Sweet and Sour . . .

The first time I ever encountered the term “Sweet and sour” was in a Chinese-food restaurant when I was a young guy.  The term appeared on the menu concerning a variety of dishes being offered.  For some reason, the Sweet and Sour pork dish is what I tend to recall more than any of the others.  Of course, that is not what I ordered.  The truth be told, I rarely ate in ethnic restaurants—but when I did eat Chinese, I always ordered Chow Mein.  I am not sure why because I never particularly liked it, but I suppose I did simply because it was basically safe . . . in that I could both properly pronounce it and could also eat it.

Over the years I experienced a variety of experiences with both Sweet and Sour tendencies . . . and have always found it curious how they just seem to come together as a package.  A few examples:

 

The pleasure of doing seminars . . . vs . . . the hassle of airports, lost luggage, hotels, away from home

The pleasure of going fishing . . . vs . . . the hassle of cleaning the boat and tackle after saltwater use

The pleasure of a pretty yard . . . vs . . . the time, labor, and expense of maintaining it

The pleasure of loving people . . . vs . . . the struggles that often come in relationships

The pleasure of serving the Lord in His New Testament Church . . . vs . . . the challenges associated with exposure to Super-Christians who spend much time and energy polishing their halos to blinding brilliance—and are so much more Spiritual than the rest of us simple sinners

This past week-end, Sandy and I drove to San Antonio on Thursday morning and returned home Sunday evening. It was a week-end with considerable “Sweet and sour” events!  On Thursday morning, both of us saw an orthopedic specialist for a problem knee . . . mine an old and on-going issue . . . hers a new and recent thing.  The Doc drew a large amount of fluid from my right knee and gave me a shot of cortisone, and announced, “You are about to feel much better” . . . boy was that dude ever wrong!  I don’t have much pain in the knee, but I can no longer trust the darn thing.  I feel it trying to buckle on most steps, and that is unnerving.  In any event, we scheduled a date for a knee replacement.

As part of that scheduling, I was dispatched a few blocks away to my friend, Dr. Martin Wiesenthal (these doc’s are friends and Sandy and I are with the orthopedic specialist only because Wiesenthal set it up for us).  I was sent back to Wiesenthal for pre-op clearance.  He checked me over and announced me healthy and fit, and then had the nurse do an EKG.  He came back into the room after a few minutes and said, “I am not too certain about the EKG, and just for safety’s sake, I would like for you to have a stress test.”  NOTE: Last year when I was having my neck repaired, he also did an EKG and it, too, showed a potential problem, and he sent me to the hospital for a stress test.  The stress test proved that there were no problems, and the neck surgery happened as planned.  My Friend did tell me that he is pretty sure that this time it may not be quite as simple and suggested that the Cardiologist may want to do a stint.  He assured me that it was both a routine and good thing.  I trust him and know that he looks after me well (he actually stayed with me at the hospital the entire time during my previous stress test, and he actually came to see me in pre-op before my neck surgery . . . not as a doc, just as my friend! He likes to come down fishing . . . and I am his connection.

After Sandy got a good check-up and report from her other doctor, we left San Antonio and went to the Hill Country house . . . which we are now calling “205 . . . ?”  That story will appear here later as another blog.  We spent the night at the house and then drove to Waco on Friday.  We had dinner that evening in West with Chris, Sarah, GG, Ali, and Abi.  Unfortunately, there had been a death in Sarah’s family and there was a viewing that evening and a funeral the next morning, so our dinner was cut short.  Then, on Saturday we were invited out to spend the afternoon with the girls while Sarah prepared a family dinner.  She did a lovely job; the dinner was excellent, and we had the best time with the girls . . . they were our focus and we were their focus!  What a sweet time!  Later that evening we said our “Good Nights” and Ali went to the hotel with us for the evening.  Ali and I spent an hour or so in the pool before going to the room for the evening.  I love hanging out with that girl.

The next morning, we played hooky from Sunday school and Church, and enjoyed a relaxed brunch at the hotel.  As we finished up, Ali asked about going to a park so that she and Nana could swing.  We used GPS and located Brooklyn Park, which is located only a couple of blocks from Baylor’s new McClain Stadium.  The girls had a big time, then we drove out to West, stopped at Bush’s Chicken and picked up a family pack, and met the others for a final meal.  Abi was delighted to see us again so quickly.  After the meal, we drove home and listened to the Cowboys and Giants (on Sirius/XM radio) and the Cowboys won in a pretty competitive game. They are now 6 & 1 . . . and I am speechless!

It Seems to me . . . that it was a weekend that had both elements of “Sweet & Sour.”  It just seems impossible to completely separate the two . . . they just seem to run as a pair, or perhaps it is really an issue of Sour chasing on the hills of the Sweet!

I am confident that there is more Sweet than there is Sour in life . . . and It Seems to me that if there wasn’t some of the sour, we might not be able to recognize and appreciate the Sweet! 

Summary:

. . . I have a problem knee . . . but am on a plan to get that corrected!

. . . I may need a stint . . . but my friend says it will make me healthier and have more energy!

. . . I got to spend what was probably my sweetest weekend with the girls . . . and I suspect Nana would agree with that, except that we had very little time with Chris.

. . . The Coyboys beat the Giants for the first time in quite a while, so perhaps they are as improved as Chris claims!

 

 


 

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