Brave Analogies and Illusive Metaphors


Comment: Robynn sent this and it made me laugh out loud, so I need to share the laughter. What has this to do with children? It’s from older children, and it’s hilarious. This is the kind of thing very young children think up. When children are in high school the grace and splendor of creative analogies and metaphors will be more literate.

Every year, English teachers from across the country can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country. Here are last year’s winners…..

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. Coli, and he was room-temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife’s infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in another city and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30.

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan’s teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.

18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

St. Anthony of Egypt 251-356


St. Anthony of Egypt

The life of Anthony will remind many people of St. Francis of Assisi. At 20, Anthony was so moved by the Gospel message, “Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor” (Mark 10:21b), that he actually did just that with his large inheritance. He is different from Francis in that most of Anthony’s life was spent in solitude. He saw the world completely covered with snares, and gave the Church and the world the witness of solitary asceticism, great personal mortification and prayer. But no saint is antisocial, and Anthony drew many people to himself for spiritual healing and guidance.

At 54, he responded to many requests and founded a sort of monastery of scattered cells. Again like Francis, he had great fear of “stately buildings and well-laden tables.”

At 60, he hoped to be a martyr in the renewed Roman persecution of 311, fearlessly exposing himself to danger while giving moral and material support to those in prison. At 88, he was fighting the Arian heresy, that massive trauma from which it took the Church centuries to recover. “The mule kicking over the altar” denied the divinity of Christ.

Anthony is associated in art with a T-shaped cross, a pig and a book. The pig and the cross are symbols of his valiant warfare with the devil—the cross his constant means of power over evil spirits, the pig a symbol of the devil himself. The book recalls his preference for “the book of nature” over the printed word. Anthony died in solitude at 105.

Comment: Just goes to show how stubborn God is. When you think you’ve planned your life down to the smallest detail, He laughs and throws a curve ball.

More About Flax


From Family Nutrition

Flax oil and flax seeds are being rediscovered as true health foods. They definitely merit being included on any top-ten list of foods that are good for you. Flax is not a new food. It is actually one of the older and, perhaps, one of the original “health foods,” treasured because of its healing properties throughout the Roman empire. Flax was one of the original “medicines” used by Hippocrates. Flax could be dubbed the “forgotten oil.” It has fallen out of favor because oil manufacturers have found nutritious oils to be less profitable. The very nutrients that give flax its nutritional benefits – essential fatty acids – also give it a short shelf life, making it more expensive to produce, transport, and store. Yet, those who are nutritionally in the know continue to rank flax high on the list of “must have” foods. Because of the flurry of scientific studies validating the health benefits of omega 3 fatty acids, flax oil has graduated from the refrigerator of “health food nuts” to a status of scientific respectability.

I seldom leave home in the morning without having my daily tablespoon of flax oil or 2 tablespoons of flaxseed meal. Besides being the best source of omega 3’s, flax oil is a good source of omega 6, or linoleic acid (LA). Sunflower, safflower, and sesame oil are greater sources of omega 6 fatty acids but they don’t contain any omega-3 fatty acids. Flax oil is 45 to 60 percent the omega-3 fatty acid alphalinolenic acid (ALA).

In addition to nutritious fats, flax seeds contain other nutrients which make eating the whole seed superior to consuming just the extracted oil:

  • Flax seeds contain a high quality protein.
  • Flax seeds are rich in soluble fiber. The combination of the oil and the fiber makes flaxseeds an ideal laxative.
  • Flax seeds contain vitamins B-1, B-2, C, E, and carotene. These seeds also contain iron, zinc, and trace amounts of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and vitamin E and carotene, two nutrients which aid the metabolism of the oil.
  • Flax seeds contain over a hundred times more of a phytonutrient, known as lignin, than any of its closest competitors, such as wheat bran, buckwheat, rye, millet, oats, and soybeans. Lignins have received a lot of attention lately because of possible anti-cancer properties, especially in relation to breast and colon cancer. Lignins seem to flush excess estrogen out of the body, thereby reducing the incidence of estrogen-linked cancers, such as breast cancer. Besides anti-tumor properties, lignins also seem to have antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.

