Comments on The Case Against Abortion

Although there aren’t a lot of comments on The Case Against Abortion, the conversation is passionate and thought-provoking. If you missed the comments, I highly recommend you read them—and add your own thoughts.

photo credit: Kazz.0

The Case Against Abortion

I saw this video on Randy Alcorn’s blog and had to share it. I can’t imagine how anyone can look at these images and say that abortion doesn’t kill a human being.

Fourth Wednesday in Lent 2011

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’” ~ Luke 17:7-10 (ESV)

Heavenly Father, why do I sometimes think that I’ve done enough—I deserve some thanks and some rest? I know I will receive my reward and my rest through eternity with You. Help me to continue to do my duty to You with love and joy and gratitude. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Indie Authors Relief Fund – Helping Japan

We’ve all seen the devastation in Japan, but dramatic before and after photos show it even more powerfully than just looking at the after alone. Looking at those pictures will surely make you want to help.

Now you can get great deals on books and book-related items and 100% of the auction proceeds will be donated to Red Cross International, earmarked for Japan earthquake and tsunami disaster relief. You will find the auction at Indie Authors Relief Fund. Check out what’s available and bid on the items of your choice. Even if you’ve already donated to disaster relief for Japan, you can help even more while you acquire books and other items donated by indie authors.

If you’re an author, I hope you consider donating as well. If you’re a reader, I hope you’ll bid on the items that appeal to you.

Here are the links to my donations:
Bundle of Romance E-Books
Bundle of How-To E-Books
Two hours of resume-writing services
One hour of manuscript editing or publishing consultation

And whether you donate, bid, or neither, please keep the people of Japan in your prayers.

O GOD, merciful and compassionate, who art ever ready to hear the prayers of those who put their trust in thee; Graciously hearken to us who call upon thee, and grant thy help to the people of Japan in this their need; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

National March into Literacy Month

March is a busy month for book lovers. Next week is Read an E-Book Week, and the entire month is National March into Literacy Month. Theoretically, it is also National Small Press Month, which I would happily celebrate as I am a big fan of small presses. However, the information on the website is for 2010, so it looks like Small Press Month isn’t being observed this year.

Just about everyone knows about the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, which gives toys to needy kids at Christmas. A lesser-known program of the foundation is the literacy program.

The program’s website shows the following shocking statistics:

• It is estimated that the cost of illiteracy to business and taxpayers is $20 billion per year. (United Way, “Illiteracy: A National Crisis”)
• In low-income neighborhoods, the ratio of books per child is one age-appropriate book for every 300 children. (Included in the “Handbook of Early Literacy Research”, Vol. 2 edited by Susan Neuman and David Dickinson)

The site describes the program this way:

After supporting Toys for Tots since 2005 and raising $1.3 million to help brighten the lives of thousands of children nationwide, The UPS Store and Mail Boxes Etc. network launched the Toys for Tots Literacy Program, a year-round initiative, in March 2008 to expand upon its existing partnership.

While the Toys for Tots Literacy Program maintains the Toys for Tots mission of delivering hope, it extends the organization’s reach and impact in a meaningful way by providing children in need with the gift of a book. Since 2008, the program has delivered more than 1 million books to hundreds of thousands of less fortunate children. This program not only brings the joy of reading to these children, but also serves as an important tool in breaking the cycle of poverty.

All donations go directly to purchasing books for needy children, libraries, schools, or literacy programs. You can donate cash at the Toys for Tots site or donate cash or new books at participating UPS Stores and Mailboxes, Etc. locations.

If you agree with me that books and literacy are essential to breaking the cycle of poverty, I hope you will join me in making a donation to put books into the hands of disadvantaged children—through this program or any organization that is fighting illiteracy.

The Future of Alzheimer’s: Hope in the Long-Term

This week, I participated in an Alzheimer’s roundtable conference call sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA). The call was moderated by Ed Belkin, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, PhRMA, and speakers included David Wheadon, M.D., Senior Vice President for Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, PhRMA; David Michelson, M.D., Vice President, Clinical Neuroscience Research, Merck Research Laboratories; Phil Iredale, Head of Neurodegeneration Biology, Pfizer; Richard Mohs, Global Product Development, Eli Lilly and Company; and Trish Vandenberg, USAgainstAlzheimers.

Participating bloggers included Joanne Reynolds of Blueprint for Caregiving and Nora Nagatani of aboutalz.com.

