Seven weeks out - and the topic of peace

We are now seven weeks out from Mike's saddle pulmonary embolism, and are only now really starting to contemplate and think about some of the possible outcomes and ramifications of that major health and life event. 

We are in a "new normal" of sorts.  Mike can get out and do work around the house and farm, but not to the degree that he used to be able to.  He has to stop and put his leg up for awhile every now and then.  And he has to wear an elastic stocking at all times (other than sleeping).  The next trip we take, we will have to stop at least every two hours and walk for ten minutes or so.  The doctors think that our trip to New England in June may have silently triggered this entire episode.

One of the things that really amazed us is that in the emergency room and coronary care unit that night, neither of us really had any fear.  And it wasn't because we didn't know what the possibilities were.  We both recognized that he could easily have gone on to heaven that night.  The doctor who admitted Mike said upfront, "I'm putting you in CICU because I know how quickly a saddle embolism can go south."  

Just today I was reading a recently discovered Elisabeth Elliot book (I thought I'd read everything she ever wrote, so finding this one was a treat) titled All That Was Ever Ours, published 1988, and on page 151 she writes the following:

"To make peace with a country or a person or God requires a transaction.  To have peace, as people sometimes say. . .must mean that a transaction has taken place.  One's will, along with everything else, has been offered up.  Peace is the divine answer to our Yes, Lord.

"Colossians 3:15 suggests that the peace of Christ is the 'arbiter' of our hearts, ruling out all faithless response to trouble, all distress, anxiety, fretfulness, frustration, and resentment.  It establishes order.  Those who accept the grace of this gift know tranquillity which can withstand all assaults, a stillness unbroken by the world's noise, and a repose in the midst of intense activity--repose which a nerve-racked world cannot possibly give.  For only Christ himself, who slept in the boat in the storm and then spoke calm to the wind and waves, can stand beside us when we are in a panic and say to us Peace.  It will not be explainable.  It transcends human understanding.  And there is nothing else like it in the whole wide world."

Elisabeth Elliot says it better than I ever could.  But that is why there was no panic in that ER room.  It was peace that passes understanding.  And I am thankful for that as much as for the fact that Mike is still standing upright today.

Friday's Fave Five, 9/18/26

 

Linked to Susanne's Space - host for FFF

                    

1. Last night we went to the banquet for our local women's rehab ministry for women with drug and alcohol addictions, where I teach on Fridays.  Almost a thousand people were there.  One girl who is going to graduate soon gave her testimony.  Mike and I helped her with it, both to shape it and practice saying it out loud.  We were a little nervous for her as she broke down often while practicing it, and had a tendency to just read straight through.  Well, last night was amazing.  She absolutely crushed it and you could have heard a pin drop in that arena.  She got a standing ovation at the end.  It was a wonderful story of redemption through Jesus Christ, and was a blessing to all who heard it.

2. Mike's leg continues to heal.  He's had no more problems from the pulmonary embolism, and no breathing problems, but the leg (which was the original clot) has not healed yet.  It is probably going to be months.  But he got a stronger elastic sock this week and has been a good boy about alternately resting and walking.

3. Baby Bop is back.  We kept our precious Little Miss last weekend, and Baby Bop accidentally got left at our friends' house.  I got it at church Wednesday night, so did get a few laughs and smart remarks from people there, but I just told them it was my emotional support stuffie, and that worked fine.  :-)

4. We fed the college students, from the class we've been helping in, on Sunday at those same friends' house, and I took a taco casserole recipe that everyone really liked.  I even got comments on Wednesday night about it.  So that is a keeper and I will make it again when we feed the students!  And probably at home also.

5. Made it to the gym three times this week and walked a mile each time.  It is a good feeling.

Thank you for reading!

Friday's Fave Five, 8/7/26 - Mike's life was spared this week.

 

LINK to Friday's Fave Five host blog

I would be remiss if I did not post a Friday's Fave Five this week.  On Sunday night, we almost lost my husband, Mike.  He mentioned in church Sunday morning that he was having trouble breathing.  I was not too concerned and said maybe it's from not sleeping well, or pressure, or any other number of minor things.

By afternoon he said "This is getting worse."  And by suppertime, I noticed that he got winded just walking into the kitchen and then returning to the den.  In another hour he was winded while just sitting in his chair.  After conferring with his brother (a family practice physician) and our son (a cardiac nurse), we agreed we needed to go to the ER and not wait any longer.

Cardiac enzymes came back fine.  EKG came back fine.  O2 sats were not bad.  I was beginning to think we had overreacted.

And then came the CT scan.  When the staff saw that, he was ordered to remain flat on his bed and not get up for any reason.  He had a saddle pulmonary embolus, extending all the way through the pulmonary artery on both sides, and extending down into the lungs.  Look it up and you will see how serious it is.  He was admitted to the cardiac intensive care, started on blood thinners, and Monday morning received a delicate procedure to remove the clot.  He came home on Tuesday.

And on Thursday, we were back in the ER because, to make a long story short, he also has a clot in his leg.  Mid-thigh to mid-calf.

