Hockey Night USA

Live from the Verizon center. Penguins versus Capitals. And I'm here in person with the boys. Missing Chris,but can it get any better than this?

Give Thanks--"In" is not "For"

Giving thanks in surgery is one of those hard things that the Apostle Paul tells us to do when he writes "Always rejoice, constantly pray, in everything give thanks." (1 Thess 5:16-18 NET Bible)

This does not mean to give thanks "for" surgery--I mean who really wants to have surgery? That means that there is something seriously (and  mean, seriously) wrong with the body. It is never a good thing o have to cut the body open and start removing stuff or repairing what's on the inside .

But, giving thanks "in" the surgery helps us to focus not on the bad that is unfolding, but the good surrounding the bad. While we are giving thanks in the surgery we are giving thanks for the skilled medical team, families, and friends. We also giving thanks for the prayers and the support and the speedy recovery from a successful surgery. And not to be forgotten, give thanks for the dreams that the surgery may be saving or restoring!

It is a different mindset. Focus on blessings in the middle of adversity and strife.

Sounds easy? No, not really, it is more like doing the impossible sometimes.

Why am I writing this today?

Because this morning (and much of yesterday) I am giving thanks for the prayer warriors who surround my nephew as he faced another surgery in his fight against cancer. I am giving thanks for the friends and the family supporting him. I am giving thanks for a good prognosis.I am giving thanks that Chris could be there with him to help support him and his Mom in person.

I, amazingly, talked to him yesterday afternoon after his surgery--and mind you this was surgery in his chest on one of his lungs. I give thanks for being able to talk to him and to hear his voice and hear the thanks in his voice for being able to talk to me and feel as well as he was feeling despite knowing that there are hard times ahead.

The real blessing of giving thanks "in" something is to be able to see around the circumstances of the now and to appreciate the "for's" that are everywhere shaping the tomorrow.

-- Bob Doan, Eldridge, MD

Spring Training 2012

Here it is the last day of November 2011, and I am excited because the Orioles finally released their Spring Training 2012 schedule yesterday!


But then, at this time of year I am all about Springtime anyway.

I am not entirely sure why it took the O's so long to get their schedule out because i was pretty sure that I could have put it together from the schedules of the other teams that had already been released. But it is finally out.

Now I can dream of baking in the heat and sun of a March afternoon in Sarasota, Florida watching the 2012 edition of the Orioles and wondering if they will be better than this season's Birds.

And they have new hats!

Something else to purchase.

I mean, I have to wear the latest, I don't want to get caught at the park wearing last season's gear, right?

Tickets and tours, here I come!

It actually warms me up a bit thinking of the O's and the baseball season ahead.

I think I actually just skipped over Christmas--wow, don't let my local retailers know!

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Give Thanks--Breaking Dawn

I noticed it yesterday morning as I drove to work for the first time in a week. I am driving to work under the cover of darkness again. For most of November, after we had made the switch back to standard time, I was enjoying the sunlight in my eyes as I made my daily journey. Yesterday it was gone--I was mostly in darkness.

During the Thanksgiving holiday, which I lengthened by taking some additional leave, darkness gained hold on the time during which I make my daily commute. It is sad because I enjoy looking at the land along the way and watching the changing of the seasons--which has been fabulous this Autumn.

Here is the funny part though--and it only shows how desensitized to the seasonal change that I really am, I only noticed the change after I had parked my car and was walking to the building that I work in because there displayed on the glass structure of the buildiing in the reflection was the fire lit sky of the gathering dawn.

Maybe my senses had been dulled by a weekend of turkey.

The dawn was breaking behind me is spectacular fashion, and I only noticed it because of the reflection.

I took a moment to admire God's handiwork. The way He painted the clouds and the sky in colors that I have never been able to recreate in either my mind's eye or with a camera.

The blessing of the dawn is being able to appreciate its beauty and to give thanks to the one who created it. It keeps me grounded. It reminds me of whose I am.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Monday Musings - November 28, 2011

1. Thanksgiving is over. And now, appearing everywhere is Christmas. The songs are already playing 24/7 on the radio.

2. The US launched a mission to Mars over the weekend with the rover Curiosity on board, Hopefully, it works a lot better than the Russian Phobos Grunt mission. So far so good. Arrival at Mars is planned for August 2012.

3. It seems that the Grinch is going to let the NBA have a season afterall--beginning on Christmas Day, no less.

4. We enjoyed an incredibly beautiful weather weekend. It really warmed my soul to walk outside without a coat on and feel warm on the final weekend of November.

5. For retailers and the economy, the weekend sales were promising--but nothing is new. We are continuing to delude ourselves into believing that things are getting better when, in reality, I'm not so sure.

6. Christmas is 28 days away. Think about it.

7. I read a article in the Baltimore Sun yesterday about how corporations are paying significantly less in taxes than they were many years ago, while private individuals are paying more. The article made a compelling case for tax reform.

8. I heard a great message in church yesterday about giving thanks and the difference between being thankful "for" and being thankful "in." I think I'll write my reaction to the message up and close out my mini-series on giving thanks with it.

9. I'm still living on left-over turkey, ham, and pumpkin pie. I hope I run out soon so I don't feel guilty about letting leftovers go to waste.

-- Bob Doan Elkridge, MD

Decorations, food and Christmas

The turkey remnants are on their way to becoming soup and the autumn decorations have given way to Christmas. Christmas lights are evident throughout our neighborhood already as the transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas becomes nearly complete. It is a busy time of year.

I managed to crawl up into the attic again yesterday to retrieve more of the seasonal decorations to change our house into its Christmas form.

I am always amazed at the transformation.

It is magical.

I write a lot about the dark days, those days when daylight is precious and short. Christmas lights help to drive out the darkness when they are lighted.

Even in my own home, as I walked into the living room this morning, I was greeted buy a lighted tree and mantle to bring smile of joy to my face. We worked hard yesterday to begin the seasonal transformation which will continue for a few more weeks as more and more decorations are placed and the dark spaces become light--at least for a while.

The pace of the season will continue to increase as well. I already have obligations for parties and and shopping in addition to the normal things that I do. I noticed that the days are beginning to be named to help manage our shopping experience--Black Friday gives way to Small Business Saturday, and then Cyber Monday starts the week off. I wonder if every day between Thanksgiving and Christmas will eventually be named.

It is Sunday though and at least I can relax and enjoy some football--Oh yeah, I just remembered that even today is named, the First Sunday of Advent!

Have a great day--no matter the name.

-- Bob Doan Elkridge, MD