9/27/21 9/27/21

Blog Bio Time, family and a memorial

2017 April 25 Uncle Mark with great niece Ellery at Spring Scheidies gathering

Few of us had any clue that 2020 would become such a watershed in our lives. Covid-19 spread and, for better or worse, much of the country shut down. Celebrations such as birthdays and anniversaries, holiday gatherings such as Thanksgiving and Christmas just didn’t happen—at least not with large, noisy, happy family get-togethers.

Families stayed isolated, at home, and alone. Some, like my husband’s family, did some Zoom gatherings which was certainly better than not getting together at all. Yet video gatherings are exhausting and don’t completely fill the need for personal, face-to-face interaction that is so required for human health and well-being.

Weddings were small with receptions put off until this year. (We attended one.) Most difficult of all were remembering those we loved with a funeral. Getting together to help families grieve were restricted to only a few, leaving family and others who cared unsatisfied and unable to move forward. We lost two members of Keith’s family last year. We lost his brother Mark to a freak accident in April of 2020.

In June we also lost my father-in-law, also not to Covid. Thankfully, restrictions had eased for a time, and we were able to hold a regular funeral for members of LaVern (Jiggs) Scheidies’ family and his many friends. Since we had not been able to go to Colorado to grieve with Mark’s family, they came to Minden. We included a memorial to Mark in the funeral. It gave some closure.

However, in early September this year, the Scheidies siblings and families headed to Longmont Colorado. It was a time of greetings, hugs, fellowship, eating out and even swimming together. (Keith and I napped while the rest swam.)

Most importantly, we gathered not so much to say goodbye to Mark, but to hold a Celebration of Life in a beautiful outdoor setting with sunshine and a hint of a breeze. His wife Jenni shared precious memories of her soul mate. She and two nieces sang a song.

Keith, the oldest sibling, contributed his memories of his first-ever friend and brother. (He and his next youngest brother Mark discovered cardboard boxes did not float, among other shared learning experiences as they grew up together on the family farm.) Friend Linda shared memories and prayer. There was music and memories, tears and smiles from those who loved Mark, a gentle and kind giant.

It was a time, as family and friends, to make new memories, being thankful, this time, we could remember Mark together. No matter what happens, let’s make sure to stay connected.

Since we don’t know what life will bring tomorrow or the next day, brush off the small stuff, work through the big stuff, keep short accounts and don’t be afraid to say, “I love you.”.

8/16/21 8/16/21

Blog Health more than the physical

Just as Americans are adjusting to a life without masks, recommendations are swirling for tighter restrictions again. The truth is--viruses mutate. If we keep shutting down, we will never be free of masks or distancing. We will constantly be at the mercy of government agents who will bully and force the will of a few onto the many.

Those who wear masks throughout a work shift, need to put on a fresh mask several times a day. Masks gather body fluids, germs, and bacteria until they are a health risk. Think about taping a used tissue to your face for several hours. (BTW, I was told about the importance of changing masks by a nurse from Grand Island who worked with Covid patients.)

Some medical personnel are concerned about the long-term use of masks. Masks may impair breathing and may well cause respiratory problems, especially in children. I know of at least one teacher who went out in the hall to rip off the mask and breathe.

Others hardly make it out of the store due to dizziness. An athlete was forced to wear a mask as he ran. He fell unconscious from lack of oxygen. Doubling masks only makes breathing more difficult.

Children who run and play with masks may not receive adequate oxygen. Those who say masks don’t pose a problem are not dealing with reality. Health is more than physical. When a person’s mental, emotional, or even spiritual, state is not considered, then that person will languish and may lose motivation for getting well. Check out the rise in suicides due to the inability for personal intervention.

Years ago, I read how orphans in places like China die in orphanages. Researchers discovered they died from a lack of human touch, love, and care—beyond basic needs. Many children adopted from these places suffered bonding issues.

How many of our children are also going to exhibit such problems when they are separated by space and masks and told getting close is dangerous? Adults also need hugs, touch, and care that only physical closeness can bring.

While video is a wonderful technology, it cannot replace physical presence. In the last couple of years, how many died in care homes because their need for mental and emotional care was not filled? Instead, they were shut away from the very things that make life worth living.

