November 30 – “Catching up on Christmas”

We stayed pretty close to home for the better part of the day yesterday.  It is my turn to preach on Sunday, so I was hard at work on the computer, developing a sermon and sending al the tools and visuals to Kel so he can get them into the visual production arm of the new computer that I have no idea how to work as of yet.  It will be the second Sunday in Advent.  We have our overarching theme of the Goodness of God, as well as the theme for the day, Peace.  The idea is for it all to mesh together into a cohesive worship experience.  That’s the part that we leave to the Holy Spirit. 

 

We did spend some time decorating the Christmas tree. Catching up on Christmas.  The kids helped get it put up and the lights on.  That’s the hard part.  Now we will be slowly adding ornament after ornament until the tree is complete.  Then we need to add the Christmas touches to the rest of the house.  Nativity scenes and Christmas stuffed bears and outside lights, of course.  It is quite the ordeal.  Guess that’s why Chris crashed for a while on the couch after a bin or two of ornaments.  She needed the break, for sure. 

 

Speaking of breaks, we took one of those and actually took a little walk.  By “little” I mean to the corner stop sign and back.  That would be the length of one house.  I think that would be within the doc’s limits of “no long walks.”  It certainly was NOT long …

 

Last night we went to Cailyn’s basketball game.  This time it was in LaMarque.  She was supposed to have a B Team game and an A Team (Cailyn’s team) game.  We found out after we arrived that they only have one team, so our girls were going to split the difference.  The B Team would play the first half and the A Team would take over and play the second half.  I was a little bit worried for the B Team.  The opponents were quite a bit larger than they were.  But they held their own, and even handed over a slight lead to the more skilled A Team.  That’s when things took off for the good guys.  By the time the dust settled and the referee’s weird calls in favor of the opponent passed, the good guys (Santa Fe) had pulled away for an easy 15-7 victory.  Cailyn, of course did an excellent job, especially on defense.  It was fun for us as well.  Santa Fe travels well.  That means there were lots of fans in the stands.  But then, when there are ten girls on each of two teams, all expecting to play a full game, that’s a lot of family.  But personally, I got a kick out of sitting near Nathan and watching him sit on his hands and stifle his comments.  Hard to be just a spectator when you were an athlete, isn’t it? Great fun …

 

2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

 

Father, thank you for the time Chris and I had together yesterday.  Basketball and Christmas ornaments.  That’s quite a day.  Amen.

November 29 – “Welcome, MaddieBelle Vaughan”

We had another strong crowd at church yesterday.  Kel did a great job preaching in his introduction to the season of Advent and our theme of the goodness of God.  After worship around thirty of us dove in to tackle the hanging of the greens.  At Seaside that means decorating the worship center.  It also means a big, impromptu pizza party.  Lauren called in our order to Way West Grill, one of the local food establishments in Jamaica Beach.  And by the end of the decorating session ten pizzas had been delivered and for the most part, devoured.  The worship center as well as the fellowship room now both have lights and greenery hanging all around the ceiling.  Two grand trees grace the big room, and one smaller tree holds its own in the smaller room.  The thing I really like about an event like this?  All ages can participate, from Noa and Ezra on up to us “more mature” old coots. 

 

Chris has done pretty well since her surgery this time.  She feels rather hampered by the two-weeks of restrictions she faces, though.  I don’t know who had the harder time of it yesterday – Chris, who had to sit and watch the process, or the rest of the church, who relies on her for direction and ideas and general input.  But she forced herself to sit.  Well, she did after she had a “spell” of sorts.  Pale.  Dizzy.  Short of breath.  Heart racing.  It lasted long enough that she was able to hit the record button on her heart monitor as well as run a quick EKG on her smart watch.  The monitor sends the info to the computer that watches her on a moment-by-moment basis, which then informs a human being, who then double-checks it and informs the cardiologist as needed.  At least that’s how I think it works.  The EKG is only a 30-second snippet, but she can print out a copy for the doctor when she sees him.  I don’t know if this was just an aftermath of surgery kind of reaction or if something else is going on.  Like it or not, my mind keeps returning to this time last year.  She had a stent installed last November, then had to return in December and do it all over again.  Not excited about that possibility.  She is determined to follow doctor’s orders, though. 

 

Josh’s family left right after church.  They were super-excited to get back to Waco and pick up the newest member of their family, MaddieBelle.  That would be their brand-new Labrador retriever puppy.  The kids were beyond excited, and we already have received pictures and even videos of our new grand-puppy.  Welcome to the Vaughan Family, Maddie.

 

Colossians 1:13 says, “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.”

