February 21 - “A flustered Australian”

Got in a quick walk. Two miles. A little faster than usual, so I guess that’s progress. We were joking about how we have two weeks to get in shape for the cruise. And then Chris remembered that we signed up for a beginners’ pickleball class. That’ll be interesting, for sure. 

I had an interesting development come up after lunch. For some insane reason one of my hearing aids decided to … stop. That’s it. Just stop. No sound at all. Not a helpful position for a hearing aid to take, wouldn’t you agree? Sigh. See you next week, O thou tool of my ear. 

We stopped on the way home at Randall’s to get a prescription and some gas. From there we went to CVS to get a vitamin for Chris that is only sold there. 

But it was on our way out that we had our fun experience of the day. A very flustered lady was frantically typing into her phone when we entered. When we came out she was still there. She apologetically asked if we could possibly help her. She had been trying to explain to an Uber driver where she was, and was having no luck at all. She just needed someone to tell the driver how to find her. 

Well, instead of going to all that trouble, we eliminated the middle man and offered to take her where she needed to go. She accepted in her heavily accented way. We found out she was from Australia, in town to meet her daughter who works on a cruise ship (as Cat in the Hat!) and join her on a cruise. An Uber had taken her to Walmart, and she had wandered to CVS searching for a WiFi signal. In her words, we were her “angels” for giving her a ride. She promised to pay it forward when she got back from the cruise. So if a very nice Australian lady offers you a ride in a week or two … she’s OK. 

‭‭Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭24‬ says, But I count my life of no value to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.

Father, be with our cruise lady friend. Help her enjoy her time with her daughter. Amen. 

February 20 - “Apps and gold”

We had quite the full morning, and we never left the house. We both switched into cruise preparation mode. We enrolled in one of those Facebook groups for people going on this transatlantic cruise. It’s fun to see what other people are thinking and wondering about. 

We also downloaded the app for the airline we’ll be on coming home from Spain. We took care of some of the details about flight information and pre-registration. Now we can see our seat assignments and keep watch on any changes that might happen. And in a week or so we can even choose what we want for our in-flight meal. 

After some lunch we turned on the Winter Olympics to watch the women’s figure skating. The U.S. girl who messed up on her first skate did amazing on her second try. Skyrocketed her into first place for a while, anyway. She ended up fifth, but one of the other Americans won gold. And speaking of gold … the American girls’ hockey team beat Canada in overtime to win that gold. Woohoo! Go U.S.

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭11‬ says, No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields the fruit of peace and righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Father, thank you for the encouragement of the other cruisers on that Facebook page. Amen. 

February 19 - “Ash Wednesday”

Well, I’m excited anyway. We did some walking again. Got our two miles in without much stress. Check. 

Chris worked out in the back yard for a while. She has been chomping at the bit to get out there. Not that she was able to do a lot, but there are now fewer dead leaves and branches than there were when she started. 

Last night was the Ash Wednesday service at Seaside. I’ve been leading that for 20 plus years, so Kel asked me to do it again. The teaching is essentially the same. What is the history and meaning of Ash Wednesday and Mardi Gras? The litany part is exactly the same (well, the same as when I updated the old Episcopalian version). We also did communion and the administration of ashes. It is certainly an experience not common to the average everyday Baptist. There were numerous folk who had not been to the service before, and I received a lot of positive comments.

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ says, I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Father, be with those who experienced Ash Wednesday for the first time. Amen. 

February 18 - “Good ol’ treadmill”

I had the early doc appointment yesterday. 8:00 in the am. Of course, Doc didn’t come in until 8:15, but I think I saved him some time. In a nutshell, he said I had “a clean bill of health.” He recommended a few vitamins (he’s a big natural healing guy as well). 

Next was Chris’ turn. Her appointment was a tad more involved than mine. She had to undergo another stress test on the good ol’ treadmill. They asked if I wanted to go back with her, but I passed on the privilege. I stayed in the waiting room and read and I did a little praying. And I have to confess, there may or may not have been some pacing involved - especially after an hour passed.  Stress tests are not Chris’ favorite thing in the world. Mine either. 

As it turned out, the doc back there didn’t “see anything immediately distressing.” Guess that sounds good? Now we wait for her cardiologist to look at the pictures and numbers and decide what’s next. 

The early afternoon brought naps mixed with a smattering of Winter Olympics, followed by homemade vegetable soup that Chris made. That’s one good afternoon. 

We watched some basketball last night. Texas did well. Baylor, not so much. I started the Texas tech game, but that was too late for me. Found out this morning they lost too - to an unranked  team. Ouch. 

‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬ says, For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord’s glory, as the waters cover the sea.

Father, thank you for the good results in Chris’ test. Amen. 

