Dirty Shoes

Dirty Shoes

I showered and shaved...............
I adjusted my tie. I got there and sat..............
In a pew just in time. Bowing my head in prayer.........
As I closed my eyes. I saw the shoe of the man next to me.....
Touching my own. I sighed.

With plenty of room on either side......
I thought, "Why must our soles touch?"
It bothered me, his shoe touching mine...
But it didn't bother him much.

A prayer began: "Our Father"............
I thought, "This man with the shoes.has no pride.
They're dusty, worn, and scratched.
Even worse, there are holes on the side!"

"Thank You for blessings," the prayer went on.
The shoe man said...............a quiet "Amen."
I tried to focus on the prayer.......
But my thoughts were on his shoes again.

Aren't we supposed to look our best.....
When walking through that door?
Well, this certainly isn't it," I though t,
Glancing toward the floor.

Then the prayer was ended...........
And the songs of praise began.
The shoe man was certainly loud......
Sounding proud as he sang.

His voice lifted the rafters.........
His hands were raised high.
The Lord could surely hear....
The shoe man's voice from the sky.

It was time for the offering........
And what I threw in was steep.
I watched as the shoe man reached....
Into his pockets so deep.

I saw what was pulled out............
What the shoe man put in.
Then I heard a soft "clink" ....
as when silver hits tin.

The sermon really bored me..........
To tears, and that's no lie.
It was the same for the shoe man.....
For tears fell from his eyes

At the end of the service........
As is the custom here.
We must greet new visitors....
And show them all good cheer.

But I felt moved somehow.............
And wanted to meet the s hoe man.
So after the closing prayer..........
I reached over and shook his hand.

He was old and his skin was dark.....
And his hair was truly a mess.
But I thanked him for coming.........
For being our guest.

He said, "My names' Charlie..........
I'm glad to meet you, my friend."
There were tears in his eyes.........
But he had a large, wide grin.

Let me explain," he said...........
Wiping tears from his eyes.
I've been coming here for months....
And you're the first to say 'Hi.'" "

I know that my appearance.........
Is not like all the rest.
But I really do try.................
To always look my best."

I always clean and polish my shoes....
Before my very long walk.
But by the time I get here.........
They're dirty and dusty, like chalk."


My heart filled with pain............
and I swallowed to hide my tears
As he continued to apologize........
For daring to sit so near.


He said, "When I get here...........
I know I must look a sight.
But I thought if I could touch you..
Then maybe our souls might unite."

I was silent for a moment..........
Knowing whatever was said
Would pale in comparison...
I spoke from my heart, not my head.

Oh, you've touched me," I said......
And taught me, in part;
that the best of any man............
Is what is found in his heart."

The rest, I thought,.................
This shoe man will never know.
Like just how thankful I really am...
That his dirty old shoe touched my soul

You are special to me and you have made a difference in my life.
I respect you, and truly cherish you.

Installing LOVE

How to Install Love.


Tech Support: Yes, ... how can I help you?

Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?

Tech Support: Yes, I can help you! Are you ready to proceed?

Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?

Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?

Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?

Tech Support: What programs are running ?

Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.

Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ?

Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.

Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.

Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program not run on external components." What should I do?

Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

Customer: So, what should I do?

Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.

Customer: Okay, done.

Tech Support: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

Customer: Got it. Hey! My heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is this normal?

Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventuallyeverything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

Customer: Thank you, God.


Fitness By Marilyn
Rockport, TX 78382
fitnessbymarilyn@gmail.com
http://www.fitnessbymarilyn.com
Independent AIM Member - Marilyn Wilson Price

Heart Attack Procedures

CALL 911

Everyone should also know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting.

Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line. You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack.

Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up.

The pain in the jaw happened to me and woke me from a sound sleep. I was one of the fortunate ones. Trust me when I tell you it's pain unlike anything you've ever experienced before. Given a choice between natural child birth and a heart attack, pain-wise; it's much easier to have a baby.
Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know..........

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this message tells 10 people, you can be sure that we'll save at least one life. Read this...

It could save your life!

Let's say it's 6.15 pm and you're driving home(alone of course), after an unusually hard day on the job. You're tired, upset and frustrated. Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm and up into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital nearest your home.

Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make it that far. You have been trained in CPR, but the guy that taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on yourself.


HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness.

However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest.

A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating.

The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital. Tell as many other people as possible about this.

It could save their lives!

Fitness By Marilyn
Independent AIM Member - Marilyn Wilson Price

60 Minutes To A Healthier Heart

Practical Prevention: 60 minutes to a Healthier Heart
by Elizabeth S. Smoots, MD

What would you say to 60 minutes of physical activity a week?


Many studies have revealed the health value of exercise. Now, new research has defined the minimal amount of physical activity it takes to see heart benefits in women—60 minutes per week. Would you be willing to commit to that amount of time? Since this decision is so important to your long-term health, before answering, consider why women even need to worry about their hearts.

Heart Disease is Common in Women

Heart disease is the number one killer of women in our country today. Nearly 400,000 women die from cardiac causes in the U.S. each year—this is ten times the number of women that die from breast cancer. Yet, according to a Gallup poll, four-out-of-five women are not even aware that they are at risk for heart disease.

It is true that estrogen produced by a woman's body helps prevent heart disease while we're young, but this advantage is lost after we pass through menopause. By age 65, one in four women—the same proportion as in men—ends up with coronary heart disease. So we need something more to keep our hearts healthy.

Studying Physical Activity in Women

Encouraging news from a recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) indicates that even light exercise is associated with a lower rate of coronary heart disease in women. The study followed 39,000 healthy women aged 45 and older for an average of five years. At the end of the study, researchers found that women who walked at least one hour a week, regardless of pace, had half the rate of heart disease as women who did not walk regularly.

Vigorous activities also reduced heart disease risk. But the results suggest that time spent exercising and calories burned were more important than intensity for the women enrolled in this study.

Researchers noted exercise's beneficial effects extended to women at high-risk for heart disease. Those who smoked, were overweight, or had elevated cholesterol levels had similar improvements in their heart disease rate when they exercised as did low-risk women. For women with high blood pressure, however, the scientists said their findings indicate that more than mild exercise may be harmful.

Adding More Exercise To Your Life

How can you get the heart-benefits of exercise—including better cardiovascular function, lower blood sugar and cholesterol, and reduced weight and stress—even if you have cardiac risk factors or are not accustomed to exercising? Heed this heart-healthy advice:

Get your health care provider's okay before starting physical activities. This is especially critical for women with chronic illness or risk factors for heart disease.

Choose several activities you think you would enjoy. For most women a blend of exercise types is usually best.

These may include:

Aerobic activities like walking—the most popular leisure activity among women—and dancing, aerobics classes, swimming, or biking

Stretching exercises

Strengthening exercises such as using weights or body bands

For each activity, gradually increase your pace and time. Learn to listen to your body. If you don't feel right, stop and make adjustments, or see your doctor.

Building Protection For Your Heart

Over the years numerous studies have concluded that physically active people have a lower rate of heart disease than those who are inactive. For heart health, most experts recommend that women aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week. This equates to expending about 1,000 calories a week through exercise.

I encourage women who are physically fit to continue vigorous activities for the added health value. Even if you're sedentary, though, the latest findings suggest that light exercise for as little as 60 minutes a week can dramatically benefit your heart.

Now I ask you, do you think you can commit to giving your heart that much time?

Resources

American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org/

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

American Academy of Family Physicians
http://familydoctor.org

"Physical activity and coronary heart disease in women: is ‘no pain, no gain' passé?" by I-Min Lee, MBBS, ScD, et al. Journal of the American Medical Association, March 21, 2001, Volume 285, pp. 1447-54.

"Coronary artery disease prevention: what's different for women?" by Joan Bedinghaus, MD. American Family Physician, April 1, 2001, Volume 63, pp. 1393-1406.

"One for 2001: take lifestyle to heart," Women's Health Watch, Harvard Medical School, January 2001, p.1.

"Benefits of physical activity for the heart." Journal of the American Medical Association, March 21, 2001, Volume 285, p.1536.


