07.30.09
Be Ye Encouraged
This summer our pastor has been preaching through the story of Moses and it’s been quite interesting to hear the stories that have been told to me again and again as a child in Sunday School, VBS, and Christian elementary school, with a different emphasis.
For example, the sermon this past Sunday was about the first time Moses got angry with God because of the people’s whining about the food, the desert, the wandering, etc. The focus of the message was discouragement, and specifically how in the story Moses easily was discouraged by those around him. Pastor said he believes discouragement is Satan’s No. 1 weapon against believers. I had to really think about that because you don’t necessarily hear about that a lot, but perhaps that’s because of how it works. Discouragement is kinda sneaky like that.
The subject of discouragement doesn’t really relate to me that much I don’t think. I can’t recall the last time I would describe myself as “discouraged,” and according to a spiritual gifts test I took recently I may very well be an encourager. Makes sense that an encourager may not have to deal with discouragement all that often, right? But, I learned a lot about recognizing discouragement in others and then using my abilities to encourage to help get them back on track.
Moses’ path to discouragement is not that different from the modern path: You’re affected by others’ complaining. That initial discouragement leads to feeling overwhelming and focusing on self. Then, you start to blame God. In Numbers 11:14, Moses says “the burden is too heavy for me.” Well, who asked Moses to carry that burden? Let God carry it. Finally, you’re so fed up you want to quit. Moses was so fed up he told God he wanted to die. Sound familiar???
So how do we fight discouragement? First, just because you’re discouraged doesn’t mean that God is. He knows exactly where you are.
Second, talk with God and be honest. Moses was brutally honest about how he really felt.
Reestablish God as your top priority. **This one is sooo important!
Next, come up with a plan. Don’t just continue to gripe. Do something, specifically work with God to make a plan.
Obey God immediately. Don’t delay, hesitate or second-guess.
Get involved helping other people — investing in someone else takes the focus off of self.
And be prepared for the next time discouragement attacks, because it will.
Thirtysomething on DVD
Months ago I got the idea that I wanted to watch the old Thirtysomething tv shows. I can’t honestly remember what prompted it. It might have had to do with the fact that I will actually be joining the 30-something crowd later this year. Maybe a friend recommended it. Dunno.
At the time there were no Thirtysomething DVDs but Netflix allowed me to add it to my wish list and once it became available they’d add it to my queue. Well, lo and behold, tonight I was checking Netflix and Thirtysomething Season 1 is in my queue! It is being released on DVD August 25. I wonder if I’m the only Netflix person out there to already have this in my queue???
The Future of Human Space Flight
I had the awesome privilege of sitting in today at the Augustine Commission — also known as the Human Space Flight Committee — which was commissioned by the President to “conduct an independent review of ongoing U.S. human space flight plans and programs, as well as alternatives, to ensure the nation is pursuing the best trajectory for the future of human space flight – one that is safe, innovative, affordable, and sustainable.”
This was awesome for several reasons. One, I believe it’s a historical event and therefore neat to witness. It’s historical because it may play such a large role in the future. Something that I knew going into it but that was even more evident afterward is that what comes out of this commission has the potential to affect the future of the entire world. That may sound like a superfluous or overblown claim, but having been there today, it is evident that what this commission says may determine or at least impact whether or not Americans ever go back to the moon, try to go to Mars, do science on the space station, and so on. It is hard for me to convey, but yeah, those decisions can make a big difference in the world as we know it. The ironic thing is that three years ago (before coming to NASA) I couldn’t have cared less and most people in my “circles” are quite the same way. But to be there today and hear from people who do care — and care a lot — made an impression.
Today was awesome also because it makes what I do have more meaning. It’s so easy to sit in my cubicle and forget the big picture. I’ll be honest, a lot of it was over my head — discussions of metric tons and budgets and chemical v. nuclear fuels. But what wasn’t over my head was the sincerity of the people who spoke, both those who stand firmly behind NASA’s current direction and those who question it.
The director of the NASA center where I work read several statements from young people about why they believe in human space flight. One statement he read identified two reasons for human space flight: curiosity and concern for our future. Those are both very good reasons and ones I’ve heard before. And while they may accurately explain why so many are interested in space, the moon, Mars, etc., they also accurately explain how it is that I don’t feel drawn to those places. I have curiosities but they are much smaller in scope. There is so much here, on Earth — even here where I’m at, not just physical location, but just where I’m at in life — that I don’t know, that it feels as if I do not have the mental capacity to go beyond those bounds. My curiosity is limited and I’m quite content in that self-made comfort zone.
The second point — concern for our future — is another one I can’t wrap my brain around. I mean I do not wish Earth ill, but my faith plays such a strong role in that and what I believe about “end times” that it never occurred to me (before coming to NASA) for humans to try to leave Earth and start over or hide out somewhere else. If the sun explodes or a comet strikes Earth killing everyone and/or making Earth unliveable, well, that’s ok because I know where I’ll be. But who am I to say that it’s not part of the “master plan” for humans to visit or relocate to other planets? As someone once explained it to me, the desire to explore is innate to humans. What if people had never crossed the Atlantic Ocean to “discover” the Americas? The parallels between the early explorers on Earth and the desire to explore other planets is quite interesting and one I didn’t realize on my own. But yeah, they had to take everything with them and it was risky but the end result was discovering a new place for people to live. Is that the end result of space missions to other planets? I don’t know but it doesn’t seem bad to try.
