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No longer a joke

/ edebock / 14 Comments

At first, Donald Trump for president seemed like a joke, but it really isn’t funny anymore!

This isn’t a political blog. In fact, I’ve written over 700 posts and this is the first one to tackle anything truly political, but I simply cannot keep quiet over this one! How is it possible that a xenophobic, chauvinistic and bigoted reality TV star with a track record of multiple business and personal failures has become a serious contender for the presidency of one of the most powerful countries in the world? It would be laughable if it wasn’t so downright scary.

I’ve been told by a family member that comparing Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler is “extremely over the top”, but I’m far from alone in making such a comparison. When Holocaust survivors including 86-year-old Eva Schloss, step-sister of Anne Frank and survivor of Auschwitz, are saying the same thing, maybe someone should sit up and pay attention.

“If Donald Trump became the next president of the US it would be a complete disaster,” Ms Schloss told Newsweek magazine during an interview marking Holocaust Memorial Day on January 27.

Perhaps Yad Veshem, Jerusalem’s Holocaust memorial museum, is still too fresh in my mind, but when I hear the voice of Donald Trump declaring that he will rid America of Muslims, it seems to echo the anti-Jewish sentiments expressed by Hitler and other Nazi leaders long before they achieved the position of power that enabled them to carry out the slaughter of millions of innocent people. With Trump in the White House, is it really inconceivable that something that evil might happen again? Sadly, I don’t think so.

Then there are his absolutely ludicrous claims. Making campaign promises that are easier said than carried out is par for the course at election time, but Trump’s are definitely over the top. For example, he’s going to push China into making North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, disappear!

“I would get China to make that guy disappear in one form or another very quickly,” said Trump in an interview on CBS’s This Morning show on February 10. Really? And just how, exactly, is he going to do that? Has he forgotten, perhaps, that China is the largest foreign holder of US debt? We’re talking 1.2 trillion dollars here, so if push comes to shove, who is going to have the upper hand? If Donald Trump thinks he’s going to force China do anything, he’d better think again!

As a Christian, I find Trump’s public conduct appalling. His vulgar and often demeaning comments are absolutely deplorable, not to mention his flip flopping on issues such as abortion. The fact that he, who once graced the cover of Playboy magazine and who participates in what he has flippantly referred to as “my little wine” and “my little cracker”, but who also states that he does not ask God for forgiveness for his sins, has a growing number of evangelicals amongst his supporters absolutely baffles me.

I’ve heard it said that people are supporting Trump because they don’t have a better option. What an incredibly sad statement. If, amongst the approximately 319 million Americans, they have not been able to come up with any better candidates than this one, that country truly is in a sorry state! Sadly, so is the rest of the world which is why I give a damn. I am not an American. I will not be voting in this election, but if I was, and Trump was truly the best option available, I’d be packing my bags and going somewhere else!

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I invite respectful dialogue in the comments section as I would very much like to know what you think.

Naming Lavita

/ edebock / 3 Comments

Perhaps it’s just an extension of my love of words, but I find the meaning and origin of names fascinating. Long before we had our first child, Richard and I had two boys names picked out, Matthew and Nathan. Interestingly, they both mean “gift of God” and since God blessed us with two sons, we were able to use them both. We had a much harder time choosing names for our daughters. I’ve always been partial to girl’s names that end in A and, after much deliberation, we settled on Janina for our first daughter. A derivative of Jane, it too means “gift of God”! Though the spelling of our second daughter’s name is very similar to mine, Elaine means “light” and Melaina means “dark”! Like our other three, however, she is also a “gift of God” and that’s the meaning of her middle name, Jean!

In addition to naming our children, I’ve helped name a few pets along the way, but I never thought that I’d name a gastrostomy tube; a tube inserted through a patient’s abdomen to deliver nutrition directly to her stomach! Over the past few months, I’ve made contact with two other bloggers who are also neuroendocrine cancer patients and one of them, Lizbeth, recently wrote a post asking readers to help her choose a name for the tube that provides her with vital nutrition. She was tired of simply referring to it as “tube”.

