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What a great Christmas! I feel a tremendous sense of satisfaction when I sit back and look at what has happened to me and for me this year.. I know I am blessed to be doing exactly what I want to do. I have learned a lot of science, but of more lasting significance, I have learned how many true friends I have, and how many people love me. I have had so much support from people that I feel like I am not just going to medical school for me but for all of them too. One particular anonymous benefactor overwhelmed Angie and I with their generosity. We wrote them a letter expressing our gratitude and pledged to pass along their gift by helping out others in the future when we have the means.

Everything can’t always be rosy though. We started our son, Manning on a new anti-seizure medication called Zonegran a few weeks ago, and so far we have not seen much in the way of results. Manning was still having multiple seizures a day, and they seemed to be getting rougher in intensity. One night Angie was near tears saying she had been really praying for a Christmas miracle. Again. I have stopped looking for those kinds of things, I guess because I am tired of being disappointed. I am not sure which is sadder … her dashed hopes or my lack of hope. For me, it is just easier to be accepting and happy in a poor situation than to continually get knocked in the teeth. But on the more merry thoughts!

I have had a lot of questions lately about how my family is handling my schooling. I think it has gone great thus far, and the whole family is real supportive. Angie actually complains that I should be studying sometimes when she sees me goofing off. I think I am spending almost as much time with them as when I was working. Maybe that’s the problem with some of my grades! Anyway, I had the wife of a fourth-year student from my school write me and suggest that it would be good to get Angie’s take on the whole thing. I am going to try to get her to post a “guest entry” and let her tell about the experience in her own words.
I had a great time last night going out with a bunch of my buddies including one from out-of-town whom I hadn’t seen in a year. We went to a local sports bar to watch some football and eat our weight in buffalo wings. Life has been good, but I have got to shake it off and hit the books!