So now we are resting, recuperating, and trying to think through all that has happened this week.

My fave fives are:

1. Thankful for modern medicine and unbelievable techniques that can be performed to solve difficult problems like pulmonary embolisms.

2. Thankful for the tremendous support of family, church, and friends throughout this ordeal.

3. Thankful for Dr. Tinsley (who diagnosed) and Dr. Meehan (who performed the procedure).

4. Thankful to be back home.

5. Thankful that Mike is alive.

and a bonus: if God had chosen to take Mike this week, I'm glad I know exactly where he would have gone.  He trusts in Christ by faith alone for forgiveness of sins.  

May God bless you and keep you.

Friday's Fave Five, 7/24/26

 

Friday's Fave Five, 7/24/26

Linked with Susanne's Space

1. A good class with my rehab ladies this morning, a local home for drug and alcohol addiction where I teach once a week.  There are only three right now, but they are all very responsive, interested, and want to learn.  I'll take three like that, than ten who are only marginally (or not at all) interested, any day!

2. Great progress on the cleaning-out.  I'm getting rid of files that I will never use, and we are going to get rid of my old desk and move another one in here that gets little use.  This morning Mike installed the wire framework in my filing cabinet that will allow me to use hanging files.  I got it stuck in there and it wasn't right.  So I'm grateful for his help.

3. Glad for the opportunity to assist son's family earlier this week.  He's been very sick, so when his wife had to take him to the doctor, she took Little Miss with her, but I got to keep Little Mister as he was napping.  As you can tell from the photo and the milk dribble, he very much enjoyed his bottle after he awakened.  :-)

4. Preparation and teaching - I've had several things on my plate, and more upcoming.  Everything is going well so far.  I've got my rehab class every week, have been doing some Wednesday night teaching for our church ladies (assisting the main teacher), am leading a book club in a week, and am preparing for an upcoming speaking opportunity for a local garden club about local birds. So I continue being busy.

5. We still have a few purple martins at the farm, but most are gone.  That's part of the cycle.  We attracted eight martins to our gourds at the farm property, and by the end of the season counted 17.  So our martins fledged at least nine little ones!  Glad to be doing our part to help nature.  :-) 

Eternity Amnesia

 Recently, I stumbled over a post on Face Book by counselor Paul David Tripp, entitled “Eternity Amnesia.”    That post made me do some thinking! 

An eternity amnesiac is someone who “tells themself that this life on earth is all there is to life.”  We all suffer from that form of amnesia from time to time, and we need to be aware of what it is.  Tripp lists four consequences of being an eternity amnesiac.  These important conclusions apply to everyone, but especially those of us who are in that age group euphemistically referred to as “seniors”:

 

First of all, we tend to live with unrealistic expectations.  We long for perfection, and we do not like to remember that our current address – a fallen world – is not perfect.  We think the present sphere should be something that it is not.  We expect it to behave as if it were our final destination – and it is not.

 

As a result, we are inclined to ask too much from people and life, to give us fulfillment.  We want careers, artistic endeavors, family, friends, and other people to fill the void in our lives.  But no effort or person can fill us completely!  That expectation leads to frustration and disappointment.

 

Which leads to our questioning the goodness of God.  When our desire for perfection is not satisfied, we question: “God, do you really have my best interests at heart?”  Tripp says this:  “Unless we live with the constant remembrance that God’s promises only reach their complete fulfillment in the world that is to come, we will feel as if we have been hit with the cosmic bait and switch in the world we now live in.”

 

Finally, we then become disappointed instead of thankful for what and whom we have.  Face it, people are going to disappoint us.  We are going to have pain in this world.  Gratitude can be embraced more easily if we remember that life on this side cannot give us things that we expect in the here and now.

 

If senior adults haven’t already found answers, they are searching for resolution to the issues of life.  And If you’ve read this far, I ask you to think about eternity amnesia, and then consider the claims of Christ on your life.  He is the only way to negate the effects of amnesiac thinking in our daily lives as well as our future.  It is too important to ignore.  I am so thankful to know that the presence of Christ in my life, and the salvation He gave me, prevents me from having to be concerned about eternity amnesia or my future destiny.

 

Friday's Fave Five 7/3/26

 Linked to Susanne's Space, hosting FFF every Friday.

1. We got home Saturday night from a LOVELY trip to the northeast.  I got to see my loons in breeding plumage, and Mike got to see a great store for antique clocks.  We were gone six days but the trip did not feel rushed at all.

2. When we got home - the thermostat was not functioning on our air conditioning.  I had set it at 79 before we left, but could tell immediately that in this heat it was much hotter than that.  We needed a service call. . .on a Saturday night.  Not a good thing.  Fortunately the bill was under $200, which was a blessing.

3. Great church picnic last night for the Fourth of July.  Even with the heat, it was very nice.  We have a pavilion with ceiling fans, so it was tolerable.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, sides, and desserts.  Very good spread!  I found these plates at Food Lion so offered to bring them.  Perfect for the occasion.

