Personal Relationship

I have thought about this subject a long time. I haven't done anything about it other that to think it through.

We have three children and only one of them has a personal relationship with us.

What does that mean? It means that she calls when she needs something, whether it is an actual something or just to vent. It means that she says she loves us whenever we talk, whether it is long or short. It means she counts on us to do what we say we will do.

The other two children, adults, now, will talk to us if we contact them and there is no personal relationship. They do not tell us about their day. If we ask they will share mundane, vague references about family and jobs and what they are doing.

We have seven grandchildren. We have a personal relationship with one. She is not an adult, yet, but still she will call and tell us she is eating our favorite Toaster Strudel flavor and giggle, because she is eating it and wecan't, because she is two hours away. She may save us one, or not, but she thinks it is funny to call and say she is eating it. It is.

If we contact our other grandchildren they will talk to us. But never call. We don't have a hateful relationship with any of these people. We just don't have a personal relationship with them.

This all comes back to my original thoughts on personal relationships with God. As a Lutheran, we don't really talk much about a personal relationship with God. Our relationship starts with baptism, which we do at birth or shortly after, and, yes, we baptise adults, and is put on a " personal" level at confirmation, when we re-afirm our vows made for us at baptism. Usually, after that you may see us in church once a month. That is personal enough for a lot of people. We show up at Christmas( His birthday) and Easter ( His feeling better day), just as our children show up for our birthdays and anniversaries. So, maybe I was a little optimistic on the once a month.

If God talks to us we accept the call and give him mundane answers to questions and say we love him and hang up.

Then something terrible happens and we shoot him a 911 call, and he answers. We say " thank you" and go on about our business.

Those of us who come to a personal relationship with God talk to him all the time. Whether you want to call that prayer or conversation, I leave to you. Personal relationship with God doesn't depend on how you got there: whether by baby baptism, confirmation, or adult belief after trying all the sins to the hilt. It depends on YOU talking to HIM and sharing all your cares, joys and sorrows. He is there for you whether it is a personal relationship or a passing one. Just cast all your cares on him.

Remember that personal relationships are, well, personal. You do not need to shout from the roof tops, just smile, giggle and cry with Him in your heart, home and soul.

5 Ways Going to New Doctor is Like a Blind Date

      1. Anxiety
          Will he like me? Will I act like a total nerd? Does it matter? He's my DOCTOR. I will not be having a meal with him, or introducing him to my family, probably. So why this anxiety?  Meeting new people.

     2. What will he be like?
         Tall, short, ugly, likable?
         The tall or short or even ugly, really doesn't matter, much. You really do want him to be personable, and maybe even funny.

     3. Will he like me?
         Really? Mostly I just don't him to run screaming out of the door, saying," Get me away from her!". It is nice if your doctor doesn't hate you.

      4. Will he be on time?
         I hate when I have to meet someone and we set the time and I am left hanging for a half hour wondering if they remembered we had made the appointment or if they are lying in a ditch somewhere bleeding.

       5. Will I like him?
          This is really important to me. It is at number 5 because it is the one I think of last and most.
I need to at least tolerate him, since he holds my health in his hands.

       Any of these can be a negative at the first meeting, but you only one try to make a great first impression.

      May I just say, my new doctor made a great first impression.

      He told me he would be around until at least Friday.
    

Writing

     I have for years considered myself a writer, becaue I am. I have only been published in a library newsletter and, of course here. The reason I have said "only" is because I have not been paid for it. Well, if you include comments and compliments, I have been paid plenty.

     I struggle with the idea of being a writer, because I truly, do not have a passion to tell a story. Perhaps one day I will have a fiction story to tell and feel passionate enough to do it.

     I do like to write and when I don't get to I get a bit grumpy to say the least. The whole world looks black to me. It may take a week or two of deprivation for the real grumps to set in, but set in, they do.

    Sounds as though, through all my protests I am a writer.

   Thanks for listening.

Doctors: Part II

    Well, I have made an appointment with another doctor. We shall see how this turns out. After I had made the appointment , I discovered that he was DO rather than an MD, but since he is in a clinic that is affiliated with the hospital where my surgery was done, figured it would be okay. And he is in network of my insurance.

    When I told my daughter that he was a doctor of osteopathy she had no idea what that meant. I tried to explain, but discovered that I'm not sure what that is. At one point, they were considered to be alternative medicine. More along the holistic side. Since I seem to be sending md's running for the hills, perhaps I can keep this doctor, providing that my insurance doesn't change much next year.

    Ah, keeping healthy should not be this hard.

   Until next time.

Doctors

     I returned from vacation to find in my mail a notice that my primary care doctor has moved on to greener pastures. Now, I am aware, that probably I had nothing to do with this, but, this is the third doctor to leave me in a year.

     Last year when I got back from vacation, I had a notice that my pc had left for another position in the same hospital.

    Found a new one.

    Then it was time to get my after-surgery check up. Yep. He left for a job in Pennsylvania.

    Maybe doctors don't like me.

    Have found another doctor. We will see.