Very fun Saturday!

On Saturday we were invited to a little three-year-old girls birthday party. Our son Tom has a married friend named Jarod and they have a little girl Emmalynn. Tom and Jarod have been friends since they were little. They used to play at our house a lot and that is why my wife and I get invited to her birthday party's. She is a sweet little princess and after having three boys of our own it is interesting seeing all the girly girly things.

We also know Jarod's family and he has two sisters, Megan and Ashley. They're both very pretty girls and they made me feel very welcome. They were very good at understanding my feeble speech and talked with me more than I expected. Such a nice family.

It's too bad Tom was away on Army travels or he would've been there too. If he had come he would've brought Atlas. Emmalynn calls him Achi. They have a dog named Gronk that is Atlas's best friend. They can't even say the word Atlas at their house. If they do Gronk starts running back and forth to the window then the door and expecting to see will his best friend. Instead they have to spell Atlas's name. It's pretty funny to see them play together. It's nonstop wrestling and fighting over toys.

Timothy Keller – more excerpts, one more post after this one

One of the things that made the Bible standout as truth was how it presented its heroes. I read it for a long time thinking all of these stories seem to allow things that I knew there were wrong. Then I realized the Bible was recording the good and the bad that these heroes experienced. Its honesty was something I had never found in religion. This particular passage is talking about the early church age. The apostle Peter specifically.

Hi - I'm reading "The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism" by Timothy Keller and wanted to share this quote with you.

The only plausible reason that all of these incidents would be included in these accounts is that they actually happened. Also, why constantly depict the apostles—the eventual leaders of the early Church—as petty and jealous, almost impossibly slow-witted, and i the end as cowards who either actively or passively failed their master? Richard Bauckham makes similar arguments about the depiction of Peter’s denial of Jesus, even to the point of his calling down a curse on his master (Mark 14: 71). Why would anyone in the early church want to play up the terrible failures of their most prominent leader? No one would have made such a story up, and even though it is true, Bauckham reasons that no one but Peter himself would have dared to recount it unless Peter himself was the source and had authorized its preservation and propagation.

Also:

"Why would the leaders of the early Christian movement have made up the story of the crucifixion if it didn’t happen? Any listener of the gospel in either Greek or Jewish culture would have automatically suspected that anyone who had been crucified was a criminal, whatever the speaker said to the contrary. Why would any Christian make up the account of Jesus asking God in the garden of Gethsemane if he could get out of his mission? Or why ever make up the part on the cross when Jesus cries out that God had abandoned him? These things would have only offended or deeply confused first-century prospective converts. They would have concluded that Jesus was weak and failing his God. Why invent women as the first witnesses of the resurrection in a society where women were assigned such low status that their testimony was not admissible evidence in court? 13 It would have made far more sense (if you were inventing the tale) to have male pillars of the community present as witnesses when Jesus came"

I am also reading in the Old Testament book of Judges. The following verses stood out to me because Gideon was so afraid he was hiding at night but God calls him a mighty man of valor.

“And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi–ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.” Judges 6:11-12 KJV

The Bible tells me "man looks on the outward appearance but God looks on the heart". There are so many examples of this it would be impossible to list them all.

Atlas says nighty night to Papa

While Atlas is here he comes in every night to say good night to me. It starts out with a hug. He puts his front paws on my chest and lays his head down. I can lift my right arm up most nights and rub his ears.
Then it turns into kisses. A slobber is all over my face and unfortunately I started laughing because it's so funny. Then he licks inside my mouth! Total gross out. Love this puppy, love hugs but could do without the kisses. Usually he lays there in bed with me sometimes up to an hour. I can't imagine a better dog.
While the puppy lays there next to me Macy comes in and lays down between my knees or sometimes she lays on Janette's pillow. She seems to have subdued this huge beast! She is pretty cagey that Kitty.

Latest book – Timothy Keller

Latest book – Timothy KellerThis is another excerpt from the latest book I'm reading. It gives some background info that I understand why Mr. Keller as such a good grasp of religion and Christianity.

