July 18 - “Texas Grand Slam”

My body must have heard my mouth talking about getting up early yesterday. I started rousing off and on around 1:30. I finally gave up and got up at exactly 3:50. So what was so significant that my body’s morning alarm system went into overdrive? Fishing. 

Yep. The day had arrived for Ezra’s (and his brothers’) fishing trip. Not that we went deep sea. Or even out in the Bay. We just planned to do some casting over at the little park in Jamaica Beach. 

I grabbed some bait around 5.30. The gang arrived about 6, and we were off. 

It didn’t take long and we started catching fish. I caught a nice speckled trout. Kel caught a flounder. Josiah reeled in a redfish. There it was. Between us we had the coveted Texas Grand Slam.  Woohoo! Of course however, the flounder and red were too small to keep. So back into the drink they swam. That didn’t deter the efforts of the boys, though. They kept casting and pulling in specs and sand trout and croakers. It turned into quite the little mess of filets once that part of the day rolled around. 

Oh, and as a bonus for the boys, Terry from church joined us. He calmly and coolly tutored the boys on everything from holding the rod up when you get a fish to the finer points of throwing a cast net. Kel said Terry reminded him of how Uncle Jerry taught him about some fishing highlights. He reminded me of how Mr. Ken did the same with Josh and Nathan. It’s awesome how God places just the people we need into our lives … just when we need them. Thanks for letting God use you, Terry. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭59‬:‭16‬ says, But I will sing of Your strength and will joyfully proclaim Your faithful love in the morning. For You have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble.

Father, bless Terry. And thanks for those fish! Amen. 

July 17 - “A Booger Bear”

We had some company yesterday. Micah and Jachin came by on their way to work. Actually, Jachin was just here long enough to grab a pop tart and chat briefly before he had to leave. Micah didn’t have to go in for another hour. We gave him a ride in to work. Meanwhile, Ezra got dropped off to hang out as well. Noa had a voice lesson, so our company sounded more exciting to Ezra. 

We got to Chris’ PT appointment about 30 minutes early. We just chilled (literally - it was cold in that building!) in the waiting room. Meanwhile, Nathan and Cailyn had made their way down to get the fence fixed up. Hated to miss seeing them, especially Cailyn (sorry, Nathan). 

Well, PT this time was the proverbial “Booger Bear.”  45 solid minutes of stretching and pulling and deep tissue massaging and Chris was ready to show them what “irritable muscles” could really do when attached to an Irritated Woman. She came out really sore this time. Couldn’t get her home fast enough to get a couple of Tylenols down. 

But in no time she was ready to head to the grocery store. Hey. We gotta eat. And we needed more than just bananas. But first … a nap. And of course, we never made it to Walmart. Guess we’ll have to go sometime today after the fishing trip. 

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭13‬ says, This is why you must take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.

Father, please ease Chris’ soreness. Amen. 

July 16 - “Sous chef”

I spent some time in the morning doing some heavy work on … the latest puzzle. I’ve been getting in my one or two pieces a day. With a 2000 piece puzzle, it’s gonna take me a little while. 

Nathan texted and asked if I wanted to ride along with him to UTMB. No big deal. He just had to return some equipment to them. It was great to catch up with him. It’s been a while. He’s planning to come over today to shore up our leaning fence. We’ll see if he’s done before we get back from Chris’ PT appointment. 

After lunch we watched the World Cup. England versus Argentina. Argentina overcame an early goal and defeated England 2-1. And so Messi advances to the final game against Lamine and his Spain teammates. 

I got to play sous chef again last night. We made some chicken and dumplings. It wasn’t all that hard, especially since Chris knew exactly what and how much and when to dump in whatever ingredients we needed. She didn’t even need a recipe. I was, once again, impressed. 

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ says, Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved, put on heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.

Father, thanks for the chance to hang out with Nathan. Bless him. Amen. 

July 15 - “Weather report”

I finally fell asleep about 4 a.m.  It took me a few hours, but I finally convinced Freddy to lie down on the floor next to me. It was the only place she felt safe from the evil storms raging outside. And the rains continued well into the next day. I woke up about 7, so I was already two hours behind in my morning routine. 

We canceled the fence work Nathan was going to do. Shoring it up won’t work if the ground is saturated with water. Besides, he had an appointment to do a sleep study at the hospital. 

