What’s Going On With My Hand?

On Tuesday night I was at church meeting with someone for pastoral counseling.  About a third of the way into our time together I looked down at my left hand and I was, to say the least, somewhat surprised.

Most of the back of my hand and half of two of my fingers looked like a fresh bruise – blood was pooling in my hand.  Later, when I got home the hand was swelling, especially in the space between the knuckles of the first two fingers.

This picture was taken Wednesday morning after a lot of the swelling had gone down.

There’s a little pain, but it’s slight.

All Betty and I can think of is somehow a blood vessel broke (I don’t remember hitting it) or I was bitten by something ( a spider?).  Since I was bit by a spider on my ankle when I was a kid I don’t think I was bit.  So, the only thing I can think of it a broken blood vessel.

Weird, huh?

Routine–Follow Up

Yesterday I wrote about the routine we use with Sugar and Morgunn when we ride.  I mentioned we do spine lifts before and after the ride.  Our good friend Lisa asked what are spine lifts.

Actually one is a spine lift and the other is a spine straightener.

To do a spine lift, we press with our thumbs on their rump about 3 - 4 inches above the tail.  Our thumbs are an inch or two on each side.  You have to press in pretty hard and hold it for about five seconds.  When you do this the horse lifts the lumbar spine, rounding the back.

The spine straightener is to pull on the horse’s tail by holding the tail with both hands and leaning back – again holding for about five seconds.  When you pull you can see the spine stretch.  When you release slowly you’ll see the spine release back into position.

So, that’s what I meant by spine lifts.  Probably clear as mud.

Routine

This post is for those of you who love horses.

Every horse owner probably has a routine with their horses for two reasons: (1) horses like routine – they’re not big on change or surprise and (2) routines help us ensure we won’t forget anything we want to do with our horses.

Here’s our pre-ride routine every time we ride Sugar and Morgunn:

1. We catch and halter our horses which is not a problem as Sugar and Morgunn wait quietly for us when they see us come with halters.

2. We brush, check manes and tail, and pick feet – pretty standard stuff.

3. We do a massage on their neck, shoulder and hip muscles.  They love that.

4. We do spine lifts recommended by our chiropractic vet.

5. We saddle and bridle – pretty standard.

6. We walk them out to the back for a desensitization routine (everything done on both sides): (1) throw the lead rope all over their back, rump and legs, (2) swing the lead rope hitting the ground – start at their rear and walk toward their head while swinging, (3) swing the lead rope back and forth over their head, (4) ask them to drop their head, (5) ask them to back up, (6) ask them to move their hips over, and (7) lunge them in a small circle.

We use a mounting block to get up on our horses to save their backs – and ours.  In the saddle we do some circles, halts, back ups, and hip overs before heading out for our ride.

Here’s our post-ride routine:

1. Take off their bit and bridle first thing after dismounting.

2. Give them a drink if it’s hot.

3. Tie them up and oil down the saddle and bridle.

4. Remove all their tack.

5. Brush them down and pick their hooves.

6. Do a massage on their neck, shoulder and hip muscles. They especially love that after a ride.

7. Do spine lifts

8. Give them a carrot – they get a carrot any time they do some work.

9. Hose them down if it’s hot.

10. Take off their halter and put on fly masks – give them a little hay.

Well, that’s our routine.  It may be overkill by some standards, but we’ve found it works for our horses and the relationship we have with them.

Have a Happy & Safe 4th

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

These words from the Declaration of Independence are just as true today as they were in 1776.

All men and women are created equal – equal before God and should have equal opportunity – not equal outcomes.

All men and women are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.  Our rights come not from our government, but from God.  ‘Unalienable’ means ‘impossible to take away or give up.’  No one can take away our rights.  They can suppress us, but they can not take away our rights.

These rights are our life, our liberty and our pursuit of happiness.  What is meant here does not refer to someone who breaks the law – i.e., murders which can lead to execution or other law breakers who can lose their liberty.  It’s referring to our government trying, through coercion and regulation, to take away our life, our liberty and/or our ability to pursue our happiness.

Finally, our government should have only the power we consent to give it.  It has no right to pursue power for it’s own sake.

So, on this day as we celebrate our independence from an over-reaching government 235 years ago, let us pray that God gives us the wisdom and courage to remember our present government is meant to serve us and not the other way around.

Have a happy and safe 4th of July.

Sunday Reflection–Freedom

"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."  (Luke 4:18-19)

Tomorrow is Independence Day – a day we celebrate our freedom from the oppression of an over-reaching English government.  It made me think about our spiritual freedom.

When Jesus stood up in the presence of the Jewish hierarchy and said those words above, he created a firestorm.  How dare he take on those things that belong only to God?

Yet, that’s exactly what he did and what he still does today.

The poor are those who are poor in spirit; who see no hope.  The blind are those who are blind to the truth of God and who he really is.  The oppressed are those who are pushed down by religious rules and regulations.

When he said “freedom for the prisoners” I don’t believe he was talking about people who were behind locked doors.  He was talking about people who are prisoners to those things in their lives that hold them in bondage – sin, lack of forgiveness, wounds to our emotions and spirit, addictions, etc..

Jesus came, and still comes, to set us free from everything that is keeping us from being the person that God means for us to be.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)

If you are bound by anything in your life, if you see no hope for your life, if you are oppressed by religious rules and regulations, then Jesus waits for you to ask him to come into your life.  He wants us to know freedom, to be set free.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. (Galatians 5:1)

More Fire Pictures

The Las Conchas (Los Alamos) fire has reached almost 114,000 acres which makes it the largest in New Mexico history.  As I write this, it’s only 5% contained.
It’s incredible to me the men and women who put their lives on the line to work 16 hour days in heat, smoke and soot to fight this beast.  They are the best.
We went to dinner last night to celebrate our anniversary and this was the smoke as the sun set.

This was the sun shining through the smoke this morning after feeding the horses.

But in the midst of all this some things are good.  Our Daylilies are doing great.  Perhaps they like the smoke.

44 Years and Counting

44 years ago today, July 1, 1967, it was a warm, humid day in Brentwood, Tennessee when two young people said their vows before God and their family to commit to each other in sickness and health, richer or poorer, for better or worse.
And, over the last 44 years, we have experienced sickness, health, riches, poverty, better and worse.  It’s been a grand adventure and I wouldn’t have missed it for anything in the world.
We’re both very different people today than those two young people.  We’ve grown together in ways we couldn’t ever have imagined that warm, humid day so long ago.  I love Betty more today than I did that special day.
Whether we have 44 more days or 44 more years or something in between, I’m looking forward to every single day.