Lifestyle

A few years ago, I traveled to Japan to spend five weeks training as a live-in student in the martial art of Aikido. This was a very intense training time. On long days we got up before 5 a.m. to start a cycle of arriving at one of several dojo (martial arts training halls) nearby to clean the dojo one hour before class, practice for a one-hour class, serve tea, clean, and then move on to the next place to repeat the process. The long days had six classes, so we tended to get to bed around midnight before repeating the cycle the next day. On shorter days we would have only a few classes and could even sometimes rest or travel nearby. We also had certain holidays when we'd travel into the mountains or to nearby parks or universities to demonstrate, train, or simply rest and celebrate.

Even before I went there the first time, it was described to me simply as a “thin spot,” a place where the distance between heaven and earth was thinner than elsewhere, a place where the presence of God seems more palpable, almost heavier. It was not until I visited that I understood what others were trying to describe to me.

Having been a church musician and songwriter since the age of 18, I have been blessed to attend many liturgical and music conventions. These have been located throughout the U.S. and are usually held during the summer. Twice, conferences were held in Milwaukee. The Sisters of St. Agnes, who have graced the Ellis County area with their ministry long before I was a child, have their mother house in Wisconsin. The sisters I knew in Hays always spoke so fondly of the mother house. The faith and dedication to ministry displayed by the sisters made me want to visit there.

Dear Amy: This past April, my girlfriend of 10 years passed away. She didn’t have a will or any life insurance. Her brother paid for the cremation. He came to the house to pick up some of his sister’s things.

Dear Dr. Roach: I am a 74-year-old male. I had open heart surgery one year ago. I am currently taking several medicines, all for a year or more. About a month ago I started having very hard stools, and they had become like different size marbles. I have had no changes to my diet. Can a person’s stool indicate a problem? -- D.M.

Dear Amy: I was raised in a religion that did not celebrate birthdays and most holidays. In my early 20s I left that religion and do not practice any religion now. As a kid I did wish I could celebrate Halloween and Christmas, but my family made up for it in other ways. We went on vacations and had plenty of toys and gifts. My issue now is with the excessiveness I find in holidays and birthdays. When I celebrate these with family, I watch the kids tear through gift after gift, not even looking at each one. I have 14 nieces and nephews, so it gets very expensive. Besides Christmas, there is a never-ending cycle of holidays to buy for. It’s exhausting. It seems like such a waste of money to give people things they don’t even end up liking. If I had kids of my own, would I feel the same way? I know that part of the issue is that I don’t have childhood memories that make these occasions special.

Q: My child was diagnosed with ADHD, and I am desperate to learn how to help him cope with the symptoms. In addition to medication, which he is taking, are there lifestyle changes that may improve his symptoms? -- Cassie F., White Plains, New York

Dear Dr. Roach: I am now 78 years old. My mother’s two brothers died of heart attacks at 55 and 65, so when I was in my 50s, I had a calcium scan of my heart. Since then, I have been taking 10 mg of atorvastatin along with blood pressure medication.

DEAR DR. ROACH: Four years ago, my wife had hip surgery caused by a fall. About eight months after the surgery, she noticed her left leg was 3 inches shorter that her right one. Her doctor agreed it was shorter and said that does happen frequently. She must use a cane to walk and is now in a lot of pain just walking in a market or around the house. Is it common for this type of disability to be caused by hip surgery? Is there any type of procedure to correct it? What can be done to alleviate the pain and discomfort from this injury? -- G.W.