To my son Tommy,
It is getting late and you just went to bed and I am not far behind you. Tonight's blog is kind of a cheat. I have had about three different ideas running through my head all day to write to you about but fatigue has made them merge into one deep artistic blob that is illegible and incomprehensible. So tonight I just am writing to keep our streak going. A cop out? A sell out? Sure. But sometimes you have to do what you have to do just because.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
Friday, September 7, 2012
Thursday, September 6, 2012
No Humor In Humira
To my son Tommy,
Last night, your mother started a new drug regimen for her crohn's disease. This drug is called Humira and it is serious stuff. But then again crohns is a serious disease.
Humira is an injectable and it comes in one of those automated needle cartridges that you press a button/plunger and a click sounds as it shoots the needle in your leg or wherever you have to do the injection. Last night your mother had to do four of these. The anticipation and then the sound is horrible on this and I am not sure why this auto shot system is better. Certainly for your mom, who is training to be a nurse, a basic syringe would work best.
On her first of the four shots, it took nearly thirty minutes for her to get the nerve to do it. I had hoped that once she did it, she would see it was nothing and the next one would come much quicker. Seeing her face after she depressed plunger, I knew that my hopes were not going to come true. Evidently this is no easy shot and painful to take and my heart sank knowing she had three more shots to go. Her next one went worse, and she jerked and winced from the pain not getting a full dose. I ended up having to do the next two. She has to do her next follow up dose in fifteen days.
We hope this Humira is the answer and can get a handle on your mom's crohns. We do know that moving to this new therapy will lessen the amount of medication she is on. She will be able to drop about four current pills with this one shot. The less medications, the less chance for all the side effects that go with the meds. Of course Humira has plenty of side effect possibilities as well. As I said earlier, this stuff is no joke.
Sometimes in life the cure or the solution hurts. Shots hurt, side effects suck, some medicines sting, and they are all supposed to help you in the long run. This concept bleeds over into most every part of life. In finance, you have to make some hard painful choices and sacrifices to get yourself and keep yourself out of debt. In love, you will have to end some relationships in your life and it will break your heart and give you pain. In parenting, disciplining your child and having him look up at you with those hateful eyes as if to say "why are you doing this to me? why am I being forced to [insert nasty chore here such as clean, eat, go to school, etc] you mean person you?" and no amount of understanding that it is for his own future good can really lessen the heartache of that moment. Yeah the cure sometimes hurts. And unfortunately we have to just suck it up and do it.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
Last night, your mother started a new drug regimen for her crohn's disease. This drug is called Humira and it is serious stuff. But then again crohns is a serious disease.
Humira is an injectable and it comes in one of those automated needle cartridges that you press a button/plunger and a click sounds as it shoots the needle in your leg or wherever you have to do the injection. Last night your mother had to do four of these. The anticipation and then the sound is horrible on this and I am not sure why this auto shot system is better. Certainly for your mom, who is training to be a nurse, a basic syringe would work best.
On her first of the four shots, it took nearly thirty minutes for her to get the nerve to do it. I had hoped that once she did it, she would see it was nothing and the next one would come much quicker. Seeing her face after she depressed plunger, I knew that my hopes were not going to come true. Evidently this is no easy shot and painful to take and my heart sank knowing she had three more shots to go. Her next one went worse, and she jerked and winced from the pain not getting a full dose. I ended up having to do the next two. She has to do her next follow up dose in fifteen days.
We hope this Humira is the answer and can get a handle on your mom's crohns. We do know that moving to this new therapy will lessen the amount of medication she is on. She will be able to drop about four current pills with this one shot. The less medications, the less chance for all the side effects that go with the meds. Of course Humira has plenty of side effect possibilities as well. As I said earlier, this stuff is no joke.
Sometimes in life the cure or the solution hurts. Shots hurt, side effects suck, some medicines sting, and they are all supposed to help you in the long run. This concept bleeds over into most every part of life. In finance, you have to make some hard painful choices and sacrifices to get yourself and keep yourself out of debt. In love, you will have to end some relationships in your life and it will break your heart and give you pain. In parenting, disciplining your child and having him look up at you with those hateful eyes as if to say "why are you doing this to me? why am I being forced to [insert nasty chore here such as clean, eat, go to school, etc] you mean person you?" and no amount of understanding that it is for his own future good can really lessen the heartache of that moment. Yeah the cure sometimes hurts. And unfortunately we have to just suck it up and do it.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
The Other Side
To my son Tommy,
I constantly extol the benefits of routines. If I ever write a self-help book I think it will be titled "Embracing The Routine!" It will be filled with examples of how the word routine got a bad rap. The book will show how routines make things easier, safer, more comforting, etc. But from time to time you have to adjust a routine even if ever so slightly.
