Tuesday, September 14, 2010

I am untouchable

At least to the "regular" orthopedic surgeon.
I have a ganglion cyst on my right wrist. I have had surgery previously to have this cyst removed, but it returned about 6 months ago. I have put off going to the doctor to have it looked at, but it is causing me enough discomfort at this point that I finally went in. The orthopedist ran some x-rays, took one look, and said "I am not touching your wrist. You need the hand specialist."
Apparently, not only is there scarring from the first surgery but there is "significant" joint damage from the RA and a regular orthopedic surgeon can't perform surgery.
So, on the down side, I have to see the specialist who only performs surgeries at the Kaiser in Panorama City. On the up side, further proof that I am special!

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Lead Thou me on!

On September 19, the Catholic Church will celebrate the beatification of Cardinal John Henry Newman. If you're like me, his name is certainly familiar but I don't know nearly as much as I could (or should). We will be hearing much about him over the next few weeks, even in secular media, and now is a great opportunity to educate ourselves about his work.

First, I recommend visiting www.newmanbiography.com. This is a website dedicated to two new books about Cardinal Newman.

The first book, out now and available here on Amazon, is titled "Take Five: Meditations with John Henry Newman" and authored by Mike Aquilina and Fr. Juan Velez. This is a great book focusing on short, five minute meditations. I guarantee that each and every one of us, regardless of how busy we are, can spare five minutes a day on our spiritual nourishment.

The second book, forthcoming, is a biography "John Henry Newman: Passion for Truth" written by Fr. Juan Velez. This book will lead us through Cardinal Newman's "search for religious truth", covering his journey of conversion from Evangelical Protestantism to Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism.

I urge you all to take a look at the website and the books.

Some final words, written by John Henry Newman, written at sea on a return to England:

LEAD, Kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom
Lead Thou me on!
The night is dark, and I am far from home—
Lead Thou me on!
Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
The distant scene—one step enough for me.