A Tangle or a Crown

   In recent days I've read a bit about Corrie ten Boom's life.  She escaped death in the concentration camps of World War 2, being imprisoned for months, seeing her dear sister die there and loosing the rest of her family.  She bravely soldiered on after her release at the end of the war and became a dearly loved "Tramp for the Lord" as she called herself.  

  As she ministered the Gospel to the nations, traveling to the far reaches of the world with the Good News of Jesus, she carried with her, and was rarely seen without, a beautiful scarf. She used this scarf to explain the wonders of how the Lord sees his children.  She would show the underside of the scarf which was full of tangles and threads which appeared to go nowhere useful.  She explained that this was so often the way we saw ourselves, unable to make sense of our lives, our circumstances and the world around us.

  Then Corrie would take the scarf and turn it over displaying the beautiful design on the other side.  She explained that this was the way the Lord saw us, the plans He had for us, the things that happened to us and the gorgeous pattern He was weaving in our lives.  The side of the scarf she revealed was a stunningly designed crown.  

  The Lord has a purpose for all that we are going through in the tough times.  He has a reason to bring us through the toughest tangles and the seemingly useless interruptions.  Every loss, disappointment, hurt, wound, and even this dreadful pandemic, He turns into something beautiful and for His good pleasure, and our benefit.  To Him be the glory through thick or thin, through the good times and the difficult, through times of prosperity and loss,  sickness and health, valleys and mountaintop experiences.  Although we see from the underside, earth, He sees from heaven, from the correct side.  Every tangle is really an opportunity to trust Him to make something beautiful.  And He will.

God bless each of you with greater confidence in Him, knowing His work in your life is always good.

Jeremiah 29:11  For I know the plans I have for you...

Plans for your wellbeing, not for disaster, 

To give you a future and a hope.    

Clapping

   Last week, a few days before Thanksgiving, I was captured by a tree outside the window.  It was moving in the wind in such a fashion that I know if I had the right ears I could have heard it clapping its branches before the Living God.  I don't recall ever seeing that kind of movement in the trees before.  

  I know the poetry in Scripture in not exactly meant to be literal.  But I sometimes think it is more literal than our sin-tasting ears can perceive.  We just don't have the pure listening ability we will someday have. Maybe as our faith if tested and refined we will yet have ears to hear.  I truly hope so.

Is. 55:12 You will indeed go out with joy

and be peacefully guided

the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you

and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.

The Sword

   Ephesians 6:17 is a well known Scripture that talks about the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.  We are invited to use this Sword in prayer.  The life experiences we have in victory over difficulties brings strength to our wielding the Sword in battle.  

Before David ruled as king over Israel, he fought many battles.  The first public battle he fought on behalf of Israel was with Goliath.  He took Goliath's sword after he killed him and for some reason we don't hear about it again until David runs from King Saul, fleeing for his life.  He reaches Nob and retrieves the sword where it has been stored with Ahimelech the priest.  

1Samuel 21:9 The priest replied,"The sword of Goliath, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.  If you want to take it for yourself, then take it for there isn't another here."  "there is none like it!" David said.  "give it to me."

From then on David fights many battles with the foes of Israel and with some of his own personal demons.  

Winning the Sword of Goliath was a huge event in David's life.  In fighting the Lord's battles he had a daily reminder of the victory he had with that sword.  It became the Sword of the Lord. David's reminder of his victory over Goliath, accompanied  him into battle. 

We also carry reminders of our victories in Jesus.  They make the Sword of the Word of God in us powerful in pulling down the strongholds that face us and the other folks we pray for.  The Word of God along with our experiences in victory, infuse our prayers with power and confidence to pray with the authority that God wants us to have as we wield our swords for Him. 

Dog Therapy

  Several years ago, when I was terribly ill, I had times when I felt so worthless; like such a burden to my family, and estranged from the world.   My daughter, Lydia, sat with me and pulled out an old photo album.  She began showing me my worth through the pictures of a small portion of my life.  She helped me to gently reminisce about the things I had done in my life.  It brings tears to my eyes even now, to remember her tenderness and the gentle reminder that my life had been worthwhile living, and that because of the past, I still had many reasons to go on living.

Sometimes, in times of severe trauma, it is helpful to just sit with the traumatized person and ask them about their lives.  To sit and listen is a gift to the bone weary; to the one who feels she can't go on.  We train dogs to be healing companions to the ill.  They often just show up to sit with the sick person or lay at their feet.   Each of us are able to serve at least as well as a dog. 

Job 2:13  So they sat down with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights,                                  no one spoke even a word to him, for they saw that his grief was great.

Something to think about, and be willing to do when the situation dictates.             

Trust With Unwavering Faith

 My, the weather is nice today!  When the snow came to the tune of four to six inches, with colder weather at its heels, I felt quite sure we would not be snow-covered until spring.  And here we have an end to daylight-saving time and warm, dark nights.  It is wonderful to have the weather so cooperative for putting the rest of the garden beds down for the winter.  Now, to convince the rest of the leaves to fall from the trees, so they can be raked up or mulched.  

The cool weather inspired me to do some baking again.  I have not baked for so very long!  My energy had been low because of the tight way I had to hold my muscles to prevent shaking.  It surprised me how much energy that took, or at least how much energy has returned since the DBS surgery.  I am very pleased.  Jim says the fall is good for putting on "brown fat" to insulate us from the cold of winter.  The baked goods have certainly made that possible.  

Co-VID has bloomed, so the choices are personally more restrictive.  Being safe for ourselves and each other is important.  The pandemic is a mean one.  I am certain there is evil behind it.  God is not surprised however, so we do our part, then rest in the safe arms of a loving Father, trusting Him with unwavering faith.  

Ephesians 6:12  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, 

but against principalities, against rulers of the darkness of this age,

 against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Say What?

   In a book called, It Happened in Church, Stories of Humor From the Pulpit to the Pews, Patti S. Webster has an article on page 230 worth repeating.  She says...

   After being interviewed by the school administration, the teaching prospect said, "Let me see if I've got this right: You want me to go into that room with all those kids, correct their disruptive behavior, observe them for signs of abuse, monitor their dress habits, censor their t-shirt  messages, and instill in them a love for learning.  You want me to check their backpacks for weapons, wage war on drugs and sexually transmitted diseases and raise their self-esteem and personal pride.  You want me to teach them patriotism and good citizenship, sportsmanship and fair play, and how to register to vote, balance a checkbook and apply for a job.  You want me to check their heads for lice, recognize signs of antisocial behavior and make sure that they all pass the state exams.  You want me to provide them with an equal education regardless of their handicaps, and communicate regularly with their parents by letter, telephone, newsletter and report card.  You want me to do all this with a piece of chalk, a blackboard, a bulletin board, a few books, a big smile and a starting salary that qualifies me for food stamps.  You want me to do all this and then you tell me... I CAN'T PRAY?"  

