May 31 – “History in the making”

We were blessed once again with the presence of Cailyn yesterday while Mom and Dad were at work.  Actually she was just here for lunch and for the afternoon.  Oh, and she and Daddy both stuck around for supper.  Chicken strips and gravy.  Yum.

We all gathered around the TV and computer feed to watch the space launch.  History in the making.  First one since 2011, I think they said.  Certainly the first one Cailyn had seen.  She FaceTimed her Dad at work so he could watch it with her.  Josh did the same with us so we could watch with him and his brood, although they weren’t all glued to the screen like Josh was.  A kid can multi-task masterfully, you know.  Christina had already been texting with Chris, so we knew they were watching as well.  Ah, space travel.  Old hat for us.  A blast-off from our past, so to speak.  But this was first time excitement for these kids. 

Lately any visit from Cailyn has become baking time, and this one was no different.  She searches Pinterest until she finds an interesting recipe.  Then she and Nani search through the pantry to see what supplies we have that can serve to bring the recipe to life.  This time she selected chocolate cupcakes with raspberry buttercream icing.  We were missing several ingredients for that one, but Cailyn assured us they had them all at their house.  So a road trip was in order.  She and I piled into the car and headed out.  We had to check on the chickens and let the dogs out for a bit anyway.  Fortunately they did have what we needed, but unfortunately the shortening was expired and just didn’t look right.  Neither did the can at our house.  In both cans the shortening was kind of yellowed.  Not to be deterred, I had an idea.  I really didn’t want to go to one of the bigger grocery stores on the Island, and I sure didn’t want to go to WalMart, but the Dollar Store was right around the corner from our house.  Maybe they would have some.  I told Cailyn we’d have to be careful, since there are riots going on all over the country, protesting the death of a guy in Minnesota.  We found out later there was even one beginning to form in Galveston.  A protest, not a riot, hopefully.  All was clear at the Dollar Store, though.  And to our amazement they actually had a can of Crisco.  Just what we needed.  The cupcakes turned out great.  Cailyn’s skills at piping out icing are pretty impressive, too.  And the cupcakes were really tasty.

Oh, and we were privy to a small detail in Cailyn’s life.  She already has her sixteenth birthday planned.  She and her mom and her best friend and her mom (Alexis and Haley) will all go someplace special to spend Cailyn Birthday Eve.  And they will go shopping.  Then the next day she will spend the whole day with her Daddy.  Not sure what they will do yet, though.  But it will be fun.  Sixteenth birthday.  Let’s see, by my count she is eleven now.  That’s still five years away.  And no mention of boys.  You might want to remind her of this when the time comes, Dad.

Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Father, please watch over the astronauts as they join the crew at the space station.  And thanks for the chance to “be there” with our grandkids.  Amen.

May 30 – “The Road Home”

The tale today is not of my own experience.  The fact that it is second-hand, however, does not diminish its anecdotal significance in the grand scheme of history here on Galveston Island.  OK.  It happened to Chris and she told me about it.  I’ll try to be as exact in the details as I can.  No embellishment from this storyteller.  Just the facts, Jack.

Chris once again had a physical therapy appointment at the UTMB clinic building that used to be a shopping mall on the East End of the Island.  No further news on that front, by the way.  We are still waiting for a call from scheduling on an appointment with the neurosurgeon.  As she left the parking lot and approached the traffic light, she noticed a police car blocking traffic in a rather unusual way.  Dutifully slowing down, she glanced over to see several officers standing nearby with their attention focused on something on the side of the road.  But it wasn’t a “something” at all.  As she reached the stoplight she realized that it was a “someone.”  Though not approaching at all, they had their eyes on a man, and appeared to be engaging him in conversation.  The man himself was the “star” of the event.  Seems he was wearing a hospital gown with one of those blue plastic bed cover things around his waist.  An ambulance was approaching, so she assumed the poor fellow would be cared for very soon.  Interesting.

She headed home down Broadway, and turned left onto 61^st Street, two of the busiest streets in town, especially during tourist season.  As she completed the turn, traffic was moving quite slowly.  Now that in itself was not so unusual, but as she advanced a little further she saw the cause of the slow-down.   A man on a bicycle was riding in a figure-eight pattern, part of which brought him over onto the busy street.  And the whole time he was screaming - at cars, at people, at the sky.  Chris carefully gauged his pattern, and when he began the path that led him away from the busy street, she hurried on past, eager to avoid becoming an object of his fury.

