February 28 – “She’s baaaack”

I thought we could just sneak in at Seaside for church yesterday.  You know, get there right at start time – or maybe a little later – slide in through the back door and right onto a back row.  Yeah … nope.  We got caught.  Aside from the folks attempting the same thing who saw us in the parking lot and asked how it felt to be “on the other side,” and the ones who saw us once we were inside (the building isn’t that big, anyway), and it’s not like Seaside starts right on time – Kel saw us and proceeded to acknowledge our presence as “Our Pastor Emeritus and Mama Chris Emeritus.”  It was kind of fun, actually.  He promised/threatened to do that every time we showed up.  We’ll see if he remembers that …

 

One reason we arrived so late was that we drove up to Santa Fe to get Cailyn so she could join us for church.  The folks at Seaside really like her and ask about her all the time.  In fact, I was chatting with one of the guys, when Noa came up to me for a quick hug.  The guy, who had not seen Cailyn yet, asked her, “Is your cousin here?  She never wears shoes, either.”  Noa assured him that Cailyn was indeed there (She’s baaaack), and not only that, “she’s wearing shoes right now.”  I don’t think he believed her. 

 

After church Cailyn and Josiah and Noa came over for the afternoon.  They found some kind of game to play on the computer.  Sounded a lot like the old board game, “The Game of Life.”  I used the down time to work on the jigsaw puzzle.  Got most of the sky in, too.  Of course, that eliminates all the easy parts …

 

Isaiah 55:6-7 says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.  Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts.  Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.”

 

Father, thank you for the folks at Seaside and for the way they love on our family.  Amen.

February 27 – “Speedy delivery”

We were called to duty pretty early yesterday.  No, it wasn’t a fire department call.  Those are covered by our more than capable fire fighters.  No, it wasn’t a crisis with a church member.  That would be something for which they would turn to their new pastor.  And no, it wasn’t an issue with one of our kids, although in any of those case we would have jumped to and responded.  This time it was a simple request for a favor from the daughter of our elderly neighbor. 

 

All she asked of us was to watch for a delivery truck that was scheduled to arrive at her mom’s house between 7:45 and ten o’clock.  Not a problem, since I am usually up well before then anyway.  She was getting one of those rocket chairs, as I prefer to call them.  You push a button or something and it shoots you into the air.  I guess it’s not quite so dramatic as that.  The chair supposedly raises you to a standing position with little or no effort on your part.  Kind of like a rocket booster engine.  See?  I am not that far off in my rechristening process.  The chair is coming to help in her mom’s recovery.  She will be going in for some major abdominal surgery in a few days. 

 

As it happened, we were both up and watching before 7:30.  But at 7:41 I received a text from the daughter that the driver said he was at the house already.  She asked if I could run over and stall him for a few minutes so she could come over from Moody Gardens where she works and tell him where to put the chair.  I went right outside.  No truck.  We hadn’t seen a truck.  I even went around to the other side of the house.  No truck.  I texted my report back.  And came inside to get a coat.  When I went back out, the daughter was driving up.  Apparently the driver had reported to her that he had been to the house and left when he got no response.  Strangely enough, he assured her that he was on his way back already and would be there momentarily.  We did see the truck this time, by the way.  Hmm.  It was a cold day.  I think maybe Mr. Delivery Guy needed a hot cup of coffee.

 

We actually had to get out in the cold.  Both of us had prescriptions to pick up at the pharmacy.  It was good to get out of the house, but that thirty minutes or so was enough to endear us with our home heating system. 

 

Puzzle update.  I finished the words.  Well, word, if you don’t count the author’s signature.  Already had that one done in just three or four puzzle pieces.  “Wildflowers.”  I also managed to piece together a patch of said flowers.  Pink, I think.  See what I did there?  It rhymes.  Now what?  I may move to the sky.  That’s the next rather large, no clues included portion.  May as well attack the most difficult areas first, right?  But first … on to church.  The clock on my desk reads that it is Sunday …

 

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, please be with our neighbor.  She’s a sweet lady with a lot of health issues.  Amen.

February 26 – “Happy birthday, Son Kel”

Happy birthday to you, my Young Padawan, bearer of my name unto the next era, father of five of my esteemed grandchildren, and the one who made my retirement a more-quickly attained reality.  And to borrow from an ancient blessing from the far North … “May your day be merry and bright.”

