Journal - Easter

After our exciting Wednesday evening with the fire, Thursday and Friday passed without much happening. I had been hoping to get outside and do some work in the yard on Friday but it was cloudy and gray and very windy and just not very pleasant to be out in. So we sat around the house all day, all three of us since Adam had Thursday and Friday off from school.

Saturday turned out bright and sunny with temps around 65. I decided to work in the yard for a bit even though it was still a bit on the breezy side. I got the weed-eater out of the shed to look and see if I could do anything with it. It works okay as far as I know but the fuel line is dry-rotted and snapped off. I wanted to see if I could figure out how to replace it but I couldn’t really tell much. I knew I would be seeing my brother Brad, who knows a lot more than I do about fixing things, on Sunday so I decided to wait and ask him about it.

So I put the weed-eater away and got out the rake and went to work on the area that had been our vegetable garden two years ago, but last year was nothing at all. We had been piling downed branches there and an awful lot of leaves had gathered there as well. I started raking and filled up my 50 gallon bucket 5 or 6 times with leaves and branches and various trash. It was too windy to burn so I dumped it all in a big pile near the incinerator where it would be ready to go on the next calm day.

And then Sunday was Easter! After a really nice service at our church in Kearney we gathered at my sister’s house as we usually do for Easter. Mom was there, Brad and his family, Bobbi and Mike’s family of course including all four kids, Mike’s step-daughter Courtney and her two little girls Hannah and Samantha, and the three of us. Mike and Bobbi had prepared a couple of delicious hams along with cheesy potatoes, corn, strawberries, rolls, wheat bread from Bobbi’s bread-machine, deviled eggs, and Brad brought his famous pasta salad. It was a really excellent meal and I had two plates full, which I hardly ever do anymore.

Before dinner I was asking Mike about planting potatoes. Mike knows just about everything about agriculture and gave me some good tips on potatoes. All you have to do is cut up some potatoes and plant them, making sure that each piece has an eye on it. He said that it’s not a bad idea to let the pieces dry for a day or two before planting them to avoid rot but also said that he has put them straight in the ground before and had good results. Store-bought potatoes may not work as well because they are often sprayed with an inhibitor to keep the eyes from sprouting right away, but the potatoes I had were direct from a grower; they had donated some to Mom’s church for a fund raiser and Mom had given us some. After all of Mike’s good information and advice, I felt I was ready to try some.

During dinner I also asked Brad about the weed-eater. Without him being able to look at it, it was naturally difficult to make a diagnosis but said I should check if the fuel line has a nipple on the outside of the fuel tank, something I hadn’t thought to check, or if it’s inside the tank. So that’s my next step on that “project”.

After dinner, the kids had their annual Easter egg hunt. The youngest of the kids is now 14 with the oldest being in their 20’s but they are all good sports about it. Oh, except for Courtney’s two little girls who are still small, that made it more fun. They hunted their eggs and generally had a good time.

After that, we sat around and chatted for a while, which I always enjoy, and then it was time to go home. It was a very fun day and I was still stuffed with food and felt very content.

Matthew 17:22-23 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed. ESV

Luke 24:1-3 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ESV

Journal - Greetings from Omaha!

The weather is here, wish you were beautiful. Ha ha, just a little post card humor for you there. greetings from the Comfort Inn on West Dodge Road in omaha!
Well, let's see, where did i leave off? Saturday night it took me a little while to get to sleep even though I didn't go to bed until 12pm. But once I got there, I slept pretty well until 8 when Joni woke me up for church.
I'm glad we decided to go ahead and go to church Sunday morning. We got some nice prayers from a couple of pastors, and lots of well wishes from friends. I confess that i had a hard time paying attention to the sermon though.
After church, we went home and packed our last few items, made sure everything was turned off and locked up, said goodbye to Sassie (poor thing), and hit the road. We were on I-80 by a quarter to one.
it was raining when we left, but not a downpour thank goodness. It didn't last too long either; we passed out of it just a little east of Grand Island. We stopped in york for a late lunch at Wendy's, and the rain caught up with us again. So we had a little more rain leaving york, but soon passed out of it again. That reminds me of something I've been wondering about. If Norfolk is pronounced Norfork, should york be pronounced yolk? And what about polk?
anyway, from there we made pretty good time to Omaha, and found our hotel without much difficulty. We got settled in, made our necessary phone calls, and then made the most important phone call of all: the Chinese restaurant! We used to get Chinese delivered to our apartment in Dallas now and then, but haven't had any since we moved to Nebraska, so I was really looking forward to that. We got our food at about 7pm and I stuffed myself silly with General Tso's chicken, rice, and egg rolls. Gosh that was good!
Anyway, after that I took a shower and we all got ready for bed. We turned in early, 9pm, since we would be getting up at 3am Monday morning.
It was a big day, with an even bigger one to come. I have more to write, but I'm a little tired right now so I think I'll finish up later.

