On the Nature of Things | Forum

Lord, into the hands of Thy great mercy I commend my body and soul, thoughts and acts, desires and intentions, needs of my body and soul, arrival and departure, my faith and hope. To Thee I commend the end of my life, the day and hour of my expiration, the repose of my soul and the resurrection of my body. Do thou, O Most Merciful God, O gentle Lord, whose clemency is ever unconquered by the sins of the world, take me, who am more sinful than all others, under the wings of Thy protection, and deliver me from all evil.

"Cleanse the great multitude of my iniquities, grant the reformation of my wicked and hardened life, and ever defend me against approaching evil transgressions, that I in no manner ever anger Thee. Shelter my weakness from passion and evil men; guard me against visible and invisible enemies, lead me on the road to salvation and to Thyself, who art my harbor and the heaven of my desires. Grant me a shameless, peaceful Christian death, protect me from evil spirits, be merciful to me, Thy servant, on Thy last judgment, and number me among the blessed flock on Thy right, that together with them I may glorify Thee, my Creator, forever. Amen.

kmich wrote:Leaving this weekend for an overseas medical mission. Will be there (Ethiopia) until late April. On duty and filling in for my partners the rest of the week. Play time is over.

Oh well, as the my mother used to say, "God's blessings comes not to those who rely on them but to those who work for them. God is too busy to pay attention to everyone."

Even though I haven't been to church in years, I still daily recite the orthodox prayer she taught me:

Lord, into the hands of Thy great mercy I commend my body and soul, thoughts and acts, desires and intentions, needs of my body and soul, arrival and departure, my faith and hope. To Thee I commend the end of my life, the day and hour of my expiration, the repose of my soul and the resurrection of my body. Do thou, O Most Merciful God, O gentle Lord, whose clemency is ever unconquered by the sins of the world, take me, who am more sinful than all others, under the wings of Thy protection, and deliver me from all evil.

"Cleanse the great multitude of my iniquities, grant the reformation of my wicked and hardened life, and ever defend me against approaching evil transgressions, that I in no manner ever anger Thee. Shelter my weakness from passion and evil men; guard me against visible and invisible enemies, lead me on the road to salvation and to Thyself, who art my harbor and the heaven of my desires. Grant me a shameless, peaceful Christian death, protect me from evil spirits, be merciful to me, Thy servant, on Thy last judgment, and number me among the blessed flock on Thy right, that together with them I may glorify Thee, my Creator, forever. Amen.

May all your lives be blessed. See ya later... kmich

As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for I am the meanest son-of-a-bitch in the whole damn valley.

kmich wrote:Leaving this weekend for an overseas medical mission. Will be there (Ethiopia) until late April. On duty and filling in for my partners the rest of the week. Play time is over.

Oh well, as the my mother used to say, "God's blessings comes not to those who rely on them but to those who work for them. God is too busy to pay attention to everyone."

Even though I haven't been to church in years, I still daily recite the orthodox prayer she taught me:

Lord, into the hands of Thy great mercy I commend my body and soul, thoughts and acts, desires and intentions, needs of my body and soul, arrival and departure, my faith and hope. To Thee I commend the end of my life, the day and hour of my expiration, the repose of my soul and the resurrection of my body. Do thou, O Most Merciful God, O gentle Lord, whose clemency is ever unconquered by the sins of the world, take me, who am more sinful than all others, under the wings of Thy protection, and deliver me from all evil.

"Cleanse the great multitude of my iniquities, grant the reformation of my wicked and hardened life, and ever defend me against approaching evil transgressions, that I in no manner ever anger Thee. Shelter my weakness from passion and evil men; guard me against visible and invisible enemies, lead me on the road to salvation and to Thyself, who art my harbor and the heaven of my desires. Grant me a shameless, peaceful Christian death, protect me from evil spirits, be merciful to me, Thy servant, on Thy last judgment, and number me among the blessed flock on Thy right, that together with them I may glorify Thee, my Creator, forever. Amen.

May all your lives be blessed. See ya later... kmich

Heracleum Persicum wrote:.

Changing from west coast "Pacific" time to "Mediterranean" time

NapLajoieonSteroids wrote:So a screenplay I wrote, for a short, was produced and entered into a film contest. Came in third place overall, but won best comedy.

