The Sands of Time

One day, a philosophy professor came into class, set an empty jar on his desk and filled it with golf balls. He asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook it and the pebbles filled the open spaces between the golf balls. He asked the students if the jar was full and they agreed that it was. Next The professor next picked up a cup of sand and poured it into the jar. The sand filled the spaces between the pebbles. Once again he asked the students if the jar was full. Their response, a unanimous "yes." Finally, The professor picked up a cup of coffee and poured it into the jar. Now, said the professor, the jar is your life. The golf balls are the important things; faith, family, and friends. If everything else is lost, your life would still be full. The pebbles are your health, your money, your job, your house, your toys, and your cars. The sand is everything else. If you put the sand in first, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend your time and energy on small stuff, you will never have room for the important things. One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor answered; never forget that no matter how busy you are, always take time to have a cup of coffee with a friend.

A cute story but not quite true. In his 2nd Letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul tells us God's purpose for our time spent on Earth in this physical body;

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

It is written: I believed; therefore I have spoken. With that same spirit of faith we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Val started on TPN Saturday night. We were concerned that it would go to her ascites but, praise God for answered prayers, it did not. This nutrition is delivered by IV pump 12 hours each day. I think she is doing it from 9 pm to 9 am. Please pray that God would use this to meet the doctor's goal of adding muscle mass without converting to ascites.

Val is scheduled for a PET/CT at UCSD tomorrow morning. We have been pushing for this and are very excited about seeing the results. Also, she needs to re-schedule her missed appointment with the UCSD nutritionist.

Nancy came home from San Luis Obispo last night. Thanks again to Werner and Dorothy for the transportation.

We celebrated Gavin's 6th birthday at Chuck-e-Cheese yesterday. Tyler, Val's two-year old golden curled rock star disappeared into the overhead tube maze under grandpa's watch. Like a good CIA Operative, I kept an eye on all exits. After ten minutes, about the time I was going the report the suspect MIA to his mother, his smiling face appeared at the end of a spiral tube slide. Whew! I dodged that bullet.