Now, twelve years after the book was published, we could add all kinds of responsibilities and ongoing problems, but the point is still the same.  How dare we ask our children's teachers to do the impossible and then deny them the power of prayer to help them to handle their problems.

   Philippians 4:6-7   Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Thumb Chopping

   Last night I was chopping the last of the vegetables  for supper, when I got my thumb in the way and sliced off a chunk of thumbnail and some flesh.  Bleeding with quite a gush, I got Jim's attention and he helped me bandage up.  Today I am wondering what I will find when I finally take the pressure bandage off.  It throbs less today than it did during the night.    My daughter did something similar last summer while working with a mandolin.   It was the middle finger on her right hand that got sliced, ouch.  It is my left thumb.  I am thankful for that.  

  It puzzles me that Father is in control my whole life, every single detail, and then something like this happens.  I am certain that Satan and his minions are still messing around with us, and sometimes he gets his way.  At the same time I know nothing happens but that Father is able, and willing, to make good come out of it.  So I give honor to Father and His vast ability to do the miraculous.  And I watch expectantly for the good I will certainly see. 

One of my (and my mother's) favorite verses in the bible is Romans 8:28.  

And we know that all things work together for those who love God,                                                             to those who are the called according to His purpose.

  What a great promise to keep front and center in this uncertain time.  It helps me keep my chin up.  I hope you adapt it as one of your favorite verses as well.  God bless.

Errand of Love

  This week the Holy Spirit seemed to be nudging me to go with Jim on a little city tour as he up signs.  It is one of my least favorite things to do, look up addresses and find them on my phone or the map.  I Have a mild dyslexia so I am no good at it and it takes me a while to get the hang of it.  Besides that it was inconvenient.  I had to drop what I was doing to go on this loathsome errand.

  So I spoke to Holy Spirit about it.  But He assured me that it was the loving thing to do, so I went.  My morning devotionals prepared me for this little adventure.  They spoke of the inconvenience of doing the right thing, not always, but certainly sometimes.  To live in truth I know I will sometimes have to make  the choice that disrupts my plans.  

  We had a good time doing the job, and Jim certainly finished in a shorter amount of time, with the little help I provided.

Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth,                                                                                 so are My ways higher than your ways                                                                                                             and My thoughts than your thoughts.

The Final Curtsy

 The beauty of fall is upon us.  To me it begs a time of worship.  Each of the changes of seasons do.  They speak to me of the wisdom in which the Lord plans all the seasons.  He not only gives rest for the time ahead He makes it so beautiful.  The leaves changing color with a curtsy as they descend unto the ground for one last puddle of brilliant color.  He reveals the strength of the trees in winter as they rest before they receive the excited new growth of spring, and the weighted fruit of a new crop in summer.  Gods plan is good.  

  Seasons for me are the same "sad/happy" as the seasons of the year.  One ends in a show of abundant farewell  as the next one begins in new, empty, expectancy.  Hopefully the transition brings the strength of the Lord as I rest in preparation for whatever comes my way in new growth and fruit.  Each one breathes a fresh note for the gratitude my heart feels to the Lord for the beauty and productivity of the past season, and a holding my breath, wondering what adventure awaits in the next season of life.  

  As we nestle down for the final hurrah that is fall, let us do it with a thankful heart.  The variety that God shows us in His ways, are for His pleasure, and for ours.  Ask Him for the same wisdom and creative genius He has, and uses, in all His mighty workings.  He is lavish with His gifts and will not withhold wisdom from those who ask for it.

James 1:5  If any of you lacks wisdom,                                                                                                                    let him ask of God,                                                                                                                                          who gives to all liberally and without reproach,                                                                                           and it will be given to him.

In Over My Head

 We've had a good week here.  Hopefully you have also.  Dom and Charlie are well settled into their digs.  Both of them are doing remarkably well.  It may still be the honeymoon phase but it seems to be that they have become compatible once more.  They used to be, as children.  I remember going through months without a foul word spoken to each other.  Then puberty hit really hard and nothing was compatible about them at all.  Each developmental stage normal children go through was exceptionally long for the boys.  And it seems that nothing came easily.  Now they seem to have settled into a rhythm suitable to their age.  

After our first three children were born, there wasn't a part of a second when we wanted more children.  We were so very content.  But God!  He had different ideas than we did.  He pestered me for weeks about having another child.  Dominick was finally born.  When I was pregnant with him, the Lord told me about his little sister.  We had a beautiful little girl and felt so pleased.  While pregnant with her Father told me about her little brother!  

Charlie was born and I was in way over my head!  I was totally unprepared and incapable of raising this little flock that He planned for us.  Having two with physical delays and severe cognitive disabilities I knew nothing about, put us all over the top, as far as how to raise them and even getting through the dailies. 

I think God finally had me where He wanted me.  I had to be dependent on Him for everything.  Although it is hard, I kind of like living in the place of being so dependent.  God had all the answers to my many problems.  I got to know Him and His ways much better and I marveled over the many times He revealed them to me.  His ways are higher than our ways and His ways work.  Amazing.  

Isaiah 55:9  For as the heaven is higher than the earth                                                                                  

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Blessed Interruptionss

 Hey!   Isn't God wonderful?  This past week  I have been thinking of the frequent interruptions that have been happening when I start to draw myself to the Lord in prayer.  I have confessed my sin of prayerlessness and hate it.  I so badly want to be near to Jesus as He whispers His beautiful Word to me, but so very often I am distracted and sideswiped by thoughts from the smallest infractions to really important things, like calls from the kids or deer in the backyard!  :)

  Suddenly I began to see that all the disruptions were of God!  So I was able to relax and enjoy them instead of fight to remain in prayer, or wherever I happened to be at the time.  It seems that the Lord is in every interruption and if I am sensitive to Him, He shows me how it is His will that I listen.  I have experienced Him more closely and am delighted in the nearness that I feel to Him.  And if it is prayer that I am engaged in, I return to it quickly after the brief interruption I experience.

Today, as I was praying, I just flowed with the interruptions and it was perfect. I am so certain that He is near and dear and close to my thoughts. He has indeed shown me that His loving kindness is all about me.  Oh!  How I love Him And give myself over to His amazing goodness. His yoke is indeed easy and His burden is light.

