According to Wikipedia ….

Valentine’s Day is a holiday celebrated on February 14. It is the traditional day on which lovers express their love for each other; sending Valentine’s cards, or offering confectionery. It is very common to present flowers on Valentine’s Day. The holiday is named after two among the numerous early Christian martyrs named Valentine. The day became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished.

The day is most closely associated with the mutual exchange of love notes in the form of “valentines.” Modern Valentine symbols include the heart-shaped outline and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten notes have largely given way to mass-produced greeting cards.

Irene drove herself to and from dialysis this morning and received the Creatinine Clearance test results measuring kidney function which remains at 5.9.  It’s exactly the same reading as that of one month ago.  Scott, one of the attending RN’s at the Satellite Dialysis Center, commented that one notable observation is that the recent increase in amyloid value has not adversely affected the kidney function…at least up to this point.

The HEART is the seed of human emotion.  Valentine’s Day is a “one day” holiday designation where we express “romantic” love to those who are dear to us.  In my humble opinion, EVERYDAY should be designated for expressions of “agape” love to all those around us and we don’t need the commercialization of a holiday as the matrix to do so.

Agape love, in the original Greek is defined as ….

the love of God for humankind
unselfish love of one person for another without sexual implications; brotherly love

Above all else guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.
Proverbs 4:23

Caminando con Fé

Dave

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…. we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

Sometimes Irene’s Journey of Faith poses a treacherous intersection of what one sees …. and what one doesn’t see …. versus what we fear “could be” ….

UCSF called Irene today with the amyloid blood test results from last week’s blood draw:

Cappa Light Chain count: 56.7

For perspective, the value on the stem cell transplant date of June 15, 2007 was 652. In July, the Cappa Light Chain value was 78.5 and in October the value was 33.1. The value represents milligrams of Amyloid per liter of blood. What’s the “value” goal? Simply put, “ZERO” equals remission. So, what does the current value of 56.7 represent since it’s obviously higher than what it was in October? We’re not really sure. Our consultation scheduled with Dr. Damon at UCSF on March 13 will offer enlightenment to that question.

In summary, the Cappa Light Chain counts have been the following:

June, 2007

652

July, 2007

78.5

October, 2007

33.1

February, 2008

56.7

…. we walk by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7

Thank you for walking alongside of us on Irene’s Journey of Faith. It’s a gift from God to “not see” all of the potential pitfalls that surround each of us everyday. If we did, perhaps seeing those potential pitfalls would stir the human fear factor.

It’s a gift from God to walk by faith and not by sight.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

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