 

Speaking of the Northern nether-reaches … this frigid, 40 degree weather is miserable down here on the tropical coast.  Makes us want to just stay inside and work on jigsaw puzzles all day.  Wait.  I’m retired now.  Technically I can do just that.  And I kind of did.  Of course that puzzle is the one created by an evil person.  So many edge pieces.  I have two or three of the letters figured out, but even that part is maniacally laughing at me as I scratch my head in bumfuzzledility. 

 

But no, I didn’t work on the puzzle all day.  It just seemed like it.  There are some things I just can’t seem to get out of my system.  For instance, I spent at least an hour and a half addressing and writing good wishes on birthday cards.  Maybe I don’t need to be doing that anymore, but as that old-school part of me always says, “Hey.  Who doesn’t like to receive mail that isn’t a bill?”  Besides, what else am I to do while Chris is faithfully executing her cardiac rehab duties? 

 

Well, if my calculations are correct (and if the time stamp on today’s newspaper is not a misprint), today is Saturday.  And not only that, it is Saturday of weekend number two of Mardi Gras festivities.  That can only mean one thing.  Stay in the house.  College basketball on TV, or maybe a movie or two, calling out to me.  Evil puzzle on the table, glaring at me.  Perhaps even a nap somewhere in there with my name on it? 

 

Proverbs 29:25 says, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”

 

Father, thank you for our first-born son.  Bless him and his family as they work together serving you and each other.  Amen.

February 25 – “Back to her antics”

Chris was back to her usual Thursday antics yesterday.  By antics I mean working out at cardiac rehab, of course.  She was the second car in the parking lot this time.  In fact, the person scheduled after her had canceled, so she had the entire room as well as the technician to herself for pretty much her whole workout.  She’s pretty special, you know.

 

Back at the house, I discovered I had more work to do on our income tax.  I received an email from our new accountant.  She had five or six specific questions or requests for more information.  She also made some helpful suggestions.  It all sounded like small stuff, but wading through all our receipts and other papers to find what she was asking for just took a very long time. 

 

Later in the day I spent some time working on our new evil puzzle.  Here’s reporting that we have actually found a few pieces that fit together.  And I have identified two (and maybe all four) of the actual outer corner pieces (I think).  Actually … I don’t have any idea.  I’m working by color right now, and those of you who know me understand that working by color is not exactly the best idea for someone who can’t really tell the difference between shades.  Ah, well.  There are some lines that make up lettering that I can try to match up …

 

Home group was back in full swing again, although we did have a few missing.  Lauren was getting ready to head for Oklahoma again for her grandfather’s funeral.  Janell and Brennan were at baseball practice.  Yep.  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again … February is not the month for baseball practice.  Too cold.  At least these little guys are actually playing, though.  Looks better than sitting at a bargaining table.  We also prayed for the folks in Ukraine.  Not looking good for them.

 

1 Peter 5:10 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

 

Father, please be with Lauren on her trip to Oklahoma.  And walk with the family through this tough time.  Amen.

February 24 – “Finished … started”

I finally finished the new John Grisham book that I started on the way to Waco.  I thought of more than a few surprise twists and turns it could have taken at the end, just to make it a tad more interesting.  But overall, it was a pretty good read.  Oh, the title?  The Judge’s List. 

 

We started a new jigsaw puzzle.  It’s the evil one with four different edges, squares within squares.  Out of a thousand pieces, over six hundred are edge pieces.  Not very helpful.  I started out trying to piece together the word, “Wildflowers.”  Needless to say, that’s what the puzzle consists of.  Lots of wildflowers.  Did I mention it was evil?

 

We stayed inside all day.  It was a rainy, cold, nasty day on the Island.  Not the 6 below zero in Minnesota or the iced-over freeways in Dallas.  But it was definitely Galveston cold and nasty.  60 degrees and raining.  And in the end the temperature dropped all the way into the 40’s.  Nope.  That ought not to happen on a tropical island paradise. 