Matt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, 

for I am gentle and lowly of heart

and you will find rest to your souls,  for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.

Healing Continues

   The abundant life continues as Jim and I move closer toward confident good health.  Jim is doing very well.  He has a couple more weeks of restricted weight bearing and then liberty.  The doctor is satisfied with his progress and so are we.  It seems to be going better this time than when he first had surgery in April.  He got permission today to use the riding mower, so liberty is settling in a little more each week.

  The issues with me continue to be rather trying.  I am having my hands and neck worked on and have some improvement, but must still have a couple of procedures before I will quit trying and just settle for the new normal.  My hands cramp with just a few lines of writing.  My neck wakes me up at night with intermittent pain, and continues during the day.   The neuropathy pains are increasing and getting deeper and more insistent.  By October I will have done everything I know to do beyond prayer. Then I will settle in with whatever I have from the Lord's hands.  I keep in mind that He always answers prayer, and He always, always heals.  He is pure goodness and is doing only what He deems best for me.   

  I am at peace most of the time regarding all the healing process.  It is something to ponder before the Lord as so far my "job" has been to write.  My hands don't allow for very much of that, so I wonder if Father has a different venue for me to share the Good News.  When I first began writing in order to publish, it was because the door for speaking was closed to me.  During this season my writing has been so limited that I wonder if I will get another assignment from the Lord.  Something to think about.

  He has plans to prosper us, not to harm us.  We can confidently say we have a faithful and truly marvelous friend in Him; one who is for us, not against us.  Rejoice!  

Philippians 4:4  Rejoice in the Lord always.  Again I say, Rejoice! 

Bachelor Uncles

 This week we reach a milestone in the lives of Dominick and Charlie.  Dominick is moving into Charlies house off of Cooper Ave.  We have been hoping for them to live together for a long time.  Finally it is going to happen.  They are both pumped for it.  I pray that the house rocks with the joy of the Lord in every way, and that they continue to get along together.  They will have one roommate, Patrick.  He is a sweet fellow with some verbal outburst problems but I expect Charlie to enjoy him as Dom has learned to do.  He has been Dominicks roommate for a couple of years now.  

  So this week we have been cleaning out drawers and closets trying to reduce their clutter.  Charlie runs a pretty tight ship, but Dom is quite different.  He has a hard time letting go of things.  Clean out has been hard to do with him unable to throw away almost anything.  So we are organizing for him.  Bins and boxes are handy at this point.  Thank God for them.  We also have taken many articles of clothing for "laundering" and hopefully he won't miss the ones he doesn't get back.

They will be living only a mile away from us.  This is great as they spend a lot of time with us each week. Being able to gather them up quickly and deliver back home for either us or their sisters will be a pleasant change of pace.  

  When the guys were born the Lord gave me a Scripture for each of them.  For Dom He gave me 

Isaiah 58:12b  And you shall be calked the Repairer of the Breach, 

The restore of Streets to dwell in.

And for Charlie,    Deuteronomy 28:13a  And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you 

shall be above only and not beneath 

Deut. 28:6  Blessed shall you be when you come in,

and bless shall you be when you go out.

These are the Scriptures I pray for them the most often.  I have seen the Lord to be faithful to them to do it.  Personally, I would have been sunk many times over if I had not had these Scriptures to cling to.  They have been a lifeline to me as I/we waded through the unknown raising these two very special men of God.  Praise Him for His kindness to us.  He is faithful.

Time

 We have a grandfather clock.  I purchased it about eight years ago from a neighbors estate sale.  He was a rather dubious fellow until I was able to figure him out.  Now he keeps good time if I go by his rules.  I must restart him after each winding or he randomly quits working.  It took me some time to understand just what he required of me.  It seemed as if it needed winding nearly every time I walked down the hall past him.  That was not true, of course, for he has an eight day winding mechanism.  But it seemed like it.  

 Since the start of the Co-Vid pandemic, it is just the opposite.  I walk past him just as often but he just rarely appears to be in need.  I think the Lord is readjusting time for me.  He is slowing things down to a pace I was familiar with as a younger me.  What am I doing with the extra time?  That is a question that has begun to make me uncomfortable.  

  Scripture says to redeem the time for the days are evil.  See Ephesians 5:16.  How is my prayer life.  How about my thought life?  How are the relationships the Lord has graciously given?  Am I nurturing them  or neglecting them?  What is going on with my commitments in the Lord?  Am I able to say I am faithful to all He has laid before me?  

 And the list goes on...

 Ephesians 5:15-17  Therefore be very careful how you live -                                                                  not as unwise but as wise,                                                                                                                          take advantage of every opportunity,                                                                                                       because the days are evil.                                                                                                                            For this reason do not be foolish,                                                                                                                           but be wise by understanding what the Lord's will is.

Repair and Mend

My computer wouldn't let me into my blog last week.  Andy, my son-in-law expert was out with a cold, so, I apologize for being late again.  Technology!  The blessing and bane of my life.

On Friday Jim is getting his colostomy redirected and the surgical sight closed up.  Hopefully it all goes according to plan.  It has been five months since we've seen normal.   This is major surgery again and we've been careful to keep distance from others for the most part.  Not an easy task.  I had to play "dirty cop" and say "No.  You are not going to play bass," three times this weekend.  He has never had so many opportunities in one weekend.  It was hard to keep saying no.  

I too am on the pro active mend.  Friday I had my right neck radio frequency done.  It is a minor procedure where the pain receptor nerves in the upper neck are burned to reduce pain. I have had it done several times before and this went very well.  I am already benefitting from it.  I am having the left side done on the 14th and then my hands and wrists.  They have been giving me trouble for well over a year and it is high time I do something about it.  Some cortisone injection was prescribed and because the pain from neuropathy is bad, I am having it done at the pain center.  

That brings us to the end of August.   And suddenly summer is over.  

Since the pandemic began in mid March, it seems to me that Father is adjusting time.  We have a grandfather clock (more on him next week) and it seems as though every time I pass him by in the hallway, I want to wind him up.  He hasn't been  needing winding near as often as he used to.  I believe Father has slowed time down for me.  

Ecclesiastes 3:17b for there is a time there

for every purpose

and for every work.

Home again Home again Jigggity Gig

My, but it's been a long time since I've written, hasn't it?  After ten days of vacation in the heat of Kansas, we needed some time to recuperate when we came home.  That first week was almost surreal.  When we came home the garden needed tending.  The deer had visited and eaten all the pea blossoms and taken a few of the flowers, but otherwise we got by easy.  Other years we have been stripped of nearly everything, especially the lillies.  This year we fensed much more aggressively.