Chris had her next PT appointment in the afternoon. Surprisingly, we made it home in time to see Spain score a penalty kick against France. And France could never recover. Final score Spain 2- France 0. World Cup action resumes this afternoon. 

Speaking of the weather, we were scheduled to go fishing with the kiddos this morning. Just off the bank in our favorite spot. However, the weather won this one. No fishing today. We’ll try again Friday. Not sure how good the catch would have been with all the fresh rain water, anyway

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ says, Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me.

Father, thanks for the rain. Amen. 

July 14 - “Thumb shot”

I had the very early appointment yesterday. Had to be at the office by 8:30 a.m.  It was my three month arthritis in the thumbs steroid shots time. The shot  doesn’t hurt, and so far it has really helped with the pain. The long range plan is to keep the shots coming as long as they work. The only next step is surgery. Is a thumb replacement really a thing?

Our friends from Leander, Texas, Anne and Eric and Cedric (and their big dog Anya) came by for an hour or two. We talked out on the patio until a huge thunderstorm blew through. They stayed a while longer, but soon had to get back to the beach house they had rented to meet Anne’s mom. Always great to see old friends. 

And speaking of massive thunderstorms, we were all awakened around 1:30 a.m. to a chorus of sharp booms and rolling grumbles. Of course Freddy sensed it coming, so she was up in the recliner with Chris when the worst hit. I finally picked her up (Freddy, not Chris) and set her down on the floor so Chris could unhook from her c-pap machine. Little Brown Dog finally settled down at my feet, and we listened to the rain and rumbling remnants of the storm. 

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭14‬ says, Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.

Father, be with the Geswender’s when they head back home. Amen. 

July 13 - “A big dad-hug”

We had a really special treat at church. A guest speaker. Young guy. He has family and a girlfriend in the area. Quite the legacy, too. His father is currently a pastor, and his grandfather retired as a pastor as well. 

OK. OK. It was none other than our grandson Micah. Wait! It was also our grandson Caleb. Two different churches. Galveston and Waco. And I gotta say, they both did a great job. Not that I am the least bit prejudiced. I was there for Micah’s debut. After church here, we got the report on Caleb. 

I see good things in those boys’ respective futures, whatever God ends up calling them to. They got those Vaughan jeans. Genes, too. 

Last night I had an interesting phone call. It was from the owner of the little restaurant in Jamaica Beach. She was doing a catering job on the beach for a quinciñera. As she talked to the family, my name came up. Come to find out, I actually did a baby dedication 15 years ago for the now-15 year old young lady. 

As a result, the caterer showed me where they were. I drove down there and joined them for part of the celebration. They had fajitas and cookies and candy and even a mariachi band. Several of the folks remembered me from the christening. 

As the party picked up steam, I noticed the dad easing away into the dark. I walked over to him and asked who he was rooting for in the a World Cup. He told me he was not a soccer guy, then immediately transitioned into a more serious manner. 

He told me that even though he was a believer, he was an unhappy man. All he wanted was some peace. We talked for a long time after that. I shared that the only way to have peace and real joy as opposed to just being happy was through Jesus. He told me he appreciated my talking to him. Even gave me a big dad-hug. Please be praying for that young dad. 

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ says, We have redemption in Him through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.

Father, please touch that dad’s heart. Show him your peace that passes understanding. Amen. 

July 12 - “$5 Gram?”

I got my part of the yardwork knocked out. All I really had to do was shovel out some of the sneaky little palm tree growths spring up throughout the yard. 

Of course I couldn’t stop there. I dove into the back flowerbed and began some weeding. I also set up the sprinkler to water the front yard. Oh, and I spray cleaned and filled up the bird bath. They were most appreciative. 

Lunch was chicken and artichoke casserole. I know. Not a dish I normally would order out. But it was surprisingly quite good. In fact, this was actually leftovers. So … good enough to get back in there).  Thanks again Lauren and Ed. 

Guess what I found hanging on our front door? You’re right. It was an advertisement. And it was a very classy, well-produced  one, too. They must have been drumming up new business, or at least expanding their reach. Ready for this? It was from the EMF, Home of the $5 Gram. “Bring a friend … Get a FREE gram.”  Oh. A gram of what you might ask? Well, perhaps if I tell you what the company name stands for … EMF. That would be the Edwards Marijuana Family. Anyone in for a gram? 

‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭34‬ says, Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever.

Father, thank you for chickens. And for artichokes. They both taste pretty good. Amen.