What a Wonderful Day!

Today is my daughter Joy's birthday. I was telling the girls how the Lord has blessed me in spite of myself.

28 years ago, I had a beautiful daughter born, Sabrina. She was a twin, who God chose to take home on May 20th, my sister Linda's birthday. for years after that, the 20th was a bittersweet day. It was my sister's birthday, but it was my daughter's death.

Her death caught my attention. I needed something. I found out it was the Lord I needed. In spite of my "good works" (at least that's what I thought they were) my life was empty. I was at odds with God. Not because my daughter died, but because of my nature to sin. God demanded me to be holy like Him, but there was no way I could not sin. It was my nature and I chose to sin. Through my in-laws testimony I realized that I was a sinner and that Christ was sent to this world to die for me. I accepted that and repented of my sin. Since then my life was changed. I had a different focus in life. A life that now I wanted to live for me. To do what He wanted me to do. I life that I could dedicated to bring Him honor.

For some strange reason which I love Him for, He gave Dolly and I another daughter born on May 20th! We didn't know what we wanted to name her until she was born. Dolly said, I think we should name her JOY. Yes, that was the perfect name. For since our daughter died, we were saved and now our lives were headed in the right direction. Through our sadness, God brought us unspeakable joy. So what else could we name her but Joy!

Today I was watching tv with them and they were watching I love Lucy. When the girls enjoy a show, I just enjoy watching them do that. I love it because it brings to mind how they enjoy the innocent things in life and how they remind me so much of their mother.

Oh, what would I do without them. Their love for me is so deep. I of course don't deserve their love, but they do anyway.

And it reminds me again of how much the Lord loves me and takes care of me.

So today is Joy's and Linda's birthday. It's also a day that reminds of how good God has been to me. I think it also is why Joy and Sher have a special bond with each other because of that day.

If you don't have this relationship with God, why not take care of that today? Please consider this brief information that will help guide you to the relationship of your life.

Email me if you have more questions:

Thank you Lord for saving me. For giving me the privilege of knowing Dolly. For giving me great sisters. For all my children and grandchildren. And for my two daughters Sher and Joy.

At the hospital the other day a doctor came in and asked me if I was depressed. People with my condition do, and they expect me to be that way. I thought about what God has done for me and all the support of my friends at church, and my children and I ansawered "No, I have nothing to be depressed about".

Why are the letters of the alphabet in that order?

...answer: Is it because of that song?

I don't think anyone knows. If you figure it out please explain it to me.

I thought the kids would enjoy this:

http://ask.yahoo.com/20050201.html for kids
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761565349/Alphabet.html for the braniac in the family
http://www.starfall.com/n/skills/alphabet/load.htm?f for kids

These stories are either true or maybe go along with Santa Claus.

Cute anyway.

Here I am!

I didn't forget you. I just started a new blog to help my friends keep up on my dialysis adventures. http://letusconsideroneanother.blogspot.com

I'm going to use this blog for my philosiphizing and other stuff.

...bless you!

I was in dialysis today and a technician walked by and sneezed. It brought up one of my "reflections" let's say, about a common response heard when a person sneezes..... "..bless you!". Or as some may be brave enough to say "God bless you". For some reason this has stuck in my craw through the years because it takes a lot for granted.

Some stories say that it came from the belief that when a person sneezes their heart stops for a second. A better explanation is the use of the term "Gezundheit" - read an interesting story about this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesundheit.

but let's get back to ...."bless you". The thing that bothers me, is that even though it may have been at one time a means to wish a person better health, think about what it is saying. A person sneezes and you hear a chorus of "bless you!" , or "Oh, my, bless you". I didn't realize we were so powerful! A person sneezes and by our very words we command God to bless that person! We don't ask God to bless them, we tell Him. And just to show how powerful we are and God isn't, often we don't even use His name. We just give out our OWN blessings to person by saying "bless you". When a Christian says that to a non-Christian what do they think about what we really believe about God? That a mere Christian can command God to bless a person they choose?

Now, I know most don't think about that when they utter those automatic phrases, just like we don't think about it when we ask a person "how are you doing today". It has just become an automatic phrase whose meaning or desire for a real answer has been lost a long time ago.

So, now that you've thought about this, the next time you're in the office and a person sneezes and you DON'T say "bless you", watch what happens. It becomes very quiet.

Now, I've tried to think of something more appropriate, but really haven't come up with anything good. "Whew, sounds like you're getting a cold" really doesn't do it. "bless you" is so much easier to say and get it over in a second without making an issue.

