Good to Go

Our Lane

Every morning I have the great joy of walking our lane. It serves all manner of wonderful purposes: much needed exercise, a romp with Abby, time to enjoy the beauty of nature and the ever-changing seasons, and time to pray and meditate…good for the body, soul, and spirit! Afterward comes another half hour of pretty rigorous calisthenics geared to help me shape up and rehabilitate my hip. This afternoon I had my 3-month checkup and X-rays. I am almost pain-free (some sciatic nerve pain with certain movements) and have no limp. The surgeon said I was doing great and don’t have to return except once a year for an X-ray just to make sure all is well. After six years of lower back discomfort and inner thigh problems, I am overjoyed.

I wonder why we wait so long to get help when something’s wrong? Not sure what’s wrong? Not sure what to do about it? Not sure who might be able to help? Not sure if the help offered will truly be effective? I, for one, am very thankful for those who can help…be it a doctor for a physical need, a counselor for emotional traumas, or a pastor for spiritual difficulties. I’m glad for those who study hard and know how to help, and I hope I’m always willing to get help when I need it!

So, Just Who is Nycteris, and How DO you Pronounce her Name?

Every time I tell another friend about the new baby, they stumble over the name and ask me to spell it and then pronounce it again. I agree that it is a bit unusual, but as one of my girl friend’s said yesterday, “Well, what should we expect? They’re into theater!” So, I guess that must be the explanation.

Actually, Michael tells me that one of the freedoms we take for granted is that in the U.S. you can name your baby anything you want. In Germany, parents have to choose a name out of the government-approved book of names! Because Mike and Grace are Americans, they were allowed to choose any name that they could prove was already a real name. (You cannot “make up” a name if the baby is born on German soil and you want the child registered there.)

Nycteris is pronouced “Neck ter us.” I thought it was “Nick ter us” and that probably they’re call her Nicky for short. Absolutely not. Alan thought it might be “Nike ter us” (like the “i” in bike or hike), but that is wrong too. What helps me remember is that she’s as sweet as “nectar!” Alan was praying for her the other morning and said, “Baby Nestoris…eh. whatever!” so…we’re all struggling! Nycteris (as I understand it from Michael) was a fairy princess from a George McDonald fairy tale who was forced to live in the dark underworld from childhood but when she grew up somehow discovered daylight and the upper world! Think of the wonderful transformation from darkness to light in the spiritual journey we each travel in order to find God…something like that.

Her middle name is “Mer” as in “mermaid,” a maid of the sea. Eowyn’s middle name is “Raine,” so I’m guessing “Mer” is keeping with the theme of some of God’s wonderful natural gifts to us.

Hope that helps, Jena! Thanks for asking.

Nycteris Armstrong

Just for the record, Grace had her baby in the early hours of this morning! She is all rosy and beautiful and looks like Michael to me! If you want to see a couple of pictures, click on “My Beloved Son Joel” on the right hand column of this posting and you can hear the scoop!! Both mother and baby are doing fine, and Michael, Eowyn, and Joel are also, although Eowyn isn’t completely sure just what she thinks of her new sister yet!

Europe at Its Best, Part II (Cont. from yesterday)

Ultimately the true hero and heroine of hospitality during our stay were Michael and Grace, who provided abundant love, lovely sleeping quarters in their apartment, great food, and lots of “the best” in entertainment. We got to see Michael’s office, toured Ansbach and Rothenberg (Stephen exclaimed, “I think I’ve died and gone to Disney World”), spent an incredible evening floating in warm mineral baths in Bad Windsheim (unforgettably relaxing and refreshing), etc. etc.

Michael also helped us get “Rosie M. Banks,” our new GPS unit that (generally) made it a pleasure to get from Point A to Point B without too much trauma. When Michael and Grace had to leave for a conference in Berlin, Alan, Stephen, Joel and I took a fabulous flying trip to Vienna, Venice, and Florence. The roses in Vienna were 13 feet high in places and the Hapsburg Palace and historic district are truly architectural wonders.

Venice is Venice—one of the most romantic and beautiful cities on earth as far as I can tell. It was so hot that we couldn’t endure until the evening, when St. Marco’s Square is filled with the romantic sounds of fabulous live music from a dozen or more ensembles, but it was still a remarkable day.

