Tethered to Technology

Image via Wikipedia (Public Domain)

When a server goes down and your business requires the internet, you feel it. A friend of mine just felt it. Acutely. Several days of crisis management—with a bit of anger management—were the results of a server gone down.

It spawned a lot of comments on our dependence on technology. I found I agreed with it all. I’m tied to technology.

But that hasn’t always been the case. You would think that years of missionary work in remote jungle villages would have proved sufficient insulation from ever becoming technology-dependent.

Initially, running water meant we ran to the river, the “corner store” was a 2 1/2 hour flight away, and a precious can of soda was lukewarm—but still precious.

Electrical power was limited to what a few solar panels could pump into our batteries. If the sun refused to shine, power dropped and was saved for our two-way radio, our only contact to the outside, to civilization. The internet? An impossibility.

Life was primitive. We called it rustic, the word invoking a more romantic aura than primitive. Life was rustic, but good.

But now? Life isn’t so rustic.

I’m blessed with modern appliances, electrical power not dictated by the amount of shining sun, hot water in the shower—and technology. I’ve returned to the twentieth century!

I find myself happily tethered to my cell phone, computer, and the illustrious internet. I find myself groaning along with my friend as the server went down. I realize how quickly our lives changed. Rustic turned to high-tech. The internet replaced the two-way radio as our connection to world.

Life is different, but still good. Now, if only the server doesn’t go down before I post this….

Love Is More than Flowers and Chocolate!

Our journey of love began....

I was grocery shopping in Aldi yesterday afternoon. An elderly man was standing in line, flowers in hand. Nothing else. Just flowers. Presumably, flowers for his wife of many years. I could envision the love story behind this act.

It was nearly his turn, when he suddenly stepped out, losing his place in line, and walked over to where the flowers were. I watched as he put them back, my overactive imagination already creating a scenario for his actions.

His wife called him on his cell, all upset about something—and he decided she didn’t deserve flowers!

Of course, I didn’t see a cell phone on his person, so that was an unlikely scenario.—And really, it was much too sad of a scenario.

My creation of yet another sad scenario was interrupted as he reached for a better-looking bunch of flowers, then slowly walked back over to re-gain a spot in line.

I smiled. My belief in his love story restored.

I wasn’t the only one watching. The woman behind me spoke up at that moment.

“Flowers from Aldi,” she said, her tone difficult to read, though not sounding like a compliment.

“At least they are flowers,” I replied with a small smile, wanting to give the man credit.

“I waited ten years before I got flowers on Valentine’s Day,” the woman told me. “I would have been happy even if they have been from Aldi.” Her body language and tone were saying it had been more than flowers that had been missing in the marriage.

I didn’t bother to admit I’d also waited years for flowers. It wouldn’t have been appropriate. I had waited for flowers, but in the meantime I was showered with love.

“It’s the thought that counts,” I said—and I meant it.

“It really is,” the woman agreed.

Love is so much more than flowers—or even chocolate! Love is all those little looks, the caring words, a humor that only the two of you understand, a hug at the right moment—and the list goes on. Love is an accumulation of our lives together. I’ll take that over flowers and chocolate any day—though the flowers and chocolate sure don’t hurt!

“In Everything Give Thanks!”

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”  - I Thessalonians 5:18

Thankfulness is easy when things are going well. In trials? It doesn’t come quite so naturally. Yet we’ve been told quite bluntly that we’re to give thanks in everything. In case we’re scratching our heads and wondering if that really is what was meant, it’s been added that “this is the will of God…concerning you!”

God brought this to mind again this past week. Right, again! I need these reminders from time to time. With all we’ve faced this past year, sometimes I’m just tired of the not knowing, of wondering what will happen next. Sometimes, I just want our lives back. Sometimes, I just don’t feel very thankful.

Yet, there it is in black and white: “In everything give thanks.”

Hard to ignore. Impossible to re-interpret. It’s clear. Give thanks!

So there I was in the midst of my ‘whining’ to God about all the unknowns in our lives, and He brings me back to that.

I didn’t see much point in fighting Him. There’s not really any chance of winning that fight! And really, agreeing and obeying brings much more peace! It’s really a no-brainer.

So I stopped in the middle of my whine and said, “Thank You.”