07.28.09
Stop and Smell the Space Roses
A co-worker sent a link today to an MSN feature article about 10 inventions tied to NASA. Most of them I was familiar with — Tang, the space pen, materials used in swimsuits and ski boots — but I had never heard of space rose oil. Apparently, in 1998, this perfume company partnered with NASA to fly a rose plant on the space shuttle to see how microgravity would affect the plant’s oils, which are used in perfumes and other fragrance products. What they found was that the rose released an entirely new scent. Without gravity the plant oils were no longer constrained to the stem and a new scent was created.
I started this post all excited about because the space rose scent is used in the perfume “Zen” by Shiseido and I was going to order a bottle to-day! But now I’m not sure if the current “Zen” still uses the space rose note. Several news stories and blogs talked about a new Zen that came out a few years ago, and the Macy’s description of the notes used does not list “space rose.” I’ve emailed the Shiseido people to find out and will post an update if they get back to me.
07.25.09
Mastoiditis
I don’t know a whole lot of details at this point but the report from the MRI came in late Friday and apparently Finn has something called mastoiditis. I was quite shocked because that wasn’t what I was expecting to hear. Even if there was something wrong I didn’t know this condition existed much less that it could be our problem.
The nurse gave me some very basic info and wikipedia filled in the rest: mastoiditis is an infection and/or inflammation of the mastoid bone behind the ear. It’s caused by chronic ear infections or untreated ear infections. That part makes sense because Finn had lots and lots of ear infections as a baby and has had three sets of ear tubes.
So the person to treat this is his ENT (ear nose and throat doctor). The doctor who ordered the MRI is going to forward the results to that doctor and get us an appointment as soon as possible next week.
I asked if they could tell how long he had had this? Answer: no, there’s no way to age it.
I asked if the doctor thought this was what was causing his headaches? Answer: Mastoiditis can cause headaches so it’s possible.
I asked what are the treatment options? Answer: antibiotics or surgery, depending on how bad it is.
I wish I’d asked how bad it was because if not treated early enough it can definitely lead to some bad things. I’m of course concerned about what it may take to get this fixed. I’m also concerned that this might not be the cause of this headaches, which even if it’s not I’m glad we’re finding out about and can hopefully treat it before anything bad happens. It’s just that we’ve been having bad headaches for nearly a year — does that mean he’s had it for a year? If not, then what does this have to do with his headaches? I don’t know. Too many questions. Hopefully we’ll get some answers next week.
Operation Big Boy Bed: FAIL
I got the bright idea last weekend to change Caden’s daybed/crib bed into a full bed. Maybe it was the change from the baby seat to the “cabooster” seat that encouraged me to do it, or maybe the fact that he’s had trouble going to bed and to sleep lately so I thought a more comfy bed might help. Either way, while Finn was at church camp last Saturday, Caden and I borrowed PaPaw’s truck and drove into town for a box spring, mattress and a bed frame.
It turned out I didn’t need a bed frame I only needed rails to connect to a footboard and headboard. Oops! And of course we discovered this after we had already taken down the daybed. So for the last week he’s been sleeping on his new mattress on the floor until I could get back out to find rails. Several places said they would have to order them but finally Thursday I found a place that had them in stock.
So today we tried for the second time to put together the bed, but it turns out the rails are not compatible with the slats in the headboard and footboard. The pins in the headboard are two wide for the rails’ hooks. So we had to abandon the project once again, and he’s back to sleeping on the floor. I plan to call the manufacturer next week to see if they recommend a certain kind of rail that works with their product.
The good news is he does seem to be going to bed better and sleeping better. Now if we can just get the right rails to get him off the floor ….
Happy 6!
Finn’s birthday was two weeks ago but I’m just now getting around to saying something here about it. His birthday was on a Monday but we celebrated all weekend long. We had a party for his friends on Saturday, celebrated with Hubby’s family on Sunday, took a cookie cake to the daycamp on Monday, and had dinner and more cake with my family that night. A typical birthday for our family!
What wasn’t typical was that I was sick that weekend. The morning of his party I was at the walk-in clinic getting a penicillin shot because I had strep throat. When we left the house for the party my fever was 99 — by the time we got home it was 102!
It was not an easy decision to go or not go to his party. I didn’t want to miss it and didn’t want Hubby to have to do the party all on his own. I couldn’t cancel because I had no way of contacting the 20+ kids we invited. But I also didn’t want anyone else to get sick. So I went but limited my contact. The kids were way too busy playing to be around me anyway, and I had Hubby serve any food so I wasn’t touching anything the kids would touch. My own kids didn’t get sick so I can only hope that no one else’s did either.
It’s hard to believe he’s 6. As I usually do on the boys’ birthdays, I pulled out the photo album from the day Finn was born and I can still remember it so vividly. As a kid, birthdays focus only on the child, and it wasn’t until I became a mom that I realized how special children’s birthdays are to the mom. I enjoy my children’s birthdays even more than my own!
