October 10 – “Brazilian pepper honey”

Today was not a good day for pain.  Or rather it was a good day from the perspective of the pain.  I had a lot of throbbing in the joints traveling around my body from the time I woke up.  At one point my thumb was going strong, so I asked Chris if it looked any different from the outside.  She said it did look swollen.  I confessed something to her that actually started some time ago while she was at her Mom's.  There are times – like when I'm doing a crossword puzzle and I have to concentrate the pencil in a small spot – that I really have trouble holding the pencil in place.  My hands start to shake.  I think I may be having some trouble typing, too, but I never was very good at it, so how could I tell?  Guess I have something new to tell the doctor.   Since our vacation lasts until tomorrow, we decided to go to First Baptist Church in Texas City this morning.  They are going to be our partners for the prayer walk Saturday, so it would give me a chance to talk to our contact guy.  Chris said that made it a business trip.  We did go off the island, after all.  They also have a new music minister who used to be on staff at the church in Arlington when I was there.     They had one interesting tradition.  At their corporate prayer time anyone who had a prayer request was asked to walk to the front of the church.  No one had to say anything.  The ones who walked up there just joined hands during one of the songs and through the prayer by one of their pastors.  Then they returned to their seats.  Chris was disappointed because we could count on one hand the number of people who spoke to us.  Didn't come across as very friendly.  That's one I really want to stress back at Seaside.  For something so simple as saying hello, it sure seems hard for a lot of people to actually do it.     I talked to the pastor in charge of the group coming Saturday.  Sounds like it will be mainly youth with several adults as well.  He said Grayson Glass wanted to come, but his wife said he was in the hospital.  Grayson was the interim pastor at Seaside just before I came fifteen years ago.  Doesn't matter how many come, just so they all are ready to actually walk around and pray.  I want this to happen more than just about any other activity we have ever done here.  Talk about hitting the specific need.    When we got home Chris and I did some work in the yard.  We had to plant the bushes we got in Victoria.  I also trimmed a little tree we have growing next to our fence in the abandoned yard next door.  Chris says it's a Brazilian pepper tree.  Whatever it is, the honeybees were going to town on it.  Every branch I clipped led to a brief swarm around my head.  I tried the "be very still and don't let them know you are afraid" trick.  Guess it worked.  I didn't get stung.  Don't think I want to taste this particular batch of honey, either.  Brazilian pepper honey.  Nah.   I also emptied out the little jar of weed killer we had on the encroaching vines and weeds next door.  The last batch lasted a few months.  Maybe this time it will last longer.  My hope was that actually doing some physical stuff out in the hot sun would ease up the pain and help me loosen up a little.  Yep.  Still searching for the elusive "Relax."  Didn't work on either account.  Now I'm sore and tired and aching in the joints.  And my allergies are still off the charts.  I could barely breathe while we were outside.  Honestly, it feels just like I have the flu.  Ah.  Welcome home.   Psalms 90:17 says, "May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands."   Father, I know I'm not a farmer, but I can sure see how they look to you to for favor.  Grant us favor in the work we do, whatever it ends up looking like.  Amen.