An Icy Welcome

We had some icy weather yesterday and this morning. In fact, my work sent us all home early at 2 yesterday to beat the rush and the ice. We had delayed work time this morning and didn't have to be there until 11 to give time for the roads to clear a little. The most dangerous thing I did this morning was driving down our alley. It was icy and I was going about 5 mph. I saw a guy coming out of his driveway and sat on my horn to get him to stop. Fortunately he was going slow also and didn't skid on his icy sloped driveway.

David on the other hand, did not fare as well today. As is the normal routine, he took Sandy out in the backyard for him to do his thing. We have a 'welcome' mat at our back door on the patio. The patio didn't have ice on it, but it was a little foggy and you couldn't see the ice on the mat. David took one step on that mat and the next thing he knew, he was hitting the door step bricks on his back right below the shoulders and then he hit his head. I heard the back door rattle real loud and then David yelled and I came running downstairs. I was afraid he had gotten his hand in the door some how. He was getting up by the time I got to the door and asked me if he was bleeding. Thankfully, he didn't crack his head open or break his back. He hasn't even had a headache today like I figured he would. That was one of the scariest things that has happened to him. As hard as he fell, it's just amazing and blessings and thank you's have been abundant today at our house. Needless to say, a different floor mat is going at the back door. . . . Sandy thought Daddy was playing and came running over to play with him.

Love is Longsuffering

I'm doing a personal Bible study about love. Today I started I Corinthians 13 and the first characteristic that struck me was "longsuffering." When I first thought about this and how it should apply to my life, I read it as "Vickie, you should be longsuffering" when loving other people because they are going to disappoint you. Just get over it and go on. But then the awful thought came into my mind that other people have to be longsuffering with me. Surely not--I said. You're not exactly loveable all the time. Just get over it and go on. They love you anyway, return the love.

Meddling Minister Part II

We are now positively absolutely painfully convinced that our pastor, Steve Swofford, has bugged our house. Every Sunday we go to church hoping for a sermon that points to it that we can heartily say, "You tell em, preacher!" Sadly the man knows every thought, every act that I do weekly. And worse, he comes up with a sermon and SCRIPTURE to match.

He started a series this morning on "A Checkup from the Neckup---Adjusting our Attitudes." The highlight today was to stop complaining. He said God was against it. The man is either psychic or omnipresent or asking God what I need to hear or just plain lucky that he can pick topics that hit me. I prefer the latter.

As Brother Steve got to the invitation plea, and he's asking us to get our attitudes right with God and stop complaining, someone's cell phone starts ringing. Not missing a beat, he says, "See, he's calling you right now. Will you answer the call?"

Remembering Becky Shelby

My dear friend, Becky Shelby, who was a sister in the journey through breast cancer went to be with the Lord on Saturday. Becky had been through 3 different rounds of chemo as her cancer kept coming back and spreading to other parts of her body. The latest went to her spine.

Becky worked for Unitrin, too, and was a dear to come by often and check on me while I was in the "cot room" going through my own chemo, while at the same time she was dealing with her breast cancer coming back and attacking her shoulders, ribs and spine. She was a joy to know and will be missed. She was a Christian and is in heaven with the Lord without pain or worry.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Today I am 56 years old. Let me say it again: I am 56 years old. Boy, does that sound good!!! Two years ago several really smart people weren't real sure I'd make it to now. Survival does seem to make age a thing to yearn for, not a thing to begrudge and wish it wasn't coming.

David took me to Red Lobster because I just love fish, especially their coconut shrimp. We both tried their new wood-grilled fish plates and both of us enjoyed our choices. We had a wonderful waitress named Becca, whom David spoke to the manager about because she did such a great job. We shared an apple crumb ala mode dessert for my birthday cake. And the table next door got sang to by the waitresses, so when they said their names, I sang "Vic-kie", so I got sang to! Just how I like it.

I thank God every day for the gifts he gives me to enjoy. May I never take them for granted!

Sandy the Retriever

Every night Sandy is taken for his one mile walk around our neighborhood. We're a pretty well known commodity now. People wave and smile at us all the time on our walks and we don't have a clue who they are. So we just wave and smile back.

Sandy's most recent trick was just too cool. A mom and her daughter got out of their car in front of a house we pass by every night. It was a rather windy night, and as the daughter got out of the car with a gift bag in her hand, a piece of green tissue paper took off flying in the night wind. David told Sandy to go get the paper. And he did. He chased that puppy down and brought it back to David, who handed it back to the mom. Yes, it was a little slurpy and not very fluffy any more, but they were really impressed that Sandy ran 3 yards down, in the dark, to retrieve that tissue paper. It was too neat. He got 2 cookies as a reward for that effort!