According to Wikipedia:

Suffering, or pain in this sense, is a basic affective experience of unpleasantness and aversion associated with harm or threat of harm in an individual.

Suffering may be called physical or mental, depending on whether it is linked primarily to a body process or a mind process. Examples of physical suffering are pain (as a sensation), nausea, breathlessness, and itching.  Examples of mental suffering are anxiety, grief, hatred, and boredom.
The intensity of suffering comes in all degrees, from the triflingly mild to the unspeakably insufferable. Factors of duration and frequency of occurrence are often considered along with that of intensity.
People’s attitudes toward a suffering may vary hugely according to how much they deem it as light or severe, avoidable or unavoidable, useful or useless, of little or of great consequence, deserved or undeserved, chosen or unwanted, acceptable or unacceptable.
The words pain and suffering can be confusing and may require careful handling. (1) Sometimes they are synonyms and interchangeable. (2) Sometimes they are used in contradistinction to one another: e.g. “pain is inevitable, suffering is optional”, or “pain is physical, suffering is mental”. (3) Sometimes one word refers to a variety of that to which the other refers: e.g. “pain is physical suffering”, or “suffering is severe physical or mental pain”. (4) Sometimes yet, people use them in another fashion.

All sentient beings suffer during their lives, in diverse manners, and often dramatically. No field of human activity deals with the whole subject of suffering, but many are concerned with its nature and processes, its origin and causes, its meaning and significance, its related personal, social, and cultural behaviors, its remedies, management, and uses.

Reed Jolley

Snubbing the nausea, Irene and her sisters Carmen and Jane were out early and met with Jocelyn, seizing the morning for a shopping spree until mid afternoon!!  The cool fog rolled in this afternoon but it didn’t thwart the enthusiasm and energy accompanying the time that Irene experienced with Jocelyn and her sisters.

Shirley Churchill spent 2 hours with Irene working on physiology issues related to the hope of waking the kidneys up!  I was able to spend

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You can’t keep a good woman down!!

At least that’s what happened this morning when Irene woke up confronted with the routinely defying nausea.  However, she would not be denied …. by “playing” in the yard and completing several important tasks around the house throughout a beautiful day on the bay.

Irene’s sisters Carmen and Jane kayaked in Moss Landing before staying overnight at the house.  I was able to get in a long mountain bike ride and it felt pretty “normal” around here today.  For that we rejoice.

I also spoke publicly about Irene’s illness at Mount Hermon this evening, partnering with Reed Jolley from Santa Barbara, addressing a young singles group of about 100 at Mount Hermon.  They were very inspired by Irene’s journey of faith.

It will be wonderful to routinely report that Irene’s activities and health are returning to where she was pre-illness.  I asked her at dinner if she felt that her strength was returning and improving daily.  She was quick to respond with a “YES!”  To that end we pray.

Caminando con Fé
Dave

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It’s been a good day for Irene.  She was up early and drove herself to and from dialysis treatment.  She’s maintaining her weight in the 109 -111 pound range.  The nausea remained at a low rumble and she was able to “play” in the wisteria garden this afternoon.  It’s refreshing to have a reprieve!!

Irene made an amazing dinner which we relished on the front deck, watching the sunset.  Dinner was followed with the most delicious homemade peach crisp that I’ve “devoured” in my entire life!  After dinner we drove to Home Depot and wandered the store…what an exciting evening…!!

We’re grateful for a wonderful day.  Today is one that reminds us that people like you are praying…and the intercession is deeply appreciated.

Thanks for caring.

Caminando con Fé
Dave

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