In Florence, we were able to get into the Uffizi (by waiting in line for only 1.5 hours). It was 105° that day. In fact, our whole tour was HOT, HOT, HOT. The best part about Florence to me was having a room with a view for my dear son Joel, who loves the movie by that name. (The movie was filmed in Florence)! Joel could see the Duomo from his bed by the window. This was a mixed blessing, however, because somewhere from the throat of the bell tower rang out chimes… 50-75-90 times to awaken us early in the mornings and remind us that it was time to go to mass. In addition to a sense of visual wonder in each city, we enjoyed really great cuisine (didn’t like paying 2.50 E for a bottle of water or up to 1.5 E for a bathroom, but what can I say??).

And, the scenery of the Austrian and Italian Alps was unparalleled! Alan and I returned home feeling mind-bogglingly happy and “full” and have been honeymooning since, although we’re really looking forward to Stephen’s return tonight (who has to start MSU next week), although Joel is staying through September to play nanny for Eowyn when Michael and Grace’s new baby arrives (due Sept. 9). One sad note, though: we just found out that Mike will being deployed to a war zone, probably for six months, starting in Nov. or Dec. I’ve already started praying for his safety.

PS—If you’re not exhausted, I’m planning to post more pictures on FaceBook in the next day or two! Also, Gerlinde has come down with what looks like mumps, but it might  be mono. At any rate, she’s quite ill, and we’d appreciate your prayers for her too! Thanks.

Europe at Its Best!

Okay, I hope I don’t wear you out reading this. If you’re already tired, just read one more sentence and you’ll have our trip in a nutshell! We had a truly marvelous and memorable trip to Europe for Jon and Linda’s wedding. I’m going to try to put up some pictures on FaceBook, so I’ll mostly write my reflections with just a very few pix.

The plane flew up to 687 mph. in order to make up for starting an hour late. I’ve never flown so fast in a plane before! (The flight plan also said it was —55° F. outside!) On our drive between Munich and Marktbergel, on the other hand, we were zooming along at an incredible 21 kph for the first couple of hours, fighting construction and the Friday night exodus from Munich and Nuremberg.

Mike and Grace live in a truly idyllic setting! In the morning, we’d head out for fresh milk from the dairy farm two blocks down the street (yes, the dairy barn is right in the little village!), over to the bakery for fresh bread and pastries, to the butcher shop for whatever meat we might need for the day, and to the grocery store for fruits and veggies plus whatever. It was TOO fun, and everything is so fresh and wonderful.

The wedding lasted from 1:30 pm—4:30 am (Alan and I only made it until 12:30 am) and was truly amazing and memorable. After the wedding service (which was not short), there was a first reception in the church yard with cookies and punch, then there was a break for pictures, followed by a coffee and cake reception (CAKES, a buffet of delicious desserts…every friend’s specialty) at a nearby banqueting hall, and then the real meal deal. The appetizer course was so involved that we all thought it was the main course, and Aaron loaded his plate right down. By the way, one of the ladies took several pictures of Aaron, exclaiming to me (in fun) that “Johnny Depp has come to the wedding! I want to show my friends!” In between courses (the cheeses were served after midnight) there were toasts and introductions, wonderful games, a precious slide show, skits, a treasure hunt (for Jon and Linda), and all sorts of fun. One of my favorites was Linda’s parents singing a song they made up about Jon and Gerlinde’s courtship to the tune of “Daisy, Daisy, Give Me Your Answer Do.” Aaron and Michael provided a skit called “The Duvay,” pretending an argument about how to sleep at night. German couples each have their own blanket rather than the American tradition of a shared bedspread! By midnight when most of the adults were fading, they started dancing, and I think that’s what lasted through the night, although I don’t know! The next morning all the close friends from out of town and family gathered at the Jaeschkes’ home for brunch…lunch…tea…and on! The party finally ended after a wonderful brunch on Monday to celebrate Linda’s birthday, and then Jon was finally able to swoop away his bride to a gorgeous condo in the Swiss Alps (compliments of an ENT doc and his wife, family friends from their church) where they spent their honeymoon mountain climbing and attempting to recuperate from all the excitement of the wedding. And that—my friends—is how they do it in Germany! Oh, one last, very touching tradition. The bride and groom give both mothers a gorgeous “bridal bouquet” that looks just like the bride’s…an extravagant expression of love and appreciation for the parents as the young couple leave their father and mother to become “one flesh” and start a new family of their own!