This morning I found myself rushing to church. One minute here, one minute there, adding a morning chore, all added up to me running late. As I got out of my truck the steeple bells began to ring for seven o'clock. I ran up from the lower parking lot and with no time to go in my normal entrance, my hand hit the door handle on the other side of the church as the seventh bell rang. I snuck in (though mass hadn't started yet) and promptly found a seat. I was on the complete opposite side of my normal perch.
A little change like this, whether by accident or on purpose, really does make things seem different. As the first reading was read, I sat there pondering exactly what odd set of coincidences made me late. Convinced of the fact that I should just go with the flow and accept the change, I looked up and saw a statue and a candle I had never noticed before. It had to have been there for the ages, this nice statue of what I assume to be St. Agnes carry her sheep with one solitary candle at the base of the stone figure, but here it was my first time giving it any attention or acknowledgement. What other treasures had I missed?
If you have a routine, that is great. But sometimes take yourself out of your routine. Alter your routine ever so slightly even if just for a day and you will be amazed what you see. A different prospective, a different point of view, a brand new experience. Nothing says you can't return to the tried and true, but don't get so stagnant and stalemated or you will never be able to discover and enjoy those things you don't even know you are missing.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
I constantly extol the benefits of routines. If I ever write a self-help book I think it will be titled "Embracing The Routine!" It will be filled with examples of how the word routine got a bad rap. The book will show how routines make things easier, safer, more comforting, etc. But from time to time you have to adjust a routine even if ever so slightly.
This morning I found myself rushing to church. One minute here, one minute there, adding a morning chore, all added up to me running late. As I got out of my truck the steeple bells began to ring for seven o'clock. I ran up from the lower parking lot and with no time to go in my normal entrance, my hand hit the door handle on the other side of the church as the seventh bell rang. I snuck in (though mass hadn't started yet) and promptly found a seat. I was on the complete opposite side of my normal perch.
A little change like this, whether by accident or on purpose, really does make things seem different. As the first reading was read, I sat there pondering exactly what odd set of coincidences made me late. Convinced of the fact that I should just go with the flow and accept the change, I looked up and saw a statue and a candle I had never noticed before. It had to have been there for the ages, this nice statue of what I assume to be St. Agnes carry her sheep with one solitary candle at the base of the stone figure, but here it was my first time giving it any attention or acknowledgement. What other treasures had I missed?
If you have a routine, that is great. But sometimes take yourself out of your routine. Alter your routine ever so slightly even if just for a day and you will be amazed what you see. A different prospective, a different point of view, a brand new experience. Nothing says you can't return to the tried and true, but don't get so stagnant and stalemated or you will never be able to discover and enjoy those things you don't even know you are missing.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
When Monday is Really Tuesday
To my son Tommy,
Holidays are great except for the fact that they throw off your entire schedule. As I returned to work after the Labor Day holiday, I hoped beyond hope that I had successfully skipped Monday. But here it is, same stuff just disguised as a Tuesday. My entire perception of the date time workweek continuum has been thrown into a tesseract blender. Plus I lose a day this week to deal with all this Monday stuff. It really just goes to show that no matter what you do to avoid a problem, even if it is skipping an entire day of the week, the problem will be waiting until you decide to solve it properly. My only saving grace for the day will be hearing your excitement and deciphering your story about school today.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
Holidays are great except for the fact that they throw off your entire schedule. As I returned to work after the Labor Day holiday, I hoped beyond hope that I had successfully skipped Monday. But here it is, same stuff just disguised as a Tuesday. My entire perception of the date time workweek continuum has been thrown into a tesseract blender. Plus I lose a day this week to deal with all this Monday stuff. It really just goes to show that no matter what you do to avoid a problem, even if it is skipping an entire day of the week, the problem will be waiting until you decide to solve it properly. My only saving grace for the day will be hearing your excitement and deciphering your story about school today.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
Monday, September 3, 2012
Labor Day
To my son Tommy,
Labor Day is kind of a misnomer. You aren't supposed to labor at all and you are supposed to just take a day for yourself. It stems from the unions and the labor strikes that happened over a century ago. There are many who lost their lives challenging the big corporations and who risked every thing so we can have the cushy work life we have become accustomed to, such as the 40 hour work week and health benefits and the crazy notion of an honest wage and all those silly little things.
