73 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 1-24-13”

  1. “Sweet Caroline” sure takes me back to 1973, when I moved to San Antonio, Texas as a 10-yr old.

    QotD: What memories does this song evoke in you?

    Like

    Reply

  2. Good morning all . I received a call on Tuesday about doing a broker’ s opinion of value on a portfolio . I talked to the guy a while, told him I usually charged 150 per property but I also got to market the team a bit . I agreed to value the properties at no charge but told him I really wanted the listings . It will mean 36 properties to list and listings bring buyers . I have to get it all done today . wish me well?

    More contact with Middle Son the marine yesterday . I told him the way this “mother” gig worked was that if he would come home and see his dad I would pay for his ticket . He agreed! We don’t have a date set but we are making progress. Typical children pushed it to see if his girlfriend could come too. I won’t buy her ticket . I told him I needed to think about it I wasn’t saying no but I wasn’t saying yes .

    Mr P saw an orthopedist yesterday who wasn’t very encouraging. Next week he will see another one through private insurance . We are hoping for better news from him.

    Now if modern science could just find a way to make my Baby Girl get up on time my life would be really good!

    Like

    Reply

  4. The big sports news in Hendersonville is that HHS wide receiver D. J. Wilson has committed to play football for Presbyterian College.
    You gotta love small town sports.
    They take it seriously here,

    Like

    Reply

  6. Staying home from work today. Got all ready – even cleared the snow off the Jeep and called work and they said to chance it – stay home.

    Maybe I’ll rip up some more floor today – half of the kitchen has been torn up, now for the second half.

    Like

    Reply

  8. All the schools in my little town are in lockdown due to a bullet found on a bus. Similar thing happened in a nearby town yesterday.

    Reasonable precaution or over-reaction? What do you think?

    Like

    Reply

  9. One more down with one hundred two plus fever. I am glad we are not getting the flu and hope we don’t. Hopefully, the remaining four will skip it.

    Like

    Reply

  10. Gasp. Mumsee, they can’t name a team that. They just can’t. It’s illegal or something, I think.

    It’s been raining here all night and still this morning. But I guess I can still drive my Jeep to work. Sigh. It actually will look better than it has in a while. Now it’ll be clean.

    My epic (yes, it’s way long) Zamperini story got finished after 2 weeks of dozens of interviews and much work (and I finally managed to land a nice phone interview with the man himself the other day, what a delightful man — many of my co-workers have covered him before, but I never have so it was a personal thrill for me). He turns 96 on Saturday.

    Not sure when it’s running, it was supposed to go this sunday but … ?

    Meanwhile, he’ll be speaking at a men’s breakfast sponsored by a local church here on Feb. 3 (our pastor who has known him through the years is introducing him) — it’s long since been sold out (500 capacity).

    Like

    Reply

  13. KarenO: I wonder if some kid left that bullet in his jacket pocket; happened to feel it and panicked. You couldn’t blame someone for doing that. I suppose if the school doesn’t do something like that and something happens they will face lawsuits. I can’t blame the school for doing it, but it is a sad commentary on our times.

    I had lots of favorite tv shows. One of the earliest was Captain Kangeroo. We could watch it and then run to the bus stop to catch the school bus. It was a shock when we moved and the bus came right in the middle of this program. What was wrong with this new school!?

    If little boys and girls can no longer play cops and robbers or military games, who will defend us in the future? Oh–that’s right, we will just suddenly all get along and sing Kum-ba-yah together, sharing all our worldly goods with one another.

    Like

    Reply

  15. I watched the Lone Ranger, Star Trek, WWF, and Roller Derby with Mom, and any cartoon you could think of. My girls have been on a Hulu kick lately. They’ve been watching some stuff I haven’t seen in years. Cosby, Major Dad, Dick VanDyke Show, Alf, and some others. My daughter enjoys it, and it’s way cleaner and decent than most of what’s on now., and that includes supposed kid channels like Disney or Nick. But I have caught some stuff in the old ones that went over my head as a kid, so even then they always tried to push it. That’s why I wondered what you folks watched.

    Like

    Reply

  16. Not finished reading yesterday’s Our Daily Thread, but got to Janice’s comment & question regarding non-Christians who are sure they’ll see their dead loved ones in Heaven.

