December 31 – “Irresistible Future”

OK.  I know 2020 has been “one of those years” like few others in recent memory (I can only think of one that came close, and that was Hurricane Ike/Recession year – 2008).  Absolutely crazy things have happened.  Covid, of course.  Quarantines.  Masks.  Shutdowns.  Three hurricanes.  A contentious presidential election.  Church online.  Church outside under the building.  It has definitely been one for the books. 

 

In the midst of all this craziness, have you been looking for a way to contemplate the New Year?  Sometimes it helps to get some help there.  How about from a guy who died way back in 1917?  Check out these words from Oswald Chambers in My Utmost for His Highest.  They are certainly appropriate for “ponder-ation.”

 

Security from Yesterday.  ‘God requires that which is past.’  At the end of the year we turn with eagerness to all that God has for the future, and yet anxiety is apt to arise from remembering the yesterdays.  Our present enjoyment of God’s grace is apt to be checked by the memory of yesterday’s sins and blunders.  But God is the God of our yesterdays, and He allows the memory of them in order to turn the past into a ministry of spiritual culture for the future.  God reminds us of the past lest we get into a shallow security in the present.

 

Security for tomorrow.  ‘For the Lord will go before you.’  This is a gracious revelation, that God will garrison where we have failed to.  He will watch lest things trip us up again into like failure, as they assuredly would do if He were not our reward.  God’s hand reaches back to the past and makes a clearing house for conscience.

 

Security for today.  ‘For you shall not go out with haste.’  As we go forth into the coming year, let it not be in the haste of impetuous thoughtlessness, but with the patient power of knowing that the God of Israel will go before us.  Our yesterdays present irreparable things to us; it is true that we have lost opportunities which will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future.  Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ.

 

Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him.

Isaiah 52:12 says, “The God of Israel will be your reward.”

 

Father, thank you for the past you have walked with us through.  Thank you for the promise that always lurks in our future.  And please walk with us in our “meanwhiles” of the present.  Amen.

December 30 – “Ketchup Day”

Yesterday was officially one of those “ketchup days.”  No, I didn’t have hot dogs and French fries all day or anything.  I mean it was my day to “ketchup” on the work I usually get done on Mondays.  Since the kids were here until mid-afternoon on Monday, I didn’t get everything done that I usually do. 

 

So that meant buckling down and getting focused on sermons and websites and scripture passages and paying bills.  Speaking of paying bills, I guess that was my biggest plan for the day after my early prep for Sunday.  All of our insurances related to the house come due in early January.  That’s flood and windstorm and homeowners.  We also have property taxes and car insurance, not to mention an estimated income tax payment.  Yep.  January is always a huge hit for us around here.  We have to save up all year to cover one month.  Welcome to “Happy New Year” once again.  But hey, at least it’s not 2020 that we’re planning for anymore.

 

I know there were some college football bowl games on yesterday.  Seems like one was a close win for Oklahoma State.  Good for about half of you Okie Folks, I guess.  I understand the other half will get to cheer tonight when Oklahoma plays Florida in the Cotton Bowl.  And I didn’t stay up for the Texas game, but checking my ESPN app this morning, it looks like they really did a number on Colorado.  Sorry about that, to all my Colorado friends.  I saw that there is a bowl game on this morning called the Mayo Bowl.  Really?  When is the Mustard Bowl?  Or better yet, the Ketchup Bowl?

 

Well … two more days worth of 2020.  Anybody have any ideas for some last second craziness we can add to its resume?  If so … keep them to yourselves.  Please.

 

Matthew 5:44 says, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

 

Father, please keep us all safe through these next few days.  And it would be great to carry over that safe-ness to next year.  Amen.

December 29 – “Team Sugarmuffin”

We were discussing breakfast choices yesterday.  When asked whether she preferred blueberry muffins or sugar muffins, AnnaGrace heartily replied, “I like sugar muffins” (Hence, my nickname for her).  I chimed in, that’s my favorite, too, and offered her a high-five.  She readily slapped my hand and added, “We’re Team Sugarmiffin.”  Yes, we are, my little Sugarmuffin.  Yes, we are.