 

I received an email from our new tax accountant last night.  She needs some more information before she can finish out the forms.  Here’s hoping she can work some magic and keep it down to a minimum …

 

Isaiah 55:1-2 says, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!  Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.  Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?  Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”

 

Father, please be with our new tax lady.  Give her wisdom to get our taxes done properly and quickly.  Amen.

 

February 23 – “X-rays … always x-rays”

We started off the day a little differently.  Not with excitement, by any means.  Chris had a dentist appointment first thing.  Oh, she doesn’t dread them or anything.  And I see them more as a monumental nuisance.  But it was her turn, so off she went.  Cleaning and x-rays.  They always want x-rays.  Apparently, Chris hasn’t had x-rays since 2017.  That is a horrible oversight, as far as the dentist is concerned.  As far as I’m concerned, that’s a record to be celebrated. 

 

While she was gone, I worked on our printer.  It decided to go offline again.  I have no idea what possesses it to occasionally take a vacation from connecting to the computer or my phone or any device, for that matter.  When this happens. It doesn’t mind acting as a copy machine, just don’t ask it to print what you want.  Ornery little beast.  I finally restarted the computer and printer for the fifth time and left the room.  I cleaned out one of our junk drawers, did some reading and watched some TV.  It was while watching TV that the miracle occurred.  I heard a clamor from the office and jumped up to see what was making the racket.  Sur enough, the printer had randomly decided to rejoin the world of the living.  It printed out the last thing I sent.  Thank you very much.

 

After lunch, Chris headed to an afternoon cardiac rehab session.  When she got back, we went on a Walmart run.  We mainly needed some fruit, but managed to find a small basketful for other stuff, as usual.  And then we headed over to Randall’s to pick up another of Chris’ prescriptions.  Pretty simple afternoon.  Led into a pretty simple evening.  We watched a few episodes of Spring Baking Championship.  We did pause it for a while when Janell came over to get a Nurse Chris consultation.  She’s fine, by the way.  Just banged up a toe.  Ouch.  Probably didn’t need to see the doctor right away, though.  They’d just want … an x-ray.

 

Proverbs 21:21 says, “Whoever pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.”

 

Father, please heal Janell’s toe up quickly.  An injury like that can be pretty painful.  Amen.

February 22 – “Nap, nap … done”

Happy birthday, George.  And Happy Twos Day.  2-22-22.  Everybody set your alarm for 2 p.m., go out in the front yard wherever you are and yell, “Happy twos day!”  Really celebrate.

 

Now back to our final day in Waco.  We just relaxed in the morning yesterday while Josh went to a meeting at work.  And by “relaxed” I mean I took a nap.  This one happened while I was sitting on the couch.  Just snuck up and completely overwhelmed me.  I could get used to this nap thing.  One in the morning … done.

 

Chris spent some time playing with AnnaGrace.  I’m not sure what all they did, but at one time they were tossing a glider airplane back and forth across the living room.  For a good ten minutes.  Looked like fun.  I got in a throw or two when crashes happened to occur near – or on – me.  Of course the airport couldn’t open until Luke was willing to take a break from the indoor living room basketball court. 

 

We had lunch at Jason’s Deli.  Great place for good food, if you’re every around done.  I really like their potato soup.  Deli sandwich is good, too.  And they have free ice cream cones.  Josh brought us a surprise gift from the office.  It was a collection of construction paper cards telling “congratulations on your retirement.”  Who from?  Some of the little kiddos we met when we went to children’s camp with them.  Thanks, guys.  We love you.  After lunch Josh headed back to work.  We went on back to the house to pack up and head home.

 

We made our usual stop at Buc-ees for a bathroom break.  Strangely, that’s all it was this time.  We had plenty of gas.  Neither of us wanted a snack, so no caramel coated cashews or popcorn or BLT sandwich.  We decided to wait until home for supper.  Shortest Buc-ees stop ever.  Oh, and while Chris drove, I did my best to read the latest John Grisham book.  I confess, though, that I did have a hard time staying awake.  Not because of the book.  It’s a really good book.  It’s just what I do when I’m a passenger in the car.  Well, that, and I think my afternoon body was feeling a little jealous that my morning body got to take a nap.  Challenge accepted.  Nap in the afternoon … done.

 

Oh, and one last thing … as great as it always is to see the Waco branch of the family, it was good to be back home.

