September 27 - “Two in two”

We were on the road early yesterday. We had to drive to Pine Island, Texas. That’s a small town out in the middle of nowhere, somewhere near Waller. We were attending a memorial service (our second in just 2 days). This one was for our friend and former member of the youth group at Langwood Baptist Church many years ago when I was the youth pastor there. 

H.C. Elsner was probably in junior high or early high school when I first met him. Of course, I was just 18 or 19 myself and I had been a Christian for only a year or two, so that youth group and I kind of grew up together. 

It’s kind of strange what you remember about people. The first memory that pops into my head about H.C. (Other than that his girlfriend at the time was the music pastor’s daughter) involves the time he was in the front passenger seat of my car. 

We were driving to get some lunch  at his house when a car turned left in front of us and crunched into the front of my yellow Ford Maverick. Everybody was pretty much OK. H.C. banged his knee on the dashboard, but nothing demanded medical attention. I remember we waited literally hours for the police to arrive. 

Finally the father of one of the girls in the youth group drove by on his way home from work. He just happened to be a police officer assigned to the mayor’s protective detail. Imagine the dispatcher’s chagrin when his call sign demanded an officer to his location immediately. Let’s just say … they came. 

H.C. went through some really rough times in his life. He definitely knew Jesus, though. I’m sure his soul is at peace now. 

It was good to see some of the Langwood folks from years ago, but we have to find a better way to get together, guys. 

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬ says, Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil.

Father, be with Carl and Barbara and David as they walk through this difficult time. Amen. 

September 26 - “The Return”

We have returned to the outdoors. Well, in the sense that we walked outside for the first time since before Chris’ surgery. We both agreed that it feels more like a workout when we’re outside than when we walk in circles here at the house. I found myself comparing our route with the route I have at the physical therapy clinic. It was actually kind of fun. 

We did a taste of yard work after lunch. Well, Chris watered all of her outside plants. I did a slight trim of the wisteria bush. I left the boogervilla alone, though. It figured out the way to avoid my desired major trim job. Now it has purple (or maybe it’s pink) blooms. And the trick? It shoots its blooms out at the very top ends of its longest branches. And of course Chris won’t let me chop off any blooms. That’s just not fair. 

I found a really cool show on the History Channel. It tracks the history of totally random things. How did pizza delivery come about? What was it like to have unlimited access to fireworks and BB guns? Why did parents allow kids to play at construction sites unsupervised? (The answer to the “why’s” of all these things is always, “Because the parents did it when they were kids). Great show. Hazardous History with Henry Winkler. Check it out. 

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭14‬ says, And he replied, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

Father, thank you for the cool morning. Sure made a difference walking outside. Amen. 

September 25 - “Major ouch!”

Early appointment again yesterday. But not physical therapy. This time Chris had her yearly eye doc check-over. That puts her all set for another year, at least in one area of her body. 

From there we headed over to one of the local funeral homes. The husband of a lady who used to go to Seaside died. Dennis from home group performed the ceremony. It was kind of unusual in that it started almost 45 minutes late. Good reason, though. Because of a snafu in a Facebook post regarding the service time, they were trying to give the deceased’s sister time to get there. Dennis did a good job handling the service. 

On the way home we stopped for lunch at Shrimp n Stuff. That’s when the notable event of the day happened. As we walked into the restaurant, Chris brushed against one of their outdoor tables. Not very hard, but just hard enough. She peeled back about a two square inch patch of skin on her arm. Major ouch! 

We rushed inside and requested a first aid kit. The young man rushed away to get it. Meanwhile, the arm started oozing blood, So Chris sat down and used a napkin to quell the flow. The guy finally returned with some wide bandaids, so we got her all fixed up. At least temporarily. 

We did still make our order, but we switched it to take home. And bless the young man’s heart … he gave us a rather hefty employee discount. And we were able to cover the whole thing with a gift card we had been given. Best cheap meal we’ve had in a long time. 

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ says, The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.

Father, bless that young cashier who helped us out. Amen. 

September 24 - “Restored!”

It was my turn. That all-time, proverbially dreaded trip to … The 

Dentist. That always calls to my mind some old war era interrogator who uses “dental tools” to torture - er - extract information. 

