IN TRAINING

People ask "why do you put up with the things you do?" I hear other comments like, I don't know how you do it. If you really stop to consider it, the fact is that every person on this earth has some sort of "ball and chain" to pull along in life. Let's call it a burden to bear. It all makes perfect sense to me. When runners are training for a marathon or race, they put weights on their ankles. When baseball players practice swinging the bat they have a weight on the end of the bat. When it's time to "show your stuff" the weights are removed and the running and swinging of the bat suddenly become easy and unhindered.

It is the same with the burdens and trials of this life. They are only "practice helps" to give us more strength and endurance. Once these burdens and trials are lifted from us, whether that is in this life or in eternal life, we will literally be able to fly with the heavy burden gone. There will be nothing to hold us down. We will soar like eagles, never growing weary, never fainting.

If we can change our attitude about our "burden(s)" and look at them as "practice gear" for our future, we will not have to ask "How can you live with this or that?"

Romans 8:18-21

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed, For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (NIV)

TOO MUCH SUN

I've always been a lover of the warmth of the sun. As a fair skinned blonde with green eyes (the most senstive eye color to light) I've always been envious of the darker skinned, brunettes with creamy smooth skin. I would spend many hours in the sun, mostly enough to get pink, let it turn, then go out the next day or so for more pink. In time I was able to spend more hours in the sun without burning and was able to get a golden tan.

My sun exposure was not without some bad burns along the way. I fell asleep in the sun on several occasions. I stayed on the east coast beach in South Carolina and didn't notice I was burning because the cool breeze was constant coming from the ocean.

After 40 years of sunning, mostly outdoors in direct sunlight and a couple of years of tanning beds, my body is beginning to tell on my unhealthy practice of not using sunscreen. My dad and my sister have had several skin cancers removed and I am twice as fair as they are. I have been fortunate!

I have regular annual dermatology check ups. So far I have had several sun damage keratoses frozen along with some benign moles and warts. This year I mentioned to my dermatologist that I had large rough patches on my upper chest. None which could be seen by just looking at it. He told me that it was all sun damage (AKs they are called)


What are actinic keratoses (AKs)?
AKs are precancerous patches — or lesions — of skin. They appear on parts of the body exposed to the sun. This includes the face, scalp, arms, or hands. They can look rough, dry, or scaly. They range in color from tan to pink to skin-toned.




Who can get AKs?
Sunlight damages your skin. Over time, this damage may lead to AKs. Anyone can get AKs, but fair-skinned people are most affected. Long-term sun exposure increases the chances of getting AKs. In fact, more than half of older, fair-skinned people who have lived in hot, sunny areas have AKs.


Can AKs turn into skin cancer?
Yes. Reports suggest that up to 20% of AK lesions may transform into a skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).* In turn, this type of cancer can spread to deeper tissue. This is why it’s so important to treat AKs seriously and as early as possible.


What are AK treatment options?
There are many options. Only your doctor can determine the appropriate therapeutic option for you. Your doctor can prescribe topical creams like Carac® to treat AKs. Other procedures, such as freezing the lesion with liquid nitrogen, are another option.

My dermatologist told me I needed an aggressive treatment for this whole upper chest area or we would be freezing off several AK's a year. It would be easier to get rid of all the AK cells with a topical treatment called CARAC. This is a prescription cream that is applied sparingly once a day for 30 days. Here is the website to find out more about CARAC: http://www.carac.info/default.aspx

I am 18 days into the treatment. I have to say it has been quite uncomfortable and truly unsightly. I have to wear high neck tops to avoid people going "ewww" or "What is that?" I can't complain, after I did bring this on myself. And I have to say this isn't nearly as bad as having to be treated for the dangerous skin cancer. Below is a picture of what this cream does during the treatment. Trust me, his face looks better during the treatment than my chest does.

I wanted to share this experience so that those of you who have been as foolish and careless as I have been can be informed and aware.

1. Wear sunscreen at least 15 spf

2. Have annual skin exams by a dermatologist

3. If you have any blemish or spot on your body that you can't identify or you are concerned about, call your doctor.

THE CLIMB

I found this on one of my followers' blog. I thought it was inspiring and encouraging for someone who is struggling with life and feels there is no hope.

The Climb
(written by J. Alexander and J. Mabe) Sung by Miley Cyrus

I can almost see it

That dream I'm Dreaming

But there's a voice inside my head saying

"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking

Every move I make feels

Lost with no direction

My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying

Gotta keep my head held up high

There's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna wanna make it move

Alway gonna be an uphill battle

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing

The chances I'm taking

Sometimes might knock me down

But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it

But these are the moments that

I'm gonna remember the most, yeah

Just gotta keep going

And I, got to be strong

Just keep pushing on

'Cause there's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna want to make it move

Always gonna be an uphill battle

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb, yeah

There's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be an uphill battle

Somebody's gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb, yeah

Keep on moving, keep climbing

Keep the faith, baby

It's all about, it's all about the climb

Keep the faith, keep your faith whoa.

