Caregiving requires a tireless effort filled with scrapes and bruises (physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually). Don’t forget: scrapes and bruises are temporary and heal.

Lives depend on the tireless efforts of the healthy and wounded Caregiver. (The singular term “Caregiver” is here being used in a composite sense to encompass all who regularly care and/or support sick or disabled persons.)

Many Caregivers are women and some are children…(For further context on Child Caregivers: Please, check out: World Mental Health Day: When the Caregiver is a Child.) …Seemingly soft and vulnerable ones in the hard, chaotic trenches of time consuming pain, agony, work. Caregivers require a special brand of resiliency to press onward!

In a sense, Caregiving is a privilege of compassion. As with all privileges, there comes a measure of added responsiblity and added work which takes added effort. Take COURAGE DEAR CAREGIVER & NEVER GIVE UP!:)

Here’s a THANK YOU! for all the times YOU deserved to hear one, but didn’t get one!:) YOU are making a positive difference! Don’t Stop being a Compassionate Caregiver!

65.7 million caregivers make up 29% of the U.S. adult population providing care to someone who is ill, disabled or aged. [The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP (2009), Caregiving in the U.S. National Alliance for Caregiving. Washington, DC.] – Updated: November 2012

More women than men are caregivers: an estimated 66% of caregivers are female. One-third (34%) take care of two or more people, and the average age of a female caregiver is 48.0. [The National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP (2009), Caregiving in the U.S. National Alliance for Caregiving. Washington, DC.] – Updated: November 2012

The Home Alone study―a study of family caregivers who provide complex chronic care―found that nearly half of the caregivers surveyed (46% or 777) performed medical & nursing tasks. More than 96% (747) also provided activities of daily living (ADL’s) supports (e.g., personal hygiene, dressing/undressing, or getting in and out of bed) or instrumental activities of daily living (IADL’s) (e.g., taking prescribed medications, shopping …

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It is an OUTRAGE! Safety measures, injury prevention and using some smarts could save so many young/innocent lives…what am i talking about: Dummy parents who refuse to respect water and life! Here in Florida…i’ve heard so many super-sad-stories of beautiful-fragile-life drowning because of a lapse in supervision, etc…Just overheard another incident/tragedy and i’m ANGRY.

Okay, not out-of-control angry…just VERY upset by stupidity and senselessness. (Thus–the inspiration for this post.) Yeah, we make mistakes as parents, (and my heart breaks for any parent who has lost their child in death:(

But, can’t we be more vigilant when it comes to our kids’ safety?! Parents must protect their kids. Parents must respect life. Parents must respect water. Parents must respect time. Parents must WAKE-UP/PAY ATTENTION before kids drown…Until our kid(s) are grown, our job as a parent is: LIFE GUARD! (not just talking water)

Scope of the Problem       

Florida loses more children ages 1–4 to drowning than any other state. Annually in Florida, enough children to fill three to four preschool classrooms drown and do not live to see their fifth birthday.

Florida overwhelmingly has the highest unintentional drowning rate in the nation for the 1–4 year old age group with a rate of 6.98 per 100,000 population (Oklahoma was second for this age group with a rate of 5.04) for 2007–2009.

Alaska, Hawaii, and Florida have the highest overall unintentional drowning rates in the nation between 2007–2009, with rates of 3.53, 2.90, and 2.09 per 100,000 population, respectively. The soaring rate for the 1–4 year old age group drives up Florida’s overall rate, so if we can impact the 1–4 year old rate, we can also make an impact on Florida’s overall rate. ~Floridashealth.com

Sun, surf and sand…sand, sun and surf…baby powder sand of Siesta Key Beach is 1 of my all time favorite beaches…had the privilege/experience of living close by (Gulf Gate)…Hubby and i would pop over in the evenings (when the sun wasn’t so strong) with the babies/toddlers…and i remember one of our first times at the beach (after relocating from Massachusetts to Sarasota)…word was spreading around the …

Hi!:) How are You, my Reader?? Ca Va? How was Your February? How is Your personal journey/race of compassion going? THANKS for living compassion!:)

My February ended on a Super-Nice note! i hope Yours did as well!:) (Not sure IF you’ve read my previous post referring to my Brother?) i’m loving skype right now -lol:) You guessed it…got to skype with Him and his Wife! It’s been way tooo long since an opportunity for us to communicate came along…circumstances.  (i’m tough to reach…so is he.) i have this really goofy smile stuck on my face and hopefully: it won’t go away!-lol:) A comforting word at just the right time is oh how good!!…good for the weary warriors of compassion. Don’t tire out in your personal race/battle….for compassionate living!:) Hoping You hear some comforting words!:)

It’s always a great wake-up to reality to hear of his compassion adventures in Haiti. The life there and life here…what contrasts. We have so much materially/opportunities here in the States…many in our International Family of Beautiful-Breathing-Fragile-Life will never experience what some view as entitlements of luxuries. Some of our Local & International Family of Beautiful-Breathing-Fragile-Life will struggle their whole existence just to subsist on little food, little comfort, little help, little love. Little is better than nothing, eh?

