Chris Loehmer Kincaid's Blog, page 21

Wheel of Misfortune

   In my April 13 blog post of last year, I mentioned, in passing, that I had "tweaked my back and really threw it out of place a few days later." I'd been in a lot of pain and had mostly been lying around for two weeks. 

Who knew? Who could have imagined? Here I am ten months later, still lying around more than I would like, with lists of things I wanted to accomplish these past ten months. Never in a million years have I thought that those simple missteps from the end of March and the first of April would throw my entire life into a tailspin. 

I've tried to downplay how miserable I've been. I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me, even though I appreciate the prayers many of you have been saying. 

But this is what it's been like. 

On my worst days – many during the summer – I couldn't get out of bed without help from Hubby. I walked with a cane and had to have rails around the toilet so I could get up and down. I had several episodes of incontinence because I couldn't limp there in time. I was in the ER twice. I was on multiple rounds of prednisone and took lots of muscle relaxers but few Vicodin because they didn't even help the pain. 

I spent many days on the couch on the heating pad. I watched more TV than I read books because I could barely hold a book (or my Kindle) in my hands because of the pain. 

The medical field, where I worked for 37 years, where I thought I was making a difference in people's lives, sorely let me down. I don't want to go down that road. It is what it is. But to anyone in my boat – you are your own healthcare provider; no one else will fix what ails you; it's up to you to cure yourself. 

And I'm trying so diligently to do that. I've had so many days and weeks where it was easier to lay around and feel sorry for myself, but I've been fighting since December to get better, to get back my strength and stamina, to get rid of this pain that pops up in a different spot every morning. 

Every night, when I've finally gotten comfortable in bed and can fall asleep, the wheel of misfortune is spun. When I wake up in the morning and first move, I find out quickly where the wheel landed. One day on my right shoulder, the next my left hip, then both wrists. Even my clavicles have a spot on that wheel. By the way, there's no trip to Jamaica on my wheel.

And what is all this pain, stiffness, achiness, shortness of breath and misery? Is it Fibromyalgia, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Lyme's Disease (though that blood test was negative in September), Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, or some weird Cancer, or some bizarre disease I picked up in Africa last time I was there?

Don't know. I am seeing a rheumatologist in June (the soonest I could get in), but I'm not counting on him to know any more than the rest of the providers I've seen. 

But don't despair; as I've already written, don't feel sorry for me. Most days, I'd say I'm 50% better than I was six months ago. Taking Tylenol and Ibuprofen around the clock helps a lot, even though I hate doing that to my system. The anti-inflammatory – gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, processed-food-free, fried-food-free, anti-anything-I-crave – diet seems to be helping. Everything I've read says to keep as active as possible, and walking does ease the pain and boosts my spirits. 

That's enough rambling. I've been awake since two am, and it's five now. I should either go back to bed or start making breakfast – fruit, granola, and coconut milk. 

Hope your day goes well and 2024 brings you all you've wished for. And me? I still have my eye on a trip to Cambodia in September. We'll see.

1 John 3:16

For God so loved theworld that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall notperish but have eternal life. (John 3:16, New International Version)

I think every believer has heard that verse, and mostof us have it memorized. So, it would be cheating to add it to my list ofverses to memorize. But I mention it because of the similarity to today’s verse. 

This is how we know whatlove is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down ourlives for our brothers and sisters. (1 John 3:16, New International Version)

It’s crazy to me how the first passage is just John3:16 and the second one is from 1st John 3:16. Is that a coincidence? I don’tthink God makes coincidences and I think every word which the writers of theBible were inspired to write is exactly where it is meant to be in the Bible. Tome, it’s more proof of who God is.

And I don’t think God means that we have to sacrificeour own lives for others. Jesus already did that. But I do think that we needto make sacrifices in our lives – give up that expensive morning coffee fromStarbucks and donate that money to the homeless shelter, buy a few extra non-perishableswhen you’re grocery shopping and drop them off at the food pantry, just evenget out of your comfort zone and share the word of Jesus with someone who is struggling. 

A Minor Inconvenience

 A couple of weeks ago, when we still had snow on the ground, I was expecting a package. Our mail hadn’t been coming until 5 pm or later, so I walked down to check the mailbox just as it was getting dark. 

When I reached the end of our long driveway, a car was coming from the west. I sighed and waited for it to pass before crossing the road. Then, I walked across the road and looked in the mailbox. Empty. So, I sighed again. 

But just then, a car came around the corner to the east, and I recognized our mail lady’s vehicle. 

She pulled up, handed me our mail (but no package), and said, “That was good timing.” 

Good timing, only because that other car drove by; otherwise, I would have been almost back up to the house. 

The point is you never know when a minor inconvenience will work in your favor. So don’t complain when things don’t go as smoothly as you had wanted. They will go smoothly when they are supposed to. 

And we know that God causes everything towork together for the good of those who love God and are called according tohis purpose for them. (Romans 8:28, New Living Translation)

Proverbs 19:21

I struggled a bit with last Sunday’s Bible verse,Romans 12:12. It included the words joyful, patient, faithful, hope, affliction,and prayer. It took me a while to put the right words together; I always haveto use some tricks to remember stuff like that. Joyful and hope both have the letterO, so they make “joyful in hope”. Faithful and prayer immediately remind me of - well - my faith, which leaves patient and affliction. That’s how my mind works.
This week?
            Many are the plans in aperson’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21, NewInternational Version)

 I just have to get all those wordsbeginning with a P in the proper place. 

