March 14 - “Searching Texas”

We started our day by getting Sam off to the races. She was going on a field trip with a group from the Ladies Bible Study she is in. Several of them came by to pick her up around 8. They all gathered on the front porch and sang Happy Birthday to her like a bunch of Christmas carolers. We had prayer with them and sent them on their way. Then they were off to search Texas for those elusive seasonal flashes of color known as bluebonnets.

Next order of business was to clean house. It was on Chris’ list of things to do before her heart cath on Wednesday. She let me vacuum, but absolutely refused to let me sweep. That motion really hurt my back when I worked in the yard last week. Meanwhile, she added laundry to her sweeping task.

Once all that was done we made a quick trip over to Walmart. Gotta replenish that stock of bananas, you know. Chris did have some other stuff on her list as well, but we were in and out for under a hundred dollars. Always a good day. 

Lauren returned Sam after their long day of searching all over Texas for bluebonnets. They even came back bearing gifts. Sam got Chris a rose bush for the back yard. They also brought in three different flavors of Blue Bell ice cream. They did, after all, go through Brenham.

And before bedtime Corey and Janell and Brennan came over to wish Sam a happy birthday. We chatted with them for a long time. And when they left, we watched an episode of The Spring Baking Championship. 

All in all, I think Sam was pretty happy with her birthday. Guess she’ll get started on another.

1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬‬:‭6‬ says, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”

Father, thanks for Sam. Give her a great rest of a birthday week. Amen.

March 13 - “A faint, electronic, beeping sound”

I woke up at 4:30 yesterday, which would have been 3:30, I guess, were it not for the beloved Daylight Savings Time. Spring forward and all that. There is a brief story related to that topic - not one that Chris is particularly fond of.

 

Around 5:30 I was sitting at my desk reading a novel I have been trying to finish. All of a sudden I heard a faint, electronic beeping sound. I assumed it was an alarm Sam set on her phone, although I couldn’t fathom why.  But she never answered its insistent call. And it was one of those alarms that gets louder and louder as the listener continues to ignore its pleas. I thought it strange that she wasn’t responding to it.

 

Soon the racket was so loud that I was afraid it might wake up Chris, and I knew she wouldn’t be happy.  Sure enough, just as the noise stopped as suddenly as it had begun, I heard the distinctive rattle of the door to our bedroom. And before I knew it, Chris was at my side. I figured she was worried about Sam taking so long to kill her alarm. But no. Instead she quite calmly, but firmly, asked, “Why did you set the alarm for 5:30?” 

 

In that instant I knew what had happened. The night before I had done my twice yearly, Daylight Savings Time task of resetting all the clocks. Somehow I had managed to also push the alarm button… on the radio next to our bed. When Chris woke up and tried to turn on the lamp to see how to turn off the alarm, no light appeared. See, that lamp is on a timer keyed to my phone. It can only be turned on and off using the app. It took her a while, but she finally figured out how to push the snooze button.

 

Racing to her rescue before the alarm could resume its annoying whine, I struggled with it for way too long before I was able to turn off everything. I double-checked the remote connection with the phone and the lamp, and it worked just fine.

 

Soooooo … Oops. Oh, well. At least we know the alarm works. I apologized profusely, of course, and encouraged Chris to get some more sleep. She assured me that she would. No feet on the ground for this girl (except for required bathroom breaks), before 7 a.m.

 

Psalms 46:10 says, “He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth’”

 

Father, thank you for reminding me that as amazing as technology it, it still only works best when it is connected to its human. Kinda like us with you. Amen.

March 12 - “A stabbing incident”

After just a few days chock full of activities ranging from an Easter egg hunt to a fishing trip to Josh turning in another draft of his big dissertation project, we said goodbye to our Waco Vaughan family. Sad to see them go.

 

What followed involved a certain amount of “couples outdoor gardening therapy.”  Those are Chris’ words. She was rather determined to get at least one flower bed completely weeded. She got pretty close. Meanwhile, I was assigned the unenviable task of trimming the boogervilla bush. It was seriously damaged by the freeze a few weeks back. I may or may not have treated it as more an opportunity for revenge than a chance to do good with my wife. That thing can stab you if you are just standing still and quiet across the yard from it. This was my chance to retaliate for the last time we met. I thought I had done pretty well, too, at least up until lunch time. Sam asked me how I sliced up the back of my leg. Yep. The boogervilla nailed me. I was bleeding and didn’t even know it. Oh well. It is now about 6 inches tall. We’ll see how long it takes for it to grow back to stabbing height.

 

Colossians 3:2 says, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

 

Father, thank you for our great few days with some grandkids. We kind like those youngsters. Amen.

March 11 - “Wish we had a camera running”

Yesterday was cousins fishing day.  Well, almost. All of them except Cailyn made it. She was at the stock show with her mom and dad. Old McDonald Farm fun for them. And Nathan ended up getting sick. I imagine it was swine flu or avian flu or one of those other vicious animal diseases. 

