Wednesday, November 26, 2003
MAINTAINING FRIENDSHIPS/RELATIONSHIPS
I am sad that it has been three weeks since I have posted a Blog. Let’s see---which excuse should I use? Well, I’ve been busy, traveling a lot for my company this month. Yes, that’s true. I have had a medical procedure that went somewhat wrong and distracted me with a lot of unwanted attention, pain, misery and medication. That, too, is fact. My church has been participating in the “40 Days of Purpose Campaign” which sort of concluded last Sunday. There has been a “ton” of preparation weekly for that. Well, that is also true. But what does all that have to do with my not posting a Blog? I haven’t a clue. But I guess it sounds good to me!
It isn’t that I have had nothing to Blog about. So many things have captured my attention. A partial problem is which issue shall I blog about? The homosexual issue in America and Canada has me very agitated. So much is written or said about the subject but so little is Biblically accurate and so much ignores Biblical teaching. But I haven’t been able to collect my thoughts well enough to put them in a Blog so they are more than just a “rant”. There have been enough “rants” on the subject already. In addition, our national scene is more than a little disturbing. Yes, there are so many issues.
Next week, Wednesday, December 3rd, I am having my left shoulder rotator cuff repaired—again! I had both shoulder rotator cuffs repaired in 2001. Now I have torn the left one again. How? Who knows? Probably a combination of things. The doctor thinks I did it shoveling snow. I may have done it falling backward with the push lawnmower on top of me when I was mowing a bank along the side of our house. However I did it, it is torn and due to the pain and inability to use it to full capacity, I suppose I should have it repaired again.
I hate missing work. I hate even more not being able to preach for two Sundays at my wonderful church, Countryside Christian Fellowship. But at the same time, I am glad the people at Countryside will have opportunity to hear Joel, my prayer and accountability partner, present the Word again. They love his preaching. They have been asking for him to preach for quite awhile. He is so gifted in the pulpit. So I am happy for him to have the opportunity and I am happy for the Countryside people to hear him.
I guess rotator cuff repair surgery is classified among the most painful of surgeries. For Believers reading this, I would ask for your prayers. I did well the last two times. May it be so yet one more time! May the pain be at least tolerable. May the surgeon do a good job. He is an excellent surgeon and a great guy. I have every confidence in him. I’ll have to go to a different therapist this time due to insurance issues. I hate that. My previous physical therapist was the best.
But due to the surgery and the subsequent series of therapy, it will be a little while before I am able to use the left arm/hand for typing. I’m going to push it to get back the ability to type soon because my friends are so important to me and I want to keep in touch with them by email and perhaps this Blog.
Which segues into what I intended to be the main theme of this Blog. A few days ago my friend, who has a great Internet Journal, wrote a couple of entries about the inability to maintain friendships and relationships when people move away or when one gets so busy with school, work, a significant other, or whatever the circumstance might be. What he wrote was very true, albeit very sad. It made me extremely sad to think another friendship might be lost. It seems whenever God brings a special person into my life (which has only happened rarely—maybe twice before), something happens to take it away, usually marriage. They say, “Oh, just because I’m married, it won’t make any difference in our friendship.” But it does. And when I read my friend’s journal entries regarding this subject, I was really scared God was going to allow my friendship with Tubbs to be taken away. Not because of marriage, right now, but because of his lack of time to keep up the relationship. He has since assured me not to worry about our friendship because it is secure--and I believe him because he has proven trustworthy time and again.
But now the “funny” part. I have A.O.L Instant Messenger. The day after the Journal Discussion referred to above appeared, when I brought up my computer I received this message from A.O.L.: “We are sorry but all your buddies have disappeared. They are not lost, they have just disappeared from your Buddy list. We are sorry for this occurrence. Please try again later. Perhaps they will re-appear.” (Well, they finally did but it took awhile.)
Now you have it. Coincidence? Sure. But what a funny one. At the time I become concerned (o.k. so I was actually quite upset!) about the possibility of losing one of the best friends I’ve ever had right after apparently losing absolutely the best friend I’ve ever had, due to his marriage—My entire I.M. Buddy list disappears. Is somebody trying to tell me something? Probably not, but, coming right at the time of the discussion regarding losing relationships/friendships, it sure has made me think!
Close friends are so important to me. The loss, or even the threat of losing a friend, is enough to plunge me into a dark and sad emotional state. When you have had what you thought was a great relationship with someone you dearly love and it no longer seems to exist, well, it hurts a lot. It upsets me.
Enough whining.
Jim
posted by jim 7:41 AM 0 comments
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