Friend or Foe?

Are you a friend or a foe? Do you know the difference?

A friend listens to you. Laughs with you. Prays for and with you. Spends time with you. Talks to you. Has good stuff to say about you. Isn't jealous of you. Is patient with you. Accepts you for who you are. Doesn't criticize you. Doesn't hold grudges against you. Doesn't gossip about you. Tells you if you have offended them. Apologizes if they have offended you. Tells you the truth. Talks to you about the future. Reminisces with you about the past. Knows some of your secrets. Doesn't tell your secrets to others. Is loyal to you. Shares your friendship with others. Isn't jealous when you spend time with other friends. Would never hurt you.

A foe doesn't listen. Laughs at you. Wishes bad things on you. Avoids you. Talks bad about you. Is jealous of you. Is not patient with you. Criticizes you. Demeans you. Holds grudges against you. Gossips about you. Gets mad at you if you offend them. Does not sincerely apologize to you. Lies to you. Refuses to share feelings with you. Makes up stuff about their past. Brags about their future plans for success. Tells every secret they know. Is loyal to himself only. Is jealous of your relationship together. Is jealous of the time you spend with others. Hurts you.

Are you a friend or a foe? Is your best friend REALLY your friend? Or is he your foe?

And You Want Nationalized Healthcare Why???

We went to get our flu shots today. My 3-year-old has Pulmonary Hypertension, which makes him high risk for influenza, so all of us in the house need to be vaccinated. Shouldn't be that big of a deal, right? We are all insured though a MAJOR insurance company. We'll call it MyCare. And my son is actually double insured, because he also has Social Security benefits.

(That is not any of us, I just think the look on her face is hilarious.)

We first went to our LARGE medical facility on a LARGE government-run installation for the flu shots. Only 50 shots were available at the clinic that treats the medical needs of my two boys. And those 50 vaccinations were ONLY for high-risk children under the age of three. At first, I was told flu shots were not available, period. Then I was told they were ONLY available for high risk patients, and NO ONE else. No siblings. No asthmatics. ONLY high risk kids. So, I requested that the admissions clerk directly contact my sons' care provider to get approval for the flu shot to be administered. The boys' provider did, indeed, grant approval. BUT, only the 2-year old received the vaccination. The 50 vaccines were only for high risk kids under three years of age. My 2-year-old was given a vaccination and we were directed to any off-installation pharmacy.

We drove to the closest pharmacy, presented the written prescription for the influenza vaccination, along with proof of insurance, and requested the vaccine. I was informed that I could pay full-price for my flu shot, but that MyCare would not cover the cost and that they did not have vaccinations for my 3-year-old. I had an interesting conversation with the pharmacist there. It went like this...

Me: "Ya know, it seems like MyCare would WANT to pay for flu shots for everyone in their system. It would save them a lot of money."

Pharmacist: "Yep. And they would rather you get it at their facilities, but they never get any where near enough vaccines. Most people have to go somewhere else to get the shots. It's a waste of a lot of money and time."

Interesting, huh? Why can we see this, but those we vote into office can't? Oh wait! That's right. I didn't vote for these particular people...

Anyway... So I paid the fee for my vaccine and drove to the recommended pharmacy that would have the vaccine for children between the ages of three and nine.

At that pharmacy, I again presented the written prescription and proof of insurance and requested the vaccine. After my son got the shot, I went back and asked if we are all square on the fee, because I wanted to make sure I don't owe the pharmacy any money. The cashier at the clinic IN the pharmacy told me that they would keep billing BOTH of those insurance companies until one of them agreed to pay for the vaccine. That between the two government agencies, one of them would be bound to pick up the tab eventually!

Maybe this doesn't seem like that big of a deal to you, but this is just another example of why I DO NOT want the government to run all our our health care! Private businesses, ya know--FREE MARKETING--makes for healthy competition. Which leads to better service. Which makes for faster service. Which makes for HEALTHIER people. Bureaucracy WILL NOT make health care better, more affordable, nor more accessible. It will make it slower and ineffective and terminally ill.

Who is driving your car?

I wrote this a couple of months ago...

Sometimes things get really tough. Life gets tough. Everything seems to fall to pieces. Bad things seem to multiply and take on a life of their own. It can be overwhelming. The car you call, "Life" seems to be out of control.

So what do you do? Do you give in to all the crap that reigns down on you? Do you turn your back on your friends? Your family? Your church? Your God? Do you allow Satan to rule your emotions? Do you let bitterness and hate shove everything good from your heart until all that's left is darkness? Or do you give in to all God's blessings that reign down on you? Do you find comfort in your Christian friends? Your family? Your church? Your God? Do you allow the Holy Spirit to rule your emotions? Do you let hope and love shove out everything bad from your heart until all that's left is Light? The choice is yours.

Everything that happens in your life allows you to make a choice FOR God or AGAINST God. It is YOUR choice. Bad things are gonna happen. This is a fallen and sinful world. People sin. They lie, cheat, steal, and kill. You WILL be hurt. First Peter 4:12,13 says, "Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trial you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad--for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world."

Just because we are Christians does not mean that we won't sin, or be hurt, or have a hard time in life. In fact, the Bible says we shouldn't be surprised when bad things happen to us. We should EXPECT it! When you face fiery trials, embrace them for what they will mean to your future! Whatever doesn't kill you WILL make you stronger!

First Peter 5:8 says, "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." Satan is stalking you. He knows exactly what buttons to push to really get you angry and worked up. Don't let him have that power over you! Any control he has over you is control that you have given him. Do you really want Satan in the driver's seat in the car you call, "Life"?

So, I ask you... Who is driving YOUR car? You have the keys... who are you gonna hand them to?

-Dana Centers Ketchum, June 18, 2009

New at this...

So someone asked me the other day why I don't have a blog. And I didn't have a response. I have always thought of blogs as "Me Fests." Ya know, where someone gets out here in the land of techno-friends and goes on and on and on and on about themselves and their lives and themselves and that sounds like absolute... yuck to me. Why would someone want to know what I am thinking on any given day and actually care to read a blog about it. Then I realized... ya know... I can make it whatever I want it to be. So here I am. My blog. Welcome, my friends, to Planet Dana.

On my mind at the moment is a "new" dish that is cooking in my oven right now. Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon, only with chicken. Because I am not eating much beef right now. In two hours, I'll know how it turned out.

Mostly what I want to do with this is help people see that even when life throws lemons your way, you can make some really sweet stuff--Lemon Icebox Pie, for instance.