It's All in The Family

Every morning I wake up, I’m grateful for a good night’s sleep. Sleeping well is important for our spiritual, mental and physical health. I know many people have difficulty getting good sleep. I’ve heard that some people walk, some talk, some even eat or drive cars in their sleep. Phew! Makes me tired just thinking about it.

I’m also grateful for every waking moment I get. I don’t think I get enough waking moments, so I’m up early and I go to bed late. I want to be wide awake every minute so I don’t miss one beautiful thing in this world. Not enough beautiful things happen in life; I want to stay awake for them all!

My awake time is precious; I invest some each day reading news and views concerning the homeless, the working poor, the elderly and the disabled. These groups of people have one thing in common; they live their lives hoping to get respect. They don’t live to get money; they don’t live to get good looks; they live their waking moments to get respect. I guess I just respect that!

I read a news article today from Seattle posted on the Homeless People's Network. It addresses the question: As the numbers of seniors grows, can the state help with their care? The question shouldn’t be new news to anybody. In fact, even the concerns raised in the article are old fodder for old codgers. What’s new and fresh is the inspired answer to a serious and developing concern.

The article begins:

“At their stage in life, Pam … and her friends don't swap tips about raising kids anymore. They talk about how emotionally draining and complicated it can be to find good (affordable) care for frail parents. And that leads to worries about their own old age.”

Four main concerns were raised in the article: assurance of quality health care (without abuse) is uncertain because of cost ($); public dollars will not be able to cover the growing health care cost ($); individuals need to develop plans to take care of their personal health care cost ($); we need laws that will lower health care cost ($).

And the final answer is:

“One of the remedies she (Pam) and her friends joke about is starting a commune. Perhaps, they would buy a big house, where they would live together and contribute to the common good. Wouldn't that be a pleasant way to live … ?”

I think it would be a pleasant way for the elderly, the disabled, the poor, and even the homeless to live. I think it would make for some beautiful moments in some not-so-beautiful days in some pretty important lives. I think so, because it sounds just like it's all in the ‘family’ to me!

And if we all lived like family, I think we’d all get a better night’s sleep.