 

The fishermen had a good time, even though the fish for the most part stayed in the water. AnnaGrace reeled in a croaker and was quite giddy about that. Zak landed a small red, and two little specks made their way briefly ashore as well.  But the excitement of the day came when Noa hooked a monster on her little Princess, three-foot-long rod. She battled it for a while, and even got it within viewing distance - it was a big red. But before Christi could get it in the net, it gave one last tug, and that did it. Broke the line.

 

I guess I should add the “wish we had a camera running” moment as well. I made a cast and set my pole down around one of the pilings on shore so I could work on getting another pole in the water. But just as I lifted the second pole out of the truck, I glanced down to see my pole racing by itself around that piling, headed straight for the water. Without thinking, I dove toward the runaway … to no avail. Rod and reel leapt into the water. From my newfound position on my belly (I figured I would feel that more later … I was right), I could see the rod sinking. Using the other rod I had just grabbed, I did my best to hook the runaway. Nope. Sadly, I began to roll on my side to wave goodbye. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a massive form leaping over my head, so near.  Ok. It wasn’t THAT massive. But from my vantage point, it sure seemed so. It was none other than Josh, the Wonder Boy, leaping into the water, fully clothed. And yep … he rescued the rod and reel. Unfortunately, we lost the fish that had started the whole episode, but hey, what can I say?  I have a real, bona fide superhero for a son.

 

We topped off the day with a real Nani surprise treat. Since we are going to be in Hawaii during Easter, and since we never get to be around the Waco bunch around Easter, we got the kids all together and dyed Easter eggs. And while they were doing that, Josh and I snuck out into the front yard and hid about 100 plastic eggs filled with candy and coins. The kids decorated white paper bags for baskets, and we turned them loose to fill ‘em up. As we heard from some neighbors who passed by, “God won’t care.”  Besides, every Sunday is Easter, anyway, right?

 

Romans 12:12 says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

 

Father, thank you for our family time at the canal and dyeing and hunting eggs. We sure missed Cailyn, though. Help Nathan get well real soon.  Amen.

March 10 - “The Jesus Revolution”

It was a loud and crazy household yesterday. Actually, it started rather calmly, but as soon as Christina arrived with some more kids, the noise level - and the fun level - rose dramatically. There were kids everywhere, they weren’t even all there. Jachin was in school. Micah was going to the rodeo. The rest of them found a way to be goofy, though. Noisy, too.

 

Chris had her last follow up for her eye surgery in the afternoon. They also measured her for some new glasses. Should be here in about two weeks. I’m really excited that she’ll be able to see again. Especially when we go to Hawaii.

 

Last night I received a real treat. Josh asked me to go to the movies with him. Caleb went, too. And what would make this three-generation outing so significant?  The movie we saw was The Jesus Revolution, a true story about the movement back in the late 60’s and early 70’s that led so many teenagers and young adults in their early 20’s - and yes, a bunch of hippies - to come to Jesus. And yes, I was personally a part of that revolution. You can place me in whichever group you choose or create a new one with just me in it, but I did find Jesus. That’s the bottom line. And that was the bottom line during that Revolution - it is all about Jesus.

 

We saw Kelly Used-to-be-Boyer and her new husband there. They were enjoying the show with their life group. Kelly and Caleb and Josh made essentially the same comment after the movie. “That sure explains a lot about the Seaside Church I knew over the years.”  Good movie.

 

Luke 16:10 says, “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”

 

Father, thank you for the three-generations movie experience last night. Pretty special to enjoy that with my son and grandson. Amen.

 

March 9 - “Aw, just because”

Awake at 3:30 and up by 4. That’s two nights in a row. Guess I’m going for a record. Well, that or my body is already on daylight savings time.

 

Chris had to leave kind of early to have some lab work done for her procedure next week. When she got back we went over to Walmart to … aw, just because we haven’t been in a while and we missed it. Well, we did need some groceries, I guess.

 

Lauren came by. She had some pills for Sam. She ended up staying for quite a while - just chatting. Always fun to spend time with one of our home group favorites.

 

We ended the day working on the puzzle and watching some Walker, Texas Ranger. Josh and his family were on their way, but they wouldn’t arrive until very late, so we had to fill the time somehow. Once Sam went to bed (You know she loves Walker almost as much as she loves Altuve, don’t you?), we switched over and watched some college basketball. End of the season tournaments have begun. March Madness is upon us.

 

Proverbs 31:30 says, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

 

Father, thank you for giving Josh and Christi a safe trip down here in the dark. Amen

March 8 - “The Call”

Well, I had already started a blog about yesterday’s events, but sometimes the mundane things of life get trumped.

 

We were on our way to Gringos after taking Sam to her chemo appointment when Chris got “The Call.”  Her PCP called to let her know the biopsy was positive for invasive ductal carcinoma. As cancers go, she said this would be “the one to have if you are going to have one.”  Apparently, that means it is quite slow-growing. She is putting in the order to see a surgeon ASAP. Of course, a surgery will be pending cardiac clearance, which wouldn’t happen until after the already-scheduled heart cath on Wednesday, I suppose. Phew.  I told Chris that this gene battle between her mom’s genes and Dub’s is well past “hold my beer.”  It’s becoming a drunken brawl!

 

Please keep the prayers coming!

 

Esther 4:14 says, “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

 

Father, please walk with us through this “next thing.”  Amen.