The panelists agreed that Alzheimer’s Disease is already a major crisis and getting worse as the baby boomers age. However, the good news is that nearly 100 clinical trials are underway, and even the trials that have already failed have provided valuable information.  Pharmaceutical companies are partnering with academia, and Alzheimer’s is one of the top research priorities. The researchers were all optimistic that the research will eventually lead to effective treatments for this devastating disease.

A transcript of the roundtable will be posted on the PhRMA website soon.

Some of the researchers on the call appear in the video below.

National Alzheimer’s Month and National Caregivers Month

More than 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease, and the disease impacts their loved ones in a huge way.

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has recently published ”2010 Report: Medicines in Development for Alzheimer’s Disease.” Among the statistics included the report are these:

• Some 70 percent of people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias live at home, where they are cared for by family and friends.

• In 2009, nearly 11 million family members and friends provided an average of 21.9 hours of unpaid care per week for a person with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia, for a total of about 12.5 billion hours of care. That year, the estimated economic value of the unpaid care was $144 billion.

I can tell you from personal experience that caregiving offers many challenges as well as blessings. My associate, Beverly Ellison, wrote in a recent post about becoming the caregiver for her mother and also shared do’s and don’ts for Alzheimer’s.

November is National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness and National Caregivers Month. Caregivers give unselfishly of their time and energy and emotions to care for those they love who are being devastated by the progressive, fatal disease. Caregivers deserved to be honored all the time—especially during National Caregivers Month.

Call a caregiver to chat, drop by for a short visit, or take her to lunch. Volunteer to sit with the patient for a couple of hours so the caregiver can go shopping. If one of your family members is caring for a mutual relative with Alzheimer’s, offer to help and let the caregiver know how much you appreciate what she is doing. A  little appreciation goes a long way.

And before the end of the month, you can give a caregiver a special gift—Help! What Do I Do Now? Caring for Your Loved One with Alzheimer’s. Short, easy-to-read, and, above all, useful, this guide filled with practical tips caregivers can use every day was written by my sister Nancy Nicholson, a social worker with both personal and professional experience with Alzheimer’s. The Watch for more information next week. 

photo credit: Vince Alongi.

Alzheimer’s Do’s and Don’ts

Introduction from Lillie: This article by my associate, Beverly Ellison, is the follow-up to her post: The Gift: Becoming Primary Caregiver for Mom with Alzheimer’s .

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It has taken me longer than I planned to get back with you to share my experience with the “Do’s and Don’ts” of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). To those of you whom I have not responded to yet, please know that I will.

One of the things I’ve learned is that life—as unpredictable as it is under normal circumstances—becomes even more unpredictable when we become caregivers. I have learned to live one day at a time, to take time whenever I can and to adjust to what each day brings. I make my plans, keeping in mind that they could change at a moment’s notice if my Mom has a need that has to be met.

Because her short-term memory is gone, Mom can no longer “plan ahead.” So when she or an assisted living staff member tells me she needs something, she needs it NOW. I can be on my way home, to Bible Study, or to meet a friend for dinner when I get the notice. This means that I will either be late, miss Bible Study, or reschedule my dinner plans (depending on the situation) in order to meet Mom’s need(s). I try to stay ahead of the game, but it doesn’t always work out that way. I’ve learned accept it and to live with it because I know it’s going to happen.

On to the “Do’s and Don’ts.” Bear in mind that there is no scientific approach to my list. Everything I am sharing with you was learned—sometimes painfully—by trial and error.

DO …	DON’T …
-  pray for wisdom regarding your loved one’s care.	- make a decision before you pray about it.
- assure your loved one that you want to help them.	- make your loved one feel that s/he is a burden to you.
- spend quality time with your loved one.	- neglect your loved one.
-  be patient with your loved one.	- be in a hurry.
- establish and adhere to a consistent routine.	- make frequent changes to their daily activities.
-  think of fun ways to deal with repetitiveness.	- exhibit frustration or irritability.
- keep your loved one involved in activities they enjoy.	- isolate your loved one.
- arrange regular visits with close relatives and friends.	- keep them away from those they know and love.
- encourage as much independence as possible.	- take away activities they can safely do for themselves.
- agree with your loved one … even when they’re wrong.	- argue with your loved one; s/he will soon forget.
- make regular doctor visits with your loved one.	- neglect the importance of their health and wellness.
- realize that they will say things that will hurt you.	- become defensive; remember, it’s part the disease.
- seek legal advice to protect your loved one’s interests.	- make important decisions without professional advice.
- keep accurate records of your loved one’s finances.	­- neglect documentation of all income and expenses.
- ask for help when you need it.	- try to do it all yourself.
- take care of yourself!	- ignore the need for periodic respite.

