Pics I Stole From Michael

I guess most of you probably have Facebook and have checked out all the pictures you want of family and friends, but I just loved these latest of Michael’s family. Here’s one of Michael and Grace attending the DENTAC ball. It was on the pretense of taking Gerlinde to the ball last year that Mike and Grace actually managed to get Gerlinde to the “perfect” place for Jonathan to find her and propose (after secretly flying over to Germany to meet up with them).

Here’s a picture of Grace and Eowyn that he just posted. Isn’t Grace beautiful?! Even better, she’s a sweetheart!

And here’s the littlest bee bop! Mike says you can just sit and watch her grow!

Who says you can’t have fun in the army? This is Captain Mike’s new igloo in his back yard!

Michael was just nominated for “Junior Dental Officer of the Year” from Bavaria. If he wins, he gets to spend a week tromping around Washington D.C. in May. Better than tromping around Iraq, I’d say! There have also been some happy rumors that he might get to do a residency in Hawaii at some point. I think with the army nothing is sure until it happens, but he and Grace would love it if it happens! I guess Alan and I would too…then we’d have to visit Hawaii sometime. Such a shame! I have to say, we really do miss our kids, but I’m thankful they’re all happy, healthy, and busy about their Father’s business!

Cheryl

After blogging bits and pieces about my dear friend Cheryl, I’ve asked her permission to write a post about her. Cheryl and Roger started coming to our chapel and joined our care group—enough years ago that I can’t exactly remember how long it’s been. Cheryl and I became good friends through singing together in our ladies’ ensemble as well as on worship teams, participating in ladies’ Bible studies, etc! If it weren’t for Cheryl, I wouldn’t know my way around the various coffee shops in GR. She keeps me from working incessantly, and you know how we all need somebody like that in our lives!

At any rate, we became especially close when she developed breast cancer about four years ago. Her husband is legally blind and can’t drive, so I had the privilege of helping commute her to chemotherapy and various doctor appointments some. Since that time, she’s been a great comfort to me during some very difficult times in my life. I went with her for her followup mammograms, and we’d celebrate over each clear report. And then, suddenly, horror struck. Around Christmas time she was diagnosed with metastatic lung and brain cancer. We’re halfway through her radiation treatments, and then she starts into chemotherapy. Throughout all this, Cheryl’s buoyant faith and spirit has been a constant source of blessing to me. Here, in her own words, is her response to her personal “extreme challenge”:

In my previous e-mail, I referred to my cancer diagnosis as “a gift.” Some of you may have thought I was being sarcastic, but that is not the case.  I truly am trying to view this recurrence as a gift, though at times it is difficult. Since the discovery was made at Christmas time, I found myself identifying with Mary.

In Luke 1:28, the angel Gabriel said to Mary, “Greetings, favored woman!  The Lord is with you!”  Verse 29 says, “Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.”  Confused and disturbed is a very accurate description of my state of mind in recent days. Very disturbed.  In v.34, Mary asked a question, which Gabriel answered without chastising her. Then she responded, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he wants.” Please pray that I remain willing to accept the Lord’s will for me.

…I’d like to close with a quote from “Come & Behold Him!” by Jack Hayford: “God has gifts for you, and in quantities you never dreamed. These gifts are infinitely more valuable than the tinsel and materialistic toys pursued so desperately by the world. He has gifts of peace, strength, joy, fulfillment, and a sense of significance in life that will draw you out of bed each morning like a magnet.”  May we discover them!

In Christ,
Cheryl

And soon following, this note came from her husband:

Thank you for your continued prayer support.  We got the news today that there are several small tumors in Cheryl’s brain.  That information means that Cheryl does not qualify for the clinical trial we were considering and that radiation treatments will start soon, probably this week.  We will know more after we see the Radiation Oncologist on Wednesday.  We thank God that the clinical trial required the testing that revealed the new tumors so that Cheryl can get the most appropriate treatment.  While we feel a little ‘dazed and confused’  we know that He is the Faithful One.