Physical Therapy started too.  The kind of therapy I am receiving doesn't really fit some of my preconceived ideas of what PT should be.  My sessions consist of deep muscle releases to rectify all the years of tension to keep my body from extreme trembling.  It is going very well.  I feel like I have a fighting chance at normalcy for the first time in more years than I can remember.  The first week of therapy was pretty rigorous.  I got very nauseated and so tired!  This week it seems like the worst is over.  I am doing better.

Babysitting is also resuming.  thee children have been really good.  The twins turn one year old on July 22nd.  Not quite walking but have no problem getting to wherever they wish.  Crawling serves well.  It is interesting to watch them develop.  They really are mirror image identical.  They even crawl over the grass with opposite knees off the ground as they scoot along.

Well, as uninspired as this is, it is about all I have for now.  I hope together back to blogging every week as I did previously.

Enjoy one another for me.  You are all worth it.

John 13:34  I give you a new commandment--to love one another.

Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

A Time

WE have received permission to take Dom and Charlie along with us on vacation.  We are heading out to KS, to see the Gwosts in Wichita, and the Bensons in Wamego.  With all that has transpired since broken bones, and surgeries, and Co-Vid, it seems long overdue for all of us.  The boys are no less excited than we are to embrace a good long visit with family again.

Here at home, garden is bursting and and soon the firstfruits of our labor will be ready to pick.  As normally happens when we spend the Fourth of July in Ks., Lydia will reap the first of the peas, zucchini and whatever else she can find ready.  Their family will be taking care of the 50 odd flower pots I have established.  I told the kids that I would pay them, with a bonus for every pot that still looks good on our return.  They are eager to begin.  I am thankful.

Proverbs 3:2a, 5b A time to plant

and a time to pluck what is planted

A time to embrace 

and a time to refrain from embracing.

Update on Post- Surgery

Time for a quick review of my post surgical journey.  Mostly I am doing well.  My hair is about an inch long and I am sprouting the untrimmed look, just like most everyone else.

My shakiness is a little more tricky to deal with, but overall, I am pleased with the ability to eat with little spilling and write legibly again.  I have tweaked the battery again as I continue to reduce medication.  I seem to be tracking that with each reduction on the one med., I have a couple of sleepless nights, with restlessness and body irritability.  I am quite certain I slept no more  than 45 minutes last night.  Two more weeks and I will be off of it.  Whew!

The other one of the medications, I find myself needing to go back on, in a small dose.  When the battery is operating  the right way to keep me calm,  I have a tingle in the tip of my tongue and my speech slurs. So I am opting to take a small dose and it seems to be effective at this point.

Jim is healthy, but his surgical wound is still open and we pack and dress it twice a day.  Doctor continues to assure us it is very common and nothing further needs to be done with it.  Just the patient, character building it takes, to be done with it.

Lots of patience and character building going around these days, as we await the all clear and an end to the pandemic, with its social distancing, masks, hand sanitizing, and limited gatherings.

2 Peter:5-8  But for this reason, giving all diligence, 

add to your faith virtue, to virtue add knowledge, 

to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, 

to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, 

to brotherly kindness love.  For if these things are yours, 

you will be neither barren nor unfruitful 

in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Digging Roots Deep

  The garden plants are all digging their roots down deep during this respite from the travail of intense heat we had earlier this month.  I truly hope the Body of Christ is doing the same. We need to be ready when the next wave of intense heat comes, so we will be firmly rooted and grounded in the Word and in our relationship with the Lord.

  There is nothing more important for us during this time than to seek the Lord.  Build your trust and confidence in Him, so nothing can shake your foundation, as you stand firm upon the Rock.  Believe His Word and His promises to you.  Soon, in the days to come, we will see many of those promises fulfilled.

  Now is the time.  Now  hour.  I encourage you not to waste it.


Isaiah 55:6  Seek the Lord
While He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.

Complaining- Just Don't

  Of the many things I'm learning in the hidden places, one of them is not to be impatient.  Impatience leads to grumbling, and we know that God is not too fond of that.  In the wanderings of the wilderness , the Israelites mumbled against the provision of manna, saying it was not enough.  They were tired of the same old thing.  I discovered that the foreigners who went with the Israelites out of Egypt, were the first to complain, and the rest joined in.
 
  I am reminded to be a bit cautious of those I hang around.  If they are speaking negatively all the time, and I start believing they are correct, I need to run to my place of refuge and seek the strength of the Lord.  If I have no word of correction, or if the Word of correction given by God isn't listened to and heeded, I must guard against letting that color my thinking and the thinking of others. There are foreigners in the house of God.

  This time of isolation is well within the Fathers plan for us for now.  What we do with it is our concern.  Submission to His authority keeps me from the grumbling my old nature pulls me into.  It gives me time in His Word to equip me, to help others in my sphere of influence, to be submitted to His great plan for us.  His plan hasn't changed.  It is still to prosper us and give us a future.  Use this time to prepare for the future.  We need discernment.  It could get kinda crazy.


Numbers 11:1a, 4   Now when the people complained, it displeased thee Lord; for the Lord heard it, and His anger was aroused.  (vs4)  Now the mixed multitude who were among them yielded to intense craving; so the children of Israel also wept again and said: "Who will give us meat to eat?"

Enjoying the Brook

  Warm weather is cracking on the scene this week.  Our transplanting time is nearly over, and a good thing too.  All the beds need weeding and some thinning... the fun is over.  Time to get to the grunt of the matter.

  This week I am disciplined in self-control via my therapists orders to garden for a brief time (5 minutes) and then rest for a time.  Although I know that it is the smart thing to do, I find myself easily frustrated by the brief interval of work, and how little I can get accomplished in it.  Yet I am hardly able to do more that that without a grinding backache.  I remain weak and to build strength I necessarily must do it slowly in a fashion that is also kind to my body.

  So, when I came across this little phrase in the Psalm, I took comfort.  The brook, not the waterfall, or the river, nor even the babbling, rocky creek bed, but the still quiet brook.  How lovely that the Savior would invite me to "take my shoes off" and drink for a still moment by the brook?

   Psalm 110:7 He shall drink of the brook by the wayside... 

  When I look back over my days, and see how much I did get accomplished, it blesses me to know  I was able to drink from the brook by the wayside.  I think stopping to rest,  refresh, and reenergize, has become a new way of viewing my current normal.  I plan to enjoy it while it is today.

