Points To Ponder

Our pastor has started a new series titled " If You Want To Enjoy Life", a fresh look at the Ten Commandments. Quotes from this week's bulletin:

I have wondered what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US congress. Ronald Reagan

The Ten Commandments contain 297 words. The Bill of Rights is stated in 463 words. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address contains 266 words. A recent federal directive to regulate the price of cabbage contains 26,911 words. Unknown source.

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away. Philip K. Dick, science fiction writer.

God went to the Jews and said, "I have Commandments." "Commandments? How much are they?" "They're free." "Good then, we'll take 10!". Author unknown

They Mean Well...But

Have you ever noticed that when you have a physical problem there's always someone who feels compelled to tell you about their own horror story...such as, "yeah I broke my shoulder many years ago and cut the nerve and it took 15 years before I got feeling back"....or "where did you go for your surgery"...and when they are told...."oh, you should have gone to Seattle." Huh?? That's like saying I shouldn't have fallen in the first place. This injury is teaching me a lot about compassion and what empathy means...in other words if you can't say something positive, supportive or encouraging go find someone else to talk to. OK, now I feel better.

Calling All Gardeners

If you need some gardening inspiration get yourself a copy of the movie, A Man Named Pearl. This is a wonderful documentary about a black man in South Carolina who taught himself the amazing art of topiary, you know, those amazing plant sculptures. This man's work ethic would challenge the busiest person and his legacy for the small town he lives in is positive in every way. You will definitely want to get yourself a good hedge trimmer after watching this one.

Two Steps Back

Yesterday's visit with the surgeon was a bit disappointing. Injury to the median nerve was found near the fracture line with it cut through nearly 50%. Sutures the width of a hair strand were used to repair it and as you can probably imagine I'm not advised at this time to do handstands....or much of anything else. My hand is in a splint in a flexed forward position, the idea is that there should be no pressure or strain on that repaired nerve. The splint will need to be worn for "several" weeks and I am to see the hand therapist next week so he can create a splint and the flexion will gradually be increased as it heals. I can move all my fingers, (the surgeon was thrilled about that) but I have numbness in the thumb, index and middle. That will take some "time" to resolve...I didn't inquire how much time, I'll save that question for another day when I'm more psychologically prepared. In the meantime it's hard to go back to a dependent state so I am doing everything I can to do what I can. My right hand has become incredibly talented and even performed the one handed bra attachment and I now hook the hairdryer on BJ's towel rack and just bend down to dry my hair. To get ready for the day without assistance is HUGE. I don't think I'm ready for "cookie therapy" yet but maybe I can pick up one of those little scooper thingies that scoop the dough and release it onto the cookie sheet. Someone must have invented that thing for a reason.

On another note, yesterday was BJ's 71st birthday. I think he looks pretty hot for 71. After my appointment yesterday I hurried from the clinic to the ferry to try to catch the 3:35. BJ and I planned to go out to dinner to celebrate and I said a small prayer asking God to try and get me on that boat. I think a lot of prayers are said in ferry lines! The next ferry was at 6 pm. When I got to the ferry line I was on standby (worse than a 4 letter word). I watched as the four cars in front of me had their standby tickets removed from their windshield and thought, "this doesn't look good." After some nailbiting time the attendant came and took my ticket off and ushered me on. One more car boarded after me and we were tucked in as tight as could be. I called BJ and said, "Happy Birthday this is your gift today" and we were both grateful!!

Avatar X2

Last week we took our boat to Victoria on Vancouver Island for "Victoria Days." It's our 4th year to participate and always a fun time to be "parked" in front of the Empress Hotel. The weather was chilly but sunny, always nice not to have it raining when on a boat. We reminisced again that it was 21 years ago when we first went to Victoria to celebrate BJ's 50th birthday during which it rained the whole time.

You can just see "little" Kaviar sandwiched in between two bigger boats.

These following two characters were new this year...part of the street entertainment. This "statue" who really did make me do a double take was amazing...but wouldn't it just be a whole lot easier to just go look for a real job instead of the work of dressing up like this every day???

This guy who played the violin badly, posed for me but when he wasn't playing he was either smoking (who knows what?) or talking to himself. I did give him an "A" for costume however.

So why the blog title "Avatar X2"? Victoria has this amazing museum and Imax theatre which was showing Avatar. So BJ and I went to see it and loved it so much we went back a second time. We are not science fiction fans but this movie just fascinated us and we kept saying, "how do they DO that???????? We did not see it in 3D but Imax was the next best thing.

Immobile Again

Yesterday I had additional surgery on my hand. Although several fingers are still numb and I have some swelling, I'm in a whole lot better shape than after the fracture surgery. But I must admit this saga is really getting old. The most I could get out of the surgeon in my groggy state was that there was some median nerve damage and that it was repaired with an outcome unknown at this time. Hopefully I will get more questions answered when I see him next. In the meantime I'm in a splint and BJ is back to hooking bras.

Turn On The Lights

From this week's church bulletin insert: It spoke to me.

Darkness is a breeding ground of fear. When we are in the dark, we can't see anyone or anything. We feel panicky, helpless, isolated, vulnerable, lost, confused, frightened. Most of all, what we feel is alone. Darkness isolates us; it disorients us and causes us to exaggerate and distort reality. The disciples were desperate in their boat. They were overcome with panic and confusion. The darkness made Jesus hard to see.

In C.S. Lewis's The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the Dawn Treader has sailed into Dark Island and everyone on the boat is terrified (much like the disciples in their boat were), except for a lone courageous mouse named Reepicheept. At one point in their journey, when it looks as though they'll never get out of Dark Island, Lucy, one of the visitors to Narnia, whispers "Aslan, Aslan, if ever you loved us at all, send us help now." Lewis writes, "The darkness did not grow any less, but she began to feel a little-a very, very little-better." Almost immediately one of the crew spots a tiny speck of light ahead, which, again, "did not alter the surrounding darkness but did light up the ship." Notice that the darkness did not diminish. God does not always rid us of the darkness; He joins us in the darkness. Michael Yaconelli (Dangerous Wonder)