A clean bill of health

On Wednesday, I have my annual doctor's check up. After you reach a certain age, it is a good idea to do this yearly. I have recieved so far a clean bill of health. It caused thankfulness to God to well up in my heart. Life is a gift and His grace sustains me.

My wife, Mary Alice got a surprising call from the doc as she too have her annual check up. He was amazed her HDLs (the good cholesteral) was the best that he had ever seen in his 50 years of Medicine at a whopping 50. He wanted to know what her secret was. Simply exercice, balanced eating and faith in God. Another reason to thank God.

Goodbye to my parents home of 35 years. 

Moving my Mom

This weekend was spent in Hopkinsville, Kentucky moving my Mom from her home to her new apartment. My brother came in from Texas and she is moving up close to my sister. It was a lot of work. The challenge was : what to bring and what not to bring when you are downsizing. We had a great time and it went well. But I am tired this morning. My Mom did well, but she is pretty tired as well.

I said goodbye to the home in which my parents had lived for 35 years. That is a long time.
An important lesson was brought home to me. It is too easy to attach TOO MUCH importance to your possessions and things. As we sorted through a life time of stuff, some things had sentimental value only to us. In a sale, they would not bring much money at all. I have brought home my father's piano which he had from his youth. I was surprized to find out that this piano purchased in the mid 30s was only worth a few hundred dollars. But priceless to me.

In our American push to purchase, you are constantly told that you need this or that thing to be happy and when you get it, you will really be happy. My nephew had just bought a new motor cycle that he really wanted. As we talked, I mentioned that getting it was probably a let down. He looked at me and said, You are right. As we talked, he realized that his expectations were so high in terms how that motor cycle would make him feel. And then when he got it, it could not measure up.

The truth of the matter is that all we really need is the Lord. Nothing can meet the deep needs and desires of our life like Him. Jesus reminded us in Matt 6:33 : Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

I pray that I will not be fooled into believing that things are the 'stuff' of life.

As Jesus said in John 10:10 : 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Blowing out the candles. 51 candles might cause a 'fire' so 5 will have to do.  

Turning 51

Yesterday was my birthday. In a conversation with my brother, I said that I would like to stop time. My brother mentioned that if I could, it would make me a lot of money. He is in business. I find myself squarely in midde age. The eye can't see as well. The body is slower. It seems like just yesterday that I was young and ageless.

As I am given to be retrospect, I do look at my life and wonder about the essentials. What is really the most important thing in Life itself? One can't be ageless. It is a fact that I am heading swiftly to the great marker of American Society : the Senior Citizen discount at age 55.

I thought about the places that I have worked when I was younger. Some are no longer in business. Most probably have no recollection of me. When I left, the place probably didn't skip a beat.

I like what C S Lewis said about eternity. Life is like one long, never ending fabric. Our life on earth is just a small dot on that never ending fabric. Scripture mentions often the three pillars of life: Faith, hope and love. They are a favorite triad of the Apostle Paul. Hope is that virtue which focuses on the true movement of Life itself : eternity. Biblical hope is not the idea of hope today. With Biblical hope, heaven is just a matter of time. There is no uncertainity about it. It is just a matter of the ticking of the clock.

As I look at my life, I want to measure it by how God measures it. That is the most important and crucial. It is in His presence that I will spend eternity. Life 'on earth' is not the total of Life itself. I must never be fooled into thinking that. So I look to Scripture and God's summary statements of what Life ought to be like. These are a gauges that I can accurately measure if I am on track. As my wife just said, 'Are you were God wants you to be?' A great question and an essential one.

Here are some summary Gauging Scriptures by which I am measuring myself.

Micah 6:8 "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God".

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well".

Matthew 22:36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?"
37 Jesus replied: "‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’
40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

John 15:5 "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing."

Claire in "dance" action. 

Olivia and Claire in costume 

Olivia and Claire dance recital

On Saturday night, it was the dance recital. Olivia and Claire are taking ballet this year. The costumes were beautiful. Olivia has done the best that she has every done. It was great to see.
Enjoy the photos.

Claire in the pool. 

She looks cold to me today.  

Olivia and Claire at the pool today. Claire was probably more tired - not mad. 

Fun at Wisconsin Dells

Only one more day of school for Olivia. Today, Claire and I joined Olivia and her 6th grade class at a huge water park at Wisconsin Dells. Man, was the water cold. But Olivia stayed in the wave pool for over an hour and loved it. It was fun. Olivia has made a very special friend in her class: Venessa. She has a special place in her heart for Olivia. The two had a great time today. I came home a tired monkey.

Here I am with my father's piano. It took movers to get it down stairs. 

Back from Kentucky helping my Mom.

It was a great trip to Kentucky. I returned last Sunday. My sister and I helped my Mom start the packing and then have a big garage sale. When I looked at the stuff that she set out for the sale starting Thursday, I said to my sister : This is nothing but trinkets and junk. But we had three days of steady costumers. We had a great time. I will return in 10 days to help with the final move. I have two brothers and sisters and it has been a team effort with all.

It is really a challenge to break up a household and determine what to do with a lifetime of memories and items. I brought back home with me my father's piano which my grandmother bought for him when he was a teen in the 1930s. See the photo.