In Memoriam to Terry Fine and Flo Gallagher

Yesterday, a tragedy happened in our community, and to my friend Linda. (see Daily Sentinel)

In times of grief, Corrie Ten Boom, survivor of the Holocost, quoted this poem:

Life is But a Weaving

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.

Not ‘til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.

Anonymous (as quoted by Corrie Ten Boom)

(Painting: The Weaver, by Vincent Van Gogh)

Corrie ten Boom used an illustration about a tapestry weaving . She had a tapestry sample that she insisted always be presented wrong side up. On the back, the weaving was all a jangled, discordant, ugly mess. But the result on the right side was beauty. Sometimes, we see too much or only the back side in our time/space dimension. God the weaver arranges each thread to His standards . . . often seemingly insensitive to how jangled or even pained we are by a given thread placement. But the result is our being conformed more to the image of His Son--that we might bear a greater weight of glory in eternity--ruling and reigning with Him.(found in freerepublic postings)

Trusting God is our only hope in many of life's situations. My deepest condolences for these losses to all friends and family of the Fines and Gallaghers.

My love and prayers are with you, Linda.

(This is a photographic representation of the embroidered illustration that Corrie Ten Boom used in her often quoted poem.)

Olive Oil and Oleocanthol: Helpful Link for Inflammation

Olive oil contains oleocanthol; this compound helps in damage and/or inflammation to cells (arthritis, cancer, lupus, any inflammatory disease) . Properties of this ingredient have been linked to those similar to that found in ibuprofen.

Now we have more proof that olive oil is good for us!

Oleocanthol was brought to my attention by listening to the latest podcast (October 3, 2008) of the Splendid Table, found at Splendid Table. Food scientist Harold McGee was interviewed by host Lynne Rosetto Kasper. If you would like to listen to that interview, it is a good 15 minutes of chat.

McGee's best suggestion was to look for newly processed olive oils and to buy olive oils at your local farmers’ market since the oleocanthol would be more beneficial in its fresher state.

From The Olive Source:

Gary Beauchamp and other chemists published a September 1, 2005 article in Nature which links the compound in olive oil which causes throat irritation with anti-inflammatory compounds such as ibuprofen. Anti-inflammatory medications inhibit cyclooxygenase enzymes in the prostaglandin pathway. Oleocanthol, the pungent compound in some oils which creates a stinging sensation in the throat seems to work on the same pathway.Gary noticed the similar effect of ibuprofen, which he had been studying, and olive oil while on an olive oil and wine tasting vacation. Studies later showed that oleocanthol has anti-inflammatory properties.

The amount of oleocanthol in different olive oils varies. Eating an oil with much oleocanthol would not amount to as much prevention of inflammation as taking an aspirin. Many studies have shown that aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs prevent recurrent stroke, heart attacks and maybe even some cancers. The fact that olive oil has these same anti-inflammatory properties may be one contributor to the salubrious effect of the "Mediterranean Diet".

What's For Dinner says that substituting olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, for saturated fats or polyunsaturated fats can: reduce blood pressure; inhibit the growth of some cancers; benefit people at risk for or with diabetes; lessen the severity of asthma and arthritis and actually help your body maintain a lower weight.

Luckily, our resident chef (DH) agrees with all this research, and uses virgin olive oil liberally in his kitchen. Here is a picture of the fish he caught up on the Grand Mesa, and which he will cook in sweet virgin olive oil.

Enteric coated aspirin is still stockpiled in the larder.

Orientation at Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado

The last three days of my life were spent in twenty-six hours of volunteer orientation for Hospice. They were intense hours investigating hospice, from the origin of the concept right down to the brass tacks of our local community-wide effort to help people manage …“physical, psychosocial and spiritual symptoms resulting in optimal comfort and quality of life for persons impacted by a serious illness.” In essence, that is the explanation of Palliative Care and Hospice, according to a handout given during the learning session (from Hospice and Palliative Care of Western Colorado, 2008).

(See previous post about Cups, the coffee house owned and operated by Hospice of Western Colorado.)

Briefly highlighted in this orientation were teaching lessons and interactive activities including:

Hospice Pioneers and its History, Missions and Vision; Serving our Communities, Living our Values, Critical Thinking, Self Care, Therapeutic Communication, Safety Issues, Ethics and Boundaries, Advanced Concepts of Grief, Interdisciplinary Care Planning, Spiritual Care, Communication Activities, Introduction to Grief, Organizational Ethics, HIPAA and Information Technology

As you might think, much information was covered in three days.

To obtain a more complete view of our local hospice, visit Hospice of Western Colorado. The website is extensive and gives lots of information.

One exercise I thought was most valuable during the orientation session concerned "loss". The result of the teaching and completion of the questionnaire helped portray just an inkling of what true loss might mean when facing the end of life.

Here is the exercise: a five square by five square grid was filled out by each participant. The squares were to be filled (left to right) with five items or concepts regarded as ...

Most Prized or Useful Material Possession;
Most Important Activities;
Favorite Places, e.g., nature ;
Most Valued Body Parts;
5 Beloved Relationships in Your Life

With the toss of a die, and each player enabled to toss the die, grids were X’d out as the numbers fell. One by one, a prized possession, a life activity, a favorite place, a body part or a beloved relationship was lost to the roll of the die. You see where this is going?

After thirty minutes of dice rolling, half of the valued concepts were gone. Actually, more than half were gone, by implication. If one of your valued body parts such as your eyes were lost to the toss of the dice, then your car (a prized possession) would also be lost, since you would no longer be able to drive. One loss compounds other losses.

Here is my grid.
I found this an exercise which made me even more grateful for those privileges that I am currently allowed.

Why not complete this same mental exercise, fill in the squares, and think about your own gifts and mercies? I guarantee it is an eye opener.