 

Father, thank you for all the care and concern for Chris I saw yesterday.  And please receive our act of decorating as an offering of praise.  Amen.

November 28 – “Heart happy”

The big morning event for all these Waco-ites among us was watching the Baylor football game.  Fortunately, the outcome landed just where we all hoped with a Baylor win.  Then it was waiting time.  Oklahoma had to lose to Oklahoma State for Baylor to make the league championship game.  We wouldn’t know it until late last night, but OK State pulled it off.  They took the lead to stay on a fumbled punt recovery at the five yard line and a few hard-nosed runs.  Exciting stuff.

 

Lunch was pretty exciting, too.  Turkey enchilada pie appeared (thanks to Chris) along with the voluminous leftovers.  So did some really good queso that April had delivered from the Original Mexican Restaurant.  Gotta add a little South of the Border flair around here. 

 

The guys (not me) took off after lunch to find a place to play … basketball, of all things.  The projected site was … outside.  Outside Basketball.  And it was cold.  And wet.  Nope.  Not me.

 

When everyone was back from basketball we took a big chance and turned the grandkids loose in the attic.  No, not to play up there.  Their job was to get down the Christmas decorations and the tree.  The assembly line they came up with was certainly a sight to behold.  And effective.  All the decorations were stacked neatly in the den, just waiting for their turn in the impending Christmas madness … er, I mean … Christmas magic, of course. 

 

The older guys then returned to the video game football tournament they were running.  Josh ran point on putting the tree together and stringing the lights, the main thing Chris was hoping would get done.  He was assisted by some extremely capable helpers, AnnaGrace and Ezra, and occasionally Noa.  He did ask Kel for help when he got close to the top.  Hey, the only other alternative would have been admitting that he should be using a stool.  But no.  Can’t do that.  A stool would mean admitting that he wasn’t tall enough to reach the top.  So between the two of them, the tree lights were complete.  The lights all worked, as well.  another Christmas miracle, right?  And when they stepped back, Chris declared, “That makes my heart happy.”  A statement like that carries a bit heavier meaning around here.   

 

Isaiah 9:2 says, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.”

 

Father, thank you for our heart-happy Chris/Mom/Nana this year.  It’s good having her around, even in a supervisory capacity.  Amen.

November 27 – “A Zombie Knuckles Tale”

Yesterday our family Thanksgiving fest finally happened.  All the kids and grandkids and even Aunt Sam arrived, and the spread slowly took shape.  Fried turkey with Chris’ cornbread dressing.  Corn casserole and a key lime pie from Sam.  A big spiral ham and numerous sides, courtesy of April (she brought the bacon dish with a few brussels sprouts mixed in).  Twice baked potatoes and sweet potatoes from Christina.  An apple pie and a lot of kitchen handiwork from Christi.  All served to keep Chris out of the kitchen and off her feet as much as was humanly possible.  Not completely, mind you.  That would have been asking the impossible.  Chris was NOT going to be completely banned from her kitchen on a Thanksgiving Day.  All in all, the food was fabulous, as usual.  Chris did pitch in to clean the kitchen – a little.  Christi was on the spot for the most part, so Chris’ contribution could still remain minimal.  I think the balance afforded by our girls let Chris feel like she was doing her part.  Well, at least a part of her part. 

 

After lunch the older kiddos decided to walk over to the elementary school and then the junior high school nearby to scout out a site for the Turkey Bowl.  Word got back to us that the junior high had just the perfect field for us to set up.  In fact, after due consideration of projected weather conditions for today (100% chance of rain), the rest of us decided to make a league front office decision and change game day.  We piled into a few cars and drove on over.  They weren’t kidding.  The practice field was not fenced off in any way, and it even had a goal post.  I saw Caleb use his soccer prowess to kick a few field goals as we arrived.  We quickly picked teams, Captains Caleb and Josiah.  As we began to line up for the first play, I asked Zak to toss me the ball.  I grabbed it in a fabulous catch, turned toward what would be our goal at the far end of the field and began slowly walking in that direction, to the puzzled faces of my teammates and my opponents.  About halfway there, I picked up speed, and the old man raced 99 yards for the first touchdown of the game.  OK.  OK.  It was a little sneaky, but this was a Turkey Bowl clash, was it not?

