am still susceptible to dropping stitches. But it is easier and faster to do, than needle knitting, which was not relaxing for me.

The only problems now are choosing the right yarns for the type of hat I want and making sure I have enough yarn. The first hats I made were made of expensive yarn from Peru. I asked the sales lady for a thick, soft yarn and she showed me the colorful, pink and orange shades of a skein of Pashmina (alpaca). I made two lovely hats from one skein. I used a small loom for a baby and a larger loom for a child. The hats looked very good. I hope my friends’ children enjoy them next winter.

The third hat I made looked like a dark grey poodle’s head when I finished. It was made of looped yarns on a string. My husband suggested that could be "my house hat" in the winter. (In other words, “I wouldn’t go out with that on.”) The fourth one had large holes which would not be warm in winter, but might be cute in the spring. The yarn was a twisted yarn, so I’ll watch out for that next time. No twisted, yarns unless I want holes in the hat. I loved the colors on that yarn. Shades of blue. Knitting this way is fun. You might like to try it.　
　

The Seventh Decade

Life seems to be full of questions and I know by now that I don’t have all the answers. When I began thinking and praying about this blog this title came to my mind. But I had so many ideas that I had a difficult time deciding what to do. I thought, “Let’s see what Google has”. It was surprising. There are thousands of entries for this title.

When I read them I realized that I ask this question myriads of times in my life. I ask it when I am happy, when I am sad, when I am confused, when I am planning, and when I am traveling. I ask this about my marriage, my education, my daughter, my purpose, my church, my neighborhood, my cooking, my shopping, and I could go on and on….

The important times seem to be with life changes like the end of high school or college, after divorce or separation, after an illness, after addiction treatment, or when starting or ending a business or job. But frequently, the every day choices are crucial. Meeting one person can change my entire life and where do I go from there, has a quick answer. A friend mentioned a need she had in her life one Sunday and I told her I had a friend who had experience in that area. That may be the one contact she needed for her business to take it to the next level. One person. The new friend is interested in helping people in her country of origin, so it looks like a match. Wow!

The mundane issues of being stuck with a software glitch have me crying out, “Where do I go from here?”Or trying to find a lost item brings me to my knees with “Where….” on my mind, especially if the item is irreplaceable or a “paci” or “blankie” or shoe. What parent hasn’t had a crisis over a lost clothing item or toy?

I ask “Where do I go from here?” about my health and my diet. Where do I go to get the gluten free, dairy free, egg free foods that I need this week? Eating the same way every week can get boring. Veggies, fruits, veggies, fruits, salads, etc. I have found that who I ask can be a benefit or a burden. I would not ask my allergy free friends for tips on eating. I do not call my husband for help with a computer problem, even though he can figure out problems there better than I can. Why? He does not think he can help me.

I call someone who has expertise in that area. If I am wise, I will call on God first, but sometimes I get so caught up in the problem that I miss the obvious. God knows everything! He may tell me to ask a person, but He knows everything. A helpful verse is “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” from Psalm 46:1 of the Bible in the King James Version.