I live in Western Oregon. It is usually getting fairly cool and rainy and staying that way by now. But today it was sunny and in the mid-70s! I was able to get a bunch of yard work done after church today. The downside to this is that I realized that I really want to re-landscape my back yard THIS winter rather than waiting until next winter... I better really focus and get to work so I can pay my landscaper!
I'm just so grateful for this gift of a beautiful day!
Sunday, November 04, 2012
Saturday, November 03, 2012
Grateful for Reconnecting
Today I had the wonderful surprise of a phone call from an old friend. I've moved a LOT, and I'm not super great at keeping in touch with people, but recently I've tried to be much better about that. It's been more of an intention than an action so far, but intentions are powerful and cause things to happen.
It was so wonderful to hear from my friend from Spokane - I hadn't talked to her in years! The last time I saw her, my 20 year old was celebrating her 13th birthday. She is someone I think about often as we share the same faith community, are both in healthcare, and she taught me to knit. And she's just someone I really, truly enjoy - one of those people who just clicks.
Come to find out, she is studying in the same program another friend of mine in Virginia completed a year ago - working to become a health coach. Being an energy healer myself, and training to become a business coach, we had a lot to talk about!
Is there anyone in your life you haven't talked to in a while? Just pick up the phone - they will be thrilled to hear from you!
It was so wonderful to hear from my friend from Spokane - I hadn't talked to her in years! The last time I saw her, my 20 year old was celebrating her 13th birthday. She is someone I think about often as we share the same faith community, are both in healthcare, and she taught me to knit. And she's just someone I really, truly enjoy - one of those people who just clicks.
Come to find out, she is studying in the same program another friend of mine in Virginia completed a year ago - working to become a health coach. Being an energy healer myself, and training to become a business coach, we had a lot to talk about!
Is there anyone in your life you haven't talked to in a while? Just pick up the phone - they will be thrilled to hear from you!
Friday, November 02, 2012
Grateful for Flexibility
Corvallis schools are so smart - they schedule conferences for the two days following Halloween, so the kids get to sleep in the two mornings after the big night! I absolutely love it!
So with Stephanie off for the day, the two of us were free to drive up to Portland to help Bekka move into her new, super cute apartment. Bekka's been living in an unschool house in the weird city since the spring and has been really ready for a change for a few months. She and her friend, Laurel finally found replacements for their rooms in the unschool house and found the cutest apartment in a nice neighborhood. They are so excited!
So with Stephanie off for the day, the two of us were free to drive up to Portland to help Bekka move into her new, super cute apartment. Bekka's been living in an unschool house in the weird city since the spring and has been really ready for a change for a few months. She and her friend, Laurel finally found replacements for their rooms in the unschool house and found the cutest apartment in a nice neighborhood. They are so excited!
Thursday, November 01, 2012
Time for Some Gratitude
Forgive me readers. It's been 11 months since my last post. But it is now November and I love the practice of posting my gratitude each day (even when I start late or get behind).
Today I'm grateful for passionate people who care about others. Even people they don't know and will never meet. Tonight I went to a Single Payer Healthcare Info Night at a friend's house and met a wonderful woman who has been working to establish a single payer system in Oregon for over 30 years.
There are so many reasons I believe single payer healthcare is a good solution. Currently we pay almost double any other industrialized country per capita, yet we have over 50 million people without health insurance, and WHO ranks us 37th in terms of health outcomes. People are losing their homes because of out of control healthcare costs. It's estimated that the amount we would save in paperwork alone would be enough to cover everyone who is currently uninsured without increasing current cost. Most Americans get their health insurance from their employer, with premiums on the rise, employers are cutting back on the number of full-time employees. In fact, our local community college has fewer instructors per student due to health insurance costs - which results in larger classes and a greater, more stressful workload for the remaining instructors, which decreases their health!
A friend of mine posted yesterday that when their oldest was little, her husband made $24K/year. Now, 20 years later, they are paying $24K/year in health insurance premiums!
In addition to money, Single Payer makes sense for the health of our population (and this is also a money thing, too). Uninsured people do not receive the preventative care they need. They are forced to wait until they are terribly ill then go to the emergency room. Not only does this not serve their health, but this type of "healthcare" is more expensive for everyone, because we all pay these costs.
There are so many more points to make, but that would be a book! So I'll leave you with this Walter Cronkite quote, "American's health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system."
Today I'm grateful for passionate people who care about others. Even people they don't know and will never meet. Tonight I went to a Single Payer Healthcare Info Night at a friend's house and met a wonderful woman who has been working to establish a single payer system in Oregon for over 30 years.
A friend of mine posted yesterday that when their oldest was little, her husband made $24K/year. Now, 20 years later, they are paying $24K/year in health insurance premiums!
In addition to money, Single Payer makes sense for the health of our population (and this is also a money thing, too). Uninsured people do not receive the preventative care they need. They are forced to wait until they are terribly ill then go to the emergency room. Not only does this not serve their health, but this type of "healthcare" is more expensive for everyone, because we all pay these costs.
There are so many more points to make, but that would be a book! So I'll leave you with this Walter Cronkite quote, "American's health care system is neither healthy, caring, nor a system."
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