I Make Fun of Tree Huggers

But, don't we all?  I know I shouldn't make fun of anyone but they really make it easy for me.  I use the term tree hugger broadly.  Pretty much anyone who is a hard core save-the-Earth conservationist gets the tree hugger label.  One whiff of their au naturale B.O. and the criticisms begin - after the gagging and coughing ends.  Dirty stringy hair and clothes made out of burlap don't help much either. (That is so stereotypical, Alicia!)  Of course, my mother raised me right; I don't make fun of them to their face.  I'm a good little Christian who waits to talk about them behind their back.  But, don't we all?  Squirm.

In principle, I support tree huggers.   We should all save the Earth.  God designed it, created it, and gave it to us rent free.  Sorta.  I really do believe in taking care of what God has given me and so I don't litter, use freon willy-nilly, and I try to reduce my footprint as much as possible.  Well, make that, as much as is convenient.  I should do better.  Recycling everything is a future goal of mine, but, currently, has to take its place on the back burner.  I'm such a lousy conservationist. 

But why all the preachy-preachy about being responsible towards the Earth?  I really don't know; it's just something I was thinking about on the drive home and, well, this blog is about my thoughts. 

I also began thinking about what God would have to say about the way we treat the Earth.  Part of me thinks we would all get an earful.  God creates this wonderful paradise and we pretty much exploit and trash it.  Another part of me thinks God would just shake his head and say, "You kids! Well, no matter, I'm going to destroy it here in a bit anyway so carry on."  Kinda fatalistic, huh?  Sigh. 

Resolution: Stop making fun of tree huggers and let charity rule the day.  Buy them earth-friendly organic soap bars as gifts and give them all my hand-me-downs. 
Action Item 1: Plan a trip to Oregon.
Action Item 2: Actually meet a real tree hugger.

I feel better.  I feel good.  I feel like hugging something!  Not a tree.  Nope, not going to do it.

Until next time.

Health Matters Not

It's been awhile since I last blogged about my health condition so I should probably be a good girl and get it down in writing before I forget everything.  I tend to forget a lot of things.  Like everything pre-February 15th, 2012 is a blur.  Which means I take neither credit nor blame for anything that happened in the blur period.  Period. 

I am still taking my at-home chemotherapy pills to help kick-start my puny blood platelets.  Those lovely little devil-pills with all their nefarious side-kicks who try to strangle me every time I consume them.  Twelve pills a day, twice a day for the last three and half months has gotten so old it's using a walker now.  (Haha! I crack myself up.)  About a month ago my doctor, Dr. Yunus, decided to increase my cyclosporine (chemo) dosage which, in turn, increases the levels of the drug in my blood.  Which is all well and good except for those nasty cyclo-headaches that sneak in on me every once in awhile.  (Lortab, you are aMAZing!)  For the first two and a half months my cyclo blood level was kept around 150, but with the dosage increase I'm around 375, which is very near the safe limit of 400.  Dr. Yunus was hoping the increase of cyclo would increase platelet production.  So far, no good. 

I went in yesterday morning to the nearest clinic (although it was an hour away) to get a simple blood draw to check my cyclo and blood count levels.  All my counts were down and my platelets were nine.  Nine.  Sheeze Louise.  (When your platelet count is below ten it's necessary to get an infusion of platelets; too dangerous to have them run so low.)  I was sent across town to the main hematology clinic to see Christie, the mighty provider of all things blood related.  She hooked me up with a bag of platelets and also offered me blood since I was near the too-low threshold with my other counts, but I declined.  It felt very odd to turn down blood.  It's not like she offered me a stick of gum or a soda.  Things that make you go, hmmm.  Lesson learned: the next time someone offers you life-giving blood, you should take it.

My visit to the hema clinic took over five hours.  It is the nature of the medical system, I suppose.  On the bright side, I had a private room with a nice recliner, the Food Network channel, and a free lunch.  Besides getting stabbed twice to get an IV started, it was actually a very relaxing day.  Completely unexpected, but relaxing.