 

Luke 16:10 says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

 

Father, thank you for our safe journey to Waco and back.  It was a good choice to wait those few weeks when it was so icy up there.  Amen.

February 21 – “A field of forks”

Apparently, my 50+ years of ministry routine got the best of me yesterday.  In spite of staying up past ten to watch Jeopardy, the College Edition, I was wide awake at 5:30.  My body expressed its behavior in this way: “Hey.  It’s Sunday.  We always get up early on Sunday, right?”  Guess so.  At least until you learn better.

 

Actually, I was awake off and on throughout the night.  I guess enough of the tiny, unseen cedar particles wafting through the Waco air finally found their way into my nose.  I had one sneezing fit before we headed for bed.  Never a good sign.  But as it turned out, my problem was more of a stuffed up sinus passage.  I just couldn’t breathe through my nose.  No idea when I was finally able to drift off. 

 

Yesterday morning we woke to a grand gesture of a gift.  What should we find in the front yard but a field of … forks.  Someone had thought it a necessary time to provide Pastor Josh and his family with a front yard filled with forks, all poked into the ground as if growing into larger plastic serving utensils.  And a few of the trees were even wrapped tightly with saran wrap.  Ah, the joys of a youth DiscipleNow Weekend.  Back in our day, it would have been toilet paper, but everyone knows that now in our Covid Era, toilet paper is valuable currency.

 

It was communion day at church.  They don’t do it every Sunday, so this was a special treat for us.  They came up with an ingenious way of packaging the bread and juice.  They put one of those tiny little chunks of bread into a little cup.  Then they put a second cup into that one and filled it with juice.  Voila.  One serving piece with both elements present.  I sense a copying in Seaside’s future.

 

AnnaGrace had one more brief bout with vomiting, so she and Mommy stayed home.  That meant Nani and DadDad got to play church parents.  Great game.  Lots of fun.  Our duties kicked in after worship.  We took Luke to his Sunday School class and found a class of our own age to hang out with for an hour or so.  Those folks seemed to really like Josh.  At least that’s what they told us.  The guy doing the teaching has been to Seaside for a visit before.  He had some really nice things to say about his experience there.  At least I think they were nice.  Something about how it was “unlike any service he has ever been to before.”  Seriously, he was impressed by the way Seaside has adapted to our beach culture and has been really reaching our community.  After the class ended, we trekked back to the kids’ building to pick up Luke.  Then we located Caleb and Zak to make sure they knew to get a ride with their Dad.  Whew.

 

Back at the house, Christi had a pork roast going with carrots and potatoes, as well as sides of corn and black-eyed peas.  And after lunch?  She bought me a few cartons of Minute Maid frozen lemonade. My favorite.  Thanks, Christi.

 

I grabbed another of those elusive afternoon naps, this time in a chair on the back porch.  Nice, cool weather.  Christi went and picked up some pizza for supper.  Later, after the little ones had gone to bed, we watched Ghostbusters, Afterlife with Josh and Christi and Zak and Caleb.  Pleasant end to a long day.  Sunday. 

 

John 15:5 says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.  If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

 

Father, thank you for the grand welcome we received from the folks at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church.  Please bless them in their efforts to spread your Kingdom. Amen.

February 20 - “A bonus life experience “

Luke assured me on Friday that, in his words, “It’s OK, DadDad. Tomorrow it will be ok for you to sleep in. In fact you can sleep in until at least eleven. My game is not until five o’clock.”  Why such a magnanimous gesture? That’s the latest in the day he has ever played a game. See, this is the all star game. Yep. He made the 8-year old all star team.  Oh, and as for the encouragement? I made it until 7. 

 

Before the game we joined Josh for a trip to Target for a curbside pickup. Christi called it in or did the app or however that works. Our first time to make one of those curbside pickups. Let it be known … I didn’t like it. I want to see people. 

 

Once we were all good and awake, Chris and I went with Josh to take MaddieBelle (their chocolate lab) on a walk. Around the corner, to the park, once around the track they have out there, and back to the house. According to our watch/phone tracker, it was a mile and a half. MaddieBelle was barely winded.  As for us?  We’ll, let’s just check that one off of our workout list. 

