Easy Days

These last few days have been easy days. Other than worrying about what is happening with my website, and my seven stitches, and the fact that I can’t exercise, nothing much else going on.

Getting a lot of knitting done, not much writing. I’ve decided that writing is a habit, and I’ve gotten out of the habit of writing. That makes me sad. I might have to write about that in my journal. If you don’t write every day, then the words don’t come. If you don’t write it down, that incredible thought is gone and forgotten.

So, maybe it’s time to get back into the groove. I’m meeting my writing friend tomorrow. Although I have nothing to show her, I do have some ideas, and yes, I will jot them down. Have been trying for weeks to decide how to get into my characters head, and now I’ve found the answer. I have to be him, the character, and I need to write it in first person. It is a short story and I hope to share it with you soon.

Write in your journal, share your gratitude list, and other lists; be brave and face yourself on the page.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Sorry for the long wait. Computer problems. Hopefully they are fixed now.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend; I did. Well, the truth is I did practically nothing. Back and forth about the computer problems, did a lot of knitting.

Took care of my stitches from the skin cancer that was removed. Stitches come out on Thursday. Can’t wait. Not allowed to exercise, not that I was doing that much, but now I’m mostly just sitting around, not stretching anything.

I wasn’t sure this would be up and running so I didn’t write anything. Tomorrow, hopefully, will have more to talk about.

I am happy that I was able to get into this blog, but we still have some fixing to do on the website. Talk to you tomorrow.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Learning Something New

I like learning new things, don’t you? It’s something to look forward to, it’s something that adds to your day, helps your brain and keeps you young. I find it that way, and I hope you do too.

I’ve said I made a lot of knitting mistakes, and that’s okay, I am going to learn the right way and still knit things that last year I wouldn’t have dreamed of knitting.

Even with my writing, I’m always learning something new. I think that’s a good thing.

Sometimes I learn without meaning to. I look something up and find out some interesting facts that I didn’t know before. Helpful hints, things to keep my brain moving, good things.

Mistakes will always happen. I made two cheesecakes today for the baby shower on Saturday, and I don’t know what made me do it, but I tasted one of them. Guess what, no sugar! I poured it all back into a blender and added the sugar. Hope it will be okay. If not, there will be plenty of other food.

All the baby things I made, I love most of them, but the baby block made out of yarn left over from the blanket is huge, it looks like a ball. I stuffed it with a brand new cut up undershirt so it will be soft and easily washed. The bib I made, yuck, but hey, it will be good for something, and if she throws it away, that’s okay too….the other things I knitted are adorable.

Learn something new every day, it’s good for your brain and your health.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Make Your Day

Make your day. How? Get yourself excited about something that is important to you. It doesn’t have to be a big thing. Little things can make exciting projects also.

For me it was going to the knitting store today and picking up the last of the baby things I knitted. A baby hat, sweater and leg warmers. It’s adorable. And I took some old wool and a knitting pattern and asked if it could be worked out. Yes, it could. That is something to do at night when I watch tv with my husband. The other thing I’m knitting on, a vest, takes concentration, so that will be done when ever I get a chance in my office. Or when I know no one will bother me.

Another thing I got excited about this week was a writing project I’ve thought about for three weeks. How to get into the head of my character. He is dying, he is young, and he is male. I finally figured it out. In order to be in his head, I have to write in first person. Now all I have to do, is do it.

My granddaughter’s baby shower is this weekend, and that’s exciting.

I passed my California driver’s test and that too is exciting.

My exercise program is going well, and I’m excited about that also. It’s long overdue. I haven’t done any exercise for a long time. I used to swim for an hour and walk for an hour. I was much younger.

Now, I’m just happy to sit in my chair, to be around my family, to read, knit and write.

So, make yourself happy. Do something you love.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Making Mistakes

We all make mistakes. This week I’ve been full of them. Some of them have been frustrating, humiliating, and others I have learned that you can learn from your mistakes.

I failed the written driving test the first time around, and felt foolish and humiliated. I had to rip out several parts of the sweater I’m knitting, and that was frustrating. A lot of stitches to rip out and put back on the needles the correct way. Very time consuming, but I learned what I did wrong. At least I hope I did.

We all make mistakes, if we didn’t make mistakes, we aren’t making any decisions. And that’s a bad thing. In one day we make many decisions, about what to make for dinner, to get the paperwork off the desk, to make those phone calls we keep putting off and to cope with the day with a smile on our face.

A smile on our face shows we care, and that we can cope. A smile makes us feel good. So find something to smile about.