A little further down the road she noticed another flurry of activity off to her right.  There near a small picnic area near a bait shop sat a person.  Chris couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman, though I will use the grammatically correct non-gender specific version of “he” in my reference.  “He” was extremely dirty, from head to toe, one of the reason his gender was suspect.  His hair was dirty and stringy.  But the part that stood out the most was his movement.  His hands were in constant motion, waving in the air, forming shapes with his hands.  He also seemed to be talking, but no one was around him.  Now Galveston has quite the population of homeless people, especially during the summer months, so sadly, seeing a sight such as this is not so unusual.  It did seem to put a cap on Chris’ foray into the Twilight Zone that is the Road Home from PT.  Well, at least until she arrived at our house to find her husband waiting at the door for her.  And her dog.  Just waiting … waiting … waiting …

John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Father, show your love and protection to all of our wacky wonderful characters here on the Island.  Amen.

May 29 – “Called it a Thursday”

Thursday.  Simple day.  No super-pressing matters to attend to. 

I started the day at my computer, as is my custom.  I try to get in as much work as I can before Chris gets up.  In Thursday’s case, that meant working on the teaching for Sunday again.  The bulk of it is complete.  Now I just have to go over it several times to get the content in my head.  And to clear up any typos for the copy of my notes I put on the church website.

I guess there was one pressing engagement scheduled for Thursday.  Chris had a physical therapy appointment.  However, she received a phone call a few hours before from the therapist.  Seems she was double-booked, and with the Corona scare she was not allowed to have two patients working at the same time.  I guess Chris was the late-comer.  Her appointment was moved to today. 

With that news in hand we had to jump into action.  Our plan for Friday was to take the Equinox into the shop for an oil change and inspection.  Our mechanic said to bring it on.  Meanwhile, we watched the latest round of thunderstorms roll in.  Quite an awesome sight to behold.  Then later, when we went to pick it up, an old Seasider was in the office chatting with Dennis.  I haven’t seen Mark in quite a while.  I think the last time was when we ran into him at a youth baseball game.  He seems to be doing great.  A little stir crazy, but then who isn’t? 

After we picked up the car, Chris drove it on home and I took a leisurely drive in the rain on into downtown to get the registration sticker.  I was wondering if I would have any problems.  They didn’t send out the usual paperwork this time.  As it happened, no paperwork was needed, other than the proof of inspection report.  She checked my ID and took my money and called it a Thursday.

Isaiah 41:13 says, “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

Father, thank you for your promises to help.  It sure doesn’t take a pandemic to remind us we need it.  Amen.

May 28 – “Another narrow escape”

I went to Randall’s yesterday.  That’s where our pharmacy is.  The plan was to pick up Chris’ prescription.  That kind of morphed into a watermelon and some sub sandwiches, but that was just my inherent sense of impulse buying leaping to the surface.  The story, however, happens in the parking lot.

See, as I left the truck to head inside I dutifully pulled on the mask Chris made for me.  It’s one of the kind that you tie in the back.  I keep the bottom half tied all the time and just slip it over my head and around my neck.  This time I decided to tie the top as well.  great idea, huh?  Big time-saver, right?  OK, so I pulled the bottom strap over and around my neck as usual.  No problem.  And as I walked toward the store, I reached up to pull the second loop.  And the entire mask, of course, followed.  I got it about midway across my big head, and the mask itself was covering my entire face.  Remember, this occurred while I was walking across the parking lot.  After struggling for a very long second or two, I decided it might be prudent for me to stop until I had some idea where I was going.  Nice choice, as it happened.  I managed to untie the cord so I could readjust the mask, and as it fell beneath my chin I realized I was standing mere inches away from the bed of a very large pickup truck.  Fortunately the truck was parked, but one more step and I would have crashed into it, and avoiding the Corona would have been the least of my worries.  Whew.  Another narrow escape to add to my resume. 

