the new porch it is done!

After a year and a half we finally were able to get the screen porch finished. When we moved in it was 4 x 4’s and screens. There were some very crude storms made with Plexiglas but the frames holding them were rotted and the Plexiglas cracked. They were unusable. Macy and I use the porch a lot to be outside but not all the way outside. We had someone lined up to do it for a year and a half ago but he called the day before he was to start and told me he needed a whole lot more money even though he quoted the job. I refrained from cussing at him but told him that was unacceptable and so a year and a half later I finally found a friend of a friend who would do the job. The original dimensions and three of the 4 x 4 frame members were kept. I had purchased the windows and door for the original attempt.

Now Macy and I have a much nicer set up. There is a lower windowsill for her to sit on and keep track of what goes on in the backyard. It has been very frustrating as I have lost mobility and capability. I now have to depend on others and communicate to them what I need. Very very frustrating for me and the people involved. I need a lot of grace to deal with my own frustration and the frustration I cause with my poor communication methods. I spent years making drawings to communicate and now I am forced to verbalize everything.

My first power chair and the kitty who thought it was hers!

The attached shows Macy and I from 2011. That was when I got my first power chair. I could still get in and out of the chair without help. I could still walk a little bit with my cane but I use the chair quite a bit. Whenever I got out of the chair she would get on it as if it were hers. She would not get off of it unless I sat on top of her and forced her off. When I did that she was very indignant.

When I got off and let her on it she would rub her head against me with affection. Pretty hard not to love this kitty!

Luke's Gospel

Today I finished reading and listening to the Gospel of Luke. The 24^th and last chapter is easily my favorite. Every time I read it I find a new blessing. Today I noticed two times the risen Christ expounded on the scriptures.

The first was to the two discouraged people on their way to Emmaus. He walked with them, dine with them, chastised them and then expounded store their hearts burn within them. I try to imagine that “sermon” from Luke 24:27. “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. This brought a complete U-turn on their part reference first 33. “And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem”.

Then later in the gathering of the disciples he expounded them again how it was foretold he would suffer and be put to death and rise again. “And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,” Luke 24:44-45 KJV

I’m always blessed deeply by these beautiful words.

Yesterday is gone

Yesterday my shoulders and arms were very tight and this causes my hands to close up like a ball. I was not able to use my PC at all yesterday because of this. I had hoped to post something on my blog but didn’t because of that.

Today, I can’t remember what I was going to post. That is one problem with MS. Forgetfulness above and beyond what is normal for my age group. Last week I thought of half a dozen things for future posts. This week I can remember none of them. MS is pretty annoying.

Since I’m in a complaining mood I will share other things about MS. I have given up quite a number of things. Jogging, biking, kayaking and going for walks are a few of them. I can’t say I really miss those a lot. The thing I miss the most is cooking. I was really getting into grilling and smoking meats. Now MS has made that impossible including cooking on the stove. I really enjoyed making dinner and miss that significantly.

I don’t miss work very much. I miss the camaraderie. I miss solving real-world problems and using math to solve them. I never really liked made-up problems in school. I enjoyed solving real problems.

I always enjoyed Paul Harvey and his daily broadcast. He had such an enjoyable way of telling a story and then filling it in with the rest of the story and put everything in perspective. With this in mind I should tell how I have gained in some areas due to my MS.

I’m very well cared for and my wife and sons have become an even bigger part of my life. Their love for me makes my heart swell. I have gained new friends and met people that I never would have without MS. We live in a house whose location I enjoy more than any place I’ve lived. Again without MS we never would’ve look at this house.

Of course if I can go back in time I would choose my health even though the emotional and spiritual lessons I’ve learned exceed everything I’ve lost. The Bible tells us to “rejoice in tribulation”. I wish I could say that I do that but to be honest I know myself well enough that I would choose to avoid this trial of health loss.

Sheri, My Story

 July 2014 was the last time I worked. Due to a progressive disability I could no longer function in a work capacity. In December of that year Sheri contacted my wife, to see if it was okay if she brought her fifth-grade Sunday school class to sing me Christmas carols. It was supposed to be a surprise but Janette knows how growly I can be so that morning she told me what to expect. I looked forward to the visit and was not growly about it at all. Of course she never knows so I’m glad she told me.

