Home Visits

After a full day of traveling, we rested. The next day, Sunday, 3/26, we made house visits. Here is Dr. Chris along with his daughter, Cassie, Karleen, and Dr. Rene half hiding behind Cassie. This is a typical Honduran home.

Our Honduras Team

From bottom left and up is Becky, a RN with 30+ years in the ER, Sandra, Dr. Rene's wife with Dr. Rene standing directly behind her. Renea, our trip leader (yeah!!! Renea!!!), and then Karleen, a long time dear friend of mine who I hadn't seen in 10 years until this trip, and then last, but not least in the left row, ME!

From bottom right is Cassie, Dr. Chris's daughter, a senior in high school. Behind her are Jeannie and Fabian, a wonderful couple who I met on our first trip to La Mesa, Colombia. Shekinah, a 16 year old medical missionary in training, my dear friend, Ann, an excellent oncology nurse, and last, but no where near the least, Dr. Chris.

This team worked together fantastically. Unbelievable the work we accomplished. With two providers and 4 nurses with lots of help from all we saw 775 people in 4 days. WOW!!! Perhaps it was because we didn't have all the cumbersome paperwork?

Meet our Missionary Host, Susan!

She is quite the woman and can handle most anything. The Lord gives her the strength. Her and her husband, Scott, went to Honduras a year ago and have been serving the Lord ever since in Honduras. Susan is quite the hostess with the mostess and serves some wonderful fare. Boy can she cook! I'd have to say she's on my level of skill What Susan is displaying here are homemade, from freshly grated coconut, all the way to the crust, coconut pies. TO DIE FOR!!!

We're standing in her kitchen. Note her gorgeous wall hanging behind her. Everything has a story and so does that wall hanging.

Yes, I'm going to leave you hanging -- along with the wall hanging.

First and Foremost

You must meet my buddy, Amalia. Her and I worked side-by-side dispensing the medications in the pharmacy. And what a great job we did too, if I might add. And that table is where we did our work. Looks chaotic? It was. It looked no different when we started in the morning. Ha ha ha ... but Amalia and I knew what we were doing. We had a system to our madness.

Now I KNOW I've jumped way ahead of myself here. I am in La Ceiba, Honduras on a medical missionary trip. Look at my hair. I'm sweating and it's hot, but we prevailed. And afterwards, the cold showers felt wonderful.

Esta la vista mis amigas!

Ruth, at the front and Anne in the middle are both leaving the clinic I work at. Both are amazing sweet spirits.

Ruth, a RN, is one of the first people I met when I started at the clinic and was so overwhelmed. She is now going to work at a clinic 10 minutes from her house instead of an hour and 15 minutes away from her house. Good for her! More time for her family AND less money in the gas tank!

Anne, an ARNP, is down for the winter from New Hampshire. She is a very caring and loving individual and it shows in her gentle frustrations in trying to get the people we treat, who are poorer than you could ever imagine, the medical treatment they desperately need.

You will both be missed.

Tio Dodie 2 weeks before he passed over

This was my 2nd trip to the hospital. I knew he would never look better than this again and asked him to smile for me and my camera. "Leecha, I don't know if I can." he said. But he put a lot of effort into it and this is what I managed to get.

Dear Tio Dodie, thank you for being such a special part of my life. You are one special person and I will miss you dearly.

Love and peace,
Leecha

Tio Dodie -- up to his old tricks!

My dear uncle will always be with me--in my heart. He passed over this past Monday, March 13th from lung cancer. He had one lung removed and then immediately started chemotherapy. He'd just started radiation (only 4 treatments) when he collapsed from weakness and was taken to the hospital. After numerous tests the doctors couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.

But I knew. My trained eyes told me everything. He was dying and wasn't going to beat the lung cancer. I called and told my family back in Michigan, our dear Dodie wouldn't be with us for long and yet I wished the doctors were correct in their assumption that he'd be going home soon. The icing on the cake was the nosocomial infection he contracted while in the hospital. As compromised as he was he didn't have a chance to fight that off regardless of what the doctors ordered.

For those that don't know what a nosocomial infection is, it's an infection that is in the hospital and is resistant to antibiotics. Better known in the media now as a super bug.

The above picture is from Christmas of 2004. Tio Dodie, a master at card tricks, was playing my daughter, Katie, for all it was worth. And he enjoyed every minute of it too, as was Katie who dearly loved him.

Go Blue!!! (U of M)

See that AWESOME scarf my granddaughter is wearing? Well, here's the rest of the story.

At Christmas time, my daughter's husband was asked by one of his family members what color scarf would my daughter like. Now, she may live minutes from OSU, but her blood runs blue as in U of M. She was brought up that way and it's ingrained in her soul. She's risks her life on the day of the U of M verses OSU game with her behavior and comments, but regardless, she lets all who will listen know she's a die hard go blue fan.

Back to the family member being asked about the color. My daughter's husband, a graduate of OSU and who is definitely in their corner, tells the family member red and gray. Yep. My wife will appreciate a red and gray scarf. And my daughter was stunned when she saw the scarf knowing good and well that her dearly beloved had set her up.

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT???

And that dear, sweet, thoughtful, considerate, generous family member came for a visit this past weekend -- with the proper colored scarf. She has these made-to-order and she understood totally what had happened and wasn't about to let that stand.

And now dear hubby has to look at his children wrapping themselves up in those colors.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha hah a haha ha hah ah ahah a hahah a hah a hah ah a h hahha

Princess Di's final resting place ...

... in my home.

As I mentioned earlier, my dear friend from England sent me a book about the late, beloved, sweet, endearing, Princess Diana. In the same days mail another dear friend from Kansas sent me a simply gorgeous bookmarker. The two were a perfect match.

I finished (finally!) reading the book and have given it permanent residence on the entry table in my living room.

Do a December search of my blog for a close up of the book. It's a great read!

He loves me!

Yes he does! And I am in awe of our relationship. And yet I'm lucky enough to have this twice in my lifetime. Amazing.

The card he, my husband, love of my life, gave me, leaves me speechless.


For My Wife

I love you
because you understand me better than anyone I've ever known ...
You can make me happy and soothe away my cares with just a touch or a word.

I love you
because we have so much fun together,
where we go and whatever we do ...
I love the way you can make me laugh when I need it the most.

I love you
because of the person you are ...
kind and caring to others,
giving of yourself,
and trying to make the world a better place.

I love you
because of the dreams we've built together,
the ones we're still working on,
and the ones we'll dream up years from now.

I love you
because I'm a better man with you by my side ...
You give my life a deeper meaning and purpose.

I love you
because you're my world, my everything ...
and that will never change.

Happy Valentine's Day

I love you more and more each day! Harold

DITTO!