Flax seeds, because they contain some protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and lignins, are more nutritious than their oil. Yet, for practical purposes, most consumers prefer simply using the oil for its omega-3 fatty acids and not having to bother with grinding the seeds. But nutritionally speaking, it’s worth the trouble to grind fresh flax seeds (say, in a coffee grinder) and sprinkle them as a seasoning on salads or cereals, or mix them into muffins. When buying seeds, be sure they are whole, not split; splitting exposes the inner seed to light and heat and decreases the nutritional value. Or, buy pre-ground flax seeds, available as flaxseed meal. One ounce of flaxseed meal (approximately 4 tbsp.) will yield about 6 grams of protein, and 8 grams of fiber.

Flax oil, flax seeds, and the omega-3 fatty acids they contain are good for your health. Here are some of the ways flax helps your body.

1. Flax promotes cardiovascular health. The ultra-high levels of omega-3 fatty acids lower LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. Fish oils and algae are also good sources of essential fatty acids.

2. Flax promotes colon health. It has anti-cancer properties and, as a natural lubricant and a rich fiber source, it lowers the risk of constipation.

3. Flax supplements can boost immunity. One study showed that school children supplemented with less than a teaspoon of flax oil a day had fewer and less severe respiratory infections than children not supplemented with flax oil.

4. Flax provides fats that are precursors for brain building. This is especially important at the stage of life when a child’s brain grows the fastest, in utero and during infancy. A prudent mom should consider supplementing her diet with a daily tablespoon of flax oil during her pregnancy and while breastfeeding.

5. Flax promotes healthy skin. I have used flax oil as a dietary supplement in my patients who seem to have dry skin or eczema, or whose skin is particularly sun-sensitive.

6. Flax may lessen the severity of diabetes by stabilizing blood-sugar levels.

7. Flax fat can be slimming. Fats high in essential fatty acids, such as flax, increase the body’s metabolic rate, helping to burn the excess, unhealthy fats in the body. Eating the right kind of fat gives you a better fighting chance of your body storing the right amount of fats. This is called thermogenesis , a process in which specialized fat cells throughout the body (called brown fat) click into high gear and burn more fat when activated by essential fatty acids, especially gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). I have personally noticed that I crave less fat overall when I get enough of the healthy fats. A daily supplement of omega 3 fatty acids may be an important part of weight control programs.

  • Don’t use flax oil for cooking. Oils high in essential fatty acids are not good for cooking. In fact, heat can turn these healthy fats into harmful ones. Add flax oil to foods after cooking and just before serving.
  • Flax has many virtues, but it also has one vice: it turns rancid quickly. Healthy fats spoil quickly, with olive oil being an exception to the rule. (The fats with a long shelf life are the hydrogenated shortenings, which of course are bad for you.) To prevent spoilage, follow these tips:
    • Purchase only refrigerated flax oil stored in black containers.
    • Keep your flax oil in the refrigerator with the lid on tight. Minimize exposure to heat, light, and air.
    • Because the oil is likely to turn rancid within six weeks of pressing, buy flax oil in smaller containers (8-12 ounces, depending on how fast you use it). In our family, we go through approximately four tablespoons of flax oil a day, using it mainly in our School-Ade smoothie.
  • Flax oil taken with a meal can actually increase the nutritional value of other foods . Research shows that adding flax oil to foods rich in sulfated amino acids, such as cultured dairy products (i.e., yogurt), vegetables of the cabbage family, and animal, seafood, and soy proteins helps the essential fatty acids become incorporated into cell membranes. Mixing flax oil with yogurt helps to emulsify the oil, improving its digestion and metabolism by the body.
  • Flax oil works best in the body when it’s taken along with antioxidants, such as vitamins E, carotene, and other nutrients, such as vitamin B6 and magnesium. While a tablespoon of flax oil a day might not keep the doctor away entirely, it’s bound to help.

Comment: with all the illness around me these days, this is a little health door we all need to think about going through. At school we will use enough flax seed in the children’s diet to help cut down on chronic illness. Today we had flax and oatmeal bars – Essentially, they were chocolate chip cookies with a cup of oats and 1/2 a cup of flax seed thrown into the batter. The kids “ate them up.”

Tomorrow it’s a health muffin.

France


International Herald Tribune – France

The Workplace: When the office becomes your day care center
Monday, January 8, 2007

Your baby sitter canceled at the last minute, leaving you no time to make alternative arrangements for child care. Should you bring your youngster to work?

It depends on how well your child behaves and the type of job you have. Vicki Panaccione, founder of the Better Parenting Institute, a consulting firm in Melbourne, Florida, said that while some office environments are not conducive to children, many companies are open to them every now and then, so long as they do not disturb the peace.

