Last February my man "friend," Nick, had a "massive" heart attack. As he struggled to breathe, I called 911. The firemen came, followed by the ambulance and its attendants. In a very orderly fashion, they worked to stabilize Nick and transport him to the hospital. I followed behind. After an angiogram and a stint placement, he was transferred to the Cardiac ICU, where we settled in for the next five days.
With bells ringing, lights flashing and whistles blowing, electronic wizardry monitored Nick's heart rhythm, blood oxygen level, blood pressure and pulse. The gadgets were crucial, but the nurses were invaluable. To what could have been a very dehumanizing experience, these women enfolded Nick with thoughtful kindness. It was obvious that Nick was not a diagnosis in a bed. He had no doubt the nurses cared and his well-being was important to them.
Nick's cardiologist, Dr. Prabhu, was extremely well-trained and a very kind soul. Knowing Dr. Prabhu was heading the medical helm gave us confidence and a sense of safety, but the ever-present ICU nurses were our vital, human link.
Our bodies, minds and spirits are an integrated whole. Hardware and technicians can tinker with the body's mechanics ad infinitum. However, if the patient's emotional and spiritual needs go untended, the body will die. The ICU nurses provided the healing, human touch.
Showing posts with label Physical Healing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Physical Healing. Show all posts
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
FEAR
Recently, a friend asked me, "Are you ever afraid?"
My immediate answer was, "No."
What I meant by that statement is that fear does not run or control my life. Certainly, being human, I have the occasional niggling fears about my health or my finances. But, through years of practice, my next thought is that the Universe always supplies my needs, not my wants, and all I really need is food, clothing and shelter. The second thought restores my internal peace.
For many years, I have practiced two principles:
- I turn my will and my life over to the care of the Higher Power of my understanding.
- I seek through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with that Power, or God, and I pray only for the knowledge of God's will for me and the power to carry it out.
For me, if I practice these principles to the best of my ability, there is an inherent promise that I will be taken care of, and I will be given the power necessary to do my Higher Source's will.
I have a daily choice. However, when I work to align my will with the Divine will, I am peaceful, free of fear and things just seem to turn out better.
My immediate answer was, "No."
What I meant by that statement is that fear does not run or control my life. Certainly, being human, I have the occasional niggling fears about my health or my finances. But, through years of practice, my next thought is that the Universe always supplies my needs, not my wants, and all I really need is food, clothing and shelter. The second thought restores my internal peace.
For many years, I have practiced two principles:
- I turn my will and my life over to the care of the Higher Power of my understanding.
- I seek through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with that Power, or God, and I pray only for the knowledge of God's will for me and the power to carry it out.
For me, if I practice these principles to the best of my ability, there is an inherent promise that I will be taken care of, and I will be given the power necessary to do my Higher Source's will.
I have a daily choice. However, when I work to align my will with the Divine will, I am peaceful, free of fear and things just seem to turn out better.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
WATER AND OUR BODIES
Dr. Masaru Emoto's book, The Hidden Messages in Water, discloses his research on the simple molecule, which comprises 70 percent of the adult human body. Dr. Emoto provides evidence of the impact of our word and thoughts on the crystalline structure of water exposed to words or phrases, either written or spoken, such as "Love," "Gratitude," "Thank You" or "You're Beautiful," the water forms beautiful crystals. The same is the case if the water is exposed to the music of Beethoven, Mozart or Chopin.
Whereas, under the same conditions, if the water is exposed to the words "You Fool," "Hate," "War" or heavy-metal music, the crystals are malformed and fragmented.
Every molecule of water in our body knows every thought we think and every word we say and responds in kind. The same is true for every cell of our body that contains water. And, as far as I know, they all contain water.
If we sent forth kind and loving thoughts and words toward ourselves and others, our body's molecules and cells manifest that loving, healing energy.
Likewise, if we send forth fearful or angry thoughts or words toward ourselves and others, we pollute our body with toxic energy and create ill health.
Listen to your words and thoughts. Your health depends on it.
Whereas, under the same conditions, if the water is exposed to the words "You Fool," "Hate," "War" or heavy-metal music, the crystals are malformed and fragmented.
Every molecule of water in our body knows every thought we think and every word we say and responds in kind. The same is true for every cell of our body that contains water. And, as far as I know, they all contain water.