 

Yesterday afternoon I did something I haven’t done in a very long time. I plopped myself down in the bed and took an afternoon nap. Now read my words carefully so I don’t get in trouble with Chris. The unusual part of that statement is the location, not the act. The act of afternoon napping has been known to happen on occasion.  Just not usually in the bed. 

 

Our bonus life experience (aka I didn’t know about it) of getting to watch Luke play in his all star game was really exciting. The score was pretty close going onto the third quarter. 6-3 bad guys, I think. But then Luke re-entered the game after resting for a quarter while his team’s defense held the opponent scoreless but couldn’t score either. Luke then took over the game. He proceeded to score 7 fourth quarter points. Good guy win 10-6. Luke single-handedly outscored the entire other team. That’s my boy. 

 

Psalms 46:10 says, “He says, ‘Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’”

 

Father, thank you for bonus experiences. I look forward to lots more. Amen

February 19 – “Heading north …ish”

Cardiac rehab came first, of course.  Well, right after our individual quiet times.  Chris headed for the exercise room.  I hit the keyboard.  No, not to practice playing piano.  That would be a horrible sound.  I mean the computer keyboard to get the blog done and posted.  Gotta get another day recorded for posterity.  As soon as Chris got home, though, we loaded up the car and headed north … ish.  The ultimate goal was Waco.  This was to be the trip we didn’t get to take because of snow and ice a few weeks ago.

 

First stop was in League City.  Or maybe it was Webster.  I don’t know.  I get those nearby Texas places all mixed up in my mind.  It was wherever the James Avery dealership is located.  We stopped in to pick up Chris’ charm bracelet that we dropped off the other day.  I’m still not sure why it takes a whole day or two to just stick two charms on a bracelet.  Seems like they could do that while you wait on the day you bring it in, and let you leave with it.  But apparently, they clean it and shine it up or something as well.  Anyway, it looked good.  Still fit and all.

 

Next we headed on toward Waco … ish.  Made it as far as Buc-ees when we got the call.  Or text, actually.  See, Buc-ees was the turning point, the point of decision, the point of no return.  Well, maybe not that drastic.  It was the point where we had to make a decision.  Would we continue on to Waco?  Would we veer off course and head into … Round Rock?  And why would we head into Round Rock, anyway?  Questions, questions.

 

Well, the text from Josh came.  Zakary’s basketball team had just won their semi-final game in the Round Rock tournament.  They played against a large private school out of San Antonio.  They were down by two with just thirteen seconds left in the game.  And one of their sharpshooters let fly with a three-point prayer.  And it went in.  They stunned the San Antonio bunch with a one-point victory.  Wow.  Exciting stuff.  Best part about it, though, was that it gave us enough time to head straight to the venue and see the championship game. 

 

Zak played really well in the finals.  In fact he was never taken out of the game.  I’m not sure how many he scored, but he had a few beautiful assists, and his defense against the opponent’s best ball-handler was amazing.  In the end … the good guys just didn’t have quite enough left in the tank after that emotional win in the morning.  They ended up losing by about ten.  Still, that placed them second overall in the tournament.  Not too shabby a showing for the boys from Waco.  We were really proud of you guys.  You showed a lot of heart. 

 

After the game we jumped in the car and headed for Waco … finally.  We did make a stop in Temple at a Whataburger for some sustenance.  Good thing, too.  It had gotten dark by this time, so we needed to switch drivers.  Chris doesn’t do well at night with  her cataracts, so that’s my time to shine behind the wheel.  Actually, all I had to do this time was follow Josh.  Oh, and avoid a few 18-wheelers.  There was that …

 

Hebrews 12:14 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”

Father, thank you for our safe trip to Waco by way of Round Rock.  And thank you for the effort and good sportsmanship Zak’s team showed.  Bless them for that.  Amen.

 

February 18 – “Fraught”

Cardiac rehab.  Still counting down.  She’ll be done the third week of March.  Same week we leave for our Western fling.  Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I took care of the house cleaning.  All of it this time.  I remembered to dust.  That is a time-consuming task, for sure.  Not real sure how much good it does, either, but it is important to Chris, so … done.