 

Football was the order of the day when the LaMarque cousins re-emerged.  Luke was particularly excited.  That’s his game.  Unless we’re playing baseball.  That’s his game, too.  Or maybe basketball.  That’s his game as well.  Pretty much any game with a ball, Luke is right there on top.  I may or may not have managed to toss a pass or two.  It was not without objection, however.  Zak refused to hand me the ball.  He turned to Josh and said, “Dad, you are the ranking adult out here.  Do I give him the ball?”  Josh retorted, “Nope.  Nope.  Nope.  I won’t be responsible for this.”  Their worries ceased, however, when Chris came outside to check on things.  Josh readily abdicated his “ranking adult” status.  But by then I was already on the sidelines, replying to my lovely wife’s accusing stare with, “I don’t know what you are talking about …”

 

Later in the afternoon Uncle Nathan arrived.  Why is that such a momentous occasion?  Because he brings with him just enough Crazy Uncle status to carry the day and get another air soft war games going.  I went with the group this time to observe.  And it was just a crazy as I anticipated.  They split into teams and played capture the flag at first.  That round ended in a tie – one for each team.  Then they did a hide-and seek sort of game where one team had a minute to disappear.  At the end of their time, the other team sought them out.  Things didn’t go so well for the hideout team.  Once they were discovered, they were pummeled until they gave up.  Everyone seemed to have a great time, though. 

 

Oh, and Freddy received a few Christmas gifts last night.  The Geran’s came over from across the street with two little doggie toys for her.  She is usually pretty selective in who she accepts into her inner circle, but she kind of took to the little llama.  Guess she’ll just have to warm up to the stuffed pickle …

 

1 Corinthians 13:4 says, “Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.”

 

Father, thank you for our fun weekend with family.  And thanks for the family we have across the street and down at Seaside as well.  Amen.

December 28 – “A ‘Grand’ Day”

It was a "grand" day at church yesterday.  Why?  Well, for one thing, it was a fairly intimate gathering of mostly local folks.  The familiarity breeds … no, not contempt in this case.  In the case of the church, familiarity breeds love and an intensity of intimacy.  That’s church.  The other reason?  All ten of our grandchildren were in attendance.  Cailyn sang in the praise team, and Caleb even stepped in to run the camera.  What can I say?  Chris was happy.

 

After a lunch of two different roast beasts, we opened gifts all around.  Cailyn told me that mine would be “weird, even for your kind of weird, DadDad.”  I was … sufficiently intrigued.  And when it came my turn, I was indeed in for a surprise.  The three families had coordinated gifts for old DadDad.  First, I opened a turntable.  You know, the kind that plays actual records.  Pretty awesome.  But it got better.  Next came a whole host of LP’s.  Yep, not CD’s or DVD’s.  Actual records they somehow retrieved.  And the list was nothing short of … eclectic.  Everything from The Beach Boys to Gospel hits to Exercise with Jane Fonda.  Can’t wait to try them out.  Well, not so much that last one …

 

Uncle Josh and Uncle Nathan then disappeared with the older kids for a round of air soft battles.  They found a suitable site and let loose.  Sounds like they had a really fun time, although the attack of the monstro-mosquitoes really distracted them.  Meanwhile the younger crew played some games at the wii.  The ladies chatted at the table.  I dozed off and on while watching a football game.  Sorry, no idea who was playing.  Guess I was more on than off on the dozing.  Kel ate pudding pie. 

 

Last night we watched the football game in Green Bay.  Not because we particularly cared about the teams playing.  It’s just fun … to watch (not actually play) … on TV (NOT in person).  Actually, it really is fun to see them attempt to play football in the snow.  It was even more fun when I got a Facebook message from my friend Gary.  He just happened to be visiting his son who lives in Green Bay just around the corner from the football field.  He acknowledged that it was a bit chilly outside up there.  I assured him that it was chilly here, too.  65 degrees.  Coat weather …

 

Psalms 34:4 says, “I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

 

Father, thank you for our Sunday morning church with all the grandkids there.  Keep drawing them all close to you.  Amen.

December 27 – “The Day After”

No, I’m not talking about a hangover that lasted all day.  Unless maybe you call it some kind of Christmas hangover.  I just meant there were some things that happen merely because it is the day after Christmas.  For us that meant a quick trip over to WalMart to check out the Day After Sales.  You never know what kind of great Christmas stuff bargains you may run into.  Or in this case what kind of great people you may see.  Oh, picked up a few things here and there, and we grinned from beneath the confines of the ever-present mask (although it was still a lot of fun to assure people that I was smiling underneath mine.  Lots and lots of happy people hiding under there).  But always a highlight to run into a Seasider.  We saw Charlette and her daughter.  Rather they saw us, picking through one remnant aisle.  We chatted for a few minutes.  She made it a point to say that she really loved Cailyn and her “free spirit.”  I think she sees a little of her own  free spirit budding within Cailyn.  As we parted ways, I offered a particularly great deal to her, but she turned me down.  It was an entire package of candy eyeballs.  Probably left over from Halloween.  Oh, well.  Maybe someone will see its potential.

