Humid As A Rainforest
Today is brutally humid. Its oppressive when you are not used to it. Tonight storms are due to come in and change things back to fall like weather. It is 88 degrees F right now and feeling much hotter. Windows open, ceiling fans on and a couple of window fans. We haven't used our air conditioners in quite some time and would like to keep it that way.I spent the morning with Melanie and Mei-Ling. Melanie slept most of the time, she is so sick, my heart aches for her. This H1N1 flu has hit her hard.
What a blessing it was for me today to be able to go over there and help her and care for Mei-Ling. It is with our hands that we show care for one another. It always impressed me in the conservative Mennonite world, how joyfully folks helped one another. Money for helping was never something you even thought about. As more money filters in to some groups, time is seen as money and you are not so likely to see young girls freely helping young mothers with their children and that is sad. How strange it would have been if the bible characters we love so well had asked for money when offering their tender hand as a helper. It might be that we encourage this service for money only when we pay a child or grandchild to mow the lawn for us or fold the laundry. Perhaps we should teach the joy in helping, the value of this is so much greater than say a $5 or $10 bill in their pocket.
Helping with compassion is a gift not only to the receiver, but maybe more so to the person giving. It opens our hearts, it broadens our concepts of the needs of humanity.
Today what I did to help Melanie was not even in this category, it was just what mothers do, just how our love flows from our hearts to our children, but it got me thinking about how we learn to love helping others. Helping without being asked, seeing the need right away and putting pleasure aside to cook a meal, do some chores, that's what we all need more of and need to give more of, without considering any exchange of money when done for those who have a need.
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Anabella
Chloe's mom
RIDT result: Negative for Influenza A and B
Note: The sensitivity of this assay has been shown to range between [10-70%*] for the detection of novel influenza A (H1N1) virus and between [20-100%*] for seasonal influenza viruses. A negative result does not exclude influenza virus infection. If influenza is circulating in your community, a diagnosis of influenza should be considered based on a patient’s clinical presentation and empiric antiviral treatment should be considered, if indicated. If more conclusive testing is desired, follow-up confirmatory testing with either [viral culture or RT-PCR*] is warranted.
On the other note- we never paid our kids for chores. They did get "spending money" which was just a part of living in the house (we all have an envelope). Chores are part of living in a group. Someone has to do them- the group doing them together just makes for family harmony.
A neighbor used to try to pay my kids when they would play with the littles at her house. We would send the money back! Food yes- money - no:)