Reflections on Doctors

I have many conflicting views about doctors. On the one side there is admiration for their skill and knowledge, appreciation of their high calling, and fascination at what modern medicine can accomplish.

On the other side is distain for their sometimes callous opinions, horror of their principles, and sadness at their mistakes.

So, what brings this topic up you might ask. Please do.

Last Friday I talked about Mr. Glass, who apparently had little brain activity and little chance of recovery. I dared not post about this sooner because of the conflicting messages the family had been receiving from medical staff. The story following his heart attack goes something like this.

-He had received care in a timely manner and little damage was caused.
-He needed a procedure to reduce brain damage.
-His brain scan showed no damage.
-His brain scan showed no activity and he would die.
-His brain scan showed some activity and he would probably be OK.
-His brain scan showed only lower brain activity and he would eventually die without comprehending anything ever again. i.e. He was a vegetable.

At this point he was moved to a hospice facility where it was expected he would "finish dying" within a week. He would not feel any pain. He could not feel pain. He was not really there anymore.

On Saturday when I visited I saw no evidence to the contrary.
On Sunday when I visited I got a shock. He was awake. He looked right at me. He indicated he wanted water. He said a word that was understandable.
On Monday he was doing better. Today better too.

So doctors...you have a choice. Either you were way wrong and were going to let someone die before their time, or else God performed a miracle. Take your pick.

Praise the Lord! He has a long way to go and isn't out of danger yet, but where there is life, there is hope.

Reflections on Life

Life is fleeting, short and unexpected. You never know when something might happen to you or a friend.

Please pray for my friends, the Glass Family. The father of the family (Ken) had a massive heart attack last Thursday evening. After a week of being in the hospital, they have determined that he has very limited brain activity. He is going into hospice care until he finishes dying.

I can only imagine what the family is going through. I cannot imagine how I would feel if it were my Dad laying there in the hospital. The immediate family are all Christians, but it is still very hard.

Please pray for them.

Reflections on the Wedding

I like weddings. On February 10, 2007, my brother married the love of his life in a beautiful and meaningful ceremony that was very special. Here are some of my thoughts about that day.

*Happy - I was/am very happy for Jeremy & Rachel. I do not begrudge them their new-found joy in life.
*Praise to God - For the marvelous way He brought them together and the many ways He provided for the wedding and their future life together.
*Fun - Maybe it is just me, but I think all of the activity surrounding the wedding was fun! I enjoy large projects, multiple details and being surrounded by lots of family and friends.
*Peace - Knowing that God had directed their lives and that He would continue to do so.
*Excitement - Did I mention that over 550 people were there?
*Anticipation - All those plans were coming together...very nicely.
*Honored - What a privilege to be asked to participate in this wedding.
*Hot - It was hot standing on the stage with bright lights shining on you while you try to stand still (and make sure two little flower girls stand still too).
*Relief - It was over. There were no major problems. Everyone had a good time. They got married (the most important part).
*Joy - The whole day was full of joy!

THE Wedding

Not mine, my brother's!

My little, big brother got married last month, and I have been waiting for him to update his website before I blogged about it so there would be a selection of pictures for people to see. Visit www.ourcourtship.com if you want to see and hear more about it.

A Few of My Unfavorite Things

I am not what most people call a picky eater. Last night I got a chance to try a new food...scallops. They were good. Not destined to become a favorite, but good enough to eat. I understand they are also very nutritious. Good enough for me.

That got me thinking about the few foods I don't like. I'm sure I can't remember them all, but here's a list along with why.

