Yesterday was a wonderful way to get the day going. We had us a 38 degree start here at the company, cool and crisp, and I sucked in so much of that cool air, it was like I thought I might be able to store it up or something. Here in these parts you never quite get out of your mind just how muggy and hot and miserable it is in the summer, and that makes these little respites even more invigorating. I know. My wife says my invigorating spells C-O-L-D to her. But, there is a sense in which we must enjoy it while we can. I hope that this day,
Thursday, March 3, 2011 finds you doing well. Life can be challenging but much of it has to do with how we face it, embrace it, and go about the living of it. I like what the late Erma Bombeck said about life:
"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me'." That would not be a bad way to end our journey. Charles Schultz of Peanuts fame, who was a very strong believer in God, had this to say:
"I think I've discovered the secret of life - you just hang around until you get used to it." Thankfully, he did hang around for his 78 years here on the planet where he brought a smile to millions every single day. Here's the kicker: He's still at it today! The famous playwright Arthur Miller said this:
"Maybe all one can do is hope to end up with the right regrets." Given his tumultuous life, I'm not sure he did, and I am fairly certain that none of us will end up with all the right regrets. Don't be discouraged, we have today and if you are blessed to still be breathing air on the planet, today is the day we can all do what we can, with God's help, to make it the best life possible.
I know that sounds like a pep talk and some are no doubt thinking, he doesn't have a clue as to what I have to deal with every day. And, to a great extent, that comment is absolutely true. But, for the most part that is true for all of us because everybody has to work through the issues on their agenda. Those issues come and go, and some of them, unfortunately, come to stay. Even the little guys have their own troubles. Last Tuesday evening at our inner city Bible club meeting I had the opportunity to pray with four young boys. One of them, a 12 year old, has struggled with grades for years, and I've prayed with him about them many times, but he has recently shown great improvement, and he wanted to just thank God for helping him to do better. Did you get that? He had been asking God to help him and when his prayers were answered, he then wanted to give thanks and praise to God. We all could learn something from that kid! Another young Mexican American boy said he had been thinking about all that God had given to us, all that He had created, and even though his family had lots of trouble, he wanted to thank God for all these blessings. The third boy wanted prayer for some personal struggles he was facing in behavior and other matters. The fourth kid said he really didn't have anything to mention, he just wanted to be there for the prayer time. I like that fourth kid's attitude. Don't you? He just wanted to show up in the counseling room because that's where prayers were being offered up to God. It was my privilege to hear these requests and then lead these boys in a prayer to our Heavenly Father on their behalf. Issues. See what I mean? Even our little ones have them.
Speaking of issues, I continue to do my best to battle one of those that came to stay. Mark Lowry, the Christian comedian, says his favorite verse is the Bible is the one that says, "And it came to pass." He comments that this means that everything will eventually pass, therefore, we can always be positive regardless of our circumstance. For me, the diabetes has come to stay, at least until that time when I will pass and then I'll really begin to live. However, back to our serial episode still in progress: while each day is a challenge and I weeble wobble here and there, I am happy to report over the last two weeks I have averaged 103 on my fasted blood glucose finger prick test. About the time you feel good about a number like that you read something about just how accurate these tests are. There seems to always be someone somewhere who wants to rain on your parade. But, I am thankful for that number and look forward to the day when I can report a two week stretch with it being under 100. For those who don't know, 100 is considered the top end of normal, and anything over 100 is considered to be problematic. One of the previews to my medicare transition is the fact that I will be losing my doctor. In fact, this next visit with him this summer will likely be my last. He has been good for me. We have a great relationship and I very much like his minimum treatment approach. This means he only treats what needs to be treated with the bare minimum dosage which can be tweaked later. I well remember my cardiologist questioning the cholesterol drug I was taking. He said that it wasn't much of a drug in his opinion. I told him I thought the objective was to bring the numbers in line, and that was what my doctor and I had done. These kind of mixed messages is why we end up with such an over medicated society. (That opinion does not reflect anyone other than the one writing this blog.) Okay, enough already about issues for one day. Know that God is aware, regardless. Enough said!
Amen. .......More later.
I know that sounds like a pep talk and some are no doubt thinking, he doesn't have a clue as to what I have to deal with every day. And, to a great extent, that comment is absolutely true. But, for the most part that is true for all of us because everybody has to work through the issues on their agenda. Those issues come and go, and some of them, unfortunately, come to stay. Even the little guys have their own troubles. Last Tuesday evening at our inner city Bible club meeting I had the opportunity to pray with four young boys. One of them, a 12 year old, has struggled with grades for years, and I've prayed with him about them many times, but he has recently shown great improvement, and he wanted to just thank God for helping him to do better. Did you get that? He had been asking God to help him and when his prayers were answered, he then wanted to give thanks and praise to God. We all could learn something from that kid! Another young Mexican American boy said he had been thinking about all that God had given to us, all that He had created, and even though his family had lots of trouble, he wanted to thank God for all these blessings. The third boy wanted prayer for some personal struggles he was facing in behavior and other matters. The fourth kid said he really didn't have anything to mention, he just wanted to be there for the prayer time. I like that fourth kid's attitude. Don't you? He just wanted to show up in the counseling room because that's where prayers were being offered up to God. It was my privilege to hear these requests and then lead these boys in a prayer to our Heavenly Father on their behalf. Issues. See what I mean? Even our little ones have them.
Speaking of issues, I continue to do my best to battle one of those that came to stay. Mark Lowry, the Christian comedian, says his favorite verse is the Bible is the one that says, "And it came to pass." He comments that this means that everything will eventually pass, therefore, we can always be positive regardless of our circumstance. For me, the diabetes has come to stay, at least until that time when I will pass and then I'll really begin to live. However, back to our serial episode still in progress: while each day is a challenge and I weeble wobble here and there, I am happy to report over the last two weeks I have averaged 103 on my fasted blood glucose finger prick test. About the time you feel good about a number like that you read something about just how accurate these tests are. There seems to always be someone somewhere who wants to rain on your parade. But, I am thankful for that number and look forward to the day when I can report a two week stretch with it being under 100. For those who don't know, 100 is considered the top end of normal, and anything over 100 is considered to be problematic. One of the previews to my medicare transition is the fact that I will be losing my doctor. In fact, this next visit with him this summer will likely be my last. He has been good for me. We have a great relationship and I very much like his minimum treatment approach. This means he only treats what needs to be treated with the bare minimum dosage which can be tweaked later. I well remember my cardiologist questioning the cholesterol drug I was taking. He said that it wasn't much of a drug in his opinion. I told him I thought the objective was to bring the numbers in line, and that was what my doctor and I had done. These kind of mixed messages is why we end up with such an over medicated society. (That opinion does not reflect anyone other than the one writing this blog.) Okay, enough already about issues for one day. Know that God is aware, regardless. Enough said! Amen. .......More later.
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