A Thrill of Hope the Weary World Rejoices

We are indeed a weary world today. There are few people who can hear the news from Newton and not stop and wonder at what this world has become.

I pray for those families, for the parents crying out in utter agony at the loss of a child and for the children left in a world missing a parent or a sibling--I can not imagine.

I pray that those weary and broken and hurting hearts can eventually, if not already, cry out to the Lord for only he can give them relief that no counselor or liaison or presidential statement can.

As for us, those not touched personally by this tragedy but given a whole new perspective on the evil of this world, may the weariness of the world be made known in our hearts. May this lead hearts to cry out for something more. And may this Christmastime be the conduit for healing the wounds of our hearts. May the hearts of the masses be opened to the story of a baby born in Bethlehem at a time when there was no room for him, who then grew into a sinless man who was rejected because the people had no room for him in their hearts, who then died on a cross so that those who believe(d) could be counted sinless as he and be given a relationship with the Father in Heaven. May radical conversions happen in the weary hearts of many this Christmas, Lord, may they be captivated by you and may they taste the thrill of a future spent in perfect communion with you in a healed world that never ceases to reflect your glory.

John Piper wrote "How Does Jesus Come to Newton": http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/how-does-jesus-come-to-newtown

Done and Done, then Done again.

I am done with my first 1/2 of didactic year.
I am done with exams.
I am done with surgery.

HALLELUJAH!

All went well. Exams were ok but a challenge and a constant adrenaline rush for a week. And the surgery was yesterday morning and all went well, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise because in closing the fistula between my nose and my mouth they were able to also free up a  lot of scar tissue and my upper lip, as puffy and swollen as it is, looks much better from the outside and has better range of movement! There was a little cyst something in the fistula that as the surgeon said was a "large pea, small grape size" that they sent off to pathology--I am sure it is just an epithelial cyst, but without that in my face things are going to look and feel better for sure!!

Anyway, I am laying low and enjoying Christmas now. I am getting ready to head back home to enjoy the holidays with the family--fat lip and all.

Last Christmastime Exam Week EVER

THIS, my friends, is MONUMENTAL!!!

20+ years of Christmastime exams and I am over it. These are the last and I am so glad to see this time come.

Next year I will be in clinical rotations and I will have one post-rotation exam around this time but 1 is a serious improvement!

SO, back to studying I go, focusing on the fact that these are the LAST Christmas exams and when they are done I will be OVER 1/2 way through the didactic year of PA school --- whoop whoop!!!!

I found out on Friday that I have a Bicuspid Aortic valve.

Fatigue over the past year and a half--explained.
Unusual sound heard in my neck in physical diagnosis class (the reason I got checked out)--explained.

I have a wonderful cardiologist at MUSC now and I will be seeing him for visits every year/every few years to watch my valve and to make sure that my left ventricle and aorta don't increase in size. He told me I will probably need a new aortic valve in my 50s or 60s but until then I need to live life as usual and just make sure my cholesterol stays low (exercise, watch diet, etc). Pregnancy may or may not be an issue due to increased load on the heart causing my valve to become diseased more quickly but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I cannot tell you how amazing it was to sit and watch my heart beating on a screen for 40 minutes as they did an echocardiogram, I could clearly see the 2 valve leaflets where there should have been 3, but it was beautiful!! The heart is a very cool piece of machinery and it is amazing how resilient it is. It's quite fun that I happen to be studying all this in school right now so "studying" can now also include researching the studies on prognosis, embryology, physiology, etc of my condition. Of all the heart things to have it's probably one of the best (and most common-1% of the population has it!).

The Lord is very good in all this. The heart is a miracle--human bodies are miraculous!! The Lord's design is awe-inspiring and it has made me want to fall on my face and worship Him! This whole thing puts a very new spin on Proverbs 4:23, "Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" and creates a whole new challenge in Proverbs 31:25, "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come." I had already felt a conviction to hide Proverbs 31:25 in my heart and work on my joy during uncertainty and, what-do-ya-know, the Lord had a reason!! :)


So who knows what I'll do now, maybe 2013 resolutions will include a half marathon or two for a little heart health?!?!