 

Now, early in the contest, unbeknownst to most of us, young Micah was stricken with a malady so horrific that it still pains me to speak of it.  His play early on was a little boring.  Catch a pass here.  Bat down a pass there.  Nothing spectacular, by any means.  But then it happened.  Somehow, some way, he was bitten on the knuckles.  Two very distinct toothmarks appeared.  And from that time on he was … unstoppable.  The knuckles seemed to take over his very existence.  Micah was there, yet he was there no longer.  For the injured knuckles had become Zombie Knuckles.  And everybody knows that Zombie Knuckles set free are … unstoppable.  The Knuckles raced from the far side of the field to catch up to and stop a sure touchdown run not once but no less than four times.  But the ultimate expression of the Knuckle prowess came on a somewhat errant pass in his general direction.  The Knuckles dove crazily into the air, arms and legs flailing but Zombie Knuckles focused in their flights.  And sure enough, when the body hit the ground, the Zombie Knuckles grasped the football tightly in their grasp.  It was awe-inspiring.  So much so that we were forced to award the post-game trophy to none other than … No, not the remarkable 68-year-old QB.  Instead the award went to Micah’s Zombie Knuckles.  Congratulations, guys. 

 

Oh, and for those of you who are interested, there is a slight chance of a game two this afternoon, but watch the weather.  I feel confident that any remote sign of wetness will result in the front office calling the game.

 

Numbers 6:24-26 says, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”

 

Father, thank you for the great weather we had to play football.  Thanks for the great food.  And thanks for all the help everyone has been in seeing to it that Chris takes it easy.  Amen.

November 26 – “Prep and delivery”

We had two very early morning visitors yesterday.  Cailyn and her puppy Marley came over to help Chris make some pies for Thanksgiving.  Well, Cailyn was to help with the pies.  Marley came to keep Freddy occupied.  We are having our big family celebration today, since Josh and his family got here last night and Kel’s family and Nathan and April are coming in tomorrow. 

 

I left the house pretty early myself.  On Thanksgiving Day I generally make the rounds of all the fire stations.  The goal is to pray with the guys and drop off a bag of the turkey that we fried on Monday.  They all seem to appreciate the gesture, and it’s always good for me to hang out with the fire department family. 

 

Meanwhile, Cailyn and Chris stayed quite busy.  They put together at least four pies.  Then they added some little pumpkin pie-let, tart-looking thingies.  And they did the cornbread for Chris’ famous cornbread dressing to go with the turkey.  That was all in the morning.  After a quick lunch, they went back at it and baked six dozen chocolate chip cookies.  Needless to say, Chris was pretty tired after all that exertion.  Hey, it takes a lot out of you to be the supervisor.  She was able to get a bit of a nap in, though.  And I may or may not have dozed on the couch – just for a few seconds to rest my eyes.  Hey, we needed it.  Neither of us has had much sleep in the last few days.

 

Oh, and I failed to mention the exploits occurring much closer to the ground.  Freddy and Marley are great friends, so they passed the time racing around the house and the back yard.  Ah, the energy of youth …

 

James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”

 

Father, thank you for all the help that Cailyn gave Chris yesterday.  Be with Chris today as she hospitality-izes with the houseful of people that will be here.  Amen.

November 25 – “Bustin’ Out”

Early start with the manual labor yesterday.  I had one thing that had to be done before Chris came home.  Somehow I had to figure out a way to get the grease from frying turkeys out of the pots and back into the grease boxes they came in and into the trash – all before the trash truck arrived.  A daunting task to be sure.  The biggest issue was getting the funnel to stay in place while I used both hands – and every muscle in my body – to lift the pots and do the actual dumping.  Corey and Janell and Brennan all volunteered to help, so the plan was to call them, as long as I could get it done before 8 a.m. since they had to log onto work.  Whew.  But then, as I was getting everything prepared, I actually stumbled across the extension piece for the funnel that would force it to stay in place.  I texted over a quick thank you to the Gerans for their offer and got to work.  I managed to get everything done in plenty of time to beat the garbage guys.  Chris should be happy.  So should the parents of little guys who like to play in our back yard. 

 

I made it up to the hospital just in time to say hi to Cathy and Lauren.  They popped in to say hello before starting their day at work.  And after the pleasantries, Chris dropped the bombshell on us.  “I might not get to go home today.”  There was some apparently significant swelling going on at the site of the incision, and the resident wanted the faculty supervisor to make the final call.  Wonderful.  Another night at the Hilton.  But in the meantime, Cathy and Lauren assured her that they would pick up the slack in Chris’ preparations for Bethlehem Street Market.  That was a real load off of Chris’ mind, and a stress reliever. 