MISQUOTING THE BIBLE

How many times have we heard this saying: God helps those who help themselves? How many of us have come to believe that this is an actual quote from the Holy Bible? The truth is, it is not a scripture and it is no where to be found in the Bible. It is acutally contrary to Biblical teaching.

The quote orginated in the 1700's by none other than Benjamin Franklin. His thinking was somewhat on the humanistic side, that we will succeed on our own if we put out the effort. Perhaps with a little back up from God.

The Bible teaches that God's grace and mercy is extended because we can't help ourselves. It states that true religion is to help the orphan and widow (James 1:27). Who could be less capable of helping themselves than the orphan and the widow? The Bible also speaks of helping the down and out (Matthew 25:34-40).

Some may ask about 2 Thessalonians 3:10 (...."If a man will not work, he shall not eat." NIV). This is totally unrelated to helping. This is a direct reference to laziness.

There is much that can be said about this. If you have something to add, or a pertinent comment, please share. If you believe this quote is in the Bible and can give me a scripture reference, please do so.

God Bless, Dr. Bobbi

CREDIT CARD FRAUD

I was sitting at my computer last night and an email came through the same time my phone rang. Both messages from my credit card bank. They had detected suspicious activity. I talked with a representative on the phone who gave me the charge that was in question. Sure enough, it was a fraud. The charge was listed as being made to 247nethelp.com. I looked that site up. What a scam! It is so frustrating to try and shop on line at a site you have used over and over, has the "https" that is supposed to show us its safe and then this happens.

Here we go again. Our credit card is cancelled again and we have to wait for new cards. We are going to take advantage of a free program with our bank called ShopSafe. Each time you make an online purchase, we will be given a new number that is tied to our credit card but only the bank knows that.

If this happens again, my shopping will be by phone to the company instead of by internet. What a hassle!

A CONTINUATION VS NEW START

I'm sitting at the threshold of a new year. I look back over the last year and see a mixture of good and bad. I think the year 2009 was a year of trouble and forced learning for me. It was a year of extremes in several areas of my life. Along with those extremes came loss and depression. But in contrast, there also came joy and hope. The thing that strikes me most interesting is that those things that resulted in loss and depression caused me to really examine my life, who I really am, what I really want, what I really stand for, what my priorities really are. I was able to find the answers to those things through deep introspection and prayer to God to search me and reveal to me my real self. I did not like what I saw. It was at that point that I had to do something to change me. In doing so, I brought much opposition, ridicule, and stress on myself. That's not a very pleasant thing, but it was more than tolerable because I was able to get my life in line with God and He wiped my conscience clean. There isn't anything that will bring peace to the soul than having a clean conscience. The joys brought to me in the past year are a new grandson, Sawyer, and the news that I have a new grandchild coming in July 2010. It reaffirms to me that life goes on. I can choose to go forward with optimism or live with regret. I choose the former. For the coming year I choose to continue growing spiritually, to reinforce my commitment to my marriage and seek to be a better wife, to spend more time with my children, and to be more a part of the world around me. These aren't New Year's resolutions, these are continuations of where my life has come to this point. I have recognized them and verbalized them and I am commited to them. My New Year's resolution is to get started back into exercise and improve my physical health. Happy New Year to you all.

God bless, Bobbi

IRONY STRIKES AGAIN

I'm not sure if you are familiar with the O. Henry story of the Gift of the Magi. It is an interesting, heart stirring, and sad irony about a two people who want to express their love. All the man had was a special gold watch. All the woman had was her beautifiul long hair. They searched for a way to get a gift to show their love for each other but they had nothing with which to buy a gift. The man decided he would sell his only possession, his watch, and buy the woman a comb for her hair. The woman, not knowing his decision, decided to have her hair cut off to sell so she could buy him a very nice chain for his watch.

You can read the entire story here:

http://www.auburn.edu/~vestmon/Gift_of_the_Magi.html

There was another couple, a husband and a wife. They had come to a place in their lives where they both made personal decisions about how they wanted their life to be, but did not know the other was making a decision. After a period of time, the couple had been making an effort to live out their decision and there was a significant amount of tension in the air. One day, the husband said to the wife, "I have decided that I am going to say exactly what is on my mind and I don't care who likes it or not. I am bitter and I hate the world." The wife said, "I, too, have made a decision, that is to simplify my life and have as much peace as I can find."

That's what you call a irony!!!!