I immediately began to search for girls names that meant “giver of life”, but I didn’t find one that I liked, so I changed my search slightly and began to look for names that simply meant “life”. I quickly came up with three of them and they even ended in A; Olivia, Livia and Lavita. I sent them off to Lizbeth and waited to see what would happen. Here’s what her next blog post said:

A fellow blogger, Elaine, has gave me a name that I’m rather struck on.  The name Elaine has suggested means life.  Rather apt.  For me the tube gives me a better quality of life…  It provides me with my essential nutrients and vitamins – my daily steak and chips or fresh fruit salad if you get my meaning.  For many people with a tube it is an essential lifeline and the only source of nourishment.  

The name I have chosen is Lavita.

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Having the last word

/ edebock / 5 Comments

I love to engage in online discussions, but when they deteriorate into pointless arguments or worse yet, absolute rudeness, I bow out. One of my pet peeves is people who always have to have the last word. Don’t they realize that having the last word isn’t the same as winning?

I have seen great discussions on Facebook and other social media end in hurt feelings and broken friendships and I’ve seen people try so hard to prove how right they are that they end up making themselves look stupid. It’s just not worth it!

As Kenny Rogers sings in his hit song, The Gambler,

You’ve got to know when to hold ’em
Know when to fold ’em
Know when to walk away
And know when to run!

I admit that I like to be right too, but I’m deliberately practicing the discipline of not having to have the last word.

As a Christian, part of my mission is to be Christ-like in what I say and do, so I’ve been looking at His example. Jesus didn’t have to deal with social media, where people often say things that they might not say face-to-face, but the principle is the same. He often said things that were controversial or misunderstood, but when He was confronted, He didn’t engage in long-winded debates. He often spoke the truth and then simply walked away. Even when He stood before Pontius Pilate and his life was on the line, He made no reply to the accusations of the chief priests and the elders. (Matthew 27:12-14)

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Nature photo challenge

/ edebock / 6 Comments

A week ago, a friend and former student of mine nominated me to take part in a Facebook nature photo challenge. The idea was to post one nature or wildlife photograph every day for seven days and to nominate one other person on each of those days to take up the challenge.

I am very much an amateur photographer. In fact if there was a word for less than amateur, that would probably be me, but I love playing with my camera and once in awhile I even manage to take a really great photo. I’m quite certain that that’s because I’m fortunate enough to live in the age of digital photography and cameras that make all the tough choices for me!

Accepting the challenge sent me out into that bright, sunny January morning with my brand new camera in hand. At -5ºC, it was unseasonably warm, and since I live on the edge of a very tiny town, a few minutes of crunching over the newly fallen snow took me to an area where it was easy to snap several nature shots. Next, the challenge sent me searching through my older photos for some of my favourites.

For those of you who aren’t my friends on Facebook, here are my seven selections:

#1   This is my favourite shot from that sunny winter walk. The seeds against the brilliant blue sky hold hope of spring and new life to come. 

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#2   This one was taken on a hike in the hills near Hardisty, Alberta in late September.

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#3   I’ve always said that you can take the girl away from the ocean, but you can’t take the sea salt out of her blood! A series of nature photos from me wouldn’t be complete without at least one ocean scene. This one was taken at Porteau Cove Provincial Park on Howe Sound, just a short drive north of Vancouver, BC.

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#4   This is probably my all time favourite macro photo.

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#5   I love the colours of fall. Though they’re more subdued here on the prairie than in some other parts of Canada, there’s still much beauty to be found at that time of year. This one was taken on a hike near Gwynne, Alberta.

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#6   I wanted to include at least one photo from our international travels in this series, so here’s The Old Man By The Sea on the Pacific island of Saipan.