 

Not long after Cathy and Lauren left, the faculty cardiologist made his rounds with the baby docs in tow.  As we waited for him to complete his exam, the tension mounted.  Finally he checked the surgical site – the cause of immediate concern.  And … gave it his Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.  He said to give them about an hour to get the paperwork done, and she could go home.  Music to our ears.  Of course there are the requisite restrictions.  No long walks.  No lifting of anything heavier than a gallon of milk.  No walking up and down stairs.  Basically, take it easy for the next two weeks (and beyond).  Follow up in a few weeks.  All followed by, “You know the routine.  We’ve done this before.”  Yep.  We do.  And so the process began.  So did the waiting.

 

All that flurry of activity took place around ten.  At 12:30 we were still waiting.  We shared Chris’ lunch tray.  Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes. 

 

We finally busted outa da joint around 1:30.  Back home by 2.  We both crashed.  Those early morning and late nights took their toll.  We’ll do our family Thanksgiving feasting tomorrow, so today Chris and Cailyn will be making pies while I do some fire station visits.  Happy Thanksgiving!

 

1 Chronicles 16:34 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

 

Father, thank you that Chris is home.  Please direct the healing now taking place in her body.  Amen.

 

November 24 – “The Heart Update”

No, this isn’t a renegade Valentine’s Day blog post.  Nor is it an advertisement for the newest Hallmark movie.  Just a brief look at our world on the day of a heart cath for Chris.

 

The day begins early.  Especially for me.  My body has an uncanny knack for waking up about an hour or so before it has to in situations like this.  Some kind of internal alarm system.  So … I was awake at 4:30.  Chris followed at our previously agreed-upon time – 5 a.m.  I had some fruit for breakfast before Chris got out of the shower.  She wasn’t allowed to eat after midnight, so I, being the incredibly nice husband that I am, was just not eating in front of her. 

 

Once at the hospital – and past the volunteer at the front desk who was bravely guarding her post – and up the elevator to the sixth floor - we arrived at the cath lab.  We were ushered – and paperworked - right in and Chris donned the latest in lovely hospital fashions.  Everything went really fast this time.  The guy who came to get her even told us that they were actually ahead of schedule.  That’s a first.  One of the fellows (that would be a “fellow” as in his hospital status, not simply some fella who happened to be walking by.  I have no idea what a “fellow” does to earn that title, but this particular guy did it) took me aside and said, “Now this procedure could take as long as two to three hours.”  That seemed long to me, from our past experience in the cath lab.  But he then continued, “Actually, I just tell people that so that when it only takes an hour and a half or son, it makes me look good.”  Well, OK, then  I didn’t tell him that sharing that little tidbit with me kind of voided the ”looking good” contract.  Meanwhile, Chris had a little encounter of her own.  One of the nurses came in, checked Chris’ chart, and remarked, “Gee, you look a lot younger than you are.”  I think that was a complement …

 

Before long I was ushered into the waiting room where I began to … well, wait.  Nathan arrived shortly after, and we chatted while he had some breakfast.  Chili cheese flavored fritos and some kind of flavored doritos, washed down with a cup of that blue powerade stuff.  Breakfast of champions, to be sure.  By the time they came out to get us an hour and a half later, April had joined us from her post in the ER.  The doc came in almost as soon as I got into the room, and he began talking immediately.  I held up my hand and asked him to please stop the words for just a second.  Yes, that’s pretty much what I said – “Could you please stop with those medically-type words for just a second.”  It confused him at first, but when Nathan and April joined us, he understood. Extra ears and all.  He gave us the brief summary, and then asked if we wanted to see it.  Well, April was all over that one.  So we left Chris alone again and headed into the video viewing room. 

 

The pictures showed clearly what the problem had been this time.  The second blockade structure in her widowmaker artery had not appeared to be severe at first, but a quick stress test, and BAM.  There it was.  She flunked.  It’s taken a long time to make the story this short, but … they put in another stent.  Number three, but who’s counting?  Then, kind of off-the-cuff, he casually mentioned, “The artery on the right side of the heart id doping Ok.  The blockages there are just moderate.”  Umm.  What?  Something to look forward to, I suppose.  He also listed about ten or twelves factors that affect blockage formation.  The only two that applied to Chris were old age and family history factors.  Great.  That’s the only two you have no control over. 

 

Since they went through her groin to get to her heart, they installed some kind of chemical plug to stop it from bleeding.  That meant an overnight stay in the UTMB Hilton.  It took a while to find her a room elsewhere in the “hotel.”  So we watched a Lifetime movie together (They didn’t have the Hallmark Channel).  The room actually came through – with a little help from someone we know in “the system” – before the end of the movie.  Not to worry.  We had seen it before.  We knew the ending.  The guy gets the girl, and they kiss in the snow.  Surprise!

