Travel The Journey

Oh BOY, Thanks!

2007-06-22T00:55:00.000-04:00

There have been many responses to my blog about our boy-to-be. They've all been good, blog or other means.

A quick thank you. I'm glad you like babies, too.

God's most important and impressive action since creation was in the form of a baby boy.

No wonder the world grins at Christmas--and with the birth of babes universally.

PS Today was my mother's birthday. That gives even more meaning to all of this. Thanks, Mom.
Emmanuel, God with us.

For our family Advent is coming and so is our grandson!

November, November!

One more thing, today (June 22nd) was my mother's birthday. That makes all of this more important today. Thanks, Mom.

He's a Boy With a Name!!

2007-06-21T01:05:00.000-04:00

Daphne and Eric were fascinated as the words of Isaiah embossed the true miracle of God creating new life with them day before yesterday. The doctor's gliding camera saw the invisible. A tiny baby BOY'S skeleton captivated Daphne's and Eric's eyes and hearts.

Think about it. A vague and foggy image called an ultrasound proves there's new life where no one can see him otherwise. Clearly, this is a crisp new photograph that is true each time a baby comes along.

"...NOW THIS IS WHAT THE LORD SAYS,

...I HAVE CALLED YOU BY NAME, YOU ARE MINE."
Isaiah 43:1

We are thrilled to learn there will be a fresh new male Coomer arriving in November... We just learned about it yesterday and had to try to be quiet about it temporarily.

I think we can survive that. Great-granddaddy is full of joy. This event will really be a joy buster for sure.

Oh, by the way, this grandfather-in-the-making is both jittery with joy and bowing in adoration. He who is coming in to our family is also bringing worship of the creator of life itself.

There are no words for that! Like the Hebrews of old, there simply is no word holy enough to name our G-d, until we know the baby of Bethlehem.

Praise God! Praise Jesus! Praise The Ever-present Holy Spirit!

God is With Us!

Bumpety Trudy Bumpety

2007-06-21T00:32:00.000-04:00

The latest on Trudy is good. She can choose whether to use the cane, but is doing well at walking with a slight bumpety in her stride. The therapist and doctor are encouraging about her knee, etc. She starts therapy at Pinnacle on Friday morning. Keep that in your prayers.

She has eaten very well overall. Her mouth is sore because of cold sores in the upper part. However, she has eaten some freshly baked cookies with some orange sherbet and is feeling better.

There's a hot cherry pie on the kitchen table waiting to be eaten. The dishwasher is loaded with clean dishes. There's also a clean load of towels waiting in the dryer. So far keeping up has been hard, but tonight turned out well.

I've stayed busy, but her bed lamp is on by the turned back red sheets on the bed. Tully has been out and is sleeping quietly on the recliner across from. I'm wrapping up the blog and putting it to bed for the night. Just notice the next brief message and see why we expect pleasant dreams.

G'nite.

Bumpety Bump

2007-06-18T17:30:00.001-04:00

I've had big password problems due to a computer glitch. I hope I'm about over the bump on that. However, it took so much time that I had to go prepare a supper that is overdue.

Life seems that way, bumpety bump and a few more bumps.

Trudy is improving quickly and sees her surgeon tomorrow. She's graduating from the walker to a cane and her impatience with being a patient is graduating, as well. The knee replacement was two weeks ago today. (Our wedding was forty-one years ago the twenty-fifth--a week from today.)

The bumps in the road are accentuated by the mountain-tops. What is glorious one day may bring deep pain the next. We get through them all, but a living faith definitely brings added strengths for the trip--The Journey.

I must run. The bump is a stove this time and the phone call I just got reminds me to travel on.

If you read this, please spell and grammar check. I have to run.

That's the journey of life. Isn't it?

I hope you are traveling well today.

God bless.

Update on Huccups and Burps

2007-06-07T01:55:00.000-04:00

HI,

Just a very quick report. Trudy's surgery went well. She is having a little difficulty with blood sugar, etc. However they are on to it and hopefully will have that handled tomorrow.

We are to make a decision tomorrow about where she will be next, perhaps an exended-care nursing home; but we have to have one that insurance covers and has an opening. Please pray that we can do this quickly. We can not handle things at home yet.

I'm not worried, but I don't want an "hiccups" getting in the way. Maybe a good burp or two.

She is in a of lot of pain, but faithfully doing the exercises and whatever they tell her to do. She needs more strength and energy. Hopefully tomorrow (Thursday) we will turn the major corner on improvement. Thanks for prayers and cares.

We pray for you, too.

With You,

Harold

Prayer! Action! Cut! Prayer!

2007-06-04T00:28:00.001-04:00

"Be still. Know that I am God,
a very present help in time of trouble."
Psalm 46

Are your knees shaking?

Trudy's fasting, no food until after the surgery to replace her left knee. They have set he time two hours earlier than originally planned.

Now she can get nervous, but going to sleep is better. Time passes faster that way.

Trudy's twin sister is here. That's a bonus beyond presence; but just being here from Cleveland, Ohio adds tremendous support and encouragement. They are identical twins and are very close. That's good.