Hi - I'm reading "The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism" by Timothy Keller and wanted to share this quote with you.

"I was troubled by those Christians who stressed hellfire and damnation. Like so many of my generation I believed that, if there was a core to all religions, it was a loving God. I wanted to believe in a God of love who accepted people regardless of their beliefs and practices. I began to take courses in the other major religions of the world—Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Confucianism, and Judaism. I have profited to this day from those studies. However, my explorations in other faiths proved me wrong on this particular point about the centrality of a loving God. I found no other religious text outside of the Bible that said God created the world out of love and delight. Most ancient pagan religions believed the world was created through struggles and violent battles between opposing gods and supernatural forces. I turned to look more closely at Buddhism, the religion I liked best at the time.

"its great emphasis on selflessness and detached service to others, Buddhism did not believe in a personal God at all, and love is the action of a person. Later on, after I became a minister, I was a speaker and panelist for several years in a monthly discussion program in Philadelphia between a Christian church and a mosque. Each month a speaker from the church and a speaker from the mosque would give a Biblical and Qu’ranic perspective on a topic. When we covered the topic of God’s love, it was striking how different our conceptions were. I was told repeatedly by Muslim speakers that God was indeed loving in the sense of being merciful and kind to us. But when Christians spoke of the Lord as our spouse, of knowing God intimately and personally, and of having powerful effusions of his love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, our Muslim friends balked. They told us that it was disrespectful, in their view, to speak of anyone knowing God personally.

Another Facebook Memory

Facebook popped up and two-year-old reminder today. It must've been a busy weekend because our niece Stephanie, brought over her dog Josie. Macy and Josie got along fairly well and Macy was not afraid of Josie at all. Maybe Macy wants a little doggie of her own!
I had PVC tubes on my wheelchair that I had hoped would help me get in and out of it easier. They didn't really help like I thought. They looked pretty cool like they were guns or something. I probably could've turned them into potato guns but I probably would've just gotten in trouble again!

Latest book – "The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism"

Latest book – "The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism

 I’m finding this book is really fantastic. I will try posting a few things from it but I would highly recommend reading the whole thing. It presents so many current questions people have in the answers them so well. I think I find this book so fascinating because in my late teens and early 20s I was a huge skeptic toward God and his son Jesus. I met many so-called “Christians” that were hardly examples of Christ. After I came to the Lord when I was 25 I still needed the skeptical questions answered. This book is fantastic!

Hi - I'm reading "The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism" by Timothy Keller and wanted to share this quote with you.

"At first sight, then, a relationship with God seems inherently dehumanizing. Surely it will have to be “one way,” God’s way. God, the divine being, has all the power. I must adjust to God—there is no way that God could adjust to and serve me. While this may be true in other forms of religion and belief in God, it is not true in Christianity. In the most radical way, God has adjusted to us—in his incarnation and atonement. In Jesus Christ he became a limited human being, vulnerable to suffering and death. On the cross," he submitted to our condition—as sinners—and died in our place to forgive us. In the most profound way, God has said to us, in Christ, “I will adjust to you. I will change for you. I’ll serve you though it means a sacrifice for me.” If he has done this for us, we can and should say the same to God and others. St. Paul writes, “the love of Christ constrains us” (2 Corinthians 5: 14)."

Start reading it for free: http://amzn.to/29x4ngb

Facebook Memory

I had this Facebook reminder yesterday. I think it said it was from two years ago. I tried to share it but my PC laptop and then it got lost when I rebooted. It shows Macy and her cousin Bella as a puppy. She is a Sheltie and Macy seemed very intrigued and liked her. That was very rare for Macy to like a dog. She either ignores them if they're small and died from them if they are big. I'm not sure how they would get along now that Bella is full grown. Maybe someday we'll find out..

