Thinking Out Loud, Volume CCLX

Just a quick note before I get started: Today marks the 260th consecutive week that I have written "Thinking Out Loud." When I put my mathematical skills into operation, I divide the 260 weeks by 52, the number of weeks in a year, and the answer is an even 5. That means that today is our 5 year anniversary. One of these days I will probably decide that I've about run out of things to say, but as of right now, I have no plans to stop, so who knows how long this will last. Happy birthday, TOL.


Have you ever had surgery to have some type of organ or body part removed? More than likely, a large percentage of you can answer that question in the affirmative. I can't. I had surgery one time, but nothing was removed, so, as far as I know, I still have everything I was born with. I'm happy with that. Since my mental capacity seems to be more limited than a lot of other people I come in contact with, I chose not to go into the medical profession, yet I do find it interesting when I hear knowledgeable people talk about the human body and how all the parts work together in such harmony and take care of each other. I must also add that the more I learn on that subject, the more I'm convinced that we are not merely a result of some naturally occurring phenomenon, but instead, we are a creation of an all knowing, all powerful being who knew exactly how to make us, what parts were needed for all the different required functions for our survival, and where those parts should be located.

Over thousands of years, people have studied the most intricate details of our bodies, and in the process, have figured out the purpose of each of our organs, so they now know what we can and cannot live without. But they've also figured out that every little part has a function, so basically, unless it's something that is malfunctioning, they choose to let us keep it. This includes parts like the appendix, gall bladder, tonsils, adenoids, etc. Those are useful organs, but they are apparently also things that are not required for survival. We are born with two kidneys for a reason, although, as my mom could've have testified, we can live a fairly normal life with only one. But as you know, we have to have our liver to live. (I wonder if that's why it's called a liver.) It's the same story with the heart, although we apparently have two totally different parts that we refer to as the heart. For example, I can talk about my heart, and I'm speaking of a muscle that pumps blood throughout my body. Then I can tell you that I love you with all of my heart, and I'm speaking of something more intangible, like my inner most being, or my soul, or a part of my mind, or maybe it's just me as a whole.

So, what is the purpose of today's writing? I'm not sure. It's something I've been thinking about, so I decided to write it down. I guess my main purpose is to express my thoughts on how wonderfully we were made, and when God created us, He placed every little part of us, both inside and out, just where it needed to be. Every one of us has a purpose, as it relates to how we fellowship with our fellow man and our body of humanity, although, just as with our own small body parts, sometimes there is a malfunction, and the main body has to make do without it. Could it be that some of us are more replaceable than others? Probably so. Yet we must remember that every part of our bodies was placed there for a reason, and that leads us to ask the age old question that has been asked down through the generations: "Why do men have nipples?" I haven't figured that one out yet, but I'd like to keep what I have.

Preston