I Try and Other Musings

   As I was driving around today doing my pro-bono work, I found myself thinking about my bad habits. It's not particularly productive to dwell on them, unless you want to try to get rid of them, of course. The particular habit I was contemplating is my tendency to judge people. I’ve asked God for forgiveness many times, but it always seems to rear its ugly head each day.

   I try to put myself in the shoes of those I see before forming judgments, yet it seems to keep creeping back. Am I getting better at this? I’m not sure, but it's always on my mind, and perhaps that's the Holy Spirit working on me. I will continue to pray for forgiveness and strive to see others through the eyes of Jesus whenever I can.

   As the year 2024 comes to a close, it's a perfect time to count my blessings. I have so much to be thankful for, and I always praise God at night for all He has done for me. I don't know how many years God will give me, but I pray that 2025 will be just as blessed as 2024 has been.

   I'm also grateful that the Medicare signup season is over. My mail has decreased by seventy-five percent, and my tolerance for commercials on TV has significantly improved. I wish there were a way to sign up for a "do not mail" list for Medicare. Just think of how many trees could be saved!

   On a more personal and humorous note, I’ve had 25 of my emails read by Tony Kornheiser on his podcast. One of my emails even inspired the name of an entire episode. I guess this is my brush with greatness. As my grandsons tell me when they hear Tony reading my emails, they say I'm practically writing the show.

   I have not heard from Delaware North about a contract for the summer of 2025 yet. I'm starting to think they might not need my services next year. If that's the case, I may use 2025 to get my knee replacements done. The doctor has already authorized the left knee, and I just need to get the right knee examined for approval. Both knees are giving me fits at night and when I sit for too long. My days of getting down on the floor to play with the grand-kids are on hold until I get something done, because Pappy can't get up off the floor very fast at all now.

   As 2024 comes to a close, I pray God will watch over all of you who take the time to read my blog. And a postscript to my son Logan: Quit spell and grammar checking my blog. This ain't no English class. :)

 

Turning 65 and time for Colonoscopy

 

  One of the privileges of turning 65 is that my nurse practitioner says it's time for a colonoscopy screening. Let me first talk about the nurse practitioner. With the changes in the medical field, I don't have a doctor anymore—I now see a nurse practitioner. This is pretty much the same for most of my other specialists. My urologist has moved, and now I have a nurse practitioner there as well. I guess it's something I'll have to deal with.

  For my colonoscopy, my doctor directed me to use the new pill method for the prep. In the old method, you had to drink a very nasty fluid along with a lot of Gatorade to wash it down. While the fluid did its job, it wasn't deemed efficient enough by the medical community. So, they came up with a new method of cleaning a person out. The pill method involves two steps: taking 12 pills with 48 ounces of water. The first step is completed the day before the hospital visit, and the second step is done five hours before hospital check-in time. This meant I had to get up at four in the morning to perform the second step, which requires drinking 48 ounces of water over an hour and a half.

  I can tell you that the new method does clean you out very well, but in my opinion, it's more of a hassle than the old system. The bottom line is that a person needs to have the cleanest colon for the best results, and that's why the new method is used. Just some FYI for anyone considering a colonoscopy in the future.

  I will update this page in the future with results.

Keeping Jesus the Focal Point

   Starting in December, and sometimes even earlier, we are bombarded with society's view of Christmas: the mass marketing of Santa and the pressure to buy things that many cannot afford. The real meaning of Christmas is lost on many, which is exactly what Satan desires. During this season, I make an extra effort to point people to Jesus. We all need to do this because we are responsible for the next generation. It would be very sad indeed if we passed away without ever stressing the importance of Jesus to those we love.

  I also believe that Satan has a hand in the Christmas decoration business. When I enter stores like Walmart, Lowe's, or Menard's, I see massive displays of non-Christ-centered decorations at remarkably cheap prices. However, when I do find a manger scene or something depicting the true meaning of Christmas, the prices are unbelievably high. Ninety percent of the decorations being sold are non-religious. If you believe in Jesus and have accepted Him as your Savior, please try to keep focused on Christ this Christmas season and spread His message to all those you can.