Zee Chevalier
“Mother”
M is for the million things she gave me,
O means only that she’s growing old,
T is for the tears she shed to save me,
H is for the heart of purest gold.
E is for her eyes, with love light shining,
R means right, and right she’ll always be.
Put them all together, they spell “Mother”
A word that means the world to me.
Howard Johnson, c. 1915
The majority of countries that celebrate Mother’s Day do so on the second Sunday of May. The highly traditional practice of honouring Motherhood is rooted in antiquity, and past rites typically had strong symbolic and spiritual overtones; societies tended to celebrate Goddesses and symbols rather than natural mothers. The personal, human touch to Mother’s Day is a relatively new phenomenon; Canada didn’t make it a national holiday until 1909.
Who can’t recall “breakfast in bed for mom” with fondness? My 12-year-old grandson took it a step further: dinner for mom. It had to include his favourite, of course—Yorkshire pudding with mashed potatoes and gravy. At the last minute he panicked. There was no meat! All good dinners had meat! Totally unfazed, he boiled up some wieners.
“All seasons are beautiful for the person who carries happiness within.” (Horace Friess)
Stuart Harris, editor-in-chief of Alive magazine, is struck by the number of times he’s come across the clear link between healthy aging and lasting happiness. The two are deeply interconnected for many people. Ensuring longevity and happiness requires an early start; a conscious approach to evaluating our healthy eating habits and ongoing exercise routines. It also means planning for the time following retirement, when many Canadians have the opportunity to spend more time with family and friends, travel, enjoy hobbies, learn new things, and perhaps further their education.
Harris refers to two approaches: wellness and happiness. For some the wellness approach would be easy: avoid smoking, protect your skin from UV rays, eat nutritionally, limit alcohol intake, etc. For others the happiness approach would be easier: staying close to family and friends, volunteering, being active in the community, and laughing a lot (especially at yourself!)
For best results at any age, we need to combine wellness and happiness. We must realize the importance of both physical and mental activities, from strength concerns to heart health, and memory concerns to eye health: it’s all important. Live naturally, live well, live long!
The Foot Clinic will be on May 12 at the Clinton Seniors’ Centre. To discuss your foot health or to book an appointment call Colleen Thom, RN CAFCN, at 1-250-819-1632.
Cards and games are held on Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. in the Seniors’ Centre. Some people like to play Canasta (which starts at 1:30 p.m.) while others are enjoying various games. Come and join the group for a relaxing afternoon and a cup of coffee.
The next general meeting of the Clinton Seniors’ Association will be on May 19 following lunch at 12:00 noon in the Seniors’ Centre.
May will be busy with the Victoria Day weekend, the rodeo and parade, Heritage Week, the Old Timers’ Tea, and much more. Enjoy!