Dr. Yunus is doing his best to get the drugs I'm taking to work.  He does believe that the medicine is helping with my red blood counts, but not my platelets. When I asked how long I would have to take this medicine, his reply was, "until it stops helping at all."  He is unsure of how long that will be.  He told me there were other drugs I could take but he did not think they would be affective.  The only other option is a bone marrow transplant and Dr. Y told me last Friday (Feb. 10) that he went ahead and initiated a search for a BMT donor.  Yuck.  I really don't want to do one of those.  I really, really don't. 

This past Sunday Dr. Jackson preached a message from 2 Timothy 2:3, "Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." (ESV)  Suffering cannot be avoided; we must all share in it.  I have decided that if the future holds "suffering" for me, then I shall be a good soldier.  Many others have suffered and will suffer much worse than I ever will.  I will not complain; I will just be thankful to be His.

Box of Chocolates!

Valentine's Day: the one day of the year people either love or hate. If you have a valentine, you're happy and excited, if it's 'just you again' this year, you pray the day goes quickly and no one asks you the awful question of when you're going to finally meet someone. Like you actually have control over when you meet the 'right one'.

Love it or hate it, the day will surely come every year along with gifts of flowers, teddy bears, or that horrible chocolate that comes in the heart shaped box wrapped in red cellophane. The nemesis of the entire day resides in that box. You find it when you bite into that cute little square of 'chocolate' only to have the most disgusting, gooey, red gel squirt out at you and run down your chin. Cherry-filled ickiness.

But you smile, ooh and ah over the display of love, then offer your valentine a piece of chocolate. If you're lucky, they'll find that other little demon, the one with coconut. Blech! One of these days Reese's Peanut Butter Cups will experience a surge in sales after they start wrapping their deliciousness in heart-shaped cardboard boxes. Their marketing director needs a good talking to.

Even with its quirks, Valentine's Day is a needed reminder to show others how much we care about them. And if you plan on showing that care with chocolate, please steer clear of the red cellophane. You'll thank me later.

Until next time.

Making the Most of Moons

Did you know all moons are different?  Until recently, I didn't.  You would think someone would have mentioned that back in grade school.  Maybe they did.  Maybe I was passing a note at the time.  Regardless, each moon is unique with its own distinctions and personality.   Kinda like us.  People, that is.  So, lately, I've been thinking about moons.

Moons are formed in several ways. (That puts a kink in the 'kinda like us' theory, but let's just ignore that part for now, shall we?)  The two prominent ways moons are formed are either from the dust particles left over when a star turned on or from the debris left over from when a planet formed.  The 'left overs' eventually clump together to make rocks, then the rocks smack into each other and make boulders.  Boulders smack into other boulders, and eventually, after a certain size is obtained, gravity kicks in and the accumulated 'left overs' become a moon.  Seems like a lot of time investment for a measly ol' moon.

Allow me the liberty to use my imagination to draw parallels between moons and people here.  The formation of a moon does seem to take forever but, what started as a little bit of nothing will eventually grow into something massive and expansive.  In Genesis God clearly states we are formed from dust. (By the way, if anyone ever calls you a dirt bag, you should just reply with, "I know.") Although we physically grow instead of morphing by accretion into an adult, we also do a lot of smacking into things. 

Toddlers smack into coffee tables.  Children smack into other children on the playground.  Character and integrity are just two of the many attributes learned through smacking - the confrontation of different wills that, in time, produce in us what is most needed.  (Siblings are very good "smackers".  Physical and otherwise.)  The teenage years should really be called a smack-a-thon.  The season of being evicted from your childhood and banished into adulthood is one where all the smacking seems most fierce.  But, eventually, the smacking stops, reality (gravity) kicks in and we settle down into the comfortable zone of just being who we are. 

But how are moons different from one another?  It's all in how they were raised (formed).  Moons, by definition, are satellites.  They orbit something, be it a planet, asteroid, or even another moon.  A moon that is formed close to a planet will be different from a moon formed farther away from the planet.  Why?  Gravity.  Gravities from the moon, the planet, and even other nearby moons or planets, play a constant tug of war with the moon, creating tidal forces in the moon's core.  These forces shape the distinctions of a moon.

Moons formed closer to their planet can be volcanic with lava or ice, causing their surface to be in a constant state of change and renewal such as one of Jupiter's moons, Io.   Moons formed far away from their planet are lifeless and barren and will bare the crater marks and scars of asteroids who happened to smack into them.  Earth's moon, Luna, is an example.