 

The other big happening of the Day After: 2020 Edition?  Josh and his family arrived from Waco.  And of course, because of the miracle of modern technology (And two grandsons about the same age who were in text-munication with each other), Kel’s family arrived shortly thereafter.  That meant an afternoon of video games and air soft gun trial run shooting.  They are anticipating a full-on battle royale at some point.  Kel himself made it over when he got off work.  Nathan and his family were celebrating with April’s family.

 

Today will be our actual Family Christmas Day.  After church everybody will descend upon the house once again, and we will start the Christmas extravaganza in earnest.  Here we go …

 

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

 

Father, thank you for safe journeys from Waco for Josh and his crew.  And thank you for the amazing family you blessed us with.  Amen.

December 26 – “Merry Christmas 2020”

Here’s to our quiet Christmas Day, 2020.  We started by sleeping in.  Actually, that means I woke up at 6.  Problem was, we had to leave at 6:30 to be in LaMarque for the gift opening around 7.  It is always a fun day at the LaMarque Vaughan’s house.  Their gifts are wrapped in color-coded paper.  The color is a clue to what’s inside.  One is something they can use.  Another is something to help them spiritually.  The third is something just really special.  They also give sibling gifts to each other.  Makes for a nice spread when there are five siblings to go around.  My favorite gift I saw opened?  The one four-year-old Ezra gave to his brother Micah.  A box of candy sweetened with six cents.  Awesome.

 

On the way home we stopped by Cailyn’s house to wish them a Merry Christmas.  She was busy setting up her new PS5.  At least I think that’s the right number.  She also got a skateboard and a new helmet.  She won’t be spending all her spare time in front of the video screen.  April was very excited about her new air fryer/crockpot/anything-else-you-need-it-to-do-in-the-kitchen machine.  Sounds like it can even wash the dishes.  And Nathan was most proud of his new toy – an airsoft gun.  Automatic fire.  Just like a machine gun.  The nephews should beware.

 

Finally back at home, we exchanged gifts to each other.  Chris gave me several of the baseball cards I have been looking for from the 1961-62 Fleer set.  Getting close on that one.  Chris got one of those flash drives that can find photos on your devices so you can transfer them to an external hard drive.  And there was a John Grisham book.  And of course her tabletop calendar.  She also got her yearly carving.  This time it was sort of a wind chime carved out of wood (quieter that way).  The numbers at the top read “2020.”  Dangling down from that are other words reminiscent of the past year.  Words like: Covid, hurricanes, Zoom, and masks.  And at the bottom is the number one memory of the year - a carved heart with a crack down the middle.  Yep.  Heart attack.  Romantic, huh?

 

One other great highlight … We had a FaceTime call from the Waco Vaughan’s.  They reviewed all of their favorite gifts for us.  One would think they were a little excited.  I loved the comment Luke made.  “We have two more trees to go.  One at your house and one at MiMi and BobBob’s.”  Come on down, Big Boy.  We’re ready for ya!

 

We watched the new Wonder Woman movie.  I wouldn’t say it is quite as bad as other reviews I have read.  Not the greatest DC epic, to be sure, but not downright terrible.   It was just the internal inconsistencies that got me.  Not revealing anything here, though.  Watch it yourself.  We also saw an episode of a Netflix show that had been recommended to us called Virgin River.  That one put me to sleep.  Full-on slow-moving soap opera.  We switched over to a college basketball game.  Last night we watched a few episodes of one of my favorite shows … Worst Cooks in America.  Very goofy show.  People do strange things in the kitchen when they don’t know what they are doing.  Not my wife, though.  She is a fabulous cook.  Made me some Turkey enchilada pie for lunch even though she can’t really eat any (lots of salt inside).  That lady seems to like me …

 

Joshua 1:9 says, “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

 

Father, thank you for a nice Christmas Day.  The touches with family were special.  So was the time we got to spend just hanging out together.  Amen.

 

December 25 – “So … Christmas Eve”

So … Christmas Eve.  Of course I had to go to WalMart.  Actually, this year it was an actual, “we need a few things” kind of trip.  Usually I just go to hang out and watch people shop, some frantically, some jovially all Walmart-y.  And I confess … I did do some people-watching.  But this time I added my little 2020 twist.

 

I tried out my new approach to connecting with people.  The one where I say the usual, “Excuse me” or “Hello,” but then quickly add, “I’m smiling under here,” referring, of course to the confounded masks that we are all wearing.  And on occasion I did quickly pull down my mask just for a second to prove I really was.  I got back lots of laughs and a few return smiles, too.  I had to compliment one lady on the way she was able to smile with her eyes.  Amazing.  I met someone who used to work for the fire marshall’s office.  She saw my hat.  Great fun.  Great fun.  Sometimes I just miss people.

