Magical Moment 559, "Here's to Your Health"

It's become a habit of mine to begin a prayer almost the exact same way every time..."Dear Lord, thank you for everything you've done for me, and thank you for my family's health and safety."

Somehow, my loved ones and I have really hit the health jack pot. The only time I've ever been in the hospital, is when I was born. And while there've been a few minor mishaps over the years, we've been beyond fortunate. So it's easy to become complacent in my true thankfulness when it comes to this matter.

But something happened with my niece, Zoey, that made me stop and not just say "thank you," but seriously, seriously mean it. Her mother, Deb, explained that 4-year old Zoey was drinking from a cup with ice cubes, when suddenly one got lodged in her throat. Deb, a registered nurse, tried everything to help her daughter, but soon felt helpless as no oxygen was getting to her daughter at all. She began to foam at the mouth. And though Deb knew the ice cube would melt eventually, she feared that Zoey would be rendered unconscious before that happened. Luckily, it did not come to that. The ice cube melted and Zoey could breath again.

I tried to imagine the panic Deb must have experienced in that moment. The more I tried to put myself in that position, the more relief I felt that everything turned out okay. What if it had not been a melting ice cube? So many scenarios that make me thankful I'm not the one in charge of everything, God is.

Growing up, my dad would pray before big family dinners, like Thanksgiving and Christmas. And we teased him every time for always saying the exact same prayer, word for word. "Oh Lord, thank you for this food and thank you for our health. Amen." That's it. Some people aren't comfortable praying out loud, and that's what we chalked it up to. But now that I'm older, I can see how much 'good health' means to him. He lost his older sister when she was just 19. That tragedy was heartbreaking for his entire family. Having 4 kids of his own, good health must always be on the forefront of his mind. To this day if I mention I'm not feeling well, he won't let me hang up the phone until I promise to take Echinacea and drinks lots of fluids.

There are many blessings I receive on a daily basis that I'm certain I take fore granted - our jobs, cars that work (most of the time), living in a free country - but health is the one that I was reminded of today. I pray that nothing will have to "remind" me again in the future.

Zo Zo

~~~

Thy Will Be Done

When Grandpa Got Saved

A Prayerful Habit

Magical Moment 625, "Thailand - the Elephants"

Needless to say, my favorite part of our Thailand vacation, was our week long volunteering at Elephant Nature Park ! The logging industry was banned in Thailand in 1989, leaving thousands of elephants unemployed. These elephants are now used for tourism. You may have heard of elephant shows featuring the animals playing soccer or painting pictures with their trunks. They are no doubt amazing to watch, but the sad truth is that these elephants have gone through a series of torture and abuse to "break their spirit" by their trainers. This short clip is very hard to watch, but it will give you an idea of what the elephants in captivity in the country of Thailand go through. The only elephants in Thailand who do not endure this, are the very few baby elephants who are first generation born in "safe captivity" at places like Elephant Nature Park. Every other elephant at this park has been brutally abused. Some have been blinded by their owners, le

Magical Moment 620, "Lilac Garden"

Eddie and I visited the Lilac Gardens at Ringwood Manor in New Jersey, a pristine and beautiful state park with 8 species of lilacs and several varieties within. We went on a rainy afternoon, which turned out perfect because the rain stopped for us when we got there, and began again as soon as we left. It also decorated the plants with gorgeous rain drops, adding to their beauty. And now for a quick game of "Where's Elizabeth?" And "Where's Eddie?" ~~Have a great weekend! ~~

Magical Moment 280, "The Eleventh Hour"

The Veterans Day Parade, NYC On July 29, 2001 , five exceptional men were honored by the President of the United States for their remarkable military service. They were involved in a top secret mission that required unfathomable intelligence and as a result, literally won a battle which was instrumental in winning the war. Not the war that was happening in 2001, not even the Gulf War. It was World War II, and they were the Navajo Code Talkers who were largely responsible for winning the bloody battle of Okinawa. The only problem with the ceremony was that just 5 remained of the original 29. Our country was too late in thanking the other 24, and nearly too late in thanking those 5 men. On March 10, 2010, three hundred women won the Congressional Gold medal for their outstanding war service. Unfortunately, 800 received the award posthumously. These were the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) of World War II, who devoted themselves to flying military aircraft like the B-26 and B-

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