March 14 – “Fashion, food and freedom”

I saw something yesterday that probably should qualify for one of those internet sensation People of WalMart videos.  As I hurried through WalMart, trying to complete a shopping run before our next round of Spring Break guests appeared, I saw a young, very tall, very lean young man.  I first noticed him because he also appeared to be hurrying, but he seemed to be having a difficult time of it.  As he approached, the source of his struggle became painfully obvious.  It was a problem with his apparel.  In keeping with current standards of “fashion” he was doing his best to sag his pants.  He had managed to get them below his waist, but that’s where his problem came in.  See, he was wearing what could only be described as skinny jeans.  That’s right.  They were probably at least two sizes too small for him.  I’m pretty sure he had difficulty even pulling them up past his knees.  And that was the thing.  When those guys sag their pants, they walk with their legs spread apart as far as they can get them to keep the britches from falling.  I just have to say, these particular jeans were not going anywhere without a lot of help.  Yet he still made the attempt to keep his legs apart as if that stance was required.  Hence the unusual gait that originally noticed caught my attention.  It was a … disturbing … picture.  Gotta love WalMart.

We had a visit from some Arlington area friends the other day.  The Killians were in the area on a family vacation with their 19 year-old daughter.  Seems they were taking her for a return visit to some sites that they had originally been to when she was about two years old.  For some reason she wasn’t remembering the first trip.  They offered to bring us some supper, so we readily agreed.  Who can turn down a free supper?  And things looked even better when they walked in with boxes from Mario’s on the Seawall.  One bag contained a big salad … for each of us.  The boxes contained something called … let me see if I can get this right … caponees.  No, that’s not it.  Californees?  No, that can’t be it.  Calzones?  That’s about as close as I can get.  It was something we have never tried before.  It was kind of like a big old pizza sandwich.  I sure liked the one I had.  Tasted like two or three different kinds of sausage inside.  Unique.  It certainly might be worth a return visit some day. 

Oh.  Uncle Jerry was freed from the hospital yesterday, so I picked him up and got him settled back at his house.  He still looks pretty rough, and he was moving very slowly, but he was really glad to be home.  Nathan met me at his house to help him up all the stairs.  And wouldn’t you know it?  As we made a sweep through the house to see if everything was in working order, we discovered his toilet needs a new chain in the flushing mechanism.  We’ll get that taken care of sometime today.  He told me the diagnosis they came up with, but it sounded like a gobbledy-gook way of just describing what happened without indicating a cause or a way of preventing it in the future.  His take on it was that they still really didn’t know.  Fits the Vaughan mystique.

1 John 4:19-21 says, “We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.”

Father, thank you for long-standing friendships and strange young men in sagging skinny jeans, and the look on Jerry’s face when we finally eased him into his chair at home.  Amen.

March 13 – “COFU’s”

Mom has developed a new hobby.  Sounds great on the surface, but actually … not so much.  She has discovered the fine art of obsessing.  The other day when the grandkids were over and playing outside, she made her way to the front porch and sat in one of the rockers to watch the festivities.  The sun was pretty bright, so she clipped on her favorite sunglasses.  Unfortunately, it has been many months since she has worn them, so they have become quite scratched up, enough so that she noticed.  So her obsession became going to the store to get some more sunglasses.  Every three minutes or so she for the next few days she asked when we were going to the store to get her glasses.  We kept assuring her that we would get it done, just not right that minute.  That satisfied her … for about three more minutes.  Then the question came again, as if she was asking it for the first time, every time.  She even remembered it right after she woke up the next morning.  Fortunately, Chris and I were able to track some down when we were on our Wednesday date yesterday. 

Ah, the grand and glorious Wednesday Date.  Jennifer came over and we headed up into Texas to … Sam’s.  We needed some stuff for the church.  It wasn’t a bad trip.  Texas is pretty far away and all, but Chris had never been into the new Sam’s, so she was able to get the lay of the land.  We also checked out the WalMart right next door to Sam’s.  They didn’t have the kind of sunglasses Mom wanted, though.  They had clip-ons, but she wanted the kind that also flip up.  Mom’s gotta be cool, you know, and flip up clip-ons are the ultimate in cool accessories.  I’m pretty sure I will be getting me a pair soon as well.  The attendant there told us that Walgreens and CVS were the only places she had seen the COFU’s (Clip On Flip Up’s), so we headed back to the Island.