 

There was a flurry of activity on the floor once we arrived.  The nurse came in to visit and begin her admittance protocol.  A resident came to check in.  She saw all the bodies and came back later.  A supervisor from housekeeping came by to see if we were satisfied with how the room had been cleaned.  I answered that one.  I assured her that even though we had just been in the area for approximately a minute and a half, the room appeared to be spotless.  And before the admission process had been completed, the in-room phone rang.  All activity suddenly stopped.  The nurse joined us all in staring and the ringing phone.  I decided to deal with the elephant in the room, and asked, “Gee, now who could that be, calling us at this hour?  Should I answer it?”  The nurse chuckled and said, “Well, we’re not even admitted yet, so no one should know we are here.  Go for it.”  Come to find out, it was the all-knowing, all-seeing … cafeteria.  They just wanted to see what Chris wanted for lunch.  Someone, somewhere had tracked us down.  Probably that alleged loop recorder implant Chris has in her chest.  Is it really “just a recorder”?  Could it actually be a secret tracker for a subversive alien race seeking to take over our world slowly, one heart patient at a time?  Should we have eaten that yummy lunch they brought up?  Ah, all questions for the ages. 

 

Meanwhile, I went home for the night even though they laid another bombshell on us and said I could have spent the night with her.  Whatever happened to their Covid protocols?  Not that I’m complaining, mind you.  I watched a movie and headed to bed by ten.  Oh, but not after Chris called to ask what happened to her phone charger.  From the sounds of things, the tines of the plug came loose and were stuck in the wall socket.  Very strange.  I packed an extra charger to bring up today.  It all fits, though.  The aliens wouldn’t want her to have contact with the outside world, you know …

 

Psalms 28:7 says, “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”

 

Father, thank you that they found something they could address.  Please let this be “the issue” so Chris can get back to being, well, Chris.  Amen.

November 23 – “‘Please Pray Day’ ... Again”

OK.  I take back everything I ever said about getting up early.  I am up and at ‘em and it is just 4:30.  And I had to force myself to stay in bed until then.  Why?  What is the force that draws me away from delightful slumber?  Today is Chris’ third heart cath.  The doc is going in to see if the second blockage in her LAD (aka widowmaker) artery has gotten worse.  Something is causing similar symptoms to the first time she had problems.  The hope is that another stent will solve the problem.  Of course back there in the back of my mind is the fact that the big OH (Open Heart Surgery) is still always on the table.  So anyway, she has to check in at the hospital by 6:45, so here we are … Please Pray (again).

 

Back to other local news.  Yesterday was fry turkeys day.  We just did seven this year.  Down by about half from years past.  Kel and Micah did the heavy lifting of the birds.  Cailyn pitched right in and carved some turkey.  Micah did, too.  Can’t beat a chance to play with a power tool (read here, electric knife).  Ezra and Noa got involved, too.  They worked with Nana on making some cookies.  I haven’t had a chance to taste them yet, but they look like snickerdoodles to me.  Next on that turkey horizon is figuring out a way to empty the oil back into the container it came in, getting it into the trash can, and getting the pots all washed and clean for next year.  That’ll be first on the list after the hospital visit, I suppose. 

 

After everybody left, we had to get ready for our date.  Well, maybe a double date.  Our friends and insurance agents, Mike and Teri, were in town and treated us to a meal at the Rainforest Café.  We haven’t been in there for years.  Probably because of that scary tree that greets you when you walk in.  Oh, it’s polite enough.  Even introduces itself.  Tracy Tree.  Evil Tray Tree.  Creepy Tracy Tree.  Add in all of her noisy rain forest friends and the occasional flashing lights, and it makes for a memorable dining experience.  But the company was great.  Always good to reconnect with old friends.

 

All in all, it was a long, tiring, good day.  Just what Chris needed to keep her mind off of this heart cath.  OK, OK.  MY mind, too …

 

Jeremiah 17:10 says, “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve.”

 

Father, please be with Chris as she heads into this heart cath experience yet again.  Help the doc find out what is going on, once and for all.  Amen.

November 22 – “Thingamabobber”

Very big day in church yesterday.  Well, in terms of attendance, anyway.  For us.  I counted 63 folks.  That makes quite a crowd.  We had several visitors who were new to the community.  They plan to be back next week.  Several others were in town for the weekend or for a week or so.  In other words, a typical crowd, just a few more than usual. 