MS Symptoms and Progress

This morning Facebook reminded me a year ago I posted that I've been off work for one year. That means I've been off work now for two years. I have to admit the disease isolates me and my wife. The problems getting around and dealing with a society that doesn't make it very easy for handicapped people to go anywhere are one thing. One of the things that isolates me the most is my difficulty speaking and being heard. If there is any background noise no one can make out what I'm saying. Many times I cannot even be heard in the same room with no background noise. Somehow my wife usually figures out what I'm trying to say but in a group I have to give up because it's too hard for anyone to understand me. Oh well no use crying over!
I was diagnosed about seven years ago. At that time the neurologist told me I would probably walk with a cane and wouldn't be in a wheelchair until after my normal retirement age. He admits now he was wrong. The disease has taken much more than he expected or I expected. Again oh well no use crying.
It has been 17 years since the first symptoms showed up. There was weakness in my left leg and I had trouble standing in my boat. Of course it was many years before he got bad enough to seek a doctor about it. My neurologist said that was the type of MS I have it didn't make any difference that I ignored the doctor for all those years. The type of MS I have is "it is what it is". No treatments, no meds. Physical therapy helped a little but really not worth the cost and the time. What little I gained I lost within a few months anyway. Again no use crying over it. Just have to move on and my wife and with our sons help. We Will muddle through.

Critters – Easy to Love

I have to admit I'm very attached to my sons dog Atlas. I also love my cat Macy. Yesterday I was treated very well by my critter friends. My wife has taught Atlas to give me a good night hug which is why you see in the picture. What you don't see is that he likes to give kisses too! I don't mind him licking my chin which he did last night but I don't like having my ear select or him sticking his tongue in my mouth. He loves to give kisses and it's hard not to laugh while he's doing it.
I'm not sure how many People are out there but they are different than dogs for sure. You can order a dog around but that does not work with cats. You tend to do what the cat want you to do because things just work out better that way.
I usually watch Jeopardy from 4 PM to 4:30 PM. After that I have to re-maneuver my chair to get my cup of water without spilling it. After I drink I have to put it on my leg because I can't lift it back up on to my table anymore. Yesterday at 430 Jeopardy was over and I was ready to get a drink. That's one Macy decided she needed to sit on my lap and she jumped up circled around at then lay down. Lately she is only spent 10 to 15 minutes like this so I thought Hodges wagers he gets up and then get my water. Of course cats usually do the opposite of what you want them to do. 45 minutes later she got up and I thought oh good I can get a drink. Wrong. She circled around and then lay down on top of my right hand. She put upon my arm and her head on my hand. Then she went back to sleep. She is so sweet when she cuddles like this so I just waited. It was almost 530 before she got up and I could get a drink again.
Gotta love my critters!

Tuesday Post – Not Much to Post

I've been reading a fantastic book by Tim Kellerman. I want to post some of the things I'm reading but it is a lot of work for my hand. Today I have been a chatty Cathy on Facebook so I'm low on Mojo.
I would say energy but with MS it so much more than just energy. It feels like gravity increases and everything is harder and harder. So today I'm just going to post that I've spent too much time on Facebook to do my job on my blog. I guess my employer will dock my pay, ha ha.
Take care reader and thank you for your prayers and thoughts.

Sad Choice - Liar or the Lunatic

Our current choices for president will be Clinton or Trump. I know many of you love one of these candidates but I do not. I thought the choice last election between Obama and Romney was one of the worst choices ever. The worst was the choice between Nixon and McGovern. Now the choice we have saddens me the most. I apologize to Hillary lovers but she is a liar. I believe she is not quite a criminal but very close as many people in power are.

The Donald Trump lovers are a different breed altogether. I'm sorry you're so enamored with him, I think he's a lunatic and always have. He would consult with himself because he's the smartest person he knows and he has a good brain. Are you kidding me if you worked with this guy you would hate him, what kind of hubris is this.