Journal - Just Some Updates

Well, I’m up late again, three nights in a row now. My eczema was flaring up pretty bad for the last two or three weeks, so on Wednesday I went to the doctor for some help, and he prescribed some Prednisone for me. Prednisone, if you don’t know, is a steroid, and is practically a miracle drug. It’s what they have always given me just about all my life whenever my asthma or skin gets out of control. I say it’s a miracle drug because it clears up everything: skin, lungs, sinuses, everything. Unfortunately it has one very serious drawback: it also reduces your body’s ability to fight infections, so you can only take it for short periods of time.
I got a little off topic there. I brought up the Prednisone because that’s why I’ve been having trouble sleeping. It’s kind of funny because, like I said, they’ve been giving me Prednisone off and on for most of my life and I never had any side effects, up until about seven years ago. In 2004, I ended up in the hospital with my asthma. They were giving me Prednisone as usual, but for the whole week I was in the hospital, and another week at home after that, I could only cat-nap during the night and day. Also, I was hungry just about all the time. As a result, I would sit up late at night cleaning all the leftovers out of the refridgerator. I can’t remember how I finally found out what was causing it, but finally determined it was thePrednisone. I think I looked it up on the internet or something. So anyway, I’ve been on Prednisone a few times since then and I always get those two side effects. This time I don’t seem to be getting the increased appetite, but I’m definitely not sleeping right. I don’t mind it too much really, even though I don’t sleep at night, I still don’t feel tired during the day. Also, I have more time to keep up with the things I need to do here on the computer.
Anyway, after three days, I’m happy to report that my skin is clearing up nicely, and I still have two more days to go. Then everything should be back to normal. In the meantime, I can get caught up on some updates.
The last batch of peach jam I made didn’t turn out too good. I didn’t cook it long enough this time. That was disappointing after the batch before turned out so good. I think I’ll try opening the jars and cooking it a little more and then re-canning it with new lids. Don’t know if that will work, but there’s nothing to lose since the jam isn’t much good as it is.
Last Thursday I saw Dr. Feilmeier at the Kearney Eye Clinic. It was just a follow-up. I have to see him at least every three months until I get my surgery. I was only there for a few minutes, and he told me I was at the top of the list and something would probably happen in the next couple of weeks or so. That’s fine, but it’s very similar to what they told me at the end of June so I won’t start holding my breath just yet.
Last Sunday (I think) evening, Lion Lady came out to the house for a bi. She’s still trying to get her club to help us with some of the medical expenses. She got copies of the bills already incurred, and some other information to present to her group at their meeting which was on Tuesday.
In Audiobook Heaven news, I finished the awesome Battlefield Earth book that Galaxy Press sent me. Man, that book is great and they did a fabulous job producing it. I can’t wait to share it with everyone, but they say it probably won’t be released until next fall. A whole year! I’m still planning to take a break in November and December and have started ramping down the incoming books a little. I’m still enjoying the audiobooks a great deal, but what I kind of miss is going back and listening to some of my favorites again. I don’t do that much anymore because there are so many new books to listen to, but I’ll have some time to do that at the end of the year.
And I think that’s about all the updates I have right now. In a little over a week, Aunt LeeDel, Uncle Butch, and Uncle Marvin will be coming for a visit, so we’re looking forward to that. Until then, stay happy and healthy!

Romans 8:38-39 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Journal - Peaches, peaches, peaches

Well, it’s that time of year again. At the end of August, Bobbi let me know that her and Mike’s peach tree was ready to be plundered. Joni and I went out one afternoon and brought home about 60 peaches, the tree produces tons of peaches but they’re kind of small. The peaches were already very ripe so I got busy canning them up and ended up with about 2 quarts, plus enough for Joni to make a cobbler.
While I was canning, I got the idea in my head that I wanted to try making some jam, something I’ve never attempted before. I looked at a few recipes online and decided to give it a try. Since I didn’t know what I was doing, I started out with a small amount, about two cups of peaches. It was a good thing I didn’t use a lot because I cooked it too long, and by the time it cooled it was really hard. It tasted okay though. The Hard stuff was kind of chewy and reminded me of eating dried apricots or something like that. I thought that might make a tasty candy so I tucked that idea away for later.
Anyway, I knew the two quarts of peaches I had wouldn’t make a lot of jam so I asked Bobbi if the tree had any left. She said there were a few so we went back and got a few more. Also, Mom had offered to buy me a case of peaches from her store. They were on sale for a very reasonable price so we came home with lots of peaches.
The peaches from the store weren’t quite ripe yet, so I had to wait a couple of days before I could do anything with them. They were really huge though so I was hoping to get several quarts. After two more days of canning I had a total of 8 quarts.
There was a little left over so I also tried another small batch of jam. Well, this second batch turned out great! After it had completely cooled, the consistency was just right for spreading on toast, and it tasted very good. The first batch I had thought was too sweet, so I cut back on the sugar by half and I think that was about right. So I spent a couple of days eating toast and jam and enjoyed it quite a lot.
My first experience with making jam was fun and challenging. When you cook jam, the test to see if it’s done is to let it run off the spoon. They say it should run off in a single clear stream, but of course I can’t go by how it looks. Instead I have to go by how thick it feels as I’m stirring. I’m guessing each batch will come out a little different, but hopefully I’ll be able to come up with several good jars of peach jam
This morning I tried my third batch, a larger one this time with a full quart of peaches. I was happy to find that each quart will make four small jars of jam, about twice as much as I had thought it would make. I canned three jars, and put the rest in the fridge to eat right away. As I’ve been typing this, I’ve heard two of the three jars pop so wish me luck!

Jeremiah 17:10 "“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
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Matthew 3:10 Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Journal - Fourth of July

On Friday, we all got together at Bobbi and Mike’s house for our Fourth of July celebration. We had it a couple of days early because Kylie is leaving for Camp Merrill on Sunday. Gathered at the house were Mike, Bobbi, Brian, Elliott, Brandon, and Kylie. Mike’s parents, Cliff and Francey were there, and Bobbi’s and my mom too. Cliff’s sister Marsha came over, and Mike’s sister Elaina with her husband Greg. Also there was Mike’s step-daughter Courtney, and her two little girls Samantha and Hannah. And, of course, Joni, Adam, and myself.
The weather turned out just about perfect. It had been a hot day, and was still about 90 degrees when we left our house at 6:30. We all wore jeans because we were afraid the mosquitos would be bad, so I thought it might be pretty uncomfortable. But not long after we arrived, it started to cool down and it was a very pleasant evening.
First, we had supper. Mike had started up a good sized fire and we roasted hot dogs. There were also potato and macaroni salads, deviled eggs, and an orange salad that Francey had brought. That orange salad was very good and I found out it’s made with tapioca pudding and orange jello. Sounds gross, but it was good.
After that there was birthday cake. Samantha was celebrating her seventh birthday, and there was ice-cream cake for all. I didn’t have any cake because I had already eaten too much: three hot dogs and two helpings of everything else. I did manage to squeeze in a few toasted marshmallows later on though.
After all the food was put away, we sat outside talking until it was dark. Then the fireworks began. Brandon, Kylie, and Elliott brought out a rather large box of fireworks and put on quite a show.
It was a very enjoyable evening. Lots of good food, good company, the weather was beautiful, and the mosquitos weren’t bad either. I think it was about 11:30 when we got home, happy but tired.

