Sprinkles and Prayers.

 Sprinkles and Prayers.

 

This morning was encouraging because of the cloud cover and sprinkles of rain. Lance sent a picture of the loading dock at H&O where he works. It was full of water from the rain down in Ft. Worth. Naturally we did not get that kind of rain here in WF. But at least the temperature did not get up to 100 today. In fact, it is currently about 93 degrees here in Wichita Falls with a ten percent chance of rain. Some scattered clouds just tease us a bit.

 

Not this weekend but next, we have the annual bicycle race called the Hotter ‘N Hell. If you suspect that someone you know might be grinning and wondering if someone will get rained on that weekend, you might just know the old woman pretty well. It would just make me laugh. It is great for the city coffers, of course, but the population pretty well explodes about that time—at least for a few days. My prayers are that no one gets hurt or has a heart attack. The organization includes medical tents and riders who watch for problems, but still, that is a lot of riders all congregated into roads that are blocked off specifically for the race. Having served in one of the tents handing out water and bananas one year, it seems to me some of these people have very little preparation for such an endurance race. The top riders get through the course quickly, but it takes some folks nearly all day to ride whichever section of the race thay have chosen. Not for an old, ornery woman, for sure!

 

A message from my sister-by-another mother let me know that Sharon Dickerson is in a different part of Texas tonight helping out her son. He is taking care of his biological father who has dementia. So, Sharon is helping him this week for a bit. She may be headed home tomorrow, so my prayers are with her for a safe, uneventful stay and trip home.

 

Then a text this afternoon informed me that my sister-in-law took a bad fall in her bathroom early Monday morning. She has a hematoma (bad bruise) and had to have stitches. She says she is so sore that she can hardly move around. Understand completely.

 

My online friend Diann Dennis took a bad fall recently down in a creek bed and fractured one of the bones from can to can’t that included the bone leading to the hip. She is such a motivated searcher for wild flowers in her part of the world and has always shared her research with the “wild” group of folks who love being outdoors. She was, unfortunately, by herself when she fell quite a distance. Her phone was on her, so she was able to call a family member to send someone to rescue her. Praise God they were able to get to her and get her to a hospital. We sometimes seem to believe that we are as indestructible as we thought we were as young teens. It has not taken some of us long to figure out that indestructible ain’t necessarily so. Anyway, please keep Sharon, Anne, and Diann in your prayers for safety and healing.

 

Meanwhile a call from my brother Sterling reminded me of his concerns. His wife had a stroke some years ago and then had a double mastectomy because of breast cancer. The side effects of the chemo have caused her increasingly to be unable to use her hands and feet as well as she should be able. Then she does not get up and move around very much—somewhat like the rest of us who just do what has to be done and not much more. Sterling wants her to go walking with him to get her back into shape before she becomes an invalid and in a wheelchair. Jacqui will undoubtedly gripe and groan the entire time he is trying to move her body, but maybe she will listen to reason. Sterling and Jacqui will be in my prayers so that they can enjoy their time together without the problems associated with invalidism.

 

While we were talking, Sterling reminded me that it is God who puts those in places of leadership-power for His purposes. Several times someone has put on FB the scripture about how if His people will turn to Him that they would be blessed. It always makes me think about the many violations of humanity—abortion as birth control, for instance, and the many murderous attempts by various people who are so very bigoted about either race or nationality or whatever. How can we even begin to hope that God will forgive us as a nation when we really don’t show our need and desire for forgiveness? Oh, we see many wonderful examples of people helping others and trying their best to alleviate major problems, but as a nation? It is hard to think that the greed—yes, just pure out and out greed—that forms the decisions of men could make a difference if their personal desires were not so terribly deficient of love. More often than not, the violence in this world that we see or read about comes from tragically distorted desires. The only answer to such horrors has to come from God. He will judge. The sooner, the better.

 

So, the bookcase and the TV table are dusted, but the step stool is still in the living room. Maybe it will drift off to the kitchen this evening—or not. The hens enjoyed the cloud cover and the head of cabbage they got yesterday evening, so today three eggs showed up in the nests. A few things have been accomplished today. A pound of lamb cooked in the cast iron skillet with the addition of three small chopped up potatoes and one large yellow onion. Not bad, especially with a bit of ketchup. But thought about Debra Jones who was griping about not being able to find any decent sized potatoes. These were small and probably the kind that should have been tossed into the vat to make vodka! She said she had to buy a fifteen-pound bag of potatoes just to find some big enough to peel! That is just about the truth! The produce at Walmart is pretty sad, but the stuff at Market Street is expensive as all get out! Oh well. You know we are about to get the COLA raise in social security. Each time that has happened before, it meant that the cost of our Medicare was going up again!

 

Really have nothing of great significance to discuss or cuss, so will just tell you guys that if someone is quieter, it does not mean they are not listening actively. It takes a deep breath and some calming thoughts to live in this world right now. Let’s pray not only for rain in the right amounts for those who desperately need it, but for relief from floods in the areas that are being washed away.

 

Let us pray for peace on earth. May He heal us and guide us.