and pours and pours ...

I keep looking for that GOOD news!

Since my last post:

• Dean had a second, massive stroke the same night the doctors had sent him home from the hospital. At this point, he is still in Neurological Critical Care Unit (NCCU).
• My friend's brother took a major dip and we did not expect him to make it through the day last Saturday. He was moved to the Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU) around 1am & I met his sister and parents at the hospital at 1:30am. He has finally started improving. However, we all know getting past the meningitis is just one step. He is HIV+ and his condition is not good. We know he does not have much longer.
• I learned that my cousin's father-in-law passed away in early April. He was 91 and that had been expected for some time.
• I just learned that one of my mother's favorite cousins passed away this week. She was 89. This too, was not unexpected.

I would much rather be looking for and purchasing birthday cards or other fun things instead of sympathy cards, floral arrangements for those who are ill or who have passed away, and donating money to a trust fund for college for the children left behind by the 47-year-old father who died earlier this month.

May 2008 has not been a good month. I will be glad to see it come to a close.

when it rains, it pours

I don't know why it has been this way, but here's some of what has been happening in the last two weeks ...

I already wrote about the sadness of Mark's death.

In the midst of that, the brother of a close friend was also hospitalized. They ended up determining the current problem is an unusual strand of meningitis. He had started responding to that, only to have a rather major seizure and setback. Sadly, this is just "one more thing" on top of many and without a miracle he likely does not have much longer here on this earth. He is in his mid- to late-30s.

While I was dealing with those, a close friend of mine in Florida got pulled into a very sad situation. An older man (the father-in-law of one of her sister-in-laws - did you follow that?) passed away at home. With no signed DNR order, the EMTs are required to try to revive - even though he had been dead for some period of time when they got there. They wisk him off to ER, working on him all the way. In ER the doctors continue working on him. After 52 minutes (plus however long before they arrived), they managed to bring him back. Only so he could then die a second, slow, very unpleasant death that his loved ones had to watch him struggle through. SOMEONE needs to take on the job of lobbying to get that law that requires that the medical responders do that repealed - or amended to allow the loved ones around to have some say in how their deceased loved one is treated!

Back in Kansas, on Monday one of my work colleagues emailed us that he had a bad bronchial issue and was staying home. He stayed out Tuesday as well. Tuesday afternoon, his wife called our boss to let him know that Dean had been hospitalized. He had been having TIAs. Later that day, he had a full stroke. FORTUNATELY (and he & his wife give the glory to God), he has virtually no residual damage. But he does have one completely blocked artery in the left side of his neck.

Then Tuesday evening I learned that another friend had lost her mother that day. She was 85, a strong believer, and ready to go "home." Nonetheless, as a loving mother of seven and grandmother, she has left a void that is being felt.

I'm ready to start getting some GOOD news from someone ...
So if you have some, let me know!

a better start

It was a good day today ...

It started by getting some much needed rest yesterday. Imagine that, some rest on our "day of rest." What a novel concept!

Because of that, I was actually up and at work by 7:00am. That hasn't happened in a LONG time. (There have been some mornings I was there at 6:15 to "work the parking lots" to get signatures for the union decertification, but that's a different issue!)

So, the next statement should be that I left work on time. Unfortunately, no. I worked through lunch due to back to back meetings and still did not leave until 6:00pm. Remember, I work 10 hr days, so that's really only 1 hr late. But, add to that the fact that I worked 3.5 hours on Friday (my day off), and I may be ending my "no overtime" streak this week -- unless I can find a day to flex out some time. But with all I have to do & the meeting schedule, I doubt it.

But, the concrete guy finally came to remove the framing around my sidewalk. He's supposed to bring some sod tomorrow -- since he waited so long that the sod they dug out has died. But, at least the side walk is finished. (Actually, he called to tell me he hadn't received a check from me. I assured him that was accurate, since he had not completed the job. He decided he could make it by today. :-) )

The window repair guy came today to complete a repair the former owner paid them to do, but they had to wait until the weather warmed to do it. Finally "switched" the winter & summer clothes in my closet this weekend. Until week before last, I was still wearing wool blazers!

I got a letter from the IRS. They have finally decided to pay me some money they owe me from 2003. LONG story. I'm not sure how long it will take to finally get the check, but at least they have decided they really do owe it to me.

And, finally, the realtor let me know that of the five people/couples that come to the open house at my Stoneborough Court house yesterday, three seemed interested. One has been before, but wants me to drop the price unreasonably low. Hopefully, one of the other two couples will be seriously interested. It's been on the market 4 months tomorrow. That may not sound long for some markets, but the economy & housing market are strong in the midwest, and, particularly, here. A month or so ago, Wichita was listed as the #1 market in the nation. So ... 4 months is a long time here!

it was a very sad week

This past week was a very long and sad one.

The 47-year-old husband of a friend of mine passed away on Wednesday afternoon. He had suffered the rupture of two anuerisms on Saturday, May 3 (his oldest daughter's 11th birthday). After struggling for life for over 10 days, he was finally starting to gain ground on Tuesday. Then, in the night that night his wife was at his side when his blood pressure suddenly, unexplainably, dropped to 20/20. She was there as they tried to revive him. She was there when his eyes went blank and, in her words, she knew she had lost him. Shortly thereafter (after tests to confirm), he was pronouncec brain dead. It took a few more hours for his strong, otherwise very healthy body to shut itself down.

