Musical Saturday Morning

Connections

I attended a lecture once, many decades ago, and the speaker made an interesting comment,
"If we could build a data base of everyone3 you know in the world, and the data for each of those people, you are only three people away from someone famous, nine from anyone on the planet."

We discussed this at length over lunch.  Just the thought of such a data base!  But is it possible?

So, I commented to a few about my health challenges.  Within 24 hours I was being buried in messages and calls!
Holy-Moly!

Your go years not hearing from anyone and then suddenly everyone is contacting me!  Even calls from people I have never heard of before!

A guy from 8th grade!  How did he hear, whom does he know that knows of me and my plight?  Too weird.
Hundreds of kids I have worked with through the years.  Humbling to even be remembered!
People I went to high school with.  I do not even remember them!
People I have never met, but just know of me through these posts.
Two offers for a kidney donation, but that is in the distant future - perhaps.z

WOW

Sure surprises me.  Whom would have thought anyone cared?
Based on my life, certainly not me!

So building a prayer base.
A support base.

Thank you God for letting me know I am not alone .......

Status

I am now pretty good.
A far cry better than last Friday!
Breathing is a good habit to have.

Been thinking on all I need to do:
Draft a new will
A living will
Code directives
Cremation services
Like I really want to address these issues!

sigh

In other news:
Derek, long time friend and past student,
Was almost crushed to death under a load of security fencing!
Should have been killed but iunstead
has the mother of all concussions!
and missing a large chunk over his left eye!

Prayers will be welcome for his healing and to calm his wife!
It will be a long haul for his concussion to heal!

Church In Conflict

(for some weird reason, this my fourth attempt to create this little post! too weurd!)

Lord knows I have been through more than my fair share of church splits!
My first church was called Grace and disintegrated two years later.
Second church I left due to a dispute over whether or not the Holy Spirit exits.
Third church died when the pastor died.
Fourth church chose to disagree over the paying of taxes and was sold by the government.
Fifth church went too far in adioppting the "gay" agenda and God removed His blessing.
Sixth church turned and lost its faith.
Seventh church has weathered its storms but holds together.
Though I fear for its future....

And the church at Philippi had its challenges.
Two women had started a fight ......

Philippians 4:1-3

Remember whose you are
We are all members of the same family.
We have the same goal.
We have the same eternity.

Don't ignore it
Don't be remember for your fighting!
We are called to unity,
Satan calls us to divisions!
Satan will do all it can to divide us!
Whatever the issue, get over it!

Help solve it
We need to helps with their issues.
Pray for unity.
Be svsilsble to help and pray!
Call for reconciliation.

Troubled

It has troubled my spirit mightily that I had a stroke, and never had any indication.
Conversely, it is yet another example of how I am not where I need to be.
No one actually notices me enough to see my brain crashed at some point.
Just a whole lot of self interests.

So, I have sought to try and figure this out,
When did this happen?

Not an easy task when I have complete amnesia from 2015 back.
Partial amnesia from 2017 back.
Yeah, those surgical meds really wipe me out!
But I do have faint echoes of what might be memories.
Just no ability to know if they are real.

The only real in my past is what I have written.
Letters, blogging, etc .
The only memory I have.
And there is no answer to be fiound.

sigh

Just lovely, no brain, no poain I guess!
LOL
And God can always remind me.
If it is important and needs to be remember

sigh

Dialysis

So, Kris, big needle whimp that I am - survived my first dialysis!
I really did not expect to.

The Northwest Kidney Center got me in on an emergency basis.
They had a full house!
Wow!
And they were amazed at how far I had gone without dialysis, almost apologetic!

They went over my medical history, medicines, etc.
Apologized again for the delay!
Hooked me up and ran me for three hours.
I did well.
I had lots of questions,
A few made them laugh,
But with no comfort in what we were doing ...

In all a six hour event.
My massive angst unfathomed by any but myself.
And like most irrational fears, there was no real basis for it.

But lots of prayers are always good.

Musical Saturday Morning

Not much in the way of video on this group, but they were awesome in their time!
They were much on vinyl than at a concert where they could barely be heard!

And So ...

And So ...

The day that my natural life has reached its end.

All I can say is that death by kidney failure is a terrible way to go.

No I am not drawing my last breath as of yet.
I will do the treatments, as long as I am able.
Fully well knowing that once they stop, I will be right back here, sicker than a dog.


Your prayers are appreciated today,
I am quite fearful of this,
Yet it is what I must do,
Another cross to bear.

MRI Results

So, yesterday was my neurological review.  It went well.

Neurologically, there is nothing wrong with me.
:)

Now to get the cardiologist signature and start car shopping!

One thing did come out out of the review and that was to see, that at one point I had a stroke.
But there was way know when it was.
Since there has been no weaknesses point thgat UI am aware of.....

Certainly there was a point where Brother Timothy commented that I had change.
But, that was long ago, to someone I never knew.
That Kris, UI can not even remember ....

Expiration Date

We live in a world where everytthing comes with an expiration date.  Everything wears out, runs down, dies.  Just a fact, there are no exceptions.  Of course we live our lives as though we are the exception.