 

We had a great crowd at the Christmas Eve service.  I did the “Galveston Christmas” theme this year.  The Praise Team did a great job with filling in the nine Christmas carols we sang.  The starfish, seagull, sand dollar, and catfish all made their appearance (along with their respective poetry).  Linus recited the Christmas story for us.  Laser-cut wooden Christmas ornaments were available for folks to give away as a random act of radical kindness.  And an experience of communion mixed with a passing of candlelight capped off and highlighted the evening.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the service and the chance to just be together with God and each other.  Great day. 

 

Merry Christmas.

 

Isaiah 9:6 says, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

 

Father, thank you for the family experience last night.  It’s great to be surrounded by people who love you.  Amen.

December 24 - “A New Challenge”

A series of heavy rainstorms blew through the Island last night.  That was followed by blustery winds and a drastic drop in temperature.  Wind gusts of 31 miles per hour.  Temperature at 45 degrees or so.  That left the wind chill at … drumroll here … 39 degrees.  Not a pleasant way to start out Christmas Eve.  But at least it gets us in the spirit of Winter.  Maybe it’ll snow later on.  Hey, it’s happened before.  Once.

 

Yesterday was somewhat of a productive day, I suppose.  We spent most of the morning at the AT&T store getting Chris’ new phone all set up.  It was her Christmas present from me, but I couldn’t wait for Christmas.  I wanted her to be able to take pictures when everybody got here on Saturday, and it had to be set up for that to happen.  It was an ordeal, as usual, but I think we got it done.  She has finally left her iPhone 7 behind and moved into the future.  Send her a welcome to 2021 text or something to celebrate.

 

We also made one of those Randall’s runs.  That would be then RX station.  Prescriptions at the pharmacy are ready to be picked up.  I kind of like getting texts from their computer, even if it means spending money on drugs. 

 

Our final excursion of the day was a WalMart run to get some groceries and a few last-minute things for Christmas.  I made a decision.  More of a challenge, actually.  I have been really frustrated that you can’t see anyone’s face with these confounded masks on.  So I started a new approach.  Remember when we used to smile and say “excuse me” when stepping past a fellow shopper?  Now we are relegated to a nod and a muffled, “gahoompty plittle magonstrumstuff.”  Not any more.  I am now going to pause and say, “Hi!  I’m smiling under here,” then quickly pull my mask down for just a second and grin.  I tried it several times at WalMart, and the response was without exception, overwhelmingly positive.  People laughed.  Some pulled down their masks and grinned back.  All were quite pleasant.  I even saw a few Seasiders.  They did more than just smile.  We stopped and chatted for a few minutes.  I’ll see them alter tonight at the Christmas Eve service.  So take my “Let Your Smile Burst Through Your Mask” Challenge, even if you don’t pull the mask down.  Let somebody in on what’s happening beneath its folds.  See how people react. 

 

Matthew 2:10-11 says, “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

 

Father, give us smiles under our masks and ways to let them burst through.  Amen.

December 23 - “Five stops”

I am now officially established.  That would be with a new family doctor.  Or PCP.  Or whatever they call themselves these days.  The doc I have been using for years decided to retire some months ago.  I was notified back then and urged to select a new doc from the list of those taking patients (not very many to choose from).  I picked one that I had seen once before when my doc was out.  And here we are, three or four months later, finally taking care of that medical chore.  It was the first appointment he had available.  Hope he’s not that difficult to see when I really need him. 

 

After the appointment and some lunch with Chris, I went the central fire station to deliver the Amish Friendship Bread that Chris made.  She makes a loaf for all the chiefs (Including the two main ones who run the show up there, Nora and Jenna, the administrative assistants).  The ones who have been there a while grabbed theirs and held on.  The new assistant chief immediately took his to the break room and heated up a few slices.  I think he’s sold now, too.  Merry Christmas, Guys.  I appreciate what you do.

 

On the way home I made two stops.  One was at Target, which was extremely crowded.  Kind of glad Chris wasn’t with me on this one.  I was looking for a particular Dad gift for one of my kids.  Didn’t find exactly what I wanted, but what I did find should work. 

 

Next stop was the AT&T store.  Chris has been needing a new phone desperately.  Hers won’t hold a charge any more and is notoriously unreliable.  So there’s her Christmas present this year.  They offered me a weirdly convoluted deal that seemed to make sense, but I think I may go back this morning and switch to something simpler.  Oh, don’t worry.  Chris knows.  I already gave Chris the present.  She almost didn’t open it because it’s not Christmas yet.  Almost.  But I wanted her to have it when the kids get here.  She needs to try out the new camera on it.  We’ll just swing in there on our way to get some groceries this morning.