“Only bring your child if his presence will not be disturbing or disruptive to your co-workers,” said Panaccione, a practicing psychologist. “They may coo over your son or daughter initially, but the novelty will wear off quickly if your solution turns into their problem.”

How often can children be found in the workplace?

No child care plan is flawless, so it can happen quite a bit. Some businesses have prepared for this quandary, offering on-site and off-site child care to help busy parents deal with emergencies.

Genevieve Girault, diversity communications leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, said that some companies had policies that allow parents to bring their children into the office on occasion. “Bringing kids to work is not only a great way to expose your child to a workplace, but also to help the child relate to you,” she said.

But some organizations strongly discourage children or don’t allow them at all. Most manufacturing and pharmaceutical companies prohibit children for safety reasons, said Robert Larkin, a partner at Allen Norton & Blue, an employment law firm in Coral Gables, Florida. “You don’t want children present for any type of hazardous work,” he said. “Many companies prohibit children simply to minimize their liability in the event that something goes wrong.”

Is it wise to ask permission before bringing your child to work?

Absolutely. Even if you are familiar with your company’s policy, clearing the decision with an immediate supervisor is the right thing to do. Patti Fralix, president of the Fralix Group, a consulting firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, said the courtesy conveys respect for the boss’s authority. It may also help to eliminate potential surprises later in the day, she added.

“For all you know, your manager could be hosting the company president or another important visitor,” Fralix said, and in such cases it is probably best to keep your child away.

How do you keep your child busy throughout the day?

Entertaining children in the office can be a serious art, and the tactics vary, depending on the youngsters’ ages. For younger children, coloring books, DVDs and video games can all be good activities; for older children, happiness may be as simple as a couple of good books, or a spare computer on which they can write stories or browse the Internet.

Still, it is important to be vigilant about noise. If you rely on video games, turn off the sound. If you bring in a DVD or a portable media device, make sure your child uses headphones.

Christy Allen, marketing manager at Posh Tots, a children’s furniture company in Glen Allen, Virginia, said that in many cases, the best solution is to set youngsters up for the day in an unused conference room. “Kids can use these spaces to spread out on the table and color, build a tent or even take a nap,” she said.

What do you do if a colleague complains?

Listen patiently and apologize. If the colleague is upset about your child’s behavior, reprimand the youngster accordingly. If the colleague groans about the child’s volume or his presence in general, move the child to a different part of the office.

Whatever you do, be vigilant. Janie Harden Fritz, an associate professor of communication and rhetorical studies at Duquesne in Pittsburgh, said that even if your colleague was being unreasonable, the onus is on you to rectify the situation because the child’s presence has disrupted routine.

“Your colleagues didn’t ask you to bring in your child, and they shouldn’t have to deal with any inconveniences the child creates,” she said. “The last thing you want to do is alienate a colleague forever over something like this.”

In extreme cases, where your child is particularly rambunctious or your colleagues are intractably unforgiving, it may be necessary to leave the office early.

Can you be penalized for bringing your child to work?

Not legally, though abusing the privilege may change the way you are perceived around the office. David Lewis, president of OperationsInc, a human resources consulting firm in Stamford, Connecticut, said management might be reluctant to promote an employee if the bosses thought child care issues could compromise the capacity to assume responsibility down the road.

“Every time you bring your child into work, you’re telling your employer that you have trouble maintaining balance,” he said. “If you start establishing a pattern of using the workplace as day care, it can and will come back to hurt you.”

The best way to avoid this situation is to establish backup child care plans. Tory Johnson, chief executive of Women for Hire, a career services company in New York, said friends, relatives and trustworthy neighbors were the most sensible options, but noted that local day care and youth programs were good alternatives, too. “Even if your kids behave better than any other kids you know, bringing them to work always should be the last resort,” she said.

Comment: Everyone should have back up child care. It makes sense, but when kids come to the office, unless it’s really busy, I can’t imagine complaining. We allow our employees to bring nine children to work, but then…

The Garden School Tattler


We had our International Feast today with a wonderful turnout. I was so happy to see the daddies bringing great homemade dishes. We had all kinds of food from rice and noodles to meat rolls, and Japanese food, and chicken dishes and curry and venison and spaghetti and lasagna and noodle salad and apple dumplings with Mountain Dew! It was spectacular and we are so grateful to parents for bringing all the goodies and sharing their time and talents with us.

