Kyler: AJ's words

We were able to bring Kyler home on Sunday. Kyler appears to be doing well. He was sent home because the doctors are hopeful the drug regimen that he is on will allow him to grow. He is on 4 different drugs-he has two diuretics (they are to remove extra fluid from his lungs so he can breath easier), he is on digoxen which is basically digitalis (it is to help his heart beat more efficiently-making it so less energy is used for his heart to beat), and he is on a blood pressure medication (it is to decrease the work load on his heart and to make it so less oxygenated blood returns to his lung through the hole in his heart.) He is also on fortified milk which increases his caloric intake. All of this is being done in the hope that he will have to work less to breath and survive so more energy can be put into growth. It was kind of scary when we were released the words they used to describe his condition were congestive heart failure. The doctors want him to grow so his heart has time to heal naturally. If he does not grow the next step would be heart surgery to close the hole in his heart. The doctors do not want to do that surgery because of the location of the hole (in the muscle) it would be a more difficult surgery than if it was in the membrane of the heart. Please continue to pray for Kyler's growth.

We want to thank everyone for their prayers. Knowing that Kyler has an army of prayer warriors praying for him has been a huge blessing. Thank you!

weekendish things

Orange pomander made from buttons and pins. :)

We took a nice walk Sunday afternoon.

update

Yesterday afternoon, AJ called to let me know that they were taking Kyler home. I don't think he gained quite as much as they had hoped but he is gaining. Hopefully being at home and on meds will help the little guy.

I am sure that AJ and R are pleased to be at home in their beds.

I appreciate all the prayers and concern you've shown my sister, her husband, and their little one.

I will keep you posted.

Love, M

thanks for the continued prayers, an update

I talked to AJ yesterday. She said that Kyler has gained weight but at the last feeding he threw-up and shut down. She said he shut down most of yesterday. They share the room with other patients (they seem to have a regular turn-over and have shared the room with at least four other children). Kyler gets stressed and then goes to sleep and refuses to wake up (I must admit, I know how he feels sometimes - it is a great way to avoid stress).

They've added two more medications to his diet so now he is up to five. If last evening and this morning goes/went well, they might let AJ and R take Kyler home this weekend.

There is a family area at the facility and so AJ took a shower yesterday. However, her and R are not getting a lot of sleep. They nurses wheel in a twin bed for them to sleep on at night. During the day, all they have are two folding chairs.

update on Kyler (GOOD NEWS PTL)

This is an update from my Dad this morning.

Kyler and his parents made it to the hospital at which time he showed how good his lungs are. But since he has gained only 6 oz. in 5 weeks an investigation was carried out. According to AJ last night he has a hole in the heart muscle between two chambers. The hole is in the muscle not in a valve or a opening between chambers. The doctors are rather positive that once he starts to grow this will heal (AJ had a similar heart problem and of course the poor guy has a Grandma V and a Grandpa M that don’t help matters any). So for the next two to three days Kyler will be starting a group of drug therapy with Mom and Dad being educated in administration. david

April isn't returning my calls - which is a bit saddening to me as I could go to the hospital and bring her some books or food or just comfort.

urgent prayer request

My nephew Kyler has not gained weight since birth his birth on February 20 and has a heart murmur. My Mom just called and said that AJ and R are on there way to the cities now to walk into the emergency room. Mom says they think he might need open-heart surgery.

of mirrors, telescopes, and God

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12

There are two main types of telescopes, reflectors and refractors.

Refracting telescopes focus the light through a lens that bends the light and directs it to a focal point for viewing. One primary problem with refracting scopes is that the bending of light can cause the images to be unclear if the lens is not well calibrated.

Reflecting telescopes gather light with a mirror, reflecting it before directing it to the eyepiece. The more light the mirror can grab the better the astronomer is able to see what they are trying to observe.

Why I Am Going To Expound On Mirrors And Telescopes

Jesus said: “"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12


As sinners, we live in darkness and so we need to grab all the light we can get. Fortunately, God made that easy. IF we abide in God through prayer and study of His Word we will be immersed in the light that can only be found in the Word made flesh.


