October 2007

2nd Annual SMILEY's FUN RUN

Dear Friends,

Since SMILEY's FUN RUN was such a fun, good experience for our family and friends, especially the Chinese children at the Gao Chun Special School, we have decided to make it an ANNUAL event.

The purpose of the FUN RUN will be to have FUN together as we

* Promote good health and fitness for family and friends,

* Raise $$ to support the SUNSHINE Project in Nanjing, China, and

* Put SMILES on the faces of all who participate!!!

It will be held each year in the fall around Ken/Smiley's birthday in honor of the first FUN RUN, where we were able to pull off the most "spectuar suprise" of Ken's life!!!

Our "Top Secret Mission" was accomplished AND our grandchildren loved it. Months ago they started asking what we were going to do to celebrate Pappy's birthday this year? That got Ken and I to thinking and we have been in contact with the Sunshine Project leaders in China to set it all up.

The 2nd ANNUAL SMILEY's FUN RUN will be held on: Saturday, October 27th 2007 in Logan, Utah and at the Gao Chun Special School near Nanjing, China AND anywhere you live, for example our son K.C. will be "running" in Las Vegas and is inviting some young friends to participate as a service project.

The FUN RUN will be 7 miles again here in Logan, or whatever length that would be a good goal for you and yours. Some of our younger grandchildren will "run" a shorter distance, with some stops along the way to do some FUN activities. We post a report of our FUN RUN on my BLOG after October 27th.

We have challenged each of the Chinese children and our grandchildren to set their own GOAL for what they want to accomplish this year and EACH will be rewarded for reaching their GOAL!!

The SUNSHINE Project leaders in China are printing t-shirts for the children there to save shipping costs --- our family will use our shirts from last year. We are sending some "smiley" prizes for each of the children who complete their "walking, jogging, running" goal.

I'll also be posting several articles on health/fitness on my BLOG at: http://www.xmission.com/~kmitch/becky/ that to be used by the Chinese teachers to promote greater knowledge and awareness of the vital role exercise and positive emotions (love, caring, & happiness) play in our health, overall well-being and fitness.

If you live in Logan, you are invited to come "walk/jog/run" with us at 10:00 am on October 27th. If any of you want to do something for your health and "walk/jog/run" where ever you are, we would appreciate knowing and receiving your pictures so we can share with the Chinese children, all those who participated.

We are inviting our grandchildren to make any donation they want to the Sunshine Project, rather than giving Ken or I birthday gifts. AND it has to be money that they have "earned" themself, not just given them by their parents. We want them to learn early to care about others and learn to give!

Donations of any amount to the SUNSHINE Project will be welcome:

In China donations can be sent to:

JIN JIAN (Jane is her English name)

Bank of China in Nanjing, HuNan Road Sub-Branch, PR China

Account number 4447802-0188-052027-3

Jin Jian, is the treasurer of the SUNSHINE Project and if you have any questions please call her at 13851986887.

In America, donation checks can be sent to:

Ken & Becky Mitchell

149 East 700 North

Logan, UT 84321

Phone: 435-752-2466

If you would like to learn more about the SUNSHINE Project, please go to my BLOG and click on the Category "Sunshine Project - Nanjing, China."

Hope you all have had a good summer and are enjoying beautiful fall or autumn weather now. It's very beautiful here in Logan, we are especially enjoying cooler temperatures after a hot, record setting summer.

KEEP MOVING AND SMILING!!!

Much love,

Ken and Becky Mitchell

WITH A SMILE . . .

This song has a very special message. It was written by Neville Peter and performed by Gladys Knight, one of my favorite people!!

WITH A SMILE you can show the world you care -- With a smile you’ll inspire the world to share -- If you show the world a smiling face, It will come back to you. You don’t need to be crying, So good to see you trying WITH A SMILE.

The biggest problems seem so small -- WITH A SMILE you will rise above them all. Oh, it shouldn’t be so hard to display the Love of God. I know that we can do it WITH A SMILE.

Oh a SMILE can turn Grief to laughter. A SMILE can turn Hate to love. It can make a bleeding heart Forget the pain. It can drive the blues away, Turn the night into day. You can do all these things WITH A SMILE.

You can weather any storm -- When it’s cold you’ll be able to stay warm. I’ve got one more thing to say: Don’t let them take Your SMILE away -- ‘Cause what I said is true. All these things a smile can do. You’ll just have to try -- I know you’ll see -- Take it from me

You can do all these things, You can do all these things, You can do all these things WITH A SMILE, WITH A SMILE!!!!

