Yard Swing

My outdoor front yard swing got a makeover today. My nephew spray painted it for the first time since we've had it--over ten years now. It has kept amazingly well, minus a few rust spots. But now it looks so fresh and new and I know it will last many more years with the kind of paint we used.

One of our in-laws had a birthday party tonight. It had to be a surprise one, because he probably wouldn't have attended had he known the festivities were about him. But it was a milestone birthday and his family just couldn't bear to let it go unnoticed.

As with each new decade of life we enter, there surely are some mixed feelings about it for us. We all know these bodies of ours don't stay young forever. We start to rust out, just like my old swing. And it is a bit intimidating to think of entering a different stage of life.

But different can also be good. I think my old swing, newly painted, will be around awhile, barring the Lord's return. And I think we can count on the same thing, even if we do need a fresh coat of paint at times (or a new fitness program) to get us through the years. We can continue to provide a restful oasis for tired souls, just like the comfortable old swing right out my front door.

Cracked Ribs

Yesterday was Dean's fifth fall this month. He just fell in the house this time. But after X-rays, we find out he has cracked ribs from it. I hope the pain patch gives him some relief from the pain tonight. I should have listened to him better and knew that the ribs were cracked. He kept saying they were, but I thought they must just be bruised. He didn't fall that hard.

I'm so glad we have a God who knows just how much pain we endure and how serious our injuries are. He knows us better than we do. He also knows how much pain is too much, and has promised not to give us more than we can endure.

I've often said that my man was made of iron to have gone through so much. But even iron rusts out eventually. We're starting to see some rust in this buggy.