    This was the situation with my mom. Mom had seemed to be saved for a short while, then began to let doubts, her general mistrust of people (& God), & her need to retain control keep her from fully surrendering to Christ. My dad’s several-years-long battle with cancer didn’t help matters. Dad was her whole world.

    Dad succumbed to cancer on Dec. 28, 2004 (the same day Jerry Orbach died). Mom would succumb to ovarian cancer on June 3, 2010, & she had never stopped mourning Dad.

    There were a couple times when I could see God intervene to send her help (like when her car was stuck in snow, & a neighbor man suddenly showed up to get it unstuck), but she saw these as Dad helping her from Heaven. It was like he was her God.

    She would still occasionally come to the little Bible study I had in my home, but I could tell there was more of a resistance than before Dad died. I knew that for her to fully accept the gospel, she’d have to see that the man she adored & built her life around was probably not in Heaven.

    I never “went there” in conversation, & hoped she wouldn’t either – too painful. But I did still try to show her that Jesus would give her the peace that had eluded her all her life, & that giving Him control of her life would not mean she would lose herself (as in becoming like an automaton), but that she would be who she was really meant to be.

    When Mom was dying – she had about 2 & 1/2 years from diagnosis & prognosis (terminal) before she died – her focus was on being reunited with Dad. That’s all she wanted & longed for. The thought of her great disappointment (what an understatement) when she would cross into eternity was tragic to me.

    Like

    Reply

  17. There does seem to be a heightened reaction to (and more media coverage of) anything elated to guns & ammo right now.

    One of the stranger incidents was when some kids somewhere (I forget the details of the story) got in trouble (suspended?) for pointing fingers at each other in some kind of mock game.

    What a strange time this is in the U.S. Or is it just me who senses that everything seems to be so askew right now?

    Ah, maybe I’m just getting old. 😉

    Like

    Reply

  18. Kare2012,

    They’re using propaganda and Pavlovian tactics on the kids nowadays to try and remove any and all signs of aggression. They seem to have thrown common sense out the window to achieve this. Guns are evil to them, and must be treated as such. So you get lots of stupid now, like this. 5 years old, and this is a pink plastic gun we’re talking about. The poor kid din’t even bring it to school, she just talked about playing with one. If these are the type of people in charge of your childs education, I’d get my kids away from these clowns as quick as possible.

    http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/21/us/pennsylvania-girl-suspended/

    “A 5-year-old girl chats up classmates while waiting for the bus after school. The topic: Playing with a Hello Kitty “bubble gun” that, with the flick of a finger, blows bubbles everywhere.

    “I’ll shoot you, you shoot me, and we’ll all play together,” the kindergartner says.

    The next day, that remark — which was made innocently, according to the lawyer for the girl’s family, who related the story — landed the young central Pennsylvanian child in the principal’s office.

    Soon after, she was sent home after being issued a 10-day suspension for a “terroristic threat,” as indicated on the suspension form signed by Mount Carmel Area Elementary School Principal Susan Nestico. That and other documents were provided to CNN by Robin Ficker, the lawyer representing the girl and her mother.”

    Like

    Reply

  20. There is still a little bit of hope that perhaps my parents were reunited in Heaven after all.

    The night before Dad died, & he was in a coma, there was a woman who sat in his room reading her Bible & praying. That was her ministry in the ICU. Dad had heard the gospel several times in his life, & I believe that it is entirely possible that the Holy Spirit could have spoken to him in that coma & saved him before his death.

    With Mom, I waited 2 & 1/2 years for God to prompt me to approach Mom about “getting right with God” before her death. He knows that I was not afraid to speak the truth in love to her, & was willing to have that potentially difficult conversation with her.

    That prompt did not come. Lying in bed in Mom’s house, while taking care of her in her last couple of weeks, I reminded God that I was open to talk to Mom, & asked Him to guide me & give me the right words.

    The only time I sensed a little Holy Spirit prompting was the night before Mom died, as she lay in a morphine coma. I whispered in her ear a few simple words, & she made a sound, kind of like a groan, seemingly in response.

    But of course, I don’t know for sure where my parents are right now. My peace comes from knowing that God is good, & trusting in His will & faithfulness.