 

The Furnace Can Be Good

  Well, have the niggling petty thoughts of dissatisfaction and criticism been well warded off during this extended time in the furnace?  Over time, the fast pace of life and the routine of it all, had left me with some less than comely thoughts, but some of them not so petty.  For example the God given
discontent with my prayer life. Previously I was not satisfied with it.  I thought it shallow and sporadic.  It was not saturating my heart  and mind like I wanted it to.  God was not the front and center of life at all and I dearly wanted Him to be.

  Consequently the thoughts of my heart were not always in keeping with what Father might be wanting for me.  That always led to indescrimanite thoughts and rusty patterns my mind needed to shake off.

  The longer the self quarantine  drags on the more concisely Father is dealing with me to lay it all down and just come to Him.  There I find this furnace of affliction is burning the chaff and stubble and leaving my heart and mind more centered on the One I love the best.  It seems a fresh breeze of the Holy Spirit is blowing all the ashes away and leaving me with a clearer vision.

  So I have come to be thankful for this time of being separated to sit at the feet of Jesus.  He brings prayers to my soul for loved ones, sick ones, needy one, and lost ones.  He brings a fresh worship; a new adoration; a renewed trust in Him.  It is good and I am thankful.

 

 

Perspective

  In the past three days I have been weaned totally of one of my tremor drugs.  Guess what is back in full force.  Yup, the party is over, and I am guessing it will not get any better as I decrease the other one I'm using.  I am very thankful that this did not result in constipation of the brain and diarrhea of the mouth the way my major drug error did.  This is just uncontrolled shaking, so much easier too handle when my emotions don't get in the way.

  That being said, Jim really thought a call to the Dr. was in order to see if we couldn't't have an earlier appointment for a little tinkering with the battery.  My next scheduled is 8th of June.  Not that far off, but it really was nice to be steadier there for a time.  So, I am waiting for a call back from the clinic.  It makes me thankful for just how much the drugs were/are helping.

  Life continues in self isolation, albeit, a somewhat modified one.  Trips to Menards remain regular enough to get us out, and of course the grocery store.  Masks are becoming common and we are getting used to social distancing.  All of this does not seem a hardship to me, especially if we can keep each other from becoming ill.  It is not a pretty thing, this virus.  We know people from or church family who have been hit, but as of yet, no family or neighbors.

  This thing with Co-Vid 19 put so many things back into perspective.  I will certainly not die from Essential Tremor no matter how little I get it treated.  But when so many of our dear older population get struck down, many dying, I am humbled and thankful to be this well.



Continue to cast your cares on the Lord.  He cares tenderly a constantly for you.

 

Shifty Little Devils

  This past weekend my emotions were so fragile!  I was in jeopardy of tears all the time.  Couldn't figure out why so I tried to reason with myself and that was disaster.  That was when the damn opened to my mouth and that is always bad.  Poor Jim.  He handled it like the man he is, gave me a hug, listened, and let the river of tears run off his back.

  Earlier that day I had discovered a huge medication error I had made earlier last week, and was just getting it straightened out on Sunday.  My doctor is reducing two medications at a time, each at different paces.  I got way ahead of myself on one of them, way, way ahead; and had been wrong for four days running.  It was emotional disaster.

  Even as I was crying to Jim about all my perceived troubles, I would get glimpses of my real self.  It is so interesting to me that I even recognized "myself"in the midst of all the turmoil.  Medications can be shifty little devils, even though, sometimes they are the only current solution to the difficulties at hand.  My daughter, a nurse, told me if a person is taking two or more prescription drugs , they are likely to make a drug error every two weeks.  I guess I was making up for lost time.

  I thank God for medical science and the skill of the professionals that have had me under their care. Although Father has done the healing, they have been privileged to tinker with my broken vessel, until balance has been restored.

Jeremiah18:6 "O house of Israel,
Can I not do with you as this potter?"  says the Lord.
"Look, as the clay is in the potters hand,
So are you in My hand, O house of Israel!"

Tears in Flood Stage

  The past week has been quite different for us.  We stayed with my daughter as a type of "swing room" for a few days.  She and her husband were wonderful and took care of us till we could get back on our feet.  The grandkids were great, and a fun distraction, yet we could escape at any time to a quiet place and rest or get away from the noise.

  On Friday I awoke with such gratitude in my heart for all the love surrounding me that I could barely stop crying.  I managed for most of the day, however the tears started again on Saturday.  They continued through Sunday, with barely a break on Monday.  The tears finally met their pause on Tuesday.  If truth be told, they were very mingled tears by Sunday.  No longer just tears of gratitude, but also of feeling sorry for myself (which I hate) and tears of jealousy (which I also hate) and tears of overwhelming "just too much."

  Last year it was the broken wrist while having fun with a grandson.  Then I had a bad slip in the shower, breaking my back, and now my rib; and Jim needing major surgery; and his near painless recovery while I had so much pain that breathing hurt!  You bet I was jealous of this smoothe bouncing back to his good old self.   It had been years since I had a really healing cry, so the timing was right, and God's mercy was all over the place.


 Now, with a better perspective and a little embarrassment I am doing fine again.  I have better medicine for the pain and am circling my own wagon here at home.

  Thank goodness that Father's mercies are new every morning!  So great is his faithfulness!

Abnormal Normal/

  This week has been a very different week indeed.  On Holy Saturday evening before I went to bed, I had yet another syncope event and landed hard on the bathroom floor, hurting my left eye orbit, and bruising or breaking a rib in my back.  I think it will not happen  again because I'm getting smarter.  Be slow to rise and quick to sit if I feel anything like I have been.  It always happens very fast., so I must be vigilant.

  Also on Saturday evening  Jim began to have bad stomach pain.  He ended up in the emergency room at 4:30 in the morning on Monday with a burst diverticulum and the beginnings of a nasty infection in his abdomen.  He went to surgery by 8:00 and had a bowel resection.  He is a rapid healer and is leaving the hospital already today, 4/17.  It really amazes me how quickly he bounces back...and how different I am.  It seems my body is slow to shed pain.

  So now we are holed up at our daughters home where her husband has told me, in no uncertain terns, that I am to do no work, only rest and recuperate, and the same will be true for Jim. We will be here for two or three days, until we are both better on our feet.

  Every challenge in life is reason to exult in the opportunutiy God has in front of us to rejoice and be triumphant in Him.  He ALWAYS heals for the Bible says it is already done by the stripes of Jesus.  I know of no other Truth but what God has said.  His Word is always true for He cannot lie.  No matter how much the devil may poke us with his spears and arrows, he never succeeds in the long run.  He cannot win against this provision of the healing blood of Jesus shed for us on the cross.

