Happy Hanukkah 5769 from the Bitterroot Valley of Western Montana!Monday, December 22, 2008
Friday, December 19, 2008
More Serendipity
Dr. Maddux, the cardiologist that cared for Dad at St. Pats., walked to the waiting room of the Cardiac Cath. Lab. within minutes of Mom & me arriving there. He reported that Dad's 12 lead EKG, blood work & angiogram were totally normal. In fact, my Dad had the injection fraction or cardiac output of a much younger man, with coronary arteries as clean as a whistle. He had not had a heart attack, but perhaps had experienced angina from some other mechanism than plugged arteries. He wanted to admit Dad to the hospital for overnight observation & more diagnostic procedures. We followed Dad to the 4th floor - the very cardiac ward for which I had been the Cardiac Clinical Nurse Specialist for 2-3 years after I moved back to Montana upon retirement from the Army Nurse Corps. Although I have not been back for 8-9 years, several nursing staff throughout the day & into the next recognized me & we were able to chat & catch up on our lives. This familiar setting put me at ease, which in turn caused Mom & Dad to relax.
Dad had an MRI of his chest which revealed only a small calcified spot in one lung, which was unremarkable. Dr. Maddux later told us that over half of all people over the age of 50 had something similar in their lungs...a small foreign body that entered their lung at some point & was isolated by the body layering it with a covering of calcium. A pearl effect? More blood work, physical exams & continuous EKG monitoring showed nothing out of the normal range. Mom, Dad & I were handed a gift of several restful hours to softly talk & pray together.
Before 9:00 p.m. I drove Mom to our home in Florence to spend the night. Our daughter, Esther, arrived just after we left & she had gotten off work at the nursing home. She kept her Grandpa company for awhile. No sooner than she left & the chaplain for St. Pats. stopped to talk with Dad & compare chaplain experiences. God just kept reminding Dad that he was loved & being watched over.
When we returned to the hospital Thursday morning before the doctors' rounds, Dad looked fairly rested & said he felt great. He no longer had to lie flat because of the cardiac cath. site. Soon his IV was also removed & Dr. Maddux came by & said Dad would be discharged before noon. He had found nothing major & thought Dad had experienced an isolated vagal episode. Dad would be referred back to his general practitioner in Hamilton for follow-up. God just kept sending folks by the hospital room door that either I or my parents knew. These visitors would act pleasantly surprised to see us & linger to chat a bit. Most had not come to the hospital to purposefully visit Dad. We guessed that we were placed there to actually encourage several of them. It was a wonderful morning that ended with Dad's discharge around 11:30 a.m. We drove back to Hamilton, renewed a couple prescriptions & got Dad settled into his lounger in the livingroom at home by 1:30 p.m.
Esther called during our drive, asking if I could come back to Missoula & help her finish cleaning the apartment that she had moved out of during our recent minus degree weather. We finished the cleaning & she handed in her keys a couple minutes before she was supposed to do so. Praise God that He even oversaw these details of our lives. I have been full of praise for His constant presence & straightening of our paths this week. I have had the sense that He allowed Dad some physical discomfort to meet the emotional needs of many others.
Dad had an MRI of his chest which revealed only a small calcified spot in one lung, which was unremarkable. Dr. Maddux later told us that over half of all people over the age of 50 had something similar in their lungs...a small foreign body that entered their lung at some point & was isolated by the body layering it with a covering of calcium. A pearl effect? More blood work, physical exams & continuous EKG monitoring showed nothing out of the normal range. Mom, Dad & I were handed a gift of several restful hours to softly talk & pray together.
Before 9:00 p.m. I drove Mom to our home in Florence to spend the night. Our daughter, Esther, arrived just after we left & she had gotten off work at the nursing home. She kept her Grandpa company for awhile. No sooner than she left & the chaplain for St. Pats. stopped to talk with Dad & compare chaplain experiences. God just kept reminding Dad that he was loved & being watched over.
