March 9 - “The Long way home”

We made a final sweep of the lodge we stayed in, dropped the key off at the office, and headed back into town. Our first objective was to deliver the beautiful flowers Lauren and Cathy got for Sam’s grave. Thus the final task for the booming metropolis of Burnet has been completed. 

After a not-so-quick breakfast at McDonald’s (Chris’ sausage and egg biscuit was missing the egg. Hey. That’s just 50% of expectations. Not too bad), we charted our own course toward home. That’s always a fun approach. It drives Google Siri nuts trying to figure out why we aren’t following her directions. 

We continued charting on our own. Ended up stopping in Bastrop, Texas for lunch. At Buc-ees. Hey. Sometimes the familiar is comforting. 

From that point we adjusted our route once again. This time we headed directly to Nathan and April’s house. It allowed us to avoid downtown Houston as well as the mysterious hour-long delay along I45 on the way to Galveston. Apparently it was something about construction … on the weekend kickoff of Spring Break. What are the powers that be thinking?

Well, plans changed again. Come to find out, Nathan and April were in Galveston. They finished their shopping, the headed to our house. They were there when we arrived. It was great to hang out with them. Always is. 

John‬ ‭20‬:‭18‬ says, Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord! ” And she told them what He had said to her.

Father, thank you so much for getting us home. One more thing behind us. Amen. 

March 8 - “Interment”

Since everyone but us had to leave early (the last crew was gone by about 4:30 or 5), I had no one to sing to. So no song format today. Just more of my indomitable prose. 

Chris was rudely awakened at six thanks to the previous tenants setting the alarm. She handled it gracefully, though. Figured out how to turn it off, rolled over and went back to. 

Corey serenaded the unseen wildlife as he practiced for his part in the service. 

Robert missed his coffee terribly. Coffee maker but no coffee. Janell came to the rescue. Opened some K-cups we happened to toss in. Good coffee. Nice job, Janell

Lauren and Cathy and Chris put together a great breakfast of bacon and eggs and blueberry toast with cinnamon butter. So good even the smoke alarm sounded its great pleasure at the bacon-y aroma. Over and over and over. 

Everybody pitched in to finish a cat jigsaw puzzle in honor of Sam. Just for fun. 

I thought the graveside service went pretty well. I guess you’ll have to ask those who came what they thought. We arrived at the cemetery a little early and got the headstone set in place. Then some of the home group folks took turns digging the hole for the interment of the ashes. 

When the relatives arrived, we were ready to begin. Corey led off with a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace on his violin. I prayed and read some scripture, then talked about some of the fun things Sam enjoyed, like Coke Zero and Tillamook cheese and … cats. Now we had to conclude that fun section with Sam’s absolute favorite song of all time, “The Altuve Polka.” Yep. I played the song on my phone to the chuckles and grins of the crowd. Can’t say I’ve ever done that one before. 

We finished up by sharing the plan of salvation, as per Sam’s wishes. With the box of ashes (and her Altuve t-shirt) in the hole, different ones took turns shoveling the dirt back in. It seemed to be a pretty moving experience. 

Afterwards, we left the tubs of photos and genealogy materials with the respective families. From there we took our photos of Sam’s  headstone and the headstones around hers. Those pics we took to City Hall so they could record the location. They were most appreciative.

From there we drove down to Mineral Wells. Can’t be that close and not have lunch at the World Famous Bluebonnet Cafe. Good stuff. Any place that has fried chicken livers and all kinds of pies is a winner in my book. 

On the way back to the lodge, we stopped at the Inks Lake State Park. No particular reason. Just to say we did. The highlight of that excursion was the hike to Devilshead Outlook. We didn’t see the devil, though. Just rocks and trees and water. Pretty place. 

Last night Lauren pulled out the other cat puzzle we brought. Thus began a marathon attempt to get it done. They were planning to leave extremely early, so they finally left it in the hands of me and Chris. We stayed up some later. Just long enough to do something that would leave my final mark on the weekend. We finished all of the puzzle … except the cat. Looks much better that way. 

