June 4, 2021 (Friday)
For years I have boasted that for some reason mosquitoes do not bite me. Well, that is no longer my boast. A few nights ago I did not make sure the front door was shut completely before I locked it. Result: same as unlocked, only worse. Strong winds blew the door open and all the mosquitoes in the world made themselves at home in the house. The next night they came out from their hiding places and attacked my head all night long. Whenever I was awake, which was hours, I fought the critters buzzing around my head. They bit my face at least 75 times as I slept. So now my face resembles a terrible case of acne.
I browsed the internet looking for substances to ingest or smear on myself, and ran into commercial after commercial making outlandish claims for over-the-counter meds. They each followed the same pattern. First, a catchy claim, then an instruction to click a “next” button, which led to another “next” button, and so on and so on. 
I spent a little time with those types of promotion until it occurred to me that the internet has replaced the 19th century medicine man with his spiels of cure-alls. We’ve all seen those movies of guys who came to town, put on a show, then summoned a sick guy (an affiliate) from the crown to sample the medicine. He was always cured on the spot. Then the medicine man and his associates passed among the crowd selling the stuff, making lots of money before scampering to the next town to repeat the show and the sales.
Of course, we have not seen such in our lifetimes. Or have we? Remember “Hadacol,” a cure-all sold even in grocery stores until it was exposed as 70% alcohol and grocers had to get liquor licenses to sell the product? Their ads were laughable testimonies of unbelievable tales of miracle cures by people who had never even heard of Hadacol until they were offered money to give a testimony. Claims were so ridiculous that many jokes arose, like the illiterate who became a school teacher after taking it. Another product for the liver spawned a joke about a man who took the medicine. After he died, several men spent three days trying to beat his liver to death.
The internet has replaced the medicine shows for patent medicines. When I was in the hospital recently, a doctor came into the room and we discussed my diagnosis. He told me what my trouble might be and then I told him of five diagnoses of my own, one of which agreed with his. “Where did you come up with that diagnosis?” he asked. “From the internet,” I replied. “Oh,” he said,”Doctor Google.”
We know of scams by telephone and internet by which people have succumbed to trickery and lost much money, sometimes their entire savings. Now we know that the internet cannot be trusted for medical advice unless we are certain that the source of information is reliable.
Yesterday I saw a real physician with real answers to my continuing health issues. I feel safe in his care even though it is taking a while to get to the bottom of what’s causing my episodes of shortness of breath and accompanying weakness.
Thank you for your prayers as we try to find a solution to my breathing problem, which gets better every day. In the meantime, we all know that the Lord is watching over us.
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW
Words: Civilla Durfee Martin
Music: Charles Gabriel
1905
Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come,
Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home,
When Jesus is my portion? My constant friend is He:
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
“Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear,
And resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears;
Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.
Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.
I sing because I’m happy,
I sing because I’m free,
For His eye is on the sparrow,
And I know He watches me.