Friday Coffee with PJ

Thanks for joining me again for another edition of Friday Coffee with PJ. Pour yourself a cup of your favorite java brew (mine is San Francisco Bay Fog Chaser) and let's together thing about a few things!

1. I have been recently reading James Michener's massive novel, Alaska. Michener is known for his great story telling and his historical accuracy. I have been blown away reading about the history of our 49th state. From early migrations of people from Asia to the sale of Alaska to the US by Russia, to the gold rush of the later 1800's to the early 1900's to our present day ... people suffered great hardships in Alaska's harsh environment just to survive. I will NEVER complain about the cold around here again! Many people in Alaska put up with a winter that is ten months long with temperatures reaching 40-60 degrees Fahrenheit BELOW ZERO (air temps, not wind chills!). You see, life is often about perspective. And one perspective that is very beneficial to keep in mind is that "life" could always be worse (unless you are talking about how cold it is and you live in Alaska!). Even in the midst of life's hardships, there is always something for which we can be thankful. Matthew Henry, a pastor of yesteryear, demonstrated this perspective after being robbed. He said, "I am thankful that he never robbed me before. I am thankful that although he took my wallet, he did not take my life, and although he took all I had, it was not much. And, I am glad that it was I who was robbed, not I who did the robbing.” Wow! I don't know about you, but that is the perspective I want to cultivate. 

2. Next Tuesday is Valentine's Day. Did you ever wonder about the origin of this holiday? If you are into that sort of thing ... here's a brief video you might want to watch. 

One of the tools I have found very helpful in my love relationship with my wife are the Five Love Languages. An understanding of these will help you understand your own love language and also that of the one you love. We feel most loved when someone is expressing their love for us in our own love language. So ... if I really want my wife to know how much I love her ... I must seek to speak her love language (which, since hers is different from mine I sometimes find it to be a stretch)!  Here is another video I think you will enjoy which illustrates the five love languages: 

All this to say if you want to give that special person in your life a wonderful Valentine's gift ... learn his or her love language and speak your love for them in that language! 

3. Finally, a brief update on my wife's ongoing rehab following her knee revision surgery of January 9th. Sharon has been fighting more than the usual amount of pain and inflammation. It's just how her body responds to surgery. But in spite of this, she achieved a 90 degree bend on Wednesday during her PT session. This is great news because her surgeon told us in the pre-op appointment he wanted to see her at 90 degrees in 6 weeks or he would want to do a MUA (manipulation under anesthesia). Since that is what broke

Sharon's leg in November of 2015, there is no way we wanted to go down that path! AND considering she was stuck at 70 degrees following the fracture of her femur, we are very thankful! So we celebrated by stopping by MacDonald's on the way home from that session to order her a carmel frappe (small, no drizzel, no whipped cream --- gotta save calories somehow!). Please pray that she will continue to progress and that the pain, inflammation and swelling will continue to diminish. Thanks. Your prayers and support mean more than you know! 

Thanks for stopping by . . . 
pj