In Search of a Retrieval System

IN SEARCH OF A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM

It's a conundrum!

And it’s frustrating!

Let me try to explain.

Due to the Covid-19 self-isolation measures we are currently encountering and needing to fill extra hours at home, I couldn’t access my usual bookstores or even the library, so I decided it was time to sign up for library ebooks.  In a complicated, convoluted series of events, I ended up signing up at two different libraries with their two different ebook suppliers. And that’s what launched this journey through my conundrum…

I'm accumulating information that I don't quite know how to manage. It's all those wee bits here and there that I'm afraid I'll forget. I get an internal picture of myself jotting something down on a yellow stickie and posting it on my forehead. That's followed by another and another to the point where I am covered from top to toe by little coloured stickies and they’ve even taken over my kitchen wall.

Later, I need that bit of information, so I start to hunt.  I kinda remember.  I am pretty sure it's there somewhere.  I search and rustle through them, but that just makes them start to fall off!  It’s a dreadful jumble - there's no organization at all.  It is beyond frustrating! 

          Help! I need an index!

That's not actually what has happened of course. The truth is I have those bits of information carefully digitally saved. The problem is laying my hands on them. I hunt through gmail. Then through WhatsApp. Then through Messenger. Then through Texts. Then I think maybe I saved it in a document so search through the computer. Or did I hear it on a webinar or zoom meeting? Read it in one of the email articles that come by subscriptions that I've signed up for? Facebook? Or maybe it was in conversation with a neighbour or my husband. No wait - maybe I got the information in a phone call.  I'm old fashioned enough to still have a notebook beside the phone - but the phone (cordless of course) is never beside the notebook.

          Help! I need an index! 

Back to what launched this epic journey through the jumble in my mind.

Yesterday I sat down to read my book and suddenly realized that I'm not sure where to find the one I’m in the middle of. Is it on that library's ebook service or the other library? Is it on a pdf? Did I leave it, a “real” paperback, upstairs beside the bed? Maybe on Kindle, perhaps I should check there first.

As a retired librarian, I know information retrieval is all about indexes. Many well written books full of good information have been useless because of a lack of indexing or at least a table of contents. I need both! 

          Help!  I need a retrieval system….
                     And please tell me I'm not the only one.

[If you are receiving this due to subscribing via your email, you can go to the address below to see the blog in its published form, make a comment or view previous posts.  Thanks for reading my reflections. Velma.]

http://uponreflect.blogspot.com/  

Finding a comfortable place to be

When the future is uncertain, the past seems a safer place to be. 

Do you find yourself leaning towards comfort these days of Covid-19 pandemic? I do.

Good old-fashioned foods. Not only do they satisfy but are often made with simple ingredients that we probably have in our pantries or freezers. Biscuits. Bread Pudding. Pancakes. Mac and cheese. Baked beans.

Another question - do you find yourself leaning towards old comfortable friends and relatives these days? Even if the years have seen us move miles apart from each other, our hearts have never been distant so it's easy to reconnect. Someone we went to school with. Someone we went to church with. Cousins, aunts, uncles. A neighbour from 2 or 3 moves ago. Best friends when our children were born.

Did you pull out your old board games so you can sit around the table like in past days, rather than playing the digital version? Scrabble. Checkers. Puzzles – I hear they are hard to come by on the store shelves these days.

Are you, like me, tending to choose to listen to favourite music from years past?- even if listening to them on a thoroughly modern program like Spotify!!  Remember "A little bit country and a little bit rock n roll".  Elvis.  Doris Day.  Patsy Cline.  Louis Armstrong. Joni Mitchell.  B.J.Thomas.

Gospel music from the Gaithers comforts and encourages me.  Old hymns. Andrea Crouch.  Evie. Amy Grant. Any number of southern gospel quartets.

I'm rewatching old movies. Kinda wish I still had my VCR and collection of tapes.

Did you know that The Beverley Hillbillies TV show is on reruns?  Well, that's old vocab, actually it's available on a streaming service.

Gentle and comfortable books like Anne of Green Gables or the Mitford series are my choice these days.

And when I'm reading the Bible, I’m not back to the King James version of the church of my youth! -  but enjoy the NIV for the comfort and familiarity of the passages.

In general, I find I am not taking up the challenge of learning new information or tackling online courses.

A walk through the neighbourhood confirms that the natural world has not gone into hiding. I am revelling in the sight of green grass and blossoms, birds chirping and squirrels scurrying. It's comfortably the same as every year but somehow more precious today when everything else is off kilter.

