Rememberng A Friend

One of the hardest things in life is losing a friend or loved one.  It is part of the cycle of life, but that doesn't make it any easier.  I lost a good friend recently.  While it makes me sad to think she is gone, I remember the good times we had together.

I met Claire through the independent living center when I lived in Amarillo.  We were both a part of a Saturday night activity group for people with disabilities.

Claire had cerebral palsy, so we had a lot in common right from the start.  Although she had physical challenges, she never let them hinder her.  She always had a smile on her face and an infectious laugh.

I like to tell people I picked her up on the side of I-40.   Actually, our Saturday night group was eating at a popular restaurant on I-40.  I had just gotten my pickup.   As we were leaving the restaurant, Claire noticed the shiny new truck and fell in love with it. “Take me for a ride!” she exclaimed.  I drove her home. After that, Claire wanted me to pick her up and take her home whenever our group went out, and, of course, I was glad to do it.

Claire's parents, Pat and Yvonne, were understandably nervous about her riding with me at first. After they were around me more, their fears were put to rest and they let her go with me. They took me in and treated me like one of the family, inviting me into their home for meals and buying me gifts on my birthday and Christmas.

Over time, we became good friends, learning to help and support each other.  We were quite a match.  I am 6-foot-1, and she was about 5-foot-5.  We had a lot in common, though, so we could help each other.  Claire could speak more clearly than I could, so she often ordered for both of us when we went to eat.  I had the truck, so I could drive us places.  I always liked to be on-the-go, and Claire did, too.  I'd pick her up, and we'd take off, going to movies, concerts in the park or just ride around town.  

We kept each other company.  At a time when I didn't have many close friends, I cherished Claire's company.  Claire liked to stay busy and did volunteer work at the library and at the Girl Scout office.  She was athletic, too, participating in Special Olympics bowling leagues and bocce ball tournaments.  She loved taking care of her dogs.

One thing I loved about Claire is she liked to tease and be teased.  She could give it out as well as she could take it.  We kind of lost contact with each other the last few years when I moved back to Pampa, and Claire and her mom later relocated to the Houston area to be near family. 

Claire was such a blessing in my life.  She was a true friend.  I will miss her greatly, but I know she is now fully healed and dancing in heaven.

Debate

Send in the clowns!  The Democratic candidates for president faced off last week for the first round of debates.  YAWN!!  I admit I didn't watch much of it.  I had better things to do with my time... like playing Candy Crush.  I saw enough of the recaps, though, to know it was a real circus.  In case you missed it too, here's a few highlights (or lowlights).

Bernie Sanders looked like he was up past his bedtime.  Elizabeth Warren sounded like she had been smoking something, and it wasn't a peace pipe.  Joe Biden was on his best behavior.  He didn't grope anyone on stage.  Pete Buttigieg was disappointed that Biden didn't grope him.  Bozo O'Rourke was the biggest clown of all.

I could mention the other candidates, but why bother?  They're not going to be around long. 

It will all come down to about six players.  I divide them into two categories: the Old and Senile (Biden, Sanders and Warren) versus the Young and Dumb (O'Rourke, Castro and Buttigieg).  There might be one or two other wild cards like Harris or Gillibrand, but their chances are very slim.

Their messages are all the same.  Open borders.  Universal health care.  Free college.  Sanctuary cities.  Pro-abortion.  (Democrats used to label themselves "pro-choice." Now, they're "pro-abortion" because they have gone all in for abortion.)

I'm going out on a limb and predicting Pete Buttigieg will be the Democratic nominee.  He's young. He's one of the most extreme leftists, one of the most immoral, and he's gay.  When conservatives start attacking him, we'll be called homophobes and haters.

Buttigieg is perfect for the godless Democratic party.  Remember, this is the party that voted to take God out of their party platform in 2012. 

I sure hope I'm wrong, and Buttigieg isn't the nominee.  Biden is still the clear frontrunner, but the race has just begun and it's a long way to the finish line.  Buckle up.  It's going to be a wild ride!