 

Chris finally completed the last three pieces to the jigsaw puzzle.  That was a hard one. It finally got down to where all the pieces were the same color – water.  So I had to switch strategies and match them up by shape alone.  Talk about time-consuming.  Meticulously placing each individual piece into the current cavity.  That’s why it is such a celebratory moment to finish.  And why Chris takes the ceremonial photograph for her collection. 

 

Last night we watched a few minutes of a college basketball game before switching over to the Olympics.  Chris’ favorite sport of all time was on – figure skating.  I didn’t mind watching.  This was the competition that was fraught with scandal this year.  “Fraught.”  Now there’s a word you don’t see every day.  Has a nice, negative ring to it.  The Russian girl who tested positive for banned substances, but was allowed to compete anyway while the legal challenge played out.  Very sad situation at its core.  Blame most assuredly rests with the adults in her life before the Olympics even started.  The situation really played havoc with the lives of the girls involved.  Even her teammates couldn’t enjoy their victory after she fell and stumbled through her final performance.  Saddest picture of all was the Russian girl who won the gold medal.  She sat all by herself when the medal rankings were announced.  In Chris’ words, “With no one around to hug her.”  Think I’ll stick to basketball.

 

Speaking of basketball, Zakary’s team made it to the semi-finals of his tournament in Round Rock.  If they make it to the finals this afternoon, his grandparents will be there.  Hey, we’re not a banned substance, but we can sure cheer him on. 

 

John 14:26 says, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

 

Father, please be with those little girls at the Olympics.  Touch their hearts and somehow draw them to you.  And watch over Zak’s team as they play today.  Amen.

February 17 – “Right around the corner”

Who’s up for a quick trip into Texas?  That was our destination yesterday.  Chris had another follow-up visit with the cardiologist.  Well, with the cardiologist’s nurse practitioner, to be completely accurate.  She entered the room, sat down at the desk, and proceeded to talk to the computer and tug at her obviously required and highly uncomfortable face mask for the duration of our visit.  Oh, her questions were directed at us, I suppose.  She just never looked our way.  She even found a way to stare at something else when she listened to Chris’ heart and lungs with a stethoscope.  It was kind of eerie, actually.  I guess the end result was good.  Chris doesn’t have to make a return visit until sometime in August.  Unless, of course, something goes wrong.  In which case, “I’m sure you would be going to the emergency room or calling EMS or something.”  Thanks for the encouraging word …

 

Right around the corner from the doc’s office was a James Avery jewelry dealer.  Chris wanted to get her two new charms installed on her bracelet.  That would be the cruise ship and the anchor/heart.  Once we made it past the four vultures circling at the door to pounce on potential customers, the actual order was pretty easy.  It will be ready today after three.  The plan is to pick it up on our way to Waco in the morning.  We did roam about the store for a bit before running the exit gauntlet of ladies wanting to wait on someone.

 

To celebrate, Chris remembered to pack one of the gift cards we got from our retirement bash.  Olive Garden was right around the corner from James Avery, so that was the goal.  We hadn’t been there in a long time.  And strangely, it looked and felt exactly the same.  I ordered lasagna and a salad.  Chris had their endless soup and salad.  Same order we made last time we ate there.  We even ordered their ingeniously marketed $5 take-home dish.  I carried out some fettucine alfredo.  Chris added some spaghetti and meat balls to her remaining bowl of soup.  We are set for another few days.

 

Last night was jigsaw puzzle and Baylor basketball.  I made a lot of headway on the puzzle.  Baylor, sadly, didn’t make much headway against Texas Tech.  They lost by ten points.  The injuries they have experienced have been proving way too much for them to overcome.  So far at least.  We’ll see how they do the rest of the way.  It IS almost March, though.  Big-time basketball is about to begin …

 

2 Thessalonians 3:3 says, “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”

 

Father, thank you that Chris seems to be doing really well.  Please keep her on that track.  Amen.

February 16 – “Actual and metaphorical”

Happy birthday, Joshua.  That youngster of ours is getting on up there.  Pretty soon his own kids will be calling him an old man.  Wait.  I guess they already do that.  41 years old.  Working toward that half a century mark.  Enjoy.

