Monday, August 27, 2012

Family/Deaths/Hospital/Storm

Last Monday, Noel and I attended a release meeting for Mom at the Golden Rule Nursing Home.  I was shocked that they said she could go back to her apartment that day!  No problem!  Noel and I packed her belongings (along with her tons of birthday wishes) in his van and my car.  Mom is now home and very happy!  I must say, however, that she tries to be too independent at times.

Bill and I lost two very dear friends this week.  We learned that Jean Kerr passed away.  She and Walt were like parents to us when we were first married.  We met them at the small Baptist church when Bill was teaching music on the Arizon/Utah border.  Jean and Walt were from California, and were some of the few who were not Mormon.  Our kids would play with their grandkids in the summer on their ranch.  I look forward to seeing Jean and Walt in heaven again. 

Phyllis Gliori called on Monday evening to say that her mother had passed away.  Auda Anderson spent many holidays at our house.   She was a very pretty woman who loved to sing and spent many hours praying for her family.  We attended her funeral in Earlsboro on Saturday afternoon.  First Baptist Church was overflowing!  Her family (mostly from Irving, Texas) had nothing but praise for the woman who prayed for them and taught them the love of Jesus.  I remember Auda just sitting quietly in our house, smiling and sometimes singing.  She was always a "lady"!  We will miss you Auda, but we will sing together again in heaven.

I spent Tuesday morning at St. Anthony Hospital in Shawnee.  I was assigned to ICU.  I visited with 12 patients.  One black lady just glowed when I walked in her cubicle.  I could tell from her smile that she was a Christian.  She blessed me!  Another lady was surrounded by her family.  I knew when I walked in that they also were Christian.  They were eager for me to pray with them.  In contrast, there was a man who was very sour, and ordered me out.  Another man wasn't sure if he wanted me there or not.  I had to smile when his mother ordered him to let me pray for him.  The fellow told me he was an atheist and wanted to banter with me for awhile.  Before I left we were friends and he did ask me to pray for him.  I could feel the pain in his mother's heart and wondered how he could do that to her.  Every Tuesday morning, I eat breakfast with the other volunteers and we have a good time.

On Wednesday, my cousin, Sharon Bergeron Watson and her husband Marty drove here from Little Rock.  Marty is a pastor and Sharon manages the LifeWay Store.   Mom, Noel, Mark, Bill and I had dinner with them at Arrow Cafe.  I love the Indian Tacos.  Sharon and Marty were spending several days in Oklahoma City where Susan (her sister) lives. 

Most of my mornings are now spent grading homework for two GCU classes.  Bill grades the papers.  We have about 24 students and that keeps us both busy! 

Sunday morning, God answered our prayers.  It stormed for about 2 hours with plenty of thunder and lightning.  We opened the bedroom window and enjoyed!!  We have been in drought conditions and it was a welcome sight.  I think many people must have been thankful because our church was filled and the singing was great.  Christians in our neck of the woods are beginning to wake up to what is going on in our nation.  I just can't believe that President Obama would sanction gay marriage and vote 3 times in Illinois to allow partial abortion.  It sickens me to think how a doctor could partially deliver a baby and then finish it off!  If that man is re-elected, then our nation deserves the punishment that will come.  We can look at the history of other nations and see what happens when a nation turns from God and his words.         

Monday, August 20, 2012

Michigan Memories/Mom's Birthday

I'm writing this blog before going to a meeting at the Golden Rule Skilled Nursing Facility.  Mom has progressed to the point that she is ready to go back to her apartment with some assistance.  She was quick to tell me that she passed the mental test and achieved the highest score ever reached in that facility - 100!  On August 16th, she celebrated her 89th birthday.  Her room is covered with cards, balloons, flowers and gifts.  Her friends gave her a party and of course there was a big dominoe game.  That evening, Noel and Mark, Jason's family, and Bill and myself took Mom to the Delta Cafe for dinner.  Nine of us enjoyed home cooking and ended on homemade cobbler.  They gave Mom sugar-free apple.  Yesterday, Bill and I went to her apartment and set up her new microwave and toaster oven.  Noel and Janice gave her a new hot water pot to make tea quickly.  Bill also vacuumed due to the mess some workers had left after changing fire alarms. 

