Personal Rambling + Cal Thomas

Getting Personal . . . Please Forgive My Rambling

Tomorrow, WED 3/21, I report to Faith Regional Health Services in Norfolk for an angioplasty & stent procedure. The need for this procedure dates back to tests I had as part of the Mayo Clinic Executive Health Program back in JAN. The main artery to my heart was found to be 80% blocked.

Everything that I've been told & read tells me that this is a relatively routine procedure. I watched 2 videos on YouTube on SUN 3/18. One included a live procedure which may not have been for the faint-hearted. I found it very interesting. But I digress.

Even though everything points to a routine procedure, this whole affair has served to make me more aware of my mortality. Unhealthy eating habits & a lack of physical exercise have played a part in my situation. As Christians, we are called upon to be good stewards of all that the Lord entrusts to us. That includes good stewardship of our bodies, for which I have been sadly neglectful.

Compounding my heart issue has been a series of lung issues which also began in JAN. First there was Influenza A. Next came pneumonia, followed by the diagnosis of a staph infection. Since the end of JAN I've been on antibiotics and/or sulfa medications to treat the lung infection. Symptoms of fatigue, breathlessness, & some dizziness could be attributed to both the lung & heart issues, along with the medications in play.

Yesterday (3/19) I received a phone call from the pulmonologist. My latest test last week came back negative for a staph infection. Good news! Since I'm still coughing, just not as bad, I'll continue my breathing treatments & using my inhaler at least until my CT scan & breathing tests on Good FRI.

A complicating factor in all this has been my diabetes type 2. Several years ago my doctor found that my kidney functions were not as healthy as they should be--the result of the diabetes & long-term medication. Ordinarily an angioplasty/stent procedure could be done as an outpatient procedure, but I was told that I would probably have to stay in the hospital overnight so that my kidney functions could be monitored.

The excess strain on my kidneys also requires a better lifestyle in terms of both diet & exercise.

I'm not going into tomorrow's procedure with thoughts of gloom & despair. I have many regrets about the lifestyle choices I've made, but those choices have been made over many years. I am counting on is the "shock" value of the need for this procedure . . . that it will help me come to grips with the need to improve my eating & exercise habits.

You would think that the impending procedure would have already made a difference in my daily menus. You would think . . . but I have had issues in avoiding carbs & sticking to fish & other lean meats. I had already gotten out of the habit of regular walking following a nasty fall that I took while hiking in the Superior National Forest in MN last June. So, I'm leery of my ability to make necessary changes in my lifestyle.

Why is good health important to me? I mentioned the aspect of good stewardship, which includes our body & mind, & which also carries with it the realization that everything we've been given belongs to the Lord. A healthy lifestyle won't buy me any brownie points with the Lord, but it would be a testimony of greater obedience to Him.

Better health improves my opportunities for quality time with my long-suffering wife, my children & grandchildren. This should motivate me, too.

So we'll see what tomorrow brings. My prayer is for a successful procedure & for the Lord's help in committing myself to a heart-healthy lifestyle.

Wit & Wisdom of Cal Thomas

This may become a regular feature of my blog. Cal Thomas is one of my 2 favorite pundits, the other being Jonah Goldberg. There are several reasons why I like reading their columns whether on-line or in the newspaper.

1. They are conservative re:  both political & social issues.
2. Their commentary is very well-reasoned & not overwrought w/jingoism & emotion.
3. They are not afraid to criticize individuals & groups associated w/a conservative agenda.
4. Cal Thomas in particular is not adverse to introducing religion into his columns.
5. Many years ago a an evangelical conference in Honolulu I got to hear Cal Thomas speak & even shake his hand. *

* Many more years ago I met Red Auerbach, the legendary coach of the Boston Celtics, at a coaching clinic in Chicago. I got to shake his hand, too. But I digress.

From Norfolk Daily News column (10/19):  "Dangers of an ignorant nation. At a recent National Archives ceremony in Washington, D.C., 39 immigrants became naturalized U.S. citizens . . . One of the new citizens . . . told the Washington Post:  'We can & should respect, celebrate & embrace our new culture, but you shouldn't tell us to assimilate.' This attitude may be one factor contributing to an increasingly divided America. The other is equally disturbing.

"A recent poll conducted by the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center discovered that Americans are ignorant about the Constitution & the rights it protects . . . Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, responded to the poll: 'Protecting the rights guaranteed by the Constitution presupposes that we know what they are. The fact that many don't is worrisome.'

"One can't have a country if citizens are ignorant of its origins & purpose. When I was in public school, civics was a required subject. That it is rarely taught today likely explains the disturbing Annenberg poll results. Adds Jamieson: 'These results emphasize the need for high-quality civics education in the schools & for press reporting that underscores the existence of constitutional principles.'

"Good luck with that. In an era emphasizing diversity & multiculturalism & the fear that anyone teaching the superiority of the Constitution might be named a xenophobe, or bigot, even the Pledge of Allegiance is being challenged in some schools in an effort not to offend immigrants."

COMMENTS:  In the early years of Lutheran High Northeast, there were strong suggestions that we place an American flag in every classroom & have students recite the Pledge. Flags were placed in every classroom but so was the Christian cross flag. Students recited the pledge but also recited the Pledge to the Christian Cross.