Chris went back to the doctor yesterday to discuss the MRI results.  It didn’t take long at all.  I got a text from her that she had arrived and was waiting to check in.  And in just a few minutes she called to let me know what the guy said.  Ready for it?  “Obviously you have classic symptoms of an impingement.”  And what exactly did that mean?  He followed up with, “It is time for you to see our friends the spine doctors.  That would be the one we call neurosurgeons.  And I’m also going to put in a referral for anesthesia.  The neurosurgeon might want you to have a shot in the back as well.”  So we are to expect a call from the scheduling department to get set up with one of those big boys.  In the meantime he also ordered another round of physical therapy.  Here we go …

Psalms 55:22 says, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”

Father, please help Chris get through this back issue.  Maybe grease some wheels so she can get into the neurosurgeon quickly?  Amen.

May 27 – “And there’s the pitch …”

OK, all you dream-mongers.  I had another one.  This one was very short.  A good friend of mine named Bo (I think he lives in Magnolia, to narrow it down some) was playing baseball.  Pitching.  At least I thought it was baseball.  Until he threw a pitch.  Come to find out it was fast-pitch softball using a wiffle ball.  And I have to say, the pitch he threw was absolutely unhittable.  Of course, I wasn’t batting, or the results may have been different.  I was merely in the stands watching.  And there you have it.  This week’s dream interpretation assignment.  Of course my take on the whole thing is … I prayed for you this morning, Bo.  Hope all is well with you and Nancy.

The LaMarque Vaughan came over yesterday.  They came to claim their dog and take her back home.  We have been granddog–sitting for the past week while they have been on a family vacation to see relatives somewhere in West Texas, I think.  It took their dog (named Leia, after a certain inter-galactic princess) a while, but she was slowly learning our routine.  Little things like don’t poop in the house and don’t sit on my part of the couch (she sheds little white hairs everywhere).  We didn’t ask much.  But now it is back home for her.  And boy, was she ever glad to see them.  Ran around the house like a chicken with its head cut off.  She had more exercise in those first fifteen minutes than she’s had all week, to be sure. 

Did I mention that we have started a new puzzle?  We finished that evil one with just three colors, all shades of black and gray and some white.  This new one is much easier.  It’s a house with a sign out front.  It didn’t take any time to get the sign done.  Way too easy to match up letters.  It did have a lot of bushes, though.  I managed to complete all but four pieces yesterday.  I left them undone on purpose.  I’m waiting to see how long it will be before Chris – or someone else – finishes it.  Photos will be forthcoming, I suppose.

Matthew 6:25 says, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”

Father, again I ask that you watch over Bo and Nancy.  Keep them safe and healthy.  Amen.

May 26 – “No work today”

Chris was feeling up to a walk yesterday, so we hit the road.  Just did a mile, though.  She was starting to hurt again. 

When we got back home I returned to doing my usual Monday work schedule, but I was immediately rebuked.  Chris said it was a holiday, and I was to take the day off.  No work today.  Speaking of holiday, we did get our flag up.  Know how I know for sure?  We have one of those Arlo motion-activated camera things on our front porch.  And it was a windy day.  I received no less than 253 alerts that there was movement on the front porch.  At least we know the thing works. 

So … no work today.  It was a trick.  I didn’t do any more work for the church, but boy did we ever do work around the house.  We cleaned off the back porch.  Didn’t through too much away, though.  Chris did wash the outdoor toys that the kids play with when they come over.  And everything looks a little … straighter?  Neater? 

I also tried to do something about stabilizing the stool I use at church.  It is getting wobblier and wobblier.  I like that word, if it is one.  Wobblier.  I took the seat off and tried to adjust the screw bolts holding it to the legs.  I got it a little tighter, but I needed a longer bolt.  Guess I’ll put that on my Corona checklist.  Meanwhile, I’ll just have to try to be still-er.  Is that a word?

Oh, and the most difficult part of the day?  That came when we decided to switch out the mattress on our bed with the one in the blue bedroom.  Just wanted to see if it makes a difference in Chris’ ability to sleep at night.  The one we now have is newer than the other one.  This one we bought just after Hurricane Ike back in 2009.  No idea how old the other one is.  I think it was given to us around the same time.  I slept pretty soundly.  Not sure yet about Chris.  She’s still in testing mode. 

Psalms 119:2 says, “Blessed are those who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.”

Father, thank you for the “day off” yesterday.  Thank you for the sacrifice so many made to make such a day off possible.  Amen.