They showed up a little after lunch. Sheri and a friend of hers brought four little singers with her. I was greatly touched by their concern for me and their thoughtfulness. Their singing was very uplifting. Afterwards I had the joy of discussing with Sheri her faith and trust in the Lord Jesus. We specifically discussed how wonderful it is to know how things will be in the future no matter what they are currently.

While Sheri was my coworker for quite a number of years our paths rarely crossed. When they did our discussions were always about her husband, her stepson Ben and her two dogs. Her love for them was very clear. Now Sheri lies in a hospital room, fighting to continue as a wife, stepmother and a very happy dog owner. We pray for her healing and restoration. While we pray for this we know deep in our hearts, Sheri’s eternal future is set. It is good to know her final place will be with Jesus.

Another Macy and Atlas post

We were privileged to have a visit last weekend from Tom and Atlas. Macy is getting more used to him as you can see from this photo. When he jumped up on the bed she did not run. When he went over to sniff her she hissed and batted his nose but she was comfortable enough that she never got up. She just lay there battling him and when he turned away she stayed there. When he left she got up and went down the hallway to see what he’s doing. The best way to make a cat curious is to ignore them

Politics

ESPN often has a segment called “come on man”. There is an implied “you gotta be kidding me” following it. I see things in politics that I feel this way about. I am neither Republican nor Democrat, and find good things and bad things in each philosophy. This polarization in politics is difficult for me to reconcile. You are either one or the other and have to deal with anger from the other side. That being said I need to say that I’m neither for nor against the individuals mentioned here.

Hillary Clinton criticized people who make 300 times the average annual salary of a worker. I asked what Bill and Hillary have for net worth. The answer was approximately 120 million. Doing the math I come up with $400,000 as 1/300. So if you have $400,000 in your 401(k) you are in this group. To this I say “you gotta be kidding me”. Aren’t the Clintons in the same privilege group that Hillary criticizes?

Donald Trump seems to do nothing but mock and criticize others. I have worked with people like Donald Trump. They mock and criticize everyone else but if they are pressed for an idea of their own they never have any. Oftentimes they say that’s not my job. Pretty worthless and I say “you gotta be kidding me”.

These people are politicians and as such talk for a living. Mostly their talk is cheap and I don’t expect much more than we get from them. I have been reading in the book of Luke lately and it made it to chapter 20. Jesus said “render unto Caesar the things that be Caesar’s”. As a Christian in a democratic republic that the United States is today I do not find it easy to settle on a position. We have many freedoms as Christians and so the level of responsibility of walking in this world and it’s seemingly crazy politics can only be guided by prayer, reading the word and trusting in the Savior.

Football Dog

Here is our favorite football fan. He has a new football toy. He also has shoulder pain that the doctors cannot find what is wrong. He has had an ultrasound, MRI and exploratory surgery. He has been to quite a number of vets including one that was experienced in chiropractic (they found nothing worthy of chiropractic) and so far none can find anything.

His pain is where his front left leg meets his shoulder. I would suspect an attention limp but he is clearly in pain if this spot is even lightly touched. We are very frustrated and this pain limits his fun of chasing balls and fetching. Please pray for this Pup, he is only-year-old and much too young to be immobile.

Thank you for your kindness and God bless you

Macy and Atlas

This photo was taken last week. Some looked at it as progress on Macy’s part. It was one of the first times she would tolerate being in the same room as Atlas. This is true but also I see in it that she is giving him the cold shoulder cat treatment.

Turning her back toward whatever offends her is how she deals with things. Over this last weekend, four different times, Macy was forced to be close and greet Atlas. One time she was held close to Atlas so that she realized he was no danger and really liked her. While this went on she looked at me with pleading in her eyes and I only laughed. She was pretty mad at me yesterday and sat with her back to me most of the day. This let me know she was angry with me. Today she’s been much more cuddly. I guess she is getting over her anger.