 

And finally, last night we drove up into Texas to a little family birthday party for Ezra.  He turned four years old.  Each of his four siblings gave him a gift, as did Mom and Dad (and Nana and DadDad, of course), so he was properly feted.  A four-tier cake with Blue Bell ice cream followed.  Christmas Cookie, Confetti Cake, and Homemade Vanilla.  Can’t beat that selection.  We didn’t stay long after that, though.  I could tell Chris was sinking fast.

 

Luke 2:14 says, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

 

Father, thank you for the work the fire department guys put in … all the way from the chiefs to the crews in the stations to the admins in the office.  Bless them and keep them safe.  And be with Ezra as he grows and learns.  Draw him close to you.  Amen.

December 22 – “Puppy chow … Christmas Mix … Divinity”

And so the cousins visits begin.  Yesterday the LaMarque cousins crew came over around lunch time.  I went to pick up Cailyn shortly after.  And the afternoon of kiddo craziness began. 

 

Actually it wasn’t bad at all.  Chris, with assistance from budding young kitchen aficionado Cailyn, guided Ezra and Noa to make some of her famous Christmas dish, not so appealingly called … Puppy Chow.  It’s made with Wheat Chex and Rice Chex and Corn Chex and whatever other kind of Chex there are out there.  That’s all mingled together with a bunch of melted chocolate and peanut butter, and topped off with powdered sugar.  Now why it is called Puppy Chow?  I have no idea. 

 

Next came that crunchy, chocolatey wonderfulness Chris calls Christmas Mix.  Some of that same Chex concoction gets thrown in to start.  But then add Cheerios.  And M&M’s.  And Pretzel sticks.  And here comes the most wonderfulest part.  All of that is topped with melted Almond Bark.  That’s a misrepresentative name for a chunk of white chocolatey goodness.  Mix all that together and let it cool into a tasty treat like you have never experienced before. 

 

Speaking of tasty treats, after the LaMarque crew left Chris and Cailyn attacked the kitchen again.  This time they delved into the realm of religious candy-making.  What do I mean by that?  Well, you have to have some divinity around Christmas time, don’t you?  Chris explained to the Vaughan child baker of the year all the ins and outs about taking the boiling sugar’s temperature and letting the mixture cool.  And before long the counter was aglow with the white and wonderful divinity. 

 

And the best part of all?  These are all actually healthy treats, aren’t they?  I mean, “wheat” and “corn” and “rice” and “almond.”  Those are words always mentioned in connection with dieting, right?  And how can you say anything bad about something called “divinity”?  Hey, it counts for me.

 

John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

 

Father, thank you for the youngsters coming over to spend time with Chris in the kitchen.  Thank you for giving her the patience to allow them to help.  And thank you for letting me be around to do some taste testing.  Amen.

December 21 – “Love Day and a Live Nativity"

Yesterday was “Love Day” in the church Advent calendar of highlights.  We had another pretty good crowd of folks gathered to do some worshipping and some “just being together-ing.”  Chris came.  She tried to jump right in and do her pre-church checklist of chores, but much to her dismay, she had to slow down when she began having shortness of breath and one of her chest pains.  Everything still got done, just not as quickly.  She wore her mask when more and more people began arriving. 

 

For the second week in a row I had a chance to talk one on one with someone who came to church wanting to talk about Jesus in their lives personally.  It appears that through the pandemic and some individual circumstances, people are being drawn to God. 

 

Last night we experienced a real treat.  One of the Seaside families who live on some acreage with horses and a few other animals decided they would get their family together and put on a live nativity scene.  They only decided two weeks ago, but the end result was nothing short of amazing.  The manger was set up in their stable.  Mary and Joseph arrived with their donkey, and their child played the role of Baby Jesus.  As they sat in the stable watching a sheep eat hay from the manger, some angels with lights and wearing beautiful white robes led some shepherds across the field and to the place where the baby was.  Then the three wise men began their trek across the field and placed their gifts before the baby.  We found out later that one of the gifts was missing, so they grabbed a present from under the Christmas tree inside.  Great theatrical save there, guys.  And all the while Christmas carols were being played.  My favorites among the actors were the littlest guys, of course.  Baby Jesus.  The 3-year-old shepherd.  The tiny little angel.  Oh, and I can’t forget the sheep eating from the manger and the donkey nearby and the horse who made a cameo appearance as well. 

 

You did a fine job, Wyrick Family.  Proud of you all.  And if you missed it, there will be a reprisal performance on Tuesday evening beginning at 5:30.  It’s at the corner of Pabst Road and Stewart Road.  If you can’t make it, a video of the performance can be found on the Seaside Church FaceBook page.