The children were very well behaved and sat and ate politely and tried just about everything. I was delighted when they asked to try something brand new. We make a big deal out of new food and we were all surprised when nearly every first grader was eager to eat the venison and dive into the curry.

We will making a book of all the recipes for the parents who came, so please fill out your recipe paper and return it.

Tomorrow is a regular school day – a cold one. We will be discussing going ice skating this month. We are not sure when.

We are doing a lot of yoga exercises now. Our focus is balance and core strength and strengthening and lengthening our hamstrings. Children should be able to stand with their feet together, keep their legs straight and bend and touch their toes. Later, they should be able to lay the flat of their hands on the floor and get even lower. Likewise they should be able to sit on the floor with their legs straight out in front of them and put the flat of their hands on the bottom of their feet over their toes. They should be able to stand on one foot, hold their right foot with their right hand for thirty seconds. Later they should be able to take that foot and extend their leg to a straight position while standing and balance as long as they want to.

We are half way through the month already, and the children are doing great work and have really bonded into a cohesive group. The kindness among the children is outstanding. We have not given a demerit in a long time.

Remember that illness is at an all time high. Please keep children home that first ill day. Don’t try to baby pack a child who “may” be ill. Illness the first day is the contagious day, and children who are kept home that first day of any illness do better and recover faster than children who are sent to school with a dose of over the counter meds.

Please send children to school in long sleeves. Some children are still wearing summer clothes, and are catching cold!

A Curious Difference


By ANDREA NEAL
Indiana Policy Review
Originally published in the EVV Courier and Press
December 18, 2006

Anyone who thinks all-day kindergarten will significantly improve student achievement should prepare for disappointment. The length of the school day, in itself, has no impact on what children learn. The content and the quality of reading instruction matter.

Disadvantaged students -the ones who would experience all-day kindergarten first under Gov. Mitch Daniels’ plan -come to school with less developed pre-reading skills than peers. They tend to stay behind from the beginning.

If we want to target resources effectively, we should make sure these students get help learning the alphabet, connecting letters to sounds and sounding out words.

Consider it remedial instruction for at-risk kindergarteners. Second grade is too late to detect and treat reading difficulties, especially if those difficulties involve basic phonics.

Fourth grade reading achievement scores on the NAEP test underscore the problem. Thirty-six percent of Indiana‘s fourth graders tested “below basic skills” in reading in 2005. Forty-eight percent of the poorest students, those receiving free or reduced-price lunch, were below basic skills. Fifty-nine percent of black students were below basic skills. If you’re wondering which children drop out of high school, look no further.

The problem is not that these children went to half-day kindergarten. The problem is that they did not learn to read well enough. Longitudinal data show that disadvantaged students who begin school with lower reading skills than their more advantaged peers fail to close the gap in reading,” according to the study “Code-Oriented Instruction for Kindergarten Students at Risk for Reading Difficulties.” The study, conducted by the Washington Research Institute, was published in the August issue of the Journal of Educational Psychology.

“Socioeconomic status accounted for more unique variation in reading scores than any other factor,” the researchers reported. “Further these least advantaged students begin school in the lowest quality schools, characterized by larger class size and less prepared teachers.”

To translate: Giving kindergartners three more hours a day in a low-performing school with an overextended teacher isn’t going to help.

What will help? Giving disadvantaged children about 30 minutes of “explicit supplemental one-to-one instruction in alphabetic and phonemic decoding skills” four days a week, according to the study. The researchers specifically examined the feasibility of using “paraeducators” as the tutors. These are school aides with fewer academic credentials who would cost less than licensed classroom teachers.

A key to success was that the aides received thorough training in the instructional method to be used and followed it exactly, a finding that suggests schools could use volunteers for the same purpose as long as they received the right training.

Students chosen for the study scored in the bottom 13th percentile in phonemic and alphabetic skills. At the end of kindergarten, they scored on average in the 45th percentile in reading accuracy and 32nd percentile in reading efficiency.

“The major finding from this study is that children identified at high risk for reading difficulty at mid kindergarten and provided with code-based individual tutoring demonstrated significant advantages in reading and spelling skills at the end of kindergarten. … All groups made significant growth during the follow-up year and maintained gains made during kindergarten to the end of first grade.”

This brings us back to all-day kindergarten. Let’s assume every kindergarten teacher has a full-time aide and a few volunteers available to do one-on-one reading instruction with at-risk students. A full day would be better than a half day if it doubled or tripled the number of children the tutors could reach.

