The Chinese New Year has ended quite awhile ago and now our children have to leave us, back to their respective countries to resume their work and careers. We will not be seeing them until perhaps next year.
I know it is hard for Rock to say farewell to them, after more than a month of being together. Anyway I am glad that we part with a deep sense of joy and happiness that we have had our wonderful time of bonding. The most wonderful thing is the ability to laugh at our mistakes as parents and their understanding that we had to do what we needed to do. I guess a picture paints a thousand words and so have a glimpse.
While going through my old albums, I discovered some old photos taken during that period when Rock and I were helping in an orphanage in the city. This was back in 2002/2003 period. The orphanage was one of those that did not have much sponsorships. We volunteered our services there, teaching the children basic stuff like reading, writing and some arithmetic. We brought our own children there too and let them have a glimpse of the uglier side of society where children do not have homes or parents.
It was a very fulfilling time for both of us. We experienced their love and also their lack of family love. Most of the time they clamer for attention and hang-on to you simply because you avail yourself to them. I believe that visiting orphanages is a wonderful thing. It is not so much the money or effort you contribute but you show them that there are people who cares about them.
My pal franco done something wonderful in his Teddy-Bears Site by contributing 20% of revenues to the cause of deprived children in the world. How we wish we have more people in this world doing such things!
Received this sometime ago from a friend and just want to share this with you!
Smiling 4 U
Smiling is infectious, you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today, I started smiling too.
I passed around the corner and someone saw my grin
When he smiled I realized I'd passed it on to him.
I thought about that smile then I realized its worth,
A single smile, just like mine could travel round the earth.
So, if you feel a smile begin, don't leave it undetected
Let's start an epidemic and get the world infected!
Dawn, our youngest daughter one day pointed out to me that our family, including our extended-family comprises of people of various nationalities and ethnic groups of the world and she said it is a very good mix! Even the various life experiences are not only very diverse and exciting but also challenging for sure. We have Chinese of course, Malay, English, German, New Zealanders or Kiwis, Americans and Japanese.
The most outstanding and valuable asset that we share is the harmony, closeness and love for one another. We are so very thankful to God for giving us this Special Blessing. To us, nothing is more valuable than love, peace and joy in families. During adversity, it is such comfort to know the family is around to give support, financially and emotionally! This helps the struggling member to go through the difficult patches in life. Who, in this whole wide world do not have difficult stretches in the journey of life? Upon reflection on the past I have seen this to be true, time and time again .
To me personally, the most valuable inheritance that one can give to the next generation is the value of love, joy and peace. I am seeing this happening in our second generation, among the cousins! So today I share a photo of our third generation who are still toddlers and they live in USA and we lovingly call them the Grotberg kids!
They are from left Mei-mei, center is Nathan and Sam on the right and I am their Grand-uncle! What a privilege and what lovely children they are. I am sure they will get your hearts if you meet them personally. Thank-you Lord!
Toe Curl on the affected side of a stroke survivor is quite a common experience. Rock’s left big toe still curls inwards and when it happens, walking is not only affected but painful. What causes the toes to curl is given below, an extract from Stroke Connection Magazine.
- Because toe muscles are typically not very strong, the contracting muscle overpowers the muscles in the toe.
- This tightens the tendons, causing the joints of the smaller toes to buckle or curl in an unnatural way.
- Claw toe most often strikes the stroke-side foot.
- Painful blisters may develop on the affected toes where their tips dig into the shoe.
- Added pressure from the imbalance may also cause calluses or corns to form on the ball of the foot.
- Claw toe also affects patients with joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, cerebral palsy, nerve damage due to poor circulation, as with diabetes, and those confined to bed for a long period of time.
Although unavoidable when it happens, but there are ways and means to make toe curl less painful. As for Rock, her frequent Physiotherapy helps to improve her toe-curl very much. She is less prone to it now and the curl is less pronounced. Apart from Physiotherapy, I have to soaked her feet in warm water then massage her toes at least twice a day so as to relax the muscles.
Below are some additional tips for toe-curl.
Stroke Connection Magazine readers offer these tips:
- Stroke survivor Lillian Schwartz of Boca Raton, Fla., uses foam toe separators. Available at beauty supply stores for just a few cents, the separators are used by beauticians when giving pedicures. Schwartz recommends using two separators (one on top of the other) if your toes are long.
- James Pribish, a stroke survivor from New Castle, Del., uses a pair of gel insoles with tiny magnets embedded in them, which he says have greatly reduced the curling.
