Category Archives: Suffering

Lifesavers and Church

Posted on September 20, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

This past Thursday, September 14th, I met a man who reminded me of Helen Keller’s famous proverb: “I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.”  He had come to the practice field … Continue reading →

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A Numb Skull and a Stiff Neck

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

I suspect that as my brothers read this blog post’s title, they are thinking, “Praise the Lord, he’s back to normal – recovery only took a month!” There may be a kernel of truth to that.  But one of the … Continue reading →

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French Toast, Letting Go, and Berger Cookies

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

Here at the California Bjerkaas house, we probably had the most laid-back Labor Day in the entire country.  Nothing but napping and soft foods all day long.  It was like a sneak preview of my retirement… Tuesday morning, after the … Continue reading →

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“My Heart Will Sing and I Will Not Be Silent”

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

Tuesday, the 29th of August, in addition to being a day marked by authentic shish kabobs, was also the day I sat down to blog for the first time in almost a month.  That was thirteen days after the surgery, … Continue reading →

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The Tenderness of People and Heeding Al Jarreau: Get Your Boogie Down!

Posted on September 8, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

An old time preacher, Henry Moorhouse, once said, “It is a wonderful thing for a pastor to suffer, that he might learn how tender people can be.”  What was true in the mid-nineteenth century is still true today.  And it … Continue reading →

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Let the Good Times Roll! A Large Fries and a Slow God

Posted on September 7, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

Finally, a really good day! Monday, August 28, was a day I was not looking forward to.  It was the day Kerrie and I would have to drive back down to Sunset to get my stitches removed. I had never … Continue reading →

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Faces in the Carpet and Where Is that Children’s Choir?

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

Thursday morning was a bummer, but Thursday afternoon was awesome. JP, one of the lacrosse dads who plays an essential role in administration for the Oak Park Boys Lacrosse Program, came by with a car load of the seniors from … Continue reading →

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Raspberry Cookies and the Baby Smile Nasal Aspirator

Posted on September 5, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

Having been in the hospital for the better part of a week, there were two things that made me nervous about coming home.  The first was the actual ride home.  Part of the surgery had involved cutting through some of … Continue reading →

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Surgical Buyer’s Regret, an Eclipse, and The Reluctant Widow

Posted on September 4, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

The Neurological Care Unit was much quieter than the ICU. Fewer beeps and buzzes.  And fewer agitated patients – perhaps we were simply a more pharmacologically stabilized bunch. For me, the two days I spent in this new unit were … Continue reading →

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Saying Goodbye to the ICU

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Bob Bjerkaas

By my third day in the ICU I was probably about as comfortable there as one could be.  I knew all of the nurses, the various doctors who would come through at least twice a day to check my vitals … Continue reading →

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