Any suggestions?

no words necessary

who invented crayons?

This is for my grand kids....

Crayola brand crayons were the first kids crayons ever made, invented by cousins, Edwin Binney and C. Harold Smith. The brand's first box of eight Crayola crayons made its debut in 1903. The crayons were sold for a nickel and the colors were black, brown, blue, red, purple, orange, yellow, and green.

The word Crayola was created by Alice Stead Binney (wife of Edwin Binney) who took the French words for chalk (craie) and oily (oleaginous) and combined them.
Today, there over one hundred different types of crayons being made by Crayola including crayons that: sparkle with glitter, glow in the dark, smell like flowers, change colors, and wash off walls and other surfaces and materials.

Where did the @ symbol in email come from?

The @ Symbol Ray Tomlinson chose the @ symbol to tell which user was "at" what computer. The @ goes inbetween the user's login name and the name of his/her host computer.

Ray Tomlinson is quoted as saying he invented email,"Mostly because it seemed like a neat idea." No one was asking for email.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

...even when you're not.

I can't believe that in a few minutes it will have been 7 years since Dolly went home to be with the Lord.

Tomorrow I plan on stopping by the cemetary, and then coming home and going through our albums.

I always hesitated to do anything special on this day - April Fool's - because I didn't want to be morbid and I know it was difficult for the kids. But one day as I was at a restaurant eating breakfast, I asked one of the grandchildren about Dolly and they didn't remember her! It struck me that most if not all of my 17 grandchildren had no memory of her. And that was a shame. You see, I kind of planned that the kids would tell their kids about their grand mother. And you know, maybe they have. I certainly hope so. Dolly was a great blessing to me and was a Godly woman. My kids had many remembrances of her being up early praying and reading the Bible. She was a practical woman who put feet onto her talk in her actions.

It seems like forever ago that she was here with us. How privileged we were to know her. And yes, I can see some of her in all my children and I'm thankful for that. So tomorrow (today) I'm going to reminisce and thank God for letting me know her.

We really enjoyed each others' company and had many long talks together about each other, about life, church, and raising our children. Dolly was a stabilizing part of our life and her presence is sorely missed. I've talked to others about their losses of a loved one and they all seem to agree... you go on, but you never forget. How can you? A person that was so close and dear. It's like part of your body is missing.

And you know they say a married couple complements each other. That is so true. I just have not been able to fill in the gaps she left in the family and although I love them all dearly, just haven't been able to take care of them like Dolly would have.

A woman like Dolly, I believe, only comes along once in a lifetime. For those few of you who are reading this, don't ever take your loved one for granted. Every minute is precious and once that time is gone, it's gone. We are all held accountable for the time we have here. Today at church I look forward to talking to some new people and seeing how God is working in their lives.

There's a lot of things I don't understand about life, but one thing I do know without a doubt is that God is working today in our midst and He has a plan for us, and a purpose for us. The stories in the Bible aren't just a bunch of tales about Jesus Christ. They are there because God wanted them to be there to show us how He loved us and cared /cares for us.

In my lifetime I have been blessed to come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as my savior, and to be blessed with a wonderful wife and children and grand children. Thank you Lord.

Well, this time 7 years ago I was in the living room and it was quiet like right now. Dolly's troubled breathing was interrupted at 2:15 by the sound of silence as she had just drawn her last breath. And just like she suddenly came into my life 37 years go, she was gone.

Dear friend, hug your child or spouse and thank God for them and the joy God has allowed you to have through them.

Happy Birthday Scott!

Talked to Scott today. Seems he's in his last year of being in his 20's! Time slips away.

I've enjoyed talking to him and Lauren this last year. And the pics and videos Susan puts on the blog. I'm happy for them as a family. Heard Lauren got a swing set. Wish I was there to see her play on it.

God bless you son.

Love, Dad

Vent

I've been on dialysis for 4 months now. It's quite a drastic change in lifestyle. The best part of it all is the encouragement and prayers from our church people and our children. Not sure how I'd get through it without them.

Having gone to chiropractors most of my life, I'm not used to the "medical way". You see, I'm used to taking care of the whole body. Everything working together , etc. My observations with the medical way is like if the medical profession were a grocery store, you couldn't just go to one grocery store. First of all, you'd have to know what you wanted before you went and would only be shown just what you are looking for. You'd have to go to one grocery store for meat, one for canned food, one for baked goods, etc.