Live for Today

People spend a lot of time planning for the future.  We plan a party.  We plan a vacation.  We plan for retirement.  It's good to plan for tomorrow, but what if tomorrow never comes?

In the last week, I've read at least three newspaper reports where people in this area have died in car crashes.  Without all the details, it's hard to know what caused the crashes, but in one wreck, it appears to be an unavoidable accident.  The driver was on the highway late at night and hit a black bull that was standing in the road.  The driver survived, but a passenger was taken to the hospital and died from injuries in the crash.

You'd never expect to see a bull on the highway in the middle of the night.  You can't plan for something like that.

In another crash, a driver crossed the center lane on a busy Amarillo street and collided head-on with another car.  One driver was 65 years old.  The other was 24.  Both died at the scene.  In the third wreck, a 19-year-old died in a one-car rollover near Stratford.

I'm sure none of those people got into their cars thinking that would be their last trip.  While I know God protects His people, sometimes the unexpected happens.  No one knows what tomorrow will bring.

James 4:13-15 says, "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

 

Each day is a gift from God. None of us know when we will take our last breath. All we have is the present moment.  

 

My challenge to you is this: Plan for tomorrow but live for today.  Make sure your heart is right with God and that your family and friends know how much you love them.  Make the most of every moment and live each day to the full.

Five Years And Progress

There's an old saying, "Time flies when you're having fun."  It hasn't been all fun, but the time has passed quickly.  It was five years ago this week when I came to live at Pampa Nursing Center.  My life has changed a lot since then -- mostly for the better.

It was 2014, and I had just had surgery for spinal stenosis and had spent three months at a rehab center in Amarillo.  I had stayed at Pampa Nursing Center briefly before the surgery and decided to come back to be closer to my family.  It was tough leaving my own apartment and really tough giving up some of my freedom, but it has worked out.

After the surgery, I couldn't do much.  I had to learn new ways to do things.  I couldn't raise my right arm to lift a glass of water or feed myself.   I couldn't use the keyboard to type.  That was really hard because I depended on the computer so much.  With months of therapy and God's grace, I have slowly regained much of the use of my arm.

Today, I'm thankful to live in a good place where people care about me and help me.

I've met some neat people here and also have been reunited with people from the past.  My eighth-grade history teacher, Mr. Porter, is here recovering from a stroke and learning to walk again.  I learned about the Constitution in Mr. Porter's class, and he had us memorize parts of the Bill of Rights and the Gettysburg Address.  I guess you could thank him (or blame him) for some of my political beliefs! 

The nurses and caregivers here are really good to me and make my life much easier and fulfilling.  When some of the staff found out I use the computer, they started asking me to make fliers for their activities.  I also design and produce the center's monthly newsletter, which I enjoy doing very much. 

I really have the best of both worlds.  I have all the help I need, plus I have the freedom to still get out on my own to take a ride if I want.  I'm so blessed!  It may not be the ideal situation, but I'm thankful I have this place.  It's been a wild ride so far, and I'm anxious to see what the next five years will bring.

Average Joe

If I wanted to vote for a Democrat, which isn't likely, I might consider voting for Joe Biden.  I like crazy Joe.  I don't agree with his political stance on most issues, but he isn't politically correct, and I like that about him.

People often say they have to vote for the lesser of two evils.  In the case of Democratic candidates running for president, Biden is the least crazy of the bunch.  He isn't nearly as radical as the other Democrats in the race.  Compared to Bozo O'Rourke, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders, Biden seems almost normal. 

Even though Biden only officially announced his candidacy this week, he's the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination.  That has made him the target of criticism by members of his own party.

Biden has been attacked for his treatment of women.  He can't keep his hands off them!  Several women say he made them feel "uncomfortable" when he invaded their personal space to hug them or give them a little kiss.  I understand people need their personal space.  I don't like it when people get in my space.  I don't even like holding hands with people in church. 

I don't think crazy Joe meant any harm by his touchy-feely show of affection.  He's just being himself.

