Random Thoughts for May 31, 2023

Memorial Day 2023

I’m writing this a couple of days after Memorial Day 2023 and as always, I thank God for those who served and died for the United States of America. I have a lot of family members who served in the various branches of our military and quite a few of them served in or near areas of conflict. Fortunately, they all made it back alive but many of their fellow soldiers did not.

This Memorial Day I want to thank all of the Gold Star Families out there for their sacrifice on behalf of our nation. I wish I could thank each of you face to face and give you a big hug. Above all I want you all to know that you are not forgotten.

If you don’t know about our Gold Star Families, please read What is a Gold Star Family? on the USO website.

Uvalde, Texas: One year later

It has been a year since a teenager walked into Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas and killed 19 children and two teachers. 17 other people were injured that day and as mentioned in numerous news stories this month, many questions remain unanswered. While listening to NPR on May 24th I heard interviews with some of the parents of Uvalde as they shared stories of the children they lost. Each story served as a reminder that we lost 21 people that day and that we also lost their dreams and so much more. I heard the pain that is still there as these parents continue (I hope) to heal and as they ask if there is something that can be done to prevent the next school shooting. I also heard a reminder that there is a problem and I fear that in our current political and spiritual climate, we might not be willing to reach for the right solutions.

I do believe that we have a gun problem. We also have a mental health problem. We have a problem of people turning a blind eye, not wanting to look at the signs within their loved ones that they need help. We have a problem because our family units are quite often broken. We have a problem because we have lost our coping mechanisms. We have a problem because (in my opinion) our anti bullying programs seem to fail the very vulnerable populations that they claim to want to protect. But most of all we have a spiritual problem that leaves people feeling empty and hopeless, and (again in my opinion) the blame for that just might fall at the foot of the church.

I suspect there are many of you who disagree with that last sentence and that’s fine. I just ask one thing of you, especially if you are a Christian. Please pray! Seek God and ask His opinion. Let Him guide your heart in how we as the body of Christ should respond to the problem of gun violence in our nation. After all, the church should definitely be about protecting the lives of people in our country.

Whose Medical Team Is This, Anyway?

Almost two years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Since that time I’ve had my ups and my downs (fortunately mostly ups) as I work at keeping my glucose levels “in range.” I’ve gotten my A1C down below 7 and am at a point where the doctor says I have things under control but with room for improvement. I have goals that I have set for myself as far as exercise and weight loss. Hopefully I will still be able to push my A1C down even further by the end of this year. I believe I am on a good path but there’s just one thing bugging me: an area where I felt I needed to speak up and take control. That area rests squarely between the four walls of my doctor’s examination room.

Don’t get me wrong. I do believe that my doctor and his staff have my best interest at heart. Here’s the problem. My doctor likes to do things “By the book,” which means medications with occasional increases in dosage. That’s not my goal but at first I was afraid to say anything about it. Early on I asked what it would take to get off of the medications but my question was met with an answer that I did not like. Over the 1st year and a half I found myself wondering who is in charge and if we share the same goals. Yes, we share the goal of keeping me healthy but my goal is to do so with as little medication as possible and I’d rather not go down the path of a higher dose of this followed by a higher dose of that.

So here’s my question. How do you see your relationship with your doctor? Is your doctor your medical boss, giving out orders that you have to follow? At times I become a people pleaser and I think this caused me to see the relationship in these terms. God helped me see that my doctor is a medical expert giving me advice based on his experience but his experience is not alway a perfect fit for my situation. For example, he did not think I could lose enough weight to make a difference. I have. The bottom line is he gives his best advice and it’s my choice on what I do with that advice as well as with the advice I get from many other sources. Most of the time I will probably do as the doctor says but I want to have some input and I make the final decision.

I want to be clear about this. I’m not advocating for you or anyone else to ignore the advice of their doctor. I’m not on some power trip and do not plan to ignore my own doctor. What I am advocating is for all of us to become informed patients, learning all that we can including what the doctor’s “book” says. As I learn more about living with diabetes I plan to make my health a collaborative effort, one in which I do lean heavily on my doctor for advice. And I will recognize that 99% of the time it is the best advice but it is advice and not a command.

When it comes to my health I will not be a people pleaser. After all, whose medical team is this anyway? To be more accurate: Whose life is this anyway?

You Know, I Think God Likes Different Colors

 

The family that sold us our house many years ago left behind a number of different trees and plants in our yard. Over the years we cut a number of them down, especially the pine trees that were growing way too close to the house. But we did keep a few plants, including a few Azaleas which were growing in various places around the property. One of these Azaleas always opens first among the group and when it does it puts on quite a show.

We have three different kinds of Azalea in our yard, each with its own color. Add in a couple of purple Rhododendrons and we get a nice pallet of colors greeting us as we move through the spring. But that one Azalea is always the first to open, stretching out its pedals days before the other Azaleas and Rhododendrons show signs of waking up.

When they do open they join with the Tulips we have planted around the property, opening and eventually dropping their flowers just as the Day Lilies we have planted in our backyard begin to strut their stuff. Later in the summer a row of Hibiscus at the side of the yard will open up and put on a show of their own. I have to watch these Hibiscus closely as they are able to grow like they are out of control with their offspring turning up in a number of different places around the property. I like them but not enough to let them take over.

The only downside to having all of the colors of spring and summer is the fact that I suffer from allergies. Still, that does not keep me from enjoying each and every plant. I even enjoy the bugs they attract like the bees and the lady bugs, although I keep my distance from the bees. Throw in the assortment of birds, including the occasional humming bird, and everything just seems to be right with the world. It’s a reminder to take time to relax. It is also a reminder that God must really like a huge range of different colors.