March 14 - “Ouch”

Well, all that chopping and squatting and pulling and lifting didn’t do me any good. I woke up sore all over. I finally found a position or two I could alternate in that didn’t hurt too much. 

The order of the day, though, was to get the house cleaned up for home group. Last one for a couple of weeks while we are gone on vacation (Go Astros!). My job was vacuuming, as usual. I also put the last minute finishing touches on the teaching. Gotta leave ‘em with something memorable. 

I did manage to put together a few pieces of the newest jigsaw puzzle. It’s a big one. 2000 pieces.  It’ll be here when we get back, that’s for sure. Oh! And we had college basketball going on the TV. Houston beat Colorado in a game that was way closer than it should have been. Then we saw the exciting double overtime game between Texas and Texas A&M. Texas won that one. Baylor then took on Texas Tech. Didn’t get to watch all of that one because of home group, but it sounded like another good one. Tech came out on top by just 2 points. Can’t beat March Madness. 

Esther‬ ‭4‬:‭14‬ ‭says, If you keep silent at this time, liberation and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another place, but you and your father’s house will be destroyed. Who knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.

Father, watch over the Waco Vaughan’s on their trip today. Amen. 

March 13 - “Adam and Eve-ing”

No appointments yesterday. In fact no need to drive anywhere. Instead we attacked some back yard chores we have been putting off. Chris dug weeds from a flowerbed. I got out a hatchet and tried to clear away some more of that old pine tree stump back there. It took all three of those bags of fill dirt we got, plus the ground-up mulch from the old tree, plus a hefty treatment of fire ant killer, to fill in  the hole. 

Then we worked together to do a major trim job of the wisteria bush. It has grown and taken over its spot on the back fence. Lots of the branches were already dead. Some of them were in my line of traffic for mowing. Still others were shooting straight up, making for a desperate need of a haircut. We got it all done in time for lunch. Pretty full morning. 

But not full enough for Chris. She insisted that she was going to get more accomplished. But at the same time she was struggling with some indigestion issues. And I have learned to NOT take those kinds of things lightly. I helped her get to a stopping point that she was OK with (though not completely satisfied by any means). Then we spent some time just crashing in the porch swing.  

After some supper we continued the crashing theme, but on the couch. We watched two movies. The Librarian series. They are a lot of fun. 

Jonah‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ says, Now the Lord had appointed a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the fish three days and three nights.

Father, thank you for the chance to do some Adam and Eve-ing by working in the garden. Amen. 

March 12 - “Bittersweet victory”

Chris took off early yesterday. This time she had a dentist appointment. She promised not to further enrage pickup truck drivers with trailers. 

We took an hour or so to run over to Home Depot. We needed several bags of fill dirt for the massive hole in the back yard. Oh, and we also picked up a bag of fire ant killer. When I went to check out how much dirt we would need, those little critters swarmed everywhere. We’re coming for you, ants!

Last night we went to Cailyn’s soccer game. Long drive this time. All the way to 27th street here in town. Yep. They played Ball High. Bittersweet victory. My granddaughter beat my alma mater 3-0. And Cailyn almost scored as a defender. I’ll take it. That’s my girl. 

Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬ ‭says, For me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

Father, thank you for watching over those young ladies on the field last night. Amen. 

March 11 - “Driving etiquette”

We were on our way to Chris’ latest doctor appointment yesterday around 9:15 or so. There was a bit of traffic on the seawall, but nothing outrageous. All of a sudden the driver of the pickup truck right next to us, which was hauling a pretty long trailer, began changing lanes - right into us!

After he began his entry into our lane, he suddenly remembered his driving etiquette. He extended his arm out the window in the old school signal of intent to turn left. And in what I’m certain must have been a sincere, neighborly effort to be sure we saw said arm signal, he added a few extra inches to the extension using the longest available digit on his hand. 

Chris was so appreciative of the thoughtful gesture that she wanted to give him a friendly honk in return. However, as it happened, both hands were already occupied with steering the car into the fortunately empty turning lane. 

Thank you so much, kind neighbor, for your concern for our well-being. Once Chris took a few breaths to recover, we made it to the doc’s office just fine. She checked later, and her heart rate only jumped up about 40 beats per minute. Piece of cake. 

Our other errands paled in comparison to the exhilaration of that experience. We tried for the third time to get the post office to forward Sam’s mail. I still don’t understand what has been so difficult. We had to start from scratch this time. Here’s hoping …

We also made a stop at the bank to pick up some cash for our Spring Training trip. Not that we usually use much cash. Most places take credit cards. But every now and then it’s handy to have a few dollars. 

Finally, we went on to Walmart. This was an interesting trip. We definitely needed groceries, but we are leaving town here in about a week. However, we also have some anxiously awaited company coming at the end of this week. The Waco Vaughan’s are coming down for their annual Spring Break visit. We had to have some key pantry items available to them. Plus … bananas. We needed bananas. And on the way out we stopped at their gas pumps to fill up. Just so very convenient. 

John‬ ‭1‬:‭29‬ ‭says, The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Here is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Father, thank you for Chris’ quick reflexes and for the invisible wall of protection you put up when that guy pulled into our lane. Amen. 

March 10 - “All gussied up”

After losing an hour’s sleep to Daylight Savings Time, we still made it to church in plenty of time. Pretty good crowd. Of course the ones who forgot to reset their clocks probably didn’t come. Too embarrassing, I guess. Kudos to those who made it. 

My favorite part of the whole service came toward the end of the sermon. Kel was making a particularly passionate appeal about practical discipleship. He urged us to “Turn off that TV.”  And instantly, all of the screens went blank.  Nice job computer operator (that would be Josiah, of course). 

We had some guests for the afternoon. Micah and Jachin came over to change clothes. They got all gussied up. Suit and tie and dress shoes and everything. They were calling each other names like, “Lawyer” and “Car salesman.”  Kaylie even pitched in with “Insurance salesman.” They looked sharp. 

Then they left to go take senior pictures at some of the iconic Galveston locations on the Strand (photos by none other than our favorite nature photographer and Micah girlfriend, Kaylie). 

Josiah, Noa, and Ezra - and eventually Kel when his meeting ended - stayed and hung out with us. We watched basketball on TV. Women’s college teams UConn (#1) vs Villanova (#5). Pretty good game, but UConn proved to be just too much. Great way to spend the afternoon. 

Psalms‬ ‭91‬:‭1‬-‭2‬ says, The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Father, thank you for the kids who get involved in worship. Amen. 

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.