Positive Affects of Social Networking-Editorial

We live in a modern society. Communication has made the rest of the world very small. The internet takes us all over the world and we can “talk” to people anywhere. An added blessing to the internet is the fact that families can keep in touch with each other.

Social Networking is a relatively new term in the English language. Thanks to the internet we can “MySpace”, “Facebook”, “Bebo”, and “Twitter”. We can get “LinkedIn” or “Tagged” but only if you sign on to these websites.

When “MySpace” came out I wasn’t really that interested. The website consisted of mostly teenagers posting sayings and pictures on their webpage. But when “Facebook” was born it took my daughter several months to talk me into signing on. Once I got on, I was hooked. I found many of my high school friends and caught up on their lives, children, husbands and careers. I also found many friends I knew when I lived in different parts of the country over the years. The best thing about being a part of social networking websites is that I can click on my children’s personal page and check out what they are doing. I see my grandchildren’s pictures and messages and I catch up on where my children are traveling. It is a blessing.

There are also websites for high school and college classmates where you can find all of those wonderful friends you graduated with and you wrote in their yearbooks that you would never forget….ever!! It’s amazing how fast time flies.

Then you have networking websites, which focus on all kinds of hobbies and careers such as dancing, gardening, crafts, quilting, cooking, books, music, motherhood, even non-profit organizations, so you can keep up with the latest. Every shared interest has an online networking system where you can find other people interested in the same ideals and activities as you.

No longer do you have to scout around your community looking for someone with common interests, especially if they are not well known like model train building. As Wikipedia reports these social networking websites are beginning to tap into the power for what they call “social good.” “Such models provide a means for connecting otherwise fragmented industries and small organizations without the resources to reach a broader audience with interested users.”

Of course it doesn’t take the place of real people but it is a good way to connect to others and eventually meet real people with whom you have a connection. So if you have children living far away or interests in something obscure, social networking online is the place for you.

Immunizations and Autism--Editorial

Recently there have been a lot of contradictory stories about the affects of immunizations on young babies and the incidence of autism. The discussion among parents, who are nervous about the side affects of these immunizations, is totally founded because according to findings from medical journals and published health articles, certain vaccinations have played a big part in causing autism.

Autism is a complex disorder and there could be other factors involved in a child diagnosed with this disease but there are too many coincidences to ignore in vaccines. For example, according to Pathways, a community-based not-for-profit healthcare organization, "the California Department of Developmental Services, reported the rate of children diagnosed with full-syndrome autism between 1999 and 2002 nearly doubled from 10,360 to 20,377." Those numbers show a terrible increase and there is much concern for parents to not vaccinate their child at all. Discovered in vaccines during this time is a preservative called Thimerosal which is 49.5 percent ethyl mercury by weight. Mercury is a toxic metal which is known to be very harmful even for adults, imagine what it will do to babies under a year old. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the dose of mercury allowable is 0.1 mcg per kilogram per day. If an average infant received all thimerosal-containing vaccines at a two month visit weighing an average of 11 pounds (5 kilograms) the exposure to the baby in one day would be 62.5 mcg which is 125 times the EPA guidelines.

From Mothering magazine in 2001, a health article reported on the Public Conference of the National Vaccine Information Center where doctors and parents met to discuss vaccines. One parent said: "In the vaccine industry, scientific fraud and conflicts of interest are causing a cycle of deaths and injuries that is being concealed and denied by regulators and vaccine manufacturers."

One of those doctors there reported a link he discovered between the measles viral infection either from measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine or the actual disease of measles itself and autism. Dr Andrew Wakefield, a gastroenterologist, surgeon and research fellow at the Royal Free medical school in London published his research linking the MMR vaccine to bowel diseases in small children. He had published his findings in February 1998 in the British Medical Journal, Lancet. The team at the Royal Free medical school did hypothesize that the measles virus could conceivably be the link between the bowel disease and autism but Dr. Wakefield was the leading doctor to publish this idea.

Jumping to Japan, a Dr. Kawashima had confirmed in his study that the virus causing this bowel disease does indeed come from the MMR vaccine. An inquiry conducted in Britain on Wakefield's work, which ended on January 28, 2010, concluded that his investigation into the link between the measle-induced bowel disease and autism was a deception. Dr. Wakefield hand picked certain children for the study and was also a paid adviser in certain legal cases by families suing the vaccine manufacturers. So how can parents decide whether to wait until their child is a little older to be vaccinated or follow the prescribed schedule of vaccines by their doctor? It is hard to know.

