Saint Nick, we need you! Stat!

While reading an Althouse post about atheist, drunkard, nun-hating Christopher Hitchens railing against Christmas:

http://althouse.blogspot.com/2009/12/our-favorite-atheist-christopher.html

I saw that St Nick was referred to as mythical.

No, he was real. He was a wealthy nobleman who gave up his social position, gave all his money to the poor, and became a beloved bishop. He is revered in both the East and the West.

Where does the idea of gifts in stockings come from?

Bishop Nicholas would leave money in the stockings (as in laundry hanging out to dry) of poor families, so they wouldn't have to sell their daughters into prostitution.

OK, so that's not small-child friendly as a Christmas story...we'll stick with the nineteenth century department store version of Santa Claus until the kiddies are mature enough to understand.

But what really resonates with me is how the Real Saint Nick resonates with some news stories of 2009.

1. Two young people pose 'under cover' as a pimp and whore and visit ACORN offices and get advice on how to set up brothels and count underage stolen girls from other countries who will work as prostitutes as daughters to get the tax deduction. These ACORN workers care not a whit about 13 year old girls kidnapped into a life of forced prostitution. They are eager to help the pimp keep his pimp hand shtrong.

2. Tiger Woods is a relationship tease who uses promises and money to string along a collection of aging porn stars, escorts, cocktail waitresses, and party hostesses, women who made apparently sane choices to maximize the utility of their youth and beauty but who are rapidly approaching their "Use By" date. What kind of sexual abuse, drug and alcohol problems, bad boyfriends are behind the lives of these sad women? If only a Saint Nicholas could have intervened in their lives to save them from the sad, pitiful loserhood they are rapidly approaching. Did you see the stretch marks and the varicose capillaries in the baseball breasts of that one porn star? Aging sucks, doesn't it, ladies?

3. Teens are getting in trouble, being charged with distribution of child pornography, and committing suicide over sexting gone wild. When did it become so socially acceptable to act like a whore?

Saint Nicholas, pray for us.
Saint Mary Magdalene*, pray for us.
Jesus, healer of hearts, save us.

* Yes I agree she gets a bad rap. Traditional patronal attribution being invoked here. Focus on the tears and the hair and the sorrow and the love, not any alleged sins of hers.

Can you imagine a Poverello bishop who can save lives and redeem women for their dignity? In this day and age? No, I think we're de facto way too post-Christian.

I am going to see John Mayer with Special Guest Michael Franti & Spearhead at the Freedom Hall. Anyone care to join me? Here is my event info: sec: 232, row: P, seats: 103

I am going to see John Mayer with Special Guest Michael Franti & Spearhead at the Freedom Hall. Anyone care to join me? Here is my event info: sec: 232, row: P, seats: 103

Last week of radiation!

Haven't done a medical report in a while.

This is the last week of radiation and bralessness! Woo hoo!

And that's it. Treatment done. Only have followup appointments, scans, tests in the future (tba).

I will assume my treatment is effective until told otherwise. Even if there's something lurking, well, there's already something lurking--a low, stable thyroid cancer cell count in my bloodstream--so I'm thinking of cancer as a chronic condition.

My hair is regrowing but still very short. I have more eyebrow back and it's less gappy/bald. I had clear skin during chemo, but my fast-growing cells including skin and oil glands are waking up, so I have that mild persistent little-bumps adult acne again. Pooh. I was hoping to keep the peaches and cream complexion.

Radiation makes me tired, and that might last a while, but I'll do my best to perk up and fight my way out of it. Life's too precious to feel crappy.

God is good...He has been with me through it all.

Bible Reading Plan for Lent: A Prophetic Lent

Catholics (heck, all Christians!), fire up your Bibles! Let's read the prophets for Lent. Let's build up the anticipation of the fulfillment of all God's promises, the New Covenant, the perfect pure sacrifice that is offered from dawn to dusk (so that from east to west a perfect offering may be made in Your Name...ring a bell?--from Mass); there's gold in them thar pages.

From Presentation Ministries

As we imitate Jesus' 40-day fast and prepare to renew our baptismal promises on Easter Sunday, the Lord calls us to intensify our reading of His word. In this Lent, I invite you to ask for and accept the grace to read through all the prophets of the Old Testament except Isaiah. (We encourage you to read the prophet, Isaiah, during Advent). The following arrangement will help you. As you read the Lord's prophetic word, you will repent deeply and have the springtime of your life in the Spirit.

