"The Shack"

I just finished reading a good book called "The Shack"written by Wm.Paul Young. It's about a man who has an "encounter" with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit after a horrible tragedy in his life. While I am not usually big on discussions of religion--to me it is more of a private issue--I would like to recommend this book to you.
Reading it will definitely give you some food for thought and maybe even change your life and your relationships with others. It started out a little bit slow but once you get into the book you will enjoy it's beautiful imagery and prose. Famous people like Wynonna Judd and Michael W. Smith have written recommendations for the book.
For more information you can go to www.theshackbook.com

Chiropractor of the Year

I am so very proud to let you all know that my sister Mary has been chosen to be the MN Chiropractor of the Year!! Our family surprised her at the award ceremony by showing up to help celebrate. I can't think of a more deserving doctor than Mary! If you want to read some great articles written by her, check out www.docminser.com

The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood

Ever since I saw an Ophrah episode about the Fistula Foundation I have been a supporter. If you haven't heard of fistula go to ( http://www.fistulafoundation.org/). It will break your heart to see how it affects young mothers in Africa because of poverty and lack of medical care for laboring women.

The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (http://www.whiteribbonalliance.org)is/ an organization that builds alliances, influences policies and harnesses resources to save the lives of women and newborns all around the world. The white ribbon is dedicated to the memory of all women who have died in pregnancy and childbirth. Worldwide, every minute of every day, a woman dies of pregnancy-related complications. Most of these deaths could be prevented.

The Fistula Foundation is a member of the White Ribbon Alliance. Hopefully they will be able to work together to raise awareness of the tragic deaths of women that happen every day and underscore policies and investments to help save lives.

My youngest sister just had a baby girl. Lucky her to have all of the medical resources she needed for a safe pregnancy and healthy delivery. She had access to prenatal care and obstetric care to help ensure a safe delivery and to deal with any complications that could have arisen. In many parts of the world access to prenatal care and emergency obstetric care is often unavailable.

This is not like a disease that we are still searching to cure. We know what can save the lives of mothers and children. They need the ability to make wise choices about their reproductive lives and access to medical assistance to make safe pregnancy and delivery possible. (On a global scale there is a shortage of 4 million health workers.) We need to create the political will to do something now about this terrible problem.
Please take the time to check out the websites listed above. Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General says "Health should not be seen as a blesssing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for."

Good Neighbors

I am still trying to do each of the Monday postings taken from everymondaymatters.com. Monday 36 was about being a good neighbor. We've lived in this neighborhood for 13 years. The only neighbors we really know are the family next door. In this neighborhood it seems like no one is ever outside. So we don't get to know or greet anyone. This seems really sad, doesn't it?

So here are some good tips for getting to know your neighbors taken from the mondaymatters website:

"Does your mailman know your neighbors better than you do? It’s not enough to just drive by and wave to neighbors from your car window. To get to know your neighbors, you need to have personal interaction with them. But these days, people spend more time indoors watching TV and surfing the Internet than they do outside playing catch, taking walks, and talking to their neighbors. Change that pattern…

*People spend less than 15 minutes per day doing outside chores and gardening compared to over 3 hours watching TV or movies and surfing on the Internet.
*The average American person or family has friends over for dinner about 45% less often than people (they?) did in the 70s.
*The increased number of fenced backyards, coupled with the disappearance of front porches and verandas, has privatized residences more than ever.

TAKE ACTION TODAY
*Meet a neighbor you’ve never met before. Simply knock on the door and introduce yourself. *Take over something you’ve baked or grown in your garden, or invite them to your house for a *beverage or a snack.
*Make yourself more available to your neighbors.
*Mow your front lawn, wash your car, go for a walk, or play with your children outside. Or, if you see neighbors doing the same, go out and visit.
*Plan a neighborhood yard sale or a block party.
*Write a quarterly neighborhood newsletter.

Remember, you have to be a good neighbor to have a good neighbor. "

We do have someone who printed a neighborhood directory and put it in our mailbox--anonymously--so we can't even thank them. A block party would be fun but since it's October already we will have to wait until next spring or summer. So it looks like I will have to try some of the other tips. What is your neighborhood like? Do you have any other tips for us?