In 2014, I fell and almost died. I was in Good Samaritan in Kearney for 2 ½ months. Without my family as well as friends near, I don’t believe I would have survived. I not only absolutely needed those visits and hugs, but also needed family to, at times, hold the hospital accountable.

In 2020, the only way to have family close was to give up care and prepare to die. I have wondered, in cases with which I’m familiar, if the patient might have lived longer if family had been allowed in without being forced to take the choice of family or aggressive care.

According to https://www.tmc.edu/news/2020/05/touch-starvation/ “When physical contact becomes limited—or, in some cases, eliminated—people can develop a condition called touch starvation or touch deprivation.…Touch starvation increases stress, depression, and anxiety, triggering a cascade of negative physiological effects.

The body releases the hormone cortisol as a response to stress…. This can increase heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and muscle tension, and can suppress the digestive system and immune system—increasing the risk of infection. People who are stressed or depressed, perhaps because of lack of touch, will have problems sleeping,”

Hospitals that separate physical health from mental and emotional health through masks and distancing are actually harming the very ones they seek to protect. I can’t wear a mask. Under today’s restrictions, I would not have been allowed in emergency to comfort my sister-in-law as we watched medical personal desperately try to save my brother’s life after a massive coronary. That can’t be done with Zoom.

Consider the health needs of the whole person when concocting restrictions. The bottom line—to be healthy, we need our loved ones around us.

© 2021 Carolyn R Scheidies
Published in my Kearney Hub column 8/16/2021
Masks effectiveness: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/47-studies-confirm-inefectiveness-of-masks-for-covid-and-32-more-confirm-their-negative-health-effects

5/10/21 5/10/21

Blog Thankful for people, park, laughter

We live across the street from Collins Park. Keith and I have lived here since the early days of our marriage. The house is built for my limitations by my brother Paul Fredrickson who was a local contractor. Having the park across the street has been a blessing in so many ways.

I am a bit claustrophobic, but with the park across the street rather than more houses, I don’t feel hemmed in. When our kids were small, we could go hang out across the street at the park on nice days. Over the years, family friends have used the park for any number of get-togethers and picnics. We’ve even attended an Easter Sunrise Service at the park.

Every Spring the cars started filling the roadway as baseball practice got underway. Then came the games throughout the summer, lights on till long after dark, and individuals yelling and cheering until we couldn’t wait for the game to end. My kids would beg money to spend on candy, etc. at the canteen. Once in a while, I even gave in.

In the early days, some thought nothing about blocking our drive with their cars, keeping us from getting out, but this pretty much stopped after a while. (I’ve wondered if my article about the problem made a difference.)

Other than game times, kids and families used the park all summer long. Families had reunions and other gatherings. Sometimes we didn’t have far to view fireworks when families shot them off at the park on Independence Day. During the summer, the park was filled with excited yells and laughter as children played on the equipment meant for their enjoyment. The laughter made me smile.

Then in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, all was silent. The park was off-limits to the children who needed activity and fun. When the wind blew, I sometimes heard the rattle of swing chains, but it was a lonely sound without the children.

The next year, I once again heard laughter at the park. Many walk by with their dogs at their heels. Kids ride by on bikes with friends. Even baseball is gearing up. More cars line the streets and baseball calls echo across the ballfield. At times in past years, the lights, sounds, cars, the overall noise level irritated me.

After the silence of Covid restrictions, I am glad to hear the laughter emanating from across the street. It almost relaxes me now. I smile and give thanks that despite the heartaches and frustrations of fear-based restrictions, Americans are strong and resilient, and we will not only survive—but also thrive.

4/23/21 4/23/21

Blog Politics Are we harming, not protecting our children with Covid mandates?

Note: I know not all schools are this restrictive. I will not argue or discuss. Use this for information and consideration only.

In our desire to protect our children from Covid-19, we’ve placed them in a protective bubble. Our school children are told to self-distance and teachers no longer give a hug, pat a back, or touch the students in affirmation.

