Viruses Anyone?

I recently read a small little blurb in the December 3, 2011, issue of World magazine entitled “Pox Parcels” (19).  Of course, the title caught my eye quickly, but if it hadn’t, the small cartoon of a boy with red dots all over his face and licking a lollipop probably would have done the same.  Evidently parents who are philosophically opposed to vaccinating their children against the chicken pox virus seek to expose their children to other children with the virus in an attempt to get them infected with it and thus build up their immunity to it.  The thinking is that this illness is much more dangerous to adults than it is to children.  To my surprise, a search on Google resulted in my finding that these kinds of “Pox Parties” are not such a recent phenomenon but have been carried out for decades and are not restricted to the chicken pox virus.

This article, however, cites the recent trend of some of these “anti-vaccination” parents seeking pox-infected items over social networking sites.  According to the article, one Facebook page entitled “Find a Pox Party in your Area” was trying to help parents send contaminated items (such as licked lollipops) to other parents who wished to infect their children.  There’s one glitch, though, as the article points out:  “Knowingly sending infected items through the United States Mail is a federal offense” (19).  As this story has now made its way to the public, the Facebook page is now encouraging these parents to make their transactions through private channels.

Seriously?!  I try not to be too judgmental of parenting styles, as I have no children myself, and I have nothing against parents who choose not to vaccinate their children.  I haven’t done any research on the subject, but I assume that these parents have reasonable reasons why they are against such a thing.  But to knowingly and intentionally expose your child to a serious illness in order to build immunity seems a touch dangerous to me.  It’s my understanding that, although rare, there are times when complications can arise stemming from chicken pox that are much more dangerous than the virus itself and can result in brain damage and death, and I have also heard that chicken pox itself can be life-threatening if not treated properly. 

To be completely honest, though, what stands out to me the most about this article and these “pox parcels” is the whole licked-lollipop thing.  Really?  You’re gonna let your kid suck on a lollipop that has been sucked on by some other random kid about whom you know very little to possibly even nothing?  I’m not a germaphobe, but this is a little out there even for me.

Gratefulness

Standing in my kitchen, waiting on a pie to finish baking and trying desperately to figure out what to write in this blog, I’m staring blankly at my refrigerator when all of a sudden I begin to take notice of all of the pictures stuck to it by magnets.  I would estimate there are around 20 or 30 photographs placed all over it, most of these senior pictures of students from our church.  You see, my husband has been an associate/youth pastor at our church for over 11 years, and every year in May we receive pictures from many of our graduating seniors, pictures that inevitably find a home on our refrigerator door.  I very rarely ever take one off, and so one can imagine the gallery we’ve accumulated of recent.

While looking at these photos, a thought drifts across my mind:  man, I am so blessed.  With the hustle and bustle of every day life and the issues and trials that unavoidably crop up, I many times find myself becoming discontent and restless in my life.  But looking at these photographs reminds me of all the wonderful friendships with which I’ve been blessed, all of the students I’ve had the awesome opportunity to invest in and to see changed as they grow, and I think to myself how good I’ve really got it.  An incredible husband, a job I enjoy going to, and a ministry with students that I’ve grown to love—how can I possibly ever be ungrateful for what God has given me?

The Power of a Simple Gift

So I am what some might call a Christmas freak.  I get giddy this time of year when I start to see the Christmas decorations go up in the stores and hear yuletide music playing over the speakers.  I love to look at all of the shiny bows and wrapping paper and get excited about buying Christmas boxes with glitter all over them, and I simply cannot wait to go Christmas shopping for family and friends.

There is something more, though, that gets me even more excited at this time of year.  This is the time of year that the Samaritan’s Purse organization runs their Operation Christmas Child project helping children in need across the globe.  In this project, Samaritan’s Purse asks people to give to children around the world by packing shoeboxes (or containers of like size) with all kinds of items such toys, school supplies, hygiene items, and more, which they then collect and send off to children in need.  Last year alone they sent over 8.17 million boxes from over ten different countries.  The following is this year’s Operation Christmas Child promo video:

Friday night my husband and I went shopping and spent about two hours picking out items for two shoeboxes—one for a girl and one for a boy.  We had an incredible time together choosing the things that we felt would bring a big Christmas smile to their recipients, and we look forward to tracking our boxes online this year to see what country they end up in. 

What an excellent opportunity to bring Christmas to those who might never have gotten any kind of present the whole year through!  Yes, this is truly one of my very favorite things about Christmas!

Burly Mountain Woman

In one of the student-led discussions in my Comp class this semester, we were asked what our dream vacation would look like.  In thinking of an answer to this question (an answer that I ultimately never found—just so many great places I’d like to visit), I couldn’t help but think back through all of the great vacations that I’ve been fortunate enough to take throughout my life.

Included in these are the several visits I have made to the state of Colorado with my handsome husband.  Before we married I wouldn’t have been considered what people might call an “outdoorsy” girl, and although I still might not be considered that now, my extremely active and “outdoorsy” husband has brought at least some wilderness and adventure out of me.  The first vacation we ever went on, other than our honeymoon to Hawaii, was an extended weekend vacation to Colorado Springs, during which we hiked and biked all over Garden of the Gods and the Pikes Peak recreational areas.  On our way back to Oklahoma my husband commented that we might need to train a little bit before we go the next time, and I remember thinking to myself, Hmmm, if you have to train for it, is it really considered a vacation?  At that point in my life, vacations to me were not painted with rigorous activities for which one must train.

Gray's Peak, September 2007

Well, my view of vacations eventually changed thanks to our second trip to Colorado in the summer of 2007.  When planning for our visit to the Keystone area of CO, my husband told me that he wanted to hike Gray’s Peak, one of over 50 “14ers” (peaks over 14,000 feet) in the state.  I replied that I would be more than game to do that; after all, I really enjoy leisurely hikes in the beauty of the Rockies.  Boy, was I in for a surprise!  Hiking a 14er can be described in many ways, none of which should include the word “leisurely,” in my opinion.  And although I was in okay shape (not the best, but certainly not horrible), there was a point about a quarter of a mile from the summit where I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to make it.

Mt. Elbert, August 2009

I did make it, however, and the experience really impacted me in a way I never expected.  For one, I realized that I had just accomplished my greatest physical feat up to that point; this was one of the greatest rushes I had ever experienced.  Secondly, I realized that I wanted to do it again… and again… and again.  Two years later we traveled to Aspen (actually, kind of just ended up there—long story) and summited Mt. Elbert, Colorado’s tallest peak.  The year after that we took students from our church to a leadership camp in Lake City, CO, where we were able to summit Handies Peak with our entire group.  Ever since, we have been regular visitors to 14ers.com where we have been searching for the next peak we want to climb.

Handie's Peak, August 2010

When I think back on the best vacations I have ever been on, these peak hikes are right there at top of the list.  I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited some amazing places, but there’s nothing that quite compares to standing on the top of a mountain summit knowing that I’ve just spent myself hiking to that very spot, to feel the burn in my lungs and my legs and know that I’ve accomplished this.