When we returned to the hospital Thursday morning before the doctors' rounds, Dad looked fairly rested & said he felt great. He no longer had to lie flat because of the cardiac cath. site. Soon his IV was also removed & Dr. Maddux came by & said Dad would be discharged before noon. He had found nothing major & thought Dad had experienced an isolated vagal episode. Dad would be referred back to his general practitioner in Hamilton for follow-up. God just kept sending folks by the hospital room door that either I or my parents knew. These visitors would act pleasantly surprised to see us & linger to chat a bit. Most had not come to the hospital to purposefully visit Dad. We guessed that we were placed there to actually encourage several of them. It was a wonderful morning that ended with Dad's discharge around 11:30 a.m. We drove back to Hamilton, renewed a couple prescriptions & got Dad settled into his lounger in the livingroom at home by 1:30 p.m.
Esther called during our drive, asking if I could come back to Missoula & help her finish cleaning the apartment that she had moved out of during our recent minus degree weather. We finished the cleaning & she handed in her keys a couple minutes before she was supposed to do so. Praise God that He even oversaw these details of our lives. I have been full of praise for His constant presence & straightening of our paths this week. I have had the sense that He allowed Dad some physical discomfort to meet the emotional needs of many others.
Touches of Serendipity
My past two days were filled with touches of serendipity - the dip of the serene into the common responsibilities of life. I sometimes call these God's hugs.
Wednesday morning started fairly normal. I had exercised for 2+ miles on the treadmill, which is also my prayer time; showered; fed Ari, our golden retriever & started breakfast. My day was fairly open until the evening, when I watch & teach the Puggles curriculum to four two-year old boys at the AWANAS nursery. At 8:20 a.m. the phone rang. My sister, Esther, was calling at my Mom's request. Mom had just sent Dad to the Marcus Daly Hospital in Hamilton via ambulance. Dad, who turns 83 in January, had sat down to the breakfast table, his eyes rolled back & he collapsed in his chair. Mom caught him before he hit the floor. She then called 911. As the ambulance arrived, Dad was coming to & complaining of chest pressure. I thanked my sister for calling, wrote a quick note to Louis, (who was still sleeping after a late night of work for DirecTV) & headed towards Hamilton in the car. I made it to the E.R. - about 45 miles away - in record time. I even beat my sister, who lives only about 20 miles the other side of Hamilton.
Dad had received two Nitroglycerin tablets under his tongue, but was still having some chest pressure, so the ER staff placed a NTG patch on his chest. He was hooked up to oxygen & the cardiac monitor, which revealed some minimal arrhythmias. An IV was infusing saline & an anticoagulant into his blood... the ER MD was preparing to transfer Dad by ambulance to St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. The Cardiac Cath. Lab. would be ready when he arrived to do an angiogram & whatever else they deemed necessary. Dad appeared to be at peace although uncomfortable. Touches of serendipity began:
. My father's brother walked into the ER to check on Dad. Robert still listens to the ambulance calls via a scanner, as he has been an EMT for years & years & his daughter manages the ambulance section & emergency dept. at Marcus Daly. He was eating breakfast when he heard the dispatch about picking up a patient at Dad's address. He quickly got on his coat & came to be with Dad.
. The Pastor who picks up Dad's hospital chaplain & hospice chaplain responsibilies when Dad is out of town, just happened to come to visit a hospital patient from his church & heard from the staff that Dad was in the ER. Before Dad left for St. Pats., he was able to turn over his caseload to this Pastor.
. My aunt/uncle from Idaho, had called our home to wish us "Happy Holidays". They had received our Christmas card the day before & just felt impressed to call this morning. They have never called us, but have always written us before. Louis gave them my cell phone number & I received the call just as Dad was being wheeled to the ambulance. I was able to assure Dad that Aunt Jo & Uncle Ralph would be praying for him like the rest of us. Dad was already on three different church prayer chains by now.
. I drove Mom home so we could pack an overnight bag for her & one for Dad, before we drove icy Highway 93 to Missoula & St. Patrick Medical Center. A winter storm was predicted for later in the day & was already dumping snow on Spokane, Wa. - due west of us. God slowed that storm down. It didn't arrive until Thursday night - about 36 hours later than expected & after we were all through with hospitals & back home safely.