  So glory to God for His loving provision of a new and living covenant in Christ.  I am so excited.  I wonder what excellence I shall see of Christ and His Body during this time.  Already I am seeing love outpoured and surrounding us in a very tangible way.  This Easter will be one to remember.

 
1Peter 2:24 who himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree,
                    that WE
                    Having died to sins,
                    might live to righteousness
                    By whose stripes  YOU WERE healed1

Governor's New Order

  The governor has called for another month of self containment.  How is that going for everyone?  Being as old as we are, there is a sweet routine that comes with being married for a long time.

  My heart goes out to so many folks, however.  It isn't easy living without a paycheck, having to scramble for a new job,  having to self educate in order to keep school going for the young school aged at home, providing activities for the energetic, stability for the family all the while keeping calm and peaceful in the fluid uncertain times in which we live .   Only with the Holy Spirit can fruit come from this.  Peace in uncertain times breeds peace.  And the Holy Spirit is doing His part.   We must do ours.

   I see folks out walking and being neighborly.  Getting to know each other again because of this self-isolating thing we are all learning.  Even in the midst of social-distancing we are able to help each other out by doing what we can.  

  Romans12:1  Therefore I export you brothers and sisters
                        By the mercies of God,
                        To present your bodies as a sacrifice-
                        Alive, holy and pleasing to God
                        Which is your reasonable service.

The Battery

  On Friday 3/20 I went to AbbotNorthwestern Hospital to get a battery sewed into my chest for the wires from my brain to be hooked up.  I went into that surgery so calm and filled with peace, because I knew Jesus was and is in control, but almost more, because I knew I could sleep through it!  The thing I wasn't prepared for so much is the pain that followed.  Boy did that hurt.

Now, two weeks post-op I am doing pretty well.  The soreness is in control, the staples are out and the incisions are all in good shape.  Jim is still in the homemaking business, and I am just getting back on my feet.  I'm not going to go out and rake any flower beds just yet, however tempting that might be.  The tulips have been liberated from their winter nests and I am eager to clean the beds and see what else Spring has in store for me.

The weather has been so beautiful (until today) and it has been nice to walk.  I am still using a walker for balance, consequently, I don't go very far.  It appears I will be using the walker for some time to come.  Not my favorite, but I do what I must.

Current virus conditions have everybody in the seclusion mode.  We all know friends and relative who are particularly vulnerable, so lets all do our part to live by the guidelines laid down by a caring and concerned Administration.  Praying for those who have compromised immune systems, unemployed, parents at home with small children, school kids needing classroom help, and each other.

Father's love still reigns over all.  He is altogether trustworthy.  He is always and all ways good.  Something good will come of this too.


Romans 8:28 still says " and we know that all things
                                        work together for good
                                        to those who love God
                                        to those who are the called
                                        according to His purpose.
                                       

There is More

   The surgery continued with another CAT scan and x-rays, I believe.  After the boring of holes I was a little foggy over just what was being done ‘cause I was processing all that had happened.  There might have been a wire inserted into my brain before the x-rays, I’m not too sure.  The next big step was the wire.  Once the surgeon was happy that it was placed properly, a couple of nice young women from Medtronic had me do several exercises, saying the days of the week, drawing  a spiral, a signature moving a cup to my mouth as though drinking, all to see how much I was trembling.  

  Once I did the series of movements, they turned the wires on and I repeated the moves.  After a few times the result were satisfactory and the wire was snapped into place and the hole closed off and sealed, after more x-rays.  The change in my movements was remarkable..I went from severe shaking to controlled movements in just a few tries.  

  Modern medicine, although somewhat barbaric, is truly amazing.   Side two was done and snapped in place.  Eventually I was stitched up and the procedure done.  By then however, I could no longer hold back the horrid cough that took hold. Coughing, being able to move, is tricky in the best circumstances, but coughing when head and shoulders are locked in place is truly tough.    

  Post-op was filled with nausea, but finally controlled by around 5:30pm.  I was released the next day to Jim's care and so happy to be home.  My battery surgery was moved up to Friday 20th because of the corona virus.  So I had just a little time to get some rest and recover from the first surgery before I was back to get it finished.  

  

  Romans 8:38  For I am persuaded that neither death nor life 

nor angels nor principalities nor powers 

nor things present nor things to come,

nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing,

shall be able to separate us from the love of God

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Surgery... Part 2

  Once my scalp was numbed, the doctor made an incision on the top left of my head.  I felt this, but it did not hurt.  He then retracted the scalp so he could reach the skull.  This I felt also, kind of like the stretching that it was.  It also did not hurt, just felt weird.

  The position of my neck during this time was quit uncomfortable.  Although the team tried very hard to reposition me in a way that relieved my neck, it just couldn't be done. It felt like it was crimped in the middle making swallowing and talking difficult, though not impossible.  It also felt like a tickle in my throat was coming on, so I fought against that for nearly the whole surgery.

  Next a hole was drilled in my skull about the size of a nickel.  This is one of the more difficult spots in the 4 hours I was in surgery.  The whine of the drill was quite loud, but the "pop" sound I heard when he broke through the bone was a surprise.  Drilling went on for a very long minute and 45 seconds and then a very loud "CA-RACK" and he was through the bone.  The vibration the drill made was powerful.  I was glad for well rooted teeth.  That was side one, side two was similar.


When all around gives way,
He is all my hope and stay.

More next week.

Surgery, Ugly and To the Point

  Well, I told you that you would get a blow by blow account after DBSS I had on Monday 3/16/20.
First of all, forgive me that I have not been too regular of late with my postings.  It has been a bazaar couple of weeks...for all of us.

  It was only by the grace of God that I got the first surgery done.  Lockdown, because of COVID-19, came the very next day.  My surgery was not critical so it would have had to wait indefinitely.  After the first surgery was done, the second became a crucial part of the set.  If that one waited too long I would have had too much scar tissue surrounding the wires for the doctor to move them to the area where he hooked them up to the battery.  So on 3/20/20 I had the second surgery also.

  The first surgery to implant the wires into the "sweet spot" in my brain was an awake surgery.  I needed to be fully conscious to do the things they needed for proper placement; things like, say the days of the week, touch my nose, write my name and draw a spiral.  It was a very difficult thing to go through, fully alert to all the sights and sounds.

  A halo, a metal device that encircled my head, was first fitted, marked on my head where the screws would be placed and removed.  The doctor then numbed the four areas and screwed it into my skull.  The halo was then screwed onto a frame on the surgical bed.  I had a CAT scan to make sure the co-ordinates lined up with the earlier MRI.  Once satisfied that it all line up well and I was positioned exactly, I had novocaine injected into the areas where the incisions would be made.