God is Good All the Time and All the Time God is Good  (Even when we don’t understand)

Roger

Weight Watchers: My List of Favorite Healthy Snacks

Just a quickie today. I’ve spent the week working in the basement with Joel cleaning, organizing, and sorting 37 years of accumulated junk! In my spare time, I’m also taking Cheryl grocery shopping, out for coffee, and for her radiation treatments, not to mention commuting Alan a bit, who had his first cataract removed successfully but isn’t supposed to drive for the two weeks until he gets his other eye fixed. Meanwhile, he needed a tooth extraction at the oral surgeon… a failed root canal where the  crown also came off a few days ago. The oral surgeon took an hour and a half instead of the half hour he thought it might take. Alan’s blood pressure went up for sure  (it was being monitored), but I’m thinking that the surgeon’s and mine both went up during the suspenseful wait too! Thankfully, Alan seems to be doing okay and wanted me to take him straight to work afterward. I was trying to talk him into going home when his secretary called: “Where are you? The staff for your 10:00 meeting have assembled…”

Okay, so Alan won, and I drove him straight to work with his mouth stuffed with gauze. At least he’s never bored! He also loves what he’s doing, so I guess I should just be delighted that he has such a fulfilling job.

On to Weight Watchers. Last week I got a star for having lost 5 pounds (yes…they treat you a bit like elementary school children, and we all clap for each other, but hey—it works, so keep the cheers coming!), and this week I was a mere 0.4 pounds from my first weight goal: losing 5% of my body weight. I was very disappointed not to have be reached that goal, but in fact, we had pizza and cheesecake for dinner last night…so what should I have expected??

In case you’re interested in any free tips on weight loss, the biggest thing I’ve noticed is that you can eat just about all the fresh fruits and vegetables you want and never get fat. In fact, I’m losing about a pound a week or more and rarely feel hungry. If I do, I drink a cup of cinnamon apple tea, non-fat skim milk latte or sugar free hot chocolate, a low fat yogurt, a cup of fruit, or…a handful of fresh veggies. One of the best discoveries is that you can make a pot of soup using all your favorite veggies (leaving out peas, corn, beans, or potatoes) in a tomato base, simmer it with your favorite spices, and you can warm up a bowl of soup “free” (no points) anytime of the day or night! If you like veggies (and I do), that can make a very satisfying snack! Oh, and don’t forget the 94% fat-free popcorn: you can have 5 cups for only 1 point. That can get you a long way on a cold winter’s night! Last but not least, sugar-free jello, pickles, and salsa are also pretty “guilt-free.” When I have a few points to spare and am really craving chocolate (did I tell you that I woke up dreaming I was wolfing down a chocolate chip cookie??), I make some pudding out of 1 c. skim milk, 1 T. cornstarch, 1 T. sugar, and 1 T. cocoa. Hot and yummy! But, no ice cream or whipped cream on top…that’s a privilege of the svelte.

Wild Game Night

That’s not as in “a night of revelry,”  but as in…we got to eat a fabulous buffet of caribou kabobs, venison sausage, bacon-wrapped elk meat rolls with spinach and cheese, bear “on a stick,” squirrel dumplings, quail under glass (well, maybe not under glass, but it was my favorite), Alaskan halibut with capers, and salmon. WOW!!!

Gerlinde bravely enjoying  in a new American cultural adventure: eating “Bear Kabobs”

I’ll tell you, the chefs at our church are second to none!

After the truly interesting dinner party, there was a “hunters’ seminar” led by Tracy Breen, who’s hunted just about everything you can imagine in 25 of the American states plus Canada and maybe further afield. He’s an outdoor sports writer and inspirational speaker…had tons of tips for hunters, told lots of exciting stories from his hunts (and hunting accidents), and ended up challenging us to chase God the way we might chase after something we’re hunting. This thought occurred to him as he was dragging himself back to his car after shooting himself in the leg one evening. He said it was a transforming realization, and ever since, hunting and writing is his career, but his true passion is seeking God! Afterward, Linda posed by one of the deer. You can see Tracy on the left and Jonathan grinning on the right!

After we returned home, we all enjoyed another American—and German—culinary delight: Linda’s apple pie! What a way to end a grand evening!

“As the deer pants after the waterbrook, so pants my soul  after thee, O God” (Psa. 42:1).

Constitutional Problems with Obama’s Health Care Plan

There has been so much discussion of health care reform that I think it’s worth visiting this topic again for our understanding and prayers, so I’m passing along this essay from an attorney and teacher of constitutional law who actually went to the trouble of reading the entire bill.
Finally, someone did read the entire House Bill 3200:

The Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009

From: Michael Connelly - Retired attorney, Constitutional Law Instructor,
Carrollton, Texas

Well, I have done it! I have read the entire text of proposed House Bill  3200: The Affordable Health Care Choices Act of 2009. I studied it with particular emphasis from my area of expertise, constitutional law. I was frankly concerned that parts of the proposed law that were being  discussed might be unconstitutional. What I found was far WORSE than what I had heard or expected.