May 25 – “Imagine my …”

Well, that was an interesting start to a Sunday.  Remember up front that we are meeting outside at Seaside now.  That’s important.  I checked the weather forecast on Saturday night to see if we would need to consider any alternatives for worship the next morning.  Imagine my chagrin when I saw all those little shower icons (Rain showers, not baby showers).  The rain was supposed to start in the night and continue at a 40 to 70% chance all day Sunday.  Uh oh.  Honestly, we had a general direction for that situation.  And by “general” I mean we had talked about moving under the retreat center building.  That’s about as far as we had gotten.  It was too late to do anything about it, though, so I said a prayer.  I asked God for a brief window for us to worship.  I knew he could do it.  Why?  Two reasons.  One, he is God.  Reason enough.  Two, I have seen him do it before, for one of our Easter sunrise services.  “Been there, done that” always fosters encouragement.  And I went to bed.

Sunday morning came and I woke at my usual time, fully expecting to see gray skies and a street full of standing water.  Imagine my surprise when I opened the front door to absolutely clear skies.  A bright, sunny day.  Still a bit incredulous, I opened my phone to check the forecast.  Not even a drop of rain scheduled all morning.  Amazing.  But why should it be amazing?  This is God we’re talking about, right?

We got to church in plenty of time to block off the parking lot entrance and get started on set up.  After a slow start people started arriving.  I guess they are reverting back to usual Seaside “Island Time.”  We ended up with a great crowd, and I suppose even a few more were watching online.  Speaking of online, it was great to see one lady who moved to California a while back.  I have seen that she has been regularly watching Seaside Online, so it was a nice surprise to see her face in person instead of inside that tiny little box that shows up on the computer screen.  She even shared some things with me that were really encouraging about how something I taught when she was here has stayed with her and affected her life in a really positive way.  I love surprises. 

We wound up our time together and hauled all the chairs and tables and musical and sound equipment back inside.  And a little before noon we were headed back home.  Imagine my sense of awe when … you guessed it … it started raining.  Really hard.  And it continued on and off the rest of the day and into the early hours of this morning.  I would say, as far as miracles go … that counts.

I Kings 18:41 says, “Then Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go get something to eat and drink, for I hear a mighty rainstorm coming!’”

Father, thank you so much for that window of beauty so we could worship yesterday.  Amen.

May 24 – “A Guest”

After spending some time going over the teaching for church today (a never-ending task), I joined Chris in trying to just relax a little bit.  We were going to watch a movie, but decided to wait until our guest arrived and watch it with her.  We are starting the Chronicles of Narnia again.  The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.  Instead we flipped over to some cooking show and worked on the jigsaw puzzle. 

Nathan brought Cailyn over before supper.  She was all prepared to spend the night and go with us to church this morning.  Nathan saw our tracking sheet for mom’s blood pressure and wondered why there were no entries for an evening reading.  Actually that’s a nice way of saying he chewed her out for not taking it then.  Apparently a morning reading is inherently lower.  All that sleeping and lazing around, you know?  He charged Cailyn with making sure the blood pressure thing happened.  And then he called Cailyn to remind her to remind Nani to get it done.  The blood pressure was fine.  Low, in fact.  I think that’s one less thing to worry about. 

I mentioned the movie.  I guess Cailyn never saw the whole thing all the way through.  She almost cried when Aslan (Spoiler Alert) sacrificed himself to save Edmund.  And right about then Brennan came over to show us his new pitching target.  When we resumed the movie, Cailyn was under the impression that the kids would have to rise to the occasion and save Narnia by themselves.  And then (Major Spoiler Alert) Aslan rose from the dead.  Cailyn asked if this was one of those movies that could be Christian.  I just told her that one of Jesus’ nicknames was “Lion of Judah.”  Then I couldn’t help it.  The rest of the movie I casually pointed out some of the symbolism.  Drove her crazy.  She did like the movie, though. 

Oh, and we finished the jigsaw puzzle.  Well, Cailyn did.  She put in the last three pieces.  WooHoo.

Luke 9:23-24 says, “Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.’”

Father, would you bless our worship time today?  And we could sure use a window from the storms.  Amen.