Hebrews 10:24-25 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. ESV

Journal - Another Christmas in the Bag

Well, another Christmas has come and gone. I just don’t know where the time gets to; the older I get, the faster the years go by. I had a really nice Christmas season though. Last year, Christmas kind of depressed me but not so much this year.
On Christmas Eve, Joni, Adam, and I wen to the candlelight service at our church in Kearney. I always liked candlelight services, they’re so beautiful, and I was a little surprised to find that not being able to see the candles didn’t bother me so much. It was a nice service; scripture readings and songs about Jesus’ birth. It was only about an hour long and I kind of wished it could have been a little longer. After that, we stopped at Burger King for supper, arare treat for us. We wanted Runza but they weren’t open, and the line at McDonald’s was huge.
On Christmas morning, I was awakened bright an early to open presents, then our whole family gathered at Brad’s house. He and Cindy put on a grandfeast with turkey and ham and all the good things that go with them. After dinner, we had our gift exchange and sat around talking for a while. Then we just came home and relaxed. Joni and I ended the evening listening to “It’s a Wonderful Life.” I downloaded the DVS version of the film, which is basically the audio track with a narrator describing the scenes in between lines of dialogue. That one was narrated by President George Bush Sr, an he actually did a good job of it.
Aunt LeeDel came down from SiouxFalls on the Monday after Christmas. On Tuesday she came out to hear my Christmas music, and Mom and Bobbi listened a second time. I’m glad I got to play again, I enjoy it a lot. I’m beginning to appreciate being able to use the gift God gave me to bring joy to others, instead of just enjoying it myself. Just one more lesson that God is teaching me through my blindness. Before I went blind, I didn’t really play very much.
So we had a good Christmas. I remember last year we got snowed in on Christmas day and couldn’t go anywhere. I’m glad that didn’t happen again.
I hope that you, reader, had a nice Christmas with your family as well, and I wish you all the best in the New Year.

Luke 2:15-20 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. ESV

Journal - Christmas Party

On Saturday the 18th, Joni and I had our Christmas party here at the house. We had a great time with lots of good food and good music.
We had a pretty big crowd. Brad and Cindy were here with two of their kids, DJ and Taylor. Bobbi and Mike came with all four of their kids, Brian, Elliot, Brandon, and Kylie. Mom was here too of course, along with the three of us. Fourteen people in all, which was four more than we had last year. It was great having so many people here. A lot of times I feel kind of put out with so many people around, but it doesn’t seem to bother me as much here in my own home. The kids got a little rowdy, but I loved every minute of it.
For supper, we had sloppy joe’s. Not very fancy, but very simple for a large crowd, and something that everyone likes. To go with that, Joni had picked up buckets of potato salad and macaroni salad at Walmart. Also Mom brought a veggie tray, a necessity for any gathering, Brad brought a crock-pot full of his famous baked beans, and Bobbi brought a cherry dessert that was simply scrumptious. The highlight of the evening was when Brandon dropped a whole sloppy joe on the kitchen floor. Haha! That made our dog, Sassie, happy. We had her locked up in the basement and she seemed to calm down after she got Brandon’s sandwich. It seemed like a ton of food, but we had surprisingly few leftovers. That was nice because last year we had a lot leftover and Joni and I were eating chicken fajitas for about a week after.
After supper and a quick clean-up, it was time for me to get out my sax. I was nervous, but not nearly as nervous as I was last year. The songs all went reasonably well, my only major screw-up was on the very last song, “Let it Snow.” I think because it was my last song, I let my guard down and I messed up on a part that I never really had any trouble with in my rehearsals. My toughest song this year was “Sleigh Ride” and that one went pretty well. My favorite song to play was “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” and I was very happy with how that one turned out. The big hit of the night seemed to be “Breath of Heaven (Mary’s Song)”. I kind of expected that, it’s really a beautiful song.
After that we sat around and talked for a while, and then it was over. I was kind of sad after everyone had gone home. I looked forward to the evening for several weeks, and then it was over so fast. I just sat for a while listening to Christmas music and trying to hang on to the warm feeling of having my family around me. That happened last year too, and the melancholy persisted into the new year, but I seemed to rebound a lot better this year. Aunt LeeDel is supposed to come down from Sioux Falls the week after Christmas, if the weather holds up, and I asked Mom if they would like to run out while she’s here so I can play for her. So I think we’re going to do that next Tuesday.
Anyway, we had a really great time, and I think everyone else did too. I can’t wait to do it again next year!
Oh, I almost forgot! It snowed Saturday morning and afternoon before everyone came. It was a nice gentle snow, without any wind, and it was just enough to cover the ground without making it difficult to drive in. That was the perfect touch, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas without snow.

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. NKJV

Matthew 1:21 She will bring fortha son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. NKJV

Journal - Christmas!

Okay, now that I got that unpleasantness off my chest, maybe I can write about something nicer.

November is here already! Last year at this time, we already had a lot of snow on the ground, and it stayed there all winter. This year, we have had the most beautiful fall. Just two days ago it was almost 80 degrees. Today was a bit colder, and it sounds like winter is finally on its way, but I sure can’t complain about the fall we’ve had here in Nebraska.

Now that November is here, that means my favorite time of year is right around the corner. Christmas! I just couldn’t help myself, I started practicing some Christmas music on November 2. Joni and I will probably have the family over sometime in December, like we did last year, and I want to play my sax again. I’ve already downloaded three or four new songs and have been trying to decide what to play this year.

I have a really challenging version of “Let It Snow”. It’s a nice jazzy version in the style of Michael Buble. That’s pronounced boo-blay, not bubble. I actually got that song last year but I ended up not using it. I also have a nice rendition of “Silver Bells” in the style of sax player Sam Levine. I wasn’t sure about that one, but after I played it, I liked it a lot. I really want to try playing “Sleigh Ride” this year, but that song is extremely difficult because it’s very fast, and it changes keys a lot. That one will take a lot of work. I also came across a very beautiful song called “Breath of Heaven, Mary’s Song.” That was written and performed by Amy Grant, one of my favorite Christmas artists. It’s one of those rare songs that has beautiful music, and beautiful words. I think I’ll post the lyrics here tomorrow. I also got a copy of Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas Is You”, another challenging song that moves along quickly.

So I have my work cut out for me, but as always, I am very excited about it. I have always enjoyed playing Christmas music more than any other kind. I’ve been practicing in the afternoons, while Joni does her cleaning. She has already begun her nook and cranny holiday cleaning of the house. Now we just need to decide what to feed everyone. I was thinking of getting several boxes of cereal and having kind of a breakfast cereal buffet. I wonder if everyone would mind that. We’ll have to think about that.

