Count Your Health Care Blessings

  Jimmy Kimmel just brought me to tears.  His monologue last night, which I saw on Twitter, about his son having open heart surgery at three days old, is heart wrenching to say the least. He was so honest and open about the devastating diagnosis, that it will make you look at the comedian in a new light. The story ended on a wonderful note with Billy surviving the surgery and being able to go home five days after the surgery. Success. Those doctors will forever be in the Kimmel family's hearts.

  But he brought up an even bigger point. One that is very timely and so important. His son, had he been born before 2014, would not have qualified for health insurance in the U.S. because he was born with a pre-existing condition. Imagine that. The Kimmel's could afford any type of care needed even with out insurance. But what about you and me? We certainly could not. 

  Jimmy said, through tears, no parent should have to figure out how to pay to keep their child alive. How can you claim to be the greatest country in the world and have that happen? Does a child's life have a price tag? It seems so. Let me clarify....no children's hospital in the U.S. is ever going to not treat a child because of financial reasons. That's not who doctors and nurses who care for children are. Insurance companies well they are a different story.

  No matter your politics. No matter your finances. No matter where you live or what religion you practice, all people will agree on this one point.....we need to keep our children healthy. No matter the cost. These are innocent children. They must be taken care of. Period.

  With universal healthcare in Canada some people focus on what is wrong with our system. One thing I know for sure. I will NEVER have to worry about taking my child to the doctor. A trip to the hospital won't bankrupt me. We will always be given the absolute best care possible. Always.

   We are so lucky.

  Ang
  
  

#12 Small Town Proud

 Yesterday afternoon the Cape Breton West Islanders won the 2017 Telus Cup! This midget hockey tournament is for teams from all across Canada. In the scope of hockey tournaments it's a big deal. A really big deal. It's an even bigger deal for my family since #12 Avery Warner was playing! We are so proud. Beyond proud.

  What makes this an even bigger achievement is what it shows the kids of the small towns that make up this team. Rural can mean success! Living in an urban area with more resources doesn't necessarily mean better. Hard work and dedication, combined with a little luck, makes anything possible.

  Growing up in the country, kids feel like they are missing out on things. And really they are. There are no arts or sports schools available. Chances are the range of classes are not as wide. There might not be a robotics club or musical theater. Maybe there is no one available to tutor in physics. Or no movie theater or violin lessons. You pay a price for the rural lifestyle.

  But what you lose, or gladly give up, you gain in many other things. A sense of community that can't be explained to a city dweller. Lots of eyes making sure you are safe. Extended family is the norm. Friendships that last forever. Sometimes the kids don't realize this til they're older but one day their eyes will open.

  The Islanders come from these small towns.They were the under-dogs. The disadvantaged so to speak. But they showed that anything is possible if you set your mind to it and work tirelessly to succeed.

  Congratulations CBW Islanders on your win. You've shown the country that small town Canada has big time talent. You are inspirations. And with a huge amount of family pride...Avery we can't wait to see what you do next!

  My Dad would have loved to see Warner on the back of a hockey jersey on tv!

  Ang

  

Email Rage

  Thanks to email, i messages and texting, we can instantly tell people where we are, what we are doing and what we think. For good or for bad. Once you hit that send button....you can't take it back.

  Every message can be taken the wrong way. We can take every "fat-finger typo" as a slight. When you can't hear the speaker's tone it's easy to do. And even a simple CAPITAL LETTER can be construed as anger. 

  If you think someone is going to be upset or angered by a comment, you will be able to read that into their response. Quite easily too. No matter what the words are, we will make them into whatever we expect. We are all guilty.

  Take a few breathes before you hit send on that nasty email or text. Consider the fact that you can never take back those words. Read it again and imagine how your friend, parent, coworker or spouse will interpret your words.

  Nothing is ever truly gone from the internet....except the time you spend on it!

  Ang

  

18 Month Parental Leave

  Feminism is a dirty word in some circles. Even the definition of what a feminist is depends on who you ask. For me it's about everyone having the same rights....female or male and having choices. Having children really shouldn't give us advantages over others. Especially those men and women without children.

  The Federal government is talking about extending parental leave from 12 months to a grand total of 18 months....three of which is maternity and only applies to the mother. So any father can take the remaining 9 months or split it with the mom in any combination. Or take none at all. Choices. 

  One entire year, or even nine months, away from your job is tough. For the employer, your co-workers and the person who takes over your position. Extending it to eighteen months, while good in theory, doesn't seem fair to me. Of course the infant benefits and you can't put a price on that or the time you get to spend with your child. But everyone else pays a price.

  Your employer has to hire someone to take your place no matter what job you have. The new person must be trained which comes at a cost. Or they distribute your work among the other employees. That could mean over-time and work suffering, not to mention disgruntled and unhappy workers. Then you come back and your job, and seniority, is waiting for you. Some people may not like that either.