Katrina, our daughter, is here, too. That helps. And Eric our son, with his pregnant wife Daphne plan to be here tomorrow. All of that is very important.

I'm here, in one form/condition or another. I'll be the best caregiver I know how to be. Our church and other friends are here in prayer and other ways.

God's here, the Great Physician who will oversee everything. She has good doctors, a new type of procedure that is supposed to be less invasive and better.

God's Holy Spirit gives the call and we trust the rest to

God's active involvement.

Peace and healing be with you; OK, let's roll.

Harold

PS Congratulations Cavaliers!

Even Fresher Air

2007-05-31T23:23:00.000-04:00

New

Friends.

Like Whitney,

and

You?

wy,

h

Take a Deep Breath--Seriously!

2007-05-29T23:30:00.000-04:00

ABOUT YESTERDAY FOR ME

Just a quick word to say that the session back in the oxygen chamber went well. I'm very happy to get back in the process. It means more healing in a way that is vital to my future. While I wasn't completely comfortable, it was a good treatment and proves my conviction that I can do it with a little extra help. I expect to continue with enthusiasm to the point where soon I will not need the added medication. Thanks to you who have asked about it.

ABOUT TODAY FOR YOU

Isn't it amazing what a tiny pill can do? For me it means added health. Misused, it means disaster for far too many foolish fun seekers who think a quick high will last forever. It won't, but it may kill them or cause brain damage like what put me here along with many of those I have come to love since learning the disaster of brain and nerve injury.

So my first prayer tomorrow will be for those who will unknowingly choose to die to life as they knew it...only moments, minutes before. The "quick fix" for a life that feels limited may limit the person for all the rest of his/her days. No words will ever describe the crashing wall and cruel fate that lies ahead.

And for those who will or have suffered brain injury, stroke, nerve damage, cancer and more, my heart trembles in gratitude for the oxygen therapy that is extending my "normalcy" for as long as possible. I pray you will receive increasingly better care and results. I pray you will regain every scintilla of strength that is needed to bring the healing you so terribly want and deserve..

TODAY IN "MyTube", THE HYPERBARIC OXYGEN CHAMBER

Whoever reads this, my prayer is that you may only find the best of growth in brain cells and function throughout your body. Most of all, I hope you find the thrill of living each moment in the presence of God, family and friends never needing external help just to breathe and move; to live and love. Celebrate your oxygen and your freedom. Thank God--and at least one other person today. I suggest you find a patient, doctor or caregiver and start there.

With You in The Journey,

H

PS I'm not always this solemn. Sometimes the brain drain creates puddles of stupidity. My doctors added two extra holes in my head. Sometimes it just spills out. What's your excuse?

Just teasing. Enjoy stupidity, we only live THIS life once. Enjoy practicing. The best is yet to come. ;>)

Breathe deeply now...

2007-05-29T01:05:00.000-04:00

OK, here we go again. Oxygen Therapy again at 10:30am. I have a new medication to aid me and I'm feeling somewhat better than the last two times.

I still say I'll get this thing done. So please just say a prayer or two and we'll see what happens. I don't think giving in or up is the answer. Today I'll see if I can do my part. Thank God the rest is not up to me.

That's where it all began and where it all goes after all is said and done. In God I live and move and have my being. Why should I try to take more responsibility than my Creator?

Take a deep breath. Here WE go!

WY,

Harold

MEMORIAL DAY RECIPE

2007-05-27T20:22:00.000-04:00

This has to be quick. It is hot outside. It is cookin' inside. I just want to say hello and tell you I will be back.

Too many ordinaries evade the extraordinary possibilities, one moment at a time. Like the pot pies in the oven, we just stay hot and bubbling with concerns. Then a holiday rolls around like an inevitable recipe, we plan to cook something.. The question is what.

I hope tomorrow will differ from the dailies. Maybe I'll get to see my ninety-five-year-old father for the first time in months. I want to thank him for his service to our families and the thousands of others he pastored or touched with God's love. Since Trudy's knee replacement is next week, that will delay another trip for quite awhile.

That brings me to memories made and being made. They are Memorial Day in the making. We honor those who served and are serving our nation, our world. Yet, whatever our view on the war, we must give thanks for what is good and what is peace around us.

Along with that, let's remember today is one more gift from God to enjoy and to use creatively or mundanely. It is a day to share. It is MY day, YOUR day to live. What we do with it is Memorial Day. Will it be memorable and why?

That's the boiling question, isn't it?

wyitj,

Harold

HBO-XYGEN THERAPY - Tuesday, 10:30AM EDT.

2007-05-22T02:23:00.000-04:00

I'll try to be in the oxygen chamber starting again tomorrow. The last time I had to get out after only twenty minutes, plus another ten minutes to decompress. It was very uncomfortable for the first time in twenty-six sessions.

I am determined to be successful in staying ninety-minutes each time as planned. The doctors emphasize strongly that it is critical that I do this. I really would appreciate your prayers for me.

