Eye Roll

This is going to be TMI for some of you...

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Progress Report and Introspection

This is my one-month report. I am amazed at how well my recovery from Bell's palsy has gone. My right eyebrow and forehead work almost the same as they always have. (Downside is, I've lost the Botox effect, and my forehead wrinkles are back.) My eye closes and doesn't dry out at night. The blink reflex is back, but I can't squeeze my eye shut tightly, and the undereye muscles are still weak. My smile looks

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Busted!

I'm well enough that I can "fake" normalcy when I go out in public for short periods. So I thought I was going to get away without telling the whole ward that I was incapacitated. I did tell my Primary class, because it was very obvious the Sunday after I got Bell's Palsy. But then we had Stake Conference and I didn't go, and after that my face was beginning to look better. Friday my daughter and I went to visit a lady in our neighborhood who just had a baby and we dropped off a fruit basket. We were just about to leave, and DD made an ill-considered remark about me having Bell's Palsy. I was rather annoyed. Just after we visited, the compassionate service leader came by, to bring dinner in to the family with the new baby. That's when the Mormon grapevine went to work. So, today at Church I had to discuss my affliction with sundry people and put on a cheery attitude. GRRRRR. Also, the Bishop sent me a little message on my Facebook expressing condolences and asking if he could do anything to help. I know everyone means well. And they are very kind. There just isn't anything they can really do to "serve" me at this time. I'm probably being overly sensitive. But if they don't want anything to do with me on a regular basis, I don't really want them coming around me when I'm at my worst. Does that make any sense at all?

Do Mormons Need a "Nostra Aetate" of Their Own?

In 1965 the Second Vatican Council produced a declaration on the relation of the Catholic church with non-Christian religions. In this document, "Nostra Aetate" (In Our Age), the Catholic Church revolutionized its relations with Jews by saying Christ's death could not be attributed to Jews as a whole at the time or today.

A forthcoming book by Pope Benedict XVI supports and furthers this doctrine. In the second volume of “Jesus of Nazareth”, which will be released by Ignatius Press on March 10, the Pope explains that although scripture has the Jewish crowd shouting, “Let his blood be on us and on our children,” as they demand that Pilate execute Jesus, the crowd should be read to represent all humanity. News sources are hailing this excitedly with headlines like: "Pope Exonerates Jews..." and "Pope Absolves Jews..." For the interest of FPR readers, I am going to include a lengthy excerpt from the book, which has been released as a "trailer" from the publishers. Pertinent information to this post is italicized.

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Advantages of Bell's Palsy?

Day 16. I'm feeling much better about my face today. Now that there is a little more tone on the right side, it doesn't droop so much. Even though everything is still crooked, I can live with it. The only think I really, really need to improve is the muscles surrounding my eye. It is inconvenient and painful that I can't shut my eye tightly. On Tuesday I went to the beach for a couple of hours, just to walk up and down in the sand. It was very windy, and even though I had sunglasses on it was uncomfortable to have it blowing in my eye.

If I rack my brain, I can even think of some of the advantages of having Bell's Palsy! (Pictures after the jump...)

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