    Like

    Reply

  22. The truth is that we never know who will be with the Lord. We do not know anyone’s heart completely, nor their opportunities etc. We never hear the thief on the cross give a theological statement. We do hear Jesus say he will be with him in paradise.

    In another place in the bible, Jesus tells the disciples that whoever is not against them is with them. Everyone who is saved is saved through Christ. Not everyone does it according to our dictates. Not everyone will show the small faith they have in ways that are evident to everyone around them.

    I have heard stories of people who became believers right before they could have died. These people were revived and able to share their stories. How many have gone on to eternity never to be able to share the truth in this life?

    Remember those who are paid the same wages as those who labored long and hard? Some will get in, but never have the opportunity to build up treasure in heaven or enjoy the blessings of knowing the Lord long in this life.

    The most important thing is to help a person know this loving, wonderful God who longs to give us not only salvation, but abundantly more. Then we can learn to trust him for not only our eternity, but for the peace we need for our loved ones.

    Like

    Reply

  23. I have told this on here before, but I will repeat it.

    When my mom in law was dying, we had never discussed religion. They lived in Florida, we lived in Idaho. When my dad in law took her from the hospital, he loaded her into their motor home and started driving to Arizona where his son and other dil lived. But the other dil was in Wisconsin visiting her mom and his son was driving with him as was my husband, the other son. Their daughter chose to ignore the situation as she could not deal with her mom dying. So the children at home at the time and I drove down to Arizona where I became the primary caregiver.

    I did not know her heart condition but spent many long hours at her side. Crocheting (I had just learned to crochet and have not been able to do so since) and reading the Bible to her and talking with her. I stayed up nights with her. Several times during the night, I would see things scurrying around, not enough to see them, just glimpses. They were all over, small, but larger than rats and can’t be described as I did not see them well. They were all around the bed, scurrying.

    Once again I talked with her about the importance of Christ and his death and resurrection and our need of that even when we lived squeaky clean lives like hers. By the way, she was basically out of it, not communicating and not much response. One day, she turned to me and said “I love you”. That night, the little critters could be glimpsed outside the house, never again indoors or around the bed.

    I did not think anything of it, I am not into seeing things or putting Spiritual insights into stuff. The next day, my daughter and niece told me that had a strange experience. They had been sitting on the couch chatting, both happened to glance up to the upper floor balcony where they saw a being in white standing, watching. It disappeared but they looked at each other and asked if the other had seen that.

    She died a peacefully a couple of days later.

    This from the pen of that crazy woman on the prairie, take it for what it is.

    Like

    Reply

  24. O, Karen O, thank you for sharing your experience. The main thing is to trust God with the situation. Thank you. I feel burdened by such things and I guess God is pleased that I feel burdened by the unsaved or at least by who I perceive as unsaved. Only He truly knows. I do pray that there will be more workers for the harvest like that woman you mentioned who was in your father’s ICU room.

    Like

    Reply

  26. On a lighter note, I enjoyed watching Sea Hunt, Sky King and Bonanza in particular as a child. I think I liked the high action and adventure that took me out of my suburban environment. My brother and I would sometimes have fights over the television because he wanted to watch Officer Don and the Popeye show at the same time I wanted to watch Sea Hunt.

    Like

    Reply

  27. Interesting story, Mumsee. I had not heard it before.
    Someone told me when my mom was dying, that the last sense to go is hearing. The nurse urged me to keep talking because Mom could still hear.

    When my grandmother was out of her mind, I used to pray that God would speak to her even if she could not speak to us. I prayed the Lord she’d heard about in the Catholic church as a child would bring peace into her heart.

    I have no idea what happened. But praying that prayer, believing that God could do things I could not begin to grasp, helped me.

    Like

    Reply

  28. I think Officer Don was a local celebrity who showed Popeye cartoons. My favorite part of his show was the ooey-gooey bags. There would be three bags lined up and a child got to select one to reach into and either find a treat or else something like mud was in the bag. If they were not having a fortunate kind of day, they would lift their dripping hand out of the bag and everyone gathered would with great enthusiasm say, “OOIE-GOOIE!” My best friend’s dad worked for the television station so I think she got to visit the program. I need to ask her about that to refresh my memory. Seems like she went with her Brownie troop. I was not in the Brownies.