Today I see on the news there's been another police shooting and it is in Baton Rouge. I don't even think the blood on the ground is dry and Donald Trump is turning it into a political battle. He is blaming the current administration. What is wrong with this guy? He does not seem to have a single human emotion other than "I want what I want when I want it". Do you Trump lovers realize that people have been killed? Out of respect to those who have been killed mouths should be shut will for respectful interval.

All I can say at this point is "you gotta be kidding me"!

MS moods –Hopelessness versus Hopefulness

Wow – what a series of emotional swings we've gone through this weekend. Friday we got out and enjoyed music and the weather. Saturday woke up feeling totally hopeless. Of course my MS will never get better and only get worse. This means my wife has to do more and more and more for me as time goes on. I'm not working anymore so I can't contribute to my retirement which makes me worry. So Saturday, yesterday, was filled with anxiety and depression. We watched a movie in the afternoon called "Still Alice". In this movie the main character was afflicted by early-onset Alzheimer's. Is a pretty depressing movie. Then that night we watched "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot" we assumed it was a comedy but it turned out to be a dark comedy in a pretty depressing movie. So all in all Saturday was an awful day for both of us. I did get outside and enjoy the last of the nice weather for a while. We enjoyed having Tom's dog Atlas around but except for those two things yesterday was a total zero.

So Friday was a good day. Saturday was an awful day. Now it's Sunday and the gloom and doom of yesterday are totally gone. Nothing external is changed. When I get depressed I pray but it seems as if heaven is shut up to me. Of course I know God hears my prayers but yesterday there was no change in my mood. Now today, Sunday, my mood is totally different. I'm not sure why the big swings in mood other than my MS. I don't like the dark days I like the days like today where I feel Hopefulness. I'm not sure what my hope is because I don't expect anything extra don't change but I have a much better attitude. I can't say my heart is full but it is certainly more full than yesterday.

I don't post these things for sympathy but just to make people aware of this silly disease and some of the recurring symptoms. I hope to encourage others with MS that one bad day needs to just be forgotten about. Most days are not bad emotional days but I thought I should make people aware it is a common symptom of MS so that they might understand a little more. I can't say I really understand it but I struggle to maintain a good attitude and keep praying knowing my God loves me.

Nice Day at the Dog Park

We had a nice visit to the dog park. Carson, his grandma, the chocolate lab Chip and Carson's little dog Lucy joined us. Carson is quite the dog trainer and called each of them soldier. He could throw that dummy about 50 yards. Hard to believe he can throw that far. He wore Atlas out. Chip is getting on in years and seemed content just to trot around.
The weather was odd. It was overcast and breezy. Sometimes the breeze was chilly and then 10 seconds later the breeze would be warm. Very odd but no rain while we were there.
There are many other dogs that these three met while we were there. Too many types to list them all. I really enjoy seeing all the different breeds and mixes. I'm always amazed that these dogs get along so well. I have heard of people having bad experiences but so far we haven't.

Latest book I’m reading

I’m finding this book is really fantastic. I will try posting a few things from it but I would highly recommend reading the whole thing. It presents so many current questions people have in the answers them so well.

 Hi - I'm reading "The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism" by Timothy Keller and wanted to share this quote with you.

"At first sight, then, a relationship with God seems inherently dehumanizing. Surely it will have to be “one way,” God’s way. God, the divine being, has all the power. I must adjust to God—there is no way that God could adjust to and serve me. While this may be true in other forms of religion and belief in God, it is not true in Christianity. In the most radical way, God has adjusted to us—in his incarnation and atonement. In Jesus Christ he became a limited human being, vulnerable to suffering and death. On the cross," he submitted to our condition—as sinners—and died in our place to forgive us. In the most profound way, God has said to us, in Christ, “I will adjust to you. I will change for you. I’ll serve you though it means a sacrifice for me.” If he has done this for us, we can and should say the same to God and others. St. Paul writes, “the love of Christ constrains us” (2 Corinthians 5: 14)."

