Better Bathrooms!

My wife and I began some months ago to be concerned about having to bring our aging parents to stay with us in their waning days, not that not to mention the fact that we are approaching retirement age ourselves. Our ranch-style home that was built in the 1960s is spacious enough and would be comfortable for them, but it was not designed to be easily accessed by those who might be in a wheelchair or motorized scooter. That was especially true of our bathroom.

We knew that we needed to remodel, but were unsure of what really could and should be done. So we went online to sites like betterbathrooms.com. There we found a multitude of ideas and products that would meet our needs. Not only did they have standard bathroom fixtures and accessories, but they also showed possible bathroom suites and ways to arrange the facility for better accessibility for those with limited mobility.

We were able to transform our bathtub into a handicap accessible shower facility with safety features, and comfort features, that will be able to accommodate our parents if they indeed do have to come and stay in our home, and will certainly make things easier for us as we get older.




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Hope For Haiti's Children

Yesterday at the preachers’ luncheon we learned about the work of a faith based group called Hope for Haiti’s Children. This group feeds, educates, and for some orphans, houses children in the outskirts of Port Au Prince. They can fully fund that work for about $40 per month per child. They were already in Haiti before the earthquake and their students were among the top in standardized testing for the whole country. In the aftermath of the quake they have been distributing food and supplies to other organizations—no strings attached.

One of the things that really caught my attention is that the folks who set the ministry up established a separate fund for administrative costs. It is supported by folks who want to assure the work will continue. And that allows that every donation that is made for the children goes, 100 cents of every dollar, directly to the needs of those being helped! Rainy season began about two weeks ago, with most folks living in tent cities with little or no sanitation facilities. To take a look or to donate, go to http://hopeforhaitischildren.org/

Filthy Thirteen

I just read a book called, The Filthy Thirteen, about the WW2 paratroopers that were loosely portrayed in the movie, The Dirty Dozen. The author was one of the original group of demolition specialists who had combat jumps behind enemy lines at Normandy, in Holland, at Bastogne, and in Germany. They were recalcitrant soldiers who did not polish and shine and did not salute officers, but they were not criminals--as they were portrayed in the movie.

The book is graphic in its description of the war, but it is a good read. If you would like to see videos online about the group, here is a url that will help you find them: http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=+%22filthy+thirteen%22&num=100#