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#7   Choosing the final picture for this seven day challenge was difficult as there were so many possibilities! I finally chose this one because nature isn’t always beautiful scenery. Sometimes it’s weird & wacky creatures like this mantis that  I also photographed on the island of Saipan!

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All of these photos were taken with easy to use Canon point and shoot cameras.

What’s your purse-onality?

/ edebock / 1 Comment

Are you a big purse person or a small purse person? Do you have multiple purses for various occasions or to complement different outfits or do you have one basic bag that goes everywhere with you? Do you prefer a shoulder strap, shorter handles or a clutch? We women are as different as our handbags!

Several years ago, I tried living life as a small purse person and it worked for a little while. It had to have a built in wallet compartment though and I insist on having the hands free convenience of a shoulder strap. Shortly after we went to Japan to teach English in early 2008, the zipper on the last of those little purses wore out (possibly from trying to stuff too much into it!) and I knew I had to replace it with something bigger. During the year that we were there, our days off were like mini vacations and I needed a purse that would accommodate extras like my camera.

Of course, I also had to purchase a wallet as the new, larger purse didn’t have a built in one. Off I went to Seiyu, Japan’s version of Walmart, and found just what I was looking for at a very reasonable price. Though I’ve worn out several purses since that time, I never dreamt that I’d still be using the same wallet almost 8 years later! It’s beginning to show some wear, but I’ll likely have it for quite awhile yet.

Several months ago, I was given what I believe will be the perfect purse for traveling. It can be worn over the shoulder or cross body for extra security. I tried using it as my everyday bag (yes, though I have a couple of  little evening purses, I’m pretty much a one bag goes everywhere girl), but it was actually TOO big. I quickly tired of digging to the bottom of it to find things. I’ll soon be taking it on a long awaited trip though. In addition to the usual items found in my purse, it will handily carry my camera, sunscreen, sunglasses and a scarf. Those (especially the last item) are hints to where I’m going. Can you guess?

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the travel purse

I don’t know how gals who carry teeny, tiny clutches do it. I seem to carry my life in my purse! I found my present one, made of genuine leather, for less than $25 at a Boxing Week sale. (That’s our Canadian equivalent to America’s Black Friday sales and begins on Boxing Day, December 26.) It’s a mid-sized bag with lots of handy compartments. It seems a wee bit cramped right now but that won’t last. When I get everything loaded onto the new smart phone that I was given for Christmas, I’ll no longer need to carry an address book, a calendar or the electronic Bible/dictionary that has gone everywhere with me for many years.

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for everyday

So, what else is usually found in my purse? Keys, notebook, pen, chequebook, bowling score cards, a mini folder full of rewards cards from a wide variety of stores, a packet of tissues, a reusable shopping bag, hand lotion, lip balm, nail clippers, emery board, a tiny pair of folding scissors (I’ll have to remember to leave those out when I switch to the travel purse so that I don’t lose them going through airline security), medications, a cloth for cleaning glasses, bandaids and safety pins (after all, I was a Mom and a school teacher for a lot of years!), and a spare pair of earrings for those days when I’m out and about and discover that I forgot to put any on. I also carry a travel toothbrush and a tiny tube of toothpaste. After surgery to remove a cancerous tumour from one of my main salivary glands followed by 6 weeks of radiation to my neck and jaw in 2014, I’m supposed to brush my teeth every time I eat. I hate having to brush in public washrooms, but it’s a small price to pay for hopefully keeping my teeth!

What do you carry in your purse?

What’s your purse-onality? 

 

 

You are what you wear

/ edebock / 4 Comments

What we wear affects the way we feel. Have you ever watched a little girl dance and twirl while her pretty skirt swirls around her? Her joy simply overflows. The same is true of we adults. As superficial as it may sound, the right dress or a stunning pair of shoes can be just what a woman needs to give her the confidence to rock an important interview or a boardroom presentation.

