So, how many of you went to “HowManyOfMe.com” after reading yesterday’s blog?  My husband Ted reads my blogs, but many times he doesn’t get to them until a day or two after I write them.  He was driving to Indiana today when he called me.  Apparently, he had made a stop on his drive and had checked his email, including reading my blog from yesterday.  Because he was back on the road driving, he wanted me to check on his name at the website.  He told me he wanted to be unique.  He was hoping he was the only one with his name.  (“Oh you are the only one like you, Theodore,” I said to myself.  “There can’t be another one” I mused.)

Here’s what I found out.  There are 193,948 people in the U.S. with the first name of ‘Theodore’ and less than 117 with the last name ‘Greshel.’  Compared to there being only 37,843 ‘Laurel’s’ I could win this one and say that I was more unique then Ted.  But our combined first and last name brought up the same result – there is only one of each of us!  For comparison, if you were a John Smith, you share your name with 45,559 other people!

Who doesn’t want to be unique?  I looked the word up and found that “unique” is a French word from the Latin unicus, from unus:  one.  Hmm.  I see a unicorn there.  Synonymous with the word “unique” is:  sole, unequaled, peculiar, unusual, patented, and individual.  I think I know a lot of unique people.

I did not find the word ‘unique’ in the bible, but found one passage with its synonym ‘unequaled’:

Deuteronomy 34:10-12 ¹⁰ Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face. ¹¹ He was unequaled for all the signs and wonders that the Lord sent him to perform in the land of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants and his entire land, ¹² and for all the mighty deeds and all the terrifying displays of power that Moses performed in the sight of all Israel.

Yep, Moses was one unique guy!

I believe that there really are no two people alike.  Oh you may have a twin out there in the world somewhere or you very likely share a same name with someone.  You may have someone you like and admire and strive to be like.  Here’s what Walt Disney said about being unique:  “The more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.”

I think my point here is that we are all unique and wonderful.  Why would God make us all so different if he wanted us to be the same?  If you’ve been reading my blogs for a time, you may know how much I love Beth Moore Ministries and the wonderful writing that she does.  I want to be like Beth Moore!  But in one of her studies she wrote:  “Trust God!  He is busy making you someone no one else has ever been.”  I wrote that down on an index card and use it as a book mark.

It’s the similarities we share with each other that help us form a common bond and establish friendships due to mutual interests.  It is the differences that keep things colorful and exciting as we embrace each and everyone’s uniqueness.  Do you remember Fred Rogers from the Mr. Rogers children’s show?  I think he said it best all the time:  “I like you just the way you are!”

You are you-nique!

Just Laurel

My dad (aka:  Pop) had a heart catheterization this week.  He needs surgery to replace the aortic valve in his heart.  It’s okay – he’s in good health and the surgeon thinks Pop will do just fine with the surgery.  There is a new heart valve that the doctor wants to use that is actually still under trial in the United States, although twenty thousand of them have already been used in Europe.  I was researching the valve today to find out more about it.  I find it humorous that this valve is called the “Freedom Solo” valve.  What a funny name for a heart valve.  What will he be free from?  And why will he be by himself afterwards – solo?

When I first googled ‘freedom solo’ I was further amused to have two different products appear in my search results.  There was the Freedom Solo Heart Valve and the Freedom Solo Canoe by Mad River Canoe Company.  I took the descriptions for each and reversed them – and it worked!  Substituting valve for canoe, and with a little re-wording I found that both marketing descriptions worked for either product!  First, here’s the canoe description – changed for the benefit of marketing a heart valve:

Care-free durability meets unrivaled versatility in this ultimate solo heart valve. A versatile valve, this Freedom Solo Valve is capable of allowing you to track across the flats as well as play havoc in whitewater. Head out with a week’s worth of camping gear, stopping to play in the whitewater rapids along the way with this durable, yet stiff Freedom Solo Valve.  Unique from other valves, it features a solid, stable platform for regulating, lacking the twitchiness that is characteristic of others in its class. Comfortable for beginners yet rewarding for accomplished hearts, the Freedom Solo is worth getting to know.

Ha!

And now here is the heart valve description, changed up a bit to market a canoe:

Freedom Solo Canoes perform well under exercise thanks to the absence of any rigid frame and minimal paddling.  Freedom Solo offers a fast and complete recovery of the overturned canoe and restores the canoe function fast and effectively.  Freedom Solo behaves like a normal healthy canoe with native-like performance.

