"Regal"

If someone were to describe you in one word, what would that word be? I can think of several one-word descriptions for myself -- clutzy, funny, forgetful, caring, pudgy, short, and the list goes on…

At my mom’s funeral, nine years ago, those present were given the opportunity to eulogize. One of mom’s high-school classmates stood and said that Mom could be described by the word “Regal”. And, she was absolutely right! Regal means belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler. That fits so well with Mom’s name, Patricia, which means of noble descent. My mom was the most ladylike lady I’ve ever known, and she always carried and conducted herself as if she were royalty.

Of course, she was and is royalty. When she accepted Christ as her Savior, she became a child of the King of Kings. Now, she is in her royal home in Heaven.

Charity

What is Charity? In our society, the word is most often used to describe giving to a non-profit organization or to people less fortunate than ourselves. While that is a good example of what charity does, it doesn't convey the full meaning of the word. In the Bible, the word "charity" is used to denote a Christ-like love, the Greek word "agape".

Nowadays, the word "love" is vastly overused. We "love" everything from our pets to sports teams to foods to video games. You get the picture. So, when we say we love another person, the word has lost much of its value. I Corinthians 13 is called the love chapter because it describes what love does. In that chapter, the word used for love is the word "charity". In his sermon this morning, my pastor encouraged us to all read verses 4-7 and substitute our names for the word "charity". I have done so below, and I encourage each of you to do so also, and to evaluate whether it is true in your life. When we have Godly love for others, it will be true about us.

Suzanne suffereth long, and is kind; Suzanne envieth not; Suzanne vaunteth not (her)self, is not puffed up,
Doth not behave (her)self unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

New Years

Yes, I realize that New Years Day was four days ago, but today is my New Years Day, as it is my BIRTHDAY!!! Being as close as it is to New Years, I wait until my birthday to make any new years resolutions I feel might be necessary. This year, I resolve to be much more mindful of God's blessings in my life.

Over the past few months, I admit that I somewhat lost sight of God's blessings. Sam was sick for so long, and it seemed like nothing was going right. As I look back, though, I realize that there were actually more good things going on than bad things, but I had started focusing on the bad to the point of not noticing the good.

This week, I have made a point to see all the good thing God has done for me and Sam lately. He has worked through friends, co-workers, and family to bless us beyond belief! This year, I resolve to praise Him more for what He does in my life and be more vocal in letting others know what a great God I serve.

As an added bonus, today I have received over 120 birthday wishes through phone calls, emails, text messages, and facebook posts. God has blessed me with the best family and friends, and I am so very grateful!!

Mononucleosis

Sam is finally feeling better. He still gets tired easily, but he's definitely more like his old self now. I can't help but think that he would have started feeling better much sooner if the doctors had diagnosed him properly in the beginning. It took them over a month to decide to test him for mono. By that time, he was so worn down, it's no wonder it has taken him forever to recover. He ended up being absent from school for about 1/4 of the semester and restricted to half days for another 1/4. So, pretty much 1/2 of the semester was totally shot.

When I was 21, a doctor diagnosed me with mono, but looking back, I think it was a misdiagnosis. My primary symptom wasn't fatigue, but rather terrible swelling in my jaw, throat, and neck. In fact, my throat was so swollen I couldn't swallow even a sip of water, so I was dehydrated to the point that I passed out in the doctor's office. The doctor told me that I had either mono or mumps, but since "no one ever gets mumps these days", it must be mono. He ordered a blood test to check for mono, and it came back negative. He still insisted that it was mono, and I just took his word for it. So, since I've gone the last 20 years thinking I already had mono, when Sam was diagnosed with it, I didn't worry about getting it again. Well... I'm pretty sure I have mono NOW, not way back then. Most likely, I actually did have mumps when I was 21, although I have no idea where I got it. My dilemma now - How in the world am I going to get the rest I need to get over mono??? Waaaaa!!!!

Update on Sam

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts and prayers for Sam's recovery. He's still extremely weak, but the doctor is confident that it's just because he had an extra-bad case of mono. Next week is the last week of school before Christmas, and he is restricted to half-days still. We're hoping that he will be able to regain his strength over Christmas break and be able to make it for full days at school next semester.

If you have any ideas or suggestions of thing that will help him get his stamina back, please leave a comment!

Long-Overdue Update

I haven't posted on here in over two months, because Sam has been sick for a LONG time. He started out with a terrible sinus infection that resisted four different rounds of antibiotics. That weakened his immune system so that he ended up with mono. He has missed over five weeks of school (four consecutive weeks), and although he has been back to school for over three weeks now, he is still limited to half days, per doctor's orders.

He went to an Ear, Nose, and Throat Specialist who prescribed a round of steroids and Flonase nasal spray. He also ordered a cat scan of his sinuses. He had the cat scan last Monday. Today, we got the results. Praise the Lord, it was, in the doctor's words, "perfect". The doctor said he still has some mucus in there, but continued use of Flonase should take care of it, eventually. He goes back in six months for a recheck.

Now, we're just waiting for Sam to get his stamina back up. It's worrying to see him get so worn out from even the slightest bit of activity.

Dad

Happy Birthday, Dad!