At the top of my list of things to do today is a lecture entitled “Applying Traditional Eastern Medicine to Promote Health and Well-Being,” by Kaoru Yamamoto, PhD, Professor, Intercultural Consultant/Trainer, Kinetic Coach.
I left this morning with time to spare and decided to use a parking space farthest away to get some walking steps in. I got to the classroom with about five minutes to spare, found a seat, filled out a name card, and started filling out the registration form. I quickly took in the classroom and noticed many posters dealing with pain management. I also noted the people who obviously were in charge of the class did not appear to be of eastern descent mirroring anyone named Dr. Yamamoto. I decided I better verify my place and found out I was not.
There is a grouping of buildings and I am directed to go to entry door 3 of the building behind my current location. The time is tight, but I can walk fast when I have to and I am getting in my steps. I left the building, crossed a bridge spanning a small gully and took a path winding around the front of the building through a nice garden. I wanted to make the most of what is now a very tight time schedule, so I went directly to the information desk. “No ma’am, that lecture is at the building across the street,” the receptionist told me as she smiled.
Life is wonderful or at least it should be. I believe we are on this earth as part of a grand plan with a purpose to gain experience and to enjoy all of God’s creations. I also believe it goes beyond that. I don’t know that there’s much we can do to orchestrate where we are raised or the circumstances of our life. This said I believe we are all spirit brothers and sisters, have a common set of Heavenly parents and our lives on this earth are part of a grand design we agreed to in the preexistence. I don’t think our creator is completely managing our lives. I think He may have a general plan for us just as we have a general plan for our children. We recognize that our responsibility is to help them gain the wherewithal to take care of themselves and to contribute positively to our world. We’re born into families and conditions of varying circumstances. Our challenge is to navigate our way through that jungle. It isn’t easy and certainly not always fair from our limited point of view.
I’ve often wondered why I was born into what I deem to be an ordinary family while others I know of are born into abject poverty and a lifetime of sacrifice. My life hasn’t been one with ideal circumstances, but my parents always made sure there was food on the table and a roof over our heads and I knew they loved us. I was never abused at all and I never felt disadvantaged. I knew our family did not have many things I assumed other people had. It didn’t bother me, I just figured that’s the way it was. It took a while for me, but I finally figured out that my mindset made the difference in how I perceived my truth. I recall as a young wife and mother finally understanding that I was in charge of my own contentment. At one point I briefly considered looking for something that would make me happier. It’s not like I had some grand ah-hah moment, but I believe that the Lord inspired me to know that I needed to be content and concentrate more on the goodness around me rather than obsessing about what I might be lacking. I’m just saying what I decided for myself. I’m not advocating that people who do otherwise are somehow at fault. My conclusions are mine, they fit me not other people.
I’ve pondered over the meaning of love. I have friends and family members who talk about “falling in love” and often those same people use the term, “we just fell out of love.” I guess for me I figured that people were either “in love” or just hadn’t found that relationship. I thought if you were “in love” you were there for the long haul.
As a teenager, I recall that twitterpated feeling in my stomach when a boy named Robert Stewart passed by. I felt light-headed and was sure I would pass out if he so much as looked at me, not even dreaming he would ever say hello. Once at a junior high school sock hop, he asked me to dance and it was all I could do to nod my head in the affirmative, let alone chat while dancing. Looking back, I’m sure I was the biggest dweeb ever. I knew I had botched my big chance for “true love.”
I’ve been going to an aerobics class taught at my local community center especially for senior citizens. The first time I went to this class, I peeked in the doorway and saw several rows of folding chairs. At each chair were a brightly colored ball, a pair of hand weights and a colored band secured with handles on each end. I felt disappointment assuming this meant low-impact sitting exercises geared for those not able to manage strenuous movement. I determined that I’d complete the class and continue my search for something more challenging. I learned very quickly that though this class was labeled “Silver Sneakers Workout,” the 45-minute class was not confined to sitting exercises. The majority of class time was spent in constant upright motion. The class meets Monday through Friday and has four rotating instructors. Each has her own method of instruction and varies the routines to challenge every part of the body. Even the exercises involving sitting are not only challenging, but invigorating. Time goes by rapidly and the attendees offer encouragement and support to one another.
I have eight children, twenty-eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. The process of adoption helped us claim two of our children with our own biology adding two more. The next four came through the marriages of said children. We quickly became Grandma and Grandpa to twenty-one grandchildren within a space of two decades. Two of those grandchildren are adopted and then four were added recently through the second marriage of one of our sons. We also claim the spouses of three married grandchildren and a year ago we became great grandparents to a darling little girl. Does all that make your head spin? It does mine, especially when we all get together. The little ones range in age from a one-year-old to a twenty-six-year-old and the personalities are varied, to say the least. You know what else, it’s easy to love them all.
Someone asked me once if my affection for my biological children was greater somehow than towards those whom we adopted. I thought about it for a bit and decided that for me, love can’t be controlled or directed. When our first child was placed in my arms, my heart embraced him and I couldn’t imagine loving anything more than I loved him. It seemed natural to give my heart to him and pledge my allegiance to his care and safety. Our second son was placed with us three years later and because I felt so completely in love with his older brother, I told myself that I needed to show equal love to this dark-headed bundle in my arms. It wasn’t hard at all. His sweet nature and beautiful dark eyes studied mine. Our hearts entwined, love flourished and life was wonderous.