December 7 – “It’s snowing??”

We had a really great crowd at church yesterday morning.  More than 40 people were there.  I met a new couple who just bought a house in Jamaica Beach.  They live in Conroe but expect to be spending a lot of time at their beach house and wanted to find a spot where they could plug into the community.  Always great to have someone who is looking to get really involved. 

 

Last night we had our first ever Christmas Singalong outside under the Retreat Center Building.  Forty plus folks were there for that as well, with a lot of new faces.  There were also some familiar faces from the community.  Lauren and Cathy set up Christmas lights everywhere.  Candy canes decorated the posts.  We had hot chocolate and Christmas cookies and books about the Christmas story for the kiddos.  Jim and the Praise Team did their usual fabulous job of leading the songs.  They even provided an after-party of sorts when things were winding down.  I’m pretty sure I heard “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” in there somewhere.  Not your usual caroling fare, but it was certainly entertaining.  We even had people dancing when the music struck their fancy.  I thought people only danced to Christmas music on Hallmark movies …

 

The real surprise of the night was the snow machine brought in by Cathy.  She set it up on the deck and showered sweet-smelling, fluffly snow-like bubbles on frolickers below.  That became the absolute favorite spot for photos.  Standing in the snow on Galveston Island.  Brennan made a nice snow angel.  His snowman was pretty short, though.  From the sounds of the feedback everyone had a great time.

Oh, and the whole point of the night ... we collected a whole table full of toys for the Galveston Urban Ministries toy store for inner city Galveston.  Chris and I will be delivering then this morning.

 

Now back at home things were a little more … interesting.  As we were getting ready to head to bed, I glanced out the front window and saw flashing lights.  I mean like right in front of our house.  Curious, of course, I went out to see what was going on.  Sure enough, an ambulance was pulled up to the house next door.  Two police cars were parked across the street.  We couldn’t really tell what was happening, and the ambulance eventually turned off its lights drove away.  However, a total of four police vehicles made appearances before they all finally disappeared.  Still not sure what happened over there, but I did some praying …

 

Romans 15:4 says, “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”

 

Father, please move in whatever the situation was next door.  Draw those folks to yourself.  Amen.

 

December 6 – “I just miss Pong”

Slow news day yesterday.  We did run over to Randall’s to pick up Chris’ new medicine.  Passed on a subsequent trip to WalMart, though. 

 

About the only huge news was the birthday party we attended last night.  Our oldest grandson Jachin turned seventeen.  Yep.  He’s getting old.  So are his parents.  Not so much his grandparents, though.  after all, we did still get invited to the party, didn’t we?  Of course we didn’t really get involved in the action.  He just had a few friends over to play video games.  Not my forte by any means.  I guess I just miss Pong too much to get excited about stalking and annihilating the enemy with progressively bigger and bigger guns.  We did step up our game when the pizza arrived and then again when Christina brought out the brownies and ice cream.  Hey, someone had to run point on the tasting, right?

 

Jachin seemed pleased with the money we gave him, but it was the secondary gift that had him beaming from ear to ear.  Chris made him his usual birthday treat … divinity.  His absolute favorite candy.  Sorry, birthday guests.  Sorry, brothers and sister.  Sorry, Mom and Dad.  No offers to share were forthcoming.  Nor have they ever been.  Jachin guards his divinity very closely.  There is bound to be a spiritual object lesson in there somewhere.  I think I need to ponder that one over a cup of coffee and … a piece of divinity.

 

Mark 1:2-4 says, “As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way – a voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.”’  And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

 

Father, thank you for Jachin and for the man he is becoming.  Continue to walk with him in his journey.  Amen.

December 5 – “Here we go again ...”

Here we go again.  At least this time we have a few days to prepare.  Chris had her follow-up appointment with the cardiologist yesterday.  She had a whole page of questions for him, not to mention the page of information on the symptoms she has been having and the two pages of documentation of her blood pressure readings since she got out of the hospital.  That’s one prepared patient.

 

The doctor had been in the cath lab doing procedures, and was headed back there after our appointment, so he was about thirty minutes late.  But once he came in and gave me a fist bump, he sat down and asked how things were going, giving us his full attention.  His nurse was there as well, and she was knowledgeable and helpful, too. 

 

I really do like this guy.  He bent over backwards to give us the answers to our questions.  In fact, he gave way more information than we asked for.  He explained exactly what happened on the treadmill.  In a nutshell, when her heart was stressed, instead of increasing capacity, it decreased.  On the good news side, he said there doesn’t appear to be any actual damage to the heart muscle. 

 

He showed Chris the images from her cath lab experience, pointing out the befores and afters.  That was really helpful to me, because what I understood him to say in the hospital was not at all what he carefully explained here.  Back then I thought he said there was a 30% blockage in a different artery as well as the 95% blockage in the one they stented.  With his explanation yesterday, we learned that there is indeed still another blockage, but it is in the same artery, just further down from the one they stented.

