Tag Archive for help

Thanksgiving Prayer

November 27, 2019 Comments Off on Thanksgiving Prayer

Here’s a very simple act that we can all perform each day: offer up the “Thanksgiving Prayer.”  Not just at Thanksgiving, but all year long.  Because prayer transforms us, allowing God to transform the world through us. 

Oh, God, when I have food, help me to remember the hungry;

When I have work, help me to remember the jobless;

When I have a warm home, help me to remember the homeless;

When I am without pain, help me to remember those who suffer;

And remembering, help me to destroy my complacency and bestir

my compassion.

Make me concerned enough to help, by word and deed, those who

cry out for what we take for granted.

                                                                                    —Samuel F. Phgh

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Help Your Friend with Mental Health Issues

May 14, 2018 Comments Off on Help Your Friend with Mental Health Issues

During this month of May, which is Mental Health Awareness month, I think about people struggling with depression or who are bipolar or have other conditions–friends with mental illnesses they try to hide, and friends with a mental illness that is very apparent.  You probably do, too, since one in four people experience it within any given year.   Sometimes, dealing with them isn’t easy.  Because I care for them, I want to support them; I want to make their lives more livable.  But I’m not a professional, and I don’t want to do or say something that would be harmful to them.

I’d like to share with you a short yet helpful article.  I’ll give you its five recommendations here.  For an explanation of each, read “How to Help a Friend with Mental Illness.”

  1. Listen to what they are saying.
  2. Validate what they are saying.
  3. Ask what they need.
  4. Educate yourself about their experience.
  5. Keep being a friend.

I’m trying to apply these steps to my friends.  I hope others will apply them to me when I need them.

 

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Feel Less Guilty About Christmas

December 23, 2017 Comments Off on Feel Less Guilty About Christmas

Look at the mess (before and after Christmas)--tossed gift wrap (can’t burn the wrap with wax or metal in it), lots of leftovers (can’t eat it ALL), cards to toss into the garbage (pretty and thoughtful, but…), bubble wrap to get rid of (after the fun of popping all the cells), an empty gas tank (the sales! the sales!), a droopy tree (now a fire-hazard)…. It’s all quite a downer, spoiling the season.

Take heart.  There’s help.  Read (and follow) the suggestions in the article 10 Ways to Feel Less Guilty About Waste this Christmas.

[Thanks to Lynda DeManti for sending me this.]

Have a merry–and guilt-free–Christmas!

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I “See” U, Little Baby

October 30, 2017 4 comments

If you love babies and have a little time, take a tip from this “ICU Grandpa.”  He makes a big difference in the lives and health of babies who are starting life–barely–more vulnerable than other babies, and whose lives may very well be projected in terms of hours rather than years.  Watch this video and, if this is something you can do, call local hospitals to find out about their baby-nurturing programs.

 

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There’s a “Service Dog” in Every Home

August 28, 2017 2 comments

I felt like starting the week on a lighter note. No message or  moralizing.  This is just about dogs who perform services for us every day.  But you just need to be an animal-lover in general to enjoy it.  (If it doesn’t play right, go to https://www.facebook.com/thepetcollective/videos/1804173109597486/.)

 

 

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A Day for Thanks and Appreciation

May 9, 2017 Comments Off on A Day for Thanks and Appreciation

Today is National Teacher Appreciation Day. It’s a day to remember that teachers care for our kids a large portion of the day, keeping them safe and helping mold them into good, productive, caring adults.  To remember that their day doesn’t end at 3:00 and their work year isn’t just 9 months, because they spend so much outside-school-building time on such things as lesson plans, grading homework, creating projects and activities, working individually with students who need extra help, conversing with parents in person or on the phone, attending classes and in-services to improve their teaching, serving on school-improvement committees, planning open-houses/back-to-school nights, completing applications for government grants, then paperwork in compliance with those grants, preparing for accreditation, and shopping for supplies for their students.  And the money for those supplies comes out of their own pockets.

Today, remind teachers that they are appreciated.  Send a thank-you note with your child.  Bring a treat to the faculty room.  Call the principal to say how much a certain teacher has helped your child.  Use #TeacherAppreciationDay to post on social media.  I’m sure you  can think of something special to do today.

 

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Protecting Parents

November 1, 2016 2 comments

Imagine visiting your dad in a nursing home.  The woman in a nearby room is alone and unable to fend for herself.  Get past the sights and smells of the place and into what she might be feeling. Here’s one woman’s experience, in her own words:

PLEASE…I’M HERE…SOMEBODY….  I know you’re visiting your father in the next room, but I’ve called out a dozen times for a blanket.  You must have heard.  Please get someone for me.  Last week I was so thirsty, but nobody would answer my call button, and the woman visiting her friend in the other bed became irritated with me and closed the curtain between us. This morning I heard the laughing—again—one aide mimicking my slurred speech, the other calling out my daughter’s name like I do when I really get feeling down.  I’m old, but I’m not deaf or stupid.  I’ve been in this place for so many months, I’m less than a piece of furniture.  If you tell someone in charge and wait to be sure something is done, then I’d be so grateful.  No, it won’t get you in trouble, but, chances are, nobody will even think about treating your dad the way they’re treating me.  Please… somebody…please.

Then, take a minute to give her a smile or ask if she’d  like you to get someone to help her.  You may be the only bright spot in her week.  And watching out for other people’s parents shows honor and respect for our own.

 

 

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How to Help a Friend with Mental Illness

March 21, 2016 Comments Off on How to Help a Friend with Mental Illness

I know people struggling with depression or who are bipolar or have other conditions–friends with mental illnesses they try to hide, and friends with a mental illness that is very apparent.  You probably do, too, since one in four people experience it within any given year.   Sometimes, dealing with them isn’t easy.  Because I care for them, I want to support them; I want to make their lives more livable.  But I’m not a professional, and I don’t want to do or say something that would be harmful to them.

Recently I found a short yet helpful article I’d like to share with you.  I’ll give you the five recommendations here.  For an explanation of each, read “How to Help a Friend with Mental Illness.”

  1. Listen to what they are saying.
  2. Validate what they are saying.
  3. Ask what they need.
  4. Educate yourself about their experience.
  5. Keep being a friend.

I’m trying to apply these steps to my friends.  I hope others will apply them to me when I need them.

 

 

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On Standing Up and Rising

September 17, 2015 Comments Off on On Standing Up and Rising

Today’s Thursday Thought comes from a man who spends his life observing others and reflecting on life.  Often-quoted Dr. Steve Maraboli is a bestselling author, speaker, philanthropist, and behavioral scientist.

“Every single time you help somebody stand up you are helping humanity rise.” — Steve Maraboli

 

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Thursday Thought: How to Re-Connect

September 5, 2013 Comments Off on Thursday Thought: How to Re-Connect

Sometimes we simply need to think about those lives we’ve touched and reconnect with people. 

 

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