To make a long story short, I was predicted to reach that date this Friday.  No argument from me, my body is wasted -just to have lied through this week has been a miracle of medications and technology!  Were it not for that auto accident ...sigh ......

I continue to fight for life.
I have no fear of death,
I am assured of what lies beyond this life.
But at what cost do I continue this fight?

For now I will fight against this expiration date.
I would so much rather face my final demise.
But, it seems God has a purpose,
If I "play" along.
And get past my own hang ups in a major way.

So, Friday morning I start dialysis,
For my kidneys killed in the auto accident in December.
August would have been better timing for me.
But thank heavens I had the surgery in December,
Now, if only I was healed from it so the veins were usable.
Sigh ...

To those whom know me:
I Hate needles.
With a paranoia bordering on the psychotic.
Friday, I have to have a catheter installed for the needles.
And then there is the dialysis .....
All prayer gratefully sought.

Now What?

As if Thursday's freeway road-rage incident was note3nough,
We have what happened on Sunday evening.

Youngest daughter and I had just settled down to watch the olympics.
And the cable goes out.
Internet is dead too.
And the power dies.
The entire area blacked out.

So, daughter decides to drive to a steakhouse for dinner.
On the way, we saw the reason for the blackout:
A drunk had hit a telephone pole.
Such a mess!

Now my little town of 33,000 has three pot shops
And 11 full time bars.
Inebriated driving is almost an assumed way of life.
And the source of many fine auto accidents!

Chemical and alcohol dependence is wide spread.
We have a flaw in our culture's psyche.
And we try to kill the pain through drugs, alcohol and sex.
But the pain does not go away.
The only cure for this culture is a return to God.

But, that is "politically incorrect" knowledge.
So, we have no hope,
Save but that God will intervene in this nation and culture.............

What The ... ????

I often comment that people are weird, if not unpredictable crazy.
I also often comment we live in a very broken culture ....

So last week, when news of a shooting occurring in Fife was announced - no news there.
Fife is a small town outside of Tacoma, gangland central in Western Washington!
And they tend to shoot each other daily down there.
One wonders how my town was voted most violent in Washington State by the police ...

Then you find out that this occurred on the freeway - now that gets your attention!
Washington State has an inordinate amount of road rage.
People just plain fed up and frustrated over poor traffic flow design.

Then the news tells you about the confrontation between a motorcyclist and an outraged car driveer.
Well no news there either, motorcyclists are jerks on the freeways.
And red neck drivers in Washington are a very real problem!

Then you find out that the driver of the car exited and attacked the motorcyclist.
In fact, the motorcyclist was a small woman.
Whom he knocked to the ground and then began pummeling her on the ground!

I have no doubt that her pulling a gun is completely justified.
Shooting him to death becomes self defense ...
In a State where self defense is rared allowed.

And I heard from a police friend, to make this tale weirder:
The guy's wife was seated there with him!
No doubt in shock.

So, if you think on it:
Did he wake up and think this was a good day to die?
Do you think the female thought it was a good day for killing someone?
Of course not.
So what went wrong?

Why in our culture do we get bent out of shape over traffic?
It is there everyday.
So it should be of no surprise!

We end up seeing that the real problem here is more than likely a severe character flaw in man.
A flaw which allows him to believe that he is more important than anyone else.
It is possible he is a bully and used to getting his way through intimidation.
No surprises here, we are discussing huge flaws un the cultural mindset ...

I feel sorry for the wife.
Whatever transpired prior to this,
Whatever comments they exchanged,
Were to be their last.

I feel sorry for the motorcyclist.
No matter amount of poor driving she exhibited,
She should not have had to kill someone.

I have little sympathy for the driver.
He chose to leave his car.
He chose to attack the motorcyclist
He chose to then beat a complete stranger.
I have no sympathy for anyone whom raises a hand to a woman ...

I am sorry he had to die from his choices
Life is precious,
And this culture has forgotten this ...

Musical Saturday Morning

I was thinking about my friend Bunny and then got to laughing at the memory of her in this music video!
Still laughing!


LOL

Bass Pro

I joined a senior's group last year.
It is supposed to be a retiree group,
But the next youngest person in the group is 20 years older than me!
They are quite active but I have not been in shape to do much with them.

So they sponsored a trip to Bass Pro Shop, down in Tacoma.
Never been there.
It was a blast!

There were two other guys, so I has someone to talk to over lunch.
A bunch of women in their 80's.
A few in their 90's.

Bass bought out their only competition, Cabela's last year.
And kept them!
At only a quarter the size .
Of the local Cabela's.

But prices are very competitive!

No, I did not buy much;
Some things for my kids,
Some things for the grand-kids,
A couple of cookbooks for me.

It was a very fun day!
And I am already planning a return visit!

Air

Nothing like going to bed last Friday night, only ti find yourself awaken in the wee hours, unable to breathe!
No mattwer how hard I tried to get air in, nothing would!
Back to ER.

Give me drugs,
Pat me on the head,
Send me homer,
Charge me $2,250 for the ER visit!
And I almost did die!

