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WITandWISDOM(tm) - May 15, 2007 ISSN 1538-8794 ~~~~~~~ THOUGHTS: "There is no power on earth that can neutralize the influence of a high, pure, simple, and useful life." - Booker T Washington Submitted by Tim ~~~~~~~ SPECIAL THOUGHTS: Some years ago, the Journal of the American Medical Association published an article by Dr. Paul Ruskin on the “Stages of Aging.” In the article, Dr. Ruskin described a case study he had presented to his students when teaching a class in medical school. He described the case study patient under his care like this: “The patient neither speaks nor comprehends the spoken word. Sometimes she babbles incoherently for hours on end. She is disoriented about person, place, and time. She does, however, respond to her name… I have worked with her for the past six months, but she still shows complete disregard for her physical appearance and makes no effort to assist her own care. She must be fed, bathed, and clothed by others. “Because she has no teeth, her food must be pureed. Her shirt is usually soiled from almost incessant drooling. She does not walk. Her sleep pattern is erratic. Often she wakes in the middle of the night and her screaming awakens others. Most of the time she is friendly and happy, but several times a day she gets quite agitated without apparent cause. Then she wails until someone comes to comfort her.” After presenting the class with this challenging case, Dr. Ruskin then asked his students if any of them would like to volunteer to take care of this person. No one volunteered. Then Dr. Ruskin said, “I’m surprised that none of you offered to help, because actually she is my favorite patient. I get immense pleasure from taking care of her and I am learning so much from her. She has taught me a depth of gratitude I never knew before. She has taught me the spirit of unwavering trust. And she has taught me the power of unconditional love.” Then Dr. Ruskin said, “Let me show you her picture.” He pulled out the picture and passed it around. It was the photo of his six-month-old baby daughter. By Rev. Guss Shelly, First United Methodist Church, Gulfport, Mississippi, http://www.fumc-gulfport.org/ ~~~~~~~ THIS & THAT: Toughing Out Toddler Torture ©Lisa Barker Living with a toddler that talks non-stop is fun. No, seriously. Mine sounds like an auctioneer. “Momma, can I have candy, candy, candy? Do I hear ice cream, ice cream, ice cream? TOYS! Do I hear toys, toys, toys? GUM! No, make that crayons, no I want bubbles, no let’s walk, walk, walk. I want to go to the park, park, park. Do I hear grocery store? Ride, ride, ride, I wanna ride the ride. Please can I ride the ride? I NEED to ride the ride! Can I sit in the basket, basket, basket? GRAPES! Can I have grapes, grapes, grapes? I have so much sensory overload that when the older children come home from school I practically dance for joy. The meltdown of their brains can now begin while I scoop what’s left of mine up off the floor because it has melted and oozed out of my ear. Why does he have to repeat everything he says three times? Right now he wants lunch so he asks, “Momma, can I have a potato for lunch? Potato for lunch? Potato for lunch?” It’s like living with a self-manufactured echo. Recently we had to visit the pediatrician. We get in the van and my son starts bellowing: “MOMMA, DO I GET TO SEE THE DOCTOR, TOO?” I suspect two things. One, he has inherited the “screeching eagle” gene from my side of the family. He sounds just like my youngest sister whose nickname was Loud Mouth Lime. Secondly, I should NOT have given him that itty, bitty lollipop before we got in the van. That was too much sugar. If we were ever in a hostage situation I’m positive that the hostage taker would surrender immediately. How many times have I looked desperately out my van window as a policeman cruises by and I mouth the words: “HELP ME!”? They never stop. They know better. Once a policeman came to our house and my son practically attached himself to his side. “Are you a policeman? You ARE a policeman! I see your badge. Is that a real badge? I see your police car outside! Is that YOUR police car? Do you catch bad guys? Hey, you have a stick and a gun! Can I have the stick? Do you like to be a policeman? Can I talk on your walkie-talkie? Are you going to arrest us? Are those handcuffs?” I have to tiptoe into his bedroom at night when he is sleeping just so I can catch a glimpse of his cherubic little face. He looks so sweet and innocent and my energy restores easily. Until… “Momma? Is that you? Can I have a drink? Is it time to get up?” . . . . . . . . . . . Jelly Mom™ is written by Lisa Barker, mother of five and author of "Just Because Your Kids Drive You Insane... Doesn't Mean You Are A Bad Parent!" and is syndicated through Martin-Ola Press/Parent To Parent. Sign up for the complimentary Jelly Mom™ weekly newsletter and receive a BONUS GIFT! To publish Jelly Mom, buy the book, leave comments or subscribe to the newsletter, please visit http://www.jellymom.com ~~~~~~~ KEEP SMILING: About 90 sixth-graders piled into the airliner I was flying, on their way home from a school trip. Once we were in the air and the crew began trying to serve drinks, I could hear them pleading with the children to settle down so the beverages could be served and the other passengers could get some sleep. No amount of reasoning seemed to help, until I thought of the solution that actually worked: I picked up the PA mike in the cockpit and announced, "Children, this is the captain speaking. Don't make me stop this airplane and come back there." Submitted by Lorraine ~~~~~~~ TRIVIA: A Tyneside woman has saved the life of her boss by donating a kidney. Angela Dawson, 44, put herself forward after tests had ruled out Alma Caldwell's mother and sister. Mrs Caldwell was diagnosed with polycystic kidneys four years ago and put on dialysis, reports the Daily Telegraph. Doctors had warned her that there was only a 30% chance a non-relative would be a match. However, the transplant was successful. Mrs Caldwell, who is chief executive of North Tyneside Age Concern, is making an excellent recovery. "She has given me the gift of life. All I can say is she is Angela by name and Angel by nature," the 49-year-old from Whitley Bay said. Mrs Dawson, who lives with her husband Malcolm and daughter Amanda in Wallsend, is her second in command at Age Concern. "I've watched her go through so much over the 12 years I've known her and just wanted to be able to do something," she said. Mrs Caldwell, who has also survived a brain aneurysm, added: "Thanks to Angela I have a quality of life I could never have anticipated." To see their picture visit: http://tinyurl.com/yqkxmn North Tyneside Age Concern website: http://www.ageconcernnorthtyne.org Source: Ananova http://www.ananova.com