Parents have been told this is for the safety of the children. But this lack of personal interaction and touch goes against decades, even hundreds of years of research, study and common sense.

I’ve read about orphan children in places like Russia and China where there are too many children and not enough caretakers. These children are left without physical love and attention. When these children are adopted, many show signs of detachment disorder.

Kids, especially younger children, absolutely require constant physical interaction in order to be mentally as well as physically healthy. Mental health must precede physical health but in our rush to “protect,” adults have totally forgotten this important connection.

Because of their isolation from teachers and each other, how many of these children may exhibit long-term mental and emotional health issues? This isolation is even more peculiar since Covid-19 does not target children. Data reveals, most children do not get nor pass on the virus.

In fact, why are we taking such drastic steps considering Covid-19 has up a 99%, yes 99%, survival rate? That is more than the survival rate for the usual flues passing through each year that often clears out schools due to sick students. Many of these yearly flues DO take the lives of quite a few children, yet we don’t force kids to wear masks or self-distance.

As for masks, the virus particle is smaller than the open weaves of masks and can easily pass right through. I don’t know how many stories I’ve heard about adults, including teachers, who can’t wait to get out in the hall, out of a store or other place where masks are mandated, and tear off that mask so they can breathe deeply.

Yet we force even young children to wear masks all day in school. Young children are just learning how to breathe. They need to be able to breathe deeply in order to develop and strengthen their lungs. Wearing masks short-circuits healthy breathing and lung development.

Will these children end up with bronchial problems due to muzzling them with masks not even adults can tolerate long-term? Also, how often do the children change masks during the day?

Masks are quickly saturated with bodily germs and discharges. If masks are not changed regularly during the day, it is like blowing your nose in a tissue, then holding that tissue to your nose for the next hour, two, four, etc.??? In effect, we’re forcing children into an unhealthy, unsanitary situation.

Masks are not a magic bullet and data on their usefulness from around the world is mixed. (The data is now in. States and countries that masked against states and countries that didn’t. Result NO significant difference. None! Wearing masks is useless. Too bad even medical doctors and medical persons don’t do more than follow instead of doing their own research.)

What appears to be a positive solution, isn’t a solution at all. So why force children to wear a mask when they are not the target of this virus?

Then there is the fear factor. We scare children. If they don’t wear a mask they will get sick. If they play or interact normally with other students or friends, they may get sick. This fear is much worse than the usefulness of the protective measures. Fear, once instilled, will affect these children for a lifetime.

What effect will this fear have on the ability to bond, and on long-term relationships, such as marriage? Worse is the anger and nastiness toward those who, for health reasons, are unable and are not supposed to wear a mask. Are parents informed that if their child has respiratory difficulties or is unable to put a mask on and take it off by themselves that they should not wear a mask?

If a student doesn’t wear a mask, is that student shunned or vilified by teachers and other students? It certainly is happening in the general populace. Generally, nice people have become vicious over this issue.

My question is this? Are our protective measures actually harming our children? Are these measures, in effect, abusing the very ones we wish to protect? These factors are worth exploring--rationally and without the jump to automatic denial or fury.

© 2021Carolyn R Scheidies
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https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/associated-press-finally-admits-lockdowns-dont-reduce-covid-19-infections-deaths?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com&utm_campaign=cc201215c5-Daily%2520Headlines%2520-%2520U.S._COPY_995&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_12387f0e3e-cc201215c5-401438845

3/15/21 3/15/21

Blog Bio: Finally, a doctor helps me, a maskless patient

Has fear erased the need to accommodate those with disabilities?

Those who know me, know I am put together with artificial joints, metal, plastic, glue, and screws. I have lots of limitations. My throat is compromised. I can only touch my face with one hand. I also have any number of allergies and sensitivities to medications and food.

In this era of masks, I am part of a subset of persons who cannot safely wear a mask—and that’s according to both ADA and CDC. As long as everyone was masking. it meant I pretty much stayed home.

However, I still had doctor appointments. I needed to see my regular doctor at Family Practice and have my yearly labs. I called my doctor’s nurse and, talked to her about my problem. My doctor said to come in.