NapLajoieonSteroids wrote:So a screenplay I wrote, for a short, was produced and entered into a film contest. Came in third place overall, but won best comedy.

noddy wrote:

NapLajoieonSteroids wrote:So a screenplay I wrote, for a short, was produced and entered into a film contest. Came in third place overall, but won best comedy.

nifty, unless you where intending it to be an earnest drama

NapLajoieonSteroids wrote:So a screenplay I wrote, for a short, was produced and entered into a film contest. Came in third place overall, but won best comedy.

NapLajoieonSteroids wrote:So a screenplay I wrote, for a short, was produced and entered into a film contest. Came in third place overall, but won best comedy.

Nonc Hilaire wrote:

NapLajoieonSteroids wrote:So a screenplay I wrote, for a short, was produced and entered into a film contest. Came in third place overall, but won best comedy.

That's great! I've always fantasized about being a comedy writer (who'da thunk it?).

Nonc Hilaire wrote:

noddy wrote:

NapLajoieonSteroids wrote:So a screenplay I wrote, for a short, was produced and entered into a film contest. Came in third place overall, but won best comedy.

nifty, unless you where intending it to be an earnest drama

noddy wrote:

Nonc Hilaire wrote:

noddy wrote:

NapLajoieonSteroids wrote:So a screenplay I wrote, for a short, was produced and entered into a film contest. Came in third place overall, but won best comedy.

nifty, unless you where intending it to be an earnest drama

Parodite wrote:

noddy wrote:

Nonc Hilaire wrote:

noddy wrote:

NapLajoieonSteroids wrote:So a screenplay I wrote, for a short, was produced and entered into a film contest. Came in third place overall, but won best comedy.

nifty, unless you where intending it to be an earnest drama

Typhoon wrote:Godspeed and good luck.

If you do manage to find an internet connection, then please keep us posted [Somali beauties. . .], busy though you may be.

If not, then we'll look forward to hearing from you on your return.

Simple Minded wrote:Excellent. Best of luck and good for you!

As Dennis Miller would say "You're in a pneumatic tube to Heaven!"

kmich wrote:Have returned, back to work next week. Plenty of catch up to do. Tired, jet lagged. Lots of long hours in a medical compound near Bambasi treating patients and training others to do so. Very poor conditions by developed world standards, endless, unmet medical, nutritional, and other basic needs in a large population.

Sanitation in the camps, while still very challenged, has slowly improved over the years, but supply of effective antibiotics remains a constant problem. Treating and teaching emergency surgical care with a variety of wounds and infections from small to massive. Sudanese refugees often have dracunculiasis. Thankful that narcotics were not in short supply. Removing Guinea worms requires timing and technique so that you do not break the worm and leave a segment of the worm behind or operate after an ulcer forms. Glad I missioned to Africa several times before so I could show others how to surgically remove the entire critter without complications.

Typhoon wrote:Godspeed and good luck.

If you do manage to find an internet connection, then please keep us posted [Somali beauties. . .], busy though you may be.

If not, then we'll look forward to hearing from you on your return.

I don’t take a camera with me on mission. People, particularly women here, are often camera shy, since taking a picture of them suggests a kind of personal intimacy that can make them and their families very uncomfortable. Also, you can get arrested here for taking pictures of the wrong thing, even if it is only in the background. Having a camera out around government buildings, infrastructure, military, etc., can get you hauled off to prison. Cameras are just too much of a hassle.

kmich wrote:

Simple Minded wrote:Excellent. Best of luck and good for you!

As Dennis Miller would say "You're in a pneumatic tube to Heaven!"

Thanks, but there are so many tubes to heaven out there, from my partners who covered for me in my absence, the people in country, the cooks, the drivers, the maids, the guides, administrators, translators, as well as the countless aids, nurses, doctors and others here who did their best to help me out. I also have to include long suffering wife keeping the home fires burning. My motives are not noble anyway. Get a hefty tax deduction.

Nonc Hilaire wrote:

noddy wrote:

NapLajoieonSteroids wrote:So a screenplay I wrote, for a short, was produced and entered into a film contest. Came in third place overall, but won best comedy.

nifty, unless you where intending it to be an earnest drama