So, Pop, you will be paddling your canoe in no time once you get your very own Freedom Solo!

After further investigation, I found several other same-name products – some you know and probably didn’t realize.  How about Dove soap – and Dove Chocolate?  I like the idea of chocolate soap – but soap flavored chocolate?  There is Finlandia cheese and Finlandia Vodka.  Ah – now that’s a nice pair!  Delta is a name for an airline, dental insurance, and a faucet company.  Michigan rooted Domino’s Pizza shares its name with Domino Sugar – I can’t see blending those two.

And of course there are people who share the same name.  In fact, my Pop recently found out that his primary care doctor has another patient with the same name as Pop’s.  They will be using his middle initial now in all paperwork.  If you go to HowManyOfMe.com you can see how many people share your name.  I found out that there are 37,843 people in the U.S. with the first name “Laurel.”  There are 45 people in the U.S. who share my Pop’s name:  Paul Rausch.  (Go ahead and try it – I know you will!)

I don’t think the surgeon will mix things up and replace Pop’s old valve with a canoe.  Duh.  And if you share your name with someone else – don’t worry.  God can tell us apart.  Like the song says, “He knows my name.”

I have a Maker; He formed my heart.
Before even time began my life was in his hands

I have a Father; He calls me His own.
He’ll never leave me; No matter where I go.

He knows my name. He knows my every thought.
He sees each tear that falls and He hears me when I call.

I just love that song!

just Laurel

“All right, let’s not panic. I’ll make the money by selling one of my livers. I can get by with one.”
Homer Simpson

I really didn’t panic.  In my quick stop home before leaving the house again, I grabbed the mail from the mailbox.  Most of the mail got torn up and trashed.  Mostly junk mail and no magazines today.  Oh … here’s the gas and electric bill.  Gulp.  Yeah, it’s been Michigan-cold here and those bills can get a little scary.  Well, let me just take a quick look before I leave.  Tearing them both open, I laid them side by side.  Oh my.  Was it really that cold last month?  Quickly adding in my head, and then adding in another hundred or so more and we’d be 4 digits big.  What??  In a daze, I left the house thinking I would be asking Ted for extra money to pay those bills.  And then I couldn’t stop thinking.  There’s no way.

Later, Ted called and we chatted about the day.  As usual, he asked, “Did we get any mail?”  “Oh yeah,” I replied, “Guess what our gas and electric bill total was?”  His guess was way off.  He couldn’t believe it either.  Then he reminded me that the bills were basically for the month of January when we were not even home.  The heat had been turned down and we had spent the month in the hospital with Amanda.  How could our bills be so big?  I told Ted he’d have to take a look and puzzle it out later.

“Two frogs fell into a bowl of cream. One didn’t panic, he relaxed and drowned. The other kicked and struggled so much that the cream turned to butter and he walked out.”  Author Unknown

I could not wait until later.  So, I pulled out the previous month’s bills and sat down to scrutinize them.

Ah-ha!  Big light bulb moment!  I paid last month’s bills but apparently, the energy company did not receive my payments.  After double checking via on-line banking I discovered that the check still had not cleared.  Thanks to modern technology, I quickly logged on to the energy company website and was going to pay last month’s bills.  But the website did not say I owed last month’s bills.  So confusing!!  I finally had a ‘live chat’ with a representative who let me know that last month’s heat and electric had been paid and that all was well.  Hmm.  They must have FINALLY received my check.

In the book of 1 Samuel, the Philistines capture the ark of God.  God was not pleased and verse 9 says that:  “the hand of the Lord was against the city, causing a very great PANIC, and he afflicted the men of the city, both young and old, so that tumors broke out upon them.”

I really didn’t panic.  But a gas and electric bill that size was going to require some transferring of funds, or even the sale of a kidney.  Fortunately, I persisted and figured it out right away.  Reacting in a panic would not have been very constructive – it gave the Philistines tumors!  So, just a little advice next time you want to totally freak out and panic about something – don’t.

Just Laurel

The last surgery of the day at work was an hour-long procedure for glaucoma involving implanting a valve in the patient’s eye.  (I know you just blinked and thought “Ow – how can they do such a thing??”)

