August 5 – “Thanks for that …”

We had a great crowd at church yesterday.  Not just in numbers (that was around 85 people and two dogs).  They were very engaged in the worship singing and even the teaching.  I also showed three or four pictures from our Alaska trip, and now they want to see a whole slide show.  Well, I guess some of them might be happy to skip that.  Many seemed genuinely happy to see us after being gone for three Sundays.  They said lots of very positive things about Kel filling in.  One even said that whenever I’m ready to retire, they want him to be the pastor.  Proud Dad moment here.  Thanks for the help, Kel.

No, Chris didn’t accompany me to church.  She was just getting out of bed when I left.   The coughing makes for a rough night.  But imagine my surprise when I got home from church to find that Chris had fixed a meal.  It wore her out, but I sure appreciated it.  Thanks for the meal, Chris. 

And then she went outside and set up the sprinkler to water the grass.  I asked her at one point how it felt to be outside.  She answered, “It’s hot.”  Gotta love the simplicity.  Later she went out to move the sprinkler.  When she came back in she announced that she had to change her clothes.  I asked what happened and she turned around.  Seems she tripped over a leg of the swing and fell.  Fortunately she wasn’t hurt.  Said her pride was bruised though.  With all this flurry of activity the next question still looms.  What about Cousins’ Camp this week?  She wanted to sleep on it one more night, so the jury is still out until she wakes up, I guess.  TBD.  To Be Determined.

We had another wonderful surprise later in the afternoon.  Sam from church stopped by.  She had been to WalMart and included us in her shopping list.  She brought a little of everything, from salad fixings to ice cream to my own personal favorite … Crab Dip.  Thanks for the unexpected blessing, Sam. 

Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.  It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Father, thank you for the expressions of love we received yesterday, both at church and home.  Amen.

August 4 – “Close the windows!”

I started the day with a drive into Texas.  Just barely over the causeway, but into Texas nonetheless.  I was asked to perform a memorial service for a friend of one of our Seasiders.  It was a very simple memorial.  Just the friend and her family in attendance.  No other family was able to make the service.  I did have a long talk with a Galveston Fire Department wife though.  Her family owns the funeral home and she was working the service.  We just attended her wedding not too long ago.  Very sweet young lady.

Back on the Island we had a visit from six of the grandkids.  Well, not so much a visit as a drive-by howdy.  Christina had picked up Cailyn and taken all their brood to the beach.  On their way to drop Cailyn off they stopped by.  Christina called me out to the car so they wouldn’t bother Nana or get near her germs.  While I was standing out by the car talking, Chris stuck her head outside the door to wave and raspily holler out a hello.  Jachin saw her and immediately yelled, “There’s Nana!  Close the windows!”  Guess he didn’t want to catch anything.

Chris spent most of the afternoon sitting up on the couch.  She seems to be past the vomit stage of this ailment, but she is still coughing an awful lot.  She did that last night, too.  Not much sleeping happens when you’re coughing.  She will be staying home from church today for sure. 

We did watch the Astros game.  Victory.  Four pitchers involved in a no-hitter that the Astros won 9-0.  Two of the new pitchers they just traded for were among the four involved.  Pretty exciting stuff. 

Speaking of church, guess I need to get ready.  I have to do Chris’ pre-service chores as well as mine. 

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, that’s my prayer, as always, for the family and friends of the lady who died.  Peach and your presence.  Amen.

August 3 – “A Trifecta of Sonly Compassion”

I learned something on TV the other day.  Imagine that?  Here it is … How high is the St. Louis arch?  114 ½ Jose Altuve’s.

I had an interesting revelation to start my day yesterday.  After completing my blog entry I realized that I didn’t HAVE to do anything.  For the first time since we got home from Alaska I could really stop for a minute.  Of course I still had an ailing wife to look out for.  I made sure she was drinking and not getting dehydrated and all that per Nathan’s instructions.  So what to do now?  Maybe read a book?  Actually I tried that.  Fell asleep.

I made myself a frozen waffle for breakfast and a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch while Chris slept and sipped on Sprite and Gatorade.  She did manage to keep down a piece of toast, too.  For supper she talked me through making chicken and dumplings.  She even joined me in eating it.  A little bit of it, anyway.  I would say that’s an improvement.  She also sat up on the couch a lot through the afternoon.  She has started doing a lot of coughing now though.  Better that vomiting, I guess. 

Noa called and talked to her for a while.  That encouraged her a lot.  Then I got a call from Ezra.  It was a FaceTime call, but all I could see was the top of his head.  Fun talking to him.  Josh called to check in next.  Among other things we talked a little about Cousins’ Camp that is scheduled for next week.  We’ll see how Chris does between now and then.  Kel also called on his way home from work to check on his Mom.  That completed the trifecta of sonly compassion.  Gotta love our boys. 