In the same vein, a child who attends half-day kindergarten, then goes home to a parent who talks with him, reads to him and spends a half hour playing with a phonics-based toy, such as Smart Cubes, would no doubt show up to first grade ready to read.

There are reasons, other than academic, to like full-day kindergarten. The most obvious reason is that, in an era of two-parent working families, it’s just more convenient than half-day programs.

But let’s keep our eyes on the prize. An extra half day, doing more of the same thing we’re doing now, fits the classic definition of insanity. An extra half day that included high quality reading instruction with one-on-one tutoring in phonics in low-income schools? Now that would make a difference.

Comment: Here is another point of view. Personally, I believe that children are too old to “begin” to learn in kindergarten. They need to learn in preschool and that begins about age three when they first discover the fun of letters. But local day care has a taboo about teaching anything academic to children. So the result is a constant flood of poor kids from day care who start kindergarten not knowing anything sitting next to the child who can read who has been home with mom or who has gone to an exclusive preschool. The problem will not be solved until day care begins to teach.

Indiana


Fort Wayne Journal Gazette

Overwhelming support for full-day kindergarten

The latest opinion poll numbers show that Hoosiers already know what the national Quality Counts report suggests: Indiana needs full-day kindergarten.

In a just-released survey for Indiana University’s Center for Education and Policy, 74 percent of Hoosiers expressed support for state-financed full-day kindergarten. Sixty-one percent said they would even support a tax increase to pay for it, up from 46 percent in 2003. The support remains consistent among parents of school-age children and respondents who do not have children in school.

The center’s annual public opinion survey on education doesn’t offer any startling surprises, but it should offer some backbone to politicians still wary of a program commonplace in other states. The chorus of critics claiming that full-day kindergarten amounts to free child care should be silenced by the results. Indiana residents overwhelmingly recognize the value of early learning.

While it will be a political coup for Gov. Mitch Daniels to deliver his top legislative priority, full-day kindergarten won’t satisfy the desire for early-childhood education in Indiana. The survey finds that 82 percent of Hoosiers support state financing of voluntary pre-school for at-risk children.

Surprising, legislators have expressed few reservations about the state’s charter school program, contrary to the results of the opinion poll. For 2006, only 47 percent of the respondents said they would support the continued creation of charter schools. That continues the decline in charter school support that peaked at 56 percent in 2004.

Lawmakers should do their own homework when it comes to setting education policy and determining financial support, but they also should consider the wishes of Indiana residents. Their views on early childhood education and charter schools offer sound guidance.

Comment: Full day kindergarten is a must if day care remains play time and not learn time.

Where’s the Chill?

Record-Breaking Cold Temperatures In Southwest, Calif.
January 15, 2007
By WeatherBug Meteorologist, Adam Bell

A chunk of cold, Canadian air continues to sit over the Southwest, bringing the region its coldest weather in more than 16 years.

The chilly weather moved into the region last Friday as the well-documented arctic cold front made its way through the Southwest. Every night since the passage of the front, low temperatures in central and southern California, as well as southern Nevada and western Arizona have dipped well below freezing.

Over the weekend, several low temperature records were shattered. Ontario and Oceanside Calif., both broke their previous records by over 10 degrees. Lake Arrowhead, Calif. dipped to 9 degrees on Sunday morning, breaking the previous record of 18 degrees set back in 1963.

Arizona hasn`t been spared from the cold weather either. While it didn`t break any low temperature records, Phoenix saw consecutive nights of 20-degree temperatures, the first time since 1978 that has happened. The daytime hours haven`t offered much of a warm-up either. The high temperature in Phoenix on Sunday was 46 degrees, setting a new record for the lowest maximum temperature for that day.

The sub-freezing temperatures are forecast to stick around for a few more days. Freeze Warnings will expire Monday morning, but will be reissued for the same regions on Monday night. The low temperatures won`t be as low, however, as most locations should bottom out in the mid and upper 20s.

This slow moderating trend will continue throughout the week, eventually pushing overnight lows above the freezing mark on Thursday morning. Be sure to keep WeatherBug active in your system tray in order to receive the latest on the record-setting cold in the Southwest.

Comment: So where is our snow? Does CA get everything? Beaches, mountains, deserts, and now freezing temps? It’s simply not fair.

Flax Seed

Flaxseed: A Plant Powerhouse

This Tiny Seed Has Big Benefits
— By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered Dietitian

Flaxseed has been a part of human and animal diets for thousands of years. Even in the days of Hippocrates, flaxseed was eaten for its health benefits. Recently, however, flaxseed has gained popularity among health conscious Americans.