Ash Wednesday		Jeremiah 1:1—4:31
Thurs. after Ash Wed.		Jer. 5:1—8:23
Fri. after Ash Wed.		Jer. 9:1—12:17
Sat. after Ash Wed.		Jer. 13:1—16:21
First Sunday of Lent		Jer. 17:1—20:18
Mon. of 1st week of Lent		Jer. 21:1—24:10
Tues. of 1st week of Lent		Jer. 25:1—29:23
Wed. of 1st week of Lent		Jer. 29:24—33:26
Thurs. of 1st week of Lent		Jer. 34:1—37:21
Fri. of 1st week of Lent		Jer. 38:1—45:5
Sat. of 1st week of Lent		Jer. 46:1—49:39
Second Sunday of Lent		Jer. 50:1—52:34
Mon. of 2nd week of Lent		Lamentations
Tues. of 2nd week of Lent		Baruch
Wed. of 2nd week of Lent		Ezekiel 1:1—6:14
Thurs. of 2nd week of Lent		Ez. 7:1—12:28
Fri. of 2nd week of Lent		Ez. 13:1—17:24
Sat. of 2nd week of Lent		Ez. 18:1—21:37
Third Sunday of Lent		Ez. 22:1—24:27
Mon. of 3rd week of Lent		Ez. 25:1—29:16
Tues. of 3rd week of Lent		Ez. 29:17—32:32
Wed. of 3rd week of Lent		Ez. 33:1—37:28
Thurs. of 3rd week of Lent		Ez. 38:1—42:20
Fri. of 3rd week of Lent		Ez. 43:1—45:25
Sat. of 3rd week of Lent		Ez. 46:1—48:35
Fourth Sunday of Lent		Daniel 1:1—3:97
Mon. of 4th week of Lent		Dn. 3:98—6:29
Tues. of 4th week of Lent		Dn. 7:1—9:27
Wed. of 4th week of Lent		Dn. 10:1—12:13
Thurs. of 4th week of Lent		Dn. 13:1—14:42
Fri. of 4th week of Lent		Hosea 1:1—4:19
Sat. of 4th week of Lent		Hos. 5:1—9:9
Fifth Sunday of Lent		Hos. 9-10—14:10
Mon. of 5th week of Lent		Joel
Tues. of 5th week of Lent		Amos 1:1-5, 6, 8-9
Wed. of 5th week of Lent		Amos 5:7, 10—9:15
Thurs. of 5th week of Lent		Obadiah, Jonah
Fri. of 5th week of Lent		Micah 1:1—3:12
Sat. of 5th week of Lent		Mi. 4:1—7:20
Palm (Passion) Sunday		Zechariah 1:1—5:11
Mon. of Holy Week		Zech. 6:1—11:3
Tues. of Holy Week		Zech. 11-4—14:21
Wed. of Holy Week		Malachi

Your Christmas Present: The Psalms

This is a Bible Reading Plan for the Christmas Season...because remember, Christmas is more than a day! Leave your tree and decorations up through the Epiphany (Jan. 6) and read with me. I am finishing up the last couple of chapters of the Isaiah Advent reading plan today (fell a little behind!) and am starting the Psalms plan.

"The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." John 1:14

The Christmas season is a celebration of God's word. Christmas is the perfect time to intensify our reading of the Scriptures. In this Christmas season, I invite you to ask for and accept the grace to read the Psalms in the following 15-day format. In the Catholic community, 15 days is the briefest possible Christmas season. As you read and pray the Psalms, you will have the Christmas the Lord wants you to have and begin this new year with your eyes fixed on Jesus.

Day 1	Psalms 1 — 10
Day 2	Psalms 11 — 21
Day 3	Psalms 22 — 31
Day 4	Psalms 32 — 41
Day 5	Psalms 42 — 51
Day 6	Psalms 52 — 61
Day 7	Psalms 62 — 72
Day 8	Psalms 73 — 79
Day 9	Psalms 80 — 89
Day 10	Psalms 90 — 100
Day 11	Psalms 101 — 106
Day 12	Psalms 107 — 119
Day 13	Psalms 120 — 134
Day 14	Psalms 135 — 145
Day 15	Psalms 146 — 150

http://www.presentationministries.com/brochures/ChristmasPsalms.asp

Christmas Day

I woke up at 6:30 a.m. and took my meds and decided to try and sleep some more because it was too early and still dark out! I fell asleep too early last night.