What can i give You today? What can i share…a little food, a little comfort, a little help, a little love?:) What comfort can You bring to those in Your care?! What comfort can You share/bring to anyone/anything crossing Your path today? You have a gift, Please share it!:)

“In Reading there is sort of a half and half mixture. The book must be good, but the reader must also be active.”~Ralph Waldo Emerson

A new month, new work, new goals, new learning…new friends? Here’s some “new” ? thoughts for You to think:

3 Proverbs & Act on?

(Proverbs 29:11) “All his spirit is what a stupid one lets out, but he that is wise keeps it calm to the last.”

Are You calm? Do You exercise self-restraint? Are You easily provoked? Learning to exercise self-control can lead to more compassionate choices …

What is holding your mind? What is holding your heart? Love? Fear? Accurate Knowledge? Superstition? Impartiality? Partiality? Nationalism? Universal Hospitality?

Sadly, we live in a divided world, country(s), region(s), neighborhood(s). A world/globe divided by mind-made/man-made/fear-made/prejudice-made borders, boundaries, divisions, differences, discriminations and fears.

Are you personally able to promote peace by embracing the concept of an International Brotherhood of Breathing-Fragile-Life encompassing our globe? Of course, how can one embrace an International Brotherhood if one cannot embrace their local neighbor? How can one embrace their local Neighbor if one cannot embrace their Mother, Father, Sister, Brother under the same roof?

Human Race = Fragile Family! Family = Gift! Do You Cherish Your Family?  Do You Appreciate Your Gift? i do!:) (Who doesn’t like getting a gift?:)

The human condition is flawed…on varying levels so, at times, family doesn’t get along like it should!:( How can we all: “better” get along?

We all need to get better, get well: mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually…one way is by cultivating love and compassion and empathy and forgiveness!:) It takes education and patience. It takes work and effort. It takes practice and application…in the home, in the neighborhood, at school, at work, etc.

i like/prefer simple, practical solutions to challenges: tweaking. So, i like “practical,” ancient wisdom:

“Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely, if anyone has a cause for complaint against another…Clothe yourselves with love, for it is the perfect bond of union.” (Colossians 3:13, 14)

All of us have a cause for complaint!…i’m sure some of my Readers have a cause of complaint toward me that i may not be aware of…SORRY!:(…THANKS for putting up with me! SORRY to offend & THANKS for Reading/Supporting my blog!:)…when i’m trying to put up with someone who’s irritating me or worse…i try to think of the situation like this:  As a Mom…babies are so cute, adorable and loveable…yet, they do seemingly offensive/gross stuff..i.e. spit up on you, poop on you, etc. You LOVE the baby sooo much…you don’t hold it against …

All work and no-play makes any partner, care-giver, friend, family…
dull!:( Wellness must include some play-time, too. Recreation in just the right amount is just what the doctor ordered.

Ahh, peace at the beach!:) Spontaneity is refreshing…sometimes. Do you enjoy nature? Do you spend enough time outdoors?! It will do you some good!

i’m an “awake accepter”…of the importance of daily exercise! Just like variety is good for a healthy, nutritious diet. Same with exercise…mixing it up keeps it fun, fresh and good for you, too. Of course, check with your doctor first before you start any new regimen. Just like i eat more than once a day…staying active, exercising in measured amounts throughout the day works well for me (usually). Having 4 hyper kids to keep up with and major housework helps. (For context of term “awake accepter” see my last post: Go to the…Source!  Hubby decided to do some kayaking Saturday…too cold and windy for me to swim…there’s always reading, chasing the kids, birds, taking photos and writings in the sand…

Think, Read Books-66…how many books make your favorites list?…i would start w/66.

Windy/Cool day… 

 Son on pier…Hubby under pier.

The birds were so beautiful and the beach too…too bad my photos uploaded too dark…gotta get Hubby to adjust them.

 …i tend to…work, work, work, work, work…and work some more. Do i escape through work?? or do i just try hard to live up to my responsibilities/word as care-giver, wife, mother, friend, fragile-life-member of global-family? Escapism…comes in many forms…it could be a religion.

Seriously, writing this post forces me to sit and relax my body while …

Peak-a-boo! Eye See You! “May You Be Well and also Your household Be Well and All that You Have Be Well!”

