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So last weekend my Mother-in-Law had a heart attack.  The Wife headed down to our hometown as soon as she heard the news.  I have been home alone holding down the fort by myself, taking care of the pets.

It was scary at first, and still is.  She is going to need either bypass surgery, or a transplant since she also has a heart valve problem.  The bad part is they don’t have heath insurance.  I was kind of surprised when I heard they didn’t, because my Father-in-Law always preaches that it doesn’t matter how much you make, you need a job that offers health insurance.  I guess he new job doesn’t.  My in-laws are great people, but money is something they don’t have.  They live in a 30-year-old trailer house, and don’t have much for material possessions.  Sometimes I admire their lack of wanting many material possessions.

For a while there it was a little shaky on how her surgery was going to get done, and paid for.  Because of her valve problem surgery can’t be done at the St. Cloud hospital.  Their doctor wanted it to be done at the Mayo, but without insurance couldn’t get them into the Mayo.  Luckily enough he pulled some strings and got her into the University of Minnesota Medical Center.  They also were informed that there are many programs, and charities that will cover most of their medical expenses.  We are so grateful on how great the St. Cloud hospital is.  I have heard how great they are from other people, now we know it’s true.  I may have to find out what charities are covering the expenses, and send them some money every Christmas.

Yesterday she was life flighted to the U of M Hospital, and they have been doing more and more tests.  I haven’t heard yet what kind of surgery she is having yet, but it sounds like Christmas will be spent at the hospital.  It will be a tough Christmas, but this is what Christmas is all about.  Spending time with family no matter where they are at.

I was thinking the other day how little my interests have changed from my six-year-old self.  I loved science, astronomy, and magic.  I still remember my magic set, and all the tricks I knew and showed off to my family.  I remember wishing there were more shows like Mr. Wizard World and 3-2-1 Contact on TV.  I loved those shows, but they never seemed to be on enough.  One summer my Mom bought me a Peanuts science book set.  I think there were 20 or 25 volumes, each on a different science topic.  That summer I read them all, and learned a lot of science from Snoopy and Charlie Brown.  To this day I remember facts from those books.  You know how the first bright star of the night is usually a planet, and probably Venus?  Yeah, Charlie Brown taught me that when I was 6.  My Mom still has those books.  I need to get those from her.  If we ever have kids, I would love for them to read them.

I also always remember being a critical thinker as a kid.  I don’t ever remember believing in Santa Claus.  I probably did when I was real little, but when I got a little older I just played along with it.  Just the logistics of going to every house seemed impossible to me.  Yet alone a fat man fitting down a chimney and having elves build brand named products.  But the clincher was using the same wrapping paper as my parents, and using my Mom’s handwriting.  I just played along though because I wanted the presents.

I applied the same thinking about Santa Claus to God.  My Mom brought me to church every Sunday, but I don’t ever remember believing in God.  I pretty much thought it was a grown ups Santa Claus, and wondered if these otherwise smart people really believed in God.  Once again I just played along.  This time not for presents, but just to please my Mom.  I kept going to church every Sunday even though I hated it.  I even bullshitted my way through and got confirmed.  To this day my parents don’t know of my true religious beliefs.

I have been a skeptic long before I knew what a skeptic was, or new about the community.  When I first listened to the Skepticality podcast.  I feel in love with it.  Finally I met people of similar interests.  I started listening to as many skeptic and science podcasts as I could find.  No longer was science programing hard to find like it was when I was six.  There are more science blogs and podcasts than any person could ever consume.

I was also surprised how much my love of magic had to do with skepticism.  Many magicians are skeptics going all the way back to Houdini, who set out to expose all the frauds purporting supernatural phenomena.  Nowadays James Randi, and Penn & Teller are following in the footsteps of Houdini.  Many other magicians are skeptics too.  I don’t know if David Copperfield is though, but seeing his show, and actually getting on stage with him a few years back was a dream come true.  When it come to magic shows, I am still a six-year-old at heart, and never miss the opportunity to see a magic show.

As I get older it still amazes me how much I remember being six, and how little I have changed.  I am still critically thinking, still reading about science, and still love learning new magic tricks.