Rebellion Happens in the Mind: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

February 17, 2013

inspiration

English: black cat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Recently, my husband and I had the opportunity to take part in a new ad campaign for our local Humane Society. They are trying to raise money for a mobile spay/neuter clinic to reach lower-income areas of our city. The campaign is called Project STOP and consists of a collection of black-and-white photos of people and animals holding their hands up to the camera in a "STOP" motion with whatever they want to stop written on their hands. Since our baby Kazu is a black cat, T and I chose to write 'fear' and 'superstition' on our hands. People are still weird and superstitious about black cats, sometimes even killing them. This is ridiculous because our 5-year-old kitty boy has brought us nothing but love!

Last month we ran a 5k and my BFF Garrard came to watch us. Now he is running most days and I like to think we had a part in inspiring him to get back in the game! He used to run a lot so pretty soon he'll be surpassing us no problem. There is a mud run nearby in May and I am hoping that he will do it with us. It would be super fun to do a 5k obstacle course with my husband and my best friend.

English: A chest X-ray demonstrating severe COPD. Note the small size of the heart in comparison to the lungs. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In more sobering news, my Dad was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease this week, surprising no one. This is the same thing that most likely led to the stroke that killed his dad, my Papa. The doctor also found spot on my Dad's lung. He had a CAT scan on Thursday, and we'll have the results tomorrow. He's convinced now that he needs to stop smoking. I agree, but I don't know why it took so long for him to come to that conclusion. If you're the praying type, please pray for him.

From "The Irrational Season" by Madeleine L'Engle

But ultimately there comes a moment when a decision must be made. Ultimately two people who love each other must ask themselves how much they hope for as their love grows and deepens, and how much risk they are willing to take…It is indeed a fearful gamble…Because it is the nature of love to create, a marriage itself is something which has to be created, so that, together we become a new creature.

To marry is the biggest risk in human relations that a person can take…If we commit ourselves to one person for life this is not, as many people think, a rejection of freedom; rather it demands the courage to move into all the risks of freedom, and the risk of love which is permanent; into that love which is not possession, but participation…It takes a lifetime to learn another person…When love is not possession, but participation, then it is part of that co-creation which is our human calling, and which implies such risk that it is often rejected.

February 17, 2013

inspiration

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