 

On top of the big crowd for worship, we had a lot of folks stick around for our third Sunday dinner on the grounds.  Always a treat.  Lots of Thanksgiving-type fare made it to the table.  After the meal, Kel and I met with the Transition team.  They were just checking up on our progress, and they wanted to start planning toward the day of my retirement and Kel’s installment.  We even had two extra bodies on hand to listen in – Noa and Ezra.  She is here helping me write this blog, so I wouldn’t forget her presence.

 

After the meeting we headed back to the house, where Nathan and April were waiting.  They brought Cailyn over to spend the night so she could help Chris out with turkeys and cookies today.  Kel’s family was here, too.  And later they all left.  Well, not all of them.  Cailyn, of course stuck around.  That was by design.  But Noa and Ezra decided they needed to stay as well.  They found plenty to do.  Ezra loaded up the dolly with empty boxes and wheeled them out to the truck bed.  He loves playing delivery man.  In fact, he told us that all he wants for Christmas is a red dolly.  Later the three kids had races in the front sidewalk up and down the street.  Cailyn led the way on the scooter.  Noa and Ezra followed on two of the big wheel trikes.  Old DadDad lagged behind on foot.  Up and down, up and down.  Got in some good steps …

 

Oh, I forgot to mention that I also fixed the toilet in our master bathroom.  Not that I am some master plumber or anything.  I just had to run up to WalMart and get a replacement part for the innards that stopped working.  No idea what it is called, but it’s the thingamabobber that turns the water on and lets the tank refill.  Then it turns the water off when it gets to the right level.  This one stopped turning the water off.  Leaving it would make for a pretty high water bill.  Easy enough fix.  Done and done.

 

Psalms 91:2 says, “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’”

 

Father, thank you for the fun we had with Noa and Ezra and Cailyn last night.  They are pretty cool kids.  Amen.

November 21 - “Let the turkeys begin”

 We managed our two miles yesterday.  No rain in sight.  Nice, cool weather.  I could get used to this.  Not gonna hold my breath, though.  This is Galveston, after all.

We also made another trip to Walmart.  We had to pick up the rest of the groceries Chris needs for the Thanksgiving feast.  We also needed to replenish the spices that she uses to rub the turkeys down before we fry them.  

Chris hung out in the kitchen rubbing those turkeys so they can sit in the fridge and absorb all that spiced goodness for a day or two.  I got to see some of the Baylor football game.  Lost their starting quarterback, but the backup did a great job.  That’s always my favorite part of a college game - when the underdog wins or a sub finally gets his chance to shine.  And he doesn’t blow it.

After the game I drew the yard work card.  That was another thing on Chris’ Thanksgiving list that had to be accomplished before everybody gets here.  I did the mowing and edging, as usual.  But then I also did the part that usually gets to my back worse than anything - sweeping.  Chris usually does that one.  And of course this was our first big sweep of the Fall, so there were a lot of leaves to deal with.  It all worked together to leave me exhausted and really sore.  Gotta get “up” for church today, though.  My day to preach.  Oh, and it is also dinner on the grounds.  And a transition team meeting.  And ... and ... and ....

Matthew 11:28-29 says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Father, thank you for that promise of rest.  I guess we all could use a dose of that.  Amen.

November 20 – “Date Day”

Chris and I had a big Date Day yesterday.  At least I think it counts as a date.  I mean, we were together and all.  And we held hands every now and then.  That puts it over the top, doesn’t it? 

 

Our day started with a trip to the craft fair at Moody Methodist Church.  See? I told you it was a grand romantic day.  We went to the fair.  They do that in all the movies.  We do try to go to this one every year.  It is probably the second most important one on the island.  Second only to the one at that little church in Jamaica Beach – Seaside.  Theirs is called Bethlehem Street Market.  It doesn’t happen until December 11^th, though.  That’ll be another date day … Wait.  No it won’t.  Chris is in charge of that one.  And most of the time I’m pretty much a go-fer.  You know, go fer this and go fer that.  It’s a lot of fun for me.  Chris has all the headaches.  But back to the date.  We saw several Seasiders, past and present.  Rick and Traci, Laura, and Jim and Pat, to be specific.  Rick and Traci were just shopping like us.  Laura has her goat milk products on display, and Jim and Pat do some pretty amazing jewelry.  Go see them, today and buy something.

