Colonoscopys REALLY aren't that bad

One more colonoscopy post and I promise never to mention it again. I must say that "they" (the van patton family-only diehard letterman fans will get that reference) were right when "they"(the van patton family) said that getting a colonoscopy wasn't that bad. I don't remember a thing about the actual procedure. Actually, the last thing I DO remember is the dr. saying to the nurse "Ready to give her the medicine?" And what good medicine it was, I wouldn't mind having a little of that stuff to sprinkle in my diet Pepsi on those nights when I can't sleep! Anyway, the biggest "pain in the butt" about the whole thing was the night before and also that stuff they give you to drink is really disgusting. Not to mention the whole checking into the hospital thing. Major pain for a minor procedure. Why can't it be done in the dr's ofc? Also, I was really dreading getting an IV, I'm a big weenie when it comes to needles. So, the nurse comes in to put the IV in and she starts trying to stick it in and I thought "Wow, that REALLY hurts." But I didn't want to say anything because I didn't want her to know I was a weenie. Finally, she says "Gee this needle is really dull, you know, every once in a while we get a bad one. That must have really hurt. I think I'll do it over again because I don't like the way it looks." Well, by this time, I am really getting light headed and am pretty sure I'm going to pass out, so she let me lay back for a while before attempting it again. The second try (with a new, sharp needle) was a success! Yea! After that was over I'm thinking it is gonna be smooth sailing from here on out, which it was. Except....as they(the van patton family) are wheeling me into the operatory there are various "medical looking" people coming in there, one of which was a young nice looking guy in scrubs, I didn't think much about him. Then the dr comes in and says "Mrs. Packard, this is Mr. So & so, he is my catheter rep. Do you mind if he watches?" Was he kidding? No he wasn't. So me, being a weenie, said "I guess." But I was thinking, "Suuuuure, in fact, why stop with him, step out in the hall and see if there are any other salesmen out there who would like to get a look at my colon, bring 'em all in, the more the merrier!" As always, I'm always thinking great stuff to say in my head that I'm too chicken to say out loud. At least I don't THINK I said it out loud, but I'm not sure, that medicine kinda scrambled things up a bit. There that's the last anyone has to hear about my colon. I hope

Things I learned this week

1) Track (the sport) blows goats.

2) Even when a sport blows goats, if your kid is participating in it, you will willingly attend said sport and cheer your fool head off like a maniac. (making a complete "jack-donkey" out of yourself in the process!!)
3) When your kid has success in a sport that you thought blew goats, suddenly, it's not so bad anymore, and the thought of standing out in the weather for hours on end to watch him participate doesn't seem to blow goats as bad as you thought it would.
4) I HATE cigarette smoke! (OK, I already knew this, but it was reaffirmed this week, during a complete allergic meltdown to said smoke) Cigarettes blow goats, but there are quite a few people that I love dearly who smoke. So...., love the people, hate the cigs.
5) Having my daughter get her hair cut into a more updated and sophisticated style that makes her look older than she really is makes me sad, even though she LOVES it.
6) We serve an awesome God (OK, already knew this too, it was just reaffirmed in a couple of ways this week!!)

Obedience and a weight lifted

In the last month or so, our church has been studying "discipleship". What it means to be a disciple, how to equip our members to be disciples etc, etc. It has affected me in a way that I can't quite put into words. I feel that I am just now, at the age of 42, beginning to realize what being a Christian means, and I feel like it is only the tip of the iceberg. I was having lunch with friends the other day, and one of them mentioned that she was trying to figure out how to apply this on a personal level. How was she going to change herself first. Which made me think about the same thing. What specifically could I do in my little sphere of influence to start down the road of discipleship? (Neighbors, school, work etc) Well, the first thing that came to mind was the fact that there is a specific action that the Holy Spirit has been prompting me to do for a couple of years now and I have completely ignored it simply because "I didn't want to". See, we have these neighbors that moved in about 3yrs ago, directly across the street from us. It was apparent from the get-go that they were from a different culture just by the way they kept their yard and the weird little decorations that they put out. Also, right after they moved in, Barrett went over there selling something for his school and when he came back home he said they didn't speak English. (but, he's been known to exaggerate OR they could have been faking so they wouldn't have to buy anything :) I'll have to remember that next time a solicitor comes to the door :) ...kidding) Anyway, it seemed like every time they were out in the yard, if we came out, they would go scuttling into the house. I wanted to say "We don't bite, you know!" All of this to say that, to say the least, there were not good vibes between us and our neighbors. Even so, every year when our church would have "Friends Day" and they would tell everyone to invite their neighbors I would feel the aforementioned Spirit prompting. But, I told myself (and God) there was no way I was going over there, they were mean and unfriendly and probably didn't even speak English. At each and every prompting (and there were many) I said "NO!" Well, then this discipleship thing comes up in addition to my BSF study where I am learning that there is no higher calling on a Christian's life than to bring the gospel to the people that don't know it. So, I finally respond to the Spirit's call and baked a batch of chocolate chip cookies and wrote out a note saying that I was sorry for being a bad neighbor, told them our names and said that if they ever needed us to pick up their paper, water their plants or whatever to just let us know and ended the note by saying "I pray God's blessings on your family." Wrapped it all up and started walking over there, the whole time praying, "OK God, is this really what you want me do? because I'm in the street now, I'm in their driveway now...." I don't know why I was so terrified but I was.Well, they weren't home, so I left the little package on the front porch. Within an hour, I kid you not, she called me to thank me for the cookies, told me their names and a little bit about them. As it turns out, she speaks perfect English, but I think they must originally be from India. We actually have quite a bit in common.She works part-time, like me. She has 2 children, like me. One of them is a 3rd grader at Woodlands and the other son is 18, disabled, and attends special ed. It was a great visit, she was so sweet. When I hung up the phone, I just collapsed on the chair crying, ashamed that it taken me so long to be obedient and receive this blessing. I could almost hear God saying "See, I told you they were nice." I felt like a huge weight had been lifted. I guess I didn't realize how much this little conflict was bothering me. I also realized that they probably felt isolated living in a different culture and having a son with a disability. I hope this is the beginning of a friendship.

I know that when you respond to the Spirit's prompting you don't always get to see immediate blessings, but in this case God did bless me immediately. I am still awestruck.