Today we slept in and had lunch at your Aunt Debbie's and received a bunch of hand-me-down toys. So we kept true to the do nothing attitude that is the oxymoron of Labor Day, which is actually rare for this holiday that usually gets filled with the honey-do chores. You love your new toys and in our family "hand me down" is a blessed title not something that is looked down on in any way. You have so many hand-me-downs that you could be on the verge of being completely spoiled. Hopefully we use these toys gently and have them make the next trip along our family songlines for toys and toddlers.
So as you celebrate this and any Labor Day, remember to avoid work, be thankful for the job and benefits you have, be grateful for those who came before and made all that possible, and as always celebrate family and love. Oh and pack up your whites for the winter.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
Labor Day is kind of a misnomer. You aren't supposed to labor at all and you are supposed to just take a day for yourself. It stems from the unions and the labor strikes that happened over a century ago. There are many who lost their lives challenging the big corporations and who risked every thing so we can have the cushy work life we have become accustomed to, such as the 40 hour work week and health benefits and the crazy notion of an honest wage and all those silly little things.
Today we slept in and had lunch at your Aunt Debbie's and received a bunch of hand-me-down toys. So we kept true to the do nothing attitude that is the oxymoron of Labor Day, which is actually rare for this holiday that usually gets filled with the honey-do chores. You love your new toys and in our family "hand me down" is a blessed title not something that is looked down on in any way. You have so many hand-me-downs that you could be on the verge of being completely spoiled. Hopefully we use these toys gently and have them make the next trip along our family songlines for toys and toddlers.
So as you celebrate this and any Labor Day, remember to avoid work, be thankful for the job and benefits you have, be grateful for those who came before and made all that possible, and as always celebrate family and love. Oh and pack up your whites for the winter.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Don't Sweat The Small Stuff
To my son Tommy,
We live in a world that is filled with traditions, laws, and ceremonial procedures.
We have the traditions and ceremony of the church. When we attend mass, we try to get the words right and stand or kneel or sit at the proper time. No meat on Fridays during Lent.
We have the rules of ettiquette and social graces. The fork goes on the left and the knife on the right of the plate. You stand to greet a woman. You call this person sir, this person doctor, this person mrs, this person miss, this person your honor.
We have the ceremony of common courtesy. Cover your mouth when you cough. Sign a birthday card when passed around the office. Take off your hat as you enter a building.
We have many of these rules that stem from tradition and ceremony. Though most serve a useful purpose, do not get caught up in the minutia. Look deeper for the meaning and look within for the true intention. The important thing is you came to church not that you stood and knelt at the proper time. If the fork is on the right of the plate with the knife, you can still eat. If you can't stand to greet a woman, does your "hello" hold any less importance?
At mass today the Gospel of St Mark said
I am not saying these rules have no place. If you can follow them and choose to follow them, by all means do so. But following a rule or tradition doesn't make you better than the next person. What makes you a better person is your conscience, your soul, and your ability to recognize the love and good in others, even when they don't follow all the common courtesies that you do.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
We live in a world that is filled with traditions, laws, and ceremonial procedures.
We have the traditions and ceremony of the church. When we attend mass, we try to get the words right and stand or kneel or sit at the proper time. No meat on Fridays during Lent.
We have the rules of ettiquette and social graces. The fork goes on the left and the knife on the right of the plate. You stand to greet a woman. You call this person sir, this person doctor, this person mrs, this person miss, this person your honor.
We have the ceremony of common courtesy. Cover your mouth when you cough. Sign a birthday card when passed around the office. Take off your hat as you enter a building.
We have many of these rules that stem from tradition and ceremony. Though most serve a useful purpose, do not get caught up in the minutia. Look deeper for the meaning and look within for the true intention. The important thing is you came to church not that you stood and knelt at the proper time. If the fork is on the right of the plate with the knife, you can still eat. If you can't stand to greet a woman, does your "hello" hold any less importance?