Today, one of the nephrologists where I get dialysis came to make his rounds. He brought out a big thick notebook with my name on it. Stood by me, didn't introduce himself and was ready to walk away. I said, "is that it?" he turned around and came back and pulled out his stethoscope and put the stethoscope on one area of my heart and then started to walk away. "I have a question", I said. Fruitless. That was the crux of it. I'm not sure what happens if you have a heart problem or some other serious thing, but I think the doctor goes over his findings, makes a prognosis, and gives you some kind of recommendations. In dialysis, that's thrown out of the window. You see the Dr. once a month like today and I'm not sure what the value of it was. Now some of you say, you need to ask the doctor. That sounds real easy except they've made an art of saying nothing and leaving immediately. A few weeks ago I was at the hospital thinking I had an infection. After blood tests, questions, poking and prodding, the doctor flys by, sticks his head in the room and says, "don't worry we'll take care of it" and leaves with my mouth dropped wondering just what it was that he'll take care of!

I've tried to frame my questions in as few words as possible so when someone does come by, I can ask. At another hospital, the doctor said, "you'll need a temporary catheter". "Why can't you just replace the one I have? The doctor acted perturbed that I asked the question and quickly left.

I quess I just have to learn how this thing all works out. Right now, I'm not sure what the whole purpose is. It seems to be a "need to know" basis and I don't need to know.

There's a lot more, but you might get the idea that I think all doctors are dorks. No not all, there are a few, very few. I'm trying to be patient but it gets very frustrating. Occasionally a nurse will ask me if I'm on a transplant list, but I tell them that in 4 months, not one doctor has ever talked to me about or suggested it me. Everything revolves around what needs to be done today and that's it. Get the dialysis and go home.

Am I trying to get people to feel sorry for me? Not at all. There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm just relating my experiences in an area of sick care I never dreamed of or heard of. It's a whole different system. Talking to a surgeon yesterday, he asked me if I worked anywhere. "No, not for 2 years" "Why not?" he said. Totally oblivious to the typical dialysis patient. I told him that I was in 3 different dialysis centers and I only knew a handful that were employed. Most of them were happy they were alive and wheeled or shuffled every other day into dialysis, but ugly scars and black areas on their arms where they get the dialysis.

What's the good part of it all? the people that support me and the opportunity I have to see how the Lord is working in their lives as they bring and take me to dialysis. That alone is almost worth it all.

Grrrr!

Lifes' mystery

If you're not supposed to eat animals...

Then why are they made out of food!

Please don't tell me how good you are

...I'll let you know!

03/07/07 - update - One hospital in the area I went to stuck me 13 times in 4 days and 12 of them on the first try! - Boy, I was a thankful cuss!

02/27/07 - In the last several months I've spent quite some time at hospitals. And one thing you get to do is to have an IV put in your hand. Whether it be when you're in emergency, or if you get to stay over in the hospital and they need to get their daily supply of blood.

I've been on the receiving end of dozens of IV's and have watched my wife receive even more.

When the nurse starts telling me how good they are, I know I'm in for trouble. I've been told I have great veins, bad veins, rolly-polly veins, hidden veins, etc. But I know this, there are people that know their job and people that don't. The good ones don't say much. They'll take a quick look, constrict your arm with a band and then insert the needle 1-2-3.

I've seen and had night nurses come into the hospital room with barely light coming through a crack in the door. Say something like "I need to get some blood", and the next thing I know they've done it and are gone.

On the other hand, I was a the doctors the other day (one who I have much respect for) and their nurses/technicians started with telling me how good they are. Constricting my arm, tapping, rubbing, tapping some more, palpating for the mysterious vein, and on and on. After 2 pokes and probing around without success they have the next bragger come in and do the same thing. After about 20 minutes of probing around and 4 pokes, getting ready to try again, I couldn't take it any more. "Stop, that's enough!" I said.

The last time I had to go to the same doctor for another issue, they wanted to try to complete the tests and would need to insert some dye in my arm. That would require having an IV put in the same arm. I couldn't remember if the nurses were the same, until they started working on me again, then it all came back to me. "I'm really good at this, they said" ... but they weren't. I was so close to say, "You should go and work in the ER for a month, but as I get older, occasionally I keep my mouth shut. I figure you just don't want to get the people that are going to work in surgery on you in a few minutes to be ticked off!

