Bloody good time

Not to be taken in the English sense, I could say that our FHE tonight was a bloody good time. Or a blood product good time. Doesn't quite sound the same does it? We went to the Canadian Blood Services clinic on the University campus, and it had been a couple months since I last donated, and close to eight months since I last donated plasma. It was a combination of blind ambition and stupidity that prevented me from donating for quite some time, because I had the goal to reach 50 donations by the time I was thirty. Well, I did it, but then my arms hurt so bad because I was picking up Rini after donations, and my blood vessels weren't healing properly. I didn't have a close up of what they looked like, but I will warrant a guess that the camera would have done a CGI zoom into my body had I been the star of an episode of House, just so you could see just how poorly my body was attempting to repair itself.

Rini had a bit of a time getting used to the fact that Mommy and Daddy were not going to be sitting with her the entire time, but she was fine after we changed her diaper. Funny how that works sometimes. That little girl is going to be two years old as of twenty minutes past noon tomorrow. I know that I want her to fifteen years older now so she can donate blood too, but I'll worry about that when the time comes around. For the moment, she loves the food and sitting in the comfy chairs! It was rather cute how she would sit in the chair beside me as I was finishing up with my phlebotomy.

Wasn't the most structured FHE, but we did open with a prayer, sort of. We said a prayer before we left for the clinic. Mind we didn't do any gospel lesson attached to blood donation. Although it is an act of service, since blood donation is strictly a voluntary basis. Literally giving of yourself so that others can live a healthy life. I would think that would be the best kind of service there is, and in order to participate in such service, you have to keep yourself in a state that qualifies you to donate. First, you have to be in good health. You can't donate if your blood is going to make the other person sick. Or dead. Too many white blood cells and antibodies can do that. Second, they have to be sure that you don't have any diseases that can be carried by blood such as STDs or malaria. That's not to say that you can't travel internationally, just be careful. You also have to have a healthy blood pressure, or else they are going to have to question the quality of the blood vessels.

Service would be the best kind of lesson to teach our children. Even if it's something as simple as getting a 16 gauge needle in your arm and staying still for half and hour. Less if you're donating blood.

Still can't believe that little girl is going to be two years old tomorrow! Fifteen years, and she'll be able to donate. Yeesh! I'll be forty-five! That's a bit of a start. And Caitlin and I would have just celebrated our twentieth wedding anniversary!

I better start planning!