  Enough for today?  This kind of thing isn't for the weak stomached.  I will continue next time.

Through EVERYTHING God is in control, sovereign and good.  He is the same yesterday, today, and for always.  He never changes.  My "GO-TO" during tough times is to count my blessings with a grateful heart.  Gratitude is so important to God.  If we are grateful to Him, He knows that we trust Him.  He gives use Hope and a future.

Dom's Baptism

  Dominick was baptized on Sunday February 23, 2020!  How excited I was, and a bit incredulous, to hear him say "I want to be baptized."  "I want fixed."

  For several years I had prayed that Father would move in his heart to make his commitment, to be a follower of Jesus, public.  I don't know why I was surprised.  I guess because he hates being in water so much.  During the church service the week before when he told me, I must have asked him at least three times if he wanted to be put under water and come up a man committed to following Jesus.  Each time, he told me firmly, "Yes, I do."

  So Jim and I and Dominick met with Pastor Larry and went over the details.  It was brief and to the point.  He was committed to going through with it.

  Dom has always been very in-tuned spiritually.  He lays hands on people and prays for them regularly.  Not only that, he remembers them, and asks about how they are doing the next time he sees them.  He says God talks to him.  He has vivid dreams.  He seems to understand so much of what he hears about scripture.  I love that his name is Dominick Israel.  He loves to hear his name in church.  He loves to have me pray for him, and prayer makes a difference to him.  Often I have seen him respond to prayers for a settling of his emotions, that can get out of control.  He is a tender hearted, gifted young man.


  1 Corinthians 12:18 But now God has set the members,
                                   Each of them,
                                   In the body just as He pleased.
                          vs.20 But now indeed there are many members,
                                   Yet one body.


PS.
My MRI went well on Monday.  God willing, surgery as scheduled, on the 16th.

One Interfering God

  After our first three children were born, we were so very content.  We were not at all interested in adding to our family.  Three children seemed just right.

  Enter, One Interfering God, and our plans began to change.  The Holy Spirit whispered in my heart each day, as I began to pray, that we should have another baby for Him.  So I asked Him to change my heart; to change our hearts.  Over the next weeks and months, as He whispered to my heart over, and over again, about the baby He wanted us to have, my heart was found by Him; softened, and drenched with longing for this child He so wanted us to have.

  And then we became pregnant.  I knew it was a boy, as the Lord had told me so.  While I was pregnant with this little boy, the Lord told me about his little sister!  Quite willing, this time, she was born 18 months later.  But while I was pregnant with her, again the Lord spoke to my heart, that there was another boy for us. Her little brother was born 4 years later.

  Our fourth child, Dominick, and our sixth child, Charlie, were both born with microcephaly, an extremely small brain, causing cognitive delays and various other possible disabilities.  There are many, many, adventures we had because of their problems.  Some of those adventures I will be sharing in the future.

  For now, I'd just say, each of us is made exactly as God so chooses to make us.   We really don't get to pick and choose.  We need to embrace, and rejoice over our differences, respecting all, as a God given individual, unique and precious His sight.

  1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see in a mirror dimly,
But then face to face.
Now we know in part,
But then I shall know
just as I also am known.

Computer Lockdown but Big Investment

  Two weeks without a running Mac Book to Blog on and I am so sorry you've had to wait and wonder.

  Last week was spent at the Wade household taking care of four delightful children, a great, as in both large and well behaved, dog, and a wonderful gal from Columbia.  iStefani is a real dear who teaches at the Spanish Immersion School, in Clearwater, where the kids go to school.  She is just like a sister to the kids.  I don't think they know just how lucky they are to have her for the year.  She is wonderful in so many ways; intelligent, companionate, artistic, creative and understanding, are some of her qualities that pop into my mind.

  The first day we were with them was a day off of school.  Fun, yes, but, I learned I would not be able to keep up the pace I needed to, in order to keep the peace and harmony.   The next day, Jim moved a recliner from home into the dining area, and after that I did much better.  I was able to be with everybody, but not on my feet.

  On Tuesday I received a call to let me know my first surgery is scheduled for March 16th.  Before that I must go to Abbott-Northwestern in MPLS and have an MRI of my head.  The Doctor is extremely picky about some things.  I guess I like that in a surgeon.  He has the MRI crew at Abbott well trained to do the procedure just the way he wants. It is scheduled for the 9th of Mar.  I must also get a pre-op physical on Mar. 6th.  So the ball is rolling.

  I must say that I have had a deep residing peace about the surgery.  I am still certain the Lord is leading me in this direction.  But yesterday I had a bit of anxiety about it.  Lydia was here and she talked me through some of the issues I had.  I will probably need some hand holding and hugs again.  It is major surgery, with someone digging around in my brain, after all.

  My big deal is not so much having to be awake during all this, nor having to live through holes the size of nickels drilled in my skull, but the recovery period.  How very little I want to be on my back again in a recovery mode.  I want to be up, doing my writing, and being involved with the grandchildren, and living life fully able.

  The time will come.  I am certain of it.  Jesus had many years when He was learning to trust in His Father for all things.  If I want to be conformed to His image, I need to learn to depend on Father for all things too.  His investment in me is amazing.  I am so humbled by it.

  Philippians 4:6  Be anxious for nothing
But in everything
By prayer and supplication,
With thanksgiving,
Let your requests be made known to God

Await the Date

  We spent over an hour with Dr. Kyle Nelson, a Neuro-Surgeon, on Thursday afternoon.  He was very thorough in explaining DBS surgery and its results.  We drove home pretty excited about going ahead with it.  The results patients get are truly remarkable.  The shaking ceases immediately upon finding the "sweet spot" in the brain from where it originates.  So dramatic is the change that one member of the operating team frequently tears up with emotion when she sees the patient go from extreme shaking, to drawing a smooth prefect circle, signing a legible name, and making as though they are drinking, all with no shaking.

  The first thing I will need to do after I get approval and an appointment, is to go to Abbot-Northwestern Hospital to have an MRI of my head.  That will give the doctor a "road map" to use for the wire to follow.  

  Until then, I am doing my exercises at home with PT visits every week.  I feel like they are helping. The past two evenings I could be up yet at suppertime, making our evening meal.  Nice change up for both of us.  I do have to sit frequently to give myself a break.  I find that the more I try to do, the more I shake, drop things, forget to snatch things from the pantry and just mess up in general.  But it is sooo nice to be able to cook a meal again.