 

Chris was greeted with a surprise at cardiac rehab yesterday.  She was given a really pretty Christmas ornament.  It is clear with an actual heart hand painted on the outside.  At least it looks hand-painted.  I assumed it was.  But by actual, I mean anatomically correct. It seems that February, among other things (i.e. Mardi Gras, around here), is also National Heart Health Month.  And yesterday just happened to be National Cardiac Rehab Day of National Heart Health Month.  Phew.  That’s a mouthful.  Chris was really proud of her new little heart object.  She even took a picture of it and posted it on FaceBook.  And she rarely posts stuff on FaceBook.  So, here it goes …

Happy National Cardiac Rehab Day of National Heart Health Month.

 

Well, all I did to celebrate the big occasion was get a long-anticipated haircut.  Oh, and I finished pulling together all of our income tax documents.  Sent an email to our accountant to make sure they haven’t changed addresses or anything (that happened one year, but I tracked them down).  It’s all ready to mail as soon as I hear back from them. 

 

James 1:23 says, “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves.  Do what it says.”

 

Father, thank you for our son Josh and the life he has made for himself and his family.  Bless them and keep them safe.  And thank you for Chris’ heart, actual and metaphorical.  I love it.  Amen.

February 15 – “An incurable romantic”

I’ve been struggling a bit this morning in getting started writing something.  Why?  Not sure, really, but I think it may have something to do with the fact that we are out of bananas right now.  See, munching on a banana is how I start my day.  Every day.  Well, I’m not sure you can call what you do with a banana actually “munching.”  They are too mushy.  More like gumming, except with teeth.  But I have a routine to establish here in retirement, right?  And that means … start the day with a massive hunk of natural potassium.  Prevents leg cramps, or so I’m told. 

 

But on with the look at our day yesterday.  Oh, I know it was Valentine’s Day.  And yes, we already had our dress-up date and all.  But I’m still a bit of a romantic.  We took a nice, romantic walk around the neighborhood.  Two miles, to be exact.  Checked it off on our exercise chart, too.  Not that we were walking for exercise or anything.  Strictly romance.  Back at home we exchanged gifts.  That’s romantic, too, right?  No, really.  She got me a coffee mug attached with those evil store zip ties to a very cool sock monkey holding a heart.  That right there is romantic.  I gave her a charm for her James Avery bracelet.  It was an anchor with a heart on it.  She is the anchor upon which I have hung my heart.  Hey, I promised you romance today …

 

We did get a few things done around here that may or may not have counted toward the romantic theme for the day.  I worked on the Bible study for home group.  Chris worked on thank you notes.  I also did some work on that sailboat jigsaw puzzle.  Hmm.  Sailing away together … that dream counts as romantic, even though there is no way we would want to do that unless the boat is a cruise ship.  Oh, and we put the finishing touches on our income taxes for last year.  Ready to send in.  And we did it together, so … romance.  What can I say?  I’m an incurable romantic.

 

Matthew 3:8 says, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.”

 

Father, thank you for planting love in my heart for Chris and for doing the same over in hers for me.  Quite a gift.  Amen.

February 14 – “A super evening”

We were back at Seaside for worship again.  The place was really full, too.  Great to see how the Lord keeps on blessing there in the attendance realm.  Music was great, as usual, and the song selections went perfectly with the sermon.  That’s also something God has been doing for a long time.  Same Holy Spirit directing two hearts toward a common goal – communicating the good news about Jesus.  Way to go, God.  You, too, Kel and Jim.  Keep on listening to Him.

 

The afternoon we spent getting everything ready for last night’s Super Bowl Commercial Party.  Decorations were hung.  Brisket was inserted into the crock pot.  Bingo games and trivia challenge sheets were laid out.  Tea was made and duly labeled (sweet and unsweet).  Television channel switched over to the pre-game coverage.  And finally, even Chris sat down for a few minutes to collect herself before the anticipated onslaught of … well, we had no idea how many would be here. 