To begin with, much of what has been said about the law and its implications is in fact true, despite what the Democrats and the media are saying. The law DOES provide for rationing of health  care, particularly where senior citizens and other classes of citizens are involved, free health care for illegal immigrants, free abortion services, and probably forced participation in abortions by members of the medical
profession.

The Bill will ALSO eventually FORCE private insurance companies out of business [Goodbye Aetna / Goodbye Blue Cross Blue Shield, etc.] and PUT everyone into a government run system. All decisions about personal health care will ultimately be made by federal bureaucrats and most of them will NOT be health care professionals. Hospital admissions, payments to physicians, and allocations of necessary medical devices will be strictly controlled.

However, as SCARY as all of that it, it just scratches the surface. In fact, I have concluded that this legislation really has NO intention of providing affordable health care choices. Instead it is a convenient cover for the most massive ‘transfer of power’ to the Executive Branch of government that has ever occurred, or even been contemplated. If this law or a similar one is adopted, major portions of the Constitution of the  United States will effectively have been DESTROYED!

The first thing to GO will be the masterfully crafted balance of power between the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the U.S. Government. The Congress will be transferring to the Obama Administration authority in a number of different areas over the lives of the American people and the businesses they own. The irony is that the Congress doesn’t have any authority to legislate in most of those areas to begin with. I defy anyone to read the text of the U.S. Constitution and find any authority granted to the members of Congress to regulate health care.

This legislation also provides for access by the appointees of the Obama administration of all of your personal healthcare information, your personal financial information, and the information of your employer, physician, and hospital. All of this is a direct violation of the specific provisions of the 4th Amendment to the Constitution protecting against unreasonable searches and seizures. You can also forget about the right to privacy. That will have been legislated into oblivion regardless of what the 3rd and 4th Amendments may provide.

If you decide not to have healthcare insurance or if you have private insurance that is not deemed “acceptable” to the “Health Choices Administrator” appointed by Obama there will be a tax imposed on you. It is called a “tax” instead of a fine because of the intent to avoid application of the due process clause of the 5th Amendment. However, that doesn’t work because since there is nothing in the law that allows you to contest or appeal the imposition of the tax, it is definitely depriving someone of property without the “due process of law.”

So, there are THREE of those pesky amendments that the far left hate so much out the original ten in the Bill of Rights that are effectively nullified by this law. It DOESN’T stop there though.

*The 9th Amendment that provides: “The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people;”

*The 10th Amendment states: “The powers not delegated to the  United States
by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are preserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Under the provisions of this piece of Congressional handiwork neither the people nor the states are going to have any rights or powers at all in many areas that once were theirs to control.

I could write many more pages about this legislation, but I think you get the idea.. This is not about health care; it is about seizing power and limiting rights. Article 6 of the Constitution requires the members of both houses of Congress to “be bound by oath or affirmation” to support the Constitution. If I was a member of Congress I would not be able to vote for this legislation or anything like it without feeling I was violating that sacred oath or affirmation. If I voted for it anyway I would hope the American people would hold me accountable.

For those who might doubt the nature of this threat I suggest they consult the source. Here is a link to the Constitution: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript..html

And another to the Bill of Rights:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

There you can see exactly what we are about to have taken from us.

Michael Connelly
Retired attorney,
Constitutional Law Instructor
Carrollton, Texas

It looks to me like the biblical role of the government is to provide for the internal and international safety of their citizens. The U.S. government was formed to “establish domestic tranquility” so that we as individuals can pursue life, liberty, and happiness. No government can ultimately provide for our life and happiness; that’s something that each of us must take responsibility for providing for ourselves and our loved ones. We are fool-hearty and greedy to expect our government to provide for our personal needs such as jobs, cars, housing, care of our elderly…free abortions for unwanted children…etc. etc…even free health care. Let’s get to work and take care of ourselves and each other…not just look to the government to meet our needs.

