Today I have been to our local hospital to have laser treatment on both my eyes. My appointment was at 12:30 pm and by 1:10 pm I was at the main entrance waiting for my friend to pick me up to take me home. The reason for the treatment was the build of pressure behind the eyes. The laser treatment itself took barely a couple of minutes. How amazing that a beam of light used in a particular way can, in a one-off treatment, resolve the problem of pressure once and for all.
I have no after effects, apart from 'sticky' eyes from the drops put in beforehand so that I didn't feel anything. I feel so privileged to be living in a day of such medical expertise and in a country where it is readily available. In the west we have so much that we take for granted and feel that because we have worked then we have in some way earned it. I am just so grateful. I have so much. May God remind me of just how fortunate I am the next time I moan!
Friday, September 15, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
Major Breakthrough
To others it may not seem much but for me it was a major breakthrough. Let me explain. My sister and I take responsibility for our older brother who is becoming less able to care for himself. He always insists that he's OK and manages everything, no problem, when we know that is not true.
On Thursday when I took him shopping I had a chat with him about various issues, trying to persuade him to accept help - without much success. Friday I spent quite some time moaning at God telling him just how frustrated we were becoming not knowing just how to get through to him. Must say that just offloading my frustration helped me a lot.
Yesterday my brother came to our home for dinner. In the afternoon my son had asked me to trim his hair (I'm not a hairdresser but cut it very short all over with hair trimmers!) So I asked my brother if he wanted his hair trimmed while I had the trimmers in my hands. He agreed. Then I suggested giving him the full 'beauty treatment' and cutting his finger and toe nails. To my amazement he didn't exactly say yes but as he didn't say no I went ahead and did it. It was so obvious that he cannot bend in order to see to his feet so I suggested putting in place a regular visit from a chiropodist and he thought it a good idea! I thought that while I was on a roll I would suggest a visit from an occupational therapist to see what other aids he needed and could get to help him continue living an independent life in his own flat. Again to my great amazement he agreed.
As I say, this might not seem a big thing to many who read this but for me it was a major breakthrough. God reached his heart and mind and changed his way of thinking in a way that we were unable to do. I just wanted to share this with whoever might read it to say that with God nothing is impossible and He really does listen to our moans as well as our praise.
On Thursday when I took him shopping I had a chat with him about various issues, trying to persuade him to accept help - without much success. Friday I spent quite some time moaning at God telling him just how frustrated we were becoming not knowing just how to get through to him. Must say that just offloading my frustration helped me a lot.
Yesterday my brother came to our home for dinner. In the afternoon my son had asked me to trim his hair (I'm not a hairdresser but cut it very short all over with hair trimmers!) So I asked my brother if he wanted his hair trimmed while I had the trimmers in my hands. He agreed. Then I suggested giving him the full 'beauty treatment' and cutting his finger and toe nails. To my amazement he didn't exactly say yes but as he didn't say no I went ahead and did it. It was so obvious that he cannot bend in order to see to his feet so I suggested putting in place a regular visit from a chiropodist and he thought it a good idea! I thought that while I was on a roll I would suggest a visit from an occupational therapist to see what other aids he needed and could get to help him continue living an independent life in his own flat. Again to my great amazement he agreed.
As I say, this might not seem a big thing to many who read this but for me it was a major breakthrough. God reached his heart and mind and changed his way of thinking in a way that we were unable to do. I just wanted to share this with whoever might read it to say that with God nothing is impossible and He really does listen to our moans as well as our praise.
Saturday, September 02, 2006
Free or Fair?
Jim Wallis in his book 'God's Politics' refers to world poverty and quotes the Top-Ten Facts as highlighted by Christian Aid. They are:
1. International trade is worth $10 million a minute.
2. Poor countries account for only 0.4% of world trade. Since 1980 their share has halved.
3. The UN estimates that unfair trade rules deny poor countries $700 billion every year. Less than 0.01% of this could save the sight of 30 million people.
4. Income per person in the poorest countries in Africa has fallen by a quarter in the last 20 years.
5. The 3 richest people in the world control more wealth than all 600 million in the world's poorest countries.
6. Nearly half the world's population (2.8 billion people) lives on less than US$2 per day (and 1.2 billion on less than US$1 per day).
7. The prices of many poor countries' key exports are at a 150-year low.
8. Global trade is regulated through policies and priorities set by international institutions, including rules made at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and conditions attached to loans provided by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. These bodies are controlled by governments.
9. At the last full meeting of the WTO, the European Union had 500 negotiators and Haiti had none.
10. After the last round of trade negotiations rich countries estimated that they would gain by $141.8 billion per year and Africa would be $2.6 billion per year worse off.
Jim Wallis goes on to say that this is beyond politics. World poverty is a moral and spiritual issue. On several occasions the prophets of the Old Testament talk against the rich exploiting the poor - Isaiah 5:8, Micah 7:3, Jeremiah 5:28 to quote just a few. When Jesus talked about the reason for His coming to earth, His first words were 'the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor'. If we follow Him then we cannot detach ourselves from this problem claiming that we should not mix religion and politics. If we can successfully separate the two then maybe our 'religion' is not of Jesus.
1. International trade is worth $10 million a minute.
2. Poor countries account for only 0.4% of world trade. Since 1980 their share has halved.
3. The UN estimates that unfair trade rules deny poor countries $700 billion every year. Less than 0.01% of this could save the sight of 30 million people.
4. Income per person in the poorest countries in Africa has fallen by a quarter in the last 20 years.
5. The 3 richest people in the world control more wealth than all 600 million in the world's poorest countries.
6. Nearly half the world's population (2.8 billion people) lives on less than US$2 per day (and 1.2 billion on less than US$1 per day).
7. The prices of many poor countries' key exports are at a 150-year low.
8. Global trade is regulated through policies and priorities set by international institutions, including rules made at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and conditions attached to loans provided by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. These bodies are controlled by governments.
9. At the last full meeting of the WTO, the European Union had 500 negotiators and Haiti had none.
10. After the last round of trade negotiations rich countries estimated that they would gain by $141.8 billion per year and Africa would be $2.6 billion per year worse off.
Jim Wallis goes on to say that this is beyond politics. World poverty is a moral and spiritual issue. On several occasions the prophets of the Old Testament talk against the rich exploiting the poor - Isaiah 5:8, Micah 7:3, Jeremiah 5:28 to quote just a few. When Jesus talked about the reason for His coming to earth, His first words were 'the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor'. If we follow Him then we cannot detach ourselves from this problem claiming that we should not mix religion and politics. If we can successfully separate the two then maybe our 'religion' is not of Jesus.
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