Salt is One of America's Most-Important Issues

   Among the world's issues, no one speaks of sodium. They speak of children at the border, Covid, the national debt, police shootings . . .

   And they skip over salt, as if it weren't as important as them all. Never mind salt might be the single-most important factor in the death of Americans. Never mind that salt contributes to the happiness of those same Americans.

   How much am I overstating things? Possibly, none at all. One in four deaths are attributed to heart disease. And, the level of salt intake often factors in those heart diseases. Happiness? Studies show salt is a natural mood-booster.

  The trick? Getting just enough -- not too much, not too little. If we can do this, America will be a healthier and happier nation. Most studies I am seeing suggest 2,300 milligrams per day for the average person. I am told that as a heart patient, I need to hold it to 2,000. So, say a cheeseburger is 590, say three servings (I'm a big eater) of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese are 1,440. That's 2,030, and I'm over my limit, already.

   Be careful on those cheeseburgers. They depend on how large they are and how you prepare them. A plain cheeseburger at McDonalds has 745 milligrams. The milligrams pile much higher once you add mustard, ketchup, and the other condiments. (Ah-ha, I had you thinking a cheeseburger was okay, and now I hit you with this.) Yes, a cheeseburger at Applebee's contains 1,620 milligrams of sodium. Alas.

Come Listen to the Story of Edward, from Venezuela

    Let's sketch the story of just one Venezuela immigrant, to see if it matches with what we read in the news -- and to see if all the social media outcry is justified.

   Edward. He arrived about three years ago on a tourist visa, and quickly changed it to a student visa. He came not because of fear of any violence -- he says there is none -- and not because of the food shortage. He came because he wanted to be a doctor. And, you can get better training and become a better medical professional here in America.

   So, he flew in, on a plane. No insights here on those who footpath it across Mexico. Still, his story adds understanding for why they come and how bad things are there. He left his family behind to pursue a medical career.

   Are the people there really starving? We see posts on social media of overweight people. Yes, he says. The average person might make $200 (not remembering if he said per week or per month). With Venezuela's inflation, that doesn't go far. Food lines? Yes. The average person is not overweight and if you see a picture of someone who is, there may be reasons for the obesity.

 Tomorrows are there for you for all the days you wish today was not.

 Memories are our way of making peace with the future.

 Faith leans on what it knows to keep it from falling because of what it doesn't know. 

 There is no right of way on the road to heaven. At every corner, you stop for others. 

 Holding to righteousness often means holding the course when others say you're not.