February 17 - “A Pancho’s novice”

Chris took off early yesterday. Well, not “early” early. She had to be at the church by 10:15 for her weightlifting class. I stayed behind to work on some things I needed to get done before our next cruise. And I did get a lot done. Even got things ready for the Ash Wednesday service. 

I got a text from Josh. Seems that Luke experienced a first in his young life. Pancho’s. Yep. Raised the flag and everything. And from the looks of the photos they sent, he liked it. Well, at least some of it. Especially the sopapillas. Sigh. I’m just pining a little here. 

We battled the ennui with a trip to Walmart. We were out of a lot of things from clear back to our cruise, so there was some catching up to do. And of all things for them to be out of? No distilled water for Chris’ C-PAP machine. But all is well. We found some at Randall’s. 

Last night we took in some college basketball. Didn’t get enough of the old round ball last week. Had to cheer on University of Houston against Iowa State. Guess we should have gone on to bed. UH lost by 3. 

‭‭2 John‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ says, And this is love: that we walk according to His commands. This is the command as you have heard it from the beginning: you must walk in love.

Father, thank you for this pretty good weather. I like it better than the cold version. Amen. 

February 16 - “A date??”

We stuck around after church for the third Sunday dinner on the grounds event. As a a result we had a chance to chat with one of the two visiting couples. One couple was from Georgia. They were really sweet. The one we talked to at length was from Houston, but had a house in Galveston. They really enjoyed their visit, and they definitely plan to be back. Great folks. 

After lunch, Chris went with Christina and Noa to get the latter a new dress. Why? Seems 12 year old Noa has a date. For a dance, no less. But never fear. It’s a Daddy-Daughter dance. Made course that means she’ll be dancing the night away with Kel. Have fun, Noa. You too, Daddy. 

Last night we had a blast from the past visit. Our friends Anne and Eric and Cedric and Donna, along with a friend of theirs, stopped by to say hi. They live in the Austin area now. Just enjoying Galveston for a day or two. 

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭23‬:‭24‬ says, The father of a righteous son will rejoice greatly, and one who fathers a wise son will delight in him.

Father, give the Geswender clan a safe trip back home. Amen. 

February 15 - “Valentines Victory”

Breakfast at the hotel was a lot quieter. All of the four girls softball teams checked out before 8 to get to their last games. As I said … a lot quieter 

The finals of the basketball tournament were not held in Bryan like the rest of the games. All three final games (girls, boys division 2, and our championship game, boys division 1) were played at none other than Snook High School in Snook, Texas. Yeah. I never heard of it either. It’s a small town roughly southeast of College Station. 

Wow! What a defensive battle that championship game was. The Texas Wind (good guys) scored just enough, then played the absolute best defense in have ever seen in a high school game. And it was like our boys were playing a home game. The stands were packed with Texas Wind families as well as the other teams we played against. They were all cheering wildly for us the whole time. It was absolute madness. So much so that the coach asked the fans (who had stormed the court after the game) to return to the stands for a photo op with the team and the trophy in front. As an ex-coach, I understand how much of a difference a highly-partisan raucous cloud can make. Thanks to all for making the drive. You made a difference. 

Check out the scoring breakdown beginning at halftime:

19-6 at halftime

24-6 at the end of the third quarter (6 points given up in three full quarters!)

29-22 at the game’s end (that’s with the uncontested three pointer they made at the buzzer) 

Our guys really played their hearts out. I think they’re gonna be sore this morning. Proud of you, Seahawks. And especially Caleb, of course. He spearheaded the suffocating defense. That’s my grandson. 

We didn’t stay for the all star games. Three of our girls and three guys were on their respective teams. Nice job to all of them for the recognition they received. 

We did get invited to join the team post-game celebration. That was held at the nearest Chick-fil-A in College Station. And it was pouring. Raining cats and dogs. Torrential downpour. And I got a message on my phone that Galveston was under a tornado watch until 9 pm. Of course. We decided to give it a try, and if it got too bad we could pull off and get a hotel room. 

We finally got on the road home around four. The rain was coming down hard, but we eventually outdistanced it. We made it as far a Buc-ees by 5. We got some gas, raced inside to the bathroom, and raced back … into a driving rainstorm. It caught us. 

We switched out drivers, and I took the final shift home. It took us until well into downtown Houston to get a little ahead of the storm. The rain finally stopped completely somewhere just south of Houston. We made it home, and with the help of our neighbors, Corey and Janell, got everything inside before the rain caught up with us again. Phew. Missed us by that much. 

‭‭Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭10‬ says, Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Father, thank you for watching over the boys and girls in their games. Sons of them got pretty physical. But no apparent terrible injuries. Amen.