Walgreen’s didn’t have any, and the guy there assured us that CVS had stopped carrying them as well.  Chris thought it interesting that he would know so much about CVS.  Guess he shops there regularly.  But if that’s so, it doesn’t say much about Walgreen’s.  We decided to head over to the Galveston WalMart and check the vision center there.  Where else would we go?  It’s Spring Break week, so we were not about to go into town and vie with the tourists.  Strangely enough, our local WalMart had just the COFU’s that we were looking for.  Crisis averted. 

Mom loved the new COFU’s, and wore them the rest of the day.  Inside.  Flipped up.  Very cool looking.  But then she remembered.  Christina had on some really nifty-looking tennis shoes the other day.  She said she got them at Academy.  “Do we have one of those here?  When can we go get some of those Academy shoes?  Can we get them at WalMart?  I want to go to WalMart and get some … some … let me check my notebook.  I wrote it down.  Yes, here it is.  Academy shoes.  Christina had them.  Can we get those here?  When can we get them at WalMart?  I have it written down right here.  Academy shoes …”  Sigh.

2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

Father, inspire in me a COFU/Academy shoes type of obsession with you.  Amen.

March 12 – “Vaughan Medical Mystery Duo”

Cailyn spent the night with Monday night and stayed with us all day Tuesday.  Yet another indication that it is Spring Break week in Galveston.  She and Chris spent a good portion of the morning working hard on a quilt.  Yep.  Nani is teaching the next generation how to sew.  Cailyn picked out the material one of the times they went shopping together.  Yesterday was cutting it into squares, arranging the squares into a pattern, and beginning the tedious process of sewing the squares together.  I did get a picture or two of the event in case Cailyn ever comes back when she’s a teenager and claims no one ever taught her how to sew.  Evidence. 

Christina also brought her four kids over for the afternoon so they could ride bikes and generally be outside.  Except for Noa.  She decided that the afternoon at Nani’s house is the best time and place for a two hour nap.  There’s a lot to be said for Noa’s ingenuity in that regard.  They got here in time for the required meal of pizza.  Good thing we ordered some just the day before.  Of course Chris commented that she is now done with pizza for a very long time.  Hey, at least we didn’t eat it for breakfast.  And the whole time Mom was trying to figure out who all the children were and who they belonged to and who they belonged to, belonged to.  It was a very confusing time for her.  Chris finally wrote her out a little family tree to go with the pictures she has so she would have something to refer back to.   

Though I did get to enjoy a slice of pizza, I spent most of the day back at the hospital.  Uncle Jerry is still ensconced there.  Great word, isn’t it?  Means entrenched, screened, hidden away.  I think that’s about how he feels right now.  The doctors are still totally stumped by what is happening to him this time.  April came in to check on him during her lunch break.  I wanted to get a picture of the two of them together – the Vaughan Medical Mystery Duo.  She told us that she had managed to talk to the vascular doctors, and they have ruled out everything from their perspective.  I guess that’s a good thing.  The next group to come through was the dermatologists.  They apparently hadn’t ever seen anything like it either.  They wanted to see each of the actual bottles of the medicine he has been taking.  That’s where I came in.  I had no sooner returned to the house from my visit with him, than I received a call from him asking if I would go to his house and gather up all the bottles and get them to the hospital as soon as I could.  So I hastily gobbled down my pizza and headed over to his house.  So as of last night we still don’t know what is going on with him.  Maybe they will find some kind of medication reasons for the persistent rash of bruising and blistering.  This is one of those cases that appears to need a greater physician.  And I’m not talking about ol’ Dr. House here. 

Jeremiah 17:14 says, “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.”

Father, you are the Great Physician.  These guys down here could sure use some supernatural insight.  Amen.

March 11 – “Old school approach”

Well, I had a chance to do something I have never done before the other day.  I sewed.  Yep, I meant sew with an “E.”  I did not plant seeds, I actually used a needle and thread.  Now, I have darned socks before.  Couldn’t see throwing away perfectly good pair of socks just because of a little hole in the toe.  And I even sewed together a few things like ripped pants and tears in a shirt.  Of course, I would never win any awards for my efforts, but it was passable for a struggling college student.  Of course I solved all that when I married Chris.  She is a master at sewing, well, anything.  She’s even working right now on a quilt that she has done all by hand – no machine involvement at all.  Gotta love that old school approach.  She saw some of the attempts I had made and responded in the only reasonable way possible.  She made me throw away the garments and start from scratch.  I managed to save a few old favorites from the purge, but she just couldn’t see hanging onto old holey socks unless they were in the rag bag out in the garage.  Sigh. 

