Facts vs. Truth

Fact: K's skin is an unhealthy shade of gold

Fact: K is breathing very shallowly

Fact: K is now in a Hospice hall, which is essentially a place to wait on death to come

Fact: K is unresponsive most of the time due to morphine and muscle relaxers

Truth: K could rise up at any time

Truth: No weapon formed against her will prosper--even cancer

Truth: She is hidden in His feathers and takes refuge in His shadow and under His wings where nothing can harm her

Truth: She is loved by the God whose power raised Jesus from the dead

Truth: K has a hope and a future

Truth: K has the same Spirit dwelling in her that can give life to mortal bodies

Please continue to pray.

Please Pray

My Sisters. My glue. My Monday Marvels. My rock solid prayer warriors. My spoonful of joy when I'm a little low. My accountability when my eyes don't see past myself. My ears when the noise of the world is too loud to hear the Spirit.

Each of these women is a part of the Body of Christ for me. And one of our members is hurting and in trouble. KK is in hospice care. The diagnosis is colon cancer that is metastasized to the liver. The photos are only four weeks old, and we were a healthy part of the Body four weeks ago. If you are reading this, please pray for a miracle of grace, favor, and healing for her.

Fall-la-la-la-la

Our weather, although we had a few chilly spells, is still nice enough to produce Four O'Clocks every afternoon. Early this week we had a low temperature of 34 one night, so the trees in the alley, near the "butterfly house", look like this.

However my studio is preparing to play for several Christmas programs, three of which are actually in November. So all day for three weeks I have heard Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, Deck the Halls, etc. My "season sense" is a little confused.

It happened so quickly

We've had more rain than usual and I decided to buy leather conditioner for my good smooth leather shoes to waterproof them. I had very little time today, but after teaching three students, receiving mail and another shipment, I drove to the bank, to Wal Mart, and to the famous local bootmaker's shop, James Leddy Boots. James died young a few years back. His family had their membership at the same church where Nannie and Dubbie went to church for the past 60+ years. Nannie is still there most Sundays. But I digress. Sort of.

I was mostly thinking about getting in, out, back home for a very fast lunch before teaching another four hours when I ran into the shop to buy the leather conditioner. It happened so quickly that I had no defense, no warning, no recourse, and no words. The smell. The soft, velvety, smell of leather being cleaned, worked, and lovingly designed into boots overwhelmed me with memories of Daddy's barber shop and the shoe shine stand that was in every shop where he worked. When I was a little girl Buddy was the "shiner" and he always called me Miss J. The deacon's bench from the shoe shine stand is still in my parents' house. Daddy would take my shoes to Buddy for a special shine now and then. I could still hear the sounds of rags slapping on leather and soft whistling in the background. And then, I suppose to break the reverie, I blurted out to the man who rang up my sale, "Is there anyone here who still remembers Dubbie?" And there was. And she said again, along with the man, how sorry they were that he passed away last year. I thanked them and took my little bottle to the car and just burst into tears. It wasn't their comments at all. It was that divine smell.

McGrands

Friday through Sunday Muffin and I were blessed to spend time with the Rowdy Girls. All three of them. Their Daddy/Hubby is on an extended assignment, so CB loaded up, and I do mean loaded, her SUV with girls, dogs, and gear for all and headed for our house. The photos aren't too terrific, but we were playing, not being photographers. CB spent a couple of hours Friday at our favorite salon getting a beautiful hair cut, shampoo, and....ahem.... coloring those one or two not so brunette hairs. Meanwhile, Grandpa and Marmee snuggled and took the girls for spins in the barber chair. Dubbie did a great service when he gave me one of his chairs many years ago. This chair has lived in California and Texas--five houses in all. Many children and grandchildren like to perch on the footrest, watch movies or TV shows and take a twirl.

Roo in the seat. Em on the footrest. Grandpa doing the twirling. (The angelic light over Roo's head is not a halo, although it could be. Rather, it is the light through the window in our front door.)

Em snuggling with CB

Saturday CB spent an hour with our favorite massage therapist. We watched dancers on YouTube and colored on a big tablet that Grandpa bought at Mardel. He cooked pancakes that morning and the RG's ate lots of them. I played the violin for them and every time I stopped, Em would say "Try Again!". I have five rehearsals and five concerts ahead of me this week, so I'll be trying again and again and again, and....you get the point.

Roo Reading

This is a familiar sight with every visit. Roo loves to read. She has such a mind for analyzing words that when we watched a Sesame Street podcast with the Word on the Street as "glockenspiel" about five hours later she spelled the word from memory. Of course we think both girls are the smartest three year olds in all the world.

Scooter can count to two!

Every morning when I take my vitamins and calcium I give Scooter two pills--one for his liver function and one for arthritis pain. The pain med is tasty to him. He gets half a pill and just takes it from my hand like a treat. The liver function med is a slick tablet with no taste and I coat it with peanut butter or cheese dip for him. This morning he was lazy and I was out of time, so I just gave him the pain med and ran out the door to my Bible study. When I got home I had very little time for lunch before my first student arrived, so I skipped the pill. All afternoon Scooter came in the studio, looked at me curiously, and offered his paw. He would wander out into the foyer or living room, look back at me and stare. This process repeated for no less than four and a half hours. Finally, with the last students out the door I gave him the peanut butter coated pill. He has almost ignored me since then. He obviously knows how to count to two.

Welcome to the family!

Meet P. Let's call her "Precious" for now. Muffin and I are sponsoring her through our church, which has accepted responsibility for 30 girls and 2 little brothers living in a special home. Doesn't she have a beautiful smile and lovely eyes? She is learning English, hearing about Jesus, and being loved by house parents and school teachers. Life is much better for her now. Will you pray for her?