 

As it turned out, we had at least twelve or fifteen people stuffed in and about the room.  Some were actually watching the game with Bingo cards in hand.  Others sat at the table and chatted.  Lauren firmly planted herself at the jigsaw puzzle table and got to work.  A few came and went and came back again.  Ed even arrived at about halftime, after splitting the difference with a party at his neighbor’s house.  The food table was rapidly filled with an array of excellent edibles.  Dips of all kinds (I know Lauren brought at least three different kinds).  Corey’s homemade fried cheesesticks.  Brisket from Koop’s.  A plate full of those round, swirly things with cream cheese or something like it inside (sorry, Sandy.  I don’t know what they are called, but they were sure good).  Sam brought her famous key lime pie.  Cathy had a pan full of baked beans.  Susan brought chips and dips and even ordered a bunch of pizzas.  I probably forgot a lot, but I did my best to be a good host and try a little of everything.  That’s what a good host does, right? 

 

The good guys almost pulled out a victory in the game (By good guys I mean the underdogs.  It was already a win that Tom Brady wasn’t quarterbacking one of the teams).  There were no clear-cut winners in the Bingo or trivia games, but everybody was treated to a parting gift before they left.  They got to pull from a grab bag of samples from some of the TV ads.  Coke, Pepsi, Snickers, and even cars (well, matchbox sized replicas of cars).  Everybody seemed to enjoy a super evening (“super” – see what I did there?).

 

1 Corinthians 13:4 says, “Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”

 

Father, thank you for friends who can enjoy hanging out together with food and fun TV commercials (and football, too, I guess).   Amen.

February 13 – “Of course”

Here’s a quick update on the rest of Friday, since I focused on the fire department function so much.  While Chris was at cardiac rehab, I spent the entire hour plus trying to get our printer to come back online.  It prints just fine by itself, but it absolutely refuses to heed the commands of the computer.  This happens all the time, and the same fix never seems to work twice in a row.  This time it took no less than three computer reboots and four printer reboots before it agreed to rejoin the world of the living.  I’m afraid the issue is with the laptop.  Of course, it would be the more expensive of the two.

 

We also took Freddy to the vet.  It was just a checkup so we could get some more of that flea medication that you rub on their back.  And of course, they “highly recommended” putting her to sleep so they could clean her teeth.  Five hundred plus dollars to0 brush her teeth sure seems excessive.  Of course, it would be more if the happen to find something wrong.  Nope.  Not right now.  We’ll get her a dental stick to chew on.

 

Back to yesterday …

Chris had her big appreciation day ladies brunch at the church.  Apparently, they did a lot of reminiscing, including I understand a few stories about the craziest things Pastor Kelley has done over the years.  And I wasn’t there to defend myself.  Of course.  They gave her some really nice gifts, and from the sounds of things, the breakfast was pretty good as well.

 

While she was being feted, I went to Pasadena for Jachin’s baseball game.  I met him at their house in LaMarque, and he drove.  We talked about school and baseball the whole way over there.  The game itself was pretty exciting.  Ended in a 6-6 tie.  Jachin went 1-2 with a walk as the first baseman.  Then as we were driving out of the parking lot, his pitching coach called and asked him to stay for eth varsity game as the first relief pitcher.  Of course, he turned right around and re-parked.  He checked with his Mom first, but then gave me the keys to the car and he raced back on the field.  Nice job, Jachin.

 

So why give me the keys?  Well, Chris and I had to make a beeline to League City to a birthday party for a one-year-old.  Little Roman Anderson had reached that significant milestone and was being celebrated by Cory and Sarah and some friends.  We were glad we went.  It’s always good to see Cory and Sarah and their family, of course.  But we were especially excited to see some other old friends from Seaside youth groups of years past.  It made our day to do some catching up with them.  Roman, of course was pretty much oblivious to the clutter of people.  All he wanted to do was play with the streamers hanging from the ceiling.  Of course.  Can’t beat a good streamer, can you, Ro?

 

Oh, and we also had a phone call from Josh.  Luke’s basketball team was in the final tournament of their league basketball season.  The call was to report that they won their semi-final game against the number two seed, 23-20.  Luke scored 21 points.  Of course.  Wow.  Later we learned that they did lose the final game.  Why?  Because the opponent had scouted them.  Luke was double and triple-teamed the whole game.  Of course.  He was still happy, though.  They were awarded a championship game ring.

 

Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

 

Father, thank you for the chance to see some old friends.  Bless them in their lives and decisions.  And in particular, be with Houston and Ashley in their move to Colorado.  Amen.