YOU CAN STOP NORMAL AGING

This article, YOU CAN STOP “NORMAL” AGING – by Dr. Henry S. Lodge, shows the importance of EXERCISE & LOVE to the health of individual cells of your body!

Form your body’s point of view, “normal” aging isn’t normal at all. It’s a choice you make by the way you live your life. The other choice is to tell your cells to grow – to build a strong, vibrant body and mind.

Let’s have a look at standard American aging. Barbara D. had a baby when she was 34, gave up exercise and gained 50 pounds. Exhausted and depressed, Barbara thought youth, energy and optimism were all in her rearview mirror. Jon M., 55, had fallen even farther down the slippery slope. He was stuck in the corporate world of stress, long hours and doughnuts. At 255 pounds, he had knees that hurt and a back that ached. He developed high blood pressure and eventually diabetes. Life was looking grim.

Jon and Barbara weren’t getting old; they had let their bodies decay. Most aging is just the dry rot we program into our cells by sedentary living, junk food and stress. Yes, we do have to get old, and ultimately we do have to die. But out bodies are designed to age slowly and remarkably well. Most of what we see and fear is decay, and decay is only one choice. Growth is the other.

After two years of misery, Barbara started exercising and is now in the best shape of her life. She just finished a sprint triathlon and, at 37, feels like she is 20. Jon started eating better and exercising too – slowly at first, but he stuck with it. He has since lost 50 pounds, the pain in his knees and back has disappeared, and his diabetes is gone. Today, Jon is 60 and living his life in the body of a healthy 30-year-old. He will die one day, but he is likely to live like a young man until he gets there.

The hard reality of our biology is that we are built to move. Exercise is the master signaling system that tells our cells to grow instead of fade. When we exercise, that process of growth spreads throughout every cell in our bodies, making us functionally younger. Not a little bit younger – a lot younger. True biological aging is a surprisingly slow and graceful process. You can live out your life in a powerful, healthy body if you are willing to put in the work.

Let’s take a step back to see how exercise works at the cellular level. Your body is made up of trillions of cells that live mostly for a few weeks or months, die and are replaced by new cells in an endless cycle. For example, your taste buds live only a few hours, white blood cells live 10 days, and your muscle cells live about three months. Even your bones dissolve and are replaced, over and over again. A few key stem cells in each organ and your brain cells are the only ones that stick around for the duration. All of your other cells are in a constant state of renewal.

You replace about 1% of your cells every day. That means 1% of your body is brand-new today, and you will get another 1% tomorrow. Think of it as getting a whole new body every three months. It’s not entirely accurate, but it’s pretty close. Viewed that way, you are walking around in a body that is brand-new since Christmas (article appeared in March 2007) new lungs, new liver, new muscles, new skin. Look down at your legs and realize that you are going to have new ones by the Fourth of July. Whether that body is functionally younger or older is a choice you make by how you live.

You choose whether those new cells come in stronger or weaker. You choose whether they grow or decay each day from then on. Your cells don’t care which choice you make. They just follow the directions you send. Exercise, and your cells get stronger; sit down, and they decay.

Men like Jon, who go from sedentary to fit, cut their risk of dying from a heart attack by 75% over five years. Women cut their risk by 80% -- and heart attacks are the largest single killer of women. Both men and women can double their leg strength with three months of exercise, and most of us can double it again in another three months. This is true whether you’re in your 30% or your 90%. It’s not a miracle or a mystery. It’s your biology, and you’re in charge.

The other master signal to our cells—equal and, in some respects, even more important than exercise—is emotion. One of the most fascinating revelations of the last decade is that emotions change our cells through the same molecular pathways as exercise. Anger, stress and loneliness are signals for “starvation” and chronic danger. They “melt” our bodies as surely as sedentary living. Optimism, love and community trigger the process of growth, building our bodies, hearts and minds.

Men who have a heart attack and come home to a family are four times less likely to die of a second heart attack. Women battling heart disease or cancer do better in direct proportion to the number of close friends and relatives they have. Babies in the ICU who are touched more often are more likely to survive. Everywhere you look, you see the role of emotion/love in our biology. Like exercise, it’s a choice.

’s hard to exercise every day. And with our busy lives, it’s even harder to find the time and energy to maintain relationships and build communities. But it’s worth it when you consider the alternative. Go for a walk or a run, and think about it. Deep in our cells, down at the level of molecular genetics, we are wired to exercise and to care. We’re beginning to wake up to that as a nation, but you might not want to wait. You might want to join Barbara, Jon and millions of others and change your life. Start today. Your cells are listening.