Taking care with how you dress also sends a message that you care about yourself. “If I throw on a large, over sized T-shirt and do not fix my hair or makeup, then the message to me and others is that I don’t care or matter,” writes popular fashion blogger, Pam Lutrell.

Over recent years, my interest in fashion has grown and I’ve given more thought to what my clothing says about me, but there’s an even finer way of dressing that is much more important to me.

“As God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12 NIV

I’m not in the habit of making New Years resolutions, but I do want my 2016 wardrobe to include:

  • compassion ~ I want my life to exhibit sensitivity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
  • kindness ~ I want to treat others with warmth and affection.
  • humility ~ I want to accept myself as I truly am, but not consider myself better than anyone else.
  • gentleness ~ I want to treat others with tenderness and be a calming influence.
  • patience ~ I want to have the grace to accept whatever happens in life without anger or complaint.

By clothing myself in these basic items, I hope to experience the joy of the little girl in the swirling skirt, the confidence of the successful businesswoman and the peace that comes from living in harmony with those around me.

I wish the same for you in the New Year!

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Happy Birthday, Following Augustine!

/ edebock / 6 Comments

Eight years ago today, I wrote my very first blog post. It was just three sentences long and simply announced:

Richard and I have just accepted positions teaching conversational English in Japan. This is a one year commitment and we’ll be leaving in mid March. The main purpose of this blog is to share our adventure with friends, family and anyone else who’s interested.

What a lot has happened since that time and how the blog has grown! Prior to today, I’ve written 688 posts on a wide variety of topics and the blog has been viewed more than 66 000 times. It’s traveled the world with me, chronicling my adventures in each of the countries listed to the right, and early in the new year we’ll be adding yet another one to the list! For the past 27 months, it has also helped me process and share my ongoing cancer journey.

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Though I originally thought the blog would only last for the one year that we lived in Japan, it has become such a part of me that I can’t imagine it ever coming to an end! It’s given me a voice I never knew I had and causes me to live life with my eyes wide open. It connects me with interesting people around the world and fulfills my lifelong passion for writing.

I look forward to many more fine adventures to share, but recently it’s been my opinion pieces that have garnered the greatest readership, so I will continue to write those too. I pledge to do so with as much wisdom as God allows me, with integrity and with respect for those whose opinions differ from mine.

And today, in closing, I raise my glass to you, my readers! Without you, Following Augustine would be nothing more than a lot of empty words floating about in cyberspace!

My love/hate relationship with Facebook

/ edebock / 19 Comments

I have a friend who left Facebook recently (an actual friend, not just an acquaintance who “friended” me), another who has seriously curtailed her friend list by “unfriending” most of the people on it, and a third who is threatening to delete her account.

Why?

What is causing people to abandon what has become by far the world’s most popular social networking site?

Negativity! Plain and simple.

In the past year, I’ve literally seen friendships torn apart on Facebook! That’s largely due to the fact that we in Alberta have been through two very divisive elections in the past seven months; a provincial one in May followed by a national one in October. It’s long been said that there are certain subjects that ought not to be discussed in public and politics is one of them. After what I’ve seen on Facebook in the past year, I’d have to agree! Even amongst people with similar views, opinions vary. In face to face discussion, emotion often takes over and people say things that might be better left unsaid. When they’re sitting alone at their keyboard, some people seem to have no filter at all!

With the elections over, I had hoped that Facebook would return to the more peaceful place that it once was; a place where people shared what was actually happening in their own lives, but I have been sadly disappointed. Controversy seems to be the main course these days with topics like our new Canadian government’s pledge to bring 25 000 Syrian refugees into the country and Alberta’s controversial farm safety bill taking centre stage.

Perhaps it’s only here in redneck Alberta that Facebook has become a forum for speaking out in this manner. One of the reasons that I will not join my friends who are choosing to jump ship is that I have, amongst my 365 Facebook friends, 103 who live outside Canada. They represent 16 different countries or world areas such as Hong Kong, Macau and Saipan and I don’t see any of them posting the kind of angry, negative hoopla that has become the norm for many users here.

