Feast of the Presentation

Feeling worse today then yesterday. Now I need to clarify this matter - seriously - when they say take medicine "4 times daily" does it mean 4 times in 24 hours or 4 times in 12 daylight hours (considering that nighttime you're asleep and therefore won't take the medicine)? I'm still a total blurr. Last night because of the heavily congested lungs and nose, I took "neosed" every 3 hours (5pm, 9pm, 1am and 4 am). Boy did I feel even sicker after that. It kept me awake all night but at least I could breathe through my nose. I've still lost my voice (everyone here is making fun of me - even Sinead called me from her office to hear what I sound like) and my chest hurts like hell when I cough. The phlegm is a horrible thick dark green type that I have trouble coughing up.

Khalil our cook has boiled rosemary, sage and lemon into a tea for me to drink. It's the local concoction to clear the phlegm and congested airways (and I must say it really works!!!). However the taste is not something you'd recommend to people. Yucks.

Fever is still high, joints still aching. Mother Teresa's sisters called to say they'll bring me to see the doc today (knowing full well I never go to the doc) but I'll find a way to escape them. I may be sick but I haven't lost my brains!

By the way, the Israeli PM's threat to respond in a "disproportionate" way to the Gaza rockets yesterday has sparked rumours of a new war - obviously Hamas has had time to consolidate its position now. People are scared.

Meantime today we celebrate the Presentation of Christ in the Temple. If you calculate from Dec 26th, it'll be about just 40 days. So Jesus was presented to the Temple as the first-born son, the son redeemed by the blood of the lamb smeared on the doorposts during the Exodus. By virtue of our baptism in jesus Christ, we too share in this privilege and heritage of the first born son.