My friend mailed this to me and it's just tooooo funny!
One day a woman (that's any chemo lady) looked into the mirror and there were only three hairs atop her head. She said to herself, "Hmmmm, I think I'll wear my hair in a braid." And so she did. And she had a super fine day.
The next day she looked in the mirror and there were only two hairs atop her head. So she said to herself, "Hmmm, I think I'll part my hair down the middle." And so she did. And she had a fantastic and marvelous day.
The third day she looked in the mirror and there was one hair atop her head. So she said to herself, "I think I'll wear my hair in a ponytail today!" And so she did. And she had a very good day indeed.
The fourth day she looked in the mirror and was startled to see there was no hair at all atop her head. So she jumped up and down and joyously shouted, "Hooray! I don't have to fix my hear today!" And she had the best day ever!
(Makes me laugh everytime I tell this one! And even if my hair is practically non-existent right now, I want you to laugh right along with me!)
Proverbs 17:22 is today's verse. Place your cursor over the reference to read the verse.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
A Bit of Chemo Humor
My chemotherapy for ovarian cancer was delayed this week because of my low platelet count. That's okay, it just so happens that I also had a bout of hay fever. That is under control, so chemo should occur next Wednesday. I was soooo looking forward to completing chemo on schedule in early June. Now it appears session six will occur in late June. That means a two-week delay on new hair growth. (Ah, Vanity!)
But I don't mind that. It's just that this week my eyelashes have just about disappeared and my eyebrows are pretty sparse as well. You have no idea how weird one looks without eyebrows unless you are familiar with alopecia. (At least sunglasses add a bit of disguise!)
If you don't mind my chemo humor, I can safely say I am obedient to Paul's command as expressed in I Timothy 2:9. "Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments.."
(Said the bald lady giggling in front of her 'puter).
.
But I don't mind that. It's just that this week my eyelashes have just about disappeared and my eyebrows are pretty sparse as well. You have no idea how weird one looks without eyebrows unless you are familiar with alopecia. (At least sunglasses add a bit of disguise!)
If you don't mind my chemo humor, I can safely say I am obedient to Paul's command as expressed in I Timothy 2:9. "Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments.."
(Said the bald lady giggling in front of her 'puter).
.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Next Time Be Sure to Ask This Question
Tip of the Day
The next time a tele-marketer calls and asks you to donate $$$ to what you perceive as a deserving charity, i.e. veterans, law enforcement, fire fighters, ask one simple question.
And this is the question you should ask: "If I donate money to you, can you tell me what percentage will go to the charity?" They HAVE to answer that question and you may be surprised when the response is a mere 5, 10 or 15 percent and when you get that kind of answer, it will be painless for you to hang up the phone.
Many times paid professional fundraisers eat up to 90 percent of the donated dollars.
So next time, ask! And if you still want to donate that $100, mail a check directly to the charity.
The next time a tele-marketer calls and asks you to donate $$$ to what you perceive as a deserving charity, i.e. veterans, law enforcement, fire fighters, ask one simple question.
And this is the question you should ask: "If I donate money to you, can you tell me what percentage will go to the charity?" They HAVE to answer that question and you may be surprised when the response is a mere 5, 10 or 15 percent and when you get that kind of answer, it will be painless for you to hang up the phone.
Many times paid professional fundraisers eat up to 90 percent of the donated dollars.
So next time, ask! And if you still want to donate that $100, mail a check directly to the charity.
I'm Very Happy to Have Hay Fever
Most people who have seasonal allergies would question my sanity in stating that I am happy to have hay fever. However, in my case, during this week of my life, I'm very happy that the runny nose is due to hay fever and not to a cold. With my immune system compromised due to chemo, it simply would not be a good idea to come down with a cold. But hay fever? I can handle that with a bit of nasal spray and an antibiotic to preclude possible infection of the bronchials. This chemo stuff sure brings a whole new perspective to one's life.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
There's Always Something New to Learn!
We're always learning. There's always something new to learn! And one thing I've learned in my gardening experience is to NEVER let garlic go to seed. You'll have baby garlic growing everywhere...in the garden bed...in the flower bed...in the footpath. And when multiple seeds sprout in one spot the plants are too crowded to produce decent sized bulbs. So my gardening hint of the day? Never let garlic go to seed!
There is always something new to learn in our spiritual lives as well!
I grew up in Sunday school and Church. I believed that Jesus was the Son of God but I always thought he had his origins in Bethlehem (or at least at his conception). My misunderstanding may not have been the fault of teachers or preacher...it could have been simply that I did not understand what was being taught.
And so at the age of 28 when a new preacher began to expound on Christ the Creator, teaching that Jesus was God from before the beginning of time, I was astounded! I began digging into the Scriptures to learn more and more about the divinity of Christ. Scriptures such as John 1:1-5; 14 and Hebrews 1:2-3 and Revelation 19:13 and Colossians 1:16-17. (Place your cursor over the Scriptures to read them!)
Suddenly Jesus became more! There was more to learn! And I began digging deep.
Since then (many years have passed) I'm constantly delighted to understand more deeply the things of God. There's always something new to learn and I don't say that in the sense that I jump from one belief to another as some folk jump from one church to another. I say that in the sense of deeper and deeper. I believe one could read through the Bible twice a year (not that I manage that!) for all the days of their life and they would discover things that they did not understand the previous reading.
If you've never read through the Bible in its entirety I recommend you read at least three books of the Bible...Genesis, the Gospel of John, and Romans. Three books...a short part of the Bible...and yet so rich in what they convey.
Genesis takes us back to the Creation. Chapter 1 ends with "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good." And then, in Chapter 3, Adam sinned and took all of posterity (every last one of us) and all of creation into death. Things weren't so good anymore! In my Bible that takes up only five pages. The rest of Genesis tells us about God's mercy towards His people. It's fascinating!