There are many things that I really like about Facebook. I’ve used it to reconnect with several people from my past including my best friend from high school, a Norwegian exchange student who shared our home for almost a year in the late 1980s and a second cousin who lived with us for awhile when she was a toddler and I was a teen. It allows me to live vicariously through the words and photos of a former student who lives in Paris and a fellow teacher from our days in China who has retired to DaLat, Vietnam. At any one time, I might be found using the chat feature to converse with my nephew in Red Deer, my daughter in Calgary, a friend in Tokyo and a group of local ladies from my church. Even my 7-year-old grandson has recently started using his Mom’s Facebook to chat with Gram and I’m tickled to discover that he’s already as literate as some of my much older friends!

I miss the days when my News Feed was filled with photos and status updates written in their own words by my friends. Now it seems that I have to scroll through reams of reposted news articles, opinion pieces and absolute trivia to find those few nuggets. As a result, I have decided to reclaim my News Feed!

How, you ask?

It’s not easy. In fact, I’m finding that cleaning up Facebook and keeping it that way is a lot like housework. The job is never done! Every time I see that one of my friends has reposted something, I go to the little v in the upper right hand corner of that post and select “Hide all from…” in the pull down menu. At first, I just hid media sites that I didn’t consider to be legitimate news sources and a few other sites that I found objectionable, but recently I’ve become much more ruthless. I already read the world, national and local news on several sites of my own choosing every day. I don’t need to see the news on Facebook where I’ll only find the articles that support other people’s points of view, so I have started blocking every single news source, mainstream or otherwise. Though some of the thousands of memes that are shared on Facebook are entertaining, I’m tired of seeing my News Feed filled with them too, so I block the source of every one of those as well. If you’re my Facebook friend and you repost something that was written by another friend of yours that I don’t know personally, there’s every likelihood that I’ll block that person too. I realize that by doing all this, I will probably miss a few things that I might have enjoyed seeing, but I’m actually seeing a lot more of what I actually want to see and taking a lot less time to do it.

There are things I dislike about Facebook that I can’t change including the growing amount of advertising that now appears in the main column of the News Feed instead of in the margins where I could more easily ignore it. I do recognize, however, that these ads are what pays for this free site,  which now boasts more than 1.5 billion users worldwide, and keep the myth that Facebook is planning to start charging subscription fees from becoming fact.

There are numerous articles on the internet listing common sense rules of etiquette for Facebook use, but here are a few of my own that I try to hold myself to:

  • Speak the truth. That includes researching a subject and making sure that I have my facts straight before I comment. It may also include refuting those things that I know are false. The endless reposting of false or seriously outdated information is one of the things that drives me crazy about Facebook.
  • Within the confines of being truthful, seek to bless and encourage.
  • Never say something to or about someone on Facebook that I wouldn’t say to their face.
  • As Kenny Rogers sings, “You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em, know when to walk away and know when to run.” In other words, know when to leave the conversation. I don’t always have to have the last word.

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Image: guardianlv.com

 

NET Cancer Day

/ edebock / 2 Comments

ncd-logo-newNovember 10 is Worldwide NET Cancer Day, a day for raising awareness of neuroendocrine cancer.

It’s not surprising that this disease has escaped the attention of even the medical community at large until now. Many family practitioners will never see a case. My doctor has been practicing medicine for about 20 years and I’m his first NETS patient. A locum filling in at our local hospital last spring went so far as to debate with me whether I even have cancer! He was completely unaware that neuroendocrine tumours can be malignant as most are not.

Is NET cancer really that rare? Here in Canada, specific numbers are not even reported separately, but my estimate, based on US statistics, is that there are approximately 890 new cases per year across the country with only about 106 of those residing here in the province of Alberta. In comparison, 2100 Albertan women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and 2500 men with prostate cancer. Is it any wonder that those cancers have a much higher profile?