Dr. Henry S. Lodge is on the faculty of Columbia Medical School and is co-author of “Younger Next Year”….

GROWING OLD ...

My sister, Sue, sent these quotes to Ken for his SEVENTY Birthday:

Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative. -- Maurice Chevalier

You can't help getting older, but you don't have to get old. -- George Burns

Don't worry about middle age: you'll outgrow it. -- Laurence J. Peter

They tell you that you'll lose your mind when you grow older. What they don't tell you is that you won't miss it very much. --Malcolm Cowley

I look forward to being older, when what you look like becomnes less and less an issue and what you are is the point. -- Susan Sarandon

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are? Satchell Paige

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.

If you die in the elevator, be sure to push the UP button. -- Sam Levenson

THESE ARE MY FAVORITE . . .

Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't. -- Richard Bach

The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it. -- William James

Wrinkles should merely indicate where the SMILES have been. -- Mark Twain

Ken's Reflections on Life & Death

This is a letter that Ken/Smiley wrote to our family following his heart attack, which he likes to call his "cardiac event" which occurred on May 4, 2006. He talks about a time when our daughter Amy was involved in a car accident and Jason was very seriously injured in a car/motorcycle accident. Our daughter-in-law Missy also is mentioned. She had several medical procedures to correct a heart problem before it was finally corrected. I'm sending this letter so you can see how Ken feels about Life and Death...

My Dear Family,

Thanks to each of you for your love, support and concern the past few days.

In addition to this wonderful family, the support of many friends and medical people was over-whelming! I'm not at all surprised but it's still humbling. I haven't learned how to accept love and support without emotional feelings.

I want to express to you some thoughts I had Sunday night (when he had the heart event), which really were not new but I actually put them into action when this experience arrived.

For many years Becky and I have discussed these type of adversities. Until 1995, actually eleven years ago May 4-5, when Amy and Jason became the first serious adversity we'd faced, Becky and I would warn ourselves that our "smooth sailing" wouldn't last forever. Of course, Jason holds the trophy for the "most serious" trauma we've faced. Nothing else that's crossed our path holds a candle to that sad experience. However, just as in my "cardiac event" it was excellent medical people who performed their "duty" and Jason made a great recovery from a most serious situation.

We held our breath until Missy was correctly patched.

For me personally, I have taken the attitude for many years that I've been allowed far more of the wonderful things of life than I ever expected or deserved and I'm daily grateful to Heavenly Father for allowing me all these things. Which, interpreted means, "I respect that The Lord giveth and The Lord taketh away." If The Lord had taken me Sunday night, so be it. I have no concerns about that. I invite you to consider a similar attitude.

Becky and I both desire that if anyone has to be taken from our family, "Please, Lord, let it be one or both of us." Having said this, I encourage each of you to "look inside" and see if you are "prepared" for a serious adversity. I firmly believe we owe it to ourselves and those around us to "take a stand." I don't expect anyone to follow my/our approach but I don't hesitate to suggest to you that you must face the fact that we have no control over the exit of anyone of us. I respect that as stated above.

It will always be my attitude to "celebrate the life" of one who exits. I will not ask "why?"... I will not be "knocked out" by it... I'm not "copping out"... I firmly believe that I'm accepting "the way it is." I will celebrate that life, old or young, and give thanks to Heavenly Father for the time we spent together.

Of course I/we have no control over this so you might think, "your attitude is simple, it's a way of managing the sadness." I feel my attitude is based on a grateful heart. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't feel helpless... I feel empowered.

My sincere request is that each of us do what we know will allow us a healthy and extended life... there are no secrets about how to do that now... it's a choice. Let's be together on this earth as long as possible... if the exit is earlier, so be it. Celebrate the life.

Sincerely and with love to each,

Dad/Pappy/Ken

****************

From Becky: It was just two months after my mother had passed away that Ken had this "cardiac event". I was in Provo (over two hours away from Logan) taking care of my Father that Sunday. Our son, Jason, took Ken to the hospital and then called me to tell me what was happening. They had to "fly" Ken to Ogden where there were the medical resources to help him -- it was in the middle of the night. I arranged for my brother to take care of my Father and after a prayer with my Dad, I drove as fast as I could to Ogden to be with Ken. Of course, I was praying all the way. My son had assured me that it did not seem too serious, but I was still praying. Then the comforting feeling of my Mother's presence came over me, assuring me that Ken would be alright and that she would look out for him until I could get there -- I also felt her "thanks" for taking care of her husband, my Father. I truly believe that it was God's will that Ken live longer -- there are still things that the Lord wants him to accomplish.