4. Blueberries and more blueberries.  We picked 4 gallons again on Monday - the bushes were loaded after we were gone for a week - and am beginning to wonder what I am going to do with all these berries.  But I enjoy giving them away as well as making things and putting them in the freezer.

5. Continuing to get things cleaned out and moved out.  It is a good feeling to get organized.

Happy Fourth of July! 

Treasure Found

 

So we've been cleaning out attics lately and finding a lot of old things. 

This process has not been without some difficulties.  Mike tends to toss it all.  I want to at least look through it and see what I want to keep.  Which of course bogs me down because I want to read every letter and look at every clipping.

But this next thing will not be tossed.  (And FYI, with the ceramics, both of our kids were consulted and told us to pass them along.)  When I was at Illinois State, many years ago, my three roommates and I had a "kitty" for household expenses in our apartment.  My two great-aunts in a nearby town painted ceramics as therapy for one of them who had had a stroke.  One time I went to visit them - and they had made me this.  Yes.  A kitty.  With a hole in the back for putting change.  It's not only cute, it has survived the years quite well - and even had some change in it.  I think I'll put it on my dresser                                                and start saving change again!  It's a precious                                                        memory of two beloved aunts.

Friday's Fave Five, 6/5/26

Friday's Fave Five host blog, Susanne's Space, is linked here.

This week I am thankful for:

1. ...several times of eating out.  We had hoped to go somewhere this week, but the schedule rapidly filled up with other responsibilities and things to get done.  But we've eaten out several times to make up for it.  😀  Today we had lunch at a favorite place of ours, Sullivan's, and Wednesday we tried a new place to us where we will probably return.  I love to eat out!!

2. ...lots of work done on the attic.  Mike has everything down from our main attic.  We were going to do a yard sale but have about decided to just donate it all to the local thrift store that supports a Christian addiction ministry.  But there was a ton of stuff up there - things that have to be gone through and decided what to trash and what to save for the kids and what to go through myself.  I found three boxes of memorabilia that will keep me busy for awhile!  And my fine china, and a plastic bin with heirloom quilts, and lots of memories of our children.  Unfortunately, a lot of their old books, cassette tapes, and other things will just have to be trashed.  We waited a little too long to get it all out.  But at least we got a lot done this week.

3. ...blueberries!  We went to the farm and one bush was not only loaded with ripe berries, but they were huge and sweet!  I picked a gallon.  There will be many more in the weeks to come.                                                                                       4. ...our sweet afternoon at the farm on Tuesday.  I felt like my senses were overloaded.  Two bushes of the beautiful berries were unexpectedly ready to pick.  Mike bush hogged, and a Mississippi kite followed him for an hour, diving and swooping to catch grasshoppers and other bugs that were thrown up by the bush hog.  The lighting was perfect so that for the first time I could really see the beautiful pearl gray colors of the top of the Mississippi kite.  Lots of bird singing was all around me.  And to top it all off, the gardenia bushes were blooming and the fragrance was gorgeous.  

5. ...lots of study progress.  I teach the ladies next week at church on Wednesday night, and I feel the responsibility of being prepared for that.  And I've been overhauling several lessons for teaching at the rehab on Fridays.  I feel like both projects are getting somewhere.

Happy Friday!

Friday's Fave Five 5/22/26

 I haven't done this in forever.  It's time to produce a FFF at least from time to time.  Thank you for the opportunity!  Friday's Fave Five host blog

1. Little Miss had a birthday this week.  She is THREE and she proudly holds up three fingers (takes a few minutes to get them in position 😀 but she is successful).  She is doing very well.

2. Last night we went to the local Culver's with Little Miss and her family, and my mother, for a last celebration for her birthday.  And Little Mister, now eight months old, sat up proudly in a restaurant high chair for the first time!  He's waving and clapping, and is a happy boy.  We're so thankful for both of them.

3. I was very busy the first half of this week.  But Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are moving much more quietly.  I'm happy for a few very free days.

4. I am studying Lies Women Believe in order to be the substitute at our church's Wednesday evening ladies' Bible studies this summer.  I've taught the book for three years at a local women's addiction program, but teaching to churched ladies means bringing out different concepts and presenting in a different way.  It's been a challenge and one I've enjoyed.  

5. I've got several new books to read. That's always fun.  I joined a book club at church and have enjoyed that very much also.

Happy Friday and God's blessings!

"School Days" by Maltbie D. Babcock

This simple little poem stood out to me greatly when I was teaching 8th grade English (it was included in their textbook).  The author, Maltbie D. Babcock, is also the author of the well-known hymn "This Is My Father's World."  The last stanza of this poem almost brings me to tears each time I read it - probably because of being a schoolteacher for so many years.

Lord, let me make this rule

To think of life as school.

And try my best to stand each test,

And do my work, and nothing shirk.

If weary with my book

I cast a wistful look

Where posies grow, Oh let me know

That flowers within are best to win.

These lessons Thou dost give

To teach me how to live.

To do, to bear, to get and share,

To work and play, and trust alway.

Some day the bell will sound,

Some day my heart will bound,

As with a shout, that school is out,

And lessons done,

I homeward run.