My Mom & I always have funny things occur when the two of us are alone together. That happened again when we entered the ER at St. Pats. We asked to see "Alvin House" & said we were his wife & daughter. The ER nurse escorted us through two rooms & spoke to a patient behind some curtains. We heard a man's voice, that didn't sound like Dad, answer her. As she opened the curtains to let us in, we saw a dark, middle-aged man we have never seen before, laying on a stretcher. His eyes got as big as ours probably were. We quickly told the nurse that this was not who we were looking for. She said, "But this is Al Howe; isn't that who you came to see?" She became quite embarrassed as we repeated Dad's name & mentioned that he had been transferred from Marcus Daly Hospital. Because of her obvious embarrassment, Mom & I saved our burst of laughter until we were in the elevator headed for the Cath. Lab. where Dad was almost through with his angiogram.
(More to follow)
.
Wednesday morning started fairly normal. I had exercised for 2+ miles on the treadmill, which is also my prayer time; showered; fed Ari, our golden retriever & started breakfast. My day was fairly open until the evening, when I watch & teach the Puggles curriculum to four two-year old boys at the AWANAS nursery. At 8:20 a.m. the phone rang. My sister, Esther, was calling at my Mom's request. Mom had just sent Dad to the Marcus Daly Hospital in Hamilton via ambulance. Dad, who turns 83 in January, had sat down to the breakfast table, his eyes rolled back & he collapsed in his chair. Mom caught him before he hit the floor. She then called 911. As the ambulance arrived, Dad was coming to & complaining of chest pressure. I thanked my sister for calling, wrote a quick note to Louis, (who was still sleeping after a late night of work for DirecTV) & headed towards Hamilton in the car. I made it to the E.R. - about 45 miles away - in record time. I even beat my sister, who lives only about 20 miles the other side of Hamilton.
Dad had received two Nitroglycerin tablets under his tongue, but was still having some chest pressure, so the ER staff placed a NTG patch on his chest. He was hooked up to oxygen & the cardiac monitor, which revealed some minimal arrhythmias. An IV was infusing saline & an anticoagulant into his blood... the ER MD was preparing to transfer Dad by ambulance to St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula. The Cardiac Cath. Lab. would be ready when he arrived to do an angiogram & whatever else they deemed necessary. Dad appeared to be at peace although uncomfortable. Touches of serendipity began:
. My father's brother walked into the ER to check on Dad. Robert still listens to the ambulance calls via a scanner, as he has been an EMT for years & years & his daughter manages the ambulance section & emergency dept. at Marcus Daly. He was eating breakfast when he heard the dispatch about picking up a patient at Dad's address. He quickly got on his coat & came to be with Dad.
. The Pastor who picks up Dad's hospital chaplain & hospice chaplain responsibilies when Dad is out of town, just happened to come to visit a hospital patient from his church & heard from the staff that Dad was in the ER. Before Dad left for St. Pats., he was able to turn over his caseload to this Pastor.
. My aunt/uncle from Idaho, had called our home to wish us "Happy Holidays". They had received our Christmas card the day before & just felt impressed to call this morning. They have never called us, but have always written us before. Louis gave them my cell phone number & I received the call just as Dad was being wheeled to the ambulance. I was able to assure Dad that Aunt Jo & Uncle Ralph would be praying for him like the rest of us. Dad was already on three different church prayer chains by now.
. I drove Mom home so we could pack an overnight bag for her & one for Dad, before we drove icy Highway 93 to Missoula & St. Patrick Medical Center. A winter storm was predicted for later in the day & was already dumping snow on Spokane, Wa. - due west of us. God slowed that storm down. It didn't arrive until Thursday night - about 36 hours later than expected & after we were all through with hospitals & back home safely.