Journal - Peaches

On Friday, Bobbi called me and said their peach tree was overflowing with peaches and asked if we wanted to come pick some. So we did that Saturday morning. We came home with about 5 dozen, although they were small because the tree made so many. I decided to try canning them, which I have never done before. We’ve been saving glass jars for recycling, and I always wondered if they could be re-used for canning. I mean like pickle jars, or spaghetti sauce and things like that. I asked Mom, and she said they probably wouldn’t work, but you know me, I had to try it anyway. So after we got home with the peaches, I tried an alfredo sauce jar. I cleaned and sliced 10 peaches which turned out to be just enough for the pint-sized jar. These peaches, by the way, are incredibly sweet and juicy. I heated the sliced peaches on the stove and then Joni put them in the jar piping hot. After a couple of hours, the lid popped and the jar was sealed! It looked like my experiment was going to work.

That evening, I decided to do another jar. I cleaned up 10 more peaches and put them in a jar, but that jar never sealed so I had to put them in the refridgerator. Later on, Joni and I decided that the peaches hadn’t been as hot that time, and that’s why the jar didn’t seal properly.

So, Sunday after lunch, I tried some more. I cleaned up the rest of the peaches, about 30 this time. We made sure to get the peaches very hot before spooning them into jars, but alas, none of them sealed. My experiment was a failure. I did some reading online, and some people say that they use commercial jars all the time. Of course, there are other people that say you shouldn’t do that. For me, it only worked on one jar out of five.

So we had a lot of peaches that needed to be used right away before they went bad. I found a recipe for peach cobbler on the internet, and Joni made some Monday after supper. The recipe used two whole jars of peaches, the jars were smaller than I realized, only about two cups in each. The cobbler turned out pretty good, although it was not the best I’ve ever had. The dough was kind of plain. We still have three more jars of peaches, though, so we can experiment with more recipes. I also found a recipe for turnovers and I thought I might try that. All in all, it was kind of fun. It gave me something to do for a couple of days. And Bobbi and Mike’s tree probably still has peaches on it, so maybe we’ll go get some more.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Journal - Job Market

I’m still thinking about that lady from the Lion’s Club. One of my fears is that I’ll get my sight back and my social security will be cut off and then I won’t be able to find a job. Part of me was sort of hoping the job market would pick up a little before that happened.

Today, I called the SSA in Grand Island to ask how quickly my benefits would stop if I was no longer disabled. The guy I spoke to said my benefits would continue for nine months. Actually, what he said was that if I go back to work, any month in which I earn more than $720 counts as one month and if I earn less than that, the month doesn’t count. After the ninth month that I earn more than $720 then my benefits will stop. That kind of makes it sound like I can keep getting disability benefits forever as long as I don’t go to work. It sounds a little screwy and I don’t know whether to believe him or not. I’ve gotten so much mis-information and truth slanting over the last two years that it’s getting pretty hard for me to believe what people say. If he had told me that my benefits would stop exactly one minute after my surgery was complete, I would have believed that.

I am reminded once again that I need to keep my faith with God, and not on human beings. Only God can carry me through this, and no one else. I feel very fortunate that there are a few people here on Earth that I can count on to help God’s plan along, but ultimately He is the focal point.

Probably what I will do is make a couple more calls to SSA and try to confirm what I was told today. When it’s all said and done, this won’t be a deciding factor, but it would be nice to avoid a nasty surprise later on.

On an unrelated matter, my mouth is feeling pretty good today. I had quite a bit of soreness when I woke up this morning, but I took some Ibuprofen like the dentist said and I’ve felt fine ever since. Still taking it easy though, I’ve only eaten raviolis and mashed potatoes today. And Pepsi of course. I can’t wait to brush my teeth again, yuck!

1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Journal - The Dentist

Well, I had my dentist appointment on Wednesday. I had three bad teeth that needed to be pulled. I had been in to see him back in June and got some x-rays, so he already knew exactly what needed to be done. When I got there, I told him he could go ahead and do all three if he wanted to. I didn’t really think he would since they were on both sides of my mouth, but he just said “Okay, let’s do it!” I’m not sure I like how eager he was. He did a good job, though, and got all three of them in no time at all.

The whole thing cost $415, which was a bit less than I had expected. It’s a lot of money, but it’s always nice when something costs less than you expected. I have one more tooth that needs to be taken care of, but it’s closer to the front so I really want to get it crowned instead of extracted. That will be much more expensive so I’ll have to think about that. Once my mouth heals up it’s going to feel so good to have those teeth gone. They’ve been hurting for a long time.

After we got home, I laid down for a while and then Joni made me some mashed potatoes. I didn’t feel like messing with gravy so I just threw some cheese on them. Yummy!

Then, in the evening, the school bus driver stopped by. Adam is starting school in a couple of weeks and the bus driver said she likes to go around and meet everyone beforehand. I already know her, she goes to Mom’s church, but Joni and Adam had only met her once before.

So it was a pretty good day. I asked God for something good and He delivered; I got my teeth taken care of with no hassle, and it cost less than I expected. It seems like everything has been such a chore lately, and it was nice to get something done without a lot of run-around. Now if I can just find a job where I could make $415 an hour, I’ll be set!

1 Timothy 4:4-5 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

Journal - Father's Day

So yesterday was Father’s day. I hope all you Fathers out there had a great day.

My day was pretty good.. Before we left for church, Adam gave me a t-shirt that he bought with his own money. It’s a black shirt with all of the Marvel Comics superheroes on it. I was an avid collector of comic books for quite a few years so the t-shirt is pretty awesome.

After church we stopped by Walmart to look at dehumidifiers. We really need one for the basement, it’s so damp down there and keeps getting moldy. Walmart was all out of them. The lady said a lot of people have been buying them lately but they had some more coming in on a truck later in the day. Joni will have to look again when she does the shopping on Tuesday.

After Walmart, we stopped and picked up some lunch at Taco John’s. I hadn’t had Taco John's since coming back to Nebraska last year and I've really been wanting to. Since it was my choice yesterday, that's what I picked. We brought the food home and ate here.