Anyway, back to my meager efforts.  I repaired three holes … in the big area rug in my office.  It’s one of those braided-looking things that already appears old when you buy it new.  A few places had succumbed to the perpetual trafficking of my office chair, and the holes kept gaping open just in time to trap me as I attempted to glide by in the chair.  Or worse, they occasionally grabbed Chris’ feet when she walked by.  We were worried that they might do the same to Mom or to her walker.  Can’t have that, so I sewed the holes up. 

And I used a curved sewing needle.  Didn’t even know those things existed.  Chris assured me the curved needle would make it “so much easier.”  I wouldn’t even need a thimble.  I guess was doing something wrong, then.  My fingers were taking a beating.  She finally brought me a thimble, which I greatly appreciated, but I couldn’t even get it onto my finger.  Old man’s fat fingers were not made for thimbles.  Or is that the other way around?  Either way, I struggled through and finally got the holes closed up.  The hardest part of the ordeal for me was tying those tiny little knots in the end of the thread.  Chris did it with one finger.  I probably could have, too, but I have so little feeling left in the tips of my fingers, that it was virtually impossible for me.  Good thing we had plenty of thread.  And good thing the little knots are on the underside of the carpet.  We should be fine unless someone tries to flip the silly thing over.  What can I say?  I’m all about practicality, not aesthetics.  I still have to be careful with my chair-rolling because the rug kind of pooches up a little, but the holes are closed.

1 Corinthians 10:31 says, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Father, help me to appreciate the little blessings around me … and under me.  Amen.

March 10 – “Beating the time change blues”

We have discovered the perfect way to deal with low attendance at church after the daylight savings time change the night before (the one like we just had where you lose an hour of sleep).  Host a group of sixty or seventy college students and ask them to lead worship.  We did that with the Baptist Student Ministry group from University of Texas at Arlington, and we had a packed house.  The fellow who led the music portion of the service did the same last year.  Back then he was rather tentative and unsure of himself.  This time, though, he came across as quite confident and assured.  Amazing the difference a year makes.  The young man who did the teaching was the son of a pastor in Arlington.  This was obviously not his first time in front of a group of people, either.  He did a great job. 

Three of his quips especially stood out to me.  The first one he attributed to his mother:  “We can either magnify what we are going through or magnify Jesus.”  Great perspective on self-pity and even depression.  Thanks for that one, Mom.  The second came from Ezekiel: “What Ezekiel saw was dry bones and death.  What God saw was a vast army.”  Can’t beat that one for looking outside the box for a bigger vision.  The third one carried that idea over to the New Testament: “When they looked at the cross, the people saw pain and suffering.  When Jesus looked at it he saw the purpose of his life – forgiveness and victory.”  Quite the challenge on any level of discipleship. 

The group will be doing several types of ministry for the few days they will be in town.  Some will be going over to Bolivar and the Strand to do beach evangelism.  Others will be doing repairs at a local church.  Another group will be doing kids’ clubs in local apartment complexes.  They should have some time left over for playing as well.  I think they are planning to hit the Pleasure Pier tonight, and I’m pretty sure they will find a way to walk down to the beach a time or two.  Should be an exciting week for them and hopefully a life-changing week for some of the people they run into.  I think I’ll let some guy named Paul pray for them …

Ephesians 3:14-19 says, “For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Father, … ditto.  Amen.

March 9 – “High tech chariot”

And speaking of rides home …

Obviously this is a continuation from yesterday, so hang in there.  And speaking of rides home, we had gone to the hospital in Uncle Jerry’s car, because he insisted that he could drive.  That meant I had to drive his car back.  Not a problem, right?  I’m the guy who drove ratty old dump trucks just out of high school.  I can drive anything.  Well, I could tell right away that we haven’t bought a new car in about five years. 

First off, I felt like I had fallen into the back seat when I sat down.  Jerry is not that much taller than me, but this was his comfort zone.  I guess he enjoyed the sports car feel.  I couldn’t even see over the dashboard, though.  So I started searching for the lever or button or something to move the seat up closer to the pedals.  No lever in the front of the seat where ours is.  Ah, yes, some buttons on the side of the seat.  Let’s try them.  Nope, that lifts my legs.  Nope, that one pushes in my lower back.  Lumbar support.  Nope, that one pushes my upper back forward.  No more buttons.  So I returned to the upper back one and got it adjusted far enough so I could at least see out.  Then there was the steering wheel.  It was set so low that it touched my legs.  At least that adjust lever was under the steering column where it should have been.  Finally I could see, but there was no place to put the key.  Wait.  There was a button that said Start/stop.  High tech stuff here. 

