Shattered Glass

The pretty salad that I reported making day before yesterday suffered a horrific demise today when Dean, my husband, sent it sailing across the kitchen when his arm accidentally flung it off the stove. I was about to revive it with another tomato and serve it for our supper. And if you'll remember it was in a GLASS bowl. Not crystal, but cut glass, thankfully. I had no idea glass could break in so many pieces though! The floor was sparkling with tiny pieces of glass EVERYWHERE. Not an easy clean up, I can tell you. I'll be scared to go barefoot in there for at least a week, even after much sweeping and vacuuming.

I have to admit the shattered glass was rather pretty, as I swept it up. At least neither of us were cut or hurt by the accident. Now I have something to request for Mother's Day. A new salad bowl! You see, no matter what happens, we can turn it in to a positive. I refuse to be pulled down by a little cut glass.

It turned out to be a stark reminder that our lives can shatter at any moment. Nothing is guaranteed. Here one minute, gone the next. Rather than complaining or worrying about what the future holds, it might be more productive to just appreciate and enjoy the moments we have. I needed that reminder today.

200 to Go

165 posts to my blog! Only 200 to go for my goal of 365--a year's worth. My sister kindly requested this number when I first started writing it. It's beginning to seem a whole lot more possible now that this will be accomplished in a pretty timely fashion--in about a year.

Sometimes the goals God chooses for us seem mighty unreachable at first; but if we take the challenge, it's surprising what we can achieve.

I do hope that the reading of this blog has been an encouragement to others who are facing hard times. Even when circumstances in our life are less than desirable, we can see the hand of God reaching out to reveal Himself to us. It's up to us to see His handprint.

Look for Him every day, as I've attempted to do in the evening when I stop and write this blog. I'm blessed by the effort, and I hope my readers are as well.

Pretty Salad

Highlight of my day was making a salad for dinner. I made it special by tearing the lettuce by hand, instead of cutting it, and slicing the vegetables extra thin for my husband's chewing ease. The end result was quite colorful and attractive, especially in the big crystal bowl I use for special occasions.

They say that food tastes better if it looks pretty. As a matter of fact, all our senses seem to be mysteriously connected. God must have understood that principle when you think about all the colors that make up natural foods. They not only taste good, but look good. And don't forget the smells and texture (for touching) of what God has given us to eat. Variety is the key to eating healthy.

And now, after hearing my blog so far tonight, I must share with you my husband's diagnosis for his increased appetite and weight gain. He said that since he has lost several of his senses due to the brain injury, the Lord has given him extra taste buds to make up for it.

There's one sense my husband has not lost, his sense of humor.

Minnie Melts

I took my little dog Minnie to the vet today for shots. It was hard to see her get poked and hear her whimper when the needles went in. Dogs are so trusting though. I held her afterwards and she melted in my arms.

There was a moment in the waiting room that I wanted to melt in someone's arms. Disappear in them actually. My husband begged me to take him with me to the vet's and I reluctantly agreed, even though he could have stayed home with my nephew. I won't go into details, but let's just say I was embarrassed by some of Dean's behavior while we waited for Minnie's turn for shots.

It's getting more difficult to take him places. I always wondered why caregivers, especially those with loved ones with dementia, stayed home so much and felt so isolated. But that's just the way it is, when it's all said and done, it's just easier to stay home.

I'm actually fortunate to have been a caregiver for Dean's brain injury so many years already. I feel like I know the ropes a bit already. It's all the same dementia symptoms, just brought up a notch. Now that I've gotten used to the idea that it will get worse, I can focus on strategies to keep things running smoothly around here.

I am ready to melt in my Savior's arms when needed. Those shots can really hurt, but I try to remember that they are vital instruments in carrying out God's will for the whole universe. I am not isolated one bit, no matter how much we stay home.

Predictions

This was the last day I could get health screening done at the senior center, so I was anxious to see what some of my numbers were. Especially the cholesterol and bone density numbers. One was borderline, but the other was across the border, so to speak. After just having a fracture, I was encouraged by the number for that. But do I really want heart disease instead?

I was thinking today about predictions for people's lives. The health screens help predict medical problems we might have in the future. And that doesn't seem so bad. I can live with that and adjust my lifestyle to better my chances.

But as I drove past the train station today, I was reminded of Dean's brother and sister-in-law's visit from Idaho a couple of summers ago. It was so sad to say good-bye to them, and think it might be our last visit. But Dale was the healthiest of us all. Who would have expected it was our final good-bye to him and that he would die in a tragic semi accident two years later?

God holds back knowledge of the future for our individual lives out of mercy. Those who seek out fortunetellers or search their horoscopes are not getting their information from our Heavenly Father. It's just not the way He operates. God does open the future at times to help prepare His people for events, but His purpose is to protect us, not alarm us. The Bible is the only safe place to find predictions. Praise God He reveals all we really need to know.

Change of Plans

I had planned for a relaxing day today. I get two of them a week, when my husband goes to his adult day program. It's nice having the house to myself for a few hours. Today he called me early though, right after lunch, and wanted me to bring him home. So I did, but am still trying to understand his reason for coming home. Guess I'll just have to make the best of it.

My nephew was told that his job was temporarily suspended for the rest of the week. He was really counting on a healthy paycheck next week, since so much went toward his recent trip to Florida to see his sister get married. I guess he'll just have to make the best of it.

Adam and Eve were looking forward to a wonderful eternity with God, populating the earth and taking care of their beautiful Garden home. But then sin happened, and everything changed too.

We're still making the best of it. Welcome to our world.

The Big Tease

I found out today that my doctor is a big tease. He told me three weeks ago that my foot should take six weeks to heal and that maybe I could throw away my "boot" by then. Well, today was the end of six weeks, but he said at my appointment that it wouldn't hurt to keep the "boot" on two more weeks. I'm tired of this moon-walking hobble. It will be so nice to walk like normal again.

Like so many other things in our life, we don't know what we're missing until we do without it. Who would have guessed that one little foot not operating would affect so many areas of my life.

The church of Christ is referred to as the body of Christ. This emphasizes how much each of the members is needed to make the church function properly. When we fail to do our part, others have to take up the slack. No wonder it's taking so long for the gospel to be spread to the whole world. Jesus is waiting for us to get our act together and start behaving like one unified body.

For now, I'll just have to lace up and wear the dreaded "boot" and pray for continued healing. That's about all we can do in our churches too. Work with what we've got and pray for strength to make it to the end.