  Next week we take care of the Wade children, Ida, 13yrs, Marcus, nearly 12, Levi, 8 and Casey 5.  It should be a wonderful and fun week.


Ps 27:14  Wait on the Lord
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!



 

 

Humility

  I know that God hates pride in any form.  So do I.  More than once I have cried out to Him to keep me humble.  There is nothing like having to use a walker, inside and outside, to humble me and slow me down even more than I was previously paced.  Because of my many falls over the past year, I had a Balance Test last week.  It showed that I was indeed walking in the danger zone.  So the immediate solution is using a walker.  A longterm fix is to do exercises that will eventually balance me so I can walk more confidently again.  I am told that it is not a fast solution, but will benefit me enough to leave my walking buddy behind, eventually.

  My first and immediate response to this news was to take a big bite of humility and chew on it for a moment.  After I swallowed, I was able to make the decision to embrace the advice, leave the clinic, and dig out the walker from the depths of the basement.  Our durable medical equipment closet has become rather extensive, so I didn't have to go out and buy one this time around.

  At first it was slow going, as I figured out how to get around the house, the car, etc., but it is getting easier.  I find that the doors inside the house are just wide enough to get through with the wheels still on the ground, another inch wider would be waste space. :)

  So, on we go.  Entering His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise,  humbling myself in the sight of the Lord.  All in due time.  All in due time.

Rocking and Waiting

 I have been accepted and the DBS referral has been sent on to a doctor at the Metropolitan Neurological Clinic (MNC).  I have already received an appointment with a surgeon for February 13th.  Now we wait.  Waiting seems to be part of any medical issue.

  Here we are continuing so busy it is hard for me to stop and heal.  Tuesday is babies, as cute as they come, but not getting any lighter.  Isaac is around 17 1/2# and Sammy is 16#.  At 6 months old they are still stationery, for which I can be thankful.  Both of them are very vocal and want to move, but backwards and pivoting is about it for now.  Tim (7) and Hilde (5) come around 2:30.  So from 7:30 until 5:00 we are on the move.  I surely do understand why babies come to young people.  Whew!

  Lifting babies is a no-no for me, and Jim is good to hand them to me.  I can sit and hold, rock, play, cuddle and feed as the needs arise.  They don't seem to mind at all.  I just can't pick them up.  I found out from painful experience that sitting at the computer is just as big a no-no, as is any prolonged standing.

  I am pausing oftener to slow down and try to help my body heal.  In my back room, that catch-all room I use to read, write, rest, sew, iron, and store things, I have a verse on the wall that I see every day.  It is one I am learning to live by, slowly but steadily.  I think you will quickly recognize it.


Isaiah 40:31 "But those who wait on the Lord,
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings as eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."

Teach me Lord,
Thank you Lord,
For this wait.

Next Up Brain Surgery

  This year, after careful consideration, we decided to go ahead and explore the option of Deep Brain Surgery (DBS), to relieve me of essential tremor and the consequent medications I have to take for it. The tremor is hereditary and increases with age.  Mine is making many things I like to do more and more difficult.  There is good and permanent benefit with DBS.  I could get off much of the meds I'm currently dependent on just to be able to get food to my mouth.  Man, I could even, potentially, write legibly again.

  These past weeks, as I have seen doctors regarding the tremor, I've come to realize that some of my falls are due to the drugs I take for it.  It is time for intervention.  It is getting clearer all the time.  I have fallen twice this year already and the sudden staggering is unpredictable.  

  This winter I will take you on the journey with me as I go through the DBS process.  Brain surgery doesn't get done without its headaches; the process is part of the first headache.  I have already seen two doctors in the Twin Cities area, first a Neurologist, then a Neuropsych evaluation. And now I will be "presented to the panel" to determine eligibility.  That comes first.  If I am a good candidate there will be more appointments following.

     I will keep you posted.

Casting all your cares on Him

For He cares for you.

A Little Insight to the Bachelor Uncles

  This past week has been an interesting one.  Things new that we can no longer do on automatic pilot.  Charlie has the opportunity to look for a new job with the help of Independent Lifestyles (IL).
We have to think outside of our normal box to set this up.  The goal is to be independently employed for real.  Until now we have always had him on a supervised team.  It is like learning a new language again, only maybe not so intense.

  We also realized that we may be pushing Dom too hard.  This gentle soul needs time and more restful spaces than we have been giving him.  Not allowing it is disaster.  We'd rather not have that.
More rethinking of our present routine.  Keeps us on our toes.

  It is a wonder to me that God gave us these two amazing guys.  My, how we've been puzzled at times, and so slow on the uptake.  But He knows what He is doing and I certainly have grown to trust all He sends our way.  Can't imagine what life without these two guys would be like.

 Prov. 3:5  Trust in the Lord
With all your heart
Do not lean on
Your own understanding.

Rocks and Salt

  This fall Jim and I had a wonderful opportunity to travel up the North Shore of Lake Superior.  It was a nice getaway for us after a hectic summer.  There are a lot of things about the trip that I really liked.  A small thing, which turned out to be even better than expected, were the smooth rocks I gathered on the shore of the big lake.

  The rocks and the way they fit so perfectly in my hand, reminded me of my childhood
 pocket salt.  My dad had salt licks for the cattle.  We chidden would take a rock and knock a piece on the salt off of the block.  This we would carry around and lick when we wished.  After a time it would become so smooth and just right in the hand.  We could easily identify our own "licks".

  So that was a fun little memory.  But also, I had in mind to let the children paint them for a fill in pastime project, when all were here over the Holidays.  It worked out beautifully.  The rocks were easy to put away, and come back to when time permitted.  Some of them were done expertly and will make beautiful gifts.  Others were just fun.

  Jesus is a most beautiful Rock; one to stand on most securely when things seem to be falling apart.
Not only that, but He provides little rocks of salt, to come alone side us when we need bolstering.
We are called to be the salt of the earth.  Be salty for someone.


Matt 5:13a  You are the salt of the earth....

The Word

  It is a season of rest for me, sitting before the Lord and watching the lamp at my feet, to know when to go and what to do next.  The Lord tells us to come to Him.  The coming brings refreshing in so many ways.  He Himself is vast beyond knowing completely.  Every coming is an experience in getting to know Him just a little better and it is wonderful beyond belief.
  For all of us there is the going also.  That is why He has given us a light to our paths.  We cannot go effectively until we have first come.  He, Jesus. is the One who will give us our next step.
  He. The Word, is a lamp to our feet,  and a light to our path.



John 1:14a  And the Word
Became flesh.....

Psalm 119:105 Your word
Is a lamp
To my feet
And a light
To my path