Back from the dead....

A beautiful planter from my mother-in-law's deck











Well, my two readers have been writing and complaining that I have not posted in some time! I DO have a life, guys, despite reports to the contrary! This last weekend, we went up to see our "little" eaglet in Lexington for the first time since we shoved him out of the nest. (Well, really, it was more like he had his flight suit on for a year before he left!)

It was a great reunion! We got to not only see the boy again, but we met yet another set of parents belonging to one of his roommates. We met the Ushers, and we found out that they had numerous friends in common with us through church ties. We knew so many of the same people that we felt just like we were family (and we truly are!) Our boys have struck up quite a friendship and are very happy to be roomies. We enjoyed a leisurely lunch at Cracker Barrel with them Sunday between church services. As everyone knows, Cracker Barrel does not get in a big hurry for parties of 12, so we had about a two hour stay with them, resulting in a much-shortened Sunday afternoon nap.

Our plans had been to spend Saturday and Sunday with Dan, and get back to Nashville on Monday so that I could have a lovely basal cell carcinoma removed from my jawline. This patchy place came up last year and looks nothing like I am accustomed to thinking that skin cancer looks like. However, my husband did not like the way it was looking and insisted that I get in to take care of it ASAP, and in two days, I was having my first biopsy. It was indeed basal cell skin cancer, so, I have to have it cut off a layer at the time until they get to a clean layer. Then, they will take stitches, and later, I may have to have some plastic surgery. We will take it a step at the time.

Anyway, I came down with some kind of flu on Sunday and just felt awful. I felt like every lymph node I had was sticking out badly, even up in my skull. So, we canceled the surgery. I did not want to be sick and be cut on at the same time. It has taken me all week to shake this off, and I am not even 100% now. Tim came down with something after teaching the Wed. night class at church, and he spent yesterday in the bed. Yet, our symptoms were somewhat different, and by this morning, he felt human enough to return to work.

So, it was a great reunion with our kiddo, and I surely hated leaving again. I felt so proud of him, because he has matured a lot in the short time that I have been separated from him. His room was immaculate, he had every receipt he had gotten up there in a book of important papers I had given him, and he is just about up to 40 hours a week now at work---something that has been long enough in coming. They keep promising him hours that he does not get, and it has been frustrating for him. Hopefully, he will have that behind him. He has a great network of Christians that he hangs with, and he never lacks for things to do. There was a college-age Bible study on Thurs. night, a singing on Friday night, a Saturday afternoon Bible study on relationships with other Christians, and the Spring gospel meeting at their church kicks off Sunday! He does not get to make it to every single thing because of work, but he makes a lot of them, and he is very happy! Now, if his old car will just hang in there for him.....

He gave me an early Mother's Day present---a stainless steel 12-cup coffeemaker of the Starbucks variety and some coffee to go in it! Woo-Hoo! I love the totally stainless steel carafe, and it puts out some of the hottest coffee you will ever see! I haven't tried the good stuff in it yet---I can hardly bring myself to drink it up, but I plan to maybe make myself a cup tomorrow morning, when I can drink it in leisure. I have been trying to figure out how to get the proportions of water and coffee just right so I don't waste any!

Tim and I made a change at the end of March. We have been burning up the roads going to one church on Sundays that was about 55 miles west of us, and going to a different one on Wed. night because we could not make it to the Sunday church after Tim got off from work on Wednesdays. We felt like we were dividing our membership, in effect, and not really giving either church our full service. We have prayed for guidance in making a decision about what we should do for some time. Our congregation in the "Boro" decided to purchase a bigger building to meet in, and we decided this would be a good time to just make the break and begin worshipping there full-time. We have met with these brethren for over 2 years now, and they have been very gracious and patient in sharing us with the other brethren. The trip to the 'Boro is not nearly as far, and we will be able to get some rest on Sunday afternoons between services, something we have not been able to do in a while. Now that I am getting old, that is a factor!

So, there are changes on the horizon, as always. We had hoped to be in our new building by this Sunday, but some structural problems arose in the remodeling efforts, so it will be a few more weeks. We start our gospel meeting this Sunday, too, and it will be a little bit like that time that Jesus was crammed in the house with all the people teaching them, and they let a sick man down through the ceiling. If you get there late, you may just have to cut a hole in the roof, too, to get in! It makes for good singing, though!

One more little request before I leave you....My good friend Jennifer is having some difficulties with her hearing. She only had a little (about 5%) hearing in one ear from birth, and now, that hearing has left her, too. She is hoping to have a cochlear implant soon. Please pray fervently with me that she will get LOTS of hearing from this procedure, that she can enjoy the sounds of her children and worship, and all the other wonderful noises that we all take for granted daily. You have Jennifer to thank for this blog, as she is the one who taught me about blogging. She is just the greatest gal, and I hope you will put some real effort into petitioning the Father on her behalf.

Everyone stay safe tonight, especially if you live here in the South. They have been predicting this awful weather for a couple of days now, and likening it to the weather that hit upper West Tennessee last weekend. I dislike strong storms. We really have nowhere to go except the bathtub or under the steps in a small closet. I doubt either would help much in a straight-on hit from a tornado. Keep those weather radios handy tonight.

Well, that is about all for this update. If you need me, I will be cleaning, and cleaning and cleaning.....How does everything get so dirty in the winter????