Brain Cancer and Brain Aneurysm

I meant to post on Weight Watchers Thursday. In fact,  I lost a pound and heard a good pep talk on “Get Moving!!”  Exercise. With my handy Yaktrax, it’s possible to walk the lane even while it’s a skating rink, and that’s exactly what it’s been this past week. This is good…but…

The small pleasures and events of life have been dwarfed the last few days by the mammoth events occurring in the lives of dear friends. Friday morning I took Cheryl in to the hospital to have a “face mask” made before she begins three weeks of radiation treatment, hoping to reduce the size of the multiple metastatic tumors in her brain before she begins chemotherapy for her newly diagnosed metastatic lung cancer. Since Cheryl is one of my closest friends in GR, this has really had a huge impact on me. I’ve asked her for permission to tell you more about her, which she’s granted, so next week, I will definitely be sharing more of her story.

The picture on my fridge of Steve and Lois from last summer…

As soon as I returned from the hospital, Alan and I took off for Salem Bible Church for the funeral of Lois R., a vivacious 53-year-old friend who died suddenly of a brain aneurysm. On February 16th she had been at her daughter’s side while her first grand child came into this world. She spent a very happy day on Sunday playing with Aveena and basking in the joy of her new role as “Grandma.” Around 7 pm. that night, she developed a headache. By 10 pm her husband was rushing her to the hospital, where they airlifted her to U. M., although she was already in a coma, arrested four times, and could never be recovered. One of the last things she did was stamp “SR+LR” in the snow outside their home. They’d been happily married for 31 years.

Since Lois had lived and died in Salem and always attended the same church (the little country church we also attended when we lived in Plymouth), everyone knew her. Also, she was a beloved school teacher. The total surprise and shock of her unexpected death so rocked the community that although we arrived 20 minutes early, we were ushered by the fire department to a parking spot several blocks away and joined the long line of 150+ mourners who sat in the gym because there was no room in the little 200-seat auditorium. The funeral was an extremely touching mix of sorrow and joy: sorrow because of the loss of someone so vital, wonderful, and seemingly healthy, and joy because we all knew she was in the presence of the Lord she’s loved so well! One of the last things she ever wrote was recorded in a little book called “Grandma Remembers” and presented to her new grand daughter the day before: “My wish for the future is that as I grow older and enter heaven, all of my family will trust, know, and follow Jesus as their Savior and Lord of their life. Trust me…there is no other life full of peace, joy, and contentment.” My heart aches for her family but rejoices in her life and echoes her heart’s desire!

Noah’s Ark…Still Needing It Today!

There’s actually so much going on right now that it’s hard to find time to write a thoughtful post. Besides, where to start? The incredible overturn in Massachusetts with Republican Brown winning the senate seat after almost a half a century of Ted Kennedy? What about Haiti’s second earthquake in 8 days? The suffering and chaos is incomprehensible. A call to prayer would be good. What about the health bill? May God grant “those in authority over us” wisdom to make the best choices in a very complex—overwhelming—world. One of my closest friends has a terrible new diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer…another friend (in apparent perfect health) died of a brain aneurism over the weekend, and another friend’s mother passed away in her sleep. I can list the concerns but hardly reflect on them. The Joint Commission came and went at Alan’s hospital (he was re-accredited for three years…praise God!), Joel and I are cleaning the basement like fury (boxes ALL over the living room now), and I’m in the process of calling all the Christian schools in the area to see if they’d have any interest in Jonathan as an inspirational chapel or assembly speaker. Last night we got our first positive response! Yahoo.

Marlene sent this to me from Skokie, IL, and I hope you find it worth taking a minute out of the whirl of life to consider:

Noah’s Ark

Everything I need to know, I learned from Noah’s Ark .
ONE: Don’t miss the boat.
TWO: Remember that we are all in the same boat!
THREE: Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.
FOUR: Stay fit. When you’re 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
FIVE: Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
SIX: Build your future on high ground.
SEVEN: For safety’s sake, travel in pairs.
EIGHT: Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
NINE: When you’re stressed, float awhile.
TEN: Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
ELEVEN: No matter the storm, when you are with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting.

Most people walk in and out of your life………but FRIENDS leave footprints in your heart.

I Couldn’t Resist

Gerlinde’s parents, Sarah and Christoph Jaeschke, invited Michael’s family over for dinner yesterday, and she was kind enough to share some of the pictures with us.