Seems I had an allergic reaction to the meds!
So off to the local lung specialist.
Perhaps they can get me breating again.

Sigh ...

Life With God

Philippians 3:12-16

Admit It
Are you a perfectionist?
I am, and my failures drive crazy!
Luckily, for all of us, there are NO perfect Christians - just forgiven ones
Important point though, you are not perfect, never will be.

Our goal is to grow to be like Jesus.

There is NO finish line to your Christian walk/life.

You just keep plugging away.

Limit It
Be a one thing kind of person.
What you love - eat, sleep, dream - is your thing.
Paul was known for his passion for Jesus.

Give up anything that separates you from Jesus.
Take joy in learning and understanding of Jesus.

Forget It
Let nothing come between you and your and your future in Jesus.
Let go of your past.
Paul had to let go of his past and who he was!

Move on with your life.
Yesterday's failure need not define you.
Yesterday's successes do not define you.
Let God do a new thing in your life ....

Commit
You are not forced to do anything.
But, you need intentional effort to succeed.
Try, be available, be there - you will be used.
Be in fellowship.
Be in discipleship.
Support a ministry/participate in a ministry.

Minor Prophets

Been doing an awful lot of re3adsing with all of my down time.
So, decided to start reading the Minor Prophets of the Bible.

You know the spiritual state of Israel, Judah and surrounding nations was obviously not great circa 8th century BC.
What was precious to God that His chosen people did not violate?
Nothing, absolutely nothing!

And as I read through these short books again, I was struck by how closely what was said about Israel and Judah - up to the time of their take down by enemies raised up to destroy them.

I listed the woes and the sin which had brought those judge3ments from God, upon themselves.
I found I was looking at a State of the Union address of condemnation upon upon our society, culture and nation!
We are unfaithful and sin filled.
Pretty much just the same as Israel and Judah by the time of their falls.
And our prophets proclaim peace and happiness can be found in materialism ...

And even right down to the idea that we should welcome The Day of the Lord!

But in Amos 5:
¹⁸ Woe unto you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light.
¹⁹ As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.
²⁰ Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

Yeah, God pretty much covers eerything wrong in this generation and yet He holds back his wrath.

But one has to wonder for how much longer will He?
 

Musical Saturay Morning

Accomplishment

It would be unfair to ask you if you know whom the smartest man in the world was ... because hewas my Great Uncle Leonard.

Born in the 1840's, he was my Danish Uncle and I lived ever summer with him until I was 10.  Unfortunately, he was crushed by a logging truck in 1967 .... heep big old!  Yeah, he was estimated to have been around 124 but since there was no birth certificate for him ... oh well.  He immigrated in 1892 to the USA and was listed as retired.  One morning we were working on his dairy and I commented that so much needed to be done that there was no hope for the two of us to do it all!  He stopped hammering for a moment and commented that his goal each day is to just do ten extra things, he would not have done otherwise.  I was not the sharpest stick in the woodpile, so I asked him what he meant.

"Well, I have all of the stuff I have to do every day, so I just add ten things to each day's work...."

And he did ... and I thought on this.

Come college and one day I was practicing my long range shots with Dutchman, whom was my spotter.  I was just coming up on graduation and Dutchman commented that he was so surprised that I could do aq colle3ge degree in just two years!  So, I told him about Leonard and his ideas.  Dutchman went on make it about twenty extras a day and will probably die from this one of these days :(  He is working himself to death, I understand why but it saddens me greatly!  But his patents and list of accomplishments are impressive!  Virtually all PC users use or have used his brainstorms.

And he passed Leonartd's advice on to his sons.  One listened and not runs his own multinational company.  The other .... well, one of the reasons Dutchman works so hard, so his grandchildren not grow up living under a tree!  eepah!, that boy ...

As for me, I passed my Leonard tales on to a host of young men I mentored through the years and my children.  Unfortunately, most do not listen nor remember, but for those whom do try and do more, they have been rewarded for their efforts.  My two Cossack daughters have listened and accomplished far more than I would have thought possible of them!  Silly father!

And then there is me.  Since retirement, I studied forensics and was crippled in an auto accident a quarter short of graduation ... sigh.  And, I would admit that I have sloughed of these past three years!  I could not have done much as it was but I could have done a little more!

Today, I feel alive for the first time in years!  Yes, three days ago and four heart failures - today, I want to run and jump, maybe even roll in a sunbeam, in a field of clover :)   !

(Thanks to my continuing amnesia, this post is completely based on an essay I wrote in college on my most unforgettable character in my life.)

Down For The Count

Daily it has been a struggle to just breathe.
Tuesday, I lost.
I wasn't feeling well, so I didnot go anywhere.
Or really do anything other than see the cardiologist and have some tests run.

Wednesday, he knew what was wrong:
fluid in both of  my lungs
fluid surrounding the heart
bronchitis
and what would the day be without four consecutive heart failures that night?!?!?!?

so lots of new meds to take
I hope they work!
Not breathing = no fun!

I will work on a real post for Friday ...