I hope you find these “Do’s and Don’ts” helpful. Every experience with Alzheimer’s Disease is different because AD affects different people in different ways. So please feel free to share because we can all learn from each other. The more we learn, the more precious the “gift.”

God bless you!!  God bless America!!! 

Beverly Ellison <><

Domestic Violence Awareness Month 2010

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Last year, I posted a series on domestic violence, beginning with Supporting Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I encourage you to read the entire series, and I hope you become as passionate as I am about stopping domestic violence.

A question that I consider one of the highest compliments I’ve received on my romantic mystery novel Dream or Destiny came from Bluestocking at The Bluestocking Guide in a podcast interview. She asked if I had ever had personal experience with domestic violence. As an advocate for victims of domestic violence, she found my characterizations of David, a victim of child abuse, to be so realistic she thought I must have seen domestic violence firsthand.

Thankfully, I have never had any experience, but I am thrilled that my characters revealed themselves to me in such a way that their experiences were realistic. People who aren’t writers often think it’s strange when writers say the characters took over the story, but that often happens. When I started writing Dream or Destiny, I had no idea that domestic violence would be an important element. However, when I started creating the character David, he told me he had been abused. I did a lot of online research about abuse. The personal accounts of abuse survivors horrified me with the violence and pain but inspired me with their courage and resilience. What I learned touched me deeply and motivated me to advocate for victims and for an end to violence.

Learn more about domestic violence and the National Domestic  Violence Awareness Month at the Domestic Violence Awareness Project. Find information and links to posts of participating bloggers at Bloggers Unite for Domestic Violence Awareness Month. If you are as passionate about ending domestic violence as I am, share your voice to help raise awareness during the month of October.

The Gift: Becoming Primary Caregiver for Mom with Alzheimer’s

Introduction from Lillie: This is the first post from my associate, Beverly Ellison. You can look forward to more posts from Beverly in the future.

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Chances are many of you who are reading this have been impacted by Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). As our society continues to age, AD will continue to make itself known. My 91-year-old mother was diagnosed six years ago.

AD affects people in different ways. In my mother’s case, this mysterious disease has taken away her short-term memory, but that’s okay—that’s why I’m here. AD has changed our lives—my Mom’s, of course, as well as my husband’s (Carl) and mine.

I am primary caregiver for my Mom, yet when I was gifted (yes, gifted) with this responsibility, none of us was prepared. My Mom left her home one day for a short stay in the hospital as the result of a fall at her home (no broken bones!). When she was dismissed, she came home with Carl and me; she never returned home to live. Understandably, she resented it.

The first several months were challenging for all of us, but over time, with God’s help and the love and support of my husband (my Mom’s “son” as she calls him), things progressively got better. My mother lived with us for nearly three and a half years. She has resided in an assisted living facility for nearly three years now, and she enjoys it very much.

What an amazing transformation—for all of us—in the six years since Mom’s diagnosis! My Mom, like me, is by nature an introvert. As long as I’ve known her, she has been an introvert and was always very shy. As a direct result of AD, she exhibits the behavior of an extrovert, and is having the time of her life! She dances—I never knew she could! She sings—I never knew she could do that, either! She and I have so much fun together sitting and talking, running errands, watching a good movie together, and  going to church together, to name a few.

Taking care of my Mom and spending this cherished time with her has created a closeness we never knew before. We laugh and joke all the time. We’ve even made a game out of the loss of her short-term memory. When she asks the same question every few minutes, I respond in a way that makes her laugh and laugh and laugh. I love to hear her laugh! Why, I think that because of her and my naturally extroverted husband, I am becoming an extrovert, too!

So, you see, taking care of my Mom truly is a gift!

Next Tuesday, September 21, is World Alzheimer’s Day. Lillie will have a post on that day, then I’ll be back next Thursday  soon with some do’s and don’ts for dealing with people with AD. Stay tuned; I’ll tell you more in a few days!

Until then,

God bless you!! God bless America!!!

Beverly Ellison <><

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