My job at work is helping patients on the recovery end of the surgical experience.  The majority of our patients get cataract surgery and since that surgery takes seven to fifteen minutes (depending on the surgeon) I am busy with patient after patient and without any time to see what others are doing.  Well today, all of the patients were done and gone except for this last one.  We were kind of standing around waiting when one of the operating room techs asked if I wanted to watch the surgery.  “Yes!!”

I only got to watch through the glass of the door.  I would have had to scrub and don sterile garb if I wanted to enter the room.  BUT – even though the surgeon was busy working on his patient through the eyes of his microscope, I could watch the procedure on the big screen tv in the room.  Wow!  On the screen, the patient’s eye was the size of a small watermelon.  With a clamp holding back the upper and lower lids, the surgeon was meticulously putting stitches in the patient’s eye.  Yes – stitches.  In their EYE!  What looked like a fair size surgical needle was probably the size of an eyelash.  And the material he used to stitch with – I was in awe thinking of how very fine and yet intensely strong the thread must be that he could stitch and knot without it breaking.  Obviously, these stitches were not going to be removed down the road, so they had to be a material that would eventually dissolve as well.  I was thoroughly amazed at the marvels of modern medicine that could allow surgeons to implant valves and actually stitch an eyeball.  I wonder who put their hand up and volunteered for that surgery the first time it was done.  And what a benefit to be able to see the whole thing on a big screen tv.

As I thought later about my eye surgery observation, it made me think about this bible passage:

Matthew 7: 3-5 ³ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? ⁴ Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Psalm 44:21 says that God knows the secrets of our hearts.  He is like the surgeon who knows us inside and out, and intimately as well, down to the secrets we keep hidden in our hearts.  He knows the good and the wicked.  He has the microscopic view.  But how often do we hide the negative, doubting, or sinful stuff and then quickly turn and call our brother bad and a sinner?  Maybe if God put our hearts on the big screen, we’d have a better picture of our own weaknesses and faults.  It may make us less likely to judge, and more likely to show compassion.

Then this all made me think – even though God has the microscopic view of our hearts, thank goodness He DOESN’T project it on the big screen.

I think that would be a film we wouldn’t want others to see!

Just Laurel

“Guess who face planted during our walk?”

That was the email I got from my daughter Kristen today.  There was a picture attached, so I really didn’t need to guess.  Kristen is nanny to a baby girl and her three-year-old brother, Owen.  She tries to get them out of the house every day and Owen walks while his baby sister gets pushed in the stroller.  Apparently, they had just started on their daily hike when Owen ‘face planted.’  He was running across the street when he tripped and fell smack on his face.  The picture was adorable:   his angelic face peering out from under a knit hat, a few small scratches on his nose and lip and the cutest pouting lower lip.

Kristen took him right back home and wiped the dirt off his face.  There were mostly abrasions, and no dripping blood.  She said, once the crying stopped and he recovered, that he wanted to go back out and start the walk over again.  Their walks are “treasure hunts” Kristen told me.  As they walk, Owen has to look for treasure.  She has a bag for him to put his precious finds into.  Besides ribbons and stones, he actually found two pennies today.

I decided that I want to be more like three-year old Owen.  Even after being knocked down on his face, he was right back out there after a quick wipe off of the dirt.  How many times do we give up, back-off, or throw in the towel when things don’t go right?   A little fall on the face didn’t stop Owen.  He persevered and wanted to take his walk.  And find treasure.  Oh to have the heart of a child and be always looking for good things!  How much do we miss each day – things of beauty or special little sparkles of joy – because we don’t even look?  Those two discovered pennies were like gold coins to Owen.

So here’s to getting back on the horse, trying again, and persevering at whatever it is you are trying to accomplish.  Just don’t forget to look for the treasures along the way!

Just Laurel

Mark 10:15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.

The excitement at work was growing.  For about two weeks now, since the flyer was posted, all the staff at my place of work has been anticipating what was to happen today.  One of the doctors offered to treat everyone to lunch.  He meant to do it at Christmas time, but you know how busy the holidays can get.  It was to be a combination late Christmas and now Valentine’s treat.  Lunch was going to be brought in from this wonderful deli that makes delicious trays of the best lunchmeats and cheeses with good rustic sandwich bread.  The salads and accompaniments are gourmet in quality as well.