 

Matthew 1:21 says, “She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

 

Father, would you bless the Wyrick Family.  Give them a healthy and happy Christmas.  Amen.

December 20 – “Hi-Yaw”

We made the long trek into Texas yesterday.  It was just to LaMarque, but it was over the bridge, and you know how difficult that can be …

 

The occasion was a special one.  Ezra was having his very first karate belt graduation.  Noa, Micah and Josiah were graduating as well, but they have been there before.  It was the last Zoom graduation for their school’s program.  At least that is the plan.  They intend to start back doing it all in person with the next series. 

 

Ezra was a little hesitant at first.  I mean, after all, there he was, up there on the TV in living color, all eyes on him.  But his siblings and his Mommy all pitched in to help him through it.  They are old hands at this Zoom thing.  Many of their classes have been on Zoom these past few months.  He soon began to get into the swing of things and was “Hi-yaw-ing” with the best of them.  It was especially cute when he succeeded in breaking his first ceremonial board.  Quite the rite of passage.  Yes, we have it on camera.  In fact, Chris was taking pictures with one camera, and I was videoing with my phone.  I think it will go down in posterity.  Oh, and at one end of the room their computer was set up so that mailman Daddy could watch the proceedings while delivering his route.  Pretty ingenious, this technology stuff. 

 

When Ezra’s session was over, we stuck around.  After all in thirty minutes or so the same event would begin for the other three.  And begin it did.  This time the kiddos obviously knew their stuff, so it seemed to go a lot faster.  The movements certainly did.  Noa’s movements were very precise.  Josiah’s showed a lot of precision, as well.  He obviously knew his stuff.  Micah, being several years older, showed some incredibly graceful moves and high kicks.  It was pretty impressive all the way around.  They each got to break a ceremonial board as well.  Noa broke hers over her knee.  Micah smashed his with his head.  Josiah smashed his head with his board.  Just a shade of difference there, but both ways got the job done.  Christina tied the new-colored belts around each child and they bowed to each other.  Pretty impressive stuff.  You got some proud grandparents over here … again.

 

Isaiah 7:14 says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

 

Father, please keep all our kiddos safe and healthy so they can enjoy outside activities like this Amen. 

December 19 – “Carvin’ and Crashin’”

After Chris spent most of the day on her feet the day before, yesterday we decided she needed to slow down a bit.  Surprisingly, she agreed.  She crashed on the couch and even went in and took a full-on nap in the bed for about an hour.  I think she might need to schedule that into her day for the foreseeable future.  While she was crashing on the couch, I spent some time in the garage doing some carving.  It’s coming down to the wires.  Christmas is next week, and I lost some valuable carving time to hospital stints of one kind or another during my peak Christmas carving time – November and December.  I’m pretty sure Chris will get something.  It just won’t be as polished as I had hoped.

 

In the afternoon I took Chris to her doctor’s appointment.  This was one I don’t really understand the purpose for.  It was a hospital stay follow-up visit, but it was with her PCP rather than the cardiologist.  Something about keeping her on the same page.  That’s fine, I guess.  Until she started insisting Chris take supplements like iron and fish oil.  Good stuff, I suppose, but Chris is hesitant to take anything else until she gets an OK from her cardiologist.  Hence my confusion.  Why this appointment?  Why not just go straight to the cardiologist if you’re going to end up there anyway?  Oh, well.  It is another box checked off, at least. 

 

On our way home we stopped and dropped off a gift for our friends Mike and Celia.  We haven’t seen them since the Covid shutdowns, so it was good to catch up a little bit.  They are renovating an old historic home in the East End.  They are staying busy, but they have done a great job on the house so far.  They are finding it sometimes difficult to get contractors to accept the jobs they have, though.  Guess there is enough work that they can afford to be picky right now.  I can’t wait to see it when they get it finished.  Oh, and Celia loaded us down with seven or eight jigsaw puzzles.  Her family is really into the whole puzzle scene.  Thanks, Celia.

 

We also stopped at Kroger’s.  Had to.  Blue Bell ice cream is on sale right now, and we have some room in our freezer.  Magic combination, you know … Blue Bell and freezer space.  We saw one of the fire fighters there.  But we saw him on the aisle where Chris was looking for some healthy, no-salt seasonings.  He still saw the Blue Bell in our cart, though.  Hard to hide something so scrumptious.  Speaking of scrumptious, I’m pretty sure Randall’s has Blue Bell on sale as well.  I sense another field trip in our future …

 

Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!”

 

Father, thank you for Mike and Celia and for Mark.  Bless them in their Christmas endeavors.  Amen.