We had some wonderful downpours of rain this weekend in Tecumseh.  It made me think of Michigan again.  I enjoyed the grandkids so much!  While in Manistee, we all sat around the table and played Crazy 8s.  Kevin  taught us the proper rules, and Selah (4 years old) won the game!  Another day, after we finished  a lunch of grilled hotdogs, Hannah and Sofia stood near the table and sang solos for us all.  They both have beautiful voices.  Isaiah is only two years old, but can sing as well!  Keri and Kelli are great mothers and are teaching their children to use their talents and have confidence in the Lord. 

This weekend, Bill and I watched "Bourne Legacy" with Noel and Mark.  It won't get any awards, but it is action packed!  We were sorry that Janice had visited Shawnee while we were gone and we missed her.  We are praying that she can retire from the Missouri WorkForce Office in Springfield in the near future.  She is one of their top managers and they won't want to see her go.

It was good to be back to my Bible Study Class yesterday.  We had a visiting couple.  The wife is a teacher, and her husband is the vice principal of the Shawnee Middle School.  We talked about how the present administration of our nation is hastening the Lord's coming.  I use to wonder how the 666 could possibly rule.  The technology is in place, English is spoken everywhere, and the economy is becoming flattened. You can rule people when they have enough fear put into them.  We are already seeing Christians being mocked and rediculed for their beliefs.  The Prince of Darkness is blinding people and making them believe that they are doing the right thing.  I was shocked to hear a Christian say that abortion is fine if the mother can't support the baby.  Murder is never okay!  The answer is to stop having unprotected sex, and give babies to people who want them and can afford them.  Our church feeds children all over the world.  America buys enough dog and cat food to feed many children!  We have become very selfish people and need to change our priorities!  We just don't want to be inconvenienced.  I refuse to let the problems of this world take my joy away.  I have so much to be thankful for and I know that my blessings come from the Lord!  I pray everyday for my friends who do not know God personally and are hurting.  I can love the person, and not the sin. 


     

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Home from Michigan

It was wonderful to escape to the north country for a respite from the heat of Oklahoma.  We headed for Michigan early in the morning and arrived in Effingham, Illinois about 4 o'clock in the afternoon.  After a short nap in the Hampton Inn, we walked next door to the Lone Star Road House.  Just as we finished eating, a severe thunderstorm swept the county.  The wind was blowing rain at 60 miles per hour, and continued doing so for 30 minutes.  Needless to say, we got acquainted with many other travelers from all over the U.S. while we waited.  Some had come because the power went down in other restaurants across town. 

The next morning, the sun came out and we continued our journey north.  We arrived at Kelli's home in Grand Rapids, Michigan in time for a delicious grilled brot and pork chop dinner.  Caleb (16) and Hannah (15) kept us laughing with their stories about school and friends.  Caleb is on the varisty tennis team, and Hannah is Sophomore representative on the student council.  There are over 1,000 students in their high school.  Kelli stays busy being media director for Cornerstone University.  Grand Rapids has a national arts festival soon, and Kelli was interviewing top artists for the newspapers.

The following day we drove to Interlochen Arts Academy for the closing concert. At intermission, I wasn't feeling well and decided to sit outside.  I could still hear the music while looking at the tress and the lakes.  A 13 year old boy who was watching the family dog sat down next to me.  His family was from Chicago,and his sister was playing the harp in the orchestra.  His father was a former NASA rocket scientist and was in the process of being transferred to Virginia.  What I found interesting was that he was homeschooled because his family was Christian.  He had been taught that science and God were very compatible.

After the concert, we drove the hour back to Manistee where we had rented a condo at Harbour Village for the second year since selling our cottage.  It has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths.  The back side of the condo is on the yacht harbour, and the front faces Lake Michigan.  The grandkids love the huge beach with a playground.  Also, the complex has two swimming pools - one outside with a jacuzzi and one inside for rainy days.  We ate breakfast and lunch at the condo, and then went out for dinner each evening.  On Wednesday, we all went to the park and listened to a free jazz concert.  The group was from Lansing and had played with Ray Charles.  On Friday, Bill and I went to the Ramsdell Theater and saw the play, "Glass Managerie" by Tennesee Williams.  The actors were great!!!

We are home now and I will write more about that later.  Today is Mom's 89th birthday.  Her friends are giving her a party at the nursing home this afternoon, and family is taking her out to dinner tonight.  She will be going home soon and she is excited about that.  We have held her apartment for her.