A Nutritional Plant Powerhouse
Flaxseed is the best plant source of omega-3 fatty acids (a healthy type of polyunsaturated fat). It also contains both soluble and insoluble fiber in addition to being one of the best plant sources for lignans, a type of phytoestrogen. These little seeds pack a big nutritional punch! One tablespoon of flaxseed contains:

  • Calories: 40
  • Protein: 1.6 grams
  • Carbohydrate: 2.8 grams
  • Fat: 2.8 grams (including .3 grams saturated, .6 grams monounsaturated, and 1.8 grams polyunsaturated)
  • Fiber: 2.5-8 grams
  • Sodium: 3 milligrams

Health Benefits
Research shows that flaxseed may have the ability to:

  • Prevent cancer and reduce tumor growth in the breast, prostate and colon.
  • Decrease the risks of developing heart disease, blood clots, strokes, and cardiac arrhythmia by lowering total cholesterol, LDL (bad) cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure.
  • Regulate bowel functions and prevent constipation.
  • Relieve breast pain related to a woman’s hormonal cycle.
  • Possibly improve blood glucose control in diabetics.
  • Help reduce inflammation associated with arthritis, Parkinson’s disease and asthma.
  • Promote eye and brain development in utero.

Flaxseed Types
Most grocery stores do sell packaged flaxseed on their shelves, but natural foods stores tend to also offer it in bulk form. There are two “types” of flaxseed: brown and golden. Although the color and price differ, the nutritional benefits are the same. The brown flaxseed is less expensive than the golden, but because golden flaxseed is lighter in color, it’s easier to hide in a variety of foods.

The Grind
To receive all the wonderful benefits of flaxseed, it MUST be ground. Flaxseed grinders are available at kitchen stores and online, but an electric coffee grinder or manual pepper grinder will work just as well. For convenience, you can purchase ground flaxseed (sometimes called flaxseed “meal”), but it will cost more. Be sure to check the date on the package for freshness.

Ground flaxseed is naturally exposed to air and light, both of which can cause rancidity and nutrient loss. To prevent this, store your ground flaxseed in an opaque, airtight container placed in the freezer.

Serving Suggestions
More studies are needed to determine flaxseed’s effects in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women, but most researchers feel that 1 Tablespoon daily is safe. Check with your physician first. It is possible to get too much flaxseed. Some studies have shown nutrient and drug interactions with the consumption of 1/4 a cup daily, so discuss this with your doctor and pharmacist. A small number of people may have an allergic reaction to flaxseed; therefore start with 1/2 teaspoon to see if an allergic reaction occurs.

Studies have also shown that lignans in flaxseed antagonize the action of some drugs (including tamoxifen) used by breast cancer patients.

Adding Flaxseed to Your Diet
Flaxseed can add flavor and texture to almost any food:

  • Sprinkle on cereal, oatmeal, yogurt, salads, and coleslaw
  • Mix into meatloaf and meatballs
  • Add to pancake, muffin, cookie batter and other baked goods
  • Add to fish or chicken coating and oven-fry
  • Sprinkle on casseroles, sauces, soups and stews

Comment: We’ve been adding flax seed to a lot of our food at school and the kids don’t even notice it.

Servant of God, John the Gardener

John was born of poor parents in Portugal. Orphaned early in life, he spent some years begging from door to door. After finding work in Spain as a shepherd, he shared the little he earned with those even more needy than himself.

One day two Franciscans encountered him on a journey. Engaging him in conversation, they took a liking to the simple man and invited him to come and work at their friary in Salamanca. He readily accepted and was assigned to the task of assisting the brother with gardening duties. A short time later John himself entered the Franciscan Order and lived a life of prayer and meditation, fasting constantly, spending the nights in prayer, still helping the poor. Because of his work in the garden and the flowers he produced for the altar, he became known as “the gardener.”

God favored John with the gift of prophecy and the ability to read hearts. Important persons, including princes, came to the humble, ever-obedient friar for advice. He was so loving towards all that he never wanted to take offense at anything. His advice was that to forgive offenses is an act of penance most pleasing to God.

He predicted the day of his own death: January 11, 1501.

Comment: I like this story because it shows a simple life filled with gifts. We all wonder where we are destined and we wonder at the destiny of our children. This simple man’s life can be an example to us.