November, Thanksgiving

November is the month that we set aside to remember to be Thankful for all that God has blessed us with. I believe to be “thankful” is to be content and filled with joy. Isn’t it strange that we have to have a day for some to remember that we are so blessed and to remember to pray for those who are not?

Often times our thankful attitude can be directly connected to our happiness. If we are happy we are thankful, if not happy, well then other things could be better and our selfish desires deplete our gratitude.

I read a story not long ago about a man who had an accident in his middle years and was left blind. For years his loving wife had stood by his side and while not taking away his independence she waited on her love hand and foot. The day came when his wife passed away leaving him with the need to enter a “retirement” home. He arrived early on the day of his admission and had to wait for his room to be prepared. As the attendant walked him down the hallway a complete description of the room was given to him. “Oh, I love it, I am so happy with everything” he responded to the description. The attendant somewhat confused with this “other-than-normal” attitude questioned his excitement; “but you haven’t made it to the room to see it and you already like it, how can you be so happy?” His simple answer was, “because I chose to be happy, happiness is a choice, I chose to be happy.”

Every day we should remember to be thankful, happy and content with what God has given us. What is our “choice”?

What an Experience!

Question, what do you have when you have minor flu like symptoms, headache, agitation, nervousness to the point when you lie down and get still you have to kick and jerk and roll up in a ball, minor shakes, the sweats and insomnia (about an hour or so sleep a night) for 5 days?

Hydrocodone detoxification...it could last from 6 - 8 days and in some cases two weeks! As I write this I am sure hoping mine is only 6 days.

For the last several years I have experienced a very rapidly deteriorating left hip. Injury related arthritis set in nine or so years after an accident broke the femur head off the femur and fractured that big thigh bone. The arthritic spurs had completely destroyed the cushion that normally allows the ball to rotate in the socket with no pain. My main orthopedic in Virginia wanted me to wait until I was sixty before replacing the hip and at that time I was only fifty. I was put on a therapy of hydrocodone and diclofonac (NSAID). As the disease progressed it took more and more of these drugs for me to walk with manageable pain.

When we moved to Texas and I found a orthopedic I had been on the hydrocodone (the narcotic) for almost two years.

This gives a brand new appreciation for people who are coming off harder stuff. I feel fortunate that in the first place the hydrocodone is not the higher classed narcotic and secondly that my doctor saw the sense in replacing the hip.

After four weeks now with my new hip I am in very little pain; no pain in the hip and manageable pain where the muscles were cut and tendons reattached. I am looking forward to once again picking up my golf clubs which I laid down after the accident due to my inability to twist.

Now if I can just deal with the frustration of missing the six foot putt!