Wow! It’s almost Christmas again! Can you believe it? I wonder what Ryan and Jacob will ask for this year. Actually, it’s Jacob who asks for everything…yes, literally everything. Ryan doesn’t ask for much. Never has…

I know I’ve said it before, but it’s such a blessing to have air conditioning in Ryan’s room; especially on hot days like today. The comfort he’s afforded because of God’s provision is never taken for granted here. Thank you Lord!! Hopefully, the weather will be a little more moderate for his birthday celebration this Saturday. Please Lord, Grant our prayers for a pleasant day. Every day, nonetheless, is a good day. and a day to be celebrated. So, whatever the day is like, we’ll celebrate regardless!

Psalm 118:1a    O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good…

Ryan’s streak of consecutive good days is a new world record. I doubt it’ll ever be beaten; at least not in my lifetime. Isn’t it amazing to watch a competitor give his all? You go Ryan!!

My strategy paid off, and the Warriors are going to the NBA finals against the Cavaliers. The Thunder gave us all we could handle and then some, but we persevered and in the end came out on top. Once again, the splash brothers and their entourage came through. If they can beat the Cavs, I believe they will go down as the greatest team in history, but they’ve got to finish well.

Speaking of finishing well:

1 Corinthians 9:24   Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.

Philippians 3:14   I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Oh, and my strategy was not to watch the game…

 

A blonde was taking helicopter lessons. The instructor said, “I’ll radio you every 1,000 feet to see how you are doing.”

At 1,000 feet, the instructor radioed her and she said she was doing great. At 2,000 feet, he said she was still doing well.

Right before she got to 3,000 feet, the propeller stopped, and she twirled to the ground. The instructor ran to where she crashed and pulled her out of the helicopter. Fortunately, she was not badly injured. He asked her, “What went wrong?”

The blonde said, “At around 2,500 feet I started to get cold, so I turned the big fan off.”

And that, my friends, is why you don’t eat peanut butter and pickle sandwiches while perched upon a turnip truck swatting mosquitoes…huh?

My silliness used to drive Ryan crazy. Still does, I suppose. He just can’t do anything about it at the moment, so I’ll keep on being silly until he sits up and thumps the top of me noggin’.

It’s beginning to get warmer around here; in the low 80’s today and forecast to continue the trend for the next 5-6 days. We’ll see. Typically we get a few hot days followed by some cool ones, because the valley sucks in the cool off-shore breezes. With the nice weather, we’ll get Ryan outside to enjoy it for a spell. We’re going to start his conditioning now so he can participate in next weekend’s activities. Plus, he can use some color…He needs to get the tan back, so he can be Tough Tan & Popular once more…

Ryan would like to thank all of the veterans who’ve served to allow us the freedom to share the Good News about Jesus with others!

John 3:16

TGIF!!

In fact, we should thank God for every day!!

Ryan smiled when I went in to see him this afternoon. That’s really a nice thing to come home to, wouldn’t you agree?

COMPETE   verb:   engage in a contest; measure oneself against others or a standard

Well, the Warriors live to play another day. What a series this has been! The competition has been tremendous from both teams. You can see the desire to win from each player, both as an individual and a teammate; on both teams. Mano e Mano…

As great a joy as it is to watch my team win, I enjoy seeing a competitive game even more…win or lose. And, as great as it is to see a competitive game, it’s been an even greater joy to watch my boys compete over the years. And even though neither boy is playing a competitive sport, each is competing in some way in their lives. Jacob is engaged in doing his best in school; trying to reach a certain standard. And Ryan…well Ryan’s competing against an opponent who wants to spoil God’s plan And if you think about it, so are we all). You wanna know why he won’t fail? He’s very competitive and, he’s got a lot of teammates who have a great desire for him to succeed…to win; teammates who support him and pray for him daily. He’s also got the greatest teammate of all…

Romans 8:31   What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

 

Love today’s Bible verse from Gretchen…

1 Timothy 4:8   For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Took Ryan to the neurologist today to get consultation about his current meds, etc.; the idea being to see if we can wean him off of any one or more drugs, or at least reduce the amount of meds he’s currently being given. He’ll go in for some blood work soon to see what his tolerance levels are at. If we can reduce the amount of any one or more medication (of course, by small increments at a time), hopefully he’ll be even more alert and communicative…”more” in any amount big or small. All we can do is try…and pray.

And finally, Ryan would like to wish Shawna a very happy birthday today, and let her know that if she (and her family) comes to his party on June 4th, that he promises not to get sick, and to have the elevator in good working order…

Ryan’s wondering what’s going on with the Warriors. At least, I think that’s what he’s wondering. Since I’m not actually there to witness the expression on his face, it’s what I’m going with. It’s difficult to watch OKC completely dismantle them. I had to turn the channel. What kind of fan does that make me? Actually, I’m a fan of a well-played game more than I am of any one team. I’m not one to be down in the dumps or riding high on a cloud lose or win, so you can bet I’ll show up to work tomorrow regardless the outcome…

Speaking about tomorrow, let’s not go there just yet. So how are you spending the rest of your waking hours on this day? I’m on my knees thanking God for another day granted. He’s done so much for me and my family, so it’s only right to give Him my heartfelt appreciation. But, it’s not only for the things He’s done, but even more simply for who He is…

Goodnight all! May God watch over you and yours while you rest…

Watching and waiting for my garden to grow. Watching and waiting for my son to heal. Watching and waiting for Christ to return. Life doesn’t get much better than this…

Matthew 24:42   Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

2 Corinthians 12:10   That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

We’re happy to have Jacob home from school. Well, at least Janine is. I’m still on the fence because he passed me up height-wise, but only by a quarter inch. I’ll have to break out the inversion boots and hang upside down to stretch myself. I’m just compressed. I know that’s what it is! Yup…that’s it…

Hannah came to visit Ryan this evening, and of course Ryan was asleep pretty much the entire time. So much for an in-depth conversation. Hannah usually does most of the talking anyway, so I don’t know what the difference is…ha! It was very nice seeing her and to catch up on what she’s doing. They grow up so fast, don’t they?!?!

Hug your children every time you get a chance…