After we ate, we drove into Gibbon to Mom’s house to borrow a mop bucket. We needed that for the basement which we are giving a thorough cleaning. We sat around Mom's for a while talking about the house she’s buying. This will be the first house she’s owned so she’s pretty excited about it. The rest of the family is pretty excited too.

It was about three o’clock when we got home from Mom’s and just as we were walking in the door my phone rang. It was Brenna calling to say happy Father’s day. I have to admit, I didn't think she would, although I was secretly hoping for an email or aFacebook message. A phone call was even better.

After that, I had to get to work on the basement. Saturday I had pulled everything out of the storage room down there. So Yesterday I scrubbed the walls and floor with bleach. Joni did some research and found out that bleach or vinegar are the best things for mold, and I sure didn’t want the whole basement smelling like vinegar. I couldn’t put the stuff back in the room afterward because the floor wouldn't dry. I ended up letting it sit overnight. Joni says it's dry today so everything can go back in there now. Then it will be time to tackle the main room which is pretty big.

After all that, I took a shower and relaxed for a while. Then I played my sax. I haven't done that for several weeks and it sure felt good.

Shortly before we went to bed, it looked like it was going to storm, but we only heard a few distant rumbles of thunder and then it cleared up. During the night we ended up getting two storms. The first was small, but the second one, at around four-thirty, was pretty loud. I still have some light perception in one eye so I can see the lightning flashes. It was going like a strobe light. The thunder was very loud and the wind came up pretty hard. I think I heard a little bit of hail too but not bad. I was pretty tired, though, and I fell asleep even though the storm was pretty loud. I like thunderstorms at night, just like blizzards, but I can do without the wind.

Psalms 103:13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

Journal - The Amherst Play

Last evening, Thursday, Joni, Adam, Mom and myself drove over to Amherst for the annual Amherst play. Amherst is a small town, just over two hundred people, northwest of Kearney, about a 45 minute drive from Gibbon. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the Amherst play, but that isn't what made the night special. The main attraction at this year’s play, a talent show in the style of the old Hee-Haw variety show, was my daughter,Brenna.

Brenna sang a solo, the second verse of “This Land is Your Land", and also played a solo on her violin. This was the first time I got to hear Brenna sing by herself and she has a beautiful, high voice. I don’t know the name of the song she played on the violin, it was kind of a country-ish fiddle-sounding piece. It's the third time I've heard her play and she is getting better all the time. In addition to those two parts, Brenna also had one spoken line where she delivered the punch-line to one of those silly jokes they were always doing on Hee-Haw.

It was an enjoyable evening, even though it was deathly hot and humid in Amherst’s little gymnasium. One of the highlights of the evening was when they sang the old favorite:

Where, oh where, are you tonight?
Why did you leave me here all alone?
I searched the worldover,
And thought I found true love.
But you met another and p-l-l-l-t, you were gone!

After the first sweltering hour, there was an intermission and we decided to leave since Brenna's parts were done anyway. Adam took some video on our digital camera so I'll be looking forward to watching that someday.

On the way home, we stopped at McDonald’s for some sodas and dropped Mom off at the shop where her car was getting some work so she could drive it home.

I had a good time. I love the small-town life.

Psalms 150:3-6 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!

Memories - Summer Vacation

Ah, summertime! School is out, and the kids have been turned loose upon the world once again. Of course, now that we are adults we don’t get a summer vacation, but how well I remember the golden summers of my childhood.

When I was in high school, I spent my summer vacations working with Dad on the farm. That was mostly irrigating since he never let me drive one of his tractors or trucks. By that time, Dad had all irrigation pipe so we didn't have to mess with those nasty old tubes any more. At the start of summer the pipe had to be strung out along the edge of each field, and in the fall it all had to be picked up again. It was hard work, but the memories are still good ones.

The summer vacations that stand out most in my mind came in the early 1980's. This would be the first couple of summers after my parents split up. Dad moved out and Kevin went to live with him soon after. Brad, being the oldest, had a summer job so he wasn’t around much. Mom had to go to work too so she wasn't around during the days. That left Bobbi and me to look after each other. Okay, I guess Bobbi didn’t really need to be looked after by then.

In the morning, there would be game shows on tv. The one I remember the most is “The Price is Right” with Bob Barker. In the afternoon it was "General Hospital." In those days, it was all about Luke and Laura. You couldn't get cable tv out in the country back then so there wasn't much to watch. For most of the day we had to find other things to do.

We always loved to bake chocolate-chip cookies. It seemed like we were baking up a new batch about every other day. Probably it wasn’t quite that often, but I would guess at least twice a week. I don't know why, but we never seemed to get very many cookiesout of a batch. That dough sure was yummy, though. I think it was around that time that somebody gave us the recipe that has vanilla pudding in the mix. That's the same recipe I still use today, and I suppose Bobbi does too.

When we weren’t baking cookies, Bobbi and I were usually playing games. I think that was when I first learned how to play solitaire. Of course, personal computers weren’t around yet, so we had to play the old-fashioned way; with real cards. I think that was also around the time that a friend of Mom's, Betty Gibbons, taught Bobbi and me a two-handed pinochle game. That was a lot of fun.

The game I remember playing with my big sister the most was Sorry! We would play game after game of Sorry! We would play with all four colors, blue and yellow for me, green and red for Bobbi. We played long tournaments of games that would go on for days and we called it "The Sorry Championship of the World." I have no idea who won most of the games, but we had a lot of fun playing.

It’s funny to think how easily we could entertain ourselves without computers or video games or mp3 players or cell phones. Just the two of us out in our little farm house, completely cut off from the world. Back then, a power blackout wouldn’t have been a very big deal. Except that the eggs would spoil and we wouldn’t be able to bake cookies.

Those were the good old days. The world is so fast and busy now. I’m glad I have these simple memories to look back on. I wonder what our children will think back on in another twenty or thirty years.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Journal - April Wrap-up

Well, April is gone already, along with the first quarter of the year. Where does the time go? I spent the last half of April working hard on my blog and trying to figure out all that affiliate stuff, but there actually were some other things going on. So it's time to catch up.

On the Monday before last, that was the 19th I think, Joni had a minor car accident. She hit a bad spot in the gravel road not far from the house and ended up in the ditch. It was a pretty big ditch though, and the impact was hard enough to set off the airbags. She and Adam both got whacked in the face pretty good. No serious injuries, praise God.