But actually I really like my dentist. She is a very sweet, cute young thing, who really knows her stuff. I did good this time, too. There are a few places that she wants me to cram super-fluoride toothpaste into, then not rinse. Interesting new evening brushing routines ahead … 

We went straight from there to Chris’ physical therapy appointment. She discovered which exercise is her nemesis. She has to hold a ball against the wall and roll it around in a circle. Mark that one. Oh, and it seems her therapist is more excited about our trip than we are. She can’t wait to see pictures. 

In the meantime, I got in my two and a quarter mile walk. And I had a unique greeting from a fellow Baby Boomer. A lady about my age grinned as she passed me, held up two fingers and said, “Hey.”  Now that wasn’t the V for victory sign. Oh, no. That was a peace sign all the way. Us hippies have to stick together. 

Oh! Almost forgot. As we were coming out of the dentist office, my phone rang. It was Brandi, the manager of our bank. She had just heard from her higher-ups that our stolen money was due to be replaced later in the day. Gotta admit, I was pretty skeptical. But sure enough, when I checked around noon, there it was. Restored! That’s a load off of our mind. 

P.S. Walmart - bananas

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭14‬ says, May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Father, thank you for our dentist. And for the hygienist. They are top notch. Bless them. Amen. 

September 23 - “On the bubble”

Early exercise time for me. I got started before Christmas got up. I started out with my version of the arm workout. Thera-bands and wall push-ups and some light weights. I managed to incorporate a 2.25 mile walk as well. And I finished it all around eight. Whew!

Chris had a dental appointment later in the morning. I stayed behind so she would have a chance at her first solo drive experience since the surgery. Of course she did fine with the drive. Not so much the cleaning, though. That didn’t happen. She was apparently “on the bubble” of their timeline for dental work after surgery. They called the surgeon to see if he would OK it. He didn’t call back before she left, though, so she had to reschedule to Monday. My appointment is today.  No bubble for me. All I have to remember is to take a mega-dose of antibiotics because of my bionic knee. 

Last night we went to Texas to watch Ezra play baseball again. The good guys totally outclassed the opposition this time. Ezra walked two or three times across the two games. Scores: game one  - 13-0. Game 2 - 10-1. Success. 

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭1‬:‭10‬ says, For am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Father, please be with me today at my dentist appointment. Amen. 

September 22 - “Touchin’ base X 2”

Chris got us started with a very early physical therapy appointment. She had to be there at 8 a.m.  Not her favorite time of day. She powered through, though. And I actually walked two and a a quarter miles. She did have to wait a minute or two for me to round the corner. Her take on her session? Somehow our trip to Alaska came up, and the therapist had to convince her that  October actually begins next week. Which means, we leave next week. Yikes!

We stopped at Randall’s on the way home to pick up a prescription. Easy enough. Then we went into Walmart. Yep. Bananas. In fact, I had just said to Chris that my list only had the one item on it - bananas- when who should round the corner but our friend Traci. That would be the Traci who always has something to say about my regular banana runs. Glad you could be an actual part of one, Traci. 

Out in the parking lot we were tracked down by another friend, Krissy. She’s the one who was Chris’ personal trainer until the shoulder incident. Always good to touch base with a fitness guru friend. 

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭7‬:‭9‬ says, Know that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commands.

Father, thank you for friendships that thrive in Walmart. Bless Traci and Krissy. Amen. 

September 21 - “Another blast from the past”

We had a real blast from the past at church yesterday. We stayed over for church in Waco at Columbus Avenue. A lady approached me after the service and asked if I was Kelley Vaughan. Somehow I recognized her right away. 

It was Sherry, a girl who had been in the youth group at University Hills Baptist Church in Denver. She now lives in Germany with her Air Force husband. Her daughter attends Baylor and plays violin in the church orchestra at Columbus. Great to reconnect with long ago faces. 

We took off after church for the trip back home. We made the usual stop at Buc-ees for some lunch. And then we stopped in Santa Fe at Nathan and April and Cailyn’s house. They weren’t home, but Chris needed the bathroom. As it turned out, we were able to let the dogs out of their kennels for a potty break of their own. Nathan texted that they would be home in about 20 minutes, and I confess I was already kind of absorbed in one of those Asgardian/Thor adventure movies. We stayed. Enjoyed chatting with you guys and hearing all about plans for making  the homecoming mum for the ages. It’s gonna be amazing. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬ says, I will thank the LORD with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous works.

Father, thank you for the chance to see Sherry again. Bless her and her family. Amen.