Start reading it for free: http://amzn.to/29x4ngb

Carson visits and Atlas loves it!

As I've mentioned before our son Tom is on Army business and is left his dog Atlas, with us for a month. One of my wife's sister's brought over her grandson, Carson, yesterday. Carson is a very nice boy and always make sure I am taken care of while he is here. He helped me get something to drink and then spent most of the time here talking with me. While this was going on his mom and my wife were outside. When they came in Carson started playing with Atlas.

He really put Atlas through the paces. Atlas loves fetching the ball. Carson made him sit and stay before he threw the ball. He kept getting louder and louder and referring to the dog as soldier. It was hilarious. I think he called him soldier because Tom is in the Army. Then later my wife wanted to get a picture of them together. She told Atlas to give Carson a kiss. His kisses are very wet and sloppy and it was hilarious. Atlas loved the attention and the kisses were just too wet and sloppy even for Carson!

A couple verses from Psalm 119

I’m going to finish up my thoughts from Psalm 119. There are a few miscellaneous versus that stood out to me that I want to share. This is the first one:

“How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalms 119:103 KJV

Most of God’s words are messages of love. Even the passages that demonstrate his righteousness and judgment are out of love. He only corrects those he loves. It was explained to me with this story. One of my children and another are down the street fighting. I break it up and which one do I discipline? My own child of course not the child that is not mine. The New Testament says those he loves he rebukes! To the child of God all of his words are sweet and I am so glad for his love for me and my family!

Another verse that stood out to me recently is this:

“Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” Psalms 119:89 KJV

This verse is comforting because it lets me know that there is a truth that is established in heaven and outside of my control. Call it absolute if you want but I find it comforting to know that God has settled things and my role is to learn them, accept them and put them in place in my life. Think about it, how troubling would it be to end up with a strong belief system but a belief in the wrong system. Paul says in Hebrews that those who run the race must follow the rules of the race or be disqualified, my paraphrase. He also states in another place that he can do "nothing against the truth but for the truth". Even the great apostle knew there was an unassailable truth and it was his charge to dispenses to the Gentiles which he has done.

So what I'm trying to say is that we need to seek God and he will reveal himself if we seek him earnestly and honestly. "Prove me now say of the Lord" is often mentioned in the Old Testament. Those with faith sought out the truth and truth seekers will find it through God's help.

Well I'm finished with Psalm 119 for the time being. I'm going to switch to Judges and read from there on of the historical books. Judges is a sad book in many cases. I'm not sure if I will be posting much but time will tell.

Furry Wake-Up Call

On the weekends I usually sleep past 930 which is the time my wife normally gets me up. Saturday I was sound asleep and felt somebody tapping my shoulder. I open my eyes a little bit and didn't see anything so I thought I was just dreaming will and went back to sleep. Maybe a little background is in order. My wife usually gets up for work pretty early and give me my morning pills. They are the same ones I get at bedtime but for some reason I have extremely vivid dreams after my morning pills. So it was no surprise to me that I dreamed somebody was tapping me on the shoulder. A little later there was more tapping and I open my eyes again, nothing there so back to sleep. This happened a third time and I to it's in my head to look down and found Macy with their Paul on my shoulder tapping me to wake me up. She needed her ears and chin scratched more than I needed sleep. It was pretty cute.
Sunday was even more bizarre. My wife and going to work at seven to oversee something and then come home and she went back to bed. This time may see was lying on my shoulder and she put her paw in my ear. I'm not sure if she was just cuddling me or trying to wake me up. Either way I ignored her and she went to sleep with her upon my ear. Later she got up, went around in circles and then lay down on my arm near my elbow. She put upon my arm and then went to sleep with her head on my elbow. Later on I woke up and she was still there. I looked at the time and it was after 1 PM. I'm not sure I ever slept that lay before but Macy is positive she is turning me into a cat!