I put the car in reverse and a TV screen popped on.  Well, not exactly a TV screen.  It was a camera showing me what was coming up behind me.  Now this could be fun.  Maybe I could drive around the neighborhood backwards if I ever got out of this place.  I put it in drive and immediately noticed another unfamiliar flicker just under the rear view mirror.  It was one yet another TV screen – actually one of those Garmin things –- and the map had become active showing me where I was.  Now that’s helpful.  If I got lost between the hospital and home I could at least describe my whereabouts to potential rescuers. 

I made my way out of the parking garage and onto the road home.  For a brief instant I thought about turning on the radio, but I had no idea which button controlled it.  Better not take a chance and accidentally push the seat eject button.  I’m pretty sure it must have had one.  I finally made it home, but that thing will remain parked until I have to go back to pick him up. 

Psalms 45:2 says, “In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds.”

Father, I’d just as soon leave those majestic rides up to you.  You can handle way better than I can.  Amen.

March 8 – “Waiting on safety concerns”

I was starting out for a hospital trip to Houston yesterday.  Not to be admitted or anything.  One of our Seasiders had a Mom in the hospital up there, and one of the fire fighters’ young daughters was in the children’s version of the same hospital.  I had my chaplain shirt on my map of how to get there all set to go.  As I waited for a good time to leave that would avoid some Houston traffic, I checked out FaceBook for updates on the patients.  Good thing I checked.  The little girl had already been sent home the night before, so that meant just one patient.  No problem.  All was still set.  I could swing by their house in LaMarque on my way.  But before I could even get out the door, the phone rang. 

It was Uncle Jerry.  He wanted to know if we were going to be around for a while, because he had some “safety concerns” he really wanted to talk to us about.  Now how do you respond to a request like that?  With his medical history and no other family on the island, we assured him that we would wait for him to get here.  Sure enough, when he arrived, his “safety issue” turned out to be a medical one.  He lifted his shirt and pants leg to reveal a mass of bruises on his stomach, back and legs.  Small blisters had also begun to form in many spots.  Other than the bruises, it reminded me of the time I had the shingles, but he wasn’t in any real pain.  He had been in touch with his doctor, and she told him if it didn’t get any better he should let the emergency room docs have a look at it.  Apparently it had spread since that order, so we headed on over to the ER. 

They got him into a room quickly.  He told them he should have a private room reserved, as many times as he has been there the last few weeks and months.  I sent a quick message to Teri, the one I intended to visit in Houston to let her know it was not happening today.  She was most gracious.  Thankfully, it sounded like her Mom was progressing well.

And so we waited.  The first resident who examined Jerry was, well, not exactly a paragon of patient-centered bedside manner.  He didn’t introduce himself when he came in.  He never looked Jerry in the eye when he spoke to him, and only occasionally glanced up at me.  He even talked with his back to us several times, which meant I for one (with my hearing problems) had no idea what he was saying.  Several times he asked Jerry a question, and as Jerry was answering, he interrupted him.  About the third time that happened, Jerry was quite frustrated.  He re-interrupted the guy right back and firmly said, “Wait.  You need to stop right there and listen to me until I finish what I am saying.”  He finally left the room, never to return.  Probably a good thing, too.  Jerry had him in his sights.

After another waiting period, a whole team of doctors then got involved, and it became obvious that their primary concern was the bruising, because it indicated bleeding, and Jerry was on blood thinners.  After waiting for the blood test results, they returned with the news that the tests indicated his blood was thinning, but in a different way than would be caused by the medication he was on.  Strange.  Most definitely a cause for concern, and certainly cause for immediate admission.  They weren’t letting him go anywhere until they had a handle on what was happening.  So now the wait for a room to open up would begin.  Once they left, though, Jerry entered take-charge mode.  He asked me to make a trip back to the car and bring him the items he had packed up in anticipation of a stay.  And once he had what he needed, he insisted that I go on back home.  He assured me he would keep in touch.  I guess so.  Otherwise he would have no ride home.  And now, I wait for his call.

Psalms 33:20-21 says, “We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.  In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.”

Father, thank you for putting so many models of waiting in the Bible.  Makes me feel not-so-alone when I have to wait.  Amen.