Since it falls upon those of us with the disease to do what we can to raise awareness, there are several key messages that we would like to highlight today. First of all, as with other cancers, early diagnosis is important. Sadly, it doesn’t happen often. If the initial tumour is found before any secondary growths occur, it can often be removed surgically and the patient is considered cured. Once it has spread, however, the disease is incurable. I had 5 tumours at diagnosis and many patients have more. I have been told that I may have had this cancer for as long as 10 years before it was detected quite by accident! Fortunately, it’s usually very slow-growing.

Awareness of symptoms is key to early diagnosis. Unfortunately, however, misdiagnosis is extremely common. On average, patients see 6 healthcare professionals at more than 12 clinical visits before receiving a correct diagnosis because symptoms of NET cancer are often very similar to more common conditions including Irritable Bowel Syndrome, asthma, diabetes, stomach ulcers and lactose intolerance. Depending on where the tumours are located, typical symptoms include abdominal pain and cramping, diarrhea, joint pain, wheezing, fatigue, and flushing of the skin. In very severe cases, there can be heart damage causing shortness of breath.

I endured stomach pain and diarrhea off and on for at least 7 or 8 years before my tumours were finally detected. At one point, a medication used to treat acid-related stomach problems was prescribed, but it had little effect. Another time, I tried a dairy free diet for an entire month to see if that would help, but it didn’t.

NET cancer can arise in any organ that contains neuroendocrine cells including the stomach, intestines, lungs, liver, pancreas and appendix. My primary tumour is located in my colon, but I also have three growths on my liver and one in a lymph node. Though it can occur at any age, the usual age of diagnosis is somewhere between 40 and 60.

So what are some of the goals of NET Cancer Day?

  • to raise awareness among decision makers, health professionals and the general public
  • to promote research aimed at improving quality of life and prognosis for NET cancer patients
  • to advocate for equity in access to care and treatment for NET cancer patients around the world
  • to bring hope and information to people living with NET cancers, their caregivers and their families

What can you do to help? You can help us spread awareness by simply reposting this on your blog if you have one or posting a link to it on your Facebook page. Thank you!

NET Cancer Awareness

Shoppers Drug Mart Beauty Gala

/ edebock / 2 Comments

Shoppers Drug Mart Canada is a huge supporter of both the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and the Look Good Feel Better program that offers workshops for women battling cancer to help them deal with the appearance related aspects of the disease and its treatment. Yesterday, Shoppers stores across Canada hosted their annual Holiday Beauty Galas to raise funds for these two worthy causes. Galas across the prairie provinces and in the Maritimes were held in support of Look Good Feel Better while those in the rest of the country supported the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.

I wasn’t actually aware of the Shoppers galas until I was asked to write a brief testimonial about my experience as a Look Good Feel Better workshop participant for possible use in publicizing the events. I soon learned that half ($5) of each ticket sold is donated to the cause and the other half is actually returned to the participant in the form of a coupon that is redeemable on any purchase of cosmetics, fragrance or jewellery made during the event. Participants are able to book time with Shoppers Drug Mart beauty consultants during the event for skin analysis and/or cosmetic tips and makeovers.

When I arrived at the Camrose Cornerstone Shoppers Drug Mart yesterday morning, I was warmly greeted by three of the store’s beauty experts. When they learned that I’m a cancer patient and that I have attended a Look Good Feel Better workshop, they treated me like visiting royalty! My makeover began with Teia who started by using a BB cream to even out my skin tone and then showed me how to add contouring. Next, Sherry did my eye makeup and added a bright lipstick to finish the look. I felt pampered and came away looking great, if I do say so myself! I love the fact that I didn’t look overdone and I really appreciate the fact that there was absolutely no pressure to purchase any of the products that were used. I’m also looking forward to trying out the many product samples in the gift bag that I received!

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Thank you Teia, Sherry, Jocelyn and Shoppers Drug Mart! I’m already looking forward to next year’s gala.