Tag Archives: Blessed

Looks like somebody prayed

The year was 1989. I had signed up for the Army. I was going to be in training for a year. I was going to be doing a very high security thing. I graduated from high school at the end of May. Three weeks later, I was a passenger in a car crash that …

Mid-way through high school, I felt the calling into the ministry. I was going to go to college and then on to seminary. Well, financially, things did not look good. The weight of the financial aspects was heavy and outweighed what my heart felt. My best friend, out of the blue, joined the army in the fall of 1988. With the weight of financials on my mind, it did not take much for him to “talk me into joining”.

I was all set. I was go ship out 4 weeks after graduation. After basic training, I would be in specialized training for almost a year. It would be an extreme and intense training. Once ready, I would be in a very high-level security position.

It was Monday morning, one of my buddies called me telling me that we were going to Dairy Queen. (Neither one of us had vehicle at the time.) Turns out he had called someone to drive us. The person he called, was not liked much in the community. It was a bit awkward. But, we went.

It has been raining and thus, the roads were very wet. The temperature was great, so we had the windows down. … Bug flew into driver’s face/eye. He could not see briefly. We were going around a curve. The Chevy Chevet ended up wedged in trees in the ditch. (Short back up … I was in backseat, passenger side, my buddy was in front seat and kept reclining the seat back on me … messed up goofball … I had JUST unbuckled my seatbelt to slide to the other side when the accident happened. Where I had been sitting was where the car wedged into the trees. There was about 2 inches of space. Where I had slide to, there was about 2 feet of space.)

I will fast forward … there are things I may fill in later .. but for this post, are not vital.

That evening, doctors did not know if I would survive the night. Out in the waiting room, there were people praying for me. I was told that the room was packed. They were praying for me.

I will shorten this part for now … in the midst of all this … I knew, somehow, I knew people were praying for me. I could hear them. I could feel them.

I was released from the hospital after just two weeks. In the course of those two weeks, doctors said, if I walked again, I would not walk well … doctors also said, it would be weeks before I would be released. Yes, I was released after just two weeks. It was a rough few weeks after, but … I walked. A couple decades later, I walk. And as most who know me, know .. I walk fast. I just do, not sure why.

I come to this song. Somebody Prayed. I focus on this line … Looks like somebody prayed.

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You Are

I once worked at a place that worked with people with “life alterations” … some had no voice, some had no sight, some had other challenges they lived with. Colton Dixon released “You Are” in 2013. Part of the lyrics are as follows…

If I had no voice
If I had no tongue
I would dance for you like the rising sun
And when that day comes and I see your face
I will shout your endless glorious praise

This song stuck out to me because of the people I encountered at that place I once worked.

Then, October 2014, I watched me wife rapidly fade away in just over 24 hours in a hospital bed. She had no voice. She was fading fast. This song came to my mind. I closed my eyes and saw her dancing and singing … in the presence of Our Lord. You see, she loved music (she played piano). She loved to dance (barefoot).

This song is one of the songs God made sure I heard. HE knew it was what I needed.

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A NEW Christmas

For much of my life (decades), August through December had been a full, busy time for me.

From childhood into adulthood, I have been involved in some sort of “Christmas Event”. Be it, a Christmas play, a musical, or something of the sort, I was involved. I have been “main characters”. I have been “singing” (however, not much). Most of my teen and adult years, I have been part of the “technically” aspects of programs.

Having a child, added to the list. We when to Christmas events, parades, programs, etc .. geared toward children.

Then, there was the “FULL ON Busy Time”. August was getting ready for State Fair that was September. This went right into preparing for Christmas Cottage (craft selling event that took place just before Thanksgiving). There was still Church Christmas programs of some sort that added to the business. Decoration for Fall .. Halloween .. Thanksgiving … Christmas (this part was NO small thing for me).

October of 2014, in the middle of the “FULL ON Busy Time”, Lucenda passed away. I stumbled through the rest of the “Time” that year.

I tried to keep things “sort of” going the following year (2015). But, I realized that it was not going to continue. I had to let go of many of the “FULL ON Busy Time” things.

I moved 3 times in 5 years. Once, across country. MUCH has changed in the past 9 years.

This Christmas is … This Christmas is a New Christmas for me.

I taught the “Grief Process” to numerous “prospective resource parents” over the years. I “knew” the “logistics” of it. Now, I “know” much more about it. The “stages” are NOT clearly defined .. they are NOT clearly separated .. they are NOT done and gone once you go through them. Grief is ongoing. It is foolish to believe there is a “time limit”.

All this stated … All this laid out on the table …

Thanks to TRUE loving and caring people in my life, I have been able to move forward.

A New House to decorate very differently than I have for … decades. New environment. Different job situations for us all. My son is 20 (still mentally processing THAT!).

This year is A NEW Christmas.

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thought for the day

me … trying to say something briefly …

in my 53+ years, i have encountered an extreme rollercoaster of events. my emotions have been pushed beyond their limits multiple times. my trust has been crushed multiple times. my contribution to the facial tissue industry has been enormous.

what am i trying to say? i am not really sure actually.

i see others going through rough times and my heart aches for them. my annoying constant desire to fix all the world’s problems keeps me up at night …. often.

my thoughts are like someone ripped the pages of a script out of the book and threw them up in the air then read them as they landed. so are my prayers some days.

unlike some, when i commit to someone as friend, it is no small thing. to be a friend is a huge investment that i take on without thought.

for all of you … whether you like me or not … whether you like what i say or not … i am still me …. period

i pray that each of you knows that GOD will NEVER leave you, nor forsake you. HE is ALWAYS with us.

close your eyes and think of the sky just as the storm clouds are leaving on a sunny day.