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬ says, You will keep the mind that is dependent on You in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You.

Father, please be with Lauren and Cathy and Jonathan as they drive to Oklahoma for another funeral. And be with us on our trip home as well. Amen. 

March 7 - “It’s that time”

It’s that time again. No, not camp. But close. For the next few days we will be in Burnet, Texas, for the burial of Sam’s ashes. Internet and phone service are both sketchy at best. Non-existent at worst. But since we are with a group of our home group friends … I couldn’t let the opportunity slip by. It’s time for …

I’m a Nut!

I’m an acorn small and round

Lyin’ on the cold hard ground

Everyone walks over me

That is why I’m cracked you see

I’m a nut. I’m a nut. I’m a nut. 

I’m a nut. I’m a nut. 

Called myself on the telephone 

Just to see if I was home. 

Asked me out for a little date

Picked me up about half past eight

Took myself to the movie show

Stayed too late and said, “let’s go”

Grabbed my hand and led my out

Drove me home and gave a shout

Speaking of a forlorn shout

It is time to see Sam out

Gathered up ‘bout eight three-0

On to Burnet town we go 

Ed and Jon left town early

Had to get out first, you see

Rob and Lauren, Cathy too

Said “We want to follow you!”

We missed Helen off the bat

Had to work, so that is that. 

Searched for maps that showed the way 

Go through Houston? Oh, nay! Nay!

Saw big Stevie Austin tall

Lauren asked, “Can we stop, y’all?”

Missed the Bucees, sorry there

Found a place in Who-knows-where”!

All those backroads soon dried up

Baby Buc-ees did show up

Saw some zebras near a rock

Emus albino - a flock!

In Greune Ed and Jon we found

Chicken fried steak did abound

Walked around and window shopped

Back into the cars we hopped. 

Johnson City, Marble Falls

Burnet finally heard our calls

Good thing that it heard us then

No cell service from within

Only five stayed up from bed

First to sleep were Rob and Ed

Waiting up for Geran clan

Puzzle time for those who can

Me and Chris played Mom and Dad

Waited up for travel tads

When the Geran’s finally showed

Our long day came to a close. 

Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭25‬ says, Since we live by the Spirit, we must also follow the Spirit.

Father, thank you for our safe trips. Be with the rest of the folks coming for the burial today. Amen. 

March 6 - “Ready”

Chris had the big appointment yesterday. Time for her haircut to happen. She has gone a lot longer than I can wait for mine. Suzann tried something different this time. Chris pondered it for a while. Still not sure what the final outcome will be - keep or get creative on her own. 

We ran over to Walmart to grab some grape juice and pretzels for the Ash Wednesday service last night. Already had the ashes burned and everything else packed and ready to go. 

The service went really well. Lots of folks we haven’t seen in a while. Plenty of new people who were hearing the Ash Wednesday teaching for the first time, too. 

Speaking of packed and ready to go … we also loaded the car with all the stuff for Sam’s burial. That tombstone was plenty heavy, but fortunately Corey came over and helped. We had to stuff several tubs of genealogy stuff and photos as well. Those go to the different sides of Sam’s family who are supposed to be at the service tomorrow. Let me just say, after adding our suitcase, that car was stuffed. 

Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24‬ ‭says, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Father, please ride with us on our journey today. Amen. 

March 5 - “The two worst”

Boy, was I ever sore when I woke up yesterday. All that yardwork really nailed me. Especially digging that three foot deep hole out of the old palm tree. The two worst painful spots? Yep, it was a tie. Lower back and … thumbs. Gotta love that arthritis. 

I had a big appointment. It was once again time for … a haircut. I know. Quite the letdown, right? But I like the final result, and it’ll be much cooler for our upcoming trip to Florida. Astros Spring Training. Can’t wait. 

Last night we got back on the soccer train again. Cailyn’s squad was taking on a powerhouse team from Friendswood. In Friendswood. The bad won big, 5-0. But our girls held them scoreless for almost the entire first half you could really tell when the fatigue hit, though. Cailyn played good, but she has been sick, so her aggressiveness was noticeably affected. Nevertheless, I’m proud of you, girls. 

‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭8‬ says, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Father, thank you for Whataburger. It sure hit the spot last night. Amen. 

March 4 - “Power tools!”

We engaged in some yard work extra ordinare (or however you spell it) yesterday. The yard needed to be mowed and edged. And it was thick. Almost had to go over the whole thing twice. Chris worked at cleaning out flower beds, then suddenly appeared just as I turned on the leaf blower. She greatly prefers the old school approach - sweeping. With a broom and everything. Why, when there is a perfectly good power tool available? 

I did get some backing for my side. Jonathan, one of the firefighters and also a neighbor, and his wife were on a walk. Brandy sided with Chris. Jonathan was Power Tool Guy all the way. Sadly, the tiebreaker was their young son. He was definitely in Mom’s court. Come on, Little Man. Power tools!

We didn’t stop with just mowing and edging. We also trimmed way back that evil demon bugger villa bush. Always a pleasure, to be sure. We then moved some pot plants to their Spring spots in the yard. Oh! And I started tearing out the rotting root ball of the old palm tree that used to be in our back yard. That was actually kind of fun. We ended up not anywhere close to finishing, but we dumped our last bag of dirt in the big hole. Now we need a Home Depot run again. 

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ says, Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.

Father, thanks for helping us out in the “heat” today. Amen. 

March 3 - “Heavenly”

Church first. As usual for a Sunday, of course. 

After church we had some lunch with some friends at Way West Grill in Jamaica Beach. Even had some other friends occupying the table next to us. Always good to have some folks to chat with while eating. 

My bacon cheeseburger was, by the way, downright huge. And the fried okra was crispy - a definite win. Chris wanted the nachos, but in a real surprise, they came back and told us they were out of chips. I can honestly say I’ve never heard that one at a restaurant before. She ordered quesadillas instead. They did have soft tortillas. All was pretty good. 

I spent all afternoon with our wet-dry vacuum cleaner. I pulled Sam’s car up into the driveway and gave it a thorough vacuuming. Not sure when the last time that happened was. It was … in need. It does look a whole lot better now. 

As it got dark we gazed up into the sky once again. This time we managed to see the moon and Venus and even Mercury. Pretty fascinating, thanks to my Sky View Lite app pointing them out. 

Joshua‬ ‭1‬:‭9‬ says, Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

‭‭

Father, thanks for the wonders you placed in the heavens. Amen. 

March 2 - “Windexed”

I felt strangely motivated yesterday. So much so that I vacuumed out the inside of our car. Though much-needed, that wasn’t what I most wanted to take care of. My bottom line was that the interior of the windshield needed to be Windexed. And that is by far my least favorite car detailing chore. 

Chris hooked me up with the Windex and some instructions on how best to apply. However … did you know there are two different flavors of Windex? And of course I chose the wrong one. She managed to correct my blunder before too much application had occurred. So, folks. Stick with Windex Original you’re looking to clean windows. 

We checked in with Josh. We didn’t received our usual Friday phone call, so we had to touch base. All was well in Waco. Just really busy. 

AG and Luke played the piano for us. They were on their way to piano competition. Caleb had already played earlier and achieved Superior status. And in true Vaughan fashion, the two younger ones grabbed a Superior rank as well. Proud of you three. 

On the more athletic front, Luke’s team advanced to the semifinals in their end of season basketball tournament. As it turned out, several teams dropped out of the tournament. As a result Luke will be pitted against the top seed in the tournament on Monday. Then on Tuesday he is entered into the three point shooting contest. Go Luke!

Meanwhile, Caleb is running track and playing on the JV baseball team at the same time. And he is also giving speeches and doing podcasts for his co-op English class. Busy young man. 

We spent the afternoon watching football. No, not on TV. Ezra had a big double-header playoff series in his end-of-season tournament. The Good Guys in that one won the first and lost in the championship. So … second place. Nice job, Ezra and team (and coaches Kel and Micah)!

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭ says, Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Father, thank you for busy. Sometimes. Amen.