I am smiling, I have my first great grandchild’s baby shower on Saturday. It’s a girl. Four generations of women. This child also will have six, yes, six great grandparents! How wonderful.

Stand in someone else’s shoes, and then make the decision, what would you do? You certainly would understand them better. You will feel their pain, their emotions, and have some compassion for what they are going through.

Can’t find someone’s shoes to stand in? Read Behind The Mask by Helene Moore, a secret journal, written when she was a caregiver for her husband. Then seven years later, the diagnosis was changed. Yes, we were the lucky ones. So now it’s time to give back.

I started Adopt A Caregiver, see www.adoptacaregiver.org then help me spread my word, and plant the seeds for everyone to adopt a caregiver. They need a friend.

Keep love and kisses in your life Helene

Writing Is Addictive

I’ve always known that writing is addictive. The more you write, the more you want to write. Writing in a journal, writing a memoir, writing a story, writing out your goals, lists of things to do, becomes a habit when done every day. And you know what, your writing actually gets better.

My problem: I’ve exchanged writing for knitting. I’ve become addicted to knitting for the new great grandbaby coming the end of November. And then found a few things to knit for myself. Knitting at night with my husband and the tv. on is a good thing.

But, I found that I have missed my writing. And so I want to get back to it. Starting right now. I have missed writing in my journal, and I had started a short story, and only got the first few lines written, and my blog is suffering because I haven’t started my Adopt A Caregiver program here in California. Waiting for the legal issues to be finished. Soon…

In the meantime, I hope you will come back to read my blog because I love writing them. I also hope you look at the website. www.adoptacaregiver.com and help me plant the seeds. Yes, one person can make a difference. And this world needs a difference. Give something back.

Adopt A Caregiver in your neighborhood, and tell them your friend Helene sent you. Just send an email and tell them you’d like to be their friend. You’d like to understand what being a caregiver is and that you know it’s hard.

Read my secret journal, Behind The Mask, and see how this caregiver’s emotions on every page.

Keep love and kisses in you life. Helene

We Have To Be Aware

Since I was mugged in New York in the 80′s, I’m always aware. Aware of who is around me, aware of what is happening with my body, and just aware.

We all need to be aware. Aware of scams, of people trying to take advantage of us, or scaring us in any way.We need to know who our neighbors are, and if they need help, or we need help, we know who these people are.

Be aware of yourself, your body, what is around you, what medicine you take, how you react to others, and how they react to you.

Be yourself. Be helpful, but always be aware.

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Visit my website

www.adoptacaregiver.org

Make Every Day A Good Memory

Take each day as it comes, and enjoy it as much as possible. Sometimes we need to jolt ourselves out of depression, a bad mood, an anxious day, a worry day.

Only worry about something you can do, not what comes in the future. Each day has it’s own beginning and it’s own end. Every day is a new beginning.

Go to bed at night telling yourself that tomorrow will be a wonderful day. Something nice is going to happen. Maybe the world will be a little bit better. Maybe we can be more compassionate to those less fortunate than we are.

How we cope, how we react, makes our day. Don’t you want a better tomorrow?

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Words Are Powerful

Words can be powerful. Words can hurt. Words can also heal.

Powerful words inspire, create feelings of peacefulness and harmony.

Words can also hurt. Words can’t be taken back. Think before you speak. Once you have hurled hurtful words at someone, you can’t take them back.

Words can heal. I urge everyone to write down their feelings, memories, their hopes and dreams, their goals, their grateful list, and their affirmations.

When my husband was suddenly diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, I turned to my computer and secretly wrote about my emotions, my thoughts, my fears. That journal saved my sanity.

When the doctor changed the diagnosis, I showed Howard my secret journal, and he said publish it.

I did, and Behind The Mask became that book. Please read about how it inspired me to go on and start

www.adoptacaregiver.org

Keep love and kisses in your life. Helene

Vitamin D and Fibromyalgia

I’ve been on a high dose of Vitamin D, prescribed by my doctor for the past 2 months. What happened? I slept during the night. That has never happened before in my whole life. My levels of Vitamin D were the lowest the doctor had ever seen, and when I started taking the D. I immediately slept. Maybe Fibromyalgia doctors ought to look into that. I am totally grateful for this.

Exercise: well, that is going well. Yesterday, met with the trainer and today, I am sore. I didn’t exercise, the first time in two weeks. I should have done something, but the day got away from me. Tomorrow, I promise to do these exercises. I know in the long run they will help me.

Went to the knitting store today. yes, you guessed it, I bought more yarn, to make something for myself.

Keep love and kisses in your life.