Not Again

As many of you know I lost my Mom to lung cancer a couple of years ago. It was a bittersweet experience. On one hand, I was relieved to finally see her body at rest after years of being racked by the ravages Lupus. It's an insidious disease that causes the body's immune system to go totally wacky and start to attack it's own connective tissues. In a word slow, painful and, terminal in her case. On the other hand, she was my Mom. Her life was cut short by an unseen foe whose only indication of existence is manifest in the harm it does to the victim's body. God gave her grace and sufficient time to see all three of her grandchildren born and fairly well grown up. I believe this gave her a measure of happiness in an otherwise painful existence. My Dad, God bless him, faithfully stayed by her side through the whole 25 years long ordeal to the bitter end. As my Dad and I tearfully watched my Mom slip into eternity, I realized just how much we would miss her presence in our lives. She often spoke of "going home to be with the Lord." I find comfort in the knowledge that she is with Him.

I have since lost 2 close friends and another friend from my home church whom I had great respect and admiration for. Two were fisher-nuts like me, the other an Amateur radio "enthusiast" nay, a nut like myself. I could go on about the friends I lost but that's not the point of this post. Suffice it to say I miss these guys like they were my brothers. In a real sense they were my brothers. Fishing trips and fun times. Radio contacts to share and talking about whatever we wanted to. Most of all, a common deep commitment to loving God and His purposes. In other word, brothers.

Yesterday I had to go back to urgent care and have a catheter inserted to allow me to urinate into a plastic bag. As I sit here typing away in pain, I am finding it hard to find something to be thankful about. I could get down on the fact that the problem I thought was over has come back to haunt me yet again. I could mourn the loss of my Mom and my brothers. Then I think of the terrible mess our Nation is in and I could easily get depressed if I were to dwell on it for very long.

Thank God that I don't have to draw any happiness from the circumstances around me. I am thankful for many things, above all my future is secure. I'm thankful for my relationship with the Almighty, my Wife my Kids, my extended family, my church, my job, and the freedom that allows me to say it. I may lose everything to the altar of obama, war or die from some other malady. Rest assured however, there is a purpose to this life that all will eventually see. Please read this excerpt from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers.
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ACQUAINTANCE WITH GRIEF
"A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." Isaiah 53:3 We are not acquainted with grief in the way in which Our Lord was acquainted with it; we endure it, we get through it, but we do not become intimate with it. At the beginning of life we do not reconcile ourselves to the fact of sin. We take a rational view of life and say that a man by controlling his instincts, and by educating himself, can produce a life which will slowly evolve into the life of God. But as we go on, we find the presence of something which we have not taken into consideration, viz., sin, and it upsets all our calculations. Sin has made the basis of things wild and not rational. We have to recognize that sin is a fact, not a defect; sin is red-handed mutiny against God. Either God or sin must die in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue. If sin rules in me, God's life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed. There is no possible ultimate but that. The climax of sin is that it crucified Jesus Christ, and what was true in the history of God on earth will be true in your history and in mine. In our mental outlook we have to reconcile ourselves to the fact of sin as the only explanation as to why Jesus Christ came, and as the explanation of the grief and sorrow in life.

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I have assurance I will see my Mom and my brothers again. They all knew the promise of God's coming kingdom. Do you?


Until next time,

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Me Hearties!!!


OLD GUYS RULE!!!!

Update 2/19/09

Well, it has been a few weeks since my last post. I know I know I should have done it sooner... On the UTI front, my strength is nearly back to normal. Thanks in part to staying away from work except for my scheduled days. That said, I did something stupid and split a graveyard shift with another Sr. operator today. I was at work at 3 AM or Oh dark thirty. The net result is I am a little richerand as I write this I am barely awake at 18:30 or 6:30 PM for you non- 24 hour clock types. The diet is going good, I've lost 8 pounds since I came home from the hospital. Not bad eh? So far work hasn't been too bad since I got back. I guess I should just be grateful I'm employed when I look around at the state of the economy.

I've watched in great dismay the recent "SPENDULUS PROGRAM" that was shoved down the throats of Americans everywhere. We shouldn't be surprised however, he's (obama) is doing exactly what he said he would do. He's insulated himself with his favorite liberal lackeys that is, appointees and cabinet members. With the full blind support of Queen Pelosi, Nancy herself, has charted a course for America that at best is unprecedented and at worst is the stepping stones to the Socialist States of America. What I find most reprehensible and unconscionable is the fact that not one congressperson or Senator even read the thing. Oh the SHAME! A black day has come to our beautiful shores. America will not recover easily from this whole unholy package. I fear that in our headlong persuit into the oblivion of wealth redistribution just because we thought we had to "DO" something we've flown right off a deadly precipice. Where is this president taking us? Where is the leadership? Why all the secrecy?

Next post maybe I'll talk about the secret mission that obama has sent 17,000 of our precious military personell into harm's way in Afganistan without even a face-to-face to explain why. One should question why the president starts his own "surge" with no plan in place at all while he staunchly opposed the former president's surge that was well planned and a as it turned out a complete success.

There, I'm off my soapbox now.

I've been watching a lot of Flyfishing programs since I discovered that I now get the Sportsman Channel. I think my favorite is one that focuses on fly fishing National Parks. Although, some of the Canadian shows are a lot of fun too. I'll have to try my hand at Muskie fishing some day...

Tammy is doing well, the kids are great too. Peter and Melissa are getting prepared for child number 2. I think she's due near Labor Day. Mike and Alicia are looking at houses in and near Seabrook. Sara's gearing up for her Senior project and upcoming graduation in May. My how time has flown. My Dad has 4 feet of snow at his house. I feel old now. I'm even starting to look that way too. Almost geezerish...


Until next time....

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Me Hearties!!!!!!


OLD GUYS RULE!!!!