When Keith took me in, a couple of ladies in the entry let us know we needed masks (Keith already had one on) and to use the hand sanitizer. I said I could not do either, but that I’d already called. They checked and let me go in. Not one person stopped me or even glared at me during my appointment. They made a reasonable accommodation.

More recently, I tried to set up an appointment with a podiatrist at Platte Valley Medical Group. However, when I let them know I couldn’t wear a mask, you would have thought they’d never heard of such a thing. After 15 or more minutes, I was passed onto another person who asked why? I explained. I was treated with politeness, but nothing I said mattered. No mask. No seeing a doctor.

The next day someone else called and, nicely but firmly, grilled me as to why. It didn’t matter. They made absolutely no accommodations for people who like me can’t wear a mask but who wish to see a doctor.

Yet, not being able to wear a mask is very real. According to this Disability Issues Brief Developed by the Southeast ADA Center and Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University entitled The ADA and Face Mask Policies, “The CDC states that a person who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove the face mask without assistance should not wear a face mask or cloth face covering.”

Other reasons include claustrophobia, PSTD, and severe anxiety. What about businesses? According to the above article: If a person with a disability is not able to wear a face mask, state and local government agencies and private businesses must consider reasonable modifications to a face mask policy so that the person with the disability can participate in, or benefit from, the programs offered or goods and services that are provided.

Platte Valley Medical Group offered no accommodations, which means they were not ADA nor CDC compliant. This medical establishment made no way for me to see the doctor. No mask. No medical care. No accommodations for those who require medical treatment.

I tried another clinic in Kearney with a podiatrist. The woman at the front desk who answered my call took my information, but before we settled on an appointment I explained I couldn’t wear a mask.

She reiterated what became the party line. “Everyone has to wear a mask.”

However, she offered to have the manager call, which she did. She offered a semi-reasonable alternative—to stay in the car until called. I accepted and made the appointment. Since the appointment was in early March, I hoped for a day that wasn’t freezing cold.

Still, though I still felt like a second-class citizen again, I am thankful this medical establishment was willing to follow ADA guidelines to make reasonable accommodations. Let’s hope others, medical establishments as well as stores and other businesses, start doing the same.

2/1/21 2/1/21

Blog Attitude and blessings during a pandemic

The immense challenges of 2020 were unexpected. No one predicted the year we’ve left behind—with relief. We’ve dealt with any number of unexpected events and tragedies during my lifetime including 911 and flues that sent many home from school and jobs to recover, to the hospitals, and to the mortuaries.

Still, nothing prepared us for not only the Covid-19 pandemic but also the response to it that had never before been part of dealing with a contagion, flu or other deadly diseases. This time we insisted those who were still healthy be as restricted as those who showed signs of illness.

This disease targets the elderly and those with underlying health conditions, yet we insist on treating children in the same way we treat adults—cutting them off from human contact in public and at school.

Without their consent or vote, we locked up the elderly in centers where family members could not check on them to make sure our parents or loved ones were not being abused in any way. They were cut off from family and from hugs and attention at the very time they most needed it.

We insisted on masks and self-distancing until it almost became a habit and someone giving a hug looked at almost with horror. Restrictions on gatherings have caused untold difficulties from the destruction of livelihoods to the inability to worship all together and encouraging interpersonal relationships so vital to the health and the well-being of human beings.

Many died. Many from Covid, some from the increase in loneliness, suicide, drugs and alcohol usage, and mental health issues--some of which stemmed from the lack of contact. We can look back and see nothing but tragedy or we can look back and also see the positives of the year, positives that can carry us forward with hope.

This pandemic happened at a time practically the whole world is interconnected. We have social media with friends around the world with whom we can “talk.” We have video chats and Zoom, which means we can still be part of a worship service, a business meeting or gather as a family from places all over the country to laugh and catch up with each other’s lives.

Many parents have discovered the value of homeschooling and have turned to this more intimate mode of education for their children. Schools have gone to online education, which while certainly not as personal as classroom learning still helps ensure children are not left behind.

Staying home for some individuals and families has been a blessing, with more family time, along with more quiet time to think and just be. Businesses have discovered many employees work as effectively at home as at work. Some businesses will even continue this arrangement with some employees after the pandemic is over.

