My brother died. I went to Boston to be with his wife and children. At first the pain and suffering was all about my loss. In Boston I became one grieving sister in a sea of grief. I did not know all these other grieving people. Not his wife of thirty-five plus years and their …
Author Archives: Betsy Bell
The last man standing
Gentle Reader, The focus of my weekly blog is health and how to prevent disease. Sometimes nothing we do can prevent a health disaster. A stroke taking down a healthy man is hard to understand. I refer you to a TED talk by Jill Bolton Taylor, a research scientist who survived a stroke and recorded …
The Triduum and Easter, darkness to joy
Gentle Reader, The great Triduum or three holy days ending triumphantly in Easter begins today. I took on one new thing for Lent in response to the half page of suggestions our Saint Mark’s Episcopal worship committee sent out, activities that would increase mindful living. When I read on the list “Write a letter to …
10 Immune system boosters and busters: WebMD article
Cold, Flu, & Cough Health Center 10 Immune System Busters & Boosters Are you secretly sabotaging your immune system? Some common lifestyle habits can have a detrimental effect on your ability to fight off infections like colds and flu – as well as your overall resistance to chronic illness. If so, you need a lifestyle …
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Who is Peggy Cappy?
Gentle Reader, Whether it is the new exercise classes or the intense gardening, I cannot say for sure. What I am sure about is increased pain and then the magical release from it. Here is the unexplainable magic. I have mentioned it to you several times in the past. It is a 20 minute meditation …
World champion at 86: How did he do it?
Gentle Reader, Every so often I hear about a person who just won’t sit down and quit. This guy ruined his knees running and went in search of a new sport which didn’t require so much stress on his knees. Here’s his story. Enjoy. And thanks to Bob Ferguson for passing it along. Dean Smith …
Watch out for the metal detectors!
Gentle Reader, His long legs and narrow hips will soon carry him back to the gym. He will be back on the machines and lose the ‘love handles’ that have crept on from lack of exercise. The long process of identifying what caused the sciatica, the sharp pinching pain radiating down the leg, making his …
Why do we work so hard to keep healthy?
Gentle Reader, Ever stop to question why we work so hard to keep ourselves healthy and active? Obviously the main reason is to avoid the pain that comes from neglected arthritis. That knee pain, back pain, fingers and that thumb that got dislocated skiing years ago, and the old ankle fracture just get cranky if …
Oh, my aching hamstrings
Gentle Reader, What a ski season it is here in the Northwest. The snow conditions surprise us every Wednesday as my band of 16-24 friends head up to the pass on a big bus (potty included). It’s a good thing to use this bus company for January and February when the road conditions are dicey …
Is it Woo-Woo?
Gentle Reader, Climbing up a long snowy track on cross country skis yesterday, my companions and I talked about little miracles, ‘woo-woo’ magic, the unexplained healing that sometimes occurs. The husband of one friend has suffered from arthritis in both ankles for about 5 years, so bad that he could barely walk. He is in …