Here’s Nycteris

And Eowyn

And Sarah, who served as surrogate Mom and Grandma for the day. When I see the pictures, I just want to hold the kids, but I am SO thankful that the Jaeschkes are there when we can’t be.

Praise God for families, and for the family of God. How wonderful it is that we can love and care for each other. I am grateful to serve a Master whose commandment is to love Him above all else, and then to love others as we love ourselves. Could there be anything better?

Tiny Impressions

For a good two weeks after Christmas, I cherished a little boot print from our grandson Reuben that had been preserved in the frozen ice along the edge of our driveway. I remembered how Alan’s mother used to write and say she could hardly bear to clean off Aaron’s (Reuben’s father) little hand prints on the picture window in their living room after we’d been visiting. Well, this past week the snows covered the print, and now our January thaw has melted it away. I wish I’d taken a picture, but the happy memory of him trudging along will remain with me!

I was able to capture some tiny bird tracks from below our bird feeder. Totally charming. It’s remarkable to me that I could be so delighted by such little things. Little things can make very big and lasting impressions on our mind—for good or bad! Oh, Lord, I do so want my tiny footprints to leave happy, uplifting impressions on the minds of those around me.

Weight Watchers: Round Two

Yipee! I lost three pounds this week. They say for the first couple of weeks, the WWer might lose a lot, but after that it’s more like 0.5-1.5 lbs. a week, and any more would actually be unhealthy. I’ve been attending with a friend who’s been hard at it since October, and she reached her first big goal: 15% of her body weight, so we both felt like celebrating. There are about 50-60 people at our meetings, and as a group, we lost 57 pounds this week. There was a lot of “three cheers” support going on, and I’m sure that’s part of the fun of working with others on a common goal.

This week’s pep talk was on eating “filling foods,” which is defined as those foods with enough fiber and nutritive value per ounce to make them of positive value. Pretty much all fresh fruits and vegetables fall into this category as well as all non-fat, non-sweetened milk products and many lean meats and whole grains. A cup of most vegetables is 0 pts; most fruits are 1 pt. We humans all need about 5 servings of those two categories, but that’s not bad. You can get those in for just 3-4 points. We all need two servings of dairy…that’s trickier. For 4-6 points you can get in 2 servings of 1% fat  or skim:  milk, cottage cheese, or cheese. Two servings of lean protein are even more expensive: 6-12 points for your choices there…and that’s just the start! You could blow your entire day’s budget on a couple of pieces of pizza or a grande wet burrito! Somewhere in there you need 2 tsp. oil (2 pts.) and 6 glasses of liquid (water or any 0 calorie drink, for 0 pts). Throw in a multivitamin, and by the time I’ve met my nutrient needs (which—granted—are pretty minimal at 18)…BINGO, I’m pretty much out of points. That was a most disturbing realization, and at first I thought I’d probably dip into my extra points every day. But you know what? By the time I ate all the good stuff, I wasn’t hungry anymore, so I’d skip the 2 pt. whatever that I thought I might have for a bedtime snack if need be! It really worked!

Alan and I have read elsewhere that people need to eat approximately 3 pounds of food a day to feel full, and so it’s much more in how fat-laden the food is rather than the amount that can make the difference. (I’m talking normal people here, not obese people with a food addiction or other problem.) Also, sugar causes more highs and lows in our metabolism, so avoiding sugary foods and filling up with more high-fiber foods that take longer to metabolize prolongs the sense of well-being before you start to feel hungry again. (Duh…I know you all know this anyway.) One of the WW mantras is: “If you’re hungry, you’re more susceptible to bad choices.” Boy, ain’t that the truth…not only concerning food, but concerning so many things in life. I think if I would stop to figure out what I’m missing or wanting when I’m tempted, I’d have a much better chance of getting my true needs met and avoid making bad choices!

All week in my spare time I was studying the point counter and made a quick guide of all my favorite foods, trying to learn how to estimate points faster. WW also has some handy guides for how to eyeball amounts: 1 c. is approximately the size of a tennis ball; a small side dish is about the size of a computer mouse, a 3 oz. serving of meat is about the size of the palm of your hand. This helps when you can’t actually take a measuring cup to everything you want to eat.

In all, after years of dieting on my own and never really learning how to eat in a truly healthy way, I am delighted with WW. Of course…I’m still honeymooning. I’m sure it won’t always be new and exciting!