If we sent forth kind and loving thoughts and words toward ourselves and others, our body's molecules and cells manifest that loving, healing energy.
Likewise, if we send forth fearful or angry thoughts or words toward ourselves and others, we pollute our body with toxic energy and create ill health.
Listen to your words and thoughts. Your health depends on it.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
LOOK WITHIN
Many years ago, I traveled to Texas' Big Bend State Park. While there, I found a biography, Border Healing Woman, on Jewel Babb, who was eighty at the time of the book's publication in 1981.
Ms. Babb lived the latter portion of her life on the Texas-Mexico border. She grew up in the days of horse-drawn wagons and cattle roundups. She married, raised children and, in later years, discovered her healing powers.
When her biography was written, Ms. Babb resided alone, living in a home without electricity or running water. There many sought her for her wisdom, her cures and to learn her healing methods. Since reading of Ms. Babb's life, I have valued her wisdom.
"Television makes me sick," said Ms. Babb. "People who look at TV know what other people know. I want to know what I know."
She added, "If you go to church, you'll hear it how they tell it. But if you sit on a hill for fifteen years, with your animals and no one else, you learn a lot. It comes to you."
For many years, I have lived alone on my hill, with my animals. Ms. Babb was right. It comes to you.
Ms. Babb lived the latter portion of her life on the Texas-Mexico border. She grew up in the days of horse-drawn wagons and cattle roundups. She married, raised children and, in later years, discovered her healing powers.
When her biography was written, Ms. Babb resided alone, living in a home without electricity or running water. There many sought her for her wisdom, her cures and to learn her healing methods. Since reading of Ms. Babb's life, I have valued her wisdom.
"Television makes me sick," said Ms. Babb. "People who look at TV know what other people know. I want to know what I know."
She added, "If you go to church, you'll hear it how they tell it. But if you sit on a hill for fifteen years, with your animals and no one else, you learn a lot. It comes to you."
For many years, I have lived alone on my hill, with my animals. Ms. Babb was right. It comes to you.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
VERMONT
Vermont has a large number of homes and commercial structures that were built in the early 1800s-to-early-1900s and, over the years, Vermont's frugal citizens have maintained, repaired, restored and reallocated these buildings.
In 1791, Vermont became the Union's 14th state. Oklahoma, my home state, was admitted to the Union as the 46th state in 1907. With over a century head-start, Vermont's moneyed families employed skilled, immigrant workers to erect magnificent edifices, while Oklahomans were still living in tents, sod-houses or ram-shackled, wood-frame dwellings.
Vermont's early buildings were built to last. They were set upon deep foundations of granite, which enabled their roof lines to remain straight and their brick and stone walls to be without cracks.
In the ultimate form of recycling, many of Vermont's elegant, 19th-century mansions now house health clinics, senior citizen centers, libraries, state agencies and offices for attorneys and insurance agents.
Other brightly-bedazzled, Victorian homes are no longer occupied by single families, but have opened their doors for many guests to sleep beneath their roofs. In Burlington, the windows of these homes frame many families in their daily routines and countless students at their studies.
In addition, Vermont's abandoned factory buildings, often previous fabric mills, have transformed into apartment buildings, restaurants and shops.
Built in the early 1800s, many of Vermont's massive, stone churches continue to hold Sunday services. Likewise, many banks of similar vintage, with their original vaults, continue to transact business.
Unlike Vermont's architectural heritage, Oklahoma's aged buildings are too often demolished, with the remains deposited in a land fill, while new structures, of dubious quality and scant beauty, take their place, to repeat the cycle anew in 30-to-40 years.
Oklahomans, too often follow society's illusions and build their dream McMansions, which keep the builders and bankers in money, but leave the new homeowner with a large mortgage and a lifetime of work.
On the flip side, Vermont, as does Oklahoma, has it's trailer-house blight, with no aesthetics and a short life expectancy but, gratefully, trailer homes do not have a significant presence in most of Vermont's towns and villages.
Because Vermont's residents often live in smaller, more centralized communities they frequently walk or ride bicycles to shop, visit friends or go to school, work or church. Vermont also sports numerous fit mothers pushing baby carriages, with their elder children in tow.