Amazing. The world didn’t change. My circumstances didn’t change. But my attitude did, and with it my outlook. Isn’t that just like God? — The answer to that is a definite YES! 

Who Am I?

Aunt Rosie & Gigi!

I was chatting with my great-niece and great-nephew this morning, hoping I was reconnecting with them. At five and six years old, not having seen them for two years was a long time. I thought I was doing a good job getting some Aunt Rosie time in until my great-nephew looked up at me, a perplexed look on his face.

“You talk different,” he told me, stressing the word ‘different.’

I wasn’t sure where he was coming from, and wanting to keep the flow of conversation and bonding going, I said to him, “I may have a different accent than your Nana, but I’m still her sister.”

My petite great-niece looked at me and corrected me in her little girl voice. “You’re not her sister. You’re her mom!”

“I’m not Gigi (what they called their great-grandmother)!” I told them. “I’m Aunt Rosie.”

They weren’t so sure and it took a bit of convincing. I mean, in their minds I looked just like Gigi! I’m sure the fact that I didn’t have Gigi’s British accent helped to sway them to believing I was Aunt Rosie! Talk about an identity complex! I’ve never had to convince someone before that I really am me!

The reassuring part came later. When my sister and I arrived back at the house after dropping her grand-kids off at school, Spanky, my sister’s Jack Russell Terrier came bounding towards me, leaping at my legs and demanding attention. My sister started laughing.

“At least Spanky knows you’re not Gigi!”

And it was true. Spanky knew NOT to leap at Gigi who has a great love for dogs at a distance, but not within reach. But Spanky knew I would invite his loving attentions! Whew! I guess I really am me!

A Winter Wonderland & the Oncologist

Image via Wikipedia (Licensed under GNU Free Documentation)

Our most recent trip to Rochester, New York for Matt’s oncologist appointment was a greater challenge than we  had anticipated. Oddly enough, winter didn’t arrive in New York until that January morning—and it arrived in full force.

Brushing the snow off my Toyota Yaris as the heater started pumping warm air into the interior seemed successful—until I realized the windshield wipers were necessary to keep the snow from covering the windshield in short order! It was an interesting trip. An hour and a half trip turned into  two and a half hours. But we made it. Safe and sound. We considered the trip a success.

At the Wilmot Cancer Center, Matt had the doctor, the nurse practitioner, and the nurse all smiling at how well he looks, and at how well he is handling the new chemo treatment. (Yes, we all fit in that small appointment room!)  Of course, any time you can get an oncologist smiling instead of looking serious and sad, it gets me smiling as well! Reports that the blood work, though not ‘normal,’ looked great for a man with Matt’s diagnosis, and we were ready to call not just the trip, but also the doctor’s visit, a success.

Matt will continue on with the chemotherapy. His next CT scan is scheduled for March 6, with a follow-up appointment on the March 9. Thank you for your words of encouragement and your prayers.

Next Step…

Waiting is part of every aspect of life, including the medical realm. We waited for insurance approval to be granted. We waited for the specialized pharmacy to set up a delivery date (one which was set, then postponed over the holidays). And now we wait to see how Matt handles this new treatment.

Matt has been on this new treatment for five days now. It’s one tablet once a day. We’ve been thankful that thus far there are no noticeable side effects. Our presumption is that there may be an accumulative effect at some point, but not yet, and for that we are thankful!

This new chemotherapy treatment was approved in the spring of 2011 and targets a specific type of pancreatic cancer. One lab says Matt has that type; another says he has a different type. It’s not a cure, but a possibility at prolonging life. It has a high success rate slowing the progression of growth in tumors, and therefore, is worth trying. Matt has a follow-up appointment on January 13 to see how he is handling the treatment.

Though his energy level has declined, and he finds he must pace himself, Matt continues to preach and fulfill his pastoral responsibilities. He has a few ‘bad’ days here and there, but considering all, he is doing remarkably well. We have a lot to be thankful for.

He Gave up the Glory of Heaven

Via Wikipedia (GNU Free Documentation License)

He gave up the glory of heaven for a stable. What was He thinking?

How many of us would make that choice? Would we choose to leave a glorious mansion for a drafty barn or a cardboard box under an overpass?