Thinking of my own experience, I know of two healthy babies who received their MMR vaccine at age 15 months and then suddenly took a turn for the worse and were eventually diagnosed with autism. My own son had a horrendous reaction to the Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis (DPT) vaccine at one year when he went into convulsions and stopped breathing.

This vaccine fear continues in part because parents often notice the first autism symptoms around the age of two, when many childhood vaccines are given. In my reading, medical doctors believe it is a coincidence and parents still have no assurance their child will not be one of many children already conflicted with autism. We were told in my son's incident that he was allergic to the vaccine and to not give him anymore of that particular dosage.

The bottom line is parents have to decide whether to vaccinate their children or not. Autism is a complex disorder and I don't know if clear conclusive evidence will ever convince the vaccine administrators to change the contents making it completely safe for children. In reports of vaccinations and precautions for parents, there are some suggestions given to prevent vaccine reactions in most children. First, ask yourself if your child is sick the day you planned to have the vaccinations done. Every health care provider will tell you to wait until the child is completely healthy including off of antibiotics before administering any vaccines. Second, give only one shot at a time. This is a significant suggestion because it is easy to overload a small child with too immunizations at one time. If your child has significant reactions, do not repeat the vaccine. Three, save the vaccine manufacturer's name and lot number and finally get the full information on the vaccine's side affects and watch your child closely for the next few days.

If enough doctors studying these side affects can reach those who create the vaccines, maybe sometime in the near future, we will never have to worry about how children will react with immunizations and we will be free of all disease.

A Valentine's Special

February 15th:
Yesterday was a great day depsite the fact that it would have been my 29th wedding anniversary with my deceased husband. But no matter, I had six of my nine children with me and their children: a newborn grandson, Peter Holifield and my 8 month grandson, Arthur Morris. We ate together and played. It was a fun day.

Earlier at church I spoke in Sacrament meeting on Receiving Inspiration. It seemed to work out well for those listening and then I was in the nursery for the next two hours. A great day over all!!!

Newest Addition to the Family

This is Peter Kerry Holifield born on January 18th at 9:07pm. He weighed in at 8 pounds 15oz and very cute. He is doing well with his mother Naomi. I think she is getting the idea of nursing.

We had the opportunity to go visit them last Saturday and was greatly surprized by the chance to visit with the goat family across the street. The Holifield's neighbors has a goat farm including six baby goats who were so cute. There were also chicks with the mother hen and a lot of guinies and two sheep herding dogs. They were fun to watch as they tried to herd the goats into the barn.

Update on Caleb

This is one of the last pictures taken of Caleb in Mexico. He was very happy there but is now home. We found out last week that part of the difficulties he was having was the fact that he had aluminum poisoning where he was living. The water is the culprit.

We are now starting a process which extracts all the metals in his body while he will also replace them with good minerals he needs.

It was a great relief to me to find that there was something external which affected him which we can physically do something about. He is well on his way to recovery.

My fourth book is now available called Dogs, Blogs and Hobbits: Writings from a Widow's Persepctive. This book is more or less a non-member version of my third book Of One Heart: Being Single in An LDS World. Both Jim and I are planning a book signing at Page and Palette in Fairhope on March 20th during the Arts and Crafts Festival and will be getting interviewed on Channel 5 sometime that week. I'll keep you posted.

In the mean time--it is so cold here, bbrrrrrrrr. Those warmer days will be greatly appreciated.

A Reminder of Life's Pursuits--Editorial

Right about now, you have probably forgotten about all those New Year’s resolutions you made over a month and a half ago. Life gets busy and we forget all about what we thought was so important then. It’s the mid-winter blues and we need a little boost. Although the weather has been beautiful here it’s that time of the year when there is a long stretch of work time with no holiday until Easter. I was sent this poem a while ago through an email. I wish I had written it but I didn't. The author is unknown. This is a great shot in the arm and we all need that once in a while. This poem gives it to us.


Don't Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he'd stuck it out.
Don't give up, though the pace seems slow
-You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out
-The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are
-It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit
-It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.


We all need a way to remember what is important to us. We all need that reminder to never give up. So as we go through the last weeks of winter into the hot days of summer, we should remember to fight the "fight when you’re hardest hit—when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit". Don’t ever quit.

