Deep Sojourner

My father died a few months ago, and despite my best efforts to delay the inevitable, the real estate agent forced me to finally commence “cleaning out his closet,” or in this case, his attic.

I guess everybody gets a little touchy when it comes to cleaning out the deceased’s closet or attic or wherever they kept their junk.  For a lot of people it’s a very emotional experience, and probably for an equal amount of others, it’s just a hassle.

Admittedly, for me, it was the latter.  I knew my dad pretty well, and he was a packrat- not a very interesting one either.

When I actually got down to the deed, it went exactly as expected.  My dad was a big fisherman, and it showed.  Obviously, there were the normal things: fishing gear, souvenirs, a lot of fishing hats, and photo albums (”Fly Fishing in GA,” “Best Bass Fishing Trip Ever,” etc.). 

He also had a collection of just about every Georgia fly fishing guide ever made since 1972, which I thought was an odd collector’s hobby. 

The thing I hate most about cleaning out people’s lives is that you pretty much end up just moving it.  As odd and useless as I found all my dad’s old stuff-mind you this has happened before with my grandmother-I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away, so I ended up just adding it to my closet. 

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Considering home health care for a loved one? Here’s a few ways to narrow your focus. First consider your patients needs.  Do they need just a housekeeper or a personal care aide to assist with daily errands, cooking and Doctor appointments. If the patient is homebound you might want to consider a full-time live in companion. If the patient has daily medical concerns, consult with their Doctors about hiring a nurse’s aide or certified nurse. 

Family caregiver resources are available from a variety of places. To begin looking for a caregiver start with your family and friends and see who they refer.  Another possibility is contacting local church groups and hospital community services for referrals. Another resource might be government assistance programs.

Once you get to the interview process ask for a list of references, drug & background checks and a verification of caregiver training. Reputable agencies should have this information for all of their employees. Another idea is to contact caregiver training programs or agencies and speak to their human resources department.  Often the training programs incorporate job-search assistance for their graduates.

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Most people are fascinated with a well-trained dog. Some dogs almost seem to be human as they react to their owner’s quiet commands and do exactly what is expected of them. If you want to be the proud owner of a well-trained dog, electronic training collars may be the solution. These devices help you train your dog to obey command and can help stop unwanted behavior, such as jumping on guests with dirty paws. Obedience training is an important way to open the lines of communication between yourself and your dog - and leads to a happier relationship and keeps your dog safe from harm.

Many of us have had a neighbor whose dog kept us awake all night with incessant barking. Don’t be one of those types of neighbors. Even if you have a small dog, you can control the barking with a little dog bark collar - a safe, humane, and effective way to control excessive barking. For larger dogs, try the PetSafe dog bark control collars. These control collars are an inexpensive and safe way to stop a barking problem and remain on friendly terms with your neighbors. Your neighbors will be amazed at how well behaved your dog is and won’t be disturbed excessive barking.

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Online doctoral programs sound like a good opportunity, but I’m not sure.  Is this something that I want to be part of and do well with, I think so and here is why.  First, I have done my homework and I know that I need to attend an online school that is going to provide me with a quality education. Choosing an online school that is accredited is important to me and it should be to everyone else, too. I know this is important because it determines if future school or employers take the degree you have earned seriously.

So, I was not sure if I could get any benefit from getting this type of education. In the past, I have thought about places like AIU online and thought that this may be a good place for me to go to get my education.  But, I was not sure.  So, I went and talked to my hiring manager, someone that hires hundreds of people. They told me that they do considered some, but not all online university programs to be a good option for employees.  It all comes down to the school you choose to go to and the type of degree you obtain.  I told them my plans and it seems that I should be even more well qualified than I am now. Best of all, I can get my degree from home. This means seeing my family and being active in everything that I would like to be doing, too.

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You may call it a mother’s pride, but I always saw so much potential in my daughter.  She always did well in school, but when it came time to think about college (and my alma mater), she just wasn’t interested.  That was fine, of course, but when she was still a waitress at 23, her father and I decided to intervene.  We helped her investigate the options for a two year associate degree.  With specialized, professional training, I knew she could go far.  With a little financial assistance from us, she earned her associate degree online.  She decided to focus on elementary education.  Now, her father would have preferred that she earn a business administration associate degree online for the sake of economic stability, but I knew that just wasn’t her area of interest.  Earning her associates degree in elementary education allowed my daughter to decide whether the field was right for her.  After those two years, she knew that she was doing the right thing.  From there, it only took her two years to earn her bachelors degree and now she is teaching at the elementary school a couple blocks down the street.  I know that she’s much happier teaching than busing tables, and now we get to see a lot more of her!

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