The Gospel of John was written by Jesus' beloved disciple John. John's intent was to help readers see that Jesus is who He claimed to be. John was there with Him, listening to Him preach, watching Him heal, watching Him bring the dead to life (Lazarus in ch. 4). He saw Him die on the cross and John, along with the other disciples, went into hiding for fear the Romans would arrest them next. But on the third day John and Peter see the empty tomb! And soon thereafter John is with the other disciples in hiding when Jesus appears to them in His resurrected condition! He is one of the witnesses to whom Jesus presents Himself alive over a period of forty days (Acts 1:3) and he is witness with the others when they see Jesus ascend into heaven (Acts 1:9-11).
As for the book of Romans? Ah, that's complex. Not in the sense of being not understandable (although preachers sometimes take years to preach through Romans) but in the sense that the Apostle Paul presents much. Much, I say, Much! I have many favorite verses in Romans (in particular Romans 8:26-39). (Don't forget to click on More at the bottom of the popup!) But you will have to find your own favorite verses.
So...if you don't think you have time to read the entire Bible (that's a lotta words!!) then consider reading Genesis, John and Romans. You can do that easily. Then read them again and again, asking questions as you read. God will give you answers.
(By the way, don't be afraid to write pencil notes in the margin or to underline or circle key verses or phrases. This has always been helpful to me in studying. )
There is always something new to learn in our spiritual lives as well!
I grew up in Sunday school and Church. I believed that Jesus was the Son of God but I always thought he had his origins in Bethlehem (or at least at his conception). My misunderstanding may not have been the fault of teachers or preacher...it could have been simply that I did not understand what was being taught.
And so at the age of 28 when a new preacher began to expound on Christ the Creator, teaching that Jesus was God from before the beginning of time, I was astounded! I began digging into the Scriptures to learn more and more about the divinity of Christ. Scriptures such as John 1:1-5; 14 and Hebrews 1:2-3 and Revelation 19:13 and Colossians 1:16-17. (Place your cursor over the Scriptures to read them!)
Suddenly Jesus became more! There was more to learn! And I began digging deep.
Since then (many years have passed) I'm constantly delighted to understand more deeply the things of God. There's always something new to learn and I don't say that in the sense that I jump from one belief to another as some folk jump from one church to another. I say that in the sense of deeper and deeper. I believe one could read through the Bible twice a year (not that I manage that!) for all the days of their life and they would discover things that they did not understand the previous reading.
If you've never read through the Bible in its entirety I recommend you read at least three books of the Bible...Genesis, the Gospel of John, and Romans. Three books...a short part of the Bible...and yet so rich in what they convey.
Genesis takes us back to the Creation. Chapter 1 ends with "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good." And then, in Chapter 3, Adam sinned and took all of posterity (every last one of us) and all of creation into death. Things weren't so good anymore! In my Bible that takes up only five pages. The rest of Genesis tells us about God's mercy towards His people. It's fascinating!
The Gospel of John was written by Jesus' beloved disciple John. John's intent was to help readers see that Jesus is who He claimed to be. John was there with Him, listening to Him preach, watching Him heal, watching Him bring the dead to life (Lazarus in ch. 4). He saw Him die on the cross and John, along with the other disciples, went into hiding for fear the Romans would arrest them next. But on the third day John and Peter see the empty tomb! And soon thereafter John is with the other disciples in hiding when Jesus appears to them in His resurrected condition! He is one of the witnesses to whom Jesus presents Himself alive over a period of forty days (Acts 1:3) and he is witness with the others when they see Jesus ascend into heaven (Acts 1:9-11).
As for the book of Romans? Ah, that's complex. Not in the sense of being not understandable (although preachers sometimes take years to preach through Romans) but in the sense that the Apostle Paul presents much. Much, I say, Much! I have many favorite verses in Romans (in particular Romans 8:26-39). (Don't forget to click on More at the bottom of the popup!) But you will have to find your own favorite verses.
So...if you don't think you have time to read the entire Bible (that's a lotta words!!) then consider reading Genesis, John and Romans. You can do that easily. Then read them again and again, asking questions as you read. God will give you answers.
(By the way, don't be afraid to write pencil notes in the margin or to underline or circle key verses or phrases. This has always been helpful to me in studying. )
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Today I Thought to Myself, "Alcohol Is My Friend!"
Hah! If you've been following my blog you may be a bit startled at the title above for it doesn't quite fit "Me".
My blood counts are down again due to the chemo. Especially my white blood counts. That means my immune system is low and I've been trying to avoid crowds. But one cannot sit in the house like a recluse 24/7. And so when I am out and about and when I return to the car I automatically reach for the bottle of alcohol lotion for my hands.
Today as I left the grocery store parking lot I thought to myself..."Alcohol is my friend." But that doesn't make me an alcoholic. She said with a grin.
My blood counts are down again due to the chemo. Especially my white blood counts. That means my immune system is low and I've been trying to avoid crowds. But one cannot sit in the house like a recluse 24/7. And so when I am out and about and when I return to the car I automatically reach for the bottle of alcohol lotion for my hands.
Today as I left the grocery store parking lot I thought to myself..."Alcohol is my friend." But that doesn't make me an alcoholic. She said with a grin.
Hopes that Ignore All of Human History
Today Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke to the graduating class of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
I read this news article today and the following statement by Gates jumped out at me...
I read this news article today and the following statement by Gates jumped out at me...
"After each war, we always hope we have fought the final war, the war to end all wars," he said. "I believe that such hopes ignore all of human history."
Gates hit the nail on the head. All of human history reveals the evil within the human heart. While we live in this world with wickedness all around us, we will need brave young men and women in our armed forces. And we pray for God's blessing upon us, whether at war or in peace.
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