 

The next part of our date was lunch.  You kind of have to eat if it’s going to be a high impact date, right?  At Chris’ suggestion we went to Shrimp n Stuff.  That’s my favorite spot.  I think she felt sorry for me since we had Mexican food (her favorite) on Sunday for lunch, then I had it again at the meeting I went to Sunday night.  Overload, for sure.  It was a really pleasant meal.  The ambiance is totally relaxed, and we were there before the heavy lunch crowd.  Umm.  I mean the crowd was numerous.  That was not a comment on individual weights

 

After lunch we split up for a time.  I had to go to the doctor’s office for a couple of shots.  Covid booster and flu shot at the direction of my doctor.  Chris just couldn’t stay away from me for very long, though.  She just had to drive over to the doc’s office to see me again.  I think she must be in love.  Actually, it also might have had something to do with the fact that I forgot my Covid card, and I needed it to official-ized after the booster.  She graciously brought it up to me.  Actually seeing me was just a bonus …

 

Back home I had to go online and record the dates of several of the shots and procedures I have had done over the past year.  My insurance company bribes me with a VISA gift card to get them done.  Just earned myself $45, and I didn’t even have a co-pay on the visits they were concerned about.  Bring ‘em on.

 

We ended our romantic Date Day in front of one of our favorites – a Hallmark movie.  We were going to go out for dinner as well, but lunch took too much out of us.  Or Maybe I should say … it put too much into us?

 

Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

 

Father, thank you for the friends we got to see at the craft fair.  Be with Rick and Traci in their medical woes.  Help Laura and Jim and Pat have a successful day today.  And thank you for the great date I had.  After forty-leventy years together, I can certainly say … she’s a keeper.  Amen.

November 19 – “The Night of the Eclipse”

We walked our two miles yesterday under the threat of impending rain and high winds and a full-blown Norther.  The rain never came.  It did get quite windy.  And now … OK.  It’s cold again.  54 degrees.  Send that stuff back up to Minnesota.

 

While walking we found out that one of our neighbors died early that morning.  I saw the fire call on my app when I woke up.  Looks like she probably had a heart attack.  She was 76 years old.  A very sweet lady who always sat on a chair in front of her garage chatting with the neighbors.  She’s been in the neighborhood for many years.  I’m sure Charlotte will be missed by many.

 

Yesterday afternoon I met Stewart and Kel and Josiah over at WalMart.  It was finally time to pick up the big TV for church.  It will be our main screen for worship, displaying the words to the songs, the scripture verses (yes, that includes the visual verse), and any film clips or powerpoints or still photos we have to show.  Stewart and Kel got the thing installed in no time.  It really helps when you know what you are doing.  It would have taken me three days.  Took them about thirty minutes.  It looks like the only issues will be the typical screen glare at several points around the room, but I think the trade-off will be a sharper, more trustworthy image.  Can’t wait to try it out on Sunday.

 

I even had a bonus as I drove through the parking lot headed home.  Engine four had just pulled in as well.  I swung around and said hello to those guys.  Always good to connect with some more of that family. 

 

Last night was The Night of the Eclipse.  I woke up at 2:15 a.m. and remembered the event, so I got dressed to go check it out.  The celestial event was about half-way done.  Very cool stuff, but not cool enough to sit outside in the cold for another two or three hours.  Time to get back inside and get back to sleep. 

 

However, as I came back into the house, Chris was buttoning up her robe to join me.  I chuckled and told her that it was pretty cold out there.  She mumbled, “OK” and stumbled to the closet to grab a coat.  Then I reminded her that she might want her glasses as well, if she really wanted to see anything.  She let me know in no uncertain terms that … she was still asleep.  I believed her.  No more suggestions.

 

Speaking of her being still asleep, when we went back to bed, I re-started my pre-sleep ritual of working on a crossword puzzle.  She, of course, fell asleep instantly.  After a while she roused ever-so slightly and asked, “Do you want some pineapple?”  Hmm.  Sounded good, but I told her I would opt for the breakfast service.  She said “OK” and resumed her slumber.  Gotta love that woman.  Thinking of others even in her sleep.

 

2 Corinthians 3:17 says, “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

 

Father, thank you for the amazingness of your creation.  Things like that eclipse really showcase your power and utter genius.  Amen.

November 18 – “Me ‘n’ Vanna”

It was catch up day again for me around here.  Started out when I had to respond to a text while we were doing our two-mile walk.  That meant Chris got ahead of me by several strides.  It’s hard enough for me to keep up with her pace when I’m concentrating on it, much less when I’m answering important issues on the phone.  I managed to catch back up on that one.  Back home I completed the request made on that text.  Then I spent some time going over the sermon for Sunday.  All part of the catch-up from going to the convention earlier in the week. 

 

There was somewhat of a celebration as well.  Chris finished the latest quilt she has been working on.  That meant I got to do my Vanna White impression and hold it up so Chris could take some photos.  Of course, the big difference between me and Vanna is that I am required to stay behind the quilt.  My best features in these quilt modeling sessions are my knuckles, as they hang over the top, and occasionally my ankles, if Chris’ camera aim is a bit too low.