Got out of bed at 7:30 a.m. and made tea in my new Spode Christmas Tree teapot/cup set (recent gift from my brother-in-law)...and arranged the presents on the dining room table for a pic. (I don't have room enough for a tree.)



Then I took my time and enjoyed my tea, coffee, and orange-cinnamon sweet rolls for breakfast, while opening gifts. The music I had on was upbeat and triumphant, the Robert Shaw Chorale's Many Moods of Christmas. It's music my family had when I was growing up. It really alternates between upbeat/loud/zippy and quiet/reflective, quite suddenly...so we joke that it's the Bipolar Moods of Christmas. heh heh heh

Then I took a pic of all my loot! The sun had come up by then, so it's not a great pic, too much sun in the background...but still an OK pic I think.


Here's the loot report:
Book - All I Need To Know I Learned From My Cat
Book - The Apostles, by Pope Benedict XVI
Book - Index Funds, a 12-Step Program for Active Investors, by Mark Hebner
CD - Christmas Songs by Diana Krall
CD - Caledonian Muse, Scottish Country Dance Music by Terpsichore
The aforementioned Spode Christmas Tree teapot/cup set
Gold-speckled brown art glass earrings
Musically tuned wind chimes
Martha Stewart winter village patterned quilted throw
British goodies--tea (Tetley, PG Tips), biscuits (cookies--Hob Nobs, Ginger Nuts, Digestives), Battenberg cakes, a Christmas cracker
Caribou Coffee
Book bungee
Fizzy bath melt
candy canes, Ghirardhelli chocolate squares, green tea mints, sweet-sesame coated cashews
Jingle bells
Assorted homemade cookies and candies, tin of fancy filled dessert cookies
Wifebeater tank tops (seems weird, I know, but I need them shortly)
A really nice letter from my brother-in-law, will cherish forever
A nice check from Dad...going into savings

In the foreground of the "after" pic, you'll see a cup and saucer and the plate the rolls are on, this is the Lenox Holiday pattern--I bought myself a place setting of it last year, because I've always liked it. I like the Spode Christmas Tree pattern too; my sister has a vast collection of it and it's always fun to drag it out and use it every year, for the whole season.

So...although I'm bummed out about not being with family this year...I made myself an enjoyable Christmas morning, and I'm making the best of it.

Through the years, we all will be together
If the fates allow...
I'll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams.

Happy Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, everyone! He has come, according to the words of the prophets and the promises of God, and He has brought the ultimate Gift--Himself, Emmanuel, God with us, restoring us all into God's favor, and we are sons and daughters of the King. Hallelujah! Glorify Him!

Last chemo!

Yesterday was my last chemo. Uneventful, thankfully. If I can make it through this last round of gatrointestinal distress, halle-freakin-lujah, that should be it.

Today is my last Neulasta injection and related round of bone pain. Yeay!

I will still be going to the cancer center on Mondays through early February or early July for weekly biological treatment (Herceptin, for HER2/neu+ BrCa). That's fine, whatever it takes.

The hospital has a new policy, all scrubs-wearing employees have to wear BLACK scrubs! Good Lord, that's so funereal. The cancer center nurses wear bright jackets over the black scrubs to make it look less like a funeral parlor.

I have a final visit with the oncologist next week, and then she hands me off to the radiologist. I hope to get my pre-treatment consults and tattooing done during my holiday break, so I can start treatment right away Jan. 2. That will be 30-35 treatments, every weekday, with possible breaks to let burnt skin heal up. (Mid February if 30 treatments without a break.) However, my radiation won't be near my guts, so I don't expect to have any digestive issues on a regular basis.

I have recently lost my lower eyelashes, but I am not dark-haired so it's not that obvious. I am having some regrowth of my head-hair and a few eyebrow hairs. Let the regrowth begin! I've also been getting really dark purple bags under my eyes. Last Friday I wore a beautiful purple suit dress to work (graduation ceremonies), with a really beautiful purple patterned headscarf and amethyst jewelry...joked around that I decided to wear purple to match my dark circles. heh heh heh

Hey, I'm not whining, just updating my treatment report. Except for occasional issues, it hasn't been as bad as I feared. I just keep plugging away at it. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can "drink poison" (take chemo) and not die. Jesus is the Healer but he delegates a lot of the work, and I appreciate my doctors, nurses, radiologists, pathologist, imaging technicians, etc., everyone who has been a part of my health care team. God bless you.

Well, I'm tired, and I gotta go get that last Neulasta injection and run some errands. Have some posts in mind about Christmas music. Stay tuned.