Shingles

Tim has been diagnosed with Shingles. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox and can occur in adulthood in those that had chicken pox as children. It is the second eruption of the virus and it may have lain dormant in the nervous system for years after having the disease. It usually occurs in senior citizens after age 5o when there is a weakening of the immune system. There is a vaccination for shingles but you have to be 60 to get it. Sometimes younger people get shingles but that usually happens after some health crisis that seriously weakens their immune system or stresses their nervous system such as in auto-immune diseases like HIV or something.

Shingles occurs on only one side of the body and starts in the nervous system. It often occurs as a band around the middle from stomach to back, which is like Tim's which is one spot front and one spot back. It can occur on other parts of the body and can leave scars. This root beginning often means there is a great deal of pain and the area of breakout can be extremely sensitive to touch or even slight breezes or clothing for months or even years after the break out is healed. So far Tim has not been experiencing any pain.

Shingles is only contagious to people that have not had chicken pox, such as babies and young children, and then they get chicken pox, not shingles. The doctor prescribed some anti-viral pills for Tim. Just a few pills cost $140.00. Fortunately our insurance through BYU-H plus Champus Tri-care through the military covered the cost. It is amazing how expensive medications are these days.

No More Beach Baptisms

According to Elder Whiting our Area Authority there will no longer be baptisms performed on the beaches of Hawaii. This truly Hawaiian tradition has had a few problems. The priesthood brethren that act as witnesses don't really like to get their feet wet so they often don't walk out into the waves far enough to really see if the ordinance is completely accurate in its' performance.

Another problem has been that even though baptisms are held at very early hours there is still often a cute bikini clad young woman or swim suited macho guy running or swimming in the area affecting the sacred nature of the baptism.

As much as I have loved the beauty and uniqueness of the baptism in the sea, there is also the problem of hearing the little talks given or the words said in the actual ordinance due to the wind that is often blowing in my ears. It has been an awesome moment to look up the street from Temple Beach directly to the Laie, Hawaii Temple and that site will now not accompany baptisms. The only baptismal font in our Stake happens to be in Amber's ward building in Kahuku 1st ward. It remains to be seen whether baptismal fonts will now be added to the existing building in the area.

I am quite sure the person receiving baptism will still receive a lei from family and friends in token of congratulations on taking this important step in their spiritual development. After all this is Hawaii.

Hawaii's Slippery Slope

The Hawaii State House panel has already approved House Bill #444 claiming it does not redefine marriage but certifies "civil unions". Back in 2007 this bill failed to win support, but now we are told that it has gained diverse support especially from churches. The representatives say people are more tolerant here and this is not a defining issue for them. Many people seem to feel that if gays can't marry in California and other Mainland states they will want a place to come where they will be openly accepted and allowed to flaunt their alternate lifestyles. Civil union bill supporters claim that a blatant injustice currently separates same sex couples from enjoying all the benefits of married heterosexual couples. They want the same benefits and they want to file joint taxes and adopt children.

I believe this bill tries to circumvent the will of the people as expressed in their "defense of marriage" amendment passed in 1998. This amendment reserved marriage for opposite sex couples. I think "civil unions" are an attempt to legitimize gay marriage by using another title. This word play makes it appear that government has sanctioned gay marriage.

Certainly I don't want same sex couples to have the right to adopt children, whom I believe God wants to have both a father and a mother. Children can become confused and led astray when we allow unnatural and immoral behavior to become an accepted part of society. Hawaii is standing on a slippery slope in moral issues according to recent choices. I believe we can only have hope to solve our state and our national challenges if we remain worthy of the divine assistance of Almighty God. The Lord our God is one God. He is no respecter of persons but He also does not look upon sin with the least degree of allowance.

Will There Be Gambling in Paradise?

Did you know that only Hawaii and Utah of all the fifty states have no legalized gambling in any form. That may soon change. It seems that Hawaii, like all the other states, has a financial deficit, this one to the tune of 1.8 billion dollars. So Gov. Linda Lingle, long time opponent of the gaming industry, has decided to consider legalizing gambling to make up the deficit. She said there were two choices. The money could come from the transit authority, meaning I presume that the money raised for the rail system could be used, or gambling could be legalized. I voted for the rail system to be built, but I'd rather see that money save the state than that they bring gambling here.

Gambling and lotteries are touted as a means to relieve the financial burdens of the state, but in reality they do just the opposite by preying on the poor and the elderly especially. The inducement of a chance to win big causes people to waste their limited resources with little real chance of receiving any value.