May 23 – “Hummmm”

I woke up this morning with part of a song running through my head.  It’s not the whole thing.  In fact it’s just five words that keep coming, over and over and over.  And it’s not even one of those ridiculous TV commercial jingles.  I’m not completely sure about this, but I think it’s a Christmas song, mainly because of the content of the four words involved.  I’m assuming the tune that accompanies it is the appropriate one, but I sure wouldn’t know about that.  Maybe some of you connoisseurs of the arts and all things Christmas can help me out here.  Is there a song that has “the holly and the ivy” as one of its components?  I’ll just hum a few bars while I wait.  The same few bars.  Well, the same notes.  I don’t even know what a “bar” is in music. 

Chris saw a copy of her MRI report yesterday.  It was included in her online medical chart that the hospital keeps.  It said that among the vertebrae in her lower back, something has slipped and two others have a bulge.  The word “mild” did come into play as well.  Of course we are not radiologists or doctors of any kind.  To get the actual interpreted results in terms of treatment plans, we have to wait until Wednesday when she goes back to the doctor.  Meanwhile, I guess I’ll just have to crank up some sympathy pains.  Oh, wait.  Those are actual pains.  But I know where they came from …

We did yard work yesterday.  The grass was getting really high, especially in the back yard.  It’s been at least two weeks since we last mowed.  It showed.  My job is mowing and weed-eating.  I would be happy to take on leaf blowing the grass as well, but Chris like to sweep up all the clippings the old fashioned way – with a broom.  So she was out there with me, doing her sweeping thing.  She said she didn’t want me to have to do it because of my bad back.  There’s something inherently wrong with that sentiment, although I greatly appreciate it.  Which one of us just had that MRI on a bad back?  Hmm.

Hebrews 12:11 says, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

Father, give Chris (OK, and me, too) some patience now as we wait for the doc to interpret those results.  Amen.

May 22 – “A million and a half plus”

I received my official notification text from the United Kingdom the other day.  Same one Cailyn received when she was here and Chris received while she was in the MRI machine.  Seems we were all selected by the winner of the UK lottery to receive $550,000 USD.  All we had to do was send them a little personal information.  Name, address, phone number, bank account number, shoe size.  You know … the usual.  Imagine … $550,000 times three.  That’s a million and a half plus dollars to one family.  Fortunately when Cailyn told me about hers, she had already deleted the text and blocked the number.  Smart girl.  I haven’t done that yet.  Don’t know how …

I finally got my post-Corona haircut the other day.  My head feels … lighter.  Not in color, though.  In weight.  When she asked if it was short enough, I told Suzann to err on the side of shorter.  It is much cooler up there now, too.  Oh and Chris got hers cut yesterday.  I had to walk her to the door, though.  She was still unsteady from the MRI drug.  In fact, she took another nap after lunch (The Mexican food dinner she slept through the day before).  Not another marathon one, though.  This one only lasted three or four hours.  Long enough for me to watch a Christmas movie … Die Hard.

Speaking of Chris, Nathan came over yesterday to check her blood pressure.  She was concerned that it was high when she went for the MRI.  Of course it was high.  Not only was she in pain, but she was facing what for her was the scariest possible medical procedure – being encased in a coffin-like structure.  I tried to assist her with the blood pressure cuff we have.  She listened and I read the little meter.  It did come up pretty high, so I asked Nathan to come check my work.  He brought a gift.  A new-fangled blood pressure cuff with an automatic digital read-out.  It wasn’t as high that time, but was still elevated.  He chewed her out for being a typical nurse / terrible patient.  He even threatened to send April over next time.  Can you imagine?  Nurse on nurse.  No sympathy there.  Now we’re supposed to take her pressure every morning and evening and if it stays high or gets worse, call the doctor.  Oops.  We missed last night.  Don’t tell April …

Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Father, would you please be with Phil and Valorie as they walk through her new issues with cancer.  Give them your peace that passes understanding.  Amen.

May 21 – “Still she slept …”

Ah, quite the saga.  Tales of the Chris MRI, 2020 version.  The appointment was all set for 1 p.m.  We were to arrive at 12:15.  Well, she was to arrive.  I walked with her up to the new entry table set up by every building’s doors nowadays.  They issued her a mask and a “Patient” sticker and told her to continue on to the second floor.  I was referred to in the third person, however.  “He is not allowed in.  We have a ‘no visitors’ policy in place.”  Relegated to external environs, I sadly hung my head and walked away.  

A quick overview of the next three hours for me:

Read in my book.

Watch boats enter the harbor.

Stroll around the UTMB campus.

Look for the ghost on the Big Red building.  He apparently wasn’t home.

