Chosen

I learned of a potential physical challenge a year ago in August 2022.  From the beginning, I have prayed the leper’s prayer, which he pleaded to Jesus, “If you choose, you can make me clean.”  From the beginning, I believe I was chosen to be made clean. That conviction was validated yesterday morning when I …

Be Like John Boy

As I recall the scene from “The Waltons” [circa 1975], John Boy was in his room trying to figure out how he would earn the money to go to college.  Grandma timidly knocks on his door and enters and gives him the minimal dollars and cents she has been saving for years for that very …

I have heard your prayer…

It is easy to fall into a funk when one encounters physical and mental difficulties.  The more severe the difficulties, the easier it is to succumb to the darkness.  My daughter and two grandsons came to visit this week.  When she asked, “How are you?” I broke down for the first time in a while.  …

Dealing with Cancer #7, Great Expectations

I completed my sixth and final chemotherapy treatment five weeks ago.  The relief I have been hoping for has yet to arrive. Lesson #7 Be realistic about your expectations. My oncologist is very pleased with my progress, and my next appointment with him is in two months.  That is when we will schedule the MRI …

Getting By with a Little Help from My Friends

With a lot of help from my friends – particularly Mrs. tVM, youngest son Jesse and his wife Erica, and friends Dwight and Halen – we see the fruits of our labors.  My broken leg has kept me on the sidelines, but together, my inner circle has collectively prepared the land, put in irrigation, seeded, …

Dealing with Cancer #6, It’s Okay to Cry… It’s Better to Laugh

Lesson #6 It’s okay to cry… it’s better to laugh The day I learned that I have cancer, I was driving from my urologist’s office to Dwight’s for supper.  Marie and I were in between houses; she and Clarence were staying in the Phoenix area with Brad, Felicia, and the kids, and I was staying …

Dealing with Cancer #5, Pray

Lesson #5 Pray The power of prayer is obvious in each of our lives whether or not you are free, open, and willing to acknowledge it.  For years on our home page, we have featured a quote from the late Irish poet, writer, and spiritualist John O’Donohue. “Prayer is the presence that holds harmony in …