Are There Symptoms of Depression In Your Community?

Hump day already!?

Did the fireworks over the weekend launch you into the week?

I seem to have found myself at Wednesday, wondering how I got here.  It’s been a GREAT week so far!

How was your 4^th of July holiday?

I really wanted to go down the mountain to the canoe races and old car show on the beach myself.  Many of my friends were going, and invited me to come along.

Every year there is a parade in Volcano Village.

Every year for the past 7 years my family has attended the parade.

You could say I was feeling a seven year itch.

I decided to ignore the itch and turn down my friend’s kind invitations, because my daughters, Briana almost 16 and Makayla almost 13, were marching in the parade and singing afterwards at the Community Center with the cast of their Summer Musical.  (They both have birthdays this month!)

The parade is usually very big with lots of attendance, and has been getting bigger and bigger in the past few years.

As I headed up the mountain on the fourth, the sky was clear and the weather was beautiful.  Volcano Village is breath taking in the morning!

This year, the parade turn out was pretty small, but we still had some pretty cool old cars, and all the community organizations from the village were represented.

Everyone was having a really great time visiting, eating and laughing at the Community Center after the parade.  There was such a strong sense of community in the air.

I have been too busy this year to watch any rehearsals, so when my daughters sang some of Kiss Me Kate with their friends and cast mates it was the first time I had heard it.  They were great!

Opening night is Friday!  It should be fun!

With no crowd to fight, I shared a bit of every tasty food I could find with my 3 kids.  We thoroughly enjoyed the variety and washed it all down with plenty of watermelon!

I even found some time to chat with old friends I don’t get to see much!

The icing on the cake was watching shy timid Briana get drug onto the dance floor by a jitterbugging wild man!  The entertainment value was priceless!  Brina is a quick study!

Later she said she was glad her girlfriend pushed her out there.  She loves to dance, and “that was a ball!”.

There were quite a few beautiful hours of sunshine before our traditional trip to the fireworks show in Hilo Town.  My little 4 year old, Nickolas, took advantage and played his little heart out.  What a joy to watch a young one completely engaged in play.

It wasn’t surprising that Nick was sound asleep by the time we reached the waterfront.  I dropped my girls off to meet their friends, and continued on down Kamehemeha Avenue.

The crowd was thick so I had to travel quite a distance before I finally found a place that I could park and see the fireworks with my little one sleeping peacefully in the back seat.  I was shocked that the open space was right next to the band stand and a large band was playing patriotic music.

An evening rain had thoroughly drenched Hilo by the time we arrived, but the sky cleared up just as the fireworks began.

I crawled out my window and sat on the roof of my van.  The colorful lights were a captivating show and the band was providing the perfect background music.

I thought of my beautiful daughters, sitting on the beach directly under the entertainment that the whole city was watching.  I pictured their smiling faces and saw them laughing with their friends.

For just a few minutes, I felt so connected to all the souls watching the sky.

Abruptly the music ended.  Read more

Do You Know Someone Who Deserves Mothers Day Flowers?

Everybody has a mother.  God made it that way.

Even when you lose your mother,  you have a deep down need to have someone fill that role in your life.

Who is the person who deserves your Mothers Day Flowers?

Whether you had a happy childhood or a sad one, the way you were mothered has everything to do with who you are, and how you treat the people in your life.

Do you mother those around you? Read more

How Do You Easily Relieve That Bone Tired Feeling From Post Holiday Fatigue?

Before you reach for a bottle of pills or alcohol, think of simple and wholesome ways to relieve that deep down tired feeling.

The woman of the house is the most prone to suffer post holiday fatigue.  Please, if you don’t need a bit of nurturing today, then find someone near and dear to you who is, and make sure she takes care of herself.

Ten years ago, when I first began my struggle with auto immune disease, I was forever looking for pain relief that was natural and wouldn’t knock me out.

I was taking a class on the weekends with a group of women from my daughters’ school.  The subject of pain relief came up and one of the ladies suggested I try a hot bath with plenty of Epsom Salt.

It seemed a bit too simplistic to possibly help with the extreme pain that I had been coping with, but hey, I would have tried anything at that point.

You would not believe the amount of pain that you can soak away in 20 minutes!

You need to use 2 full cups Read more

Christmas Is For Kids

The holidays are upon us.  I was raised catholic, and my memories from childhood are of midnight-mass (it was so cool).

In my adult life, I have observed and accepted many different religions.  Where there is love, I am at home.

Christmas to me means giving of yourself with a brand new spirit of good will, that will carry you through ‘til the spring time, when amazing things are possible.

Since I was born and raised in Montana, for me the winter thaw, followed by spring and birth is a powerful time in my heart.  It is symbolic of so many things in life.

Whenever you get caught up in your ego, spend some time with young children and animals.  They can really teach you something about being yourself.  They know exactly who they are.

By the time they hit adolescence, you’ve got your hands full….but those early years are precious innocence.

Christmas Is for Kids is one of my favorite holiday songs.  My mom used to play it every year when I was growing up.  I think the artist is Kenny Rogers, if I remember correctly.

The song talks about adults returning to childhood with the spirit of Christmas.

Ya gotta love it.

If you can embrace the season with a child like innocence you will bring joy into the hearts of everyone you meet.

Magic and wonder are not given the credit they deserve, and happiness really is contagious!

Happy holidays and many blessings,

Carrie

Is the Joy of Christmas Casting a Shadow of Depression On Your Holiday Season?

Are you finding yourself feeling depressed this holiday season?

In every culture, there are special days that bring back memories of home and loved ones.

Those special days can feel bitter sweet when you are dealing with loss.  The pain becomes intensified.

You don’t want to deal with happy people because you just can’t feel happy.  There is just no faking it.

Do you just wish the holidays were over?

Somehow, when the world is celebrating, loneliness is magnified.

John was a patient of mine for many years.  He absolutely loved the holidays.

His devoted wife was a beautiful energetic lady who was always busy doing something creative.  She had an unbelievable garden, lots of cats and dogs, she loved to bake and used to have a delicious care package to give me whenever I visited.

Every Christmas, she turned their home into a winter wonderland.  It was quite a treat, since the hot humid Hawaiian afternoon just didn’t feel like Christmas to this Montana girl!

I have fond memories of sitting at their kitchen table drinking hot cocoa with candy canes.  (With the air conditioning, it almost felt like winter!)

I remember Ida telling me about her challenges making her traditional Christmas dishes without salt.  John really looked forward to the family celebration, but usually ended up in the hospital before the new year.  To much salt, wine, and fun always did him in.

John would say, “Ida, I’m only gonna live once, it wouldn’t be Christmas without your famous Christmas dinner!”

Every year with the house looking like a post card, the two of them would greet their kids, grand-kids, and extended family for the wildest celebration you have ever seen.  My favorite part was singing Christmas carols by the bonfire.

Their family was full of so much love, you could feel it in the air.

Five years ago, John passed away a few days after Thanksgiving.

Ida faced her life without him.  She couldn’t celebrate the holiday.  Her family tried everything to get her to join them at their homes, or even a Christmas vacation for the whole family. Read more