Anyway after they went to the first guy and his 2 unssuccesful pokes, the other staff told me, "you really got him bummed. He's going to be hard to get along all day because he couldn't get it" .... "He's bummed! you should feel what I feel!" The next person tries once probed around and then tried again and failed. By this time, I knew I couldn't do this again, so I thought, maybe I could encourage them by saying something like "you can do it!". Well, they said if they went on the back of my hand I had a "good one" there but it would probably hurt more! I just spent the last 4 days in the hospital getting poked almost every day, then 4 times in this office. By that time I pretty much knew pain. For those of you who are Brian Regan comedian fans and know his hospital skit.... I'd say "eight".

So she tried it again, I let her stick the needle in and probe around for a while and voila! she finally got it. The task was done and I was ready for surgery in which there was more pain to be had "or pressure" as the doctor liked to call it.

Being a chiropractor I learned in school to palpate (or feel) by placing a hair under a paper and trying to trace it with my fingers. You were doing good after a week or 2 if you could palpate through 30 or more sheets. I tried to pass this on to the IV "probers", but they just looked at me like a deer in the head lights, and maybe feeling doesn't have anything to do with it. I kind of suspect it does.

So, the bottom line is, that when people start telling me how good they are, my veins start going real deep and I hope they are quick so the next person can come in that knows what they're doing.

Fortunately when I was in emergency 2 nurse said they had to draw blood one right after the other. I wasn't looking forward to that but both of them just did the job, drew the blood and finished. "Wow! You're good!" They looked at me with surprise with an attitude like "that's my job". Trust me, I was very happy they knew how to do their job.

What's the point in all this? Probably to get it off my chest. As I was going through it, I thought that knowing what you're doing in your job is kind of like some of the contestants on American Idol. Some of these people have been taking singing lessons for years, or singing in public for years and it seems that no one tells them they stink. It's not such a bad thing to stink at what you do.... as long as you don't make a career out of it. We can't be good at everything, and this country gives us a chance to have different careers. Ones that are more conducive to the talents and abilities we have. So, maybe I should have told those people that their IV skills stink... it might have saved a lot of people a lot of pain!

It's a Girl!

Charlotte Alaina Elwart

6 lbs. 1 oz.

She has dark curly hair and is 19 inches long.

Her parents cpl. Jackie and Kari Elwart are doing fine, and should be coming home today. We're excited for them and can't wait to see them! --- Welcome Charlotte

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder

James 2: 1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself,"you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder."If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!
Faith and Deeds 14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Hey! Why Not?

When I was a kid I always wanted a Mohawk haircut. It was that or a Davy Crocket coonskin hat. I got the hat! Well, talking to my son Jason the other day revived my childhood dream so I asked Joy to help me out. Pretty cool!

Truth or Consequences

Growing up after World War II my mom was sick of war and decided to raise up her children without violence. "Don't fight" she would say. "If someone wants to fight you, just run the other way." And so I did.

Until I moved to Iowa in the 5th grade. The first day we moved to Iowa, I took my bike out for a ride and immediately became the target for a snow ball. From that day on, I was chased every where I went. And wouldn't you know, the kid that chased me lived across the street! He always wanted to beat me up, but true to form "I ran the other way". I hated going outside every day and surely didn't look forward to school letting out. I only lived 1/2 block from school, but most days ran several blocks out of the way so this bully and his friends wouldn't catch me. Boy! what a life! My days at school were thinking about how I could avoid getting beat up.

One fateful day, my guard was down and the bully got my back up against a fence at school, ready to beat my face in when to my surprise my left hand got a mind of its' own and smashed my fist into his face! Now you have to realize that I lived months in fear of this guy and avoided confrontation in any way I could. Yet, I still remember 55 years ago the look on his face when my fist "had a mind of its' own" and broke his tooth. He cried, he looked shocked. "You broke my tooth", and guess what? He never bothered me again! That was a fateful day that I learned that if you don't confront a problem it will hound you and make your life miserable until you give in or deal with it.

I've tried to analyze the reason so many people hate our President. Most don't even have the respect to call him by his name (Mr. President, or President Bush) but just "Bush" or worse. Now, I can see disliking someone but when it gets to extremes, like it has, you know there's something else at work there. Here's my opinion: Religious extemists in the middle East are people some don't want to deal with. No one likes confrontation, including me. We're sick of fighting and so some take the tact, "leave them alone and they'll leave you alone". "If someone wants to fight just run the other way". Or, like the hippies used to say, "You do your thing and I'll do mine". That all sounds good except if the other persons' thing is to wipe you off this earth. And if you don't think that's the goal, you need to read up on what's happening in the world. There are people that won't be happy until you and I are dead or agree to follow their mis-guided religion. They're like that kid that made my life miserable. At first not so much, but the more I avoided him the worst it got to the point that my every waking moment became a living hell.