Read some more.

Chat with an old friend who used to live in our neighborhood about our days of baseball cards and bicycles.

Return to the car to turn on the air conditioner and cool off.

Read some more.  OK, you can perhaps understand that to mean “doze off occasionally.”

Intermittently answer texts and post updates – or lack thereof – on FaceBook.

Now, no MRI is supposed to take three hours, especially if the patient is extremely claustrophobic.  There were a few snafus involved, however, that extended the time.  They were apparently behind on their MRI’s to start with.  The guy ahead of her was scheduled for noon, and he hadn’t moved yet.  Chris kept me updated with texts.  My favorite was this one: “Watching a show about a gorilla with heart disease.”

They finally ushered her in around two.  After changing into their classy designer hospital garb, they asked her to sign the consent form.  She didn’t have her glasses, so she couldn’t even find the form, much less sign it.  So she had to return to her locker and get her glasses.  Forms all done, they asked the final question, “Are you claustrophobic?”  She answered “yes,” and the crisis began.  Nowhere on the chart was the conversation she had with whoever called her the day before.  You know, the one that took care of requesting sedation.  “Somebody dropped the ball on that one.”  Was the only comment made.  Yup. 

They eventually found the order and administered the medication (after a walking tour of the hospital clinic building to get to the proper medication administration room).  Oh, and when they took her blood pressure, it was really high.  She has never had high blood pressure, but then she was about to be placed into a coffin.  Pretty stressful stuff.  They said they would check it again after the test.  Guess that one was back down again, especially since she was sedated.  Then they had to wait a while for the drug to take effect.  It was around 3:15 when they finally began the procedure.  By that time Chris was feeling pretty good.  Other than being really cold.  She compared the sensation to the room we went into in Alaska that allowed you to experience how cold it is at 20 below zero.  She remembers taking some deep breaths when the table started moving, but after that … nothing but an occasional knocking sound in her ears.  Oh, and a sudden random sensation of heat, like she was placed on a heating pad or something. 

After the test was done, they helped her back to the locker room.  She texted me from there to give me a heads up that she would be out soon.  At least that’s what I surmised.  The text itself was kind of strange.  Something about “not that steady on me feet” and “Plus BP!”  Certainly gave me something to look forward to.

I got her into the car with a little difficulty, and we began the ride home.  She told me all about the procedure without ever opening her eyes.  Nathan texted, so I called him back to let him know we were on our way home.  She was alert enough to comment on several things he said (had the phone on speaker).  She even told me that she was starving and wanted something from Salsa’s.  Her wish is my command.  After I got her into the house and settled into the recliner (she was still quite “unsteady on her feet”) I read her the menu, called in the order, and went to pick it up. 

By the time I got home Chris was dead to the world.  I decided to let her sleep for a while since she hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time.  I ate some of my Mexican food and watched TV.  Still she slept.  I got ready for bed.  Still she slept.  I turned out then lights.  Still she slept.  I left one light on in case she woke up and was disoriented.  Still she slept.  And this morning I woke up at 6 a.m.  Still she slept.  She finally stirred around 6:30 and asked what time it was.  She was confused by my “Good morning, sleepyhead” greeting.  She asked what time it was.  Three times.  Then she added, “In the morning?”  Yep, Chris.  You slept soundly for fourteen hours.  That, my friends, is a major new record. 

John 14:1 says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.”

Father, thank you for getting Chris through this test.  Now please grant the docs the wisdom they need to get at the cause of her problems so we can get it taken care of.  Amen.

May 20 – “Almost Moments”

We had one of those “Almost Moments” yesterday.  We heard through the grapevine that UTMB was perhaps relaxing its Corona restrictions on visitors a little bit starting today.  If that was true, there was a chance that I might be able to accompany Chris for her MRI after all.  A familiar hand to hold is all I had to offer, but to a claustrophobic, I guess that does make a difference.  And then came the confirmation phone call.  Nope.  No visitors allowed.  At all.  In spite of the fact that she will be sedated for the procedure and will require a driver to get her home, said driver (AKA me) must either wait in the car in the parking garage or just drop her off and return when they call me on the phone.  Oh, and I know it’s on Chris’ mind, too.  How?  Last night she rolled over and recited my cell phone number.  “Just checking,” she mumbled, before rolling back over and going to sleep.  Ah, well.  Here’s praying she does well.

