Monday Video - Friends

Who says we can't all get along?

 

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Sunday Reflection - New Beginnings

Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be. (Job 8:7)

A New Year starts in a about a day and a half as I write this. We always talk about letting go of the old year and looking forward to the new. An ending and a beginning.

In actuality time doesn't stop and start at midnight on December 31/January 1 -- it's continuous. But there's something in our human nature, perhaps put there by God, that needs definition, that needs a way to put the past behind us and look forward to our futures.

For Betty and me 2012 was a mixture of ups and downs. We had a great trip West and we were anxious through our youngest son's health problems at the end of the year. He's doing well in his healing with no complications and we appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers.

We have no idea what the New Year holds for us. All we know is what we have right this moment.

We have each other and our individual relationships with God. We have great sons, daughter-in-laws and grandchildren. We have great families. We have a great church and friends. We have great neighbors. We have two great horses. We have great blogging friends.

Whatever the New Year brings I pray God keeps a sense of gratitude in our hearts at all times - no matter our circumstances.

We also hope that as 2012 ends you will find new beginnings in 2013.

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Headin' Home

Betty and I are heading home today. We had a great visit, but it's always good to be home - with our horses and in our own bed.

So, to recap here are some photos and two videos to wrap it all up.

 

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A Little Post-Christmas Humor

Wade Daniel, Marie, Juliet and Leah are heading back to Colorado today, Thursday, and that makes us sad.

So here's a little post-Christmas humor -- especially for you Star Trek and Star Wars fans.

 

 

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Happy Day After Christmas

 

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Merry Christmas - Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Peace on earth to all good men - and cats and chickens too!

Merry Christmas from Betty and me!

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Happy Christmas Eve

I hope you are all having a blessed Christmas Eve with those you love.

 

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Sunday Reflection - Little Did They Know

Today is Sunday and the celebration of Jesus' birth is two days away.

2,000 years ago lowly shepherds were awaiting the actual birth of Jesus, but they didn't know it.

For them it was just another long, cold night watching their flocks. The only thing that made this night different from the hundreds of other similar nights was that strange star in the sky. It was like no other star they had ever seen. It probably gave them something to talk about around the fire that warmed them, but being uneducated men and boys they had no knowledge of what it meant.

Little did they know that their lives would be drastically changed in just a couple of days. Little did they know that in heaven there was an expectant joy. Little did they know that angels were preparing for their greatest show.

Little did they know.

 

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We All Made It

Betty and I made the drive from Mount Vernon, Ohio to Franklin, Tennessee on Thursday. We traveled over half the way in a lot of rain and wind. We also were caught in a five-mile back up because a semi-trailer truck wrecked. It took us an hour to go five miles. Fortunately, Betty had her game app on her phone to keep her busy. She hates traffic jams.

Wade Daniel, Marie, Juliet and Leah flew in from Denver to Nashville yesterday, Friday. Their incoming flight from Kansas City to Denver was late. Then they had to work to start their plane before it could take off. So, they were over an hour late, but they got here OK.

We had a great, if late, fried chicken dinner at Grandma Nita's then we all called it an early night because we were all pretty tired.

Good times.

 

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Friday Funny - A Star Trek Christmas

Those of you who are Star Trek fans will get this. If you're not, just ask a Star Trek friend.

 

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Friday Funny - It's Goodbye Day

Well, today is supposed to be the end of the world according to the Mayan calendar. I've even heard there's some planet, hidden behind the sun, that's going to come crashing into the earth today.

If you're not reading this then this may all be true (sure). If you are reading this then maybe not so true (actually).

Wade Daniel, Marie, Juliet and Leah are flying from Denver to Nashville today to be with the family. I hope they land before the hidden planet crashes into the earth.

Have a good day (or not).

 

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Tuesday - Three Good Things

I had a great visit with my sister Jane and brother-in-law Hack. Here's a picture of us eating at a local New Mexican food place (about as good as you can get for central Kentucky):

Here's a picture of me playing with their grandson Jory:

After a good night's sleep I headed for Ohio.

Three good things happened Tuesday.

First, I made the 8 hour trip to Mount Vernon, Ohio safely with no problems.

I went directly to the Knox County Community Hospital to be with Chris and Betty. Walking in they told me some good news - Chris is going home tomorrow, Wednesday. His system seems to be working OK and he's not having any problems eating.