 

Last night I went to fire station one to pick up a book.  The crew was there giving tours of the new station.  I had a chance to chat with five or six guys on shift as well as Big Chief Charlie.  That’s Big Chief in the sense that he’s in charge of the whole department.  Has nothing to do with girth, mind you.  Hah.  “girth.”  I’ve always wanted to use that word in a sentence instead of in a crossword puzzle.  It actually means “circumference.”  Now you can make it a part of your vocabulary as well.  Feel free to use it “around” town.

 

1 John 4:7 says, “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves ahs been born of God and knows God.”

 

Father, thank you for the chance once again to see some of our fire fighters.  Always great to check in on the family.  Amen.

November 17 – “Revitalize, foster, adopt”

I got up extra-early yesterday.  It was the last day of the convention, but I really needed to work on the Bible study for home group.  I needed to finish that so I could proceed to the sermon prep for Sunday.  So … success for home group this week.  Great cliff hanger.

 

I beat Kel to the convention.  Guess I didn’t have quite as far to go as he did.  Took me all of ten minutes, including parking.  I went upstairs and grabbed a cup of coffee, then headed over to the meeting rooms for the breakout sessions.  I managed to reserve a few seats in the hottest seminar available for the morning.  This one was a session on churches helping other churches.  The three levels of assistance are: revitalization (guiding a church to use its own resources to reboot), fostering (providing external resources for a stated period of time to help a church get through a rough patch or get back on its feet), and adopting (actually welcoming another church into the family by making their campus an extension of the assisting church).  Pretty interesting stuff.  Especially the adoption thing.  I have seen it be pretty difficult to accomplish unless both sides understood up front what was happening.  Otherwise, there is bound to be some residual bitterness.  Of course, there may be some bitterness anyway.  It’s a tricky slope to operate on, but it can really be a helpful tool as well.

 

After the meeting we both headed home.  I had my day set aside for sermon prep and catching up on my usual Monday work stuff.  Chris had done her walk while I was gone.  We compared notes, as we usually do, on how far our respective phones had recorded us as going.  I managed to get right at two miles with a few flights of stairs.  Matched up pretty close to what I faced at the convention center.  She blew me out of the water, though.  She was over three miles with her six flights of stairs – the usual. 

 

1 Samuel 2:2 says, “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”

 

Father, thank you for the assistance available to churches who need help all across our country.  Help them to reach out to the proper resources.  Amen.

November 16 – “A proud day …”

Kel came over really early yesterday.  The two of us were headed to the Texas Baptists Convention being held at the convention center on the seawall.  Chris took their car back to LaMarque.  She was assigned the duty of picking up his children and transporting them to their homeschool co-op classes.  She then went back in the afternoon to pick them up, drop them off at home, and get back to Galveston in time for Kel to hop in and head to Jachin’s baseball game (Which they won, 10-1.  Kel said one inning that Jachin pitched, he struck out the side.  WooHoo).  Everything was planned and scheduled to the second.  Until it wasn’t. 

 

It actually wasn’t that big of a snafu.  Happened at the co-op when Chris went to pick up the kids.  Seems that at the door to where Noa and Ezra were – and I mean right in the door, so there was no passage anywhere else – a child was being reprimanded by his teacher and his mother.  Chris couldn’t get through from one direction, and the two Vaughan kids couldn’t get out from the other.  Chris even went around outside to a window to try to get them to gather up their coats and schoolwork.  They didn’t get what she was pantomiming, though.  Wish I could have seen that.  The logjam finally did clear, and Chris made it and Kel left, and we were together again.  Just in time to leave again.

 

Next we went to Austin Middle School, where Cailyn used to go, to watch her play basketball against them for her new school, Santa Fe.  Both schools had an “A” team and a “B” team.  The “B” teams took the court first, and Santa Fe completely dominated the Austin girls.  I don’t remember the Austin team even scoring a basket.  The “A” game wasn’t much better. Cailyn played in that one.  I think the final score was something like 35 to 6.  The Santa Fe girls were relentless, and the Austin girls were simply outmatched.  Cailyn did a great job, especially considering this was the first actual game she had ever played.  Her defense is spectacular, and she even managed to get off a shot that barely missed. 

 

It was a proud day for the Vaughan grandparents, for sure.

 

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

 

Father, thank you for the fun the kiddos at their respective games.  And thanks for the reconnections with old friends that Kel and I accomplished at the convention.  Amen.