December 18 – “A date to an affair to remember”

Gotta say a quick “Thank you” to Lauren and Cathy for the taco soup and crab dip (No, they were not mixed together.  Quite yummy apart, though).  And thanks as well to Nathan.  Imagine our surprise when we drove up to the house after our latest hospital stint to find Nathan’s truck in the driveway.  He was inside putting together a crockpot of pork roast with all the fixin’s.  Even had some broccoli in there.  Nice and healthy.  Tasty, too.  And before he left, he fixed the leak in our bathroom toilet.  Pretty good kid there.

 

Yesterday was Chris’ day to bake.  She spent most of the time putting together friendship bread.  That meant she was on her feet a lot.  But to her credit, she forced herself (like it was that hard) to take breaks and crash on the couch way more than she is used to.  It still wore her out, though.  She was already in bed by the time I got back from the church around ten last night.

 

Speaking of last night.  I had a date to an affair to remember.  Granddaughter Cailyn accompanied me to the annual Christmas party at Seaside.  The party is usually at our house, but because of reasons like Covid distancing and Chris crashing, we moved it to the bigger venue.  Around twenty brave souls came out for an evening of great food and fellowship and reindeer games.  There was one result of the evening that truly fascinated me.  We played a knock-off of the popular game show Family Feud.  It was guys against girls to start out, and everyone seemed to be having a great time.  But as the game progressed, it started morphing into everyone together against whoever the survey people were.  Answer guesses came from both sides, no matter whose turn it was, until finally everyone joined forces to come up with the answers.  It was just as much fun, the game went faster, and more importantly, the group seemed to bond.  I think maybe because of all the political division of the election and the enforced isolation of the virus, people just wanted to feel a sense of unity and togetherness.  It worked.  Thanks to all for coming.  We’ll do this again sometime.  Are they playing that one football game this year?  You know, the one with the great commercials?  Maybe something then …

 

Isaiah 12:2 says, “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.  The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

 

Father, thank you for all the folks who came to the party.  Please draw them close to each other and to you.  Amen.

December 17 – “Some Developments”

Here is the rest of the story.  I sincerely hope you enjoyed the cliffhanger from yesterday …

 

Chris called me around 7 a.m.  And did she ever have some news to share.  Seems she got up around 3 a.m. to go to the bathroom, certainly something we all have experienced from time to time.  On her way she felt a stabbing pain in her leg at the insertion site.  She finished the important task at hand and limped back to the bed.  Shortly thereafter, a nurse arrived to check on her, and Chris described what had happened.  A quick check of the site ensued, and the nurse immediately said, “I need to call the Fellow.”  The insertion site had begun to bleed again, a factor of the blood thinners in her system. 

 

Apparently it took a while for him to get there.  He had to deal with a heart attack in process first.  But when he did get there, he barked out orders quickly.  He ordered some morphine, and Chris wondered aloud why.  He replied, “You’ll know in just a second.”  Suddenly she began to feel queasy from the drug, so he said, “Here we go.”  At that point Chris discovered the purpose of the morphine.  Her bed was lowered to provided leverage, and the muscular Fellow began to push – to hold pressure to the extreme – on the site.  Within minutes the room was flooded with other medical personnel.  The monitors out in the hall were showing that Chris’ heart rate had dropped to near 30.  The Fellow assured them that he was in the room and closely monitoring the situation.  The low rate was due to the morphine.  For fifteen minutes he held that pressure, occasionally easing up just a bit to make sure Chris could still feel her toes.  Then they put an ice pack on it.  Later in the morning they strapped the ice pack to her leg.  And she would have to lie flat on her back again for another six hours.  She was also told that they were holding off on some of her blood pressure medicine to try to get a handle on the heart rate issue.  Add that one to the list.  And all the while she was assured that “this is just one of those little complications they tell you about before surgeries.  And this really is one of the little ones.”  Thank you very much, but it’s not so little when it’s on your own body. 

 

For much of the morning the plan for her to come home was certainly in jeopardy.  But then, before I could even get up there for visiting hours at ten, a Fellow came in and said he would call the cardiologist to make sure, but everything looked OK to him for her to come home.  And when the attending cardiologist came by on rounds at 10:30 (I was there by that time), Chris was given the OK to get up.  WooHoo.  Thank God for small favors.  All she could think about at the time was that she had to go to the bathroom.  I’m not sure she even heard clearly that the doctor also said there was no reason she couldn’t be discharged.  All that remained was waiting for the discharge papers.

 

So we did get to come home after all.  The fact that the hospital was getting slammed with patients may have had something to do with the release (No.  The vast majority of cases were NOT Covid), but we were happy to comply and get out of there. 