My Mom & I always have funny things occur when the two of us are alone together. That happened again when we entered the ER at St. Pats. We asked to see "Alvin House" & said we were his wife & daughter. The ER nurse escorted us through two rooms & spoke to a patient behind some curtains. We heard a man's voice, that didn't sound like Dad, answer her. As she opened the curtains to let us in, we saw a dark, middle-aged man we have never seen before, laying on a stretcher. His eyes got as big as ours probably were. We quickly told the nurse that this was not who we were looking for. She said, "But this is Al Howe; isn't that who you came to see?" She became quite embarrassed as we repeated Dad's name & mentioned that he had been transferred from Marcus Daly Hospital. Because of her obvious embarrassment, Mom & I saved our burst of laughter until we were in the elevator headed for the Cath. Lab. where Dad was almost through with his angiogram.
(More to follow)
.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Hanukkah starts this year at sunset on December 21st & concludes at sundown on December 29th. Among Messianic Jewish believers it has been popular to teach that Yeshua was not really born at Christmas time but rather at the Festival of Tabernacles - Sukkot. Some are now supporting that Yeshua may have been born the first day of Hanukkah. In reading the gospels, the reader is struck by the frequent imagery of light clearly associated with Yeshua's birth. (Mt. 2:1-12; Lk.2:1-14; Jn. 1:1-9) The story of His birth appears to be intentionally told against the backdrop of this imagery of light. The prophets use similar imagery in texts that relate to Messiah's coming. (ie. Isa.9:1-7; 60:1-3) In the first century - as today - the most recognizable aspect of the Hanukkah celebration was the kindling of the lights for eight days. In "light" of this, it is striking to read Simeon's response to the circumcision & dedication of Yeshua in the Temple when He was eight days old: "My eyes have seen your salvation...a light for revelation to the Gentiles & the glory of your people Israel." (Lk. 2:30-32) On the eighth day the Hanukkah lights would have been at their fullest & brightest since all eight candles would be lit, providing a most appropriate setting for Simeon's statement!Luke 1:26-27 is often cited as evidence of a fall birth for Yeshua, when coupled with calculations as to when Zechariah's priestly division was scheduled to minister at the Temple. If it is assumed that this verse refers to the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the calculations may well be valid. (It is also assumed by the advocates of a Sukkot birth date that the angel's announcement to Zechariah about John's birth & his conception occurred at virtually the same time, which is not necessarily the case.) However, the text of Luke 1:26 does not say "her" sixth month as it does is verse 36. Rather, it says "the" sixth month. In other words, this is a simple calendar reference such as frequently occurs throughout Scripture. When Mary arrived to visit her relative Elizabeth, Mary was pregnant. (vv. 40-44) The onset of her pregnancy apparently coincided with the angel's announcement "in the sixth month". Working from the most commonly used Jewish calendar in the first century- which approximates the one in use today - Yeshua's birth nine months later would have occurred in the third month, the month of Kislev. Hanukkah always begins on the 25th of Kislev.
There is also some interesting prophetic imagery related to this time of year in Haggai. Haggai 2:6-9 describes the Messiah's arrival as the coming of the "desired of all nations" who will "fill God's house (in this context, the second Temple) with glory," a glory such that "the glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house" (the first Temple, which Solomon built). These events are then connected with the events of verses 18-23, which are in turn connected to the day following the laying of the foundation of the second Temple . That event occurred on the 24th day of the ninth month; in other words the Messiah's arrival is connected with the 25th day of the ninth month. Using the calendar current in Haggai's day, the ninth month is Kislev, hence Kislev 25.
Hippolytus was a second century church leader who was also a calendar expert. His testimony - the earliest such testimony regarding Yeshua's birth outside of Scripture - was that December 25 was the commonly accepted date of Yeshua's birth. The simplest transformation of Kislev 25 (the first day of Hanukkah) from the Jewish calendar into the one current today is December 25.
Regardless of any agreement or disagreement over the precise date of Yeshua's birth, let's all celebrate His coming in the reality of Isaiah 60:1. "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord is revealed to you!" Have a Merry Hanukkah & Happy Christmas! ( I borrowed this research & write-up from Rabbi John Fischer, PhD, ThD)
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