The damage to the truck was minor too. We took it to Brad’s house in Axtell the following Thursday for him to look at. He's a mechanic. He discovered that the radiator was cracked and had to be replaced. Also the front parking lamp assemblies were broken. I called the salvage yard for the parts and Brad did the work the following Tuesday. I think I’m off by a week, I know he didn’t work on it this last Tuesday. The accident must have been on the 12th.

Anyway, the day we went to the junk yard to pick up the parts, we took our aluminum cans that we’ve been saving ever since we moved here last April. We had 84 pounds, 42 dollars worth. I gave Adam twenty since he did all the crushing, and we spent the rest at Subway after Brad finished the work. We ended up going to Walmart after he was done so I could get a tire looked at. It was almost flat when we got to Brad’s, but it turned out to be fine. Since we had the car in anyway, I had them rotate the tires and change the oil, and we went to Subway while they were working on it. They have a Subway in Walmart so that worked out well.

What else? Last Saturday, the 24th, Brenna had a violin recital at a church in Kearney. We rode up with Mom since she wanted to go too. Brenna is becoming quite the violinist! It was a long program, there were about 25 students and each played a solo, but I enjoyed hearing her play. I hope she’ll stick with the violin. Music can add so much to life.

It has occurred to me that April is full of anniversaries. Let me see:
April 5, Dad’s birthday. He would have been 65 this year.
April 8, Brenna’s birthday. She became a teenager!
April 14, the 98th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic.
April 18, eighteen months since I quit smoking. A year and a half ties my record, let’s see if I can beat it this time.
April 20, the 11th anniversary of the Columbine High School shootings.
April 26, a double anniversary! One year since we moved to Nebraska, and it would have been Astri’s 6th birthday.

So I think that’s it for April. One month closer to football season!

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Dream Diary - Lost at the Pool

I had a really terrible night’s sleep last night. We went to bed at our regular time and I put on my headphones to listen to my audio book as usual. After a little while, however, my back started hurting. That happens to me once in a while. My back never seems to bother me during the day, just when I'm laying in bed. I got up to take some aspirin, but after I took them I remembered that the generic aspirin we get has caffeine in it. My back stopped hurting but I was wide awake after that.

I lay there for what seemed like a couple of hours listening to my book when I started to feel hungry. So I got up again and ate some Town House crackers, my favorite late night snack.

With my hunger taken care of I went back to bed. By then my back was starting to hurt again, but I didn’t want to take any more aspirin so I just lay there trying to decide if I should just get up. Pretty soon, Joni started to stir and she got up. I thought she was just going to the bathroom or something, but when I checked the time it was a little after six o’clock. That surprised me because I thought it was only about two or maybe three at the latest. Evidently I did sleep for a couple of hours without even realizing it. Also I took my headphones off at some point although I don’t remember that either. After Joni got up I put them back on. I started backing up my book to see where I had left off and sure enough I had missed a couple of hours. I decided to put the radio on then and I dozed until about nine o’clock.

In the hours between six and nine I dreamed about the swimming pool in Gibbon. The pool was different, though. It had a different shape and the surroundings were all different too. It was all surrounded by a tall chain link fence, though, just like in real life. I was trying to leave the pool but I couldn’t find my way out of the fence. I think the only way out of the fence was through the pool house where the showers are, but the building was like a maze inside and I just couldn’t get out. I could see my car through the fence, it was the red Probe I drove years and years ago, but I just couldn't get there.

The rest of the dream is mostly faded away. I have a vague impression that I did finally reach my car, but it turned out to be the wrong car. Like, I had thought it was mine, but it turned out not to be.

I think I mentioned this before, but I seem to have a lot of dreams where I am lost. No surprise there, I do kind of feel lost a lot of the time.

Well, anyway, I didn’t feel groggy and miserable today like I thought I would so that’s good. I didn’t work out today, though. I didn't have that much energy and I was afraid it would aggravate my back. I should sleep good tonight, I’ve never had back pain two nights in a row before.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

Journal - Sunday

Sunday was a pretty good day. We went to church as usual and had kind of a special treat. We had a minister from the African Congo visiting. Our church is very active in the Congo, sending money to support missionary efforts over there, and also sending people from our own church to volunteer. Anyway, that minister, who’s name I cannot pronounce, gave us a short sermon in his native language while his interpreter translated for us. It was interesting, and it really drove home the fact that people are really the same all over the world. His sermon was no different than what you might hear in your own church.

After church, we came home for a quick lunch of bacon and French toast, one of our favorites, and then it was off to the new school in Gibbon for a play. Bobbi’s stepson Elliott had one of the leading roles in “Oklahoma", and he really did a great job. That was my second play as a blind man and sometimes it's hard to follow the story, but I enjoy the music. The new school has a nice little auditorium, which we never had at the old school. We always had to use the cafegymatorium for everything.

It was about 4:30 when we got home. It was a really beautiful day. I’m not sure what the temperature was but it was the first time I really enjoyed going outside since last fall. When we got home I actually opened up a couple of windows in the house and the air and sunshine coming in felt wonderful. We grabbed a bite to eat, then I took my shower and started waiting for the game to come on.

It was the big game between Nebraska and Kentucky in the sweet sixteen round of the playoffs. It was the last basketball game of the day and wasn’t schedule to start until 8:30, but the previous game between Oklahoma and Notre Dame went into overtime, so Nebraska started late. It was a little after nine when it finally tipped off.

Well, it was another exciting game. I have to admit, I didn’t really think theLady Huskers would have too much trouble with Kentucky, but Kentucky really came out fighting. The score was pretty much even through the first half, but then Kentucky rallied and finished the half with a ten point lead.

The second half was all downhill, with Kentucky pretty much controlling the game. They extended their lead to nineteen points an the Huskers just couldn't seem to do anything. I began to lose hope. With just a few minutes left in the game, with nothing to lose, Nebraska began to fight. Kentucky's nineteen point lead dwindled down to seven. But the rally came too late. The final score was Kentucky 76 and Nebraska 67. I never really got the impression that Kentucky was the better team, itt just wasn’t Nebraska's night. All of Kentucky's shots seemed to fall in, and all of Nebraska's seemed to fall out.

