We were stationed in Japan for 13 and a half years. Many people who were stationed there became recluses in their own homes, barely venturing out at all. Well, this was not the case with us. We found Japanese friends (we were teaching them English) who brought us into their culture. In this picture, we are dressed up in traditional Nebuta Festival costumes. Our hosts took us into Amorii City, the capital of Aomorii Prefecture for the Festival. This picture was in August, 1984, when we had been there for just over one year.

The festival was crowded beyond belief, tighter than elbow-to-elbow. The Japanese are an up-tight society, until they get drunk, then it's Katie-bar-the-door! Wild groups dancing, to flutes and massive drums. The Japanese night was thick with smoke from fireworks, thicker with groups following the floats down the avenues, and even thicker with the smell of Kerii beer and Suntory whiskey. When the festival began, the Japanese participants would seek out foreigners (Gai-jiin's) to draw into the activities, they were very friendly and open to our presence there.

As you can see in the picture, Dennis was not too pleased to be there. Joy never did know a stranger, and the Japanese ladies loved her. Mintha had blond hair, peach fuzz really, and the Mamma-san's would take her from our arms and parade her about from store to store, and shop to shop, lady to lady, until we hardly knew where she was or who had her last. These same ladies were aghast when they saw us putting diluted Coca-Cola into her bottle (she was not quite two years old)!

Ah, taste and see that the Lord is Good (can you find the Scripture reference for that saying?).

I am having some level of apprehension about posting to a blog. I feel a little like Adam with his fig leaf: if one is not careful, one says too much and something that should not "be out there," is, suddenly, out there. Feelings can be hurt, friendships hurt and relationships damaged as trust can be lost and the joy of openness is gone. Oh, and just by-the-way, one can spend a great deal of time with these things! Isn't this just a bit Narcissistic?

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil; I always thought this was a Western expression, but I found out otherwise when we were living in Japan. High in the mountains of central Japan there is a city devoted to Buddhist and Shinto temples and shrines, on one of these is the original carving of the three "evil" monkeys. We visited there on a side trip during one of our many trips to Tokyo. This little side trip took all day! Oh, by-the-way, these three monkeys are our (adult) children.

I also suppose that a preacher should "ruminate" about something spiritual, so here it is. Last night I spent about 5 hours in the hospital (75 minutes each way) with one of our members who had a "mini-stroke;" I suppose that "mini" is a relative term. He is better, but stayed the night in the hospital.

In the next bed was a man who had thought that he had a badly upset stomach; what he really had was a severe aneurysm. What a difference: one man had wife, son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and pastor with him through it all, and the other had no one, he was alone. Alone, that is, until his son called on the phone, and I wheeled his bed close enough for the telephone cord to reach him. Alone until I asked if there was anything I could do for him. Alone until I prayed with him, and left my business card in his bag of personal things, and said good night.

Mt 25:40 - "The King will answer and say to them, `Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.'
Mt 25:45 - "Then He will answer them, `Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.'

http://www.studylight.org/

Ariel because it's easy to read, large font for the same reason!

Just what you wanted to know about! How to have a colonoscopy!

First: get a need, a reason, a justification that will satisfy both your doctor and your insurance provider.

Second: schedule it while keeping it a secret from prying eyes of truly concerned people while the fact your your trial by fire is being shared with friends by those you love.

Third: take your Fleets; once at 9 AM, again at 3 PM; eat nothing, drink only clear liquids (no reds), realize that it does no good to drink anything.

Fourth: show up at the out-patient clinic no later than 6 AM, fill out the HIPA paper work again. Make sure the receptionist knows how you reacted to the anesthetic last time (wild hallucinations in vivid electric pastels, severe nausea, and two day hangover).

Fifth: take off your clothes and don one of those thin reverse housecoats that cover nothing important, and lay down on the gurrney. The nurse will cover you with a nice blankie, and get you as many pillows as you want; not that it will matter in a few minutes anyway.

Sixth: take blood pressure, and listen to obscure mutterings about those numbers which are dutifully recorded.

Seventh: wanting to start your IV, nurse Ratchett will now look for a good vein in your arm. The fact that you've had nothing to drink for over 15 hours does not help this process. Not finding one in your arm, vampire Ratchett will now start the IV in the back of your hand, saying "This might burn just a little." When you faint (even though you are laying down) Nurse will bring you a cold wash cloth and watch you anxiously, and ask if you are feeling any better.

Eighth: With the IV successfully inserted, Nurse will now connect you to an IV bag with mystery fluid in it, sodium something-or-other.

Ninth: Nurse will now wheel you down endless mazes of corridors and into the "treatment room." What a treat: seeing a black hose about four feet long, and about an inch in diameter, with a camera/ light in it's end. You soon recognize the pattern in the video display as the trays and tools on the shelf by the wall; good, the camera is operational. Hmm, you wonder, does their autoclave work and is it big enough to fit that thing into it.

Tenth: Doctor comes in and asks you again about the anesthesia, and how you are feeling, and why are you there (like he doesn't know)? And please turn up on your left side, please. Then the lights go out.

When you wake up, you have vague memories of Sprite in your mouth, and something about someone helping you get dressed (underwear ain't happening). Later your daughter tells you that they poured you into the wheelchair, and from the wheelchair into the car, and you wonder how she got you from the car into her apartment and into that favorite old recliner, where you sleep off the remainder of the anesthesia. When you really wake up, you begin with a large bowl of Jello, followed by crackers, and soon, real food.

When you go back to talk to your doctor about the test results, you ask him if he has ever had the joy of a colonoscopy. No? He should really have one before he prescribes one for any more of his patients.

No, the effects of the Fleets is temporary and the weight loss is not permanent, even though the after-taste of the Fleets lingered for days.

We'll see about doing it again in eight years, even though this one was only a two year's interval.

God is great,
God is good,
and we thank Him
for His love.

Tim