On a more immediate front, my haircut appointment is this morning.  First one since Corona hit town.  I’m anxious to see what my hair stylist thinks about my new, windblown look.  It’ll be good to get the hair off of my ears again.  The only thing … I’m supposed to show up in a mask.  Not sure how she can cut hair with that on me.  And I’m really curious what will happen when it comes time to trim my beard.  Santa may be making an early appearance this year.

Jigsaw puzzle update (Hey, there’s no other sports news).  Nope, we haven’t finished the next one yet.  We did get the hazy, off-white sky finished, though.  That’s all of one color down.  Now we just have the entire bottom of the puzzle, which is slightly varying shades of black and gray.  I think I want our next one to be easy.  Like maybe 25 pieces?  Or maybe one of those five piece preschooler puzzles.  That might cleanse our palette a bit.

Revelation 3:20 says, “Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

Father, today’s MRI day.  Please keep Chris calm and help the techs get the test done quickly.  Amen.

May 19 – “Blue waffles and bacon”

Cailyn helped even further at breakfast time yesterday.  She and Chris put together a fabulous meal of waffles – blue waffles – and bacon.  Can’t go wrong with blue waffles and bacon.  That’s some good stuff, girls.  Sadly, Cailyn left with her Mom.  They were headed for a grand shopping trip.  Well, I’m not sure about the “grand” part.  Kroger’s and maybe a stop at Marshall’s.  The Marshall’s Plan was what sealed the deal for Cailyn.  I don’t even know what they sell at Marshall’s.  Must be girl stuff …

The LaMarque Vaughan clan is heading out on a vacation.  We have been named the designated dog-sitters for the week.  Freddy will now have an extended sleep-over with her cousin Leia.  Yesterday was drop-off day.  They stopped at Little Caesar’s and brought along some pizzas for the big event.  Cailyn even returned for the chance to hang out with her cousins.  It’s always great to watch them all get together.  Even better when all ten of them are floating around.  Chaotioc, but never a dull moment …

I guess I’ll note a quick update on Chris’ back issues.  The physical therapist remains puzzled at all the nuances of problems she is presenting from session to session.  Her hips are really weak.  One leg seems to be getting weaker.  There is no way she can handle stairs without dragging herself up with her arms.  It is really hard to watch her go through this, knowing how much she likes to take walks and be active in general.  She has an MRI scheduled tomorrow.  That’s a whole other issue.  She is extremely claustrophobic.  Last time she had one they asked me to sit in the room with her.  I started out holding her hand, but that ended up with me patting her leg as she slowly slid into the chamber.  They have been duly informed of her issues, and medication is supposed to be waiting for her.  Apparently I can’t even come in the building, though.  My prayer is that the meds will pretty much knock her out.  Maybe it’ll make for a fun ride home …

John 3:18 says, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Father, please be with Chris a she powers through this whole ordeal.  Help her remain calm for the MRI, and give the docs wisdom to see what needs to happen next.  Amen.

May 18 – “The Third”

Yesterday we took another step into the weirdly familiar, yet distinctly different approach to ministry called Corona-virus Church.  Oh, we are still meeting outside.  In fact for the three Sundays we have been doing Seaside Outside, the weather has been amazing.  Cloud cover.  Not too hot.  Yesterday we had a little bit of a sprinkle before everyone started arriving, but it served to just cool everything down. 

So how was this week different from all others?  Well, it was the third Sunday of the month of May.  Around Seaside the third Sunday immediately evokes a response.  That is our traditional date for Dinner on the Grounds.  We missed it entirely in the month of April.  That’s when we were still doing just online services.  Now we are meeting together again, but we are doing it outside.  So how could we effectively and safely continue the tradition without setting up a common food table?  Chris came up with the idea of encouraging each family to bring a picnic lunch.  Genius.  As it turned out, several families even brought enough extra to share with visitors and those who didn’t bring anything.  We sat under the Retreat Center building in the shade and enjoyed the cool breeze and each other’s company, both of which were truly special gifts from God. 