 

Flashback Friday, January 2014

     Asoften happens, I have so many ideas to write about and instead of writing aboutthem, I waste a bunch of time watching YouTube videos of puppies or clips ofthe Friends sitcom. Last night, I wasted time scrolling through old photos, underthe guise of deleting those deemed dumb.

January2014, just ten years ago. I took a whole bunch of pictures of the snow in ouryard. There was even more snow in February and March, but I thought I shouldfocus on this month.  

Tenyears ago (and pretty much every year, from last year to 60 years ago), we hadmore snow on the ground than we have today. I won’t take a picture of today, asit is just too depressing. I can’t say I love having snow on the ground sixmonths out of the year, but we have to have some in the yard for at least acouple months. We just have to. 

Romans 12:12

Last Sunday, I posted Matthew 11:28 and went over itseveral times a day. I have memorized it – for now. We’ll see if it’s still inmy head six months from now. How about you? Did you try committing it tomemory.

This week, let’s let our hope keep us joyful, let’s bepatient when we have troubles, and let’s pray at all times.

Be joyful in hope,patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. (Romans 12:12, New InternationalVersion)

 

Flashback Friday to a Turtle

     Thisblog post come up on memories on Facebook the other day, and I thought it was worthsharing.

Oneafternoon, while cleaning out the linen closet, I came across this great find.

Hername is Mrs. Tuttle. Yes, she is a little ratty but at 55 plus years old, Ithink she is managing. The story, as I remember it, is that my sister Pat and Iwere spending the night in Wausau with our much older sister. Judy is 15 yearsolder than me and was working at a bank and living in an apartment building whichis long gone. She bought me and Pat each a stuffed animal. Mine was the turtleand Pat’s – well it really wasn’t a stuffed animal.

Itwas a hideous plastic snake. If you can picture a Hawaiian lei where theflowers are four inches in diameter but flat and green, white or yellow thickplastic, and when spread out this thing is five feet long, that is pretty closeto what that thing looked like. Hideous. I don’t remember what Pat named the snake, but it had many adventureswith Mrs. Tuttle and our other stuffed friends. 

Ihave a picture of that snake somewhere. I’ll have to try to find it. 

Matthew 11:28

 On Wednesday, I wrote a little bit about resolutions,mostly about how people break them within a few weeks. And here we are twoweeks into the new year.

I can’t say that this is a resolution I’ve ever had,but I’ve always wanted to memorize more Bible verses. Sure, I know the 23rdPsalm and John 3:16. I know quite a few more, but I can never remember theexact book they come from or which verse number they are.

Like “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid orterrified, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you norforsake you.” Probably a bad example as nearly the same verse is in four differentbooks of the Bible – Deuteronomy, Joshua, 1 Chronicles, and 2 Chronicles.

Anyway, this is what I’m going to do for the next fewweeks. Share a Bible verse which you may be familiar with and work onmemorizing it over the next week.

     “Come to me, all you who are weary andburdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28, New International Version)

I’ll let you know how I did next Sunday.

What do you resolve to do this year?

    Does anyone make New Year’s Resolutionsanymore? I haven’t seen any posted online from anyone, and no one has mentionedtheirs to me. Have those ol’ resolutions gone the way of the rotary phone andrabbit ears on the console TV?

So, maybe many of us could stand to lose some weight, exercise more and eat healthier. Maybe weshould watch our language and go to church more often. Are there any otherresolutions that are always broken by the tenth of January?

Howabout this instead – just be kind. Be kind to your family and friends, to yourco-workers, and to those who wait on you at the fast-food place (where youbroke your first resolution as quickly as Secretariat won the Belmont Stakes).Maybe be kind to strangers.

Opendoors for people you don’t know, offer to shovel your neighbor’s sidewalk, andshop locally to support small businesses. Umm? What else? Mail athinking-of-you card to someone you missed on the Christmas card list.

Andstop talking smack about other people, whether they are someone who personallydid you wrong or someone running for public office. I think we all could make aresolution to avoid listening to the news until the presidential election isover. Don’t even get me started.

So,be kind. Be gentle. Be loving and caring. And not only towards others, buttowards yourself as well. 

Maythe Lord reward you well for the kindness you have shown me today. (1 Samuel24:19, New Living Translation)

Imyself have gained much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, becauseyour kindness has so often refreshed the hearts of God’s people. (Philemon 7, LivingBible)

A Visit from the Wisemen

        After the wise men heard the king, theyleft. The star that they had seen in the east went before them until it stoppedabove the place where the child was. When the wise men saw the star, they werefilled with joy. They came to the house where the child was and saw him withhis mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened theirgifts and gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:9-11,New Century Version)

In the Christian church, January 6 commemorates thevisit of the Wisemen.

We always picture these men arriving on camels andwearing exotic clothing and robes. There’s always three of them, and they showup at the stable along with the shepherds.

Bible scholars pretty much agree that the Magi didn’tarrive at the time of Jesus’ birth. It could have been anywhere from a fewweeks to a few years before they showed up. They had followed that star all theway from somewhere in the East and who knows how long that took them.

Everyone assumes that because they brought threegifts, there must have been three of them. There could have been twelve wiseguys coming to visit Jesus, or only two. It doesn’t matter. What matters isthat they brought gifts and bowed down to worship the young Christ child.

Since the Wisemen were not Jewish, their visit is moreimportant than just the gifts they brought to the Savior. They represent the Gentiles– the non-Jews – so they signify that Jesus came to save everyone, not just theJewish people.