(Joel, Stephen, Alan, Sarah, Christoph, Johannes [Gerlinde's older brother, who's working on a Ph.D. in chemical engineering in Norway], and Suzanna, his lovely wife)

But, the Jaesckes were not finished with their hospitality just because Jon and Linda were gone. They toured us around Erlangen, Wurtzberg, and Nuremberg on following days. Sarah (Mama) is just two weeks younger than I am, but Christoph (Papa) is eight years older and told stories of growing up in Nuremberg. He was born in 1942. One of his earliest memories of his father was one night when his father was able to come home to visit. His father was not a Nazi but was conscripted into the army (as were all “men” 16 or over). He remembers being allowed to crawl into bed with his parents and being amazed that his father had “so many feathers on his chest!” As a youngster, he remembers exploring all the rubble of Nuremberg with other little boys (which was high adventure and strictly off limits because it was so dangerous)…searching for buried treasure…perhaps a crystal off a chandelier that looked like a diamond to them, or some other bit of treasure. Christoph comes from a long line of ministers (his grandfather pastored in the gorgeous church where the ceremony took place). His mother was a doctor, and after the war his parents were missionaries to New Guinea, and from there Christoph went to Australia at the age of 11 for boarding school. What a difficult childhood, although it has made him into a very deep, devout, and thoughtful person! He studied art history before going into the ministry himself, and he knows so much about history, architecture, and art that his tours were truly “THE BEST!” He is a scholar as well as a theologian! Eventually, he married Sarah, who is actually from Ireland but met him while visiting his church with a group of Christian young people. After they married, they became missionaries to Tanzania. Gerlinde is the second of four children (all of whom we met and think are super!), and she spent her early years as a little blonde, blue-eyed dolly playing with very black cuties from Africa. She still loves very hot weather and thinks Florida is great…even in the heat. So, Gerlinde knows both German and English…and Swahili, and maybe a little French and whatever too. She is a tireless worker, and for any of you who may not know, she is also a speech pathologist.  (To be continued on another post so I can get the rest of my pictures on…)

Getting Closer

Still not done with my catch up, but here’s one picture of our family at the wedding. From left to right: Aaron, me, Stephen, Jon, Gerlinde, Alan, Joel, Grace, Eowyn, and Michael.

Here is the happy couple on their way to a wonderful chalet in Switzerland where they spent their honeymoon hiking in the Alps. I still don’t have my pictures of the wedding (which we had to down load onto Joel’s computer at the wedding so we could take more!), but if you have Face Book, Gerlinde and various members of our family now have lots of pictures up. I will try to make some albums tomorrow of our trip, since we not only had a spectacular time at the wedding, we had an exceptionally interesting time touring with Gerlinde’s parents and an incredibly fun week with Michael and Grace, ending with a tour of Vienna, Venice, and Florence for Alan, Stephen, Joel, and me. In all, it was a truly delightful and memorable holiday.

First Edition of Wedding Pix!

I just have a minute between the men folk returning from an evening stroll and another contingent of men and ladies (Stephen, Joel, Grace, and Eowyn) returning from a little stroll to get Eowyn ready for bed! All my pictures of the wedding got down loaded on to Joel’s computer, so I just have a few from the reception, but I wanted you to see the fabulously radiant couple enjoying the reception!

Here’s the best picture I have of the couple in all their finery!

Here are Mama and Papa Jaeschke. German weddings are amazingly long! Jon and Gerlinde’s lasted from 1:30 pm until about 4:30 am. They eat an incredible array of delicacies in courses starting just after the service in the courtyard of the church, and lasting well into the night (past midnight) with a last buffet being an array of exotic cheese (after about 9 other courses). In between courses, they play all sorts of games that feature the bride and groom, special musical numbers, skits, etc. One of the funniest (to me) was Gerlinde’s parents singing MANY verses of an original song they made up to the tune of “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do! I’m half crazy, all for the love of you” giving a hilarious rendition of Jon and Linda’s courtship. We feel very blessed for Jon to have married into such a wonderful family. As the ENT doctor sitting next to us lamented, “The Americans come and take away our favorite girls! Gerlinde is the best there is in Germany!” As far as Jon can tell, she’s the best girl in the universe!

Until I’m Back on Line…

Here are a few reminders for those of us who get hung up on life:

Take a nap when you need one.

Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so love the people who treat you right, forget about the ones who don’t, and believe that all things work together for good to them that love God.

If you get a chance that seems right and good, take it. If it changes your life, let it.

God never promised that life would be easy, but He promises that it will be worth it all when we see Jesus face to face!

What’s Wrong with Obama’s Health Care Bill? Plenty!

Congress needs to be reminded that the Constitution provides all Americans the RIGHT to LIFE, LIBERTY and the PURSUIT of HAPPINESS.  ANY Bill that cuts an American life short by even 10 seconds, is unconstitutional, period!!!!

DEADLY DOCTORS

OBAMA ADVISERS WANT TO RATION CARE

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07242009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/deadly_doctors_180941.htm?page=0

By BETSY MCCAUGHEY

Obama’s doctor, Emanuel: Believes in withholding care from elderly for greater good.

