I missed yesterday’s Thursday Thought quote so I could reflect on the anniversary of Jan. 6, 2021. Instead, I offer it to you today:
“I have often noticed that when chickens quit quarreling over their food they often find that there is enough for all of them. I wonder if it might not be the same with the human race.” – Don Marquis
Today, as we remember what happened at our nation’s capitol a year ago, with continuing repercussions, my hope and prayer is for my beloved country to come to peaceful understanding and unity so we can get on with the important task of building a better, more just world.
(CNN)With our busy schedules and reliance on technology for entertainment, it’s hard for little ones to get enough of the outdoor physical activity that’s crucial for healthy development.
And during a pandemic when parents are especially crunched for time, it’s even harder to ensure that happens.
But one solution could be lying right at your feet, said a study published in the journal Pediatric Research. Owning, walking and playing with a family dog could encourage your toddler’s social and emotional development.
In fact, toddlers from dog-owning families who participated in the study were 30% less likely to have conduct and peer problems in comparison to preschoolers from families who didn’t own dogs, the researchers found. Even at this age, toddlers could indeed benefit from interacting with a pet while supervised.
READ MORE AT A family dog could help your preschooler learn social and emotional skills, study finds
When someone is dying, we don’t know what to do. We’re uncomfortable and not sure of what to do or say. Think about what this dying person is thinking and feeling as a friend visits. Then you’ll know exactly what matters to them.
Today, once again, you’ve brought me joy. Lying here, my body winding down in preparation to meet my God, I don’t get much joy. You’ve sat by my bed these weeks and given me your friendship. You’ve read the newspaper to me, stopping to make comments on how humans take ourselves ‘way too seriously. You read that new book by the author I love, aloud, cover to cover. You excused yourself so the hospice people could care for me, then returned and handed me a sip of water before settling in to watch TV with me, making fun of the commercials. You always start your visit with news about people we both know, and reminiscences of happy times. Then, as I grow tired, you stay while I nap, knitting quietly, reaching out to touch my hand from time to time so I don’t feel alone. Finally, we pray together, and you say, “See you later.” I know that’s true, either tomorrow or in Heaven. You are a true friend. You are true Joy.
Today’s Thursday Thought quote heads us in the right direction for 2022:
“Let our New Year’s resolution be this: we will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word.” — Goran Persson
When I saw this, I just had to pass it on. I hope millions of little girls see it, too, and say to themselves, “Well, yeah…of course!”
DON’T BURN THAT GIFT WRAP IN YOUR FIREPLACE! The metals and ink in much of the paper cause many fires each year and send harmful particulates into the air we breathe.
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“Christmas” is defined individually, within each person. The definition (and experience) is based on age, life-experiences, faith, family, stage in life–in fact, on all of those things, and more. Today’s Thursday Thought quote offers a universal, even practical meaning if we embrace it.
I keep seeing statements like this one I just got on NextDoor: “My fiancé and I have considered the vaccine but we know someone whose dad passed of a heart attack within a few days of the vaccine and he was very fit, at 48 years of age. A close family friend of mine (female) at 47 years old and healthy, had a confirmed mini stroke within days of the vaccine.” Please allow me to share my response to her, in case you’re on the fence regarding vaccinations because of such experiences.
Georgia — (Note that I’m not disagreeing with you or debating you.) You’re mixing up proximity of two events and cause/effect. The cases you cite are valid only if it’s medically clear that the vaccine actually caused the stroke or whatever. For example, a person ate German food and soon thereafter had a terrible headache. Was there something in the food, or was his body ready for a headache because of stress (or the wine that went with the food)? He’d definitely want to know what the specific cause was before he gave up his beloved German food. We draw these causal conclusions all the time–if I hadn’t left five minutes late I wouldn’t have been in that accident or I should have (fill in the blank) so then (fill in the blank) wouldn’t have happened. My response here isn’t intended to debate you, just to reassure you that not everything that seems like a cause should be accepted as a cause until it’s checked out. For you and you’re family’s sake, and those you come in contact with, especially during the holidays, please put that in the mix as you decide whether vaccinations are what you want to do or not to do.
Mother (now Saint) Teresa marked Christmas 1948 as the beginning of her work with the poor. The day was so important to her that she set aside time every Christmas to be with those people she ministered to—the poor, hungry, marginalized, dying, abandoned. She would go to an orphanage or to the bedside of a dying person or give a lingering embrace to a child with AIDS or leprosy. She shared her Christmas in ways that quietly highlighted the feast’s true meaning: coming into a world of people in need and serving them for no other reason than love. During this blessed season, maybe we can each be a little like Mother Teresa. We all know someone who needs comforting, companionship, encouragement, a helping hand, a person to pray with. Maybe we can’t act totally like Mother, but we can certainly be true brothers and sisters to other members of God’s family.