Phil’s history - Omaha things I missed posting

I had a file pertaining to my upbringing in Omaha between the first post and the last one. I accidentally deleted it and so this is my attempt to re-create it. As I mentioned before we had a very good upbringing in Omaha. A loving mother and father, sister and many friends our age. There were numerous things I failed to mention because of the deletion of my file that I thought I posted on my blog.

As I mentioned before I don't remember very many bad things from that time. There are a few but they seem so inconsequential now. Dogs I was afraid of, getting yelled at by some teenagers when we were at the creek, and one in particular that stays with me even now. I was probably eight or nine and my dad bought me a BB gun. He hunted pheasants a lot and I got to go along sometimes. The BB gun was not very powerful. You could actually see the BB leaving the barrel. It had a lever action and you could only cock it once so you couldn't build up the force like you could with a pellet gun. It had a strange way of adding BBs. You had to unscrew the end and then slide this little tab against the spring and then add the BBs to that assembly, one at a time. It held about 50. Then one time when I was screwing the end back in I hit the trigger and shot my finger point-blank. It hurt but it barely broke the skin. From that I concluded this kind had very little force and was just good for plinking at stuff. I also mention the mulberry tree earlier. In this same field, quite a ways away, was a very large oak tree. It was so big and thick that there was nothing that grew underneath and it was an open area.

One day I felt very adventurous and hiked up to the big tree by myself. We thought it was so far away that we consider this a huge endeavor. When I came to the clearing under the tree I saw a robin hopping around picking at the ground. I had shot birds before and they just flew off with no damage. I drew down on this robin and pulled the trigger. I he hit the poor bird right in the eye and the BB went through and killed him. First I couldn't believe it and went up to the bird and tried to help him get up. Then I realized I had killed him. That was about 50 years ago and I still feel bad about that poor Robin. I ended up making him a grave, burying him and having a small funeral for him. I never tried to shoot another bird with my BB gun.

One other thing I had neglected to mention was the birth of my younger brother. My brother, Joe, was born nine years after me. He was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Omaha. My sister and I thought for a long time that he was named after the hospital. We wondered if everybody who was born there was named Joseph. My brother Joe was still a baby when my mom passed away. My sister and I did help take care of him but mostly my sister. Since he was a baby at that time I don’t have many stories that include him until later in life. My sister and I love him very much and were very protective of him. I’m sure I will continue this series of my history. To be honest it gets pretty bizarre after my mother passed away But those stories are for another day.

Atlas the Protector!

This morning I had a funny and entertaining interaction with Atlas. My wife leaves for work before 7 AM. I am here alone with Macy and now Atlas for a month. We got a notice from the city recently that they were going to flush the sewer system.
After my wife left for work I usually go back to sleep until she comes again to get me out of bed around 9:30 AM. Around 8:30 AM I was awoken by Atlas barking. After I was awake I kept hearing gurgling sounds coming from our toilet. Atlas came back and got on the bed with me and every time the toilet gurgled he would bark at it. When it stopped he would lay down close enough that I could rub his ears.
I realized he was protecting me from the toilet monster that he thought was coming to get me. It was quite entertaining. Now we know that if a monster comes out of the toilet or an alligator or whatever I am protected!

Phil's history – Omaha Religious Upbringing

While I was reading Psalm 119 this first reminded me of our Catholic upbringing.

“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments.” Psalms 119:176 KJV

Like a lot of Catholic families we had a wood carved crucifix in a prominent place. We also had a picture that fascinated me. It was of a lamb in a snowstorm with a shepherd dog protecting it. I was always fascinated by this picture and it was explained to me that we were like the lost sheep and needed a shepherd. Not much more explanation than that.

We were Catholic churchgoers and we went more than just a Christmas and Easter but I'm not sure if we went every week but we went a lot. My sister and I were fascinated by the stations of the cross on plaques around the church. We didn't really understand much of them but we knew the main parts of the symbology.

