Archive: November 2004

Another month has gone by, and I'm starting to climb the wall. Not back at work yet, no more gardening, not really enough energy to go for walks yet either. At least I'll see the surgeon in two weeks and hope he will let me go back to work, at least part time.

For those interested in more info about the upcoming tests in December, see this page.

Yesterday reinforced the need for me to be patient. After delivering my breakfast to the toilet prematurely, I did some mucking in the backyard and took some bird photos.

Then just before bed time, diarrhea reared it's ugly head again. Just when I think I'm improving, a day like this happens...

Learned this week of a suicide by a 13-year old girl who went to school with the daughter of a friend. Makes one wonder why young people find this world so without hope.

November 11 is Remembrance Day in Canada. The days leading up to Remembrance Day are always a bit emotional for me, as war films and commentaries are shown on television. As most of you know, I was born in Holland, so I see this from a different perspective. During WWII, my dad was of the age to be sent to work in German war factories. Not willing to do so, he had to go into hiding and ended up in the area where I was born eventually. I remember that years after the war ended and I was born already, he would wake up screaming in the middle of the night. He and my mother are no longer alive, yet I remember them as fighting oppression. Here is a photo of him and me when I was 4 months old.

My dad was born in Renkum, west of Arnhem. Canadian soldiers played a big part in liberating that part of Holland, for which I am grateful to all those who served there and those who lost their lives in the process.

Duncan, Monica, and Alicia were over for a while today, so that brightened things up!

Eva is in the hospital with apparent neurological problem. Prognosis is that she won't make it till Christmas. Eva is a friend from way back when we took the Bethel Bible Series together. Unfortunately we lost touch years ago, and the family is restricting visits.

Jake is another friend from some 30 years ago who is having heart problems. He is waiting for his doctor to have a stint put in. Even a few minutes on the phone has him out of breath...

When I think of these and other people with problems, I thank God for His mercy. My colon cancer with the accompanying radiation, chemo, and surgery, does not seem as bad as some other people's ordeals.

Just learned that there are "laughter clubs" as alternative medicine. Laughter can boost one's immune system and help relieve stress. If you're interested, THIS should help you get started...

• Did you know there are therapeutic clowns in children's hospitals? Discovery Health Channel had a good program today.
• Did you know that children laugh 300 to 400 times a day and adults laugh only 15 times a day?
• So there you go. Reader's Digest was right. Laughter is the best medicine.

The whole family came over for supper and to help celebrate Cecile's birthday tomorrow.

Appt with Dr. Stewart (surgeon) at 1:45pm.

Everything is looking good, so he's ok with me going back to work half days at first. I don't need to consult Dr. Pedersen. The only restriction is no heavy lifting, but that's for the rest of my life (don't want a herniated stoma).

Happy Birthday to Cecile. Fifty-five years young and going strong...

I did not sleep too well, thinking about the doctor's visit later today, so I was up at 4AM already.

After seeing Dr. Stewart I dropped in at Human Resources at Northlands to do the paperwork for going back to work.  So next Monday will be my first day back at work. You can't imagine how good that feels after 10 months.

We went out for supper, not only to celebrate Cecile's birthday...

Continuing prayers are needed for friends. Jake saw his doctor today and is now on a priority list for heart surgery. Sheila is having trouble with her eyes just after starting new cancer drugs. Perhaps it's related... When you're praying, don't forget the spouses (or is that spice?).

Today was another great day, well above seasonal temperatures, and to my surprise all my snow is gone, even in the north-facing garden. I thought it would be spring before all the snow would be gone, but perhaps it's that infamous greenhouse effect.

With the prospect of going back to work next week, I figured I would do some more cooking for Cecile this week. Last night I prepared salmon, Brussels sprouts, and stuffed baked potato.

These last few days have been good. Thursday we had a management lunch to celebrate Rey's 25 years at Northlands. Very enjoyable time with my colleagues. Afterward I visited with Ed to talk about what was going to be on my plate on Monday.

I've been cooking meals while I was home these past months, and yesterday I tried a stew cooked in wine. Turned out not bad, except I added the potatoes and veggies too early. A lesson for next time.

I guess I'm mentally working up to re-enter a life of work routine the past couple of days. I've been getting up earlier, but as a result, I'm napping again after supper. That's not so bad, I think.

First Day Back in the Office. It was a bit strange being back at work, even though I've dropped in for visits before. I'm sharing an office for now with Ed and it's full of laptops. I got a laptop also, but need to get files off my old machine before I give it up...

This first day was not too bad at all. The bottom feels pretty good, but we'll see at the end of the week. Let's see if I fall asleep after supper.

Last night my back was very stiff. It's snowing a bit today, so that could be the reason, but I expect sitting too long yesterday. We'll see how things go with three meetings today.

Spoke to the insurance rep and now that I earn a partial paycheck, my benefits will obviously be lower. She was not sure if the reduction would affect the November benefits or if it would be deducted in December.

Well, I finished one week back at work. Even though it was only for half days, I found it very demanding, not just physically, but also mentally. I know it will get better over time, but I was sure glad when the weekend came.

The garden has started to dry out the last few weeks, so I watered for a few hours today. And some of my lily seeds are coming up. They're inside, of course...

An eventful (half) day at work. A sprinkler got busted and our telephone and server rooms flooded. Fire alarms went off twice. All in all, the cleanup took several hours...

Barbara, Joevan's wife, passed away today after a two-year struggle with cancer. That really saddened my heart. She was only 51 and they would have been married 30 years next month. My wholehearted condolences to Joevan and the family. May her memories always be with you and comfort you.