I’m always game for a good sandwich.  Usually, I bring a small snack of yogurt and a drink to work because we don’t even always get a lunch break.  But this was going to be a special big deal.  The schedule was such that we were pretty sure to be done by noon while several people who weren’t even scheduled to work today were going to come in for the little feast.

It was a busy morning.  Around eleven o’clock we still had about five more patients and all of us were getting hungry.  “Wonder if the food is here yet?” someone queried.  I had a free moment and offered to walk over to the break room to look.  Peeking in the door, all I saw was the box with yesterday’s stale bagels on the table.  No lunch.  Yet.

I went back and told my coworkers that, no, there was no lunch.  Yet.

After a few confused exchanges with people and some further phone calls, the final answer was:

No lunch.

🙁

Most of us had brought NOTHING to eat because we had counted on our little feast.  The head of our department made some more phone calls then finally informed us that a mistake was made and the special lunch was never ordered.  Maybe next week.  But because we had all worked hard and had expected a lunch, she saw to it that some pizza was brought in for us.

Now I handled this all just fine.  I don’t go to work for the food!  And I would have been fine with my yogurt – only I didn’t bring one today!  But think about the let-down and disappointment this was for so many!

You come to work expecting lunch.  You were told it was going to be there.  Gourmet quality meats, cheeses, salads, and breads were on the menu.  Some of your friends, who didn’t even have to be at work today, show up for the festivities.  Your stomach starts growling and you start salivating as lunch time draws near.  Expecting a wonderful feast, you walk into the break room and see …

pizza.

Ha ha.  It was a bummer.  But it brought to mind these bible verses:

Matthew 7:7-12
⁷ “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ⁸ For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ⁹ Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? ¹¹ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! ¹² So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.”

Thank goodness the good Lord hears our prayers and gives us what we need.  There’s no bait and switch; no substitutions.  In sickness, we can pray for and receive healing.  When troubled, He answers us with peace.  When the storms of life get you frazzled, he offers calm.

It was a little disappointing to not get the lunch we anticipated today.  But it reminded me that God never disappoints!

Just Laurel

I love my husband dearly.  But if you’re like me there are just some times when you enjoy the peace and quiet of being solitary.  Like, when it’s still dark outside in the early morning and I can sit wrapped up in a blanket on the couch in the quiet house with a fresh cup of coffee.  Or if I am concentrating on a certain television show, he better not start any big discussions with me.  Stuff like that.  Times when I just don’t want to have to listen.

This past weekend I had a project I was trying to get to.  Just as I was getting organized, Ted decided he was interested in my project as well and started helping.  Started taking over.  Yeah – it became OUR project.  About an hour into our little project with heads bent together over the computer, he was chewing some gum rather aggressively.  When Ted chews enthusiastically on something, his jaw cracks.  Now I will admit I was actually glad that he helped me with this project.  His contribution was helping a lot and getting it done.  But, that chewing!   And that cracking sound!  Crack!  Crack!  Crack!  Crack!  It was like Chinese water torture.  But I held my tongue because it was my fault he was chewing gum since I had suggested a little earlier that his breath needed a little freshening.  How could I now ask him to STOP chewing that minty freshness?

A little further on in our project, he finally trashed the gum.  Amen!  Oh dear.  Now what was that sound?  He had taken a piece of hard candy from the bowl – butterscotch – and was crunching it.  I’m sorry folks, but that was annoying too!  Crunch.  Crunch.  Crunch.

Argh!

I think my lack of patience with all the ‘noise’ came from the fact that I did not sleep well the night before.  Can you guess why?  Because Ted was SNORING and I ended up on the couch!!

I finally stopped what I was doing and yelled at Ted, “Why must you do everything so LOUDLY?”  He looked at me quizzically.  I went on to explain that he couldn’t do anything quietly.  He couldn’t sleep quietly – he had to snore.  He couldn’t chew gum quietly – his jaw had to crack.  And he couldn’t even suck on a hard candy quietly – he had to crunch the darn thing!!!

Ted yelled back, “Well I guess some people want to live large – I want to live loud!”

We both laughed.  And then he added, “Well I have to do things loudly, especially around your parents, because neither of them can hear.”

(More laughter – yes they both need hearing aids!)