I will be praying for each of you. Let me know what you want me to say. I wouldn't want to say the wrong thing and spill any secrets you are trying to hide from God, even though you can be sure God already knows about them. Aren't you glad God forgives?

Here's hoping tonight and tomorrow will bring the best for you, that you are happy now - and will be happier tomorrow. Please let me hear from you. The encouragement you give me really helps.

With You in The Journey,

Harold

What does it take to BE a mother?

2007-05-12T23:41:00.000-04:00

That's my wife Trudy. She is the biological mother of our two children, Eric and Katrina. No mother could love more or work harder. She is a wonderful model to observe.

Trudy is also an elementary music teacher with hundreds of students. She demonstrates that you don't have to physically bear children to be a mother. You must have the spirit of a mother and demonstrate that God-granted unselfish, unbreakable love.

"If you do this to the least of these...”, you ARE a mother.

Thank you!

HAPPY MOTHER'S AND DAUGHTER'S DAY!

WY,

Harold

Psalm 113:9

Wearing Your Sunglasses?

2007-05-10T17:39:00.000-04:00

Wearing your sunglasses?

It's hot today and I'd be tempted to complain. However, the sun is shining, it's my favorite season of the year, and life is good. The stupid results of the brain tumor, radiation, etc. are always present, but that is my reality now. The only way to go is to just deal with it.

My twin's blog is http://keepthesoninyoureyes.blogspot.com/. "Keep the Son in your Eyes!" With the sun in my eyes and my trusted pal Tully at my side, it's a superb day to say thank you. So I simply want to say thanks to God for the blessings coming my way.

All of those gifts add up to the faith word "Grace". God gives constantly and we miss seeing those grace gifts because they are so numerous and we get overwhelmed. We can't pay for them, do deserve them. AND, too much of the time we just don't have our eyes open.

So I'm just asking God--and YOU-- to help me see the gifts we are receiving. Tell me, why are you thankful? Oh, you might want to take your sun/Son glasses off. You can see better that way. After a second look, just keep the Son-glasses on. You'll see better that way.

Take a deep breath; you may get tired of counting. I know I do. While you're at it, read Psalm 84.

With You in The Journey,

Harold

PS For you who may not be Christians, you are blessed this way, too. Maybe you have another perspective, I QUICKLY AND OPENLY ASK YOU to show me your perspective. I'd really like to have your opinion.

You can learn more about The Son in your eyes, check out the book of Acts in The Bible, chapter 9. (I recommend the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION or THE NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION.)

Relationships Along the Way

2007-05-07T19:51:00.000-04:00

It is rather daunting to begin a project like this that so many others can read. As I have been setting things in order, I have been particularly struck by the number of friends and family members I can invite.

Relationships are so delicate. Some are severed by simply losing contact. In some other cases unintentional factors like neglect, misunderstandings or stupid mind tricks change the focus from what is truly important.

If you are one who has been lost by something like that, please take this opportunity to help me re-establish our care for each other. There are so many of you, and many I'm not aware that I have let go without wanting to do so. So, whatever the situation, let's get back on the road together. You can use the email addresses or comments to help things happen.

If I have never met you, welcome. I collect friends as a hobby--a serious one at times. I don't particularly like "acquaintances" because that means a surface relationship. I'll gladly accept it, but I prefer to get to know you better than that. I hope you'll get to know me more deeply, too. This blog should get us going. What you see is what you'll get.

Whoever you are, let's get on the road and travel together. Isn't that what The Journey is all about.

wy,

H

PS You need all the help I can get. In other words, I need you.

Remember What?

2007-05-07T13:49:00.000-04:00

Sometimes life demands persistence and patience. I've been trying to get insurance information from an online database. It took me a long time WITH an individual on the phone as we both looked at our computer screens. She had to call the company and then call me back. Finally we succeed.

So I tried it later by myself. The crazy thing lists no doctors at all in that specialty. I know better, but finally I gave up after having found my doctor and his associates somehow. I could not do it twice. Why?

I'm fairly adept at using my computer. I got my first one back when Atari was a personal computer big name. I've evolved in my learning along with IBM clones and now to a fancy "dream machine" called a multimedia computer with plenty of memory.

Thank God, I don't have to depend on my memory to talk with God, who remembers me better than my brand new cheap telephone answering machine. It can't even remember to pick up after the same number of rings each time.

What's this world coming to? What kind of memory glitches are your favorite memories? Tell me your number one snafu!

wy,

Harold

PS The spell checker for this blog needs therapy, too!

WITH YOU IN THE JOURNEY

2007-05-06T22:45:00.001-04:00

Where are you in your journey?

My Sign is NOT Aquarius!

2007-05-06T22:39:00.002-04:00

I was born under the sign of The Cross.

wy (WITH YOU IN THE JOURNEY),

H

What do YOU think?

2007-05-06T22:10:00.000-04:00

I ought to do this, they said. So here I am because I don't remember the password to my first blog here. Doesn't that say something about life? What do you think it says? (Please be gentle.)

Thanks.

With You as We Travel They Journey,

Q