What I remember is that most of the service came to me as "blah blah blah blah blah". What stood out to me was the reading of the Gospels. This is done in the second half of the service and my sister and I were fascinated by these Gospel readings. Most of them had to do with people who needed healing. There were the blind, the lame, the halt, those with internal bleeding, a man near the pool that the angel healed people at and also the man on the pallet that was let down through the roof to be healed.

We would discuss these stories all the time. We would pretend to have the afflictions we discussed and we had sort of a list of the things rated by how bad they would be. The worst thing would be a quadriplegic, the next worst thing would be to be blind and then the rest were kind of lumped together. Until I got MS I didn't know what the "halt" would be. I think I qualified for that when I could still walk but then all of a sudden my left leg was stuck and unmovable.

We knew the Bible was a very large book and we could never figure out why they only read a few of the stories and left out the rest. What they read each year would amount to about a 10 page book but we knew the Bible was thousands of pages. When I became an adult and started reading the Bible myself it was in my mother's Bible which was a Catholic Doay version. It's writing was similar to the King James and was in old English. I started reading and found so much more than just a few gospel stories that were read each year at our church. I would encourage anyone reading this to pick up a Bible and start reading. I favor the King James but there are other translations that you might find easier and still are good translations. That would be the NIV, NASB and I'm sure there are others that I don't know about.

Looking back in my childhood I have almost no bad memories whatsoever. The ones I have were very mild compared to what I had to deal with later life after my mother passed. My sister and I were very close during those years and it's hard to believe the changes that we faced after her mother's passing.

My next installment will probably be the rehash of losing my mother and then my history will start up from that point. Thank you for reading my blog.

Macy and Atlas

Over the Fourth of July weekend Thomas, was home with his dog Atlas. When we have visitors it is very hard to find time to use my voice software and post on my blog. The software is hard to use normally and with any background noise a gets confused too easily. So I haven't posted much.

Now our son Tom is at training in Fort Knox for a month. We insisted he leave Atlas with us. He is pretty easy to take care of. During the day when I am home alone with him all he does is sleep and sometime barks at the things he hears. Yesterday was the first day we had him all day and he seemed to realize that Tommy wasn't coming back for a while. Now he pouts a lot until my wife gets home. He is very attached to her and I call him her shadow because he followers her everywhere.

We used to worry a little bit because sometimes Atlas would Lunge at Macy and we were afraid his dog nature would come out. Then last week our son Matt was here and the dog crawled across his lap to get to the cat. He did the lunge thing and we realized he was just poking her with his nose to get her to play. This dog doesn't have a bad bone in his body. He is a real sweetheart and just wants play with the kitty. It's hard to tell from this picture but the dog is almost 8 times bigger than Macy. When he curls up he looks so little.

The funniest thing is that Macy gravitates toward my wife when she gets home. Last night Macy jumped up on the same side of my wife as the dog. She usually jumps up on the opposite side and they stared each other over my wife. Strangely Macy let the dog lick her without hissing and smacking him. Maybe when my wife is here someday they will be best buddies!

Psalm 119

I’ve been reading Psalm 119 for over a week now It has hooked me and I just keep reading it and meditating on it. Something new pops out every day. Lately I have been enjoying this portion of it:

“My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word. I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes. Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works. My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.” Psalms 119:25-28 KJV

I learned a long time ago that in old English used in the King James version, the word quicken means "to make alive". I always like the first part of this portion that my soul cleaves to the dust or earthly things and it takes God to make me alive in his things.

Lately the last verse of this portion has matched some of my feelings about having MS. As most of you know my type is progressive and untreatable. I am almost a full quadriplegic now but can still use my right hand somewhat. Unfortunately I find what I can do a few weeks ago I now have trouble with. I have zero hope that it will get better and expect it will keep progressing. So the portion where it says "my soul melted for heaviness" seems especially significant to me. MS never seems to stop and I have to admit it is emotionally as hard as it is physical. I know I cannot bear without God's daily help. So I find as my physical decreases I praise him more for his daily mercies and my excellent caregivers.