Fitness By Marilyn
Independent AIM Member - Marilyn Wilson Price

Dr. Michael Greger Newsletter Fall 2005

*******************************************************

Fall 2005 issue of Dr. Michael Greger's quarterly newsletter

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CONTENTS (online at http://www.DrGreger.org/newsletters.html )

I. Latest Updates in Human Nutrition

A. Ornish Takes on Cancer
B. Peppermint Oil for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
C. Atkins Diet: Dead Meat
D. Arteries--Open Sesame!
E. Childhood Brain Tumors and Maternal Diet

II. Personal Update

III. Mad Cow Update: FDA gutless, brainless;
Our food and cosmetic supply should be so lucky

IV. Bird Flu Update:
On a Wing and a Prayer

V. Mailbag: ""What sources do you use to write the newsletter?"

*******************************************************

I. LATEST UPDATES IN HUMAN NUTRITION

*******************************************************

A. Ornish Takes on Cancer

Until Dean Ornish published his landmark study in 1990, most
cardiologists saw heart disease as an inexorable part of old age and
treated it largely palliatively, going to great lengths--even open
heart surgery--to alleviate the pain and disability. What Dr. Ornish
showed was that heart disease could be not only slowed down, but
actually reversed with a plant-based diet and other lifestyle
changes.[1] People learned they could quite literally take their life
in their own hands and cure themselves of a debilitating
life-threatening disease once thought incurable. The broader
implication, of course, was that a plant-based diet could potentially
prevent heart disease in the first place.

Largely ignoring the evidence Ornish presented, physicians of today,
however, continue to talk of merely decreasing the risk of heart
disease. As Dr. William Roberts, editor of the American Journal of
Cardiology, points out "Pediatricians do not focus on decreasing the
risk of mumps, measles, pertussis, or rheumatic fever. They focus on
preventing these illnesses entirely. The same concept needs to be
applied to atherosclerotic events."[2] Having demonstrated we could
prevent and cure our number one killer without drugs and surgery,
Ornish has now decided to take on killer number two, cancer.
[To
continue reading please go to http://www.drgreger.org/fall2005.html]

******************************************************

B. Peppermint Oil for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects millions of Americans with
painful abdominal cramps, bloating, gas, and bouts of diarrhea and
constipation. Eliminating dairy and caffeine often takes care of the
problem, but if not I often put patients on peppermint oil--and there
is finally now solid evidence to support this centuries-old
practice.[9]
[To continue reading please go to
http://www.drgreger.org/fall2005.html]

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C. The Atkins Diet: Dead Meat

My latest book, "Carbophobia: The Scary Truth Behind America's Low
Carb Craze": published February 1st, 2005. The multibillion dollar
Atkins corporation: files for bankruptcy August 1st.[10] Six months.
Not bad (though I was hoping to topple them in four :). Seriously,
though, all the I-told-them-so satisfaction is lost upon reflection
of the thousands of families shattered by pork-rind and egg-yolk
fueled heart attacks spawned by these high-fat frauds. Americans are
now fattening at a rate never before seen, with a recent report
showing rising obesity rates across 48 states. Right now two thirds
of Americans are overweight. By 2008 the number is predicted to
approach 75%.[11] And just when we thought we couldn't get any fatter
comes the follow-up to the Framingham Heart Study published last week
in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggesting that over the long
haul as many as 9 out of 10 men are likely to become overweight.[12]
The answer, according to two new studies piling onto the mountain of
evidence, is a plant-based diet.
[To continue reading please go to
http://www.drgreger.org/fall2005.html]

******************************************************

D. Arteries--Open Sesame!

People who have lived with me know about my "magic powder." I
sprinkle it on almost everything. It's a combination of ground flax
seed, dulse flakes, vitamin B12-fortified nutritional yeast and
toasted and ground sesame seeds. The flax is for my Omega 3 fatty
acids (although as little nutritional powerhouses they are much much
more); the dulse is for iodine since I don't use salt (I've always
wanted to include sea vegetables in my diet, because I knew they were
so amazing trace mineral-wise, but I never liked the taste. Dulse is
a gorgeous purple seaweed with but a mild flavor); and the
nutritional yeast is for my B12 (although again there's so much other
nutrition in this stuff it turns your pee yellow :). But the toasted
sesame seeds (just spread a layer of raw sesame seeds in a toaster
oven tray and toast until golden brown) are just to make the whole
thing edible. Sesame seeds are the first recorded seasoning ever,
dating back over 5000 years and no wonder--the rich sweet nutty
flavor and fragrance of freshly toasted sesame seeds is out of this
world. Little did I know that all this time they were helping to keep
my arteries clean. And I love hearing good news about my good habits.
[To continue reading please go to
http://www.drgreger.org/fall2005.html]


