Kathie Harrington's World

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Laughter in Life

Humpty at the Disney Store

Everyone laughed at my Mickey Mouse ears & shoes.


Laughter is sooooo important for every aspect of our lives. I want you to follow my On the Road with Humpty Dumpty blog to see just how wise he is about laughter. There you will find a list of all of the wonderful things that laugter does for us.

Yes, if you have a child with autism, it is often hard to find a moment of laughter some days ~ but those moments are there.

Yes, if you have a disease, it isn’t always easy to laugh ~ but it will help.

Yes, if you are depressed and can’t determine what decision to make ~ laughter will be on your side.

Mark Twain wrote: Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.

Now do yourself a favor and see what Humpty Dumpty has to say about laughter in post #107 and become a follower of this very wise little man.

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Mad as Hell

Oiled bird in the Gulf of Mexico

I am mad! I AM OFF MY WALL MAD! How could this national disaster have happened in the first place and why is it continuing to go on day-after-day?

This bird only wanted to live. To fly. To eat. To be free. Thanks to man he can do none of these.

I do not have to travel to the Gulf to see the devastation. I do not have to smell the oil to sense the stench. I do not have to hear the squeel of the birds to know they cry.

May God forgive us for what we are doing to our Earth. He gave us this sacred place, filled with so many blessings in which to live. Will we destroy it , one bird at a time?

My eyes do not shine big and bright tonight. They do not see a moon or stars or fireflies ~ that’s because my eyes are FILLED WITH TEARS.

From my blog: On the Road with Humpty Dumpty

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Cushing’s Disease Anniversary

June fourth is the third anniversary of my second surgery for Cushing’s Disease. This is monumental to me because my team of doctors at Cedar’s Sinai Medical Center’s Pituitary Center (where the surgery was completed) told me that I would be 100% back to normal by my three-year anniversary.

The second surgery, June 4, 2007, removed my entire pituitary gland, along with the tumor. I’m living proof that one can live without a pituitary. But am I back to normal – I like to think so but I know there are deficit areas that remain a bit foggy. Most Cushing’s patients are in their 20′s and 30′s, I was much older than that at the time of my initial diagnosis and subsequent surgeries. Thus, one would expect my recovery to take longer.

Because of this website/blog and written articles, I have received phone calls and E mail from other Cushing’s patients or people who suspect Cushing’s in themselves or a family member. The stories are sad ones and often fill with professionals who will not listen to them or who refuse to do the right testing in order to diagnosis properly. I offer advise but I know how lucky I was to have a doctor who recognized the characteristics of Cushing’s in me right away.

So on the eve of my third anniversary, am I 100% back? No. Physically, I tire easily and take power naps about three times a week. I don’t like loud, crowed places because it makes my head “full.” I can’t listen to more than one person talking at a time and really pay attention, and conversation often tires me out. I lost weight at first but have gained some back. I continue to have a word finding problem at times, especially if I’m tired. Because I’m a speech pathologist, I know how to substitute many words and try to “hide” this language disorder. I don’t plan to overdo too much in any given day ~ if I do, I pay for it the following three or four days. I continue to get those deep, deep chills that only four or five blankets and a nap can cure – but not nearly as often.

BUT, when I compare where I was three years ago, I can only put the palms of my hands together, close my eyes, and thank God for my family, my faith, and my courage to pursue so desparately those things I knew I had to in order to get to where I am today. I’d put me at about 90%.

I’ll leave you with this thought because I like it and it says a great deal about anyone who has dealt with any disease:

“What lies behind us, and what lies before us, are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Iowa Falls Water Fountain Turned on Today

Humpty Dumpty in water fountain at Estes Park ~ Iowa Falls.

Iowa Falls Parks and Recreation Director Brian Lorenzen said he is expecting to turn on the Estes Park Water Fountain for the first time this year today.

Currently, the statue atop the fountain features a nymph blowing on a seashell. (Humpty is holding on tight) However, Iowa Falls resident Shirley Welden is hoping to replace the current statue with the original which had been at Estes Park since 1934. The original statue was accidentally destroyed last August. Welden is coordinating the fundraising effort and says the replacement bid is for $10,000.

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