Finding comfort in the past – the old and familiar - is very appealing to me right now. It seems like living in the present is akin to being in a waiting room while the future has been put on hold.

Then I remember Paul’s words in Ephesians 5, “So be very careful how you live, not being like those with no understanding, but live honorably with true wisdom, for we are living in evil times. Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for his purposes.  And don’t live foolishly for then you will have discernment to fully understand God’s will.” (TPTversion)

Here’s a quote I identify with--  “Our culture – and even our faith tradition – can easily convince us that it’s better to live somewhere other than the present. My time can be sucked into thinking about yesterday or tomorrow. But there’s an element of eternity in every moment we’re given. Today, I have breath in my lungs. Today, there’s life to be lived with God by my side. I just need to take a moment to see it.”  (Cheryl, Twenty-six Letters, online)

There then, is the challenge – “take full advantage of every day”!  There is no built in excuse for times of pandemics. In fact, more than just satisfying myself with something that feels comfortable, at this time it’s vitally important to step out of that zone of comfort and instead be the one to bring comfort to others in whatever way I can, today and every day.

This is the day that the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it.!

(Psalm 118:24)

[If you are receiving this due to subscribing via your email, you can go to the address below to see the blog in its published form, make a comment or view previous posts.  Thanks for reading my reflections. Velma.]

http://uponreflect.blogspot.com/   

Not taking things for granted any longer

Today’s article is from a guest blogger, my lovely daughter, Jennifer. When I saw her list it helped me focus on what has been happening in our little corner of the world.  But mostly I really like the short sum up at the end. In fact I like it so much that I’m also starting with it.

Why, you ask, do I write this status report? Simply, so that I will give it serious consideration and not take the things we dearly love for granted.

•Husband and I started working from home March 13, 2020 
•Gas prices at a record low (under $1/litre in the Vancouver area)
•Self-distancing measures on the rise
•Tape on the floors at grocery stores and others to help “social distance” shoppers 2m (6ft) from each other
•Limited number of people inside stores, therefore lineups outside the store doors
•Non-essential stores and businesses mandated closed
•Parks, trails, playgrounds closed
•Entire sports seasons cancelled
•Concerts, tours, festivals, entertainment events - cancelled
•Weddings, family celebrations, holiday gatherings - cancelled.
•No masses, churches are closed
•Schools are all closed
•No gatherings of 50 or more, then 20 or more, then 5 or more
•Don't socialize with anyone outside of your home
•We are to distance from each other – “physical distance” – “social distance”
•Shortage of masks, gowns, gloves for our front-line workers
•Shortage of respirators and ventilators for the critically ill
•Panic buying sets in and we have no toilet paper, no disinfecting supplies, no paper towels, no laundry soap, no hand sanitizer
•Store shelves are often bare
•Manufacturers, distilleries and other businesses switch their lines to help make visors, masks, hand sanitizer and PPE
•Government closes the border to all non essential travel, calls Canadians home and makes it mandatory to self isolate for 14 days
•Fines are established for breaking the rules
•Stadiums and recreation facilities open up as hospitals for the overflow of Covid-19 patients
•Press conferences daily from both Prime Minister Trudeau and Dr. Bonnie Henry (B.C. Health Officer)
•Government pays out incentives to stay home
•Barely anyone in the street or on the roads
•People are wearing masks and gloves wherever they go
•Essential service workers are terrified to go to work
•Medical field workers are afraid to go home to their families
•1,000,000 applications for Employment Insurance as people are without income

This is the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) Pandemic, declared March 11th, 2020.

They say it started in Wuhan, China at a seafood market.  The virus has gone on to ravage most of the world. Hundreds of thousands affected, dead, dying, critically ill.  Thankfully, many have recovered.

Why, you ask, did I write this status list?

To not take the things we dearly love for granted--

v  We have so much!

v  Be thankful

v  Be grateful

v  Be kind to each other

v  Love one another

v  Support everyone

We’ll get through this together!

[If you are receiving this due to subscribing via your email, you can go to the address below to see the blog in its published form, make a comment or view previous posts.  Thanks for reading my reflections. Velma.]

http://uponreflect.blogspot.com/   

Covid-19 Virus from a Reflective Point of View 2

After my recent lighthearted look at filling long days (“The Days are Just Packed”), I want to make it clear that I am vitally concerned about the coronavirus situation and am not treating it flippantly.

But I will admit I have been at a loss as to how to deal with it.

While I am passing the time in the comfort of my own home in my little corner of the world, others are suffering severe anxiety, loss and death.  I can protect myself when I'm out doing the few things that are necessary, but many others have no choice but to be in the midst of the situation and know they are likely to be affected. 