Chris and I had the extra treat of hosting Cailyn for the day, and last night as well.  Her Mom and Dad snuck away to a big Houston hotel to celebrate their twelfth anniversary.  Congrats, Nathan and April, by the way.  Our house guest turned into quite the impressive person to have around the house.  She and Chris got to baking and created some concoction of a cake that started in a coffee cup in the microwave, and before it came out there was a cake growing inside (of the cup, not the microwave).  Some kind of volcano thing, I think they said.  All I know is, the thing was very chocolately delicious. 

Cailyn also helped finish the jigsaw puzzle we have been working on for several weeks.  Chris took a picture of it to send to our puzzle-following friends.  And Cailyn then joined me in summarily dismantling the thing, leaving no two pieces together.  Nope, no assistance for future puzzlers here.  Then she dug through our stash and chose another one for us to start on.  At first glance it was a very beautiful picture.  A cowboy and stallions.  But up close we realized that it was in reality just a series of shadowy figures with all real details blurred into shades of black and blue and a foggy-looking flesh color.  I think this one might be even tougher than the one we just finished.  And of course Cailyn is going home today, so no help there.  But, hey … we still need something to do as we begin the exit procedures for the Corona-cation, right?

Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.”

Father, thank you for the really nice weather you have blessed us with for Seaside Outside.  Amen.

May 17 – “We’re not in WalMart anymore, Toto”

A day spent primarily in the car.  It has been a while.  Well, if you don’t count the other end of the journey, which amounted to essentially the same thing.  But at least we were back out on the road, if only for a few hours. 

There was no excitement of choosing a hotel or deciding which attraction to make a stop at.  Most of those things were closed anyway.  The highlight of the trip was the stop at Buc-ees to go to the bathroom.  Well, and to grab some prepackaged chicken salad and a box of crackers for a special, on-the-go lunch.  We both faithfully wore our masks that Chris made.  And we were joined by quite a few people of all ages.  Every one of the employees was masked up … properly.  My thoughts on that?  “We’re not in WalMart anymore, Toto.”

We went through a lot of rain the first part of the trip.  I understand Galveston was hit pretty hard while we were away.  Waco had some storms roll through as well.  As it turned out, by the time we hit Buc-ees, the rain had stopped, and we were high and dry the rest of the way home. 

And speaking of home … it’s good to be here.  Chris said it felt like we had been gone for days.  Well, that’s not inaccurate.  We were gone for three days.  That’s more than one …

Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

Father, thank you for the chance to start up our journeying again.  I’ve missed it.  Amen.

May 16 – “A Corona day in the life”

Our first full day Corona-visiting the Waco Vaughan's went really well.  Christi is still pretty strongly social distancing/quarantining, so we got to experience a typical Corona day in the life, so to speak.

I was honored to be chosen to play with the Princess of Play-Do (actually, she is the Princess of … everything around here).  I made a giant bunny (well, it was a giant compared to the little deer figures she was manipulating).  She asked me to make a “tinier bunny” after that one kind of melted into a blob, as is the fate of most play-do figures.  After tiny bunny I couldn’t leave the forest without a villain, so I formed an evil-looking snake.  That guy was easily recognized, but the Daddy Deer made quick work of the situation.  He biblically stomped on the snake’s head and obliterated it out of existence.  Great fun.

I manage a little bit of time with Caleb.  Sort of.  You might say I read a book with him.  He is a prolific reader, so I went and got the book I brought along and read alongside him as he devoured whatever he was reading on his eBook.  Does that count?

In the afternoon I had to work to earn our keep.  Josh and the older boys are clearing out brush and extraneous bamboo shoots from their back property.  They are saving the sturdiest of the bamboo to build Christi a plantar box.  I couldn’t just sit around and watch, now, could I?  I joined them in the task, and we got quite a bit cut and cleared.  And as a bonus, we even got to burn a lot of it.  Come on.  You just can’t beat a good fire.

And speaking of fire, last night was another tradition they have started.   Pizza and a movie and a sleepover in the family room.  We watched the movie I brought, Call of the Wild.  Josh and Christi went to pick up the pizza at their favorite local place.  And after the movie we even had time for smores at the fire pit on the patio.  One bonus episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos wound up the fun activities for the night.  The kids all gathered into their sleeping bags on the floor, and we had a prayer before lights out. 

Great Corona day in the life.  Great new traditions for quarantine-dom.  And now we venture into the epic rain that is falling …

Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”

Father, thank you for our little incursion into the Waco Vaughan’s Tradition Friday.  It was fun.  A good break.  Amen.