September 30 - “The infamous Rocket Ship Park”

After a homemade breakfast quesadilla, we went for a walk. Chris made it two miles. I added an extra mile to that. We started around 8, but it was still really hot. Phew!

Back home we started on washing clothes. A day late from our usual laundry day. 

Things are starting to pile up in this final few days’ home stretch to Alaska. Chris started weighing her backpack in anticipation of the puddle jumper flight to the Arctic Circle. I think we are allowed five pounds each. So far she is right on the money. I, on the other hand, haven’t started. Maybe by Thursday?

Noa and Ezra dropped by. They had been playing with some friends at the infamous Rocket Ship Park over at the airport. Why infamous? That’s where Nathan broke his arm really bad back in the day. Sadly, the place lived up to its name. One of the youngsters they were there with fell and broke both bones in his arm. Whoa. Déjà vu all over again. Remember that, Nathan?

Our afternoon schedule was pretty much set in stone. The Astros had their first playoff game against the White Sox. Didn’t turn out so well for the good guys. But they play again this afternoon. We’ll see …

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4‬:‭23‬ says, Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.

Father, be with that youngster who broke his arm. Ease his pain and heal him quickly. Amen. 

September 29 - “Beach Witch”

Chris physical therapy appointment was an early one, especially for her (NOT a morning person). She had to be there by 8:15. She did well getting up, though. When 6:30 rolled around, she dragged herself out of bed. Gotta love that woman. 

The therapist worked her shoulder over pretty good. Whether Chris can tell it or not, she has come a really long way since the surgery. I did get in my two and a quarter miles. I did get a bit sidetracked, though. I stopped to help another Astros fan in a wheelchair get through a door. He was wearing Astros pajama pants. Way to represent. 

I saw something I had to look at least three times before I could truly fathom what it was. As we drove along the seawall, I saw a witch flying on her broom along the sand out by the water. Very gracefully draped long dress topped off with the pointed hat and everything. On my third or fourth stare, I finally made out that the apparition was indeed gliding upon the sand, only on one of those one-wheeled skateboard things that moves on its own. Eerie sight, indeed. 

At Walmart (not for bananas. They do sell other things) we ran into not one, but three of our friends from around Galveston. Julie just moved back here after a long hiatus in the mystical northlands beyond Texas. Doug was standing in line at the bank, so we let him be. We did get a quick hug from Charlette,  though. Great to see you guys. Hey. What’s a Walmart for if not to connect with friends?

After a brief stop at the house we were back in the car again. Chris was finally getting the teeth cleaning she had to put off last week. I went with her and read a book in the lobby while she was in the back. Well, I may or may not have also snuck in a little nap. 

The reason for my accompanying her was more than just enjoying her company, although that is certainly the case. We had a few stops to make on the way home. Academy was first. I had hoped they would have some Astros division champs t-shirts. No luck. In fact I looked online. The only place they were available was MLB.com. $45 was a bit steep for my blood. 

From there were stopped at Randall’s.  I had a prescription to pick up, and it was, after all, Cheap Chicken Monday. Eight pieces of dark meat for $6.99. Good stuff, too. 

Last night we took in another Little League game with Ezra as the star, of course. He laid down a perfect drag bunt for a hit. The good guys won the first game 11-5 and the second one 6-4. Woohoo!

‭‭Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭11‬ says, And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.

Father, be with Julie and Charlette and Doug. Bless them every day. Amen. 

September 28 - “Astros win!”

We had a fill-in worship guy yesterday. Jonathan did a great job, as did his daughter who played the keyboard. He’s not looking for a ministry position, but if he was, he would certainly have an edge. Great guy. Thanks, Jonathan. 

The order of the day in the afternoon was to watch the Astros game. Last game of the season and the division championship was still up for grabs. A win by the Astros or a loss by the Rangers would put the Astros in the playoffs. Lots of drama, huh? 

Well, the drama didn’t turn out to be all that great. The Astros jumped off to a 9-0 lead. They coasted the rest of the way. And to top it off, the Twins tended to the other order of business. They defeated the Rangers 6-4. Both scenarios meant the Astros won the division by a full game. Woohoo!

‭‭Mark‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬ says, Then he said, “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen.”

Father, bless Jonathan and his family in their home life and ministry. Amen. 

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.