At mass today the Gospel of St Mark said
"'Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.' For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: "You see it doesn't matter if you eat without washing your hands, or if you said the wrong words, it matters what your intentions are and what is in your heart. Do not be a hypocrite and focus in on the little, search for the big picture. If you act from a position of kindness and love and good intentions, than you will do fine.
I am not saying these rules have no place. If you can follow them and choose to follow them, by all means do so. But following a rule or tradition doesn't make you better than the next person. What makes you a better person is your conscience, your soul, and your ability to recognize the love and good in others, even when they don't follow all the common courtesies that you do.
Sincerely with love from your dad,
Leo
Saturday, September 1, 2012
This Is Your Father and I Love You
To my son Tommy,
I think I enjoy writing to you so much because of the Downey natural ability for story-telling. Besides being Irish, which means you can tell someone to go to hell and make them look forward to the trip, the Downey clan just has a knack for spinning a yarn. I, by no means, consider myself the best at telling a tale especially after seeing the talent at dinner tonight.
As usual, on Saturdays we try to head out to your Grandma Roro's house for dinner. Through the course of dinner we run the gambit of stories, from pets to children, from Wyoming to Kentucky to Italy to Puerto Rico, from present day to a time long ago and faraway, some new stories and some stories told so often that we can recite them in our sleep. Even those stories we know by rote, somehow a Downey can tell them and somehow enthrall us yet once again. We talk about life and love and everything in between. It reminds me of a slightly condensed version of this blog, yet with a little more emphasis on humor but still maintaining all the deeper levels of meaning
Often your great granddad Leo holds the honors of story teller but tonight your great uncle Kevin (whom you call Cheeto monster) had the best story. He was talking about the birth of his son (our cousin) Ryan. During his rendition of the events, which had the typical Downey multi-faceted plot line, he told us that he talked to Ryan in the womb and simply said "Hello Baby Downey, this is your father, and I love you" Over and over he talked to Aunt Janice's womb and said "Hello Baby Downey, this is your father, and I love you". The story went on with the ins and outs and the details of c-sections and anesthesia , but Ryan was delivered into this world. After the nurses did their thing, they invited uncle Kevin over to meet his son for the first time. Ryan was crying and screaming (being born is pretty traumatic and deserves a good freak out) and uncle Kevin walked over and said "Hello Baby Downey, this is your father, and I love you". In an instant Ryan calmed down and instantly recognized his father's voice and his father's love and the security and comfort he already come to know. It is the same reaction I hope to get when I print these out for you and day in and day out you read...
Sincerely with love from your Dad,
Leo
I think I enjoy writing to you so much because of the Downey natural ability for story-telling. Besides being Irish, which means you can tell someone to go to hell and make them look forward to the trip, the Downey clan just has a knack for spinning a yarn. I, by no means, consider myself the best at telling a tale especially after seeing the talent at dinner tonight.
As usual, on Saturdays we try to head out to your Grandma Roro's house for dinner. Through the course of dinner we run the gambit of stories, from pets to children, from Wyoming to Kentucky to Italy to Puerto Rico, from present day to a time long ago and faraway, some new stories and some stories told so often that we can recite them in our sleep. Even those stories we know by rote, somehow a Downey can tell them and somehow enthrall us yet once again. We talk about life and love and everything in between. It reminds me of a slightly condensed version of this blog, yet with a little more emphasis on humor but still maintaining all the deeper levels of meaning
Often your great granddad Leo holds the honors of story teller but tonight your great uncle Kevin (whom you call Cheeto monster) had the best story. He was talking about the birth of his son (our cousin) Ryan. During his rendition of the events, which had the typical Downey multi-faceted plot line, he told us that he talked to Ryan in the womb and simply said "Hello Baby Downey, this is your father, and I love you" Over and over he talked to Aunt Janice's womb and said "Hello Baby Downey, this is your father, and I love you". The story went on with the ins and outs and the details of c-sections and anesthesia , but Ryan was delivered into this world. After the nurses did their thing, they invited uncle Kevin over to meet his son for the first time. Ryan was crying and screaming (being born is pretty traumatic and deserves a good freak out) and uncle Kevin walked over and said "Hello Baby Downey, this is your father, and I love you". In an instant Ryan calmed down and instantly recognized his father's voice and his father's love and the security and comfort he already come to know. It is the same reaction I hope to get when I print these out for you and day in and day out you read...
Sincerely with love from your Dad,
Leo
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