 

He was concerned that she is still having chest pains and shortness of breath on exertion, and even occasionally at rest.  They did an EKG, and it looked OK.  A few of the lines that were supposed to be going up still went down, but not as much as before the heart attack, so the stent seems to be working.  That means that the other blockage might be more severe than it looks on the 2D screen, and it is the culprit causing the pains.  There could also be a completely different, more sneaky culprit involved, however.  It could be some of the tiny veins supplying the heart are not doing their job effectively.  Or it could be that something screwy is going on in the lungs.  But the symptoms really seem to point to the heart being the problem.  So …

 

He tweaked one of her medications a bit in an “in the meantime” effort to control the pains a bit more.  There was also a “middle man” kind of test that he could do, but if I we did that one and she failed it, she would have to have another cath done anyway, so it sounded like the best approach would be to eliminate the middle man and go straight back to the cath lab.  They would put her on the table and do a stress test there.  He could also check out the stent already in there.  If everything looks good, she could go home right after the test.  If the blockage did look like it needed it, they could go ahead and put in a second stent right then.  So it’s back to the cath lab next week.  They will call and let us know what day, so she can be sure and get her COVID test before then.  Ah, protocols.  She is more worried about having to take that COVID test than she is about the cath.  But she’ll get through it.  Here we go again  ... 

 

John 1:12 says, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

 

Father, would you be the God of Here We Go Again’s for us next week?  Amen.

December 4 – “Shhh … don’t tell the grandkids”

We had a profitable Christmas decoration day yesterday.  Under Chris’ able command, we managed to finish setting out all of the manger scenes in their various spots around the house.  That led to a cleaned-off table.  And that in turn led to hauling all the Christmas boxes out to the garage to await their return to usefulness after The Big Day. 

 

And since last night was our return to Home Group for the first time since the “Cardiac Event,” the “Little Detour” (a.k.a. Chris’ heart attack), Chris also spent a good portion of the day giving the house the same cleaning once-over she was used to applying every Thursday.  She only had chest pains once as far as she was letting on, but she did stop every so often to rest.  But we got it done, and it was good to get back to reading through the Book of Deuteronomy with these folks.  We’re almost finished, too.  One more week and Deuteronomy is behind us.  Of course that still leaves the Israelites outside the Promised Land.  Enter Joshua …

 

I had to break away late in the morning to get a haircut.  My flowing locks accelerate growth in the winter months for some insane reason.  I think it may be the Scott Calvin Syndrome.  You know, from the movie Santa Clause, where his hair grows really fast into a full white beard and long tresses no matter how many times he shaves.  My head and facial hair must think I have to prepare to deliver toys here in about twenty days or so.  Shhh … don’t tell the grandkids.

 

Jeremiah 31:3 says, “The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.’”

 

Father, thank you for the return to Home Group.  I know we just have one more meeting and then we’re off again for the rest of the year, but it was good to get together again.  Amen.

 

December 3 – “Gettin’ Christmassy”

Yesterday was Decorate the House Day around here.  The kids got us started when they were all here.  Josh got the outside lights and the wooden cutout implanted into the ground.  A team of elves got the tree up inside and got all the lights strung.  Then the littlest elves began the ornament implementation … on the lower three feet of the tree.  Very bottom-heavy.  It looked awesome.  But Chris found another box or two … or three … of more ornaments, so yesterday we dug in there.  We also put up decorations in the rest of the house.  Chris wanted it to look nice and Christmassy for home group meeting tonight.  It does.  The only thing left is the table full of nativity scenes.  And a few more boxes to be hauled to the garage.  That’ll be taken care of today.

 

We also had a Walmart run to make.  We needed toothpaste and fruit and juice and lettuce and Cheetos and Pepsi and Dr Pepper and poptarts.  You know, all the balanced food groups.  We also grabbed an array of Baggies sizes.  There may have been something else, but I don’t remember. 

 

We were pretty tired around supper time.  We scrounged around and found some leftover flounder and some mac and cheese.  And Chris made a salad.  Pretty healthy stuff, huh?  Well, maybe not the mac and cheese.  But good food while watching an old Lifetime movie with Jack Black and a cameo by Dustin Hoffman?  Amazing.

 

Isaiah 43:2 says, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.  When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

 

Father, thank you for this whole Christmas season.  As crazy as things can get, I really do enjoy it.  Amen.