It is amazing how often I forget how easy it is to fill my life with light. I forget to spend time in the Word or neglect my prayers and soon I stumble in the dark.

John Herschel, astronomer and son of the brilliant William Herschel, once observed “In the midst of so much darkness, we ought to open our eyes as wide as possible to any glimpse of light, and utilize whatever twilight may be accorded us, to make out, though but indistinctly, the forms that surround us.” (177)

Reflecting the Light

There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. Edith Wharton


But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18

But this is not so easy as it sounds. The history of mirror making is long and for hundreds and thousands of years, people have put up with imperfect images of what they look like. Today, we are more fortunate. We live in a world where beautiful, useful, and even precision mirrors exist.

Pendergrast, author of Mirror Mirror describes looking into the mirror of a giant telescope “they could gaze directly down into the mirror where the stars swam—pollen in a celestial fishpond.” (245)

Imagine seeing the heavens reflected in such glory. Imagine reflecting God so beautifully.


The telescope at the Palomar mountain observatory is a reflector. For decades, it was the premier telescope in the world, in fact, one astrophysicist suggested that people didn’t think another mirror of that quality was possible and seemed to believe that the 200 inch mirror that is the heart of the telescope was ‘produced by wizards and elves and set down on this earth.” (293)

The feeling that there was something almost mystical in the production of the Palomar mountain mirror is not surprising. It took 11 years of polishing to create the mirror, which many astronomers considered perfect. During the process 10,000 pounds of glass were removed including the top two inches of surface so that the imperfections of "scar tissue" were removed.

When considering the work it took to make the nearly perfect mirror for Palomar mountain, one learns a lesson. We have ready access to the light, but often learning how to reflect it is grueling and painful.

In Isaiah, when God talks of restoring Israel He says “And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin.” The removal of dross means be submitted to the fire and having the impurities removed.


We cannot properly reflect the glory of God until the impurities are removed and how sad our life would be if we are unwilling to be purified so that we can be used to reflect God’s glory. Tennyson writes “How dull it is to pause, to make an end, / to rust unburnish’d, not to shine in use."

I AM an instrument for His use; perhaps to bear burdens, as of pain, sorrow, or shame; perhaps to convey messages, writing, speaking, conversing; perhaps simply to reflect light, showing His mind in the commonest of all daily rounds. In only one way can I truly do anything of these; in the way of inner harmony with Him, and peace and joy in Him. Moule

At the end of the book Mirror Mirror Pendergrast writes, “Mirrors should inspire terror, wonder, and comprehension.” Obviously, Pendergrast finds mirrors awesome. So too, we should find God awesome.



Pendergrast, Mark. Mirror Mirror: A History of the Human Love Affair with Reflection. Basic Books. New York. 2003. ISBN 0-465-05470-6

answering a question

Bobbie-Jo,

You could definitely do it in Photoshop - if you are handy in the program, the manipulations will be easy for you to figure out.

I have to confess, I didn't have the nerve to try this on myself - to be honest, I am not sure I have a recent photo to use...I am a bit camera shy.

Melissa

for fun

In 1930, William E. Benton patented the 'Duality Mirror' which showed how faces looked with two perfectly symmetrical left or right halves.

His prime example was a duality of Poe - Poe's symmetrical portraits revealed a handsome man and an egg-headed man who looked disordered.

Benton claimed that it revealed that there was 'a little of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in each of us.'

one criteria

I've been busily collecting information and arguments.

I realized today that there is only one criteria for this decision or any other decision.

Is it God's will?

I have to remember that if it is His will for the upcoming season - it will not necessarily be His will in the following season.

The problem with being human is I want to make a decision that creates a long-term plan that I can walk in for the next ten years.

God doesn't work that way.

I can't help wondering what this world would be like if we all decided to agree with God and only did His will. I imagine we wouldn't recognize this planet.

I suppose that is what the second coming is all about.

The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown

adventure

It reached the mid-forties today. Beautiful and overcast (some of my favorite weather). The girls and I went for a walk down by the creek. The birds - we saw dozens upon dozens of robins...I guess we now have the promise - the promise that it will be spring and then summer soon.

braids