Well, I am still employed. At least I think I am, because the government is taking some of their money back, but I guess that is not necessarily indicative of employment. This is the first year I really had to think about taxes, and I discovered yet another benefit from having a family, or make that benefits. Seems like they should list it as beneficiary or something positive. I had a hard time finding where I take credit for feeding so many mouths because they list them as dependents... Seems like they could just call them parasites, or leeches, or something like that. Why couldn't they have you multiply the number of blessings in your life by that number, since for you they are blessings on the tax form, if not at other times and places... I suppose the tax people make those forms, and so for them it is a negative thing for you to be able to have more of the money you are paid for working or doing whatever you do.
I had fun the past week filling out Oregon, Ohio, and Federal returns... so, if anyone has any questions feel free to consult your local tax person because I am needing to take a week straight of call to recover from the trauma of reading through all three instructions books, and filling in and re-filling in the forms for each entity.
The way it worked, the feds didn't get anything because my man W helped me out with that Child Tax Credit, but I guess the states don't see kids as a credit, only a deduction, and a pretty wimpy one at that, so I ended up paying tax in Oregon and then Ohio taxes the Oregon income as well, only giving you partial credit for having paid Oregon tax... Pretty sneaky, I think. Seems like if someone could figure out how to work the system in the private world that the tax people have going, they would rule the world.
Well, the point to telling you all about this is that I actually have time to do my own taxes, given the fact that I am passing gas. That means I am on anesthesia, where we gas our patients into anesthetic states so the "real" docs can operate on them. Obviously, I am only taking this shot at them because they have the best possible job on the planet, except for the malpractice, and this month I see what I would have gone into had I been led to enter medicine to make lots of money and work few hours, having minimal patient contact and no office. Too bad the Lord didn't lead me into the promised land of anesthesia... don't think I haven't been asking lots for a re-assignment this month, and thinking about switching. Oh well, better to be doing what you are supposed to do, right? Right!
At least that is what I have been getting from 2 Corinthians lately, such a good book for me at this stage, seems to hit me over the head with what I should be doing, thinking and acting like. Oh yeah, I am an ambassador of God's righteousness. Seems so hard when that nasty thing called daily life gets to me.
This month, Jan turned 5 and we had a wonderful party here with a few neighbors, friends, and more friends. Anne is recovering from splitting her head open, and we are treating the scar to help it be small as possible... She continues to taunt gravity and pay the price on a near daily basis. Alec is struggling with allergies, his inhaler irritating his intraocular pressures, and letting things get to him when he doesn't feel so well (that last part is me too, by the way), but overall is a great guy and is very helpful. Pati is stuffed up yet again, but the airway diameter is much larger now, so the snot doesn't cause too many problems we can't handle at home. Kristi is recovering from Pati, and is fairly busy -- Okay, really busy with the kids, the house, the home, the husband, lack of the husband, and has even gotten out for a quick jog since the weather has warmed up this past week to melt our snow.
Today, I am home early because I don't feel great (congested), there weren't very many interesting cases I wanted to pass gas on, and nobody seems to care if I am gone. Kristi is gone to Amish country with her sister Cori, who is here for a week with her baby Sonja from Seattle. I even got to spend some quality time with Sonja yesterday afternoon, but I realized three things; Sonja has just entered the age of awareness, Sonja prefers her mother to her scary uncle, Sonja will not accept a substitute for her mother, especially not the scary uncle. Is fun to have them here, and makes us feel not so far away.
Overall, we have been greatly blessed as a family, and have survived almost another year of marriage (6 years on the 24th of this month), 3/4 of a year as a surgery resident, Ohio winter #1 with only one furnace malfunction where the father smoked the house trying to keep his family warm, a flooded basement, emergency rooms and hospital stays (outside of work), tax season, and being without our family and friends from home being within a few hours drive. We have had lots of help and support from you all, in prayers, finances, tax advice, visits with lots of help with kids and projects, and making us feel important in your lives by communicating with us.
Thanks.
Now, I begin a much more intense phase of work next month that will likely stretch through until I finish residency about 4 years from now... I move up in the on-call responsibility and for the next two years will be "taking second call" which means much more responsibility, work, hours, calls per month (as there are only 4 second call people, so you do the math, esp when anyone is on vacation) and stress... I do still hang my faith on the reliability of God and this being His idea anyway. I have His word that He will be with us through this and glorify himself through all of this, so I am sure it will be and has been worth it.
Feel free to write, call, come out, or whatever else you want to do that involves us and you and food. We'll bring the diapers and wipes.
David
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