I remember when…..

I remember when I was first introduced to AIDS. It began with a conversation at work. That’s back when I worked in the insurance industry and we had just discovered this deadly disease that would impact the health and life insurance industry in ways that could not be calculated. (Meaning that the industry would lose money….. as if!)

I remember people being terrified by AIDS The media (which did not run 24 hours a day) scared people poop-less! People became afraid of people. Those with AIDS were ostracized and humiliated regardless of how they got it.

I remember the first person I knew who died. It was a brutal death. it was horrible to watch his suffering, and I was sad for our loss but I didn’t get the disease from him.

And now there is ebola. Once again people are being terrified by the disease and once again the media is scaring people poop-less. And once again, I don’t plan on getting it.

People, let’s not become afraid of people. Let’s choose not to allow the media to scare us poop-less and let’s not humiliate those who have the disease.

Let’s remember the lessons that aids taught us and treat those who have this or any sickness with love, compassion, and respect while taking the necessary precautions to protect ourselves. You know the ones we should have been taking all along —- washing our hands, sneezing into our elbows (which is a new trick for this old dog who was taught to cover her mouth with her hands), not touching our eyes, and not putting our fingers in our mouths.

If you accidentally come into contact with someone who has ebola, the proper authorities will let you know. I know this because several years ago Hank and I went to our local hospital to pray for a little girl who was very, very sick. About three days after our visit the CDC showed up at our house with a bottle of antibiotics. They said that the little girl had a very contagious infection and we needed to take the antibiotics to protect ourselves. If they can find us in Gallup – they can find you where you are!

So…. no fear just love!

I just got back from visiting my folks in Seattle.

One of the things that I noticed is that my sister, Rhonda, and I have my mom’s hands. And  that is one of the only things we share. Our personalities are as different as the color of our skin. I have a daughter and she has two sons. Now, I have a granddaughter and she has a grandson.

She’s four years younger than me and we have approached life differently since the day she arrived in my life.

We’re different. And our lives reflect those differences.

Yet, we share my mother’s genes. And now there is something else that we share. We have determined that we will not carry on the same diseases that my mom inherited from her family. In the last year my sister has lost an enormous amount of weight, makes better food choices, and now includes exercise as a daily part of her life.  She’s getting healthier!

What about you? Are you going to inherit your family’s diseases? Are you going to choose to do everything within your power to be healthier than your relatives? Are you going to get healthier?

More good choices

On a regular basis, I encourage those younger than me to make more good choices than bad ones. And today I want to encourage you to do the same.

I thought about the choices we make everyday about  our spiritual and physical well-being when I got these two catalogs in the mail yesterday.

Take a moment to think about a few of the choices we make every day:

• Will we read our Bibles or spend the evening looking at Pinterest or Facebook?
• Will we spend the evening watching television or get up and take a walk?
• Will we decide to order the salad or the hatch chile cheese burger?

It’s not the occasional slip-up or cheat meal  that causes disaster. It’s when we make those choices over and over again until they become more of a habit than a voluntary choice that causes disaster.

So, I encourage you….. if you want to be spiritually, physically, and mentally healthier then you need to make more better choices than bad ones in every area of your life!

I guess I’m trying to say that all things can be done in moderation……