I realized some time ago that this is how I tend to deal with bad things like my MS. I try to proceed as normally as possible and ignore the monster in the room. When I can no longer ignore things then I pray. I usually pray for grace to deal with the negative. Occasionally I have asked to be free from the symptoms but usually I just asked that I learn how to deal with them. There are probably better ways to handle things but this is how I am.

I hope this post finds you well and in good spirits. God bless you.

Atlas and the couch

This photo shows Atlas and

his method of getting the best spot on the couch. That is not his intention but it is the end result. Very few people enjoy a 70 pound dog on top of them licking their face. His greatest desire is that somebody would stay there and cuddle him. He thinks he’s a little lapdog.

Tom and Atlas

 Tom and his Year old Labrador coming this weekend. It Is my mother-in-law's 80th birthday party. Shes getting a kayak. I guess 80 is the new 60! This photo is of  Atlas  on the couch. He loves this spot and has a unique way of making it his. If someone sits there he climbs on top of them and affectionately licks their face and ears.

My enjoyment of the Gospels

I thought I would elaborate a little about a previous post. It pertains to the Gospels and how much I enjoy the book of John and the book of Luke. As I said before John presents Jesus as the son of God and Luke presents him as the perfect man.

I will need to share a little of my background so it is understandable how I feel about the Gospel of Luke. I had a pretty normal childhood until the age of 10. That was when my mother passed away suddenly and left behind my father, a sister one year older than me and my little brother who is nine years younger than me. Long story made short is that from that moment on our lives
had many twists and turns. Due to this we moved around a lot. I started over in numerous schools in what I would consider my formative years. Each time it became harder and harder for me to adapt. It is always difficult being the new person in school or neighborhood. Without going into great detail suffice to say I was bullied very regularly and as a consequence I withdrew socially. Years later I found I had very few social skills. Fortunately my wife saw through my shields and loved me anyway. Eventually I hope add my full testimony to this blog.

When I was in my 20s I finally got to the book of Luke. It spoke deeply to me and while it showed me how far away I was from a standard dealing with people, Jesus behavior and example became very special. I found a standard of perfection that was beautiful to behold. I have always enjoyed the book of Luke because of this aspect.

The Gospel of John presents Christ as the son of God with power. I read in the first chapter of John these words:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…
John 1

These verses shouted out to me and that had a power that I couldn’t deny. I have abbreviated the passage, there is much more in this chapter but I pared it down to the most dramatic to me.

Macy and the dangerous closet

The Bible tells us “his mercies are new every morning”. I am so glad for this. Even without the disease there have been many nights where I went to bed mentally exhausted. On these I look forward knowing that the next day would start out with his grace and mercy yet again.

I have to tell you about my silly kitty. Whenever she can get in the bedroom closet she goes in there. She acts like it’s the most amazing place she’s ever seen and even though she’s been in there hundreds of times she is fascinated by it. All last night she got shut in there. My wife let her out about 930 when she got a shirt out of the closet for me. Of course she scolded us and acted as if she could have died due to our negligence. Silly silly kitty.

negative post

Today will be an example of why started the blog. Some things don’t seem appropriate to post on Facebook. I had a fairly bad weekend and yesterday (Monday) was pretty bad. I awoke to muscle spasms in my legs, back, neck and shoulders. My shoulders were tight and ached all day long. This made it hard to move my right arm and hand. This made it difficult to run my iPad and impossible to run my PC.

Today I awoke to similar tightness in my shoulders but was able to loosen them up with about an hour of stretching in my chair. I used to be able to stretch in a few minutes but now I suppose I will need to do much more each morning. Of course Macy was very snuggly yesterday. She seems perceptive of my moods and is affectionate when I have my bad days. I’m quite attached to her.

I wanted to share which books of the Bible I enjoy the most. I tend to bounce some back-and-forth between these books but still branch out occasionally to the others. My favorites are the Gospel of John, Gospel of Luke, Acts and Genesis. I was helped in my appreciation of the Gospels by the following descriptions:

Matthew presents Christ as the Messiah.

Mark presents Christ as the perfect servant.

Luke presents Christ as the perfect man.

John presents Christ as the son of God from all eternity.

 

I will share more later on this subject. Thank you for reading my blog and God bless you.