Every baby loves the game Peak-a-boo…(and some adults, too!:) an early game of early, morning trust and early, morning (new) relationship building…between mother and child, etc. The game/fun never gets old! Whether you’re hiding behind a pair of binoculars, a telescope or computer screen…an “early”/encrypted form of communication, language, laughter and learning. Fun! (who…m–doesn’t enjoy some…fun! No matter what your age!:)

Peak-a-boo–the (young) game of innocence and learning…the game between teacher and student…

Is it A or B or an Enigma?! Mystery…s…olved:

An experimenter hides an attractive toy under box “A” within the baby’s reach. The baby searches for the toy, looks under box “A”, and finds the toy. This activity is usually repeated several times (always with the researcher hiding the toy under box “A”). Then, in the critical trial, the experimenter moves the toy under box “B”, also within easy reach of the baby. Babies of 10 months or younger typically make the perseverance error, meaning they look under box “A” even though they saw the researcher move the toy under box “B”, and box “B” is just as easy to reach. This demonstrates a lack of, or incomplete, schema of object permanence. Children of 12 months or older typically do not make this error.
Competing explanations
Traditionally, this phenomenon has been explained as the child seeing an image and remembering where it was, rather than where it is. Other accounts deal with the development of planning, reaching, and deciding things. There are also behaviorist accounts that explain the behavior in terms of reinforcement. This account argues that the repeated trials with hiding the toy in box “A” is reinforcing that specific behavior, so that the child still reaches for box “A” because the action has been reinforced before. However, this account does not explain the shift in behavior that occurs around 12 months.

Smith and Thelen[1] used a dynamic systems approach to the A-not-B task. They found that various components …

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1313 aka 1.3.13 aka January 3, 2013…

A “Bird’s Opening” for this new post:

1: Poem (discussed with my 3 daughters):

Not in Vain~by Emily Dickinson

If I can stop one heart from breaking,

I shall not live in vain:

If I can ease one life the aching,

Or Cool one pain,

Or help one fainting Robin

unto his nest again,

I shall not live in vain

3: Corny jokes that made my daughters and me chuckle:

photo credit 2: quaggas_camera photo credit 1: k8southern

What does an educated Owl say?

WHOM!:)

What is a polygon?

A missing Parrot!:)

What’s the difference between a jeweler and a jailer?

One sells watches and the other watches cells. (cute play on words)

~Everyday Fun Games and Cards by Brighter Child

13:  Writings by Poet/Wise-King Solomon, (i shared w/my kids):

“Happy is the man that has found wisdom, and the man that gets discernment, for having it as gain is better than having silver as gain and having it as produce than gold itself. It is more precious than corals, and all other delights of yours cannot be made equal to it. Length of days is in its right hand; in its left hand there are riches and glory. Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its roadways are peace. It is a tree of life to those taking hold of it, and those keeping fast hold of it are to be called happy.” (Proverb 3:13…14,15, 16, 17)

“A Wise person will listen and take in more instruction, and a man of understanding is the one who acquires skillful direction, to understand a proverb and a puzzling saying, the words of wise persons and their riddles.” (Proverb 1:5,6)

“Do not say to your fellowman: “Go, and come back and tomorrow I shall give,” when there is something with you.” (Proverb 3:28)

“Go to the ant, you lazy one; see its ways and become wise. Although it has no commander, officer or …

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“Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.” ~Arthur Schopenhauer

Target practice: hitting the bull’s-eye…anyone for a game of darts? or archery? sharp shooting?

Vision precision!

Target: (not talking shopping:) as in long-range like years, centuries and beyond into the future type-target…everybody’s got talent, but got range?? got time??:)

 “As a child, I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene.”—Albert Einstein, German-born scientist.

“For thirty five years of my life I was, in the proper acceptation of the word, nihilist, a man who believed in nothing. Five years ago my faith came to me. I believed in the doctrine of Jesus Christ and my whole life underwent a sudden transformation.”—Count Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist and philosopher.

“A man who was completely innocent offered himself as a sacrifice for the good of others, including his enemies and became the ransom of the world. It was a perfect act.”—Mohandas K. Gandhi, political and spiritual leader of India.

“Shall we suppose the evangelic history a mere fiction? Indeed, my friend, it bears not the marks of fiction. On the contrary, the history of Socrates, which nobody presumes to doubt, is not so well attested as that of Jesus Christ.”—Jean-Jacques Rousseau, French philosopher.

“Jesus of Nazareth . . . is easily the dominant figure in history.”—H. G. Wells, English historian.

“[Jesus’] life is the most influential ever lived on this planet and its effect continues to mount.”—Kenneth Scott Latourette, American historian and author.

“I know men and I tell you that Jesus Christ is no mere man. Between Him and every other person in the world there is no possible term of comparison. Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.” — Napoleon Bonaparte

“Being noticed can be a burden. Jesus got himself crucified because he got himself noticed. So I disappear a lot.” ~Bob Dylan

“It …

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