The Day I Was Diagnosed Having CancerWritten by MERYL SMILE MATIENZO
Sure you’ll going to be worried learning about this piece of news. It took a lot of courage in me to discuss a sickness that is so close to death. It would mean end of everything….From traveling that I enjoy most. From breezing through lights and sounds of Los Angeles, eye-catching Hong Kong-based signature clothes, scenery of New Zealand to aroma of my home sweet home. It would mean end of my sleepless nights of chatting, and writing testimonials in friendster and other forms of letters. It would mean end of my favorite past time which is malling.It would mean end of being with my family who cares and loves me so much and it would be end of hanging-out with my friends. I can’t stand these realities that would soon unfold my future. I’m scared but I know I will survive.It really is a fact that I upset a lot of people from time I was born. Given that my name is SMILE, I should have brought smiles to people. Yet, I’ve been so hard-headed, inconsiderate, unforgiving, and most of all—selfish. I’ve been so crazy, oftentimes, fickle-minded. I’ve made decisions based from others’ perception not mine. I’ve been involved with my first boyfriend ever during junior year in College whom I love dearly until this very day. Yet, we are bound to take different paths and choices to make our lives worth living. My only consolation? We remained best of friends.
| | The Theraputic Value of ScrapbookingWritten by Kathy Johnson, COTA
The Therapeutic Value of ScrapbookingI have been a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant for 16 years and have worked with many different types of physical disabilities and clients with mental illness. When I started scrapbooking 8 years ago, I never realized what a therapeutic value it could have on my life. As years have gone by I have also recognized therapeutic values scrapbooking can have for those many different types of physical disabilities and those with mental illness. I have discovered that Scrapbooking has many qualities that can help restore an overall sense of well being, accomplishment, and self-worth, as well as help with physical deficits. Taking photos of loved ones and creating a scrapbook not only showcases familiar photos, but can also display feelings and memorabilia. It is not only actual “scrapbooking” of pictures, but memories pictures reveal, that can be of great value. I made a 25th Wedding Anniversary album for my parents and which included photos from their childhood as well as photos from time since they were married. What I learned from rummaging through all these old photos was an invaluable lesson in family heritage. There were places they had been, and family members I did not know and events that were unknown to me until I sorted through these photos and interviewed my parents. The end result was a wonderful memento of their lives and a keepsake we could all cherish and share for generations to come. Individuals with depression can find comfort in scrapbooking memories from past. Using scrapbooking task as a way to help individuals with mental illness stay on task, follow directions and reinforce need to complete a project are all valuable Life Skills they will need to be productive individuals in community. Many with mental illness have a sense of hopelessness and low self worth. Scrapbooking can provide these individuals with a great sense of accomplishment.
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