Small Things Count

April is Autism Awareness month. It’s a condition that affects so many of our children. The term “Autism Spectrum” is used because the degree to which children are affected can range from totally non-verbal through high-functioning. It doesn’t mean a child is unintelligent–many earn advanced college degrees and have successful professional lives. The key, though, is early diagnosis (before age 2) and treatment. They’ll always have autism, but they’ll learn how to deal with it and improve.

Here are some causes and risk factors to watch for in your child:

• Autism has a strong genetic component as demonstrated by twin studies
• A child has an approximately 19% higher risk of autism if an older sibling is on the spectrum
• A growing body of evidence investigating maternal infection, drug use, and age (there is also evidence linking advanced paternal age to an increased risk) as potential causes of autism
• Health complications during pregnancy and in childbirth may raise a child’s autism risk significantly, a baby experiencing complications both during and before birth may have a 44% increased risk of autism 
• Toxins in the environment, especially heavy metals like mercury and lead, have also been associated with an increased risk, but most of these studies have various methodological limitations

Happy birthday, Cesar Chavez. Thank you for the work you did to help those who provide the food for our tables, and for this bit of Thursday Thought wisdom.

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring, glorious Spring. It renews our spirits and inspires us to participate in its display of newness. Celebrate by your family planning and starting a vegetable garden in your yard. It can be small or large, in-ground or in a raised container…whatever. Each of you choose a vegetable or herb to plant and tend to. Maybe you’ll want to plant what you’ll need to make salsa or pizza. Whatever you choose, enjoy the family time together now and the fresh veggies later, knowing that you’ve included Mother Earth in your family activity.

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. For a description of the book go to My Free Books).

My Irish heritage causes me to think today about St. Patrick.  Yes, this non-Irish-born man (real name Maewyn Succat) was highly influential in ending slavery in Ireland. However, I accept that he didn’t chase the snakes out of Ireland.  He couldn’t,  as there were no snakes to chase out of this land that was underwater fifteen thousand years ago and then had glacial conditions.  Even hearty snakes that might have been able to swim the frigid ocean waters would, literally, freeze their tails.  But it’s a charming legend, based largely on his converting so many people to Christianity from religions that revered snakes.

Oh well. 

At least I know that leprechauns exist.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

POLITICIANS DON’T HAVE A CLUE!  They don’t care about injustices caused by the death penalty or Patriot Act.  It’s okay to try kids as adults, then throw them into adult prisons to harden and learn new criminal skills.  Homeless, elderly, disabled people– all that matters is money, not lives and human dignity.  If an issue strikes a moral chord with us, God expects us to exert our influence.  A simple way is to contact those in power.  Send a letter or e-mail.  Call them (the  phone book lists legislators in the government section).  Remember, too, that our representatives read newspapers, so write a letter to the editor.  If you get a positive response, write Action Line and encourage others to express their opinions.  On the other hand, if a legislator won’t listen, wait awhile; soon you can vote in someone who will.

Good morning. I know that, thanks to Daylight Saving Time kicking in, you didn’t get enough sleep last night and are having a sluggish day. So, I won’t burden you with a post that makes you think–or even read much. Just remember: you WILL make it through the day, and your bed awaits you.

Are you spreading dollar bills on your lawn?  Most people waste money and water by not watering wisely.  Be more efficient when irrigating your lawn and garden.  Water before 7 AM (saves 15-40 gallons of water per day).  Minimize evaporation by not watering in the hot sun or when it’s windy.  Use soaker hoses, drip irrigation, or a sprinkler that spreads large drops of water (mists waste water through evaporation). 

[For more easy, money-saving, Eco-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/7000, choose a format, and download to your computer or e-book device. For a description of the book go to My Free Books).

When I was young and taking on the world, an older, wiser person gave me the advice expressed in today’s Thursday Thought picture-quote. Not only did it make me stronger, therefore more successful, in fighting the battles I took on, but it also minimized my stress and increased my sense of well-being. Try it.

Because children pick up our bad habits, we need to be aware of our own actions.  Do we often shout at our children?  Do we hit them sometimes—not hard, just to teach them a lesson?  Do we give our spouse more criticism than praise?  Are we comfortable with our fiancé only when we get to be boss?  Do we win arguments by threatening to walk out or get even?  Do we engage in name-calling or jealous acts, insist on making all the financial decisions for the couple, get upset when the other wants to go out occasionally with friends, or drive recklessly as a scare-tactic?  Most of us have done something like this in a weak moment at some time in our lives.  However, any one of these actions that becomes a habit or second-nature has risen to the level of domestic violence.  It’s not a small thing but a legacy that will be passed onto our children, perpetuating the problem.  Our lives are stressful, making it important to evaluate our relationships and stop the violence before it destroys us and our children’s future. 

He made our day!

My friend and I finally managed to get together at a shady table outside the Almaden Roasting Co. and catch up on each other’s lives. We looked at vacation pictures, compared notes on Butchard Gardens, commiserated about our kids, shared some funny–and not-so funny–stories from our teaching experiences. We remembered how comfortable we are with each other. And how much our lives overlapped.

Soon we were damp-eyed, and maybe a little sniffly, as we talked about some challenges that were present in both our lives, discovering that many parts of our stories were identical.  It was all very cathartic…and damp-tissue-y.

A young man emerged from the coffee shop and went to his car parked almost in front of us, only to get out and approach us.  “I didn’t hear exactly what you ladies were saying,” he told us, “but I was wondering if * could buy you a cup of something.  Maybe it would help?” We declined and thanked him, and he drove away.

We smiled after him and commented almost in unison, “There’s hope for the world.”

As long as strangers are concerned about other strangers, Love lives on in this weary, jaded globe of ours.  And as long as Love lives, so will Hope.