Category Archive:Alaska

So, I saw the internist yesterday – first available appointment after all the heart hoo-ha. After I filled out (what seemed like) reams of paperwork to get me admitted into the inner sanctum – past all the many office workers – I sat in the examining room for quite awhile before he was able to come to see me.

I thumbed through several (very) old magazines – what IS it with doctors’ offices anyway? I mean, there were magazines from 2001!!! ANYway . . .

He came in, I put the National Geographic down and he told me to keep reading because he wanted to go through my chart to read the reports on all the tests. So I sat quietly while he read.

“Hmmm” he said. “Huh!” and then “Hmmmmm” again several more times. I finally started laughing and said “you’re reading the cath report aren’t you?” And he said that he was.

Finally he closed the file – opened it one more time to re-read a section, closed it and looked at me and smiled.

“Well! We know you HAD a heart attack, but we don’t know why!”

You see I really AM an enigma after all. The tests have all come back as good as they can – and that leaves the docs all scratching their heads and calling me “lucky.”

My friends, luck had absolutely NOTHING to do with any of this. I’m a child of the King and blessed beyond all blessings to be able to tell you so. It is only by His grace and by His mercy that I have come through both kidney cancer and a heart attack in such fine fettle. All I can do is praise Him and thank Him and try to serve Him better.

Hope you’re all having a good week. Our temps have come up a bit – it is clear up to 18 degrees ABOVE zero this morning! Whoot! That is a welcome change from the below zero stuff of the past two weeks. It’s something like a 40 degree shift in temps! Gotta love living in Alaska.

Because she asked so nicely (well, she told me to, anyway) here you go – a meme for Batty.

The 123 Rules:
1) Pick up the book nearest you with at least 123 pages. (No cheating!)
2) Turn to page 123.
3) Count the first five sentences.
4) Post the next three sentences.
5) Tag five other bloggers.

I don’t trust newspapers, don’t like them, usually wouldn’t be caught dead reading them; but this was different.

This time I was outside the official circle of information, and I needed a starting point. I was going to do something about Ginger Watkins’ death, jurisdictions be da***d.

From J.A. Jance’s Injustice for All

Yes, I have deeper books, but this was the closest to me if you don’t count Cruden’s Complete Concordance – which doesn’t have complete sentences. It is right next to me, but doesn’t count for this meme.

As for tagging someone . . . nahhhhhhhhh – y’all play amongst yourselves nicely and if you choose to do it, let me know. 😉

Off to work now – off to face the frigid winter air – it IS warmer today, however – clear up to minus 7 degrees!!!! It is virtually BALMY out there – compared to the minus 20s we had earlier this week – and DEFINITELY compared to the minus 70 degree temps they are having in the Interior region of the state.

brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

I have been placed in a position of authority until April 1st because my boss is on a 3 month sabbatical. (it’s well deserved and earned, I must say. We are all so glad she is getting this chance)

This, of course, is in addition to doing my own job and so there is sometimes a bit of stress. Add to that the time I have missed due to my little surgery escaped, and I am understanding more than before how much my boss needs this time away from all of us.
😉

But, I am learning the power of – and the need for – delegation of duties. In the past couple of weeks it has become quite clear to me that I simply cannot (nor should I) do it all. So, I have tried to assign (sounds so stiff, but can’t think of another way to say it) things to other – very well qualified – staff members.

One day I even caught myself sounding just like my boss – and I stopped mid-sentence, looked at the person I was talking to, and said “Wow! I sounded just like an Executive Director there for a minute, didn’t I?” and we both laughed.

But it was one of those “AHA!” moments for me.

You can ask my kids – I don’t always have a great deal of self assuredness. My boss even told me one time that even though I go kicking and screaming into something new she can count on me to come through in the end. That is so good to hear – but it is also so hard for me to believe.

Slowly, I’m starting to believe that I can do this!!!

Gonna have to think of a way to thank my boss on her return – of course, handing the agency back to her in good shape is one way, huh?

But – maybe chocolates, too. 😉