But it goes even deeper than that. You see, we don't like that fact that we are held accountable by God for what we do. The history of mankind shows that to be true by all the shenanigans we've done to avoid him. It started in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve sinned and knew it and hid (from God! what a joke that you could hide from Him). It continued when the people couldn't handle talking directly to God because He knew everything people did, so they demanded to have a human king of their own so they could pull the wool over their eyes. I believe people elect people that agree with them. It's only natural you want to be in your comfort zone. If you don't want to be accountable for things you do, then you elect people that don't want to be accountable themselves. Can you think of a past President that got along with everyone? I can. He was the perfect "You do your thing, I'll do mine" kind of person. But his attitude had consequences. All choices have consequences - good and bad. By making wrong choices we have his consequences. Now we have to face a worse bully and I'm hoping our "arm has a mind of its' own" before long and knocks out this tooth so we can get on with life.

Face the truth now or have the consequences later. It's our choice, but I'll be glad when it's over!

Thank You Jackie

Son, I know you're not looking for thanks because you do what you do because you love your country. Thanks for protecting us and thank your buddies. This country takes for granted the freedom that is paid by others' sacrifices. I'm not sure I can comprehend why you do it, but I'm thankful that you do.

Love, Dad, Sher and Joy

What is it?

I was listening to a commercial the other day about dust, pollen and dander and thought, "hey! just what is dander?" I've heard the word many times through the years and haven't stopped and said what is it? That's crazy to hear something and never wonder what it means, but it's said so frequently that it never registered. Pretty bad, but I finally decided to look it up. I asked Sher and she knew right away. Guess my brain needs exercising. Anyway here it is:

Dander: Etymology: alteration of dandruff1 : DANDRUFF; specifically : minute scales from hair, feathers, or skin that may be allergenic

"Don't get your dander up".....! Here's another explanation http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/5/messages/289.html

GET YOUR DANDER UP - "Many of the early Yankee humorists - Seba Smith, Charles Davis, Thomas Haliburton - used this Americanism for 'to get angry,' and it is found in the 'Life of Davy Crockett.' It is one of those expressions with a handful of plausible explanations. The most amusing is that the dander in the phrase is an English dialect form of 'dandruff' that was used in the Victorian era; someone with his dander up, according to this theory, would be wrathfully tearing up his hair by the fistful, dandruff flying in the process. Another likely source is the West Indian 'dander,' for a ferment used in the preparation of molasses, which would suggest a rising ferment of anger. The Dutch 'donder,' 'thunder,' has also been nominated, for it is used in the Dutch phrase 'op donderon, 'to burst into a sudden rage,' And then there is the farfetched theory that 'dander' is a telescoped form of 'damned anger.' And if these aren't enough, we have the possibility that 'dander' comes from an English dialect word for 'anger,'; from the Scots 'danders,' for 'hot embers'; and from the Romany 'dander, 'to bite.'" From "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997).

Whit-A-Knee!

Talking to my grandson Spencer the other day, he was telling us what the name of the baby was going to be. "Wes - a - Lee", Wesley. Well, surprise, the baby was born yesterday and it was Whitney! A beautiful baby girl! 4 lbs, 12 oz, and 18 inches long. Full head of hair and sooooo tiny, but so beautiful!

We went to see her and she was wide awake only a dozen hours after she was born.

Congratulations to Shane and Holly, and welcome Whitney Bernadette!

I wish I had a recording...

Years ago I worked in a machine shop. As I sat by my desk and listened in on job interviews, a man came in one day for a job....

It seems this man was a Hungarian trained as a machinist in Hungary. He was a very humble person, I could tell, as he answered questions by the foreman. "You'll like the working conditions here", the foreman said. "I don't have formal training in the United States" he said. "Oh, I'm sure you'll fit in after a few weeks. A machine is a machine regardless of where you're from" "I don't think I can do the job. I don't know the new ways of doing things." "Oh, I'm sure it will be all right. Just go to the clinic and get an exam and you can start tomorrow".

"I don't think I can" the man said. "Why not?" said the foreman.

"You don't want to hire a blind man do you?"

By that time I was rolling on the floor. It seems this man just needed to prove he was looking for a job, not to get one.

The foreman was so patient and sensitive to this man's needs, but didn't know what to say when he told him he was blind!

If I could have recorded the conversation, it would have been the funnies I've ever heard. For months we went around the shop saying "You don't want to hire a blind man do you?"