"I shake hands, I hug people, I grab men and women by the shoulders and say, 'you can do this,' " Biden was quoted as saying recently. "And whether they’re women, men, young, old, it’s the way I’ve always been. It’s the way I try to show I care about them and I’m listening."

Biden is the 20th Democrat who has tossed their hat in the race so far.  They're all radical but at least Biden has a little common sense.  He doesn't want to ban cars and airplanes as some of the far-left candidates have proposed.  Joe Biden doesn't scare me nearly as much as O'Rourke, Warren and the rest of the left-wing loons who are running.

For Democrats, Biden is their best shot in beating President Trump, but Biden doesn't have a shot.

Supersizing God

Christians should depend on God's promises as much as they depend on the fast-food drive-thru.  Think about this...

How many times a week do most of us go through the drive-thru?  At least two or three.  Some people go every day to get their morning cup of coffee.  Compare that with how many times the average Christian reads the Bible a week.   For most of us, it's probably not every day.  Why is that?  Just as we crave that daily pick-me-up cup of coffee, we need a helping of God's Word every day.  It will give us the strength we need each day... and it's caffeine-free!

At the drive-thru, we're confident we can have anything on the menu.  You would never hear someone pull up to the window and say, "Is it OK if I get a cheeseburger?"  You're more likely to hear them say, "Give me a Big Mac and fries!"  They know if it's on the menu they can have it by asking. 

With the promises of God, though, a lot of Christians think they're not entitled to them.  They think the promises must be for someone else.  Matthew 7:7 says, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."   The Bible is full of great promises, and God wants us to have them.  We have to be confident when we ask, and we will receive them.

At the drive-thru, we're not satisfied with a small fries.  We want to SUPERSIZE them.  We won't settle for small Coke when we can have a 44 oz. drink with free refills.  As Christians, we often settle for a little blessing when God wants to give us so much more.  John 10:10 says, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." 

At the drive-thru, we don't sit and wait for them to throw our order through our car window.  We reach out and take our order into our hands.  It's the same with God's promises.  We can't sit around and wait for God to drop them in our lap.  We have to reach out to Him.  He wants us to come to Him and tell Him our needs.

Finally, at the drive-thru, we're very likely to get the wrong order.  How many times have you gotten home to find the order is wrong?  God never gets the order wrong.  He'll always come through and give us what He has promised.

Our God is a BIG God.  We don't have to settle for a happy meal when we could have a steak dinner!  Look into God's Word and you'll find everything you'll ever need.

Life Is Short

Actor Luke Perry died last week following a massive stroke.  He was 52.  That's only two years older than I am now.  It really hits close to home when someone close to your own age dies.  It makes you stop and think.  It makes you realize how short this life is and how suddenly it can come to an end.  I've been thinking about that a lot lately.

One of my cousins turned 57 last month.  That's the same age as her father (my uncle) was when he died.  My cousin posted memories of her dad on Facebook and how his life affected her outlook on life.  I also have many memories of him.  My uncle was a great man who died in the prime of his life.  He was one of the finest Christian men around.  He loved God, his family and his town (even if it was in Oklahoma), and he loved living.  His death shocked us all.  I've often wondered why such a good man had to die so young.

My Granddad Altman died when he was only 62.  He suffered a massive heart attack.  There were no warning signs.  He just went to bed one night and had a heart attack during the night.

I was 8 when he died.  It was the first time in my young life that I had experienced the loss of someone so close to me through death.  I had just seen my granddad the day before and then suddenly he was gone.  I didn't understand it. 

I still don't understand why some people live a long time and others die so young.  If you think about it, even if we live 100 years or more, that's still a short time when compared to eternity.

The Bible says life is like a vapor.   James 4:14 says, "You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away."

We should remember this advice from author Steve Simons:

Life is short.
Too short to waste time.
Too short to hate.
Too short to live with regret.
Too short to give up.
Too short to give in.
Too short to accept defeat.
 
God’s promises are eternal.
God’s blessings last forever.
God’s love has no end.
God’s favor is boundless.
God’s goodness is limitless.

Life is short.  Eternity is long.  Live like it.