Brotherly Love and Fresh Food

Sixteen: Brotherly Love for Paris

 (Dewey decimal number: 944.36)

Loving your neighbor as yourself is a particularly difficult challenge in a world where there are constant wars, bad people killing innocents and groups of civilians classified and in-humanize by racist political agendas. For me, human suffering is human suffering and my heart and prayers quietly go out to the families of the people killed in Paris. This is also a reminder, for myself, to pray more for those people who are constantly suffering, feel abandoned and hopeless. I know it is easy for me to speak from the comfort of my house, safe and warm, when I have never experienced total despair. Nevertheless, I hope and pray that angels will comfort the hearts of those suffering from this terrorist attack, that angels will cover and protect little one's from prolonged suffering, and for a long shot I pray that humanity will enter the minds of those who are delusional and torturing and killing innocent people.

Yesterday, I went to my old library and was:

 1. Very pleased to see it is so clean and in good order! Well lit, clean shelves, optimal book displays within the stacks and easy to find directions with the Dewey Decimal Numbers. 

 2. Spent some time in section 944.36 reading about the history of Paris in the book stacks. 

They kept good old copies of classics!

944.36 = Paris

I had no idea that in June 1940, when the Nazi's invaded, over 1/3 of Parisian citizens were foreign and possibly targets for the Nazi. It boggled my mind to think that if my Grandma (dad's mom) were there she would have been deported for being part Jewish. She suffered enough in England at that time and I'm glad the Nazi's never made it to her. As I read this book I realized how much Paris has suffered over the course of time. No wonder Parisians have the fame to be tough, they earned it. I know people will never totally get along, that is just part of humanity, but I wish that the mass torturing, terrorism and disrespect of life would end. We are each too valuable and loved to do this to each other or to turn a blind eye. 

Seventeen: Fresh Food 

You are what you eat is the honest to goodness truth! A few months ago I was diagnosed with something not so great: pre-diabetes! Do people ever get diagnosed with something good? I have never heard anyone say, "I got diagnosed with great abs." Or ,"I got diagnosed with a perfectly shaped head." Getting diagnosed with anything always turns out to be lousy.

So, I thought I ate healthy, I went to the gym everyday, I am not overweight and lo and behold my blood test looked terrible. I guess my Native American blood predisposes me for this. I should be on a plain running wild-haired and barefoot chasing my dinner: wild buffalo and bear instead of daintily savoring panini and pasta.  After getting the news, I immediately called my mom and grandma. Of course, grandma, reacted calmly and rationally told me how to get a hold of my blood sugar: eat fresh food and avoid processed sugars. I followed her advice and sure enough it got my blood back to normal! So I am thankful for real food that I can look at and know what I'm eating.

Broccoli rabe, a perfect winter veggie

I always think it is funny how the lid seems to be a little hat on the broccoli rabe when they first start to steam saying, "Top of the day to you!"  then they whittle down and the lid goes back to being a borning common lid.