Since forty eight states now practice some form of gaming you would think that if it worked those states would be in financially stable situations. They are not as can plainly be seen by their current economic distress. I believe if gambling comes to Hawaii it will be detrimental to the moral fabric of Paradise.

Forever Is Not Long At All. . .

when I'm with you. On Saturday, the 24th, we will have been married 39 years. That might seem, and sometimes does, like a long time. As I look back over those years, I realize they have flown by "on wings of lightning".

I marvel in the gift of the spouse God has given me. I know I must have done something good, or that God had seen some potential there, because I have married someone far better than myself.

Although he sleeps through Church, Tim seems to be much more connected with real spirituality than I have yet learned to be. He honors his priesthood by persuasion and never compulsion, while on the other hand, I am often stubborn, unbending, and contentious. Still he manages to endure all my faults and continues to love me.

Tim is a great protector, provider, and example for me, for our children, and for everyone who knows him. His leadership is subtle but his loving care keeps me from falling off the path. If I am weak and would sleep in rather than study scriptures, he is there to turn on the light and begin.

He gently pushes me to learn new things by saying "come here let me show you this. . .", or by buying me gifts such as the new GPS for our car. He shares his talents by inviting students or friends to come over and play Wii or Rock Band with him, then loaning them some of his toys so they can use them at home too.

Yes, forever is not very long when there's someone you can do everything with or nothing with and there are no awkward silences. Our loves grows stronger because he nurtures it so well. Happy Anniversary Hubby! I love you forever and ever!!

Reprograming the Electronics

Since I'm sure everyone is highly interested in what life is like with a pacemaker, here's the next installment. This week I had an appointment to get the little electronic piece of equipment reprogrammed. This is necessary to optimized the battery life and therefore my life.

It turns out that even though I am 100% dependent on this thing to cause my heart to beat, it doesn't take a very big kick to get it to move. Therefore the power behind the kick could be turned very low and still do the job, which will probably add a couple of years to my battery life. The other interesting thing is that the pacemaker is capable of adjusting heart rate based on body movement and hormones emitted, but it seems that my heart does not need that function at present so it is not turned on.

Previously I told you that I could call the doctor and hold the phone up to my pacemaker and the doctor could read the battery life, etc. right over the phone. That was based on what the nurse had told me rather than directly from the doctor. Yes, it is true for many pacemakers where the reason for them is too fast a heart beat. In my case it was too slow and that particular feature has not yet been implemented in this style although it is due out this year sometime.

My pacemaker stores information about my heart rate. so when I was seeing the doctor he looked at the readout and said "I see your heart was beating a little fast on Dec. 2 (your dad though he said Dec. 22, oh well whichever) but that was the only time since you've gotten this. Your numbers are perfect" It seems nothing is hidden anymore. No, I don't know what I was doing on that date.

So far I am feeling fine so don't spend even a moment worrying about how I am doing.

Blackout

The end of 2008 has been a trying time for people in Laie. We barely had the flood waters under control and people were ripping out carpeting and removing water wrecked furniture and other belongings when the lights went out. The day after Christmas there was a little lightning and it hit a couple of power poles and unbalanced the whole power transmission grid. The entire island of Oahu was suddenly powerless for about 24 hours.

There were a couple of interesting things during that blackout time. Our Stake had planned an after Christmas dance (actually two, one for adults one for youth) to replace the New Year's Eve dance activity this year. The food had been prepared and the decorating done when the power went down. We went over just to see what was going on instead. The adult activity looked like a soup kitchen with people sitting around eating the refreshments of clam chowder, homemade rolls, chocolate fountain (no power made it a dipping experience instead) and other good stuff. Lots of talk but no music. Battery powered boom boxes were not loud enough in the gym. It was a really fun camp-like get together.

The other interesting things was that Friday and Saturday when the power was down were the last two days that the temple was going to be open for the next 18 months because of renovation. A lot of couples had planned to have their weddings on Saturday. The temple generator worked a while on Friday to complete the in-progress session but then it too went down. Twenty-one weddings were conducted on Saturday by flashlight. Now that would be a memorable wedding, I suppose.

Even when the power came back there were a few remaining issues. Tim's office only came half back on. The side of the room with his refrigerator did not come back and we didn't know that until he lost his Lean Cuisines and other frozen lunches. Fortunately, Amber and Sandi gave him about 10 Indonesian homemade meals for lunches for a Christmas gift and they were in our home freezer. The other problem was that the blackout had burned out the Internet routing switch to our building and several others in the townhouses so we couldn't get online for a few extra days.

Lucky for us, the Hawaiian style of "no worries living on the beach" helped everybody get through these natural disasters coupled with the holidays. A little aloha helped us all get along.