We completed our project.  And we really weren’t yelling in anger at each other – it was playful volleying of sarcastic remarks.  And I really do love my loud husband.  He just needs reminders to be quiet sometimes.  Because he is often in a noisy steel mill or driving in his car with his job, he is in the habit of talking on the phone to his boss very loudly.  He has to – to be heard.  He will do that at home on the phone or even at me.   I get close to his face and softly remind him, “I am right here so you don’t have to talk so loud.”

What about you?  Do you find that you have to be loud to be heard?  Or will people listen when you speak softly?  Of course, whispers always get heard because they are usually conveying some secret information.   How about your listening skills?  Are you the first to listen to that gossipy whisper, or can you only listen when it is loud enough to distract you from the other things you are busy with?

God is the best listener.  He hears us when we cry out, when we pray softly, and even when we have no words.

A dear family, whom Ted and I have been friends with for probably twenty years or more, lost the male head of the house this past year.  Chris Barnard.  Leaving a wife and three sons behind, it has been a painful time of healing for them.  The youngest son, Denny, recently made the following video that I just viewed today.  I had to share it with you.  This young man cried out to God in a loud voice.  Then he was wise enough to listen when God spoke back.  Now in this video, Denny doesn’t even speak but shares a heartfelt testimony.

To the Barnard family:  I love you guys.  What a wonderful spiritual leader Chris must have been for his son to proclaim such a message.  Blessings to you all.

Psalm 4:3b  the Lord hears when I call to Him.

just Laurel

When surgery was complete on all of the day’s fifteen patients, I and my co-workers sat down in the break room for a few minutes to relax and socialize. One particular girl came into the room and cheerfully announced to those of us at the table that she had discovered a new favorite food. “Do you want to guess?” she asked. Well, no, we did not. There were too many possibilities. So, “What was it?” we all questioned. “My new favorite food is” (wait for it) … you never would have guessed … her new favorite food is … “LENTILS.”

Hmm.

Lentils aren’t “new.”

I like lentils, I told her. And have enjoyed them both as a soup and in an Indian dish I make with Basmati rice and onions with yogurt on the side. “Really?” she replied with excited wide eyes.

Apparently this girl had been seeking healthy new eats and had stumbled upon the versatile, protein packed, fiber rich lentil.

Folks, lentils have been around since bible times and before. According to Genesis 25:34, Esau was tricked into selling his birthright for a pottage of lentils. The United States is actually fourth in worldwide lentil production and during World War II; Americans were encouraged to eat lentils to help the wartime economy. I wouldn’t be surprised if Americans today were found to be more familiar with Twinkies then the humble staple, lentils.

I know, I know. So what’s the point, Laurel?

My co-worker had found pleasure in one of the simplest and most basic foods – lentils. How often in life do we get wooed and seduced by things that are fancier, more colorful, more exciting? Why can’t we find contentment in what is plain old simple, pure and good? Think of appliances with all their buttons and attachments that offer multi-function. Refrigerators with TV screens! Automobiles with options galore. Do you want paper or plastic? Going to the store to buy chicken? Do you want white meat, dark meat, boneless, skinless, free range, tenders, or organic? Need a cup ‘o Joe? Ha! Will that be black, decaf, lite, frappe, sugar, Splenda, cappuccino, caramel, latte, or whatev? Tennis shoes used to have a blue tag at the heel that said KEDS. Now it’s Nike, Converse, Adidas, Reebok, Puma, or New Balance. Everything in life seems to get so complicated. Ordering a taco at the local fast food place involves choosing from beef or chicken and a hard or soft taco shell.

Many people have their own opinion on the simple things in life:

To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter… to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring – these are some of the rewards of the simple life. ~John Burroughs
The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo DaVinci

So here’s to the simple life and enjoying all those simple basic pleasures. Tea and buttered toast. A day in the park. Homemade chicken noodle soup. A plain ‘ole good cup of coffee. A game of Monopoly with the family.

Why, God’s word even tells us to keep the talking to a humble minimum:

Ecclesiastes 6:11 The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?

May you find pleasure in the basic and simple things in life. Don’t make it complicated. Right now, for me, the soup is simmering and the bread is rising. A simple supper on this Friday night.

TGIF everyone.

<3
just Laurel