We are a resourceful people, and we can be amazingly creative in handling whatever comes up. We must also remember we are a free people and be cautious of the intrusion of government into our lives.

The best way to beat this situation is to look for the good and positive. Count the blessings and give thanks. The best way to deal with what’s happening isn’t with complaints, anger, and frowns, (though we can push back on unscientific masking and shots) but with hope and a positive, upbeat attitude that God is good and tomorrow really is another day.

1/5/21 1/5/21

Blog You can make 2021 better than 2020

On Facebook, I’ve seen comments and all sorts of graphics about the year of 2020--of how tired everyone is of the year, and how everyone hopes 2021 will be different--a year everyone hopes is far from disease and death and restrictions and masks, with which everyone is so tired of dealing.

But for all the hopes, it appears many of the restrictions will continue on into a year we all hoped would be different. Already the unintended consequences of restricting individuals and families to their homes is being paid in a variety of ways from increased abuse and suicide, to higher drug and alcohol use and even death from loneliness.

What many do not realize is that mental health matters to physical health, We, and especially children, need to be touched, and hugged. Need to communicate face-to-face. Need to be part of the community in a way that technology, as nice as it is to have, can not. There is no substitute for people being together.

There are differing opinions about masks and restrictions and many other aspects of the situation we’re in. There is hope vaccinesCovid shots will change the picture—the data shows they neither stop one from contracting Covid nor stop the transmission of it.

Still, we hope cases will not only decrease, but new cases stop altogether. In the midst of conflicting information even from “experts,’ we need to find our way for ourselves and our families.

America stands on three pillars--faith, family, and freedom. This pandemic has shaken every one of these pillars in one way or another. However, we don’t have to give in to despair. While this may not be over in the dawn of the New Year, we have hope of an end.

Nothing lasts forever. As for faith, even when we are told not to meet together in large groups, we can still read God’s Word and communicate with God anytime and anyplace.

We can pray for others, especially for those who are ill or grieving. We can reach out to those in need with a letter, a phone call, or a donation.

Our freedom has been greatly impacted and that truly bothers me. Our elderly citizens didn’t vote to be locked away from family and friends--and pay dearly for such a “privilege.” This has been wrong on so many levels.

I am not the only one who, now, has no intention of ever going into a home--if it can at all be avoided. Even in this, attitude matters. We can complain or focus on the positive and we can seek to make changes.

If we want changes, we need to let our Representatives, Senators, Governors, and Mayors know what we think and expect. Let’s do our part to stop Covid-19, but also to realize balance is needed and make our concerns known--through letters to the editor, phone calls, and letters to those making and enforcing restrictions.

Maybe you agree. Maybe you don’t, but you are the citizens. Do your research, beyond government and media sources, knowing they are often very biased. Those for whom we vote are supposed to be our employees, not our masters.

Make tomorrow be different by standing up for faith, family, and freedom. Then 2021 will become the year of hope and change we want so much right now.

Published in Kearney Hub 01/04/2021
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11/17/20 11/17/20

Blog Scaring up memories of fun Halloweens

***Erica Marsland Huynh@partyintheshire***

Though this Halloween (during te Covid pandemic) was very different from other Halloween celebrations, it brought back memories of other times in my life when the holiday was different.

When I was a child, Halloween wasn’t a big thing. Stores didn’t carry costumes. Parents and kids made their own. Mine was easy--torn pants, sloppy shirt, a long stick with a bandana pouch tied to it, and I became a hobo.

My friends and I each brought a bag and went house to house for candy. (Then my folks rationed our haul, so we didn’t eat it all at once.)

By the time our children were ready to Trick or Treat, Halloween had become a much bigger celebration and much more dark. It had also become less safe. Razor blades were found in apples and other treats were doctored in cruel ways. Parents were told to only take their children to the homes of those they knew.

Bryant School decided to hold its own Halloween celebration. A college student friend went with Chris and I dealt with Cassie. The kids had a good time and still brought home treats.