Proverbs 19:21 says, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Father, thank you for our boys and their families.  It’s great to see the love they have for their Mama.  Amen.

August 2 – “The Evil Ratons”

Patient update: The Cruise Crud is still with us.  Chris rallied and crashed several times over the course of the day.  She got out of bed and walked around a little.  Sat up on the couch, too.  She said she was just aching all over, so she just had to move around some.  By mid-afternoon we thought she might be over the hump, but the chicken noodle soup found its way back the way it came.  I guess that was the last straw.  Well, that and some pretty direct admonition from our fire fighter son.  She finally agreed to take the anti-vomit medicine.  Last night she coughed a lot throughout the night.  We’ll see how today goes.

Tooth update: I had a follow-up appointment for my dental surgery.  The doc said it is not healed yet, but it looks good and is well on its way.  I have to return in another month to let him look at it and stick his finger back in my mouth again. 

Now for the big news.  The skills that I honed while in Alaska proved helpful.  I spotted some wildlife last night.  We were watching the Astros game and I happened to glance out the window.  I noticed a flicker of movement.  There on a wire heading toward our house was a rat.  Nice size one, too.  It would have been much bigger if Chris had seen it.  So what did I do?  Well, without thought for my own safety I raced into the fray.  I screamed.  I waved my arms.  I admirably protected my ailing wife from the evil incursion.  The rat somehow managed to get turned around without falling to the ground into the arms of the waiting Freddy below.  Actually I’m not sure what Freddy (or I for that matter) would have done if it had fallen.  But it scurried back the way it came to the power pole and raced down the cables to haunt a different home.

Problem solved?  Not yet.  Suddenly, as I ran flailing toward that pound or so of pure evil, I noticed the second wave of rattish attack.  Another one appeared on the fence.  So I turned my screams and blathering in its direction.  It responded quickly, racing to the protection of the bush covering our back fence.  But that wasn’t good enough for me.  I transferred my full efforts in his direction.  Although I couldn’t see him, I grabbed a branch of the bush and shook it mightily.  He scampered out the other side and ran as fast as his fat little legs could carry him.  Sensing victory I raised both fists into the air and cheered my accomplishment.  The imaginary crowd cheered. 

I came inside and reported on the victory to my commanding officer.  She advised me to go spray some peppermint water by the dog door.  I did that.  Then I doused the fences and the cables as well.  Stay away, evil ratons.  Stay away.

Philippians 4:9 says, “Whatever you have learned or received from me, or seen in me – put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.”

Father, please get Chris back on healing track.  She’s been pretty miserable.  Amen.

August 1 – “The Little Nurturer”

So Chris didn’t feel so good about midnight, so she got up and moved to the couch.  She didn’t want to keep me awake with her coughing.  Ain’t she a gem?  When I woke up she returned to the bed and camped out for the foreseeable future, her usual approach to illness of any kind.

I got the call to go pick up Cailyn around 10.  Both of her parents were working, and she seemed excited to hang out with us.  She made the comment, “It’s really good to see you guys and it not be in a picture or just on FaceTime.”  Nice. 

Chris eventually made an appearance.  She said she was feeling better, and even told me what she wanted from Whataburger.  Cailyn and I went on that journey to pick up lunch.  All went well.  The girls had chicken strips.  I had a bacon burger. 

After lunch I left for my haircut appointment.  Needed that one pretty bad.  I had the Alaska mountain mad appearance going.  While I was in the chair I felt my phone vibrating to indicate a call.  No big deal.  Then came the two beeps to indicate they left a message.  OK.  All is well.  But then it started ringing again, almost immediately.  That couldn’t be good.  That’s kind of an unwritten code of telephone etiquette, isn’t it?  Two calls immediately back to back and you answer the second one.  Well, I couldn’t let it go, so I checked to see who it was.  Cailyn.  Whoah.  I had to take that one.  She bravely answered, “DadDad?  Umm.  Hi.  Umm.  This is Cailyn.  Umm.  Nana is throwing up and I don’t know what to do.”  Bless her little heart.  I told her to just stay in the living room and I would be home shortly.  Nothing any of us can do right now.  Come to find out that was the same advice she received from her Mom and Dad as well.  She called them both to check up on my directions.  So … apparently right after I left Chris suddenly excused herself and headed into the bathroom.  The Cruise Crud has officially struck.

Later on in the day Nathan came by with his crew in the fire truck.  He brought some anti-vomit medicine.  Cailyn and I ventured out to WalMart for some Sprite and Gatorade.  She wasn’t interested in staying with Nana by herself again. 

Cailyn made us some pancakes for supper.  Even figured out how to cut the recipe in half “because just me and you can’t eat fourteen pancakes, DadDad.”  Smart kid, that one.  Then we watched the Astros game until her Mom came to pick her up. 