I follow the news reports. We've been to Italy and some of the other countries and my heart bleeds for them. I feel the sadness and despair. I watch with horror as the facts play out on my screen.

Yet I'm at a loss as to how to deal with it.

I'd like to agree with the old song "He ain't Heavy He's my Brother " but truly I can't carry their grief.  I can hardly carry my own.

In spite of the world wide pandemic, "normal" challenges continue to exist around me.  Cancer treatments must carry on. An appendix ruptures. There's a sudden unexpected death from a heart attack.  An ongoing battle with recurring illness.  A tooth aches. A child with autism is overly anxious. Insomnia denies a few hours of relief. Someone is new to dialysis.  Someone struggles with COPD.  A bank account is hacked. Friends await elective surgeries that are now postponed for who knows how long.

This is my "normal" reality. These things I am happy to carry for my friends, family, and for my community. I'm simply at a loss trying to deal with more. 

My heart breaks for the grief of thousands whose loved ones are suddenly taken by this illness. And for livelihoods that are lost. For life that is disrupted beyond measure.  I determine to do what I can even if that's simply staying home, or donating to charities, or praying.

Slowly, in my exhaustion, I realize it is not mine to carry everyone else's heaviness from all around the world.

Like many others I have found myself wondering where God is in all of it. All the "why" questions bubble up and I plead for His help. He graciously reminds me that I'm not dealing with it alone. "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Saviour, who daily bears our burdens" (Psalms 68:19 NIV).

Jesus even gave us a prayer to use. He does not expect us to deal with it alone. That's the joy of the gift of salvation.

Max Lucado wrote,  "When we invite God into our world, he walks in. He brings a host of gifts: joy, patience, resilience. Anxieties come, but they don’t stick. Fears surface and then depart. Regrets land on the windshield, but then comes the wiper of prayer... Struggles come, for sure. But so does God." (from Before Amen).

I'll leave the writing of a treatise on the subject to others who are wiser, but I can simply state my choice to believe His Word and the undeniable witness within me, and declare my trust in the Eternal Almighty God.  If I don't have that, I have nothing and nowhere to turn.

Praying and singing songs of worship help to remind me that though I may feel at a loss, I know the fact is that, simply put, "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands".  He is the Good Shepherd and we are the people of His pasture (Psalm  23).

[If you are receiving this due to subscribing via your email, you can go to the address below to see the blog in its published form, make a comment or view previous posts.  Thanks for reading my reflections. Velma.]

http://uponreflect.blogspot.com/   

The Days are Just Packed!

I got up this morning, grabbed my device and automatically opened the day's online calendar. In my groggy state, I hadn't yet realized the futility of doing so. Today will be another day just like the other day.  In the midst of being Covid-19 homebound, my schedule is glaringly empty. 

This would be terrific if the replacement for activity wasn't anxiety.

So, what's to be done about it?

I'm trying to think of things that are not part of my regular busy routine - things that will stave off anxiety and fill my days with purpose.  I could: 

Pull out hobbies that have been pushed to the back of the cupboard. 

Write a letter to someone in longhand, walk to the mailbox and send it via snail mail.  Hmmm, I used to have some really pretty stationery - I wonder where it is.

Phone someone and talk for an hour instead of sending them a few lines in a text. 
Take a nap.

Clean light fixtures and wash windows. 
Do my prescribed back exercises that I tend to put off till later and later....

Knit scarves or mittens to be given to the homeless next winter. 

Try out new or old recipes using pantry staples, not special ingredients that would require a trip to the grocery store. 

Read some of the books that have been accumulating in stacks both physical and electronic for reading "one of these days."  

Pull out the piano book that I gave up on because it's too hard, and hunker down with some serious effort. 

The online courses and Bible studies I've seen advertised offer many great choices.

Take time to be silent, to be still, to pray.

Wow!  I hadn't realized my days are so full of possibilities!   Each person would no doubt create a list that is same but different.  What does your list look like?  Options abound!

I remember reading a Calvin and Hobbes comic book entitled "The Days are Just Packed " which is a great escape from the real battles of life. My copy has been lent to someone but just the memory of it makes me smile.

Now my daytimer is filling up nicely- the days are just packed!

[If you are receiving this due to subscribing via your email, you can go to the address below to see the blog in its published form, make a comment or view previous posts.  Thanks for reading my reflections. Velma.]

http://uponreflect.blogspot.com/   

Covid-19 Virus from a Reflective Point of View

"Grandma, are you buying lots of toilet paper?" This from a 9 year old. "Some, but not lots," I replied. "My mommy bought some more.”  Long pause…. Then in a puzzled tone, said,  “But I don't know why??!!!"   A few days later, she understood why!