Would we trade a pillow-topped mattress with a warm down comforter for a rough blanket and straw that was meant to be fed to the livestock?

Would we trade a room smelling of the finest Yankee candles for a stable where the excrement (really, I’m trying to be nice about this!) of the livestock would overwhelm our senses in a not-so-good manner?

Jesus did. He gave up the glory of heaven for a stable.

And it didn’t stop there.

He gave up the glory of heaven to live an impoverished life. What was He thinking?

How many of us would make that choice? Would we choose to leave a mansion with all the modern conveniences available to step back into time, back into the dark ages? Or would we have chosen to wait a few hundred years for the world to become not quite so primitive? Or maybe we would have rejected the idea as ludicrous and below our social standing.

Would we give up luxury for poverty?

Jesus did. He gave up the glory of heaven to live an impoverished life.

And it didn’t stop there.

He gave up the glory of heaven for rejection and death. What was He thinking?

He spent three years teaching His disciples and the people. In the end one of His disciples sold Him out and the world at large rejected Him.

They mocked Him. They beat Him. They hung Him on a cross to suffer unimaginable pain and death.

How many of us would make that choice? Would we knowingly invest our lives to reach a people whom we knew would reject us, betray us, and kill us in the most horrendous fashion known to mankind?

We probably wouldn’t. But JESUS did. HE gave up HIS life to make a way possible for mankind to be reconciled with HIS Heavenly Father, to make HIS Heavenly Father THEIR Heavenly Father.

He gave up the glory of heaven for a stable, for poverty, for rejection, and ultimately, for death. What was He thinking?

He was thinking of mankind. He was thinking of us. 

Now let’s reverse this. What about us? What are we thinking?  What are we willing to give up for Him?

Another Decision

Our visit to the oncologist yesterday was the added confirmation that the promising TheraSphere treatment would not work. The newest scans revealed the tumors continue to grow, not at an extremely rapid rate, but steadily.

The visit left us with another decision to make. A new chemotherapy treatment that targets a specific type of pancreatic cancer was approved this spring. It’s not a cure, but a possibility at prolonging life. Hmm… Prolonging sounds almost negative. Let’s say it could give us more precious days together!

There has always been some question as to the exact categorization of Matt’s pancreatic cancer. This treatment only targets one specific type—but that may be exactly what Matt needs. The only way to find out for sure is to try it.

We are going over the risks and side effects related to this treatment before we will make a decision. If this were a possibility of a cure, a temporary loss of quality of life would be acceptable. But it is not offered as a cure and we do value quality of life. Please pray for us as we will be making this decision over the next few days to a week.

What’s Our Purpose on Earth?

“If you think of this world as a place simply intended for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place for training and correction and it’s not so bad.”
― C.S. Lewis

I’ve always loved the writings of C.S. Lewis, so when I came upon this quote, I just knew I needed to share it. Our focus is so often misplaced. We become so focused on the here and now that our perspective fails to account for the eternal. We base our decisions on things that affect our daily lives, not considering the effect on our eternal soul.

As C.S. Lewis put it so aptly, if we think of this world as a place intended to bring us happiness, we will find it quite intolerable. The end-goal of our lives on earth is not self-satisfaction or pleasure. Our time on earth is the training ground for an eternity to come.  How’s our training coming along?

Escape to Skaneateles Suites!

Skaneateles Suites

At the last minute, I was looking for special place to escape to with my husband for a few days. Skaneateles Suites‘ last minute specials provided us with just what we wanted at an awesome price.

The staff is friendly and welcoming. They provide all the right touches to make it more than a room, but an experience. Soft music was already playing when we entered our spacious room. Towels shaped as swans and forming a heart adorned the large King size bed—which by the way was very comfy! The kitchenette was stocked with snacks and continental breakfast items. A large TV was housed in a cabinet with two leather armchairs ready to relax in. Our room even had a two person Jacuzzi!

Besides a great atmosphere, the rooms were  very clean and well-kept. Plus, did I not mention the great friendly staff? What else do you need?

Are you in need of an escape for a night or two? I would definitely recommend the Skaneateles Suites!

Visit the Skaneateles Suites website today!

Related articles

• Exploring Skaneateles Lake (rosierambleson.wordpress.com)
• Skaneateles, NY