From the Inside Out

Tonight marks the one year anniversary of my Dad’s stroke. I’m thankful for the prayers and support that we have received from family and friends during this difficult time, but looking back, it’s disheartening that things haven’t progressed the way I had hoped.

It’s painful…

It’s surreal…

I’m having trouble finding words to adequately express my feelings, so I’m sharing lyrics to a song that seems to sum up the way I’ve felt during this arduous year.

My whole world is the pain inside me
The best I can do is just get through the day
When life before is only a memory
I’ll wonder why God lets me walk through this place
And though I can’t understand why this happened
I know that I will when I look back someday
And see how you’ve brought beauty from ashes
And made me as gold purified through these flames

After all this has passed, I still will remain
After I’ve cried my last, there’ll be beauty from pain
Though it won’t be today, someday I’ll hope again
And there’ll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain

Here I am at the end of me (at the end of me)
Tryin’ to hold to what I can’t see (to what I can’t see)
I forgot how to hope
This night’s been so long
I cling to Your promise
There will be a dawn

After all this has passed, I still will remain
After I’ve cried my last, there’ll be beauty from pain
Though it won’t be today, someday I’ll hope again
And there’ll be beauty from pain
You will bring beauty from my pain

Finding a doctor can be a daunting task, filled with uncertainty and frustration. You can ask friends for recommendations, but there’s no guarantee that just because your friend likes a doctor, you will too. What if your personalities don’t mesh? What if you prefer a different bedside manner? The only way to really know a doctor is to meet the candidate in person, to try him or her out.

Finding a doctor can be like dating, or more accurately, a blind date. The problem is that, unlike a blind date, it’s much harder to quit seeing your doctor if the “first date” doesn’t go well. Relationships with doctors can be long term and difficult to end. I recently found myself in this situation. I had been referred to a doctor by my primary care physician. He was an excellent doctor, but I never truly felt comfortable with the care he gave me. I went on an extensive search for a new doctor, scouring websites and reading countless reviews. It wasn’t easy, and it took a great deal of time. Still, I wasn’t sure until our first “date” if she was going to be right for me. Luckily, she was, but that’s not always the case.

Most people don’t have the luxury of going “shopping” for doctors. It’s time consuming and expensive. Enter the solution. Texas Health Presbyterian Flower Mound is offering an innovative approach to finding a doctor. They are hosting a series of Doc Shops, where patients can meet face-to-face with doctors, outside of their offices, to find one that meets their needs. It’s like speed dating — for doctors! You get five minutes with each doctor to learn more about their practice, attitude, and personality. When the buzzer goes off, you move on to the next doctor. Wow, what a novel concept! I hope it catches on at other “Presby” hospitals.

The next Doc Shop is scheduled on April 14 in Flower Mound. To learn more, check out their website here.

I’m starting to get really excited. In May, I’ll be embarking on another overseas adventure, with a twist. Instead of the standard vacation, this trip will be a cycling excursion starting in Salzburg, Austria and ending in Prague, Czech Republic. It’s a 230-mile journey pedaling on some of the best cycling routes in Europe — away from traffic and close to nature. The trip boasts stunning views of the mountains, peaceful lakes, medieval villages, and lots of historic sites.

Each night we will stay in a different city. We’ll explore the local sites including a few castles along the way. It’s going to be amazing! It’s also a little intimidating. I’ve never pedaled that far, averaging 30-40 miles in back-to-back days — with hills. As I begin to contemplate it, I realize that I need to be training more often. The countdown has begun, and I need to get my legs in shape so I can enjoy the journey.

I’ll be participating in the Tour Dallas ride this weekend, a thirty mile ride through downtown Dallas and around White Rock Lake. And at the end of April, I’ll attempt to complete the express route of the MS 150 Sam’s Club ride from Frisco to Ft. Worth. These two rides will be great training for my trip. In addition to time on my trainer, I’m hoping to be in excellent shape by May. Wish me luck!

If you watch the moon rise just after sunset on Saturday, you will get a glimpse of the first supermoon in 18 years. A supermoon — or perigee moon — occurs when the moon is full and at its closest orbit to Earth.

During this time, the moon will appear to be enormous when it lies close to the horizon. In fact, experts state that it may appear as much as 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter. The phenomenon also pulls the tides about an inch higher than usual, but NASA denies rumors that a supermoon can fuel natural disasters.

The next supermoon won’t occur until 2029, so be sure to step outside tomorrow night and witness this spectacular optical illusion.

I took some time off last week to recuperate after a few stressful months at work. Even though I didn’t do anything exciting, it was one of the best weeks of my year — so far. It’s amazing how good you can feel when you are getting lots of sleep and you remove the stressors in your life. Getting a great massage didn’t hurt either.

On Wednesday night, I flew to Austin for a social media summit. It was a business trip, but instead of working the event, I was an attendee. It was a nice change of pace even though I was a little disappointed at the depth of the content. The bottom line is that I didn’t learn much. I also had to leave before South by Southwest (SXSW), which was another disappointment. Maybe next year, I’ll just attend the SXSW interactive event instead. One highlight of the trip was my stay in the new W hotel in downtown Austin. The W is my favorite hotel chain so it’s always fun to stay in a new one.

My view from the Social Media Summit, and the buildings of downtown Austin

The design of the W Austin — way cooler than the picture depicts

And, finally…charging stations for smartphones and iPhone/iPad ports for the stereo. Love it!

The pet section of the Room Service Menu. Yes, dogs get hungry too!

By Friday, I was on vacation again. I celebrated with one of my favorite hobbies, shopping (yes, it’s shallow, but I love it anyway). I also got back on my bike again for an indoor test ride. After spraining my foot and ankle in Orlando, I was very cautious. I didn’t ride for long, and I’ve been slowly increasing my activity since that time. So far, so good…maybe I’ll be able to ride in the MS 150 after all.

Over the weekend, our church moved forward in the search for a new pastor. One of the first candidates came to minister in our morning service. We have a variety of candidates scheduled to visit and preach in the coming weeks, including our current assistant pastor. It will be an arduous process, and we are believing that God will reveal His plan to us as we interview the candidates. Keep us in your prayers. The best is yet to come!

Speaking of prayer, I learned yesterday that a friend from our church lost her 19 year old daughter in a senseless head-on collision. The other driver was at fault, just prior to the accident he was driving recklessly and weaving in/out of traffic. It’s such a waste. Her daughter was a gorgeous young woman with a zest for life. She had a bright future ahead of her, but because of the carelessness of another individual, her life was snuffed out way too soon. I am comforted by the fact that she is now in heaven with a loving Savior, but I am heart broken for her family. My thoughts and prayers have lingered on them today. They will never understand why, but I pray that God will wrap His loving arms around them and eventually heal their pain.

One thing is certain, an event like that really makes you evaluate life. It’s too short. It’s not guaranteed. Take the time to enjoy it. Never miss an opportunity to tell those you love how you feel about them. Life changes in a heartbeat. Savor it. Live fully, love deeply, and don’t leave with any regrets.