    Like

    Reply

  29. QoD: Bonanza
    Kim wishing you luck!
    Thanks for the stories Kathleena and Mumsee.

    And Mumsee, the NezPerce Indians is a perfect name for an Idaho team. When those few ding-dong indigenous peoples protest names it is just silly. Cal State San Marcos wanted to be be the Wootoots (or something like that), it is how one would say mountain lion in Luiseno and thus giving a nod to both local wildlife and first peoples. But someone protested and now they are just the boring old Cougars. I like that the Seminole Nation counter protested to keep that name for Florida State.

    Off to pack for Boise. I have a whole suitcase so far just for my feet!

    Like

    Reply

  30. Adios,

    They must be really big feet to take up a whole suitcase. How do you get them off to pack them, and isn’t it hard to walk without them? You should probably take them in your carry-on, just to be safe.

    😉

    Like

    Reply

  37. I just learned that if you hit Control (shift) + on the keyboard it enlarges things, and Control – will make things smaller, and Control 0 (that’s a zero) will take it back to regular size.

    Like

    Reply

  41. Thanks for those stories of God’s faithfulness, ladies. It’s encouraging to know you have experienced His peace even at those most traumatic and stressful times. I need to hear that.

    Like

    Reply

  42. Well, as you may recall, I had been having mouse problems so was somewhat used to scurrying, though I disliked it. I thought perhaps they had bigger mice in Arizona and asked my brother in law if they had ever had a mouse problem. He said they had not.

    Like

    Reply

  43. Today is Moebius Syndrome Awareness Day! I’m wearing purple today, as are many, many others around the world, to commemorate this day & raise a little awareness.

    (Many of you may remember that I’ve mentioned in the past that I have Moebius Syndrome, which is a very rare condition.)

    This is copied from a friend of a friend…

    “Moebius Syndrome is a rare neurological disorder that is present at birth. It primarily affects the 6th and 7th cranial nerves, leaving those with the condition unable to move their faces (they can’t smile, frown, suck, grimace or blink their eyes) and unable to move their eyes laterally.

    Other cranial nerves may be affected, especially the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 9th, 10th and 12th. There may be skeletal involvement causing hand/feet anomalies and/or club feet. Respiratory problems, speech and swallowing disorders, visual impairments, sensory integration dysfunction, sleep disorders, and weak upper body strength may also be present. Approximately 30% of children with Moebius syndrome are on the autism spectrum.

    Symptoms May Include (I’ve included notes of own on some):

    * Lack of facial expression; inability to smile (I have half a smile, which unfortunately can look like a weird grimace.)
    * Feeding, swallowing and choking problems (My problems were mostly when I was a baby.)
    * Keeping head back to swallow
    * Eye sensitivity due to inability to squint (My eyes are extremely sensitive to light, beyond the squint factor.)
    * Motor delays due to upper body weakness
    * Absence of lateral eye movement (Yup.)
    * Absence of blinking (I can mostly blink, but not all the way.)
    * Strabismus – Crossed Eyes
    * Drooling (Sometimes.)
    * High palate
    * Short or deformed tongue
    * Limited movement of tongue
    * Submucous cleft palate
    * Dental problems (Oh, yeah.)
    * Hearing impairment (As I’ve gotten older, but not sure if it’s related.)
    * Articulation / speech disorders (Somewhat. I had speech therapy for a little while in 1st or 2nd grade.)
    * Minor mid-line anomalies
    * Club feet
    * Hand/feet deformities

    Although they may crawl and walk later, most children with Moebius Syndrome eventually catch up. Speech problems often respond to therapy, but may persist due to impaired mobility of the tongue and/or mouth. As children get older, the lack of facial expression and an inability to smile may become the dominant visible symptoms.”

    Like

    Reply

  44. Bear with me for one more post regarding Moebius Syndrome.

    Most of us with Moebius have never met a doctor who knows what Moebius is. We, the patient, need to educate the professionals.

    I was not diagnosed with Moebius until I was 16. Many my age or older were much older before they got a diagnosis.

    Now, with my Facebook connections with many in the Moebius community, I’m used to seeing “gorgeous Moebius faces” (as one mom puts it). But it wasn’t until I was in my late 40s that I started having any contact with other “Moebians”. I still haven’t met another “Moebian” face-to-face, but maybe one day I’ll get to go to the biannual convention.