And so, the magical season ends. It’s a bitter disappointment after coming so close, but I'm really proud of our basketball team, as I'm sure all Nebraskans are. Good luck next year!

2 Timothy 2:15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

Blind Observations - The Golden Rule

Golly, I hope I survive being blind. I’ve had more bumps and bruises in the last year than I’ve had since I was a kid. Sometimes I forget to be careful, or I get impatient and try to hurry. The bathroom in our house here is kind of small and I’m always having trouble in there. It’s sort of a tight squeeze between the end of the shower and the sink. Some previous owner put in a larger bathtub/shower I guess. I’m always bumping into the sink with my thigh or my knee. Sometimes I bang it really hard and I think, "That's really going to hurt tomorrow” but it usually doesn't. On the other hand, one day I woke up and my knee was sore, but I couldn’t remember hitting it. It was sore when I woke up and by that afternoon it hurt so bad I could hardly walk on it. It was better the next day, but I never did figure out what happened to it. I also have a burn on my hand from last week. I was cooking some eggs and spam. I burned my hand, but the eggs were perfect! I guess I’ve always been a little clumsy.
Then, just last week, I was in the bathroom and I leaned down to put something in the trash. I didn’t realize I was standing so close to the wall and I banged my face into the towel rod. It gave me a cut right across the bridge of my nose. And just a few days ago,I did the same thing in the kitchen. I tried to put something in the trash and was closer to the refrigerator than I thought I was. Whack-O! Right in the face, and another cut on the bridge of my nose. I had my sunglasses on that time which is what cut me. Yes, being blind means being careful at all times. Getting impatient will get you in trouble every time. I guess that’s kind of true even for sighted people, isn’t it?
I wanted to talk, just for a moment, about the proper way to treat a blind person. Or any type of handicapped person for that matter. Does anybody know the proper way? Here’s an example:
Joni and I went someplace one time, and there was a lady there who said to Joni, “Would he be more comfortable sitting down?” Wrong! That offended me on so many levels I can't even tell you. If you want to ask a blind person a question, just ask them. Also, if a person is blind, it doesn't mean the rest of their body doesn't work right. My ears are just fine, and so are my legs and feet. I know, I know, I’m being too critical. She was just trying to be nice and I’m overly sensitive. All true.
So what’s the proper way to treat a blind person. After all, you probably don’t encounter very many blind people in your daily life and you don’t get much practice, right? Well, you don’t need any practice at all. Just treat them like people. That’s all any of us want isn't it?
Okay, here’s a little practical advice. When you see a blind person coming along, you can give them a little extra room. Sometimes it's fun to hit people with our canes, but then again sometimes it makes us feel awkward. If you want to shake hands with a blind person, reach out and take their hand. You can’t just stand there with your hand out, that makes us feel awkward too. If their hand is on their cane just ask “Can I shake your hand?” I’m guessing most blind people will be agreeable to that. And for heaven's sake, don't try to hide from a blind person. There are always those who will hug a wall and try to be as silent as possible when a blind person comes into the room. We can’t see you, but we can feel you and that’s just plain creepy. And it’s polite to hold the door for a blind person, just as it is polite to hold the door for someone who can see.
I mentioned this yesterday, but it goes along with my topic today so I will mention it again. If you’re really interested in seeing the world from the perspective of a blind person, check out”In The Center of the Roof.” Ro has been blind for a couple of years now, I think, and is a lot better at describing it than I am. She just went through the lengthy process of getting a seeing-eye dog and documented every step which was pretty interesting.
Okay, I’m done griping for today. Everybody who reads this will probably think, "Wow, blind people are really grouchy." I hope that’s not the case. Handicapped people just don’t want people fussing over them or treating them differently, that's all.

Luke 6:31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

John 9:1-3 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life."

Memories - Grandma Gladys

When I was a child, I had the good fortune to have not only my four grandparents, but also two great-grandparents nearby. Grandma Gladys was actually Great-Grandma Gladys, but we always just called her Grandma Gladys. She was Dad’s grandma, the mother of Grandpa Meril Dean. As with Grandpa Howard, who I have written about previously, Grandma Gladys died when I was still pretty young, so I didn't know her as well as I would have liked. There are a few things I remember, though.
The first thing that always comes to mind when I think of Grandma Gladys is her sugar cookies. She made the most wonderful sugar cookies I have ever eaten. She made them really big and they were always kind of flaky and crumbly and oh so delicious. I asked Brad and Bobbi what they remembered most about Grandma Gladys and they both mentioned the sugar cookies right away.
And not just cookies, it seemed like everything Grandma made was especially good. I remember her apple butter very clearly too. I loved her apple butter so much that she used to give me my own little jar. I also remember kolaches, round pastries with a dollop of pie filling in the center.
I have one memory that stands out very clearly in my mind. Bobbi and I had just gotten new winter coats. I think we were just on our way home from the store and we stopped at Grandma's house, which was on the way. It was still late summer and quite warm out, as I recall, but we had new coats and just couldn’t wait to wear them, also we wanted to show them off to Grandma. So we walked into her house wearing winter coats and short pants. Grandma said something like, "You're wearing coats and have your bare butts sticking out.” That was just deliciously funny to me and Bobbi, I think Mom even got a chuckle out of that. I don’t know why that scene stands out to me, probably because of the bare butt thing. You know how kids are.
The other things I remember about Grandma Gladys are jus fragments. She wouldn’t let you sit too close to the tv, and she always called the couch a davenport. That word always sounded so strange and exotic to me as a child. Grandma used to let us drink coffee which made us feel very grown-up. Of course it was really just a cup of milk with barely enough coffee in it to turn it brown. If you were feeling poorly, Grandma would press her lips to your forehead to see if you had a fever. That was always nice, Mom had to use a thermometer for some reason. Crazy new-fangled things anyway.
And the peacocks. There were two or three peacocks roaming freely around Grandma’s yard. I have no idea where they came from, they're hardly native to Nebraska, and I have no idea where they went after she died. They just kind of disappeared. It was always a special treat to pick up a peacock feather whenever they lost one.
Bobbi reminded me of the cracker barrel that always sat on Grandma’s counter. It was just a plastic container that said “cracker barrel” on the side and had a white lid. It always had crackers in it and was never empty. Bobbi also mentioned something that I never really thought of before. She said Grandma always wore dresses. I never thought much about it, but I think that’s right, Grandma never wore pants.
Brad actually surprised me a little when I asked him about Grandma Gladys, but I should have known. Brad is the oldest of us four kids, seven years older than me, and naturally would have the clearest memories. Where I was only eleven when Grandma died, Brad would have been eighteen. Here's what Brad had to say:
“Boy, I loved going over to grandma's house. I even rode my bike over there sometimes just to hang out. It seemed like she was always cooking. It didn't matter when you went over, it seemed like she always had her apron on in the kitchen. Of course, everybody remembers her sugar cookies. I remember she used to give me coffee to dunk them in but that's all I did. I couldn't drink it. I always hated the taste of coffee, even with milk. She taught me how to play pitch. I loved going over with dad in the mornings after irrigating when everybody was there. It seemed like everybody came over after the morning chores. Dad, Grandpa MD, Tom Mercer, Craig Nutter, all sitting around, drinking coffee and eating cookies or coffee cake. Those were the good ole' days.”
Those are pretty neat memories and I kind of envy Brad for them. I had forgotten about the card playing, the Brandt’s were always card players. You could always find a few decks in the coffee table drawer.
Gladys Opal Brogan was born on July 13, 1893 in Surprise, Nebraska. She married Grandpa, Albert Henry Brandt, on August 6, 1920, and she died on March 10, 1982 in Kearney , Nebraska. She was a very sweet old lady and I wish I could remember her better. We never truly appreciate the wonderful things we have in this life until they are gone. I am so thankful for the few items I have to remember her by: her oil lamp, which always had red oil in it, the painted mirror that always hung over her kitchen sink, and one of her wooden spoons that looks like it got a lot of use. In her own small way, she played a part in raising me up into the person I am today. I hope she will be remembered by many more generations of our family.