 

Now we go back to making doctor’s appointments and dealing with the low heart rate and adjusting medications.  Oh, and Christmas.  There is that …

 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

 

Father, thank you for that Fellow who spent fifteen minutes of his work day making sure Chris was taken care of in a tenuous situation.  Bless him for that, maybe with an opportunity or two to rest?  Amen.

December 16 – “Stent Two: The Update”

We made it into a room in the cath lab by 8:30 yesterday morning.  Or, if you want to go by the clock in the room … 1:51.  The nurse said we were late.  I replied, “No, we’re just really early.”  Oh, well, I guess the clock is correct twice a day, anyway.  By 9:08 Chris was all prepped and ready for the doctor to come in for a pre-op visit.  That happened around 9:55 when a Teaching Fellow with an unpronounceable name came in.  He got her to sign all the required permission slips and checked her out one last time.  Right at 10 they arrived to whisk her off.  Just outside the door, however, we finally located good ol’ Nurse Teri, a precious friend from Jamaica Beach we have know for many years.  She hustled over to us and gave Chris a kiss.  Well, she didn’t take off her mask, but I’m pretty sure the kiss “took” anyway.  And I did get a big hug.  It made us both feel much better to know she was around. 

 

The Fellow had told us that they really didn’t expect any major issues.  They would check on the original stent, then do the stress test on the other blockage in that artery, adding a stent there if necessary.  If all was well, they would be done in 30-45 minutes.  So I was fine in the waiting room for … 30-45 minutes.  I elevatored down to the main floor to get a cup of coffee per Teri’s instructions.  But the coffee shop was closed.  The sign on the door read, “The computer doesn’t work, so we can’t open.  IT has been called.”  Ouch.  I started out to the car to get what was left of the cup of coffee I brought from home.  But before I got outside I heard my name being called.  It was a girl I went to high school with.  She works at the hospital a few days a week.  When she heard what I was doing, she would have none of it.  She took me to her office snack room and poured me a cup there.  Thanks, Charlotte. 

 

After that initial 30-45 minutes passed, I started getting a little antsy.  I read a while.  I did a crossword puzzle.  More time passed.  Jeopardy on the TV helped me stay calm and focused for another 30 minutes.  By noon, though, I confess I was doing a little pacing.  Finally, at 12:20, Nurse Teri came out and filled me in a little bit.  She said someone would come get me in just a bit.  She also told me to tell Chris that she had allowed me to go for coffee alone and had lost me in the process.  Got it.  And, Teri, I really appreciated the hand on my shoulder and encouraging words. 

 

They did come get me shortly after that.  I saw Chris and was assured that she was OK, other than being a little bummed about what they had to do.  The Doc showed up soon after and took me to the consultation room to explain what happened.  I was trying to take some pictures, but he told me to ask the people on the floor when we arrived, and they would cut a DVD of the whole thing for us to take home. 

 

Now.  What happened?  The original stent looked good.  The second site of concern in that same artery actually passed the stress test with flying colors.  So what was wrong?  Well, the only thing left was a second artery that feeds about 20% of the heart.  In the first cath last month they did see a blockage there but hoped it would clear with medication.  Besides, At the time, the 95% block in the Widowmaker took precedence.  They used the same insertion point in her arm for the first set of steps, but the muscles in her arm suddenly started spasming, so they had to switch to the insertion point in her groin.  It made things easier for them, but it meant Chris had to stay flat on her back, keeping that leg straight for six hours after surgery – not an easy task when you also have spinal difficulties.  Come to find out, that artery was 70% blocked, so a stent there, too, was definitely the way to go.

 

So, she returned to the recovery room a little after noon, and I was escorted back.  Around 2 they realized that she was having some bleeding issues at the insertion sites on her arm and leg because of all the blood thinners.  All bandages had to be changed.  At 4:30 they drew blood for lab work to see if the blood thinner’s effectiveness was beginning to wear off.  Apparently, the numbers were good, and they started decreasing pressure on the bandage at the arm site.  She wouldn’t be released to go to a regular room until all the pressure was removed from her arm.  The groin site was seeping blood again, so that dressing was changed as well. 

 

Everything finally settled down, and a room opened up for her on the cardiac floor.  We got into that room around 6:00, just in time to order her a quick soup and salad (They stop serving at 6:30).  I left shortly thereafter, hoping all was well.  Little were we to know that …

 

But that’s a tale for another day.

 

Philippians 4:13 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 

Father, thank you for getting Chris through this surgery.  Please grant her some peace.  Thank you for the Teri hugs and words of calm and peace that she spoke.  We’re not to the finished line yet.  Please stick around.  Amen.