- Green peppers - I actually like them in theory, but they give me a stomachache in reality. This took me quite a while to figure out. Now that I understand what is going on, I don't hesitate to pick them out of my food anymore.
- Hot peppers/hot food - Why would anyone think that burning your mouth would be pleasant? Again it is not the taste as much as the result that I mind.
- Black pepper - I don't object if it is in food, especially in small amounts, but you won't catch me putting it on something on my own. Too much makes me sneeze or at least have a tickle in my nose...and it doesn't take much to be "too much" for me.
- Liver - I actually didn't try any liver until I was in my early teens. I entered the eating experience determined to not let any outside influences determine if I would or would not like this food. I didn't like it. The aftertaste was terrible.
- Raw fish aka sushi - Why people would pay big money for raw fish I fail to understand. Yuck! I tried a variety once-upon-a-time with a friend so we could say we had tried. I believe in giving foods a fair chance to impress themselves upon my taste buds. In this case depress was more like it. The texture wasn't pleasant either.
- Clams - Big globs of fleshy, chewy, fishy flesh. I'd rather spend my money on something else. A lot of people swallow them whole! Why bother?!?
- Blue cheese - How did eating mold ever become popular? There are lots of things that I will eat if I am desperate, but that doesn't mean I have to like them.

There are some other things I generally avoid, but they aren't really food: cola pop, coffee and mayonnaise.

Disappointments in Life

Life is full of disappointments. At least that's what I've always been told. I rarely experience this because I keep my expectations low and my enjoyment of whatever comes along high. However there is always the occasional experience that fits into the "disappointment" category. Today I had one of those.

This evening I was scheduled to host a wedding shower for a co-worker (the past-tense should give you a clue about what is coming). Shortly after noon the groom let me know that not only was he sick and going to go home, but his bride was sicker than he was. He asked me to cancel the shower for tonight and said that we would try to reschedule for later. So I cancelled it.

I am trying very hard to think about this properly. First, it is very sad that the bride and groom are both so sick less than 2 weeks before their wedding. It must be much harder for them than for me. Second, I am grateful that I received the message from the groom about 1 minute BEFORE I walked out the door to do the final shopping for the party tonight. Third, some of the food can be frozen. Fourth, my co-workers are enjoying the fruits and veggies, so they aren't going to waste. Fifth, at least it wasn't ME that was sick and had to cancel. Sixth, all of the attendees are close at hand and easy to notify about the cancellation. Seventh, I now have an extra free evening this week. Eighth, being sick is not usually fatal. There could have been much worse reasons to have to cancel the shower tonight. Ninth, we should be able to have the shower someday. Tenth, God knows best.

I'm sure I'll come up with more thinks to be thankful for. However, I still have to admit that I am a bit disappointed. Ahh well, such is life. Hopefully we will be able to reschedule for sometime in the future when all are well (pun intended). :-)

Birthday Surprises

Birthdays are fun...at least that is my perspective. When other people complain to me about their birthday I tell them, "Well having a birthday is better than the alternative." So far they all have to agree with that. :-)

Last Saturday my family gave me a Surprise Birthday Party. It was a double-surprise. First, the party. Second, that we celebrated (officially) my 35th Birthday. The second was a surprise because this year is not my 35th Birthday.

Here's the explanation. The year I turned 35 my family asked me if I would like to have a party. (We try to do big parties every 5-10 years for family members.) I replied that yes, that sounded like fun. (I enjoy just about any excuse to get together with friends and family.) But through a series of circumstances, the party never materialized. Those were busy days.

However, my family did not forget their promise to have a 35th Birthday Party for me...so they had one last Saturday. True, it was about two years too late, but whose counting?

The party invitation did, I have since heard, generate a lot of speculation among my friends who thought they knew how old I was (or at least that I was older than 35), so my family had to repeat the above explanation many times.

Many thanks to the wonderful family and friends who put this together and attended (and many thanks to those who sent birthday greetings even though they were unable to attend)! I had a delightful time and felt loved by all.

Happy March!

March is in like a lion around here...we had snow yesterday!

Now some of you may consider snow to be "old news," but here in the Pacific Northwest, every flake of snow is celebrated or feared (depending on who you ask). Wednesday was the weirdest weather day I every remember seeing. Snow one minute (it didn't stick) and bright sunshine the next. You could literally wait a few minutes if you didn't like the weather to get something different. One time it was near white-out with snow and wind combined.

Although the snow didn't stick here, it did other places. And then some places had a sunny day with no snow.

Very weird weather for the last day of February.