T+168. Look for it!

BOX SCORE	10/18/24
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	12.8	13-17	v
Platelets	168	140-375	v
ANC	2650	1800-8300	v

In 1961, when I was a sophomore in high school, there was a movie produced by one of my favorite producer/directors, Frank Capra, who made lots of feel-good movies. The title is  Pocketful of Miracles, starring Glen Ford and Bette Davis. It was a musical remake of an old story that has been portrayed on film numerous times. Frank Sinatra recorded the theme song, and it made a splash, but my favorite version was a cover by a sunshine pop group called Harpers Bizarre. Here's a link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haPojzbcMgw

And if you don't like to click on links, here are the lyrics: 

A Pocketful of Miracles

Pee-racticality dee-oesn't interest me
Love's the life that I lead
I've got a pocketful of miracles

And with a pocketful of miracles
One little miracle a day is all I need

Tee-roubles more or less bee-other me, I guess
When the sun doesn't shine
But there's that pocketful of miracles
And with a pocketful of miracles
The world's a bright and shiny apple that's mine, all mine

I hear sleigh bells ringing
Smack in the middle of May

I go around like there's snow around
I feel so good, it's Christmas ev'ry day

Lee-ife's a carousel fee-ar as I can tell
And I'm riding for free
So, if you're down and out of miracles
I've got a pocketful of miracles
And there'll be miracles enough for you and me

I hear sleigh bells ringing

Smack in the middle of May
I go around like there's snow around
(I feel so good, it's Christmas ev'ry day)

Lee-ife's a carousel fee-ar as I can tell
And I'm riding for free
(I've got a pocketful of miracles)
But if I had to pick a miracle
My fav'rite miracle of all is you and me

https://geniuslyrics.net/frank-sinatra/pocketful-of-miracles/ 

Jill and I were talking about miracles with a young couple we know, when we had a virtual dinner party with them on Monday. The discussion started because Chloie had been reading the book of Exodus. That's where the story appears about God freeing the Hebrew people from slavery to the Egyptians by visiting several plagues on Egypt to convince Pharaoh to "let my people go." (In case you remember the old spiritual.) The Lord told the Hebrews to mark their doorways with the blood of a lamb, and He would pass over their houses when He caused the first born of the Egyptians to die. Thus the annual celebration of Passover by the Jewish people began. 

That miracle, of course, was followed by the Lord parting the Red Sea so that they could escape from Egypt to the Arabian Peninsula and head for the promised land. 

Scripture is salted with numerous tales of miracles of various kinds. A dear friend of mine who is a Bible scholar once told me that the miracles seem to happen around the times when there was a major event in the history of the Hebrew people: the plagues on Egypt and the parting of the sea, when God delivered the Hebrews from slavery; God's provision of manna from heaven to feed them and water from a rock to quench their thirst during their 40 year trek in the desert; the walls of Jericho falling miraculously when they entered the promised land; the virgin birth of Jesus. Each of these things proclaimed a new milepost on God's highway to saving His people. 

During our conversation, Jill reminded us all that miracles happen every day, if we are just paying attention. Consider, for example, the birth of a baby, or for that matter the very fact that God made creatures that are able to reproduce themselves. And very close to home for us is the miracle of medical science that God has revealed to mankind that allows us to treat diseases of various kinds, such as, oh, let's say leukemia. Imagine the incredible miracle of being able to take stem cells from one person, implant them in another person and wind up with that second person having new bone marrow grow to replace the diseased marrow that produced leukemia. And along with the new bone marrow comes a new immune system that can fight off all kinds of illness, including the leukemia that necessitated the transplant. A less spectacular, if you will, but no less miraculous thing is simply to put a bandage over a cut in the skin, and bingo! A few days later the cut has disappeared. Remarkable. Amazing. Incredible. Miraculous. 

As I reflect on all that we have experienced and learned on this journey through leukemia treatment, it all seems kind of dream-like. A) that we have even experienced it, and B) that I feel just like that song, A Pocketful of Miracles. "I feel so good it's Christmas every day."

Sometimes we need to look up from our focus on all of the hard parts of life that we deal with and take notice of the miracles that are all around us. And you know what I have found? When I do that -- notice the miracles, I mean -- I feel grateful, and then I begin looking for more miracles... It's like sleigh bells ringing smack in the middle of May! 

Expect a miracle today, and then look for it!