The whole family had been gearing up all winter for spring break and a trip to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun. The granddaughters were looking forward to their first trip to the Caribbean Sea with promises of sun, sand for castles, a waterslide, and buffets where they could eat as much or only what they wanted. Our little What'sApp group buzzed with information and anticipation.

In January we made all the right noises in sympathy with the virus outbreak in China and prayed and hoped for the best for them. Then bit by bit, day by day, it all moved closer to home. Still, 3 days before our intended departure we told each other it'll be okay. No virus in Cancun. Besides, how bad can it be to be stuck in a resort on a beach for a few extra days!

But we woke up the next day to the certainty that home was the best place to stay. We sadly made an early morning decision to call it off and some tears were shed. However, that made us feel terrible and guilty knowing that all we were losing was a vacation while others were likely losing their livelihoods and their very lives. Even the young girls understood that, and later we heard from the 11 year old how much she had learned, things children shouldn’t have to know, about terrible words like "pandemic", "epidemic", and "plague".

The next frustration was trying to phone the tour company to cancel. Patient husband spent 9 hours on hold the first day until the office closed and the phone went dead and 5 hours the next day until we were nearly surprised out of our socks when a real person interrupted the hours of muzak we had been listening to.

Anxiety had abounded with questions!  Should we, shouldn't we? We were firmly of two minds for a while. Will we lose all we paid? What should we do?  Now that feeling in the pit of the stomach was relieved. Now the trip was cancelled and a credit voucher was promised - yeah!! - all good, but an empty feeling took over and was compounded by fear of contagion.

Every group event we were involved with was being cancelled, including Sunday church. The kids were out for Spring Break anyways, but now there were no promises of when school would start up again.

We went shopping for basics and felt that we had enough - we'd be okay for quite a while. We couldn't find any hand wipes or sanitizer anywhere but lucked out finding a little bottle of rubbing alcohol and bought rubber gloves at the hardware store.

The next morning, somehow, enough didn't seem like enough, so we went again even though we knew that shelves were probably going to be empty. We decided going really early would be best so we left home about 8.15am heading to our favourite bakery, usually open at 7, to find a note on the door that they'll be opening at 9 while the kids are out of school. Weird!!  Is that virus related?!

Then to our local grocery store which is part of a small chain. When we arrived it wasn't too busy but by the time we left, cashier lineups were bizarre. I know it was early and staff were busy restocking but so many shelves were depleted! Bread shelves were pretty much empty when we arrived but a supply came in and bread was disappearing into people's carts. Fresh produce was spotty. Absolutely no fresh carrots - except a few bags of organic "baby" carrot packages and no I didn't feel that desperate for carrots!  No paper products of any sort. No frozen veggies or fruit. No fresh beef or chicken just pork, venison, meat wannabe, etc. No eggs. We took the last 2 packages of egg noodles. Took almost the last cans of regular tuna. When I say none, I mean the little bit that was left was vegan or non-traditional blends that clearly weren't on the top of most people's shopping list. Even potato chips were in short supply.

We wore our blue rubber gloves throughout. There was a huge number of employees working, doing their best. The atmosphere was so charged that it made me feel like grabbing and running with just about anything, whatever was at hand, basically self protection I guess.  I also found myself wanting to buy treat things like ginger beer and chip dip and cake!

The atmosphere was charged but with a quiet urgency. Everyone was focussed on their lists. The feeling of social distance, the lack of chatter and friendly accommodation was evident. There was an understated sense of hysteria even though officials of all levels of government have tried to tell us “the sky is not falling”!

What an interesting study in human behaviour - my own! It's really hard to hanker for carrots when my mind is still thinking about the lunch that might have been - some grilled fish, choice of salads and vegetables - with a view of the surf on the shoreline. And there's that guilt again - some people are missing more than a nice lunch. And there's another thought - if I'm not at that resort, the waiter, the housecleaner and all the rest, will not have a job, not to mention the people employed by the airlines. At about that time, my brain is too tangled up to even assess the web of economic woes that threaten our globe.

God is still in the heavens and we can trust in His strength. We can reach out and assist our neighbours and check on friends. Or self-isolate and protect ourselves and loved ones. We have the opportunity to do what's right, even if the best we can do is stay home and pray.

[If you are receiving this due to subscribing via your email, you can go to the address below to see the blog in its published form, make a comment or view previous posts.  Thanks for reading my reflections. Velma.]

http://uponreflect.blogspot.com/