Old Man Morgan

If you read my blog from Sunday, you will notice that I mentioned that Decy and went to sleep at 315am, after a very long day. We had stayed up that night talking about one of Decy’s long time friends, Siska. Siska had intended to come to the Open House but was not able to do so because her sister Margie was in the hospital. On Saturday night / Sunday morning, Decy and I were talking about Margie.

Decy knows Margie, I do not. Margie was a Christian long ago then married a muslim man (as required by muslim custom, she converted). A while back (I think measured in months) Margie divorced and returned to Christianity. Margie was in the hospital last week / this past weekend due to needing surgery to remove some cysts. During this time, her teenage son, contracted Dengue Fever and was also admitted to the hospital.

Decy and I talked about the situation. Apparently the surgery did not go well – I don’t know if it was due to quality of care or what they found. There was a second surgery, something to do with the intestinal track. Then, as we learned Saturday night, there was a 3rd surgery scheduled. Decy and I talked about the implications of a third surgery, both in terms of a person’s ability to recover as well as the quality of medical care for average Indonesians. I told Decy on Saturday night that things sounded “very bad”.

Margie passed away Sunday night / Monday morning. She was in her mid-40s.

On Monday, the body was moved to the family’s house for viewing and her son was temporarily (for the day) released from the hospital. Today (Tues) Margie’s body will be buried. Decy & Desy went to the house to pay respects. Decy also looked at some pics of Margie associated with the surgery. Based on what I heard from Decy, quality of medical care was clearly (at a minimum) a “contributing” factor.

We, as Americans, have so much to be thankful for – yet we always complain. We complain about waiting in lines (at least there is something worth waiting for). We complain about insurance bills (in spite of insurance covering the vast majority of our medical bills). We complain about gasoline prices (even though we have some of the cheapest gasoline in the world). We complain about taxes (even though our schools, roads, and services are the best in the world). We complain about so many things ….

So, next time something doesn’t go your way – you’re disappointed – you’re frustrated – or think you have been wronged …. pause and take a moment to reflect. Consider all that you have (not what you don’t have). Consider all that you can do / achieve if you dedicate yourself to it. Consider that you have the freedom to believe and worship as YOU want ….

…. consider … that you are yet still alive … still able to make a difference …. Selah …