Thursday, May 26, 2016

Its not the evil tidings I'm afraid of - its the healthcare system!

Jeannee shall not be afraid of evil tidings, because her heart is fixed, and she trusts in God ~ Psalm 112:7

"These are the same symptoms you presented with in Jan.," my primary care - about as frustrated as I am - said earlier this afternoon when I handed her a list of my symptoms ... and filled her in on the neuro who said one thing in his office (you probably won't present with lesions, so we'll go by symptoms) and then another thing through his nurse (essentially, you have SEVERE fibromyalgia, and I really am needed for the serious MS patients - you need to see a rheum.) ....

This is the only brand of healthcare within an hour (they've swallowed everything) and I have complete confidence in my primary care (Donna) even tho she works in the system --

-- and that's where she got jammed up, too ... Ok, Jean, we'll do THIS:  We'll do a blood draw to rule out lupus, et al ... we'll refer you to rheum ... and then after you see the rheum, call for an appt and come back to see me.

I've had fibromyalgia since 1988 - dx 1990 - and these are completely new symptoms that have been getting progressively worse over the past several years - and she knows this, too, of course...

And so ... here we are.   

Mebbe Donna and I should sing "Stuck in the Middle With You"?!!

Monday, May 23, 2016

Litany of Compassion for the Sick, by Father Peter John Cameron

Response after each sentence:  LORD, be close to give Your comfort.

When pain or distress is overwhelming

When the healing process goes slower than hoped

When terrified of treatments or therapy

When it's hard to let go of long-held plans

When the feeling of alienation arises

When worn out or weary

When troubled by impatience and negativity

When loneliness leads to anxiety

When sickness makes it difficult to communicate

When discouragement or despondency sets in 

When fear makes it impossible to face the future

When the ravages of disease attack self-esteem

When anger & resentment assail

When beset by worry or fretfulness

When it's hard to rely on others for care

When envy arises toward those who are healthy

When pessimism or cynicism holds sway

When anguish is intensified by the need for reconciliation

When sickness is mistaken for punishment

When loved ones are far away

When sickness causes financial hardship that leads to worry or despair

When afflicted by the feeling of nothing to hope for

When weakness makes it impossible even to think

When friends draw back fearful of disease

When illness makes those who are suffering moody or irritable

When haunted by regret and the shame of past sins

When its difficult to sleep

When there's loss of appetite

When there's resistance to necessary change

 When tempted by denial

When nobody seems to understand

When bound to home or restricted in movement

When listlessness and apathy threaten

When medication seems to make things worse

When all that's needed is a caring touch

When it's impossible to maintain familiar routines

When it's hard to find the strength to go on

When it becomes difficult to pray

When suffering of any sort becomes hard to bear

When death draws near

Most merciful Father, your beloved Son showed special compassion to lepers, tenderness to those long sick, and healing to the infirm laid before him.  We place before you all those who are ill and in need of healing grace.  May the love and mercy of the Divine Physician raise up all who suffer from sickness and restore them to health and peace.  We ask this in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Like speaking Italian ...

I had a very dear godfather, who was Italian and liked to pepper his verbosity with his native language ... and - altho I was around him all of my life - I couldn't converse in Italian.

I felt the same way as a single mother in my very early twenties - me! the prize babysitter of the development! the one with so many hopes and dreams and ideas for my baby girl!

That's why Michelle Lodzinski's story of what happened with her son Timothy Wiltsey, when she took him to a carnival, always, always resonated with me ... you're young, and you're life hasn't turned out the way you expected, and you're just trying to do the very best job of parenting that you can ... and then something goes horribly wrong.  Your kid goes missing.  And the police come down on you like something out of a bad movie, and twist your words, and confuse you - I understood that part, too, because - altho I never had the unimaginable heartbreak of turning around and your kid is suddenly gone - I did have my own encounter with the police where they turned and twisted me like I was the criminal, instead of the good citizen putting puzzle pieces together.

You grow-up.  You get married again.  You move.  In Michelle's situation, you have two other boys... and by the way, they've never gone missing.  Need I point that obvious statement out - like the other obvious statement: what about that bodybuilder bruiser boyfriend she had at that time in her life, when she was petite and scared and felt like he could be the Boaz she hadn't found out in the Midwest, with Timothy's father ...

They just found her guilty.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All I can do is pray for her - pray for her family - pray for her two boys, Daniel and Benjamin - and pray, pray, PRAY! that someone submits her case to the Innocence Project.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, the only female chaplain on the NYPD - Being BLESSED

“B” is for balance –We are mind, body, and spirit. We have put a lot of attention on the mind and the body in life, but now we must also give attention to the spirit.
“L” is for love –Love of God first and then love of yourself. There is a strong emphasis on love care, doing things that matter to you and that matter to God.
“E” is having the energy for the assignment – I believe everyone has an assignment and a season; some are blessed to have more than one, but you have at least one in life and that is why you are spared. You have to have the energy to do it, so whatever it takes, whether that is exercising, sleeping well, eating well, the things that will keep your energy up for God.
The first “S” is for spirit – That is who we live and move and have our being in.
The second “S” is for success – We measure our success by Christ’s standards, not by the world’s.
The second “E” is for encouragement – Keep in the midst of encouraging people who will keep you focused on your journey who you want to be around and who want to be around you and to also be an encourager. One of the biggest things we saw during 9/11 was that people became depressed and really stressed out, so you have to be an encourager and also be in an encouraging environment with people who will nurture you and not beat you down.
“D” is for devotion – Keep your devotional life as a priority. If that means getting up an hour early and spending time with God so that you can go out and face what we have to face, the 9/11s of the world, then have the devotional time, because you can’t make it separated from God.
“My prayer for people is that they will make the time they need for themselves, because we are really not good for others unless we think for ourselves,” Cook concluded. “I thank God that I was a vessel that He felt He could use in a time of crisis. I hope that He knows that He can use me this time.”

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Abortion - Dr. Alveda King (J1390)

Abortion - Dr. Alveda King (J1390): Are minorities such as African Americans being targeted for abortion? Joni and the ladies welcome back speaker and author, Dr. Alveda King, to expose the truth behind the abortion agenda and the focus on minority communities. This is one show you can’t miss!