    Having Moebius made being a kid pretty hard. Lots of teasing & even some actual bullying. But I think that all helped me to develop a deep sense of compassion, & made me a better person.

    I do NOT mind having Moebius Syndrome. Through the Facebook connections, I have “met” some wonderful people. And God has blessed me with a good marriage, two lovely daughters, & an adorable-sweet grandson.

    Life is good!

    Like

    Reply

  45. Our neighbour, Mike, just came by and cleaned our drive and yard of snow. Takes him only 10 minutes. If we had a quad with a blade it would probably take us 2 hours. Love my neighbours!

    Like

    Reply

  49. Thank you, Karen O, for sharing some more about yourself. I have a friend who went into Special Ed. She said all her college classes which prepared her for her teaching role made her aware of what all could go wrong in the development of an average person. She was struck with the thought that it is a miracle that anyone comes out without something not exactly like it should be. We probably all have some level of malformation with a lot of it misdiagnosed or mild enough to be overlooked.

    I am thankful you have made friends in the Moebius community. My brother is still in contact with people he met at the TCDC (Tennesee Camp for Diabetic Children) where they were taught to give themselves shots and manage their disease. I hope one day soon you can meet in person some of the ones you have met on-line. That is something to certainly look forward to.

    Like

    Reply

  52. Late last year or early this year I mentioned here that one of my goals with Bible reading was to do that first thing in the morning, before getting on the computer or doing anything else. Well, I’ll be transparent and say that I haven’t been 100% consistent this year in reading my bible before coming to check this blog, one or two others, and email, especially lately.

    So today I resolved to renew my commitment to time in the Word first. It was a bit of a struggle, though, I’ll admit, but I did stay upstairs and sat down to read, instead of going downstairs to the desk where the computer is.

    So I’m reading in Exodus where the Israelites are being pursued by the Egyptians at the Red Sea when I suddenly hear this loud crash in the basement!

    To be continued… (It’s supper time.) 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  55. I’ll cut to the chase 🙂

    After checking to make sure the crash hadn’t involved 5th or 6th Arrows (who both sleep downstairs) — it hadn’t — I happened to glance over at the computer desk. On the floor between the desk and chair was the fluorescent light covering for the fixture that is directly above my head as I sit at the computer. It had fallen off for some reason, just minutes after the Spirit had prompted me to stay upstairs and read my Bible instead of going down to that computer. The light covering is broken into 3 pieces, but I’m in one piece and very grateful!

    Like

    Reply

  59. Amazing story, Mumsee (about your mom).

    6 arrows, glad you’re OK! Hope you can get the light replaced without trouble and find out why it crashed down. Is the computer alright (yeah, embarrassed to say I did think of that!).

    I still remember going to the San Diego Zoo YEARS ago (college?) with a boyfriend and suddenly this huge pole (I can’t remember what it was exactly) crashed down and missed us by a smidgen. No one was hurt, but later I thought about it and realized how crazy that was, how it seriously could have just killed someone.

    Like

    Reply

  60. So often we don’t even realize what God has saved us from, but sometimes He lets us in on what He has done. So glad you are okay 6 Arrows and that Donna lived to tell about that from which she was saved.

    6 Arrows, I have posted Psalm 100 in the kitchen to review and try to memorize while I wait for the coffee to brew so I will do that instead of getting on the computer while the coffee brews. I want to spend my first waking moments in God’s word, but I need the coffee to get alert enough to make my time fully effective. Memorizing while the coffee brews is a new habit for this year as I try to take every moment captive. It is a start!

    Like

    Reply

  61. Oops, in my haste to get the story down so Chas wouldn’t have to wait until morning, I didn’t tell the story very well! What actually fell was the hard plastic covering that sort of snaps into the frame that holds the fluorescent bulbs. The bulbs and the frame are still on the ceiling; the hard plastic covering was the only thing that fell and broke. I’m thinking it must have hit either the back of the chair or the arm rests, bounced and hit the edge of the desk, (which probably caused it to break right then), and then fall to the floor between the desk and chair. Nothing on the desktop was damaged. If I had been sitting straight up in the chair, like when I’m typing, it probably would have fallen directly onto the top of my head. If I had been sitting and reading only, I have a tendency to sit with my left elbow on the desk and my chin in my hand, so in that position I might have gotten hit in the back. The plastic covering wasn’t very heavy, but it broke into three jagged pieces, so it wouldn’t have been too fun to get jabbed if it had broken on me!

