Wish Mark Saadi Well
Thursday, December 15, 2005
1-18-06 UPDATE: For those who knew Mark, Denise has asked that, in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to an account being set up for the Saadi Boys College Fund. If you're interested, I'll be glad to provide information. I'm sure gifts of any size would be appreciated. Please write me at aklemmer (at) earthlink (dot) net.
Christmas Eve update: Thanks to everyone who left a comment for Mark and to all those who linked here in his support. Any additional comments will also be delivered. I dropped the first 49 off with Denise, who said she's going to read them to Mark tonight. As to his health, he has stablized enough to be moved from ICU, but otherwise remains the same, with difficultly breathing and no feeling or movement below the neck. He's remaining positive, though, and Denise was excited to have your comments. Whatever tradition you may celebrate, I wish you only goodness this holiday season and in the year ahead.
Mark recently became a Catholic. So prayers, blessing and the like are welcomed. Since the comments left will be printed, and clicking on profiles won't be possible, please say where you live. Learn more about transverse myelitis here.
Thanks to all who've linked here in support of Mark (if I've missed you, please let me know in an e-mail):
Being Jennifer Garrett
Less People Less Idiots
Dead Guy
The Babbling Dweeb
The Caitlinator
Cy-Press
The Omnipotent Poobah Speaks
kball
Camobunny
Wishing You Well
To regular visitors (Hi, Mom and Dad!), Twitz will return the first week of January. Thanks for taking the time.
Mark recently became a Catholic. So prayers, blessing and the like are welcomed. Since the comments left will be printed, and clicking on profiles won't be possible, please say where you live. Learn more about transverse myelitis here.
Thanks to all who've linked here in support of Mark (if I've missed you, please let me know in an e-mail):
Being Jennifer Garrett
Less People Less Idiots
Dead Guy
The Babbling Dweeb
The Caitlinator
Cy-Press
The Omnipotent Poobah Speaks
kball
Camobunny
Wishing You Well
To regular visitors (Hi, Mom and Dad!), Twitz will return the first week of January. Thanks for taking the time.
posted by A. Klemmer at Thursday, December 15, 2005
48 Comments:
Mark,
As a fellow Christian, I will be praying for you. I truly hope God blesses you and your family this Christmas season!
-Ben / Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Let nothing disturb you
Let nothing affright you
All things are passing
God Alone is changeless
Patience wins all things
Who has God, wants nothing
God Alone Suffices.
Santa Teresa de Jesús
We, our faith and our prayers, are with you.
Mark,
I don't know if you're a baseball fan, but if you're a Catholic, you know about faith. And we here in Boston (home of the 2004 World Champion Red Sox) know a thing or two about keeping the faith and looking up when everything is looking down. Anything is possible, and I'll be rooting for you with all my hard-bitten Sox-fan might.
May your Christmas be filled with joy and love.
Jen
Boston, Mass.
Mark,
You are in my thoughts and prayers. Get well soon. Merry Christmas!
Steph / Baltimore, MD
Wishing good thoughts.
-Cy, Detroit, Michigan, USA
The Celtic Christians had a practice of the "caim," when they would gather in a circle and pray together. A variation of the "caim" is to envision a circle of love -- God's love, the love of others -- like a force shield around someone who needs to feel the strength, the grace, and love and of others. The prayer itself is brief and somewhat meditative -- which can be helpful when you feel despair.
Although I don't know you, I will add you to my daily prayer list -- that you and your family will feel God's love and strength and the love of others when you (and they) need it the most.
A Caim prayer for Mark:
The Mighty Three
My protection be
Encircling me
You are around
My life, my home
Encircling me
O Sacred Three
The Mighty Three
Sending positive thoughts to Mark and his family. Best wishes and Merry Christmas!
Jenny
Chicago, IL
So sorry to hear of your trial, Mark, and I hope that you and your family are bearing up under the load. My sister and her in-laws are also facing a crisis this Christmas, so perhaps you can take some small comfort in the thought that you are *not* alone. More important to you, I'm sure, is that your family and friends are around you. They will think of you and support you, and so, now, will strangers across the country.
The Lord never closes a door without opening a window.
Also, highly recommended for correspondence (if it's allowed in your room): laptop computer and dictation software. Someone with you can help with "training" the dictation software, and maybe you can wile away the hours by catching up on some correspondence, or even writing about your experience for others facing the same thing now or in the future.