Psalms 103:17-18 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children- with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

Psalms 79:13 Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.

Memories - Family Vacations

Ah, family vacations. We all love them, don’t we? Whenever we can afford to take them, that is. I remember the last one I went on. That was in 2003 I think, or maybe 2004. Joni, Adam, and I went down to Houston for a Labor Day weekend. We visited Johnson Space Center and Moody Gardens and stayed in a hotel and had a pretty good time.

That was a lot different than the family vacations we took when I was a kid. I’m talking way back in the 70’s, when Mom and Dad were still married. Dad was a farmer, as I have mentioned before, and we couldn’t go anywhere as long as he had to water the crops. So we waited for rain. It had to be a pretty good rain, too, so that he didn’t have to irrigate for a few days. When the rain finally came, we would put the topper on the pickup, hook up the boat, and head for Lake McConaughy, which is out east near Ogallala, Nebraska..

Mom and Dad would ride up front, and us four kids all rode in the back of the pickup with lots of blankets and pillows to flop around on. The tent, sleeping bags and coolers would all be packed in the boat for the trip. Those were such simple times. We didn’t worry about seat belts and air bags and crash test ratings, we just hopped in the back of the pickup, and off we went. If anyone tried that today, they’d probably be thrown in jail and their kids sent to foster homes. I don’t remember at all how long the trip to the lake was. I know it had to be at least a couple of hours, but we didn't mind. Getting there really was half the fun in those days.

Most of my memories of our camping trips are only fragments. There wasn't any one trip in particular that stands out in my mind. Our tent was blue and yellow and was big enough for all six of us. I remember the pitch blackness of those nights in the tent. I was afraid of the dark as a child, but with my family all around me, there was nothing to be afraid of. One memory fragment I have is of waking up in the middle of the night and feeling cold. I got up and carefully felt my way around for a minute looking for the pile of blankets. When I found a blanket and tried to take it, someone pulled back, so I think I gave up.

Those bright summer days of roaming the sandy shore of the lake seemed endless. The particular area where we always camped had kind of a little cliff with a long slope of sand stretching out in front of it. We used to climb to the top of the slope and then run down, or roll down all the way to the bottom. I kind of remember Brad stepping on a cactus there one time. I think Mom has some pictures of us rolling down that slope.

Speaking of pictures, I remember one picture that Mom has. It is of me holding a tiny little tadpole in my cupped hands. I only vaguely remember catching tadpoles where the water was very shallow. Actually, I think someone else caught the tadpole, maybe Brad, and gave it to me so Mom could take the picture. I was very young, couldn’t have been more than five. I think my hair was still mostly blond in that picture.

Of course, we would go out on the boat, too, but that wasn’t my favorite part of going to the lake. Dad liked to go fishing, but I never cared much for it. Also, Mom and the older kids would water ski, but I was too little. We had to wear those bulky orange life-jackets, too, and I hated wearing them. I remember one time when the boat broke down, and Dad had to call out on the CB radio to get someone to tow us back to the marina.

Just fragments. I remember Spam and squeezy cheese in a tube that we put on crackers or celery. I remember different flavors of Shasta sodas, we call it pop here in the Midwest. Those were special treats that we only indulged in at the lake, making our time there even more special. I can’t really remember what else we ate. I remember the little portable am/fm radio. Barry Manilow’s “Copa Cabana” was a big hit one summer, I remember hearing it on the radio at the lake. And sand, sand, sand. No matter how you tried, it just got into everything.

Our little family vacations sure were fun, and they always ended too soon. The saddest part was taking the boat out of the water because then you really knew it was over. “Just one more dip in the water? Please, Mom, please?” The answer was always "No.” Back into the pickup we went, and back home to the boring old farm.

Those were the good old days, all right. It’s tempting, sometimes, to wish for those days again, but that’s just not the way of things. God gave each one of us a unique past, and a unique set of life experiences. All of our lives He works to make each one of us a unique and valuable part of His plan.

We all have good memories, and bad memories. We should never wish the bad ones had never happened, because they made us who we are, just as much as the good ones did. Wishing for a different past is like telling God He made a mistake. He shaped each of us to perform a particular task, something that no other person on Earth can do. It’s our job to find out what that task is, and do it to the best of our abilities. And the greatest thing about God is that it’s never too late. As long as you are drawing breath, there’s still time. Make the most of it!

1 Corinthians 12:12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.