Good Day, Friends and Neighbors. . . .

A week till Christmas Day!  I am on break. . . from classes and campus, home on The Dunes.  I am taking a break from reading "term papers". . .remember those?
Some of them are quite good. . . and rewarding for the prof. . .hehe. . . I think they are quite acceptable.

This year has gone by  rather quickly, but in a "long sort of way". . . a lot of "same ole same ole. . ."  I will give you a brief resume.  A year ago my doctors were considering putting me on dialysis four days a week. . . Ouch.  According to "the famous books" I was a prime candidate since all the numbers from the various blood works and probing said so. . ." four days a week" connected to a cleansing machine. My disease level was serious, a "three"  etc.

However, my nephrologist and also the head of the nephrology department at the University Hospital disagreed.  He said "I do more than read the books; I read the patient.  You don't look like you are ready for that yet. . . I want to try some meds with you."  So we did.

The long and short of it. . . within two months the numbers began to improve. By the first of May the blood clot in my heart had "disappeared". . .gone. . .no trace.
Then I celebrated American Independence Day hospitalized for five days with pneumonia!  In the middle of the summer.  I hear I said some silly/strange things when I was filled with anti-biotics.  The staff didn't tell me what I had said; my friends were kind: they hinted!

A doctor was reading my chart and he read a notation from the middle-of-the- night staff.  Patient needed to urinate. Nurse brought him a urinal and stood there waiting. . .I wasn't allowed out of bed.  Well, of course I suffer from "stage fright" and nothing was forthcoming.  [LOL]  Nurse told me to hurry up. I yelled at her. . .I sort of remember this part:  "Get the hell out of here so I can pee!"
She did. . . .and I did.  ho ho ho..

Anyway in the past months my blood=test numbers are all acceptable. . . .except for uric acid: that is low. Not good.  But with all the rest of the test I have reached a good and balanced level. . .a very respectable level that we want to maintain.  My kidney and my heart men are quite satisfied, pleased.

Finally I can say I feel pretty good.  Still tire easily.  Must watch my diet. . what and how much, etc.  I keep daily records .. .weight, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen workings, etc morning and evening.  One of my buddies in biostatistics keeps/prepare a regular record, graphs and charts.  My doctor just needs to look at the graph and he can tell how I am doing. . . And, happy, to share:  I am doing very well.

The comment was made: you are/ we are correcting your condition. . .it is working well.  My kidney doc explained it like this. . . this is the result of the happy marriage of faith-prayer and modern medicine.  "I believe. We all asked. I accepted the healing. "  So I keep on believing, asking and accepting. . .I continue on our program. . one day at a time.

I have been teaching one section of intro-psych three days a week this past semester.  The program director has been most cooperative and accommodating.
I put in a nuber of hours, available at the clinic.  This is a comfortable schedule right now.

A lot of this is repetitious; sorry about that.  I guess I get carried away with all this.  It is a new and exciting period in my life and one way to show my gratitude is to tell you. . THANK YOU.

I wish you all Happy Holidays. . .Given the conditions in our world and our times we have very much to be grateful for. . . .ultimately if we treat other people the way we want to be treated things would be a lot easier. . .for ALL of US.

May your hearts be merry and bright. . . .forget the white-stuff. . .LOL

love and hugs,
  Justin

Something with your morning cuppa. . . .;-))

Senator to Pope Francis: Reprimand Anti-Gay Cardinal

Senator Dick Durbin

A U.S. senator has asked Pope Francis to reprimand an anti-gay cardinal who has repeatedly attacked a gay ambassador.
Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois wrote a letter to the pontiff regarding the Dominican Republic’s Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodriguez. The cardinal has made repeated remarks against U.S. Ambassador James Brewster. Durbin explained:

“Even before Ambassador Brewster’s arrival in Santo Domingo [capital of the Dominican Republic] in 2013, Cardinal Rodriguez launched a personal attack against him with public statements quoted in the popular press.  The Cardinal used the hateful slur ‘faggot,’ which he continues to use to this day.  In a recent interview Cardinal Rodriguez again described the Ambassador as a ‘faggot’ and falsely claimed the Ambassador was setting out to promote ‘faggotry’ in the Dominican Republic.  The Cardinal described the Ambassador as a ‘wife’ who ‘should stick to housework.’ “

The senator, who described Brewster as a “personal friend,” also noted the protests against the ambassador organized by officials in the Dominican Republic’s Catholic hierarchy. Durbin said all of this was “inconsistent with that clearly stated value” in church teaching to respect people of all sexual orientations. He concluded:

“Since your selection as Pope, you have shared a message of compassion, tolerance, and love.  I remember distinctly when you spoke to us at the joint session of Congress in September and reminded us of our responsibility to ‘defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good.’
“I accept that challenge and I am calling on you to ask nothing less of the hierarchy of the Church.”

Durbin, who is Catholic, challenges Pope Francis to enact more concretely the welcoming and merciful tone set out by the pontiff. While Francis is emphasizing decentralization and synodality, the situation with Cardinal López is severe enough to warrant intervention. Pope Francis should seriously consider Senator Durbin’s letter in light of the Year of Mercy.
Cardinal López’s resignation–or at the very least a strong public apology–would be a good start to the New Year. The cardinal is 79 years old,  four years past submitting a resignation letter to the Vatican which has not yet accepted the resignation.  An immediate acceptance would remove him from public spotlight in the Dominican Republic, and it would end the unwarranted and homophobic attacks endured by Ambassador Brewster and his husband.
–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

Well-Stated Catholic Theology - - for the Universal Church - re: GLBTQ people

Archbishop Cupich: Respect Lesbian and Gay People’s Consciences

Archbishop Blase Cupich

Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago again defended the primacy of conscience regarding lesbian and gay people in an interview in which he also spoke against those who seek to deny Communion to certain Catholics.
Cupich was interviewed by Alan Kreshesky of ABC 7, and he touched on October’s Synod on the Family. Asked about the pastoral care of same-gender couples, the archbishop replied:

“When people who are in good conscience, working with a spiritual director, come to a decision that they need to follow that conscience. That’s the teaching of the church. So in the case of people receiving Communion in situations that are irregular, that also applies.
“The question then was, ‘Does that apply to gay people?’ My answer was, ‘They’re human beings, too.’ They have a conscience. They have to follow their conscience. They have to be able to have a formed conscience, understand the teaching of the church, and work with a spiritual director and come to those decisions. And we have to respect that.”

These remarks build upon his work at the Synod, during which he told Bondings 2.0 that the proceedings would have benefited from listening to lesbian and gay couples. In the past year, he also said that the church must seek “new avenues and creativity when it comes to accompanying families,” and he endorsed legal protections for families headed by same-gender couples in 2014.
Questioned specifically about denying Communion to lesbian and gay people, Cupich responded:

“I think that when people come for Communion, it’s not up to any minister who’s distributing the Eucharist to make a decision about a person’s worthiness or lack of worthiness. That’s on the conscience of those individuals [receiving communion].”

Cupich’s approach is opposite to the one taken recently by Newark’s Archbishop John Myers, directed his priests not to give communion to lesbian and gay couples who have legally married. Cupich is increasingly critical of this nation’s bishops in general, on display most recently during the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ fall meeting.
Archbishop Cupich’s words are certainly strong ones in support of LGBT Catholics and their families, but his defense of conscience is undercut by the Archdiocese of Chicago’s harsh ecclesial reality. Two church workers, Sandor Demkovich and Colin Collette, have lost their jobs for making conscience decisions to themselves to a same-gender partner in legal marriages. The Archdiocese denies discrimination in these cases, and Cupich himself has remained quiet.
Advocating respect for Catholics’ conscience, particularly when the faithful dissent from the bishops’ teachings, is greatly needed in our church. That message is far more powerful when advocates live according to the values about which they advocate.
–Bob Shine, New Ways Ministry

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