Corgi Doings

The week of rest came to an end this morning for Ed with a spinal tap, bright and early. It went well.

As he came out of the anesthesia he said, "Ugh, Thinal spat---I am lucid."

Always a laugh or two for the rest of us in the room! The anesthesiologist was a kind and proficient doctor, very careful to explain what he was doing, and why he was doing it.

Ed recovered quickly, able to wake up enough to say hello to the chaplain, who visited briefly, and get home before his grandparents left for Iowa (they spent a few days here.)

His ammonia levels were down to 22 today, so that was great. They should be low by now. Ed's hair is coming back, a light fuzz over his scalp. He loves to wear a black crocheted hat.

Yesterday the Hematology/Oncology department put on a sponsored day at the Mall of the America---rides and a pasta buffet meal. There were tables set up with representatives from the different "Wish" organizations. HEMONC patients all fit in that wish-making category, so we will see what comes of that for Ed. It's things like this that really do boost morale in the drudgery of cancer treatment. We certainly are grateful for the kindnesses of strangers, as we are for the sweet kindnesses of our own friends and family.

We are so thankful for you all.

On Saturday we were able to go to the Minnesota Public Radio station headquarters and listen to a "lecture" from Michael Barone about the Pipedreams Organ Tour 2014 to Switzerland, and other pertinent musical/organ topics. It was very enjoyable and informative.

It's organ season again, and we are looking forward to several free concerts that are upcoming. Join us!
Sundays at 4:00 ---the usual time for a concert throughout the Twin Cities. We like to take advantage of the wonderful performances as often as we can. For more information check out pipedreams.org.

I finished a baby blanket, crochet, the other night, so I feel a sense of SOME accomplishment. Lately I have been in "existence mode." I tend to get few things done in this mode. I exist, and that's about it. I got to spend time with an old friend having lunch yesterday too. Fun times, and so special.

Of course I look back and see everything that has been happening and I can see that it's far more than mere existence, but it's just so melded together that one thing seems fused with another thing, time-wise, and I just float through it all. There isn't much time to reflect.

We have ten days before we go back to the clinic. This unplanned break in treatment is due to the ammonia reaction from last week. I am so happy to say that we are thankful for it, even if it expands the overall treatment time.

Ten days of homeschooling, perhaps the YMCA, project inventory, cleaning, and PAINTING????

Perhaps I can just get caught up some.

We'll see. I'll be writing when I can.

Alan Horvath, Feb. 3, 2015

Alan's Real News | February 3, 2015: http://youtu.be/dwfl3lG8010

JD Farag, Feb. 1, 2015

Mid-East Prophecy Update – February 1st, 2015: http://youtu.be/rf6rEG576CA

Signs of the Times

I posted a couple of links to YouTube videos that cover things happening in the world.

I need not repeat what's covered there, but I had this thought about how things are turning out in the world. I always appreciate JD Farag, an Arab pastor from Hawaii, who gives his "prophecy summary" each week. His concise report is worth watching every week. Don't miss it! Alan Horvath does his clever news show every Tuesday, and I like his angle too. His studies on the "Otiot" are fascinating. I'd always wondered about the term "Daystar," or "Morning Star," and how it is confusing in the Word, either referring to the devil or Christ. (Context, context, context!) He cleared that up---check it out. You will be interested!

You probably can't miss the Katy Perry buzz about the "woman riding the beast" imagery, plus the Illuminati links since the Super Bowl. It's so obvious.

As we watch the times of the end unfold I want to encourage. We will be called "haters" by demonic internet trolls, we will be marginalized, we will be ignored. Yet we have the Truth, and we know that this Truth comes from a Holy Book, not our own rationalizations. We stand on firm ground.

"OneVision" is a new unity movement designed to bring all religions together. I read about it in a couple of places this week. It is involved in funding a campaign against Netanyahu in Israeli elections. It's involved in many countries around the world, reeking of the New World Order, and it plays into the idea that world peace CAN be achieved.

It can't.

We believers know that God has a master plan. We watch and wait for His prophecy to be fulfilled, and we are responsible for LOVING, SERVING, and PREACHING THE GOSPEL to the world until that day He calls us home. This is our mission, task, path, belief, "religion"---if you will. It's fundamental.

So, courage! We have the end in sight, and the fruitless liberal chatter of anything opposing the truth from Scripture will fade. Only the Truths of the Word will come into sharp focus, as they play out before our eyes.

It's happening now.

So take heart, dear ones. It's going to look bad, as the devil seizes power in this fading world. You know, though, that God wins.

