No Time or Energy To Post

I have been at my Mother's for over a week now and last night was the first time I had the energy to turn on my computer.  I visited as many of you as I could but left no comments.  Tim will be here on Saturday and we will fill up the containers with furniture and boxes to bring back home.  This has been an incredibly emotional time.  Watching my Mom let go of everything she has collected and loved all these years has been painful for me.  Some things are coming home with me because she just needed to know that someone wanted them.  Many of her belongings were her Mother's before her, and her Mother's before her.  Generations and heirlooms.  Her home will never be the same, nor will mine.

The house now belongs to my Sister and her husband, and the next time I come to see my folks it will be as a guest of my Sister.  Construction has already begun on the Master bedroom and bathroom. (It was needed badly).  I will be eternally grateful that they were willing to make this move so that Mom and Dad could stay in this house and be cared for by someone who loves them.  I know they will be in good and loving hands for  the rest of their days on this Earth.  Still, this is hard.  This forces me to accept the reality of their mortality.  I don't want to face that. I need them.  I will always need them.

Blessings,
Red

When The Sun Shines

Finish your outdoor work

and get your fields ready;

after that, build your house.

                        Proverbs 24:27

We have been outside, soaking up the vitamin D, using those forgotten muscles that are needed for pulling weeds, and getting the greenhouse ready for seeds. Tonight we got another estimate on clearing the back of our property. Someday soon we'll have a lot more sunshine for a bigger garden, a nice fenced pasture for a couple of cows, and a barn full of hay.  It sounds like I'm dreaming, and I am - but it is getting really close to coming true.  :)

Have a great week!

Blessings,

Red

Church With My Dad

My Dad is a man of faith. Real faith. Deep faith.  An amazing man. Truly amazing.
Years ago he had to have a hip replaced and ended up with a blood clot in his lung. The clot was dissolved and the new hip was marvelous, but life changed after that. Soon the knees became bone on bone, but the doctors would not operate because of the history of blot clots.  Still my Dad refused to give in to a wheelchair. He lives in a great deal of pain and yet praises God joyfully.

One of his biggest regrets is not being able to attend church very often anymore.  He has a small travel chair that works similar to a real wheelchair, but it is not easy for my Mom to maneuver.  So yesterday my sister and I loaded him in the car and off  to church we went.

We got there between services and that gave Dad an opportunity to visit with many friends he hasn't seen in quite awhile.  One of those friends helped us get him situated in the sanctuary just in time for the beginning of the service.  He was beaming.  It was so obvious that he was thrilled to be there.

The sermon was excellent and the congregation was invited to come forward to take communion.  We waited until most of the people were through the lines and then my sister wheeled my Dad down the aisle to the table holding the silver trays.  The table was too high for him to reach and so I was able to serve my Dad communion.  It was incredibly emotional.  My sister and I were streaming tears as she pushed his chair back up the aisle to return to our seats.

The rest of the service was powerful and uplifting, and by the time it was over we all knew it was a day we would never forget.  What a gift to all of us. God is so good.

Blessings,
Red