Even as I type this, my heart aches for his widow and her two daughters, ages 8 and (just turned) 11. Watching the girls at the rosary and funeral, I know that reality has not fully set in with them. Each did, however, write a short rememberance (eulogy) for their dad that was read by someone else at the funeral. Since he was so involved in parenting and taking care of all three of "his girls," their lives have all just changed drastically.

I weep for their loss.

I weep because as much as we pray for healing for people before they die, we do pray for their resurrection when they die prematurely. In this case, I did, but only within the limits that were afforded me to do so. There was no faith or belief system within which to work with the widow or other family members toward that end. To his widow, her husband was gone when the life left his eyes and he was pronounced brain dead. In her realm of reality, she had to face that awful fact and move on.

Not until we begin talking about and teaching that Matthew 10:7-8 really means what it says will we begin to see this happen on a regular basis.

"And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give." (emphasis added)

Unfortunately, while most who profess to be Christians do believe (to at least some extent) in praying for the sick, many still do not believe in casing out demons. The same will remain true with raising the dead. But, we have to start teaching about it. Otherwise, we will continue to lose too many people prematurely.

Lest you think I am totally "strange," know that there are people already doing this today. There are many stories - even stories here in the U.S. - of this happening. However, it is still only the "radical few" who will dare to pray these prayers -- or even make opportunity for them to be prayed. The only way to change that is to begin to inform and teach the Body of Christ that this is not only possible, it is a command given to us by Jesus, Himself.

union busting - part 2

On Friday (5/9/08), I traveled to Overland Park, KS (Kansas City Metro area), to file the petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for an election on whether or not to allow SPEEA to continue representing the Wichita Technical & Professional Unit (WTPU). We had more than the 30% required signatures and more people signed on Friday. Those signatures will be faxed to the NLRB on Monday. We have until close of business Monday to get them in.

The last couple of weeks have definitely been "interesting." :-)

For someone who HATES politics, I have certainly found myself in the midst of it. I can't say I like it. But, if we are not willing to stand up for what we believe, who is it that we believe should?

The past month has DEFINITELY confirmed my conviction that I DO NOT want SPEEA representing me on ANYTHING. The distortion of facts, twisting of truths, and out and out lies they have published (via websites & in emails to members or all represented) testifies of their lack of integrity. Their attempts at intimidation and threats is not only very UNprofessional, it is down right sad.

Both the company (Spirit AeroSystems) and SPEEA should be officially notified by Monday (if they were not on Friday) of the call for an election. A date will be established sometime with the next 50 days.

In the meantime, we have our work cut out for us. With 2400+ employees represented, each "election" has been decided by only a few votes difference. We need to shift the tipping point to the "no" side this time.

We've had 7 years of forced representation that has not provided any identifiable benefit to the masses -- and in fact provided less for us than to our non-represented counterparts (of which I was gratefully one until early this year). There are individual cases where they went to bat for someone and helped in a situation. However, the benefit to those few has come at the expense of all of the rest of us. Enough is enough.

starting to settle in

I am starting to "settle in" to my new home.

I still have unpacking to do. The most visible of that is that I have not yet unpacked the "good" dishes that go in the china hutch. That is partly because I was hoping to buy a new dining room suit (table, chairs & hutch) soon and was postponing this to not have to pull them all out again to get rid of the old hutch -- and them put them all back up in the new one. However, I have not found anything yet that I want to purchase. In addition, I had told myself I would not purchase anything that major until after the other house sold, and it has not yet. So, I will likely go ahead and unpack them. (Maybe that will be the catalyst for the house to sell!)

Once the dishes are put away, then it will be time to focus on all the boxes and piles in the various storage areas. THAT could take a while. But, for the first time I can ever recall, I have space enough to get things organized. Having said that, I now have no real excuse if I do not do so! But those who know me best, know I much prefer things that way.

The curved sidewalk from my driveway to the walkway that runs for the street to my front door is to be repoured next week. I then need to landscape between it and "the wall." I think I will probably put in a crepe myrtle (here they only grow to be a large shrub, not a full-sized tree as they do further south) in the larger "loop" and a smaller shrub, maybe a peony, in the smaller one. I am not sure what else I will put in. Knowing me, a mixture of different types of bulbs. Further relandscaping of the yard (inside courtyard) will likely wait until next year. I am determined to finish the unpacking & straightening this spring & summer. Plus some painting of furniture and other "fix up" projects in the house.

But this house has definitely become "home" and it is fun to have people over. I went to dinner tonight with some friends who had helped me move. They came over afterwards to see what it looked like decorated in something other than "classical boxes." Her mom had dinner with us, so she came by as well. It is always interesting to see the reaction when someone comes for the first time and they start walking through it, because it is so much bigger than it looks from the outside.

I have had conversations with a couple of different folks this past week who know how I grew up and how I lived until I came here. The line from the old commercial that said "You've come a long way, baby!" could not be more true. God has blessed "the work of my hands" and prospered me. I am very grateful and appreciative of all that He has done in my life -- in every area of my life. He is a Wonderful, Loving, Faithful God!