******************************************************

E. Childhood Brain Tumors and Maternal Diet

Cancer is second only to accidents as a leading cause of death for
our children these days. Brain tumors are the most common solid form
of pediatric cancer. The development of childhood brain tumors is a
chief reason why pregnant women no longer get X-rayed. Evidence has
been building, though, that the mother's diet during pregnancy also
plays a significant role.
[To continue reading please go to
http://www.drgreger.org/fall2005.html]


*******************************************************

II. PERSONAL UPDATE

Alas, what was once monthly is now sadly only quarterly. As much as I
really enjoy working on this newsletter it takes me at least a week
to research and write, and now with a more than full time job, on top
of the writing, and traveling, and speaking I just can no longer
afford to spend a quarter of my month on it. So, I'm now sadly down
to the seasons. You can expect the Winter issue this January
(hopefully with tellings of the hatching of my new bird flu book!).
I'll put a Spring issue out every April, a Summer issue out in July
and a Fall every October. It kills me to have to pass over so many
important juicy articles I see every month, and I miss the feeling of
more frequently reaching out to everyone that has reached out to me
over the years, entrusting me with a piece of their family's health.
I hope you can understand. [To continue reading please go to
http://www.drgreger.org/fall2005.html]


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III. MAD COW UPDATE:

FDA gutless and brainless; our food and cosmetic supply should be so lucky

Early last month, while all eyes were on Katrina, the FDA quietly
announced that it was even backtracking on the few rules it had
already put in place. You may remember my April 2004 mad cow update (
http://www.drgreger.org/april2004.html ) in which I encouraged
everyone to put pressure on the FDA to follow the European example
and exclude not only small intestine from the human food and
cosmetics supply, but all cow/calf colons and rectums as well. Not
only did they refuse to ban these potentially risky tissues, but the
exclusion of all smaller intestines was evidently so costly to the
sausage industry that they've decided to allow them back in, forcing
producers just to cut off the last few feet.[21] As one public health
commentator commentated: "So while the FDA may be gutless, your food
and cosmetics won't be."[22]
[To continue reading please go to
http://www.drgreger.org/fall2005.html]

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IV. BIRD FLU UPDATE:

On a Wing and a Prayer

Two weeks ago a Dr. "Frist" wrote an op-ed in the Washington Times
warning that the bird flu virus "poses an immense potential threat to
American civilization."[33] A threat to civilization? Who is this
guy? This "guy" is Bill Frist, M.D., Majority Leader of the United
States Senate. [To continue reading please go to
http://www.drgreger.org/fall2005.html]

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V. MAILBAG: "What sources do you use to write the newsletter?"

I love libraries. I grew up in libraries. I would actually skip class
in high school so I could spend more time in a basement--the science
library at the local state university. Let's just say I was an
uber-nerd.
[To continue reading please go to
http://www.drgreger.org/fall2005.html]

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REFERENCES at http://www.drgreger.org/fall2005.html

If anyone missed previous months, check out my newsletter archive at
http://www.DrGreger.org/newsletters.html

Until (hopefully) next month,
-Michael

(206) 312-8640
425 North Frederick Ave. #4A
Gaithersburg, MD 20877-2431

http://www.DrGreger.org
http://www.AtkinsExposed.org
http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow.htm

HEART FAILURE: Diary of a Third Year Medical Student
(full text now available free): http://www.upalumni.org/medschool

My latest book:
CARBOPHOBIA: The Scary Truth Behind America's Low Carb Craze
http://www.lanternbooks.com/detail.html?session=a2bc38f2856ef73e88f55552a47cc4f8&id=1590560868

To subscribe to my free quarterly nutrition newsletter
send a blank email to: drgregersnewsletter-subscribe@lists.riseup.netg

Fitness By Marilyn
Independent AIM Member - Marilyn Wilson Price