[Magdalen] Pseudo-epiphany, & The latest.

[Lynn Ronkainen]

Jim G> In any case -- despite no church -- a great Celebration of Epiphany, 
I think.


Indeed!

Lynn

website: www.ichthysdesigns.com

When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not a 
single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." 
attributed to Erma Bombeck
 "Either Freedom for all or stop talking about Freedom at all" from a talk 
by Richard Rohr

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From: "Jim Guthrie" <jguthrie at pipeline.com>
Sent: Thursday, January 07, 2016 10:14 AM
To: <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] Pseudo-epiphany, & The latest.

> Well, our was pseudo as my treatment time at Sloan Kettering slipped from 
> 3:45 to after 6 -- which meant we did not get the the Epiphany service at 
> St Mary's in NY as Planned.
>
> But overall -- a good day as the preliminary results of my CT Scan 
> indicate all my tumors save one have shrunk considerably (one is half the 
> size it was in October); one remain the same -- but is still quite a bit 
> smaller than it was at the beginning. Blood tests were all in normal 
> range, too.
>
> Actuarial expectations give me a max of about 4 1/2 years with this -- but 
> I always tell people I;m aiming for at least ten!
>
> We also (finally) met a couple in good spirits amongst all the gloomy 
> gus's in the waiting room (and not that I'm saying that some don’t have 
> reasons to be gloomy, but I think a positive attitude is important). We 
> Immediately connected amongst this sea of unhappiness (even their son who 
> drove them in from Sage Harbor LI was not in the cheery mode). Joe is 82 
> years old and was in for his every six-month checkup. He had his bladder 
> and prostate removed about 4 years ago and has been cancer free for four 
> years. He has a catheter and bottle to take care of things that he's 
> learned to change daily himself -- much to his wife's relief. That he 
> could laugh about it  He and I carried on our laughing a joking in the 
> cubicles waiting for our CT Scans. I got the distinct impression that our 
> jocular behavior speeded up the techs in getting us out of there, too!
>
> Later, a gentleman in the waiting room recognized as as neighbor's from 
> Bay Ridge. "I used to see you every day and sometimes more than that 
> walking past my house. Where've you been?" We explained all manner of 
> gossip about our old neighborhood. He let me know that a neighbor in a 
> wheelchair we were acquainted with had died. I told him that Dan Levins --  
> another neighbor who died and the travails of his wheelchair bound husband 
> Gene (he suffered a stroke while in a burning building as a NYC 
> firefighter). A third guy in a wheelchair -- a block down is still going 
> strong. He was paralyzed at age 10 sledding in Owl's Head Park -- a block 
> away from home. Albert and I sometimes helped him get up the ramp into his 
> home when the wheelchair skidded and wouldn’t make it during ice and 
> snowstorms.
>
> In any case -- despite no church -- a great Celebration of Epiphany, I 
> think.
>
> Cheers,
> Jim
>