Then a person from a large Kearney church conceived of a way to provide fun and food in a safe and positive environment. She and others from the church contacted other churches and formed a committee to plan what became Bibleland Carnival which became THE place to go on Halloween.

The concept was to come in a character from the Bible. This opened costumes up to animals, characters—and not all Bible characters are good characters.

Different booths had a variety of delicious food. There were bounce houses, huge slides, all types of games, including a cakewalk and actual pony and horse rides. For years, our family assisted at Bibleland Carnival.

Of course, we made sure the kids, and whatever friend they brought with them, had time to eat and play games. One year I took tickets for the pony rides by an open side door. (Brr.) I had a stool so I could rest when needed. It was metal with an open center.

That year Cassie kept doing the Cakewalk. She ended up with five cakes we stored stacked up under my stool. Later we gave most of them away. The yearly Bibleland lasted long after Chris and Cassie left home for college and work, and Chris married.

One year, Chris and his wife brought their three littles to enjoy the carnival. Another generation of memories. Without Bibleland or kids at home, we returned to sitting by the front door and offering treats to the kids who came to the door. By then, also, we attended a church in the area and knew a lot of the kids. Besides candy, I tried to offer little toys, pens, etc.

But even this next generation of kids grew up and the nearby neighborhood aged. Finally, with almost no one coming to the door, we stopped buying treats to give out to nonexistent Trick or Treaters.

It is sad with the circumstances this year, most parents chose to keep kids at home. I have memories, my children and grandchildren have memories of Halloween. Our daughter took her two little ones to a park. A lady who was giving out treats gave them each a treat bag. I’m glad our youngest grandkids will have good memories of the day.

However, next year, I hope we can celebrate in a safe, positive way—and with kids going house to house, filling their bags with treats.

11/3/20 11/3/20

Blog Creativity needed in connecting with loved ones

The situation with the Coronavirus has, pretty much, quarantined families and limited contact with family and friends. For introverts spending time at home may not be so daunting. Extroverts find the lack of human contact frustrating and imprisoning. However, there are creative ways to stay in contact with the outside world.

I am thankful for today’s technology which allows us access to friends, family, and work in so many ways. We do not simply have phones, we have smartphones that are an extension of ourselves and makes us available.

We have email and social media, all of which helps us stay in contact. How can we make contact feel more intimate and close? My voice isn’t always easy to understand, especially over the phone, and even worse if the person with whom I am speaking has a hearing problem. Like many other older persons, I remember getting cards and letters that touched my hearts and that I kept to read, and to reread.

In an era of digitizing, few take the time to send cards and heartfelt letters. When my 94-year-old father-in-law went into lockdown in a senior care home, he found it difficult to communicate with me via phone, Instead, I communicated with him by snail mail, writing about our lives in a weekly card in which I sometimes added a picture or two of the grandkids—his great-grandkids.

During this time, Keith and I learned to use Zoom for meetings, and with family and friends. Keith has recorded books on video, showing the different pictures, to send to our three and one-year-old grandchildren.

Keith’s family stays in touch through a texting loop as well as a private Facebook page. Birthdays and other events can be celebrated with colorful graphics and even animations via email, Facebook or other social media, many of which can be found and used without cost.

It was difficult not to be in personal contact with Keith’s dad because of the lockdown. Keith’s brother Randy found a way to see dad. He’d go to dad’s window where Dad could see him and communicate via the phone.

When Keith’s brother Mark died of a freak accident at the end of April 2020, the surviving siblings—Keith Randy, Rhonda, and Tim—needed to be together and needed to spend time with dad who just lost a son. They conceived of a way. With the assistance of Bethany Home staff, the siblings brought chairs and settled into a small secondary entryway. The staff settled Dad on the other side of the door with his phone.

Dad got to see all his remaining kids close up, saw they were OK, and got to speak to each one. Keith said Dad had a big smile the whole time they were there. It was good for them all.

Though restrictions loosened for a while, some restrictions are back. For now, it may take some creativity and thought to stay in contact, but if we’re willing we can stay in communication until we are free to come and go and receive and give what is so important to our mental and physical health—personal contact and hugs.

I plan my life out a day at a time, so my posting schedule can be erratic.

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