With prayers and hopes for your peace and comfort,
a friend in Laguna Niguel, CA
May the new year grant you much better luck!
Dear Mark,
As a biologist I can tell you that ther is hope that you will get better really soon.
As a Chistian I know that there is ALWAYS hope!
Keep the faith!
Melanie
Toronto, Canada
"May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, {21} equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." -Hebrews 13:20-21
-robert, west texas
They say laughter is the best medicine, so here's a joke for you. :)
The Pregnant Blonde
My wife, who is blonde, came running up to me in the driveway, the other day, just jumping for joy! I didn't know why she was jumping for joy but I thought, what the heck and I starting jumping up and down along with her.
When she said, "Honey, I have some really great news for you!"
I said, "Great. Tell me what you're so happy about."
She stopped jumping and was breathing heavily from all the jumping up and down, when she told
me that she was pregnant.
I was ecstatic! We had been trying for a while, so I grabbed her and
kissed her on the lips and told her, "That's great! I couldn't be
happier!"
Then, she said "Oh, honey. There's more." I asked, "What do you mean 'more'?"
She said, "Well, we are not having just one baby. We are going to have TWINS!"
Amazed at how she could know so soon after getting pregnant, I asked her how she knew.
She said, (You're going to love this!) "Well, that was the easy part. I went to the store and bought the twin-pack home pregnancy test kit and both tests came out positive!"
Angie
Colorado
Here's my little contribution to your goal of 1000. I hope you get better soon, and here's a funny/stupid story for your amusement: When I was in high school my school put together a can drive for the homeless. I asked my friend "why do they want all our cans? Wouldn't it be easier if we recycled them ourselves and gave them the money?" Well no, because they wanted FULL cans of food *for the food shelf*. I had been saving empty cans. We laughed until we cried! I'm so glad I found out before I brought them in.
Sarah
Minneapolis, MN
About this time last year I got some bad news about my nephew having lymphoma. Things are better this year and it is my sincere hope that things get better for you, but much, much sooner. I'm sending well wishes and encouragement your way. Here's an inspirational story:
You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.
She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.
She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they got soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked. "What's the point, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -- boiling water -- but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond?
Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I?
Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a break-up, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.
When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?
How do you handle Adversity?
ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?
Catgirl, Edgewater FL
Mark, I am sending prayers to Apollon and Asklepios for your recovery and to Hestia for the preservation of your family at this time. I know you are Christian, but prayers are prayers to most people I know.
I hope your Christmas is as bright as the sun, and that the turning of the year brings you and your family all that you seek.
Jessi
Boston, MA
P.S. To play off a previous comment; if the Red Sox can win the World Series, anything is possible. Keep the faith and good things will come.
Mark,
i have learned through the years that there is very little you can say to someone who finds themselves in a situation like or similar to yours that really resonates. but this was said to me when i lost my daughter, and i hope it helps.
"if there is anything i can do for you, let me know, and know you are in my prayers, and entwined in my heartstrings. find what little good you can and focus on it."
may the magic of this advent season bring you hope... may you feel the blessing of christmas in your time of need...
Mark,
Sending you all my well wishes this holiday season and beyond. I look forward to hearing about your recovery.
Merry Christmas to you and your family,
Caitlin
New York, NY
Sending you the most positive thoughts to you and your family. I wish you well.
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
- bd
Mark, I wish you and yours all the best. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Rebecca/Alpena, Michigan
Mark, my prayers are with you. I will ask the Lord to give you strength to get thru this difficult time. Have faith in Him, you are his favorite son and He will never do anything to hurt you.
God bless you!
Eny
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Mark,
May you and your family find joy and love in each another this Christmas. And may the New Year bring the answers to all your prayers.
Meaghan/Washington DC
Mark,
I think Dylan Thomas (as obtuse as he sometimes is) said it best: "Light breaks where no sun shines; Where no sea runs, the waters of the heart push in their tides."
Know that you are loved, and thought of, and hoped for.
Kat
Washington, DC
Mark,
My family sends our wishes and prayers to you and yours. Get well soon.
God Bless and Merry Christmas.
-Becka, Ottawa Canada
Mark,
People from coast to coast are wishing you well. Our faith & thoughts are with you and your family.