    And now I’m sitting here hoping what’s left above me on the ceiling won’t also come down on me! 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  62. Janice, that’s a great idea, posting Scripture in prominent places to memorize while you’re waiting for something else. I don’t drink coffee, but there are other things I wind up waiting for, and I could take some of the index cards where I’ve written favorite scriptures and put them where they are more visible instead of keeping them in a drawer as I do now.

    Like

    Reply

  63. I’m trying to decide which story of mine is more muddled, the one at 21:34:28 or the one at 23:23:54! This is why I’m not a writer!

    And about that light, I don’t know if we’ll need to replace everything, or if we can simply find a replacement cover (or even repair the one that broke since it’s not shattered into a million tiny pieces). I don’t know. I’ll let hubby figure out what he wants to do 😉

    Like

    Reply

  64. This all reminds me of when I came home from work one day (in this 1920s house that I have now) and found a HUGE chunk of the plaster ceiling had collapsed in the bedroom. I was amazed by how heavy it all was as I bagged it up.

    It really could have caused some physical harm to me or the animals.

    I wasn’t a believer when the zoo incident occurred and it really didn’t seem like that big of a deal at the time — it didn’t dawn on me until later that God’s hand was truly at work in sparing us.

    Like

    Reply

  65. Donna, how scary having that pole or whatever it was crash down right by you! Yikes, my heart would leap out of my chest if something like that happened to me.

    This isn’t exactly the same, but it’s a close call of a different sort involving a person falling rather than an object. When my youngest sister was five years old, she was running around on some planks that made a makeshift floor near the top of the inside of a machine shed on our farm. We kids would go up there a lot and sit and read or do whatever, but running wasn’t such a great idea with the way the planks were arranged (there were some gaps).

    Well, little sister, as she was running, missed a plank and fell straight down to the dirt floor beneath and broke her arm. God was certainly looking out for her, as the place she landed was a narrow strip of dirt right between the manure spreader and the cultivator.

    She started kindergarten with a cast on her arm, but she may have never made it to kindergarten if she’d landed a few inches to either side of her.

    Like

    Reply

  66. Do you know what caused the chunk of plaster ceiling to fall? Had an earthquake occurred? Was anything else damaged? Thank God that happened during the day and not at night while you were sleeping if it was over your bed or something.

    Like

    Reply

  67. Wow.

    I remember how my former pastor once said that we often don’t see God’s hand in our lives until much later. So true.

    While I was a bit shaken by the falling pole, it wasn’t until later that I realized how close I was to annihilation. !

    We are His, from before the foundation of the earth, even before we know it ourselves. Amen?

    Like

    Reply

  68. The plaster had been sagging somewhat, I should have had it checked out. But I was a new homeowner and it had been so gradual.

    Now I’m keeping a close watch on the ceiling in that bedroom every night before I go to sleep!

    Like

    Reply

  69. Nothing was damaged in the collapse, although there were chunks of plaster everywhere and for some time I kept finding little pieces of it here and there throughout the southern half of the bedroom.

    Like

    Reply

  71. The guy who fixed it said that plaster (in the old houses) was just very heavy and, over time, it had a tendency to pull apart from the frame above. He put some kind of adhesive in that would keep it more secure, as I recall, but there is now a crack in the ceiling which I’m watching carefully!

    Like

    Reply

  73. When I was a little girl (five? seven? ten?), one day we were on vacation and Mom and my little sister both gasped or screamed, and Dad jumped on the gas. “What? What?” I asked, and one of them said, “That big rock almost hit our car!” Apparently Dad “floored it” and the car boulder missed by inches or so. But I didn’t actually see the boulder. On a later trip, we were coming down the same stretch of road, and Mom pointed to a boulder nearly as big as our car, fallen partly in the road, and said that was what almost hit our car. (Maybe road crews had moved it as they could, and it had actually been all the way in the road, I don’t know.) Anyway, hearing about it didn’t scare me as much as seeing it, and realizing it was definitely big enough to kill us all.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a reply to mumsee Cancel reply