Jupiter's Moon - Io

Earth's Moon - Luna

That information alone, the fact that a moon's surface can change, really got me thinking.  I think people are like moons.  Those closest to what they are orbiting, be it a parent, friend, or even God, will have more turmoil, more experiences.  It is the nature of things.  People interacting with people creates friction and that friction, both good and bad, creates change.  The interactions remake who we are, changing our 'surface', but showing that life is present. 

The opposite is true of those who have chosen to distance themselves from their 'planet'.  The absence of turmoil, while seemingly peaceful, creates a dead and lifeless 'surface'.  Scarring of previous injuries remain leaving signs of hurt and hardship.  Ever met someone that could only be described as bitter?  Cold?  Harsh?  I think those people just need to hypothetically move closer to their planet.  What they perceive as peace is really just barrenness.

Another interesting tidbit - should a moon get too close to their planet, the planet's gravity will suck the moon in and destroy it.   Were I to apply my theory, if you get too close to your family, they'll kill you.  Too close to friends, they'll destroy you.  Even Moses on the mountain couldn't get too close to God without being annihilated. 

Great! That's just something else for me to think about.

Wait For It.....

I am a most impatient person.  I hate waiting for anything and have often said that I'd rather arrive late to an event than arrive early to one.  Just waiting for something to begin irritates me.  Why am I so impatient?  Is everyone else as impatient as I am or did I get an extra dose somehow?  This blog is about what I think about and lately I've been thinking about waiting. 

God designed waiting from the beginning.   He created everything; He must take credit for the 'wait'.  Nature itself is a waiting game.  Plant a garden today and you must wait for anything to grow.  Even your grandmother's apple pie takes a bit of time to reach the scrumptious level. 

There are several things I don't like about the wait.  Number one, I have to wait sometimes.  I don't even get a choice in the matter.  Whether it's waiting at the DMV for a new license or recovering from a sickness, there is no getting around the wait. 

Secondly, waiting stirs up emotion.  Hit the drive-thru for a 'quick' bite to eat and you end up waiting for half an eon.  Now you aren't just hungry, you're irritated and annoyed.  You find yourself talking to the person in front of you as if it were their fault the line isn't moving.  (We've ALL done that, haven't we?)  Plan a vacation several months in advance and the wait is an anxious, nervous one.  Daydreaming about the beach or adventure park occupies your mind and distracts you from matters at hand.  Waiting, droll in its nature, keeps your emotions on a roller coaster.  Too much emotion makes me feel bi-polar. 

Waiting isn't always worth it.  There is always the possibility of a let down.  Waiting to try the 'new and improved' whatever?  Try it.  Hate it.  Finally summon the courage to experience something different?  Try it.  Disappointed.

Lastly, I don't always know how long I'll have to wait for something.  Sometimes, I've got better things to do than wait around for something.  If I could just know how long the wait would be, I could make a logical decision of whether the wait is worth it or not.  I wish all waits had a countdown. 

Waiting must be necessary though.  Knowing our lives are but a vapor, God still made a point to incorporate waiting into our lives. Waiting produces what nothing else can.  It takes years for a tree to grow, be fruitful, and beneficial.  It takes months for a baby to grow in a womb.  For a child to grow into an adult.  The natural world requires time - a season of waiting - as does the spirit of man.

Some life lessons are learned quickly; there is no waiting period.  A stove is hot.  Wet sidewalks are slippery.  Make sure the toilet seat is down.  Other life lessons take years.  Not everyone wants to hear your opinion about everything.  Consistency is key.  You really are what you eat. 

God uses the waiting period all the time.   James 1:12 calls the wait a trial and a test. 

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. 

Want more faith?  God will test the faith you have.  Want to trust God for everything?  You'll find yourself pushed to trust God in circumstances you could never imagine.  Circumstances that aren't usually a load of fun.  (By the way, never pray for patience.)  I have learned, however, the hardest trials I've ever had to face have created in me what nothing else could.  My relationship with God is stronger; my faith in Him is deeper.  To me, there is nothing more comforting than knowing the Lord knows me and knows what I'm going through.  The wait, when embraced, produces relationship.  Relationship is priceless. 

I guess waiting isn't all that bad.  Even when the waiting seems more like a root canal than a cup of Keurig coffee.

Until next time.