On Sunny Lane: Let’s Be Healthy

Attendance was sparse at our church last Sunday in what is an already small congregation.

It’s that time of year when, if you haven’t already been laid up with an ailment of some kind, your time has come. That’s what happened to several of my church friends last weekend. And some people were healthy enough to come to church, but relied on the sick ones for transportation, so they had to stay home, too.

It’s not just seasonal illnesses that slow our friends, Sweetheart and me down these days. There are long-term issues that keep us making trips to the doctor’s office. Doctor visits, lab tests and medical procedures keep our dance cards full.

Recently, a friend made a trip to the hospital emergency room because she was having a pain in her stomach. After copious tests, the doctors were mystified, because the tests did not reveal any abnormality. My friend was happy, because she said she was given a “clean bill of health.”

Now, I don’t think that not finding an issue is the same as being healthy. Many times I have heard about someone going for a lab test in hopes of determining what is causing a particular pain or other malfunction. A friend or relative, while reassuring the patient, says, “I hope they don’t find anything.”

I maintain that the doctors should find something, so it can be treated. How can we get better if we don’t know what’s wrong? And, if you don’t find the problem, you need to keep searching.

It appears to me, upon seeing the news on television, that our country is sick. I see conflict on the TV and I read about it in the newspaper. I don’t get involved with social media, because it is too easy to express opinions in heated and inflammatory language that a person would not use face to face.

It’s easy to join the crowd and jump on the bandwagon. That does not always bring health to a society. The way we care for our bodies contributes to its health and well being. Do you think that keeping our minds and bodies engaged in positive and uplifting pursuits might contribute to a healthy society?

As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation this year, it might be a good time to look up its history to see what made it great. We can look at the mistakes we made and learn from them.

We can investigate to see what mistakes we are now making, see how they depart from the U.S. Constitution and learn from them—before we end up in more conflict.

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Dorothy is the author of two books—“Miles and Miracles” and “Getting It All Together “. You can purchase a book or send a comment by emailing her at dorothybutzknight@gmail.com