Good Things, Not So Good Things

Yesterday was a mixed day for me. First, I went to see Bart to have money put into my checking account so that I can pay bills, buy Christmas gifts, and pay for my trip to NYS. I really hated to take out the money, but there really was no other option at this point.

Then I decided to go and have my piercings done. It was a good experience. I had my nose pierced, the tops of both ears, and another hole in my right ear. It was not really painful and I had a nice chat with the owner about small businesses and about Islam. He didn't know much about Islam and.was happy that I answered his questions. And I am happy to have the piercings done.

Before my appointment with the kidney specialist, I stopped at Office Depot to get a form for a will and Christmas computer paper and cards. Then I popped over to Sun Harvest to get sea salt for cleaning my piercings; then it was on to the doctor.

A very interesting thing happened at the doctor's office. The medical assistance who was taking my vital statistics and checking my medications then asked me about my dress (my tunic and head scarf). She asked if it was religious. I said yes, that I was Muslim. Then she said that she had been reading the Qur'an and was thinking of converting. She asked about mosques in the city. I answered her questions and gave her some information about programs at the mosques. She put me in a room to wait for an examination room to open up. So while I was in there waiting, I wrote down the information about the programs at the Islamic Center and Imam Medhi Masjid. After a while, another medical assistant moved me to the examination room, and on the way, I saw the female medical assistant working on a computer in a nearby room. After I was put into the examination room, I slipped out and gave the medical assistant the written information about the programs. I encouraged her to check them out on the websites. She said "thank you" and seemed very appreciative of the information. I think this was not a coincidence. With Allah there are no coincidences.

The not so good news was that my creatin levels were slightly elevated as were my phosphorus levels. I cannot have dark soda nor milk products. No cheese, yogurt, milk, ice cream, etc. So the doctor needs to see me in about 3 months to check things again. And the visit lasted a long time so I didn't get to Islam 101 class.

So I was so tired that I just dropped off a prescription and did some shopping at CVS, and then went home without getting the girls' notes to their father. I hope to go over and pick them up tonight, but I may not even make that.

I still feel tired today, but I was able to work on my book (various sections) and did a lot of language work. So both days have been quite mixed. "You're up and you're down..."