-Katie
New Hampshire
Best wishes...
Mark,
May your family and friends be with you to celebrate Christmas so that you will not be alone.
Best wishes,
-Z-
Mark,
As a physician, I have experienced that God is THE great physician. Beyond anything your doctors can offer you, He can offer you the healing you need.
As He has healed and redeemed your broken spirit through Christ, may He heal your body quickly and may your recovery be smooth and steady. May your faith grow through this experience. May your heart be drawn closer to His as you feel your need for Him, and as He meets that need in sustaining you daily. May your soul grow to be ultimately satisfied with Him, bringing the peace and joy through all adversity that can only come from Him. May He be glorified through your testimony of His healing.
You are obviously loved and cared for by many. A happy Christmas to you!
Dr. C.B., M.D.
Midwestern USA
You're getting a little word of mouth via my Blogroll.
Keep us posted.
"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
You are in our prayers and His.
Sending good thoughts for you and your family all the way from Japan.
May everyone's thoughts and prayers bring you additional hope and comfort. Well wishes from my family to yours...
JJ
Warrenton, VA
I didn't know about this condition until I read about your affliction. It seems to be something that people recover from, so I will hope for a speedy recovery for you.
Best wishes,
Karen
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Deep in the blackest days, there are subtle gifts. Look for them. They will guide you to the other side of tragedy.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery, and a Mery Christmas to you and your family. May the new year bring a new hope and peace to you.
From kristie in Florida!
Hey Mark,
I am so sorry to hear you are going through such an ordeal. I will be praying for you and your family here in Alabama. Take care and feel the love in tiny small doses from all of us on the internet.
bjMark,
You are in my thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. Draw strength from your family, friends and from those of us that you do not know that are praying for you. This too shall pass...
Lynn in Buffalo, NY
Mark,
You are in the thoughts and prayers of many. May all of this positive energy directed towards you and your family lift your spirits on this Christmas Day and give you the strength you need to get better in the coming year.
Michelle, Providence, RI
Mark,
I praise God for bringing you to Him at this stage in your life. As believers, we often find ourselves in the darkest hours just as it seems His light couldn't shine more brightly on us.
Praying for your family in the weeks ahead and for God's glory to be revealed through your illness. After all, look at all those He's reaching just through this comment string!
"So do not throw away your confidence, for it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will received what He has promised." -Heb 10:35-36
Keep your confidence in the eternal gift God has granted you, Mark. You are loved!
Kristen
NYC
Mark, best wishes for a full and speedy recovery. You and your wife are in my prayers.
My prayers and thoughts are with you and your family.
Elaine/Everett, Washington
Mark--
How sorry I am to hear of your hardship, and the test on your family. May you come through this trial with integrity, courage, and unity. Wishing you the best and a speedy recovery from Monterey, California.
Mark,
I will be praying for your speedy recovery.
You have a great family and supportive friends.
God bless you.
Maria/Cleveland, OH
Wishing you clarity, calm, and a cure.
Sarah - St. Louis, MO
Merry Christmas, Mark.
I hope you feel better. It is with trials that we learn to appreciate who we are, and who we love. And that those who love us show how much they appreciate us. I'm sending good thoughts and prayers for a great Christmas your way. God bless. Oh, and a little poem. For you. Cause poems are fun.
Mark, Happy Christmas to you
You who are not feeling too hot
I hope you have a great one
Spent with those who care about you a lot
I know that I don't know you
But that doesn't matter all that much
I'm still wishing you well
For that extra special touch
Um. I never said I was good poet. Oooh! And a coupla haikus, cause those are fun too!!
A Christmas haiku
A Christmas haiku for you
And now it is done.
Merry Christmas, Mark
Lots of folks are thinking of
You this Christmas day.
Thérèse
New Brunswick, Canada
To Dear Mark and family, I am thinking of you all, wishing you well, and above all for a speedy recovery.
Fear is toxic. Be brave: find the strength which allows you to lean on others, and let hope light your path to a brighter tomorrow.
Mark,
Best wishes for a speedy & full recovery. We are praying for you!
Kevin Taggart & Laura Billings
San Diego, CA
Mark,
Best wishes for a speedy & full recovery. We are praying for you!
Kevin Taggart & Laura Billings
San Diego, CA
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