THE health bills coming out of Congress would put the decisions about your care in the hands of presidential appointees. They’d decide what plans cover, how much leeway your doctor will have and what seniors get under Medicare.

Yet at least two of President Obama’s top health advisers should never be trusted with that power.

Start with Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the brother of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. He has already been appointed to two key positions: health-policy adviser at the Office of Management and Budget and a member of Federal Council on Comparative Effectiveness Research.

Emanuel bluntly admits that the cuts will not be pain-free. “Vague promises of savings from cutting waste, enhancing prevention and wellness, installing electronic medical records and improving quality are merely ‘lipstick’ cost control, more for show and public relations than for true change,” he wrote last year (Health Affairs Feb. 27, 2008).

Savings, he writes, will require changing how doctors think about their patients: Doctors take the Hippocratic Oath too seriously, “as an imperative to do everything for the patient regardless of the cost or effects on others” (Journal of the American Medical Association, June 18, 2008).

Yes, that’s what patients want their doctors to do. But Emanuel wants doctors to look beyond the needs of their patients and consider social justice, such as whether the money could be better spent on somebody else.

Many doctors are horrified by this notion; they’ll tell you that a doctor’s job is to achieve social justice one patient at a time.

Emanuel, however, believes that “communitarianism” should guide decisions on who gets care. He says medical care should be reserved for the non-disabled, not given to those “who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens . . . An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia” (Hastings Center Report, Nov.-Dec. ‘96).

Translation: Don’t give much care to a grandmother with Parkinson’s or a child with cerebral palsy.

He explicitly defends discrimination against older patients: “Unlike allocation by sex or race, allocation by age is not invidious discrimination; every person lives through different life stages rather than being a single age. Even if 25-year-olds receive priority over 65-year-olds, everyone who is 65 years now was previously 25 years” (Lancet, Jan. 31).

The bills being rushed through Congress will be paid for largely by a $500 billion-plus cut in Medicare over 10 years. Knowing how unpopular the cuts will be, the president’s budget director, Peter Orszag, urged Congress this week to delegate its own authority over Medicare to a new, presidentially-appointed bureaucracy that wouldn’t be accountable to the public.

Since Medicare was founded in 1965, seniors’ lives have been transformed by new medical treatments such as angioplasty, bypass surgery and hip and knee replacements. These innovations allow the elderly to lead active lives. But Emanuel criticizes Americans for being too “enamored with technology” and is determined to reduce access to it.

Dr. David Blumenthal, another key Obama adviser, agrees. He recommends slowing medical innovation to control health spending.

Blumenthal has long advocated government health-spending controls, though he concedes they’re “associated with longer waits” and “reduced availability of new and expensive treatments and devices” (New England Journal of Medicine, March 8, 2001). But he calls it “debatable” whether the timely care Americans get is worth the cost. (Ask a cancer patient, and you’ll get a different answer. Delay lowers your chances of survival.)

Obama appointed Blumenthal as national coordinator of health-information technology, a job that involves making sure doctors obey electronically delivered guidelines about what care the government deems appropriate and cost effective.

In the April 9 New England Journal of Medicine, Blumenthal predicted that many doctors would resist “embedded clinical decision support” — a euphemism for computers telling doctors what to do.

Americans need to know what the president’s health advisers have in mind for them. Emanuel sees even basic amenities as luxuries and says Americans expect too much: “Hospital rooms in the United States offer more privacy . . . physicians’ offices are typically more conveniently located and have parking nearby and more attractive waiting rooms” (JAMA, June 18, 2008).

No one has leveled with the public about these dangerous views. Nor have most people heard about the arm-twisting, Chicago-style tactics being used to force support. In a Nov. 16, 2008, Health Care Watch column, Emanuel explained how business should be done: “Every favor to a constituency should be linked to support for the health-care reform agenda. If the automakers want a bailout, then they and their suppliers have to agree to support and lobby for the administration’s health-reform effort.”

Do we want a “reform” that empowers people like this to decide for us?

Betsy McCaughey is founder of the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths and a former New York lieutenant governor.

We need to come together and defeat Obama’s  Health Care Bill.. http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/index.html has all of the information you need.

Sleeping Beauty

Well, looks like I was sleeping on the job! Cheryl pointed out that the beautiful picture I’d intended to post didn’t show up. It showed a woman changing from a child to an adult to an old lady, and the caption said something like, “True Beauty…from the face to the heart.”  I would love to become an old lady whose heart radiates the beauty of Jesus!