  The simple fact is most men don't, and won't, take parental leave. Women benefit from it much more often. Extending it would give us an even bigger advantage. While we champion our country for supporting us, would we be so proud if it was an advantage to men? I don't think so.

  And what about those women who don't have kids? I've written about that before to some heated responses. I'll leave that alone.

   I chose to stay home with my kids. My husband chose to take parental leave...twice. We are lucky to be a family that can make those choices. Not everyone is so lucky. But if I was an employer I would not be happy about a year let alone eighteen months. Especially when it could happen again and again and again. With every single employee I have.

  Feminism means equality. And sometimes equality doesn't seem fair.

  Ang
  

  

I'm Old

  It's the end of an era for me today. The care free days of my youth are gone. How do I know those happy-go-lucky days are behind me? Two words....progressive lenses. 

  Yup bi-focals. Old lady glasses. The eye wear equivalent of closed-toed shoes with no heel. Or Mom jeans. Bathing suits with a skirt. You know what I'm talking about. Those subtle signs we are getting older.

  Adding insult to injury, the woman who helped me pick out the perfect pair was all of 12! Ok maybe 20 but not a day more. She explained all about the differences and how quickly I will adapt to them. But the entire time I kept looking at her and thinking she is a good thirty years away from needing them. And hating her just a little.

  I'm not too worried about getting older. I've lived with the grey hair for years now. I've had too many friends not make it to the "golden years" that I'm grateful for every day. Just every once in a while you realize that things are changing. Faster than we all would like.

  You don't have to look any farther than your kids to know that time is moving quickly. Just the other day Alex was looking up at me with his big blue eyes, asking me for a hug and Riley wanted someone to put him to bed and sing him a lullaby. Fast forward a few years and Alex rests his chin on the top of my head when he hugs me and Riley puts himself to bed. Blink and they are moving out.

  I'm going to enjoy these last few days in my old glasses. Hell I may even wear a pair of high heels! Living dangerously my friends.

  God I hope I don't fall and break a hip!

  Ang

Wifi Free

   We've been having some wi-fi issues over the past few days so I've been pretty quiet on the writing front. So much has happened in that time I'm not sure where to begin.

  On Easter Sunday, the holiest of holy days if you are a Christian, a man drove though downtown Cleveland and shot an innocent man. Sadly this isn't an unheard of event but what made this even more horrific...the murderer live streamed it to Facebook. The victim, Robert Goodwin Sr., was victimized yet again by thousands of people watching his death. That I find almost worse.

  Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have officially filed for divorce. But like the adults they appear to be, they filed without lawyers so nothing about their settlements will be public. That protects their children. Brilliant. They have a history of putting their kids first...they vacation as a family, spend holidays together. You know like adults should behave when they have children but no longer want to be a couple. Kudos to them both for being great parents.

  United Airlines is in the midst of a public relations nightmare. After the media got the film of how a passenger was treated on an over booked flight they knew there would be a backlash. Then the President made a public "apology" that was more of a "blame the victim" statement then anything resembling an "I'm sorry".  It took a plummeting stock price to make them finally take responsibility. Dr. Dao will undoubtedly be a very rich man, in the very near future.

  Saturday Night Live brought Melissa McCarthy back as Sean Spicer. Some people were shocked at the skit. Others thought it brilliant. Lorne Michaels owes Donald Trump a very expensive meatloaf dinner and a bottle of scotch. SNL hasn't enjoyed this level of popularity since the 80's. 

  These are just a few things that caught my eye over the past week. It's been eventful I'll give ya that!

  Ang

  

What in the World is Going On?

  The world is becoming a very scary place, very quickly. Between Trump's knee-jerk tweets that inflame, even more, a bad situation, to North Korea's reaction to said tweets.....I feel as if we are on a precipice. And we aren't going to survive the fall.

  I'm not sure when it happened, but the United States President seems to believe they decide what countries have nuclear capabilities and who does not. I am in NO way saying I want North Korea to have these bombs. I don't want anyone to. But his posturing could have explosive reactions...pun intended.

  There is a complete lack of diplomacy at the moment. Trump seems to have no clue that Kim Yong Un isn't scared of him and that those "in your face" tweets are like a stick poking into an open wound. He is trying to show his strength and all it's done is made a dictator show his. 

  Is Trump worried? Not if you see the pics of him golfing while every news channel is talking about nuclear arsenals and whether a missile could make land in the United States from the other side of the world. He seems unflustered. Relaxed even. As if this is something to relook at on Tuesday morning....when his office re-opens for business.

  Hold your loved ones near this Easter weekend. Enjoy the time together. Who knows what state the world will be in this time next week.

  Have the extra piece of pie and glass of wine.....just in case.

  Ang