Frequently, Vermont's children can be found playing outside. Its high school students can be seen walking home after school. These same students are frequently without cell phones or DVD players plugged into their ears, and they actually laugh with and talk to each other.
In contrast, after the last school bell rings, Oklahoma's mothers are usually lined up, with engines running, in their over-sized vehicles, waiting to pick up their darlings, the latter of which, upon arriving, promptly put on a head set or start pushing buttons on their electronic gizmos.
Overall, Vermonters are much slimmer than Oklahomans. Our state ranks dead last on the health polls and at the top of the obesity charts.
Besides recycling, repairing, maintaining and reusing their buildings, Vermonter's environmental consciousness was also evident by their volume of pedestrian traffic, clothes billowing dry on clotheslines and well-placed, recycling containers.
I love Oklahoma and its people, but it is time for Oklahomans to wake up and get with the program, and Vermonters have much to teach us.
In 1791, Vermont became the Union's 14th state. Oklahoma, my home state, was admitted to the Union as the 46th state in 1907. With over a century head-start, Vermont's moneyed families employed skilled, immigrant workers to erect magnificent edifices, while Oklahomans were still living in tents, sod-houses or ram-shackled, wood-frame dwellings.
Vermont's early buildings were built to last. They were set upon deep foundations of granite, which enabled their roof lines to remain straight and their brick and stone walls to be without cracks.
In the ultimate form of recycling, many of Vermont's elegant, 19th-century mansions now house health clinics, senior citizen centers, libraries, state agencies and offices for attorneys and insurance agents.
Other brightly-bedazzled, Victorian homes are no longer occupied by single families, but have opened their doors for many guests to sleep beneath their roofs. In Burlington, the windows of these homes frame many families in their daily routines and countless students at their studies.
In addition, Vermont's abandoned factory buildings, often previous fabric mills, have transformed into apartment buildings, restaurants and shops.
Built in the early 1800s, many of Vermont's massive, stone churches continue to hold Sunday services. Likewise, many banks of similar vintage, with their original vaults, continue to transact business.
Unlike Vermont's architectural heritage, Oklahoma's aged buildings are too often demolished, with the remains deposited in a land fill, while new structures, of dubious quality and scant beauty, take their place, to repeat the cycle anew in 30-to-40 years.
Oklahomans, too often follow society's illusions and build their dream McMansions, which keep the builders and bankers in money, but leave the new homeowner with a large mortgage and a lifetime of work.
On the flip side, Vermont, as does Oklahoma, has it's trailer-house blight, with no aesthetics and a short life expectancy but, gratefully, trailer homes do not have a significant presence in most of Vermont's towns and villages.
Because Vermont's residents often live in smaller, more centralized communities they frequently walk or ride bicycles to shop, visit friends or go to school, work or church. Vermont also sports numerous fit mothers pushing baby carriages, with their elder children in tow.
Frequently, Vermont's children can be found playing outside. Its high school students can be seen walking home after school. These same students are frequently without cell phones or DVD players plugged into their ears, and they actually laugh with and talk to each other.
In contrast, after the last school bell rings, Oklahoma's mothers are usually lined up, with engines running, in their over-sized vehicles, waiting to pick up their darlings, the latter of which, upon arriving, promptly put on a head set or start pushing buttons on their electronic gizmos.
Overall, Vermonters are much slimmer than Oklahomans. Our state ranks dead last on the health polls and at the top of the obesity charts.
Besides recycling, repairing, maintaining and reusing their buildings, Vermonter's environmental consciousness was also evident by their volume of pedestrian traffic, clothes billowing dry on clotheslines and well-placed, recycling containers.
I love Oklahoma and its people, but it is time for Oklahomans to wake up and get with the program, and Vermonters have much to teach us.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
THE SIDEWALK
Long walk,
Lumina Avenue bustling,
Spring repairs,
Painters,
Gardeners,
Pine straw mulch nestles floral splendor.
Cool breeze,
Honeysuckle wafting,
One-speed, old-time bicycles,
Made to last,
New generation pedaling,
As it should,
We've ridden far too long.
Lumina Avenue bustling,
Spring repairs,
Painters,
Gardeners,
Pine straw mulch nestles floral splendor.
Cool breeze,
Honeysuckle wafting,
One-speed, old-time bicycles,
Made to last,
New generation pedaling,
As it should,
We've ridden far too long.
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