I received lots of texts from well-wishers, including from the Winkle’s who are still not quite over the Cruise Crud that struck their household.  Keep those prayers coming …

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 Cailyn’s tender heart.  She did her best to nurture me while Chris was taking care of herself.  Amen. 

July 31 – “Bad to worse”

Bad …

I had my dentist appointment yesterday to see about replacing the filling that came out right at the beginning of our Alaskan adventure.  The doc told me we could indeed do that, but a perfect storm was brewing in my mouth, and it would be my choice how to deal with it.  So, actually part of the tooth broke off as well as the filling.  The tooth next to it already has a crown, accentuating this one’s weakness.  It is the tooth that does the primary chewing job – now for both sides of the mouth since the extraction on the other side.  A filling will work, but will be a temporary fix at best.  It may last for a few years, probably less with the extended use.  A crown, on the other hand … ouch.  But yep.  The new material they are using for crowns, zirconium, is much stronger, and was created for people who have teeth that tend to break easily … “And that would be you.”  Yep.  She said that.  So we started the crown process.  The temporary one is in now.  The permanent one will be here in five to seven days.  It will only take fifteen minutes to install.  Can’t wait.

Badder …

It seems our air conditioner has been running almost constantly just to keep up with the temperature we have it set on.  That makes for quite the electric bill, so we called the repair folks … again.  He came while I was at the dentist’s office, so he had the pleasure of dealing with a hot and bothered Chris.  She didn’t have to press too much, though.  The guy agreed with her one hundred percent that it shouldn’t be doing this.  They have had to come out way too much.  He finally added some more Freon and assured her that he would talk to his boss in the morning about what more they can do.  It still ran forever.  Well, until Chris set it up to 78 degrees.

Worse …

Last night Chris got sick.  Like fever and chills and coughing sick.  She ended up sleeping on the couch.  Never good when Mama doesn’t feel well …

But good …

Gotta find a silver lining in all this.  Before Chris started going downhill we went over to Nathan and April’s for dinner.  Nathan made spaghetti and green beans and salad.  Good stuff.  The best part of the evening was watching Chris get excited all over again as she relived our trip through showing off our pictures.  They were kind enough to watch them all, too.  Modern version of the proverbial vacation slide show, I guess. 

Ephesians 3:20-21 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever!  Amen.”

Father, please heal Chris quickly.  Amen.

July 30 – “Recuperation Day … Rough Night”

I suppose it was bound to happen sooner or later.  Our two weeks of constant motion, hurrying here and waiting there and eating strange foods and wearing dress-up clothes and carrying suitcases and lugging backpacks, all at what amounted to three hours later than we were used to (Or was it earlier?  I have no idea), is apparently finally catching up to us.  And not just us.  We heard than Cary is still feeling pretty puny, and KayLynn and he have both developed a nasty cough.  Sure hope the Sprays have been spared.

I slept in until seven because I couldn’t fall asleep until after eleven.  Come on body.  Get back on Galveston time.

I started working on stuff for church, a sermon and the like.  When Chris got us she watered the grass and began the ordeal of washing our 85 pounds of dirty clothes. 

Lunch was Whataburger.  An easy choice when there is really no food in the house except a can of corned beef hash.  Oh and some leftover Kentucky Fried Chicken.  Not ours, though.  We found out later it was from the day Nathan and his family came over to have dinner with Freddy.  They didn’t want it, though.  Now we had something for supper.  By the way, that Freddy is one spoiled dog.  While we were gone she got to visit her cousins Tilly, Abby, and Scooter.  She also had a play date with her neighbor across the street, Max. 

Other than Chris’ persistent laundrying it felt like we were both still in a daze.  Lauren came by after work to chat a bit.  I hope I didn’t sleep through too much of the conversation.  It was great to see her and hear about the ministry opportunities that have continued to pop up at Seaside while we were gone.  And Chris did regale her with a story or two about whales and puppy dogs. 

We tried to watch some TV.  All we could handle was some house restoration show on DIY Network.  I kept waking up during a commercial because I forgot to fast forward.  At one point Chris brought in ice cream in a valiant effort to recreate our late-night escapades on the cruise ship.  I’m just glad we didn’t have any high stakes card games to play.  I don’t think I could have told an ace from a queen. 

Neither of us slept much last night.  Chris started coughing.  I was just really hot.  Temperature hot.  I’m used being to the other kind of hot.  We finally set up an extra fan, and that helped a lot.  I’m not sure how much after midnight it was when I finally dozed off.  We didn’t get up until after eight this morning.  That’s a record for me.  But the, it was only five in Alaska …

Oh, well.  Maybe I’ll be able to focus a little better today.  Dentist at 2.  Haircut tomorrow.  Oral surgeon follow-up Thursday at nine.  Etc.  Etc.  Etc. …

Isaiah 12:2 says, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.  The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

Father, I give you today.  I pray that you will make something more of it than I could by myself.  Amen.