December 2 – “My Little Detour”

Yesterday was the final day of the Waco cousins’ visit to Galveston for the Thanksgiving season.  I was working at my desk in the morning when I was visited by young Luke.  He plopped himself down in the rocking chair next to Freddy and started talking.  I sensed a “moment,” so I stopped typing and turned to face him.  Even changed the setting on my hearing aids to “high” so I could hear him better.  We started out chatting about the Turkey Bowl and his involvement in it this year as the all-star rookie quarterback.  I love how he handles the accolades.  If what is said about him is true, he responds with a simple, “Yes.”  No false humility in this one.  If there are obvious embellishments, however, he grins a huge grin, or chuckles and says, “Well, that’s not true.”  He is a stickler for accuracy, too.  He always knew the score or what down it was, even when I tried to change it on purpose. 

 

But soon he moved beyond the football field, for this seven-year-old had greater things on his mind.  See, he is in the process of writing a book.  By this time Chris had joined us.  The presence of another fan didn’t deter his disclosure, however.  The book is about his own life – an autobiography.  And plans are for it to be a chapter book, you see?  There are a lot of stories that must be included.  “After all,” as he explained to us, “I did a lot of stuff back when I was six.  But I will write about the Turkey Bowl this year when I get to my sevens.  I still have to write about the Turkey Bowl last year, because I was in it then for the first time.  But I didn’t do too much.  I just caught one pass, but that one was for a touchdown.”  Yes, it was, Luke.  I had forgotten that.  My bad. 

 

After holding court for a very long time, Luke decided he was getting hungry.  That set well with the rest of us (by now his Dad had joined the array of fandom).  But did Luke simply retire to the couch and bury his head in a video game?  Oh, no.  Instead he joined Nani in the kitchen and fixed breakfast for the family.  Pancakes and bacon.  Great stuff.  Oh, and for those of you who are following the situation closely … Nani had Cheerios.  No bacon.  She is behaving. 

 

At the breakfast table we heard from the boys (and from their Mom, who keeps extensive lists) what kinds of things were on their Christmas lists.  Chris took notes for future reference.  After all … IT IS DECEMBER.

 

And speaking of Chris, keep your ears open for her latest euphemism for her heart attack.  She has advanced from “cardiac event.”  I guess that sounded too clinical.  Now her favorite is “My Little Detour.”  Indeed …

 

Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

 

Father, thank you for Luke and his aspirations for the future.  Bless him as he works to make them come true.  Amen.

December 1 – “bow and ah-ree-oles”

Yes, I suppose it is true.  It is officially December of the year 2020.  Almost over …

 

Yesterday was AnnaGrace’s fourth birthday.  That’s quite the milestone, right?  Well, we couldn’t let it pass without some significant connecting event.  So in the morning we joined Josh and the Waco Vaughan Family for a leisurely stroll … through the Moody Gardens Aquarium Pyramid.  We got there just as it was opening up, so for a long time it seemed we were the only ones roaming the halls.  I personally missed seeing otters, but for AnnaGrace, the penguins and harbor seals that came up to the glass and played with her pretty much made her day.  As far as she was concerned, they were swimming by to wish her a happy birthday, over and over and over again.  Her giggles and squeals certainly made the trip well worth our time. 

 

Lunch actually became an extension of the party.  The girls made some tacos, and after our “healthy food,” it was time for cake and ice cream.   Presents appeared – a baby leopard, Doctor Barbie, Horse and Rider Barbie, Precious Moments (AnnaGrace dancing with her Daddy), and a Princess “bow and ah-ree-oles.”  All in all, quite the haul.  The decorations and cake were all unicorn-y, but truly delicious.  Mix that with the pink, unicorn-filled plastic tablecloth, and you have a most effective recipe for delighting a budding four-year-old female. 

 

The afternoon saw a reprisal of the big Turkey Bowl from the day before.  One big difference, though.  No really old people like Dads and DadDad’s were on the rosters.  Instead Cousin Cailyn made her debut, and she did quite well.  Ands that made it official.  All ten grandkids were on the field at some time during one of the two Turkey Bowl 2020 editions.  Quite the milestone. Oh, and Nani took a nap.  So she is behaving …

 

After some supper a lot of fast talking by the older guys resulted in a second Turkey Shoot as well.  Aunt Christina and Aunt Christi took the guys to the park for another battle in the Airsoft Wars.  Uncle Josh joined them later, releasing the ladies from such a harsh holiday skirmish.  They returned to join the rest of us in watching a Disney Sing Along and then a Country Music Christmas.  Noa was my couch cuddle partner for a time during these classic, not-to-be-missed showcases (The last half of that comment, by the way, may or may not have been a tad sarcastic). 

 

The Galveston Vaughan cousin headed for home soon after the game’s end.  Cailyn had school the next day.  The LaMarque Vaughan’s finally tore themselves away from all the fun and headed for home sometime around 8:30 or 9:00.  The Waco Vaughan’s calmed down soon after and headed for bed themselves.  We did finish up a movie with Zak and Caleb before they hit the sack.  Good day.  We were all pretty tired.

 

Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

 

Father, thank you for another fun cousins’ day.  Help them remember some really good moments from this week together … some treasures.  Amen.