"Beauty confronts us with the requirement that we place ourselves among...the redeemers, the leaders in the protection of life. Once you have seen the bush on fire, you are not going to get out of the assignment unless you close your eyes to the beauty.... [You] either have to close your eyes or go back to Egypt and set the people free." - Rev. Dr. Rebecca Parker, "Rising to the Challenge of Our Times"

Saturday, March 25, 2006

Happy Birthday WSH

My great-grandma Winnie's birthday today. I have a little story that I thought I'd posted before but looking back it appears that I left it out--maybe I just couldn't find it and I'm repeating myself, but it's probably a good life strategy to get over the fear of repeating oneself.

Grandma Winnie had some very practical remedies for upset or "sour stomach" as she put it, which I did not always appreciate. One night some 23 or so years ago I was staying at the Ranch, as Grandma & Grandpa's home was called (because it was, in fact, a ranch). My tummy hurt. Grandma informed me that I needed to drink baking soda dissolved in a glass of water and I'd be fixed right up. I didn't like the idea. Furthermore I was certain that no way in hell would I drink baking soda. I believed that I might possibly barf if I drank it and I have always been very barfing-averse. I refused to take her advice and just stewed with my stomach acid for awhile.

So a few months ago when I had been taking all that vitamin-C loaded Airborne to fend off germs, and was awake in the middle of the night with "Flaming" as opposed to merely "Sour" stomach, and had ransacked the condo looking for Tums but couldn't find any, I thought, What Would Winnie Do? Sure enough, right on the box of baking soda in the cupboard were the instructions for mixing up a not exactly tasty antacid beverage. I drank it, didn't barf, and almost instantly felt much better. I also purchased more Tums the next day.

2 comments:

limes said...

Once Josh had a remarkable sour tummy, and I found myself in the same predicament: no conventional medicine to be had in the entire apartment. So I mixed up some of the brew, he drank it (THAT is how sour his tummy was), and immediately felt better.

wordsfromhome said...

Winnie would have been 101 today! Thanks for the reminder of what day it is. When I think of Bob and Winnie, I can almost feel the house at the ranch, and see tham waving from the grass in front of the trees as we honk the horn while passing back down the freeway on the way home. Their home was what I always want my home to be: a place where everyone feels welcomed.