Keep the Faith

In life, there are many things we can think about that will drive us nuts. We can research and read about things that will make us worry. We are inundated all day long with statistics and information about all the “bad” things that can happen. If we want, we can sit down all day long, and just worry.

Recently, we have been warned and bombarded with information on H1N1 virus. Vaccinate, don’t vaccinate, we have been hearing it all. We must make decisions for us and our children on what we THINK is right or wrong. The media is causing panic and stress to ensure we take the steps to receive the vaccine. There are no studies, it has not been around long enough, do we trust it? We have heard of deaths among young, healthy children. We have heard of long term side effects of the vaccination. All I can say is.....ahhhhh! Please stop, please stop causing worry and stress, to an already stressful world we live in.

We worry when we fly, because of terrorism; we worry when we get in our cars, because of accidents; we worry about lumps, because of cancer; we worry about e-coli, listeria and salmonella in our food; and now we must worry about flu like symptoms, because of swine. Our jobs are hard enough trying to ensure our children are eating healthy, getting enough rest, and doing well in school. Do we have to add panic to the mix?
There are too many hours in a day to sit down and think about all the bad that can happen. There are too many avenues of illness and danger to worry about. We are constantly wondering if our kids are safe, healthy and are not talking to “bad” people. We constantly doubt ourselves, and our decisions, as parents. We must stop this! We must just enjoy our lives, and take it, for all the good it has to offer.

Life is precious, life is special, and life is sacred. We must wake up every morning and fill our bodies with positive attitude. Let us put happy thoughts in our minds. Let’s stop this worry over everything the media wants to brainwash us with. We need to stand up, and be strong and we sometimes need to plug our ears, cover our eyes, and unplug our TV. We need to dig deep in our hearts and we need to gather our strength. We need to rely on our own gut feelings, not on the recommendation of strangers and the media. We need to tune out all the negative feedback, and opinion. We need to feel confident in our choices and our decisions. We need to be diligent, cautious, but at the same time, we should not second guess or decisions.
In worrisome times, we can only rely on our beliefs, and our beliefs of a higher power. We are only humans, we don’t know everything, and we cannot always prepare for things larger than us. This is when we must be positive in our own thoughts and in our own ideas. We need to remain calm, composed and more importantly we need to keep the faith.
That’s my peace today!

Caprese Salad
4 large tomatoes
1 tub of large bocconcini
bunch of basil
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and oregano for taste
10 Kalamati olives (optional)

Slice tomatoes into thin slices. Arrange on a large plate. Slice bocconcini into thin slices and arrange on tomato slices. Wash fresh basil and arrange on each slice. Salt and oregano on all slices, and pour olive oil evenly to cover each slice. (You may add Kalamati olives if desired)