When You Thought I Wasn't Looking

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me, and I learned that little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick,  and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing, and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I felt you kiss me good-night, and I felt loved and safe.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn't feel good, and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw tears come from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I saw that you cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say,  "Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking." 

Winter

THEN IT IS WINTER

I FIRST STARTED READING THIS EMAIL AND WAS READING FAST UNTIL I REACHED THE THIRD SENTENCE. I STOPPED AND STARTED OVER READING SLOWER AND THINKING ABOUT EVERY WORD. THIS EMAIL IS VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING. MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK.

READ SLOWLY!

You know. . . time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

But, here it is... the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did myyouth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and thatwinter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting grey...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change...Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though the winter has come, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...it’s over. A new adventure will begin!

Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

 

So, if you're not in your winter yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!

 

"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.

LIVE IT WELL!
ENJOY TODAY!
DO SOMETHING FUN!
BE HAPPY!

Remember "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.

LIVE HAPPY IN 2013!

 

LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: 
TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST 

YOU'LL EVER BE SO - ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect!

Going out is good.. Coming home is better!

You forget names.... But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!

You realize you're never going to be really good at anything.... especially golf.

The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.

You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. 

It's called "pre-sleep".

You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..

You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... ???

Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.

You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!

What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

Everybody whispers.

You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.

But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!!

It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.

 

 

Any Way You Want Me (that's how I will be)

I'll be as strong as a mountainOr weak as a willow treeAnyway you want meWell that's how I will be
I'll be as tame as a babyOr wild as the raging seaAnyway you want meWell that's how I will be
In your hands my heart is clayTo take and hold as you mayI'm what you make meYou've only to take meAnd in your arms I will stay
I'll be a fool or a wise manAnd my darling you hold the keyYes, anyway you want meWell that's how I will be, I will be
Any Way You Want Me (that's how I will be)(posted for my sweetheart John, everytime I hear this song by Elvis, I think of him, for it describes him to a T)

April 17th 1997

On April 17th, 1997 at approximately 7pm, I married John Osbourne in Las Vegas Nevada, at the Las Vegas Wedding Gardens.

I was 23 years old.

John was 27.

I am now 39 years old and looking back that seems impossibly young to get married.

On April 17th, 1993 also at approximately 7pm, I went out on my first date with John Osbourne, at DeGidios Italian Restaurant in St.Paul, Mn.

I was 19 years old.

John was 22.

I can say that the road we've traveled hasn't been smooth sailing the whole way, its been rocky in some spots, a tough road, however through the good times, the bad times and the very hard times, we've found a way to make it through.

I love John more than I ever thought I could love another person. I am so grateful to have him with me. To have someone like him who embraces me for who I am, even though I am positive I drive him nuts from time to time.  He is my best friend in the world, and I can't imagine my life without him in it.

Happy Anniversary John. I love you.

I sell Avon

http://www.youravon.com/aprilosbourne

There's A Brand New Day On The Horizon

 

There's a brand new day on the horizon
Everything's gonna be just fine
There's a brand new day on the horizon
And the whole world's gonna be mine

I'm gonna tell old trouble, he'd better be moving on
Happiness is going to take his place around here from now on
The old dark clouds are gonna roll away
The sun is gonna shine
And the whole world's gonna be mine

I'm gonna tell old heartaches, pack his bags and go
I've decided that I don't want him hanging around no more
Don't you know I said everything's gonna be just fine
'Cause the whole world's gonna be mine

I'm gonna chase away those blues till they're out of sight
And I guarantee you honey they won't be coming back
Well don't you know I said everything's gonna be all right
'Cause the whole world's gonna be mine

I know my luck's gonna change, just you wait and see
Startin' tomorrow only good things in life are going to come to me
There's a brand new day on the horizon

Crohn's Disease details you never thought of

Why are Chronic Diseases like Crohn’s Disease, Colitis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease (“IBD”) such expensive medical conditions for Patients who even have Health Insurance? 

I get asked this question many times by friends and acquaintances who care a great deal about me and can’t understand how my Crohn’s Disease has so badly damaged my financial “health” when all along the way I have maintained my Health Insurance. This is what I tell them when I try to explain.

Any Chronic Disease such as these, which is also incurable with autoimmune components, can create ongoing needs for medical care, expensive drug treatments, unpredictable or emergent hospitalizations and possibly several surgeries. While having Health Insurance is BEST, people don’t typically understand that in an ideal setting the Health Insurance Company may pay 70% of the cost of what they deem to be “reasonable and customary” for any of the aforementioned medical costs but there may be also be a significant “Deductible” which has to be met before that 30 percent of Reimbursement kicks-in. 

Moreover, what Health Insurers deem “reasonable and customary” in the Twin Cities, Minnesota for example, may be vastly different from the actual charges in New York City, for example, but location adjustments are typically not made by Health Insurers and that could leave a rather large GAP in the Charged Amount which the Patient will have to pay, in addition to the 30% balance. This is different when the Patient sees an “In-Network” physician but these days there are usually “variables” attached to that AND, more importantly, the more complicated your case of Crohn’s, Colitis or IBD, the more reason you need to see a well-renowned Specialist (as they see more of such cases and thus are prepared best to help you) and these doctors increasingly do not accept ANY Health INSURANCE. It is in the Patient’s best financial interests to ALWAYS see an “In-Network” medical professional but those interests may not align with the Patient’s medical interests in complicated cases or even in diagnosing cases of Crohn’s, Colitis or IBD due to their almost individualized symptoms and often difficult to recognize initial manifestations.

Many Patients with Crohn’s, Colitis and IBD are also increasingly turning to “Alternative” treatments or organic foods to combat the disease and any medication side effects and/or the stress which accompanies the entire IBD journey. Short of minor acupuncture benefits, Health Insurers understandably are reluctant to get fully behind these “holistic” approaches because in many instances what works for one Patient does not work for another. Or, the providers of these alternative treatments are not properly or traditionally “credentialed” such that the Health Insurers can readily trust their medical expertise. Yet, many IBD Patients swear by these treatments and thus they must pay for them out of their own pockets.

In my case of having Crohn’s Disease for almost 20 years, the accumulation of these aforementioned 30% fees, Balance Bills, Specialty Physicians and Alternative Treatments has created medical Credit Card debt that is stifling. In addition to the above VERY BASIC breakdown, the cost of NEW and more promising Crohn’s/IBD medications is usually extremely high and Health Insurers typically don’t cover a significant portion of their costs until said medication becomes more widely accepted. These newer medications might also come with side effects which in some instances could turn out to be as painful, disabling and expensive as IBD itself.   It seems there’s no way to tell who these new drugs will help and who they will harm but it is a chance many IBD Patients are all too willing to take due to the lack of effective Treatment options and the "incurability" of Crohn’s Disease. 

“Finally,” and please understand that this is a complex and individualized situation which I am trying to simplify for the purposes of communicating a basic explanation, many IBD Patients on the more severe “spectrum” of the disease often develop secondary autoimmune diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, etc. and that begins an almost duplicate “journey” through the Healthcare system causing the Patient to incur all of the aforementioned expenses albeit for a different disease. Additionally, years (or in some cases just months) of taking certain effective IBD drugs can also create serious (and expensive) medical problems which must also be addressed such as Hip Replacements (from taking the drug Prednisone) or, for example, repeated hospitalized bouts with Pancreatitis from taking immuno-suppressive drugs to treat Crohn’s Disease. 

Please feel free to share any Comments and/or to pose a Questions