Stay in the Word. Pray. Remember the words Jesus spoke, "Do for others as you would have them do for you." Watch. He is coming like a thief, but YOU are watching for Him. You will be ready with oil in your lamp, (the Holy Spirit), just like an Israeli bride of the first century---watching and waiting, ready for that wonderful day of meeting our Lord and Savior, Yahshua. 

Google Images

In a moment, in a twinkling. In a "Planck."

Watch. BE READY!

Bit of a Book Review, Bit of Catching Up

So many things to write about, many things to tell.

I read a book last night that I got a week ago, "My Boy, Ben" by David Wheaton. It's about the life and death of his yellow lab, Ben. I admit I cried. I can't help it but mourn the loss of a beloved pet, as I've done it so many times myself:

Lady, Sheik, Smoky, Rusty, Peppy, Pierre, Tom Bombadil, Taffy, Theodore, Kitty, Kedi, Blue, Padder, and Lacey.

Taffy and Blue belonged to other families, but I loved them and they loved me when I wasn't able to have a pet of my own. I mourned their deaths as if they'd been my own.

This string of pets, horses---dogs---cats, had an impact on my whole life. I had a cow for awhile too, Geraldine.

Wheaton's book resonated with me. I know how a particular dog can become incredibly integral to life. He wrote about Ben, a yellow lab that became his companion during a transitional time in his life. He captured the impact and comfort that a dog can contribute to anyone willing to share time and love.

I believe that God makes all things new, and that his covenant with Noah included animals. Animals are part of the crowning touch of his mind boggling creation. If you take the Universe and go incremental steps outward---toward the edge of it---and then you go the other way, toward our micro world, mankind and animals share almost the same central location in the scale of size from string theory to galaxy.

Animals are important, and I loved how Wheaton highlighted the responsibility we have to care for them.

The beasts of the field are MINE, says the Lord, ---but we are to nurture the domestic creatures. Isn't the LORD specific?

Dogs are one of God's special creatures. So perfect for us, teaching us kindness, compassion, patience, devotion, loyalty, and unwavering love.

You know I love our corgi, Misty and our lab, Blackberry. They have enriched our lives more than I can say. We couldn't stand it without Kiwi and Predicate, the felines, either. These four are our current menagerie. But there always seems to be special things about particular pets that set them apart.

For David Wheaton, Ben was a dog of a lifetime. The book is a touching memoir of how Ben loved and helped Wheaton understand deeper meanings in life, like grace and unconditional love. He also worked through some theological questions regarding animals and the role they play in our lives.

For me, our part-wolf-part-lab mutt, Lacey, was the dog that had the most impact. She was a sweet and intelligent lady. She had a sense of place, and she rarely disappointed. Her keen sense of being able to understand children was priceless to me. She kept the babies from falling down the stairs, gently allowed them to pull her fur and hug her neck. Faithful dog, she will never be forgotten. Everyone loved her. If someone met her on a walk or at a campground she merited a compliment or two every time.

She was lovely, and I'd love to meet her again. She passed away too soon, at seven years, from bone cancer. How I grieved. I can't believe she's been gone 10 years. I still cling to her memory. I think David Wheaton would understand my grief, as he described it in his own experience losing Ben.

If you've ever loved a pet, you will want to read "My Boy, Ben." If you haven't loved an animal, you should still read it. It will give you an understanding of how animals should be cherished, and why some people love them so much. Surely you know someone who loves animals! Why, you know ME!

I want to mention how much comfort our pets have been to us during this difficult time with Ed's leukemia. Waiting for us to get home, snuggling with us, lending us a warm scruff to bury sorrows in---these four animals we have now are worth their weight in gold.

Yes, they require care and oversight. I have to think about who will be letting them out while we're at the hospital. They are worth the fuss, though, and I am grateful we can have them. I know Ed has benefited from their presence many ways.

Animals are WORTH IT!

Ed's ammonia levels are back to normal. It's hard to believe he was in the ICU last week! We had the test today. There will be a recovery time this week, and next week will open with a spinal tap, bright and early on Monday morning.

Twelve hours at a time. Each day is a little closer to the end of this ordeal. I'm learning to see the joy in each day, look for Christ's return, and fix my eyes on the Person of Jesus, provider, lover of our souls.

And I'm thankful we have pets to enliven and enrich our way.

Corgis in the News

http://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/555464/The-end-of-the-line-draws-near-for-the-Queen-s-corgis

New World Order

http://www.nowtheendbegins.com/blog/?p=30382