Sunday night I watched MBFGW (the Greek Wedding…) on DVD with my family. It was really funny and my wife Donna kept making comments how the dad was something like her dad. When she and I started dating I was living in Hawaii as a member of the Air Force. I attended the church her father pastored where we met. Really we met on a previous occasion at a church dedication but that is a whole ‘nother story. When I took interest in Donna her dad did not approve. This disapproval went on for all of our dating time and he even tried to talk Donna out of getting married to me on the day of our wedding. Of course, the dad in MBFGW realized that even though different they were all “fruit.” We have been married 36.5 years and her dad is still somewhat reluctant to accept me. He sure has missed a lot over the years, because I am a wonderful person to hang out with.

I also watched “Damaged Care,” the story of Dr. Linda Peeno who was a whistle-blower on the American Managed Health Care programs (HMOs). It was about helping people rather than running corporations. I saw a lot of parallels to the church. It was also about having a voice and speaking out, having a voice for those without voices. Pick it up (DVD) and take a peek. It was worth my time.

Yesterday (Monday) was an interesting day. My sister, who has cancer, was in the hospital yet again to receive blood and platelets. The doctor suggested to the family that it was time to consider hospice care. He could not do anything more for her and nothing that he was presently doing was going to help. The family had to decide. Well there are three adult kids who have never been able to agree on anything. The same was true her. Last year my sister gave me power of attorney to make decisions on her behalf. So, this morning after having heard the latest news, her blood count continues to drop in spite of giving her a full set of platelets and two pints of whole blood, hospice care was approved by the doctor. It has been an emotional roller-coaster ride. I am leaving tonight on a red eye to the east coast, Orlando FL area hoping to arrive to see my sister. Of course no one knows how long God will provide her his gracelet of breath before she slips into her new body to be with him forever. But, the medical world said that once the treatment was removed (hospice care only treats for comfort not for cure) it would be only a matter of days. One cannot live without blood.

So if any who read this would offer a prayer for me and my family (whom I am the only one going to Florida) who are staying behind, and my relatives in Florida it would be greatly appreciated. Even though I don’t know you guys and gals who may likely read this blog, I sense that some of you can share my pain and the pain of my relatives.

I have reflected how God’s precious gift of life arrives in three stages. Pre-birth, physical birth to physical death: now; and the new body experience; not yet). Contrary to popular belief our “soul* (which we do not have) or “spirit” does not leave our body and wonder around awaiting the resurrection. Scripture seems to know nothing of an unembodied life. In our pre-birth existence we can make no choices, none. In our “now” existence we make choice after choice that reflect where we spend our “full not yet” existence. Although the not-yet has arrived in Jesus we live “now but not yet.” Actually the “not yet has invaded the present “now” of our lives as we are the conduits to God’s creation for his redemption of it.

“Let the words of my mouth
and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord my hiding place and my redeemer.”

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 18th, 2003 at 1:58 pm and is filed under Miscellaneous, Personal.