Peter Is Coming

It is 7:00 pm and we are soon to have another baby in our family. Naomi has been in labor since 7 this morning and is close to delivering her first born son. I don't have pictures yet but I will soon.

We are still working towards healing Caleb and now Lydia. We have visited with psychologists, family councilors and our Chiropractor nutritionist who is helping us with all the testing. We are all busy with school and work and of course --church so we are happy everyone is doing well.

More to come.......

2010 Handbook For A Better Year

It is hard to believe the year is 2010. It sounds too much like a futuristic science fiction movie but in reality, it really is 2010. A message sent to me by my mother-in-law gave me seven handy hints for a great new year. One to remember each day of the week.

One: Drink plenty of water. This is a great tip for a healthy body. It is common knowledge now that we should all drink at least eight glasses of water every day to feel healthy.

Two: Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip. I would say most of the time those unkind things you hear from others are not true and if they are you shouldn’t repeat them. Life is too short to waste time in passing on unwanted news. You have no idea what the other person has gone through so don’t pass on any gossip.

Three: Live by the Three E’s: Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy. All that you spend your time doing can either uplift you or drag you down. Calling your family often, doing something good for others and forgiving others of any inconveniences can be of great worth in living by the “E’s” of life. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.

Four: Make time to pray. The world would tell you that praying is a waste of time, but I don’t believe that. No matter what religious sect you belong to, there is always time to pray. You can pray while driving to work or cleaning the house or before eating breakfast. It helps the day go by much better and you will find that enthusiasm and empathy stay with you longer.

Five: Play more games. This reminds us how fun life is or is supposed to be. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy so find time during the month whether weekly or every other week to play games with your friends and family.

Six: Read more books than you did in 2009. Reading is so good for the mind and it can take to far away places which makes it less expensive than taking a trip to Europe . Reading also helps you ponder the challenges you face every day while also giving you an escape.

Seven: Take a ten to thirty minute walk daily, and while you walk smile. I learned something very profound from my own son last week. His secret to a happier life was to smile all the time. I was very surprised to hear him say that as he has not always been a happy kid. No one is in charge of your happiness except you. While the walking is physically good for your heart, the smiling is emotionally good for your soul and everyone else around you.

So there you have it, seven helpful hints for a better 2010. Happy New Year.

Wild and a Crazy Week

Our Thanksgiving was wonderful and we enjoyed our time with our friends. Swinging into the Christmas season was easier this year. Monday morning came and the boys had half the Christmas decorations out of the attic so we spent the rest of that day and the next putting up decorations.

Last week was unbelieveable. Tuesday morning, Jim went to work on the motorcycle and the bar attached to the seat became loose and fell off the motorcycle. It wouldn't have been so bad but his backpack with all of his personal items including a checkbook was lost. I drove up and down the highway trying to find it for an hour and a half. Luckily, the police department found it and called us to return it the next day.

Then on Wednesday I tried to log into my hotmail account and my yahoo account and was blocked out. Come to find out, some cyberspace moron stole my identity and was emailing my friends online asking for $500 to be sent to the UK. The spelling was off and it sounded like a forgeiner speaking so luckily no one sent money. It took almost a week to get back on my accounts. Even my facebook was taken over. I should have changed the password as soon as I saw what happened but I didn't think of it.

I lost a lot of time from that experience and will always remember to change up the passwords every so often so it won't happen again.

We are tyring to keep ahead of all sicknesses so we have been drinking fresh lemonade making it from a neighbor's tree.

Tasha and Matt moved to Elberta which is much closer than Mobile. They are both working now at the new Wincells in Orange Beach.

A good book to read

One of the many blessings of belonging to a writer's group is that you are privileged to read

other books. This one particular book is being promoted this week and I am happy to say that I really like the story. The first chapter just sucked me in and keeps me wanting more.

Joan Sowards wrote this marvelous tale called Haunts Haven which is the story of Callie Wilford, a young single lds girl, who inherits an old haunted bed and breakfast Inn from her deceased mother located somewhere in an old western town. Once you start it, it is hard to stop. The story includes a love interest, a stubborn ghost and the town manager.

Read the first chapter at http://www.joansowards.blogstop.com/ and order it at Amazon. It's worth every penny!!!!