And, the last good news was getting this great picture of Juliet and Leah from Wade and Marie:

 

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Heading for Ohio

I had a nice visit with my sister Jane, brother-in-law Hack and their kids, Gary and Kelly and his wife April and their son Jory. Yesterday, Monday, after eating lunch at a local restaurant, we drove over to an Aviation Heritage Park in Bowling Green. There are three planes there now - the F-4 Phantom in the picture with April and Jory, a Navy Panther and an Air Force Starfighter.

This morning, Tuesday, I rose early and left for the 8-hour drive to Mount Vernon, Ohio. I'll drive straight to the hospital to be with Betty and Chris.

Chris is doing better. They have removed his tubes and IV's. He's still on a liquid diet and, as soon as he can pass some gas, they'll put him on a soft food diet. Once that passes through all the way he should be able to go home. Hopefully, that will be soon, but it can't be rushed.

You never stop being a father/mother and worrying about your children.

 

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Sunday Reflection - The Trip to Bethlehem

Both of our sons were born while I was in the Navy and I was gone both times while Betty was pregnant and giving birth. The first time for Wade's birth I was in Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI and then on my ship.

For Chris, I was on my ship off North Vietnam.

Missing both of their births is one of the few regrets I have in my life.

It's amazing to me how God works. Jesus needed to be born in Bethlehem so prophecy would be fulfilled. Caesar Augustus became God's tool to fulfill that prophecy. He ordered a census of all Israel that required people to be recorded in the place of their birth. Since Joseph was born in Bethlehem he, Mary and the unborn Jesus had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census and Jesus would be born there.

I love the picture above. It's a tender scene of a very pregnant Mary led by a loving husband. Mary had a virgin birth, but since Jesus was to be fully human there's no doubt Mary had a very human pregnancy. I don't doubt that she had morning sickness and all the trials that women endure to bring a child into the world.

The picture is also prophetic as they pass a young shepherd herding his flock. Jesus would become the good shepherd and the sacrificial lamb of God.

As we approach the celebration of Jesus' birth, Betty and I hope you experience he coming of Jesus in your own lives.

 

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Headin' for the MidWest

I left this morning to head for Tennessee. I'll spend a couple of days with my sister and her family. Then, next Tuesday I'll drive to Ohio to be with Betty, Chris and Tracy. We'll stay with them until Chris gets out of the hospital and gets settled at home.

After that we'll drive down to Tennessee to, hopefully, spend Christmas with Betty's family.

I'll do a couple of Sunday Reflection posts for while I'm gone and I'll do a post for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. If I'm able, I'll do a couple of posts while we're with family, but Chris and Tracy don't have wifi so I won't be able to do a post while we're with them.

Betty and I wish everyone a blessed Christmas season and I hope you'll check in on the Sundays and Christmas days while I'm gone. I'll crank up again around the first of the year.

 

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Friday Funny - Christmas Dogs

Those of you who have dogs will appreciate this.

 

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Good News About Chris

Our youngest son, Chris, who lives in Mount Vernon, Ohio has been battling a severe case of diverticulitis. He had surgery yesterday, Wednesday, to resect the damaged intestines. The surgery was a little more complicated than expected and took longer than expected, but it came out well. The surgeon was pleased with how he did.

He will be in the hospital for 5 to 10 days. Betty, who went to Ohio on Sunday, was with him and will be with him every day he's in the hospital. Once a Mom, always a Mom.

If you have an extra prayer, please pray that his healing goes well and his hospital stay is minimal. I love hospital staff, especially nurses - best in the world. But hospitals are terrible places to be and especially to sleep.

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Crows, Crows, Crows

We always have crows and ravens in New Mexico throughout the year. However, for the past few years, we have seen a dramatic increase in the number of crows in the winter.

Up until recently, we usually saw the flocks of crows down close to the Bosque along the river. A couple of years ago, we were riding Morgunn and Sugar through the Bosque when we encountered a huge flock of crows. There must have been a hundred or more. They were so noisy and flying around in the trees that they scared the horses so we had to turn back. There was no way we were going to ride through them.

This morning for the first time we had a half dozen crows land in our back lot with the horses. I'm not sure what they were looking for, but there they were.

These crows didn't bother Sugar (eating in the background of this picture) or Morgunn. I guess they were a little quieter.

 

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