It's Thursday

Not much happens on Thursdays, so I thought I would write some thoughts down quickly tonight.

This past Monday, I was over at Coronado Stone manufacturing plant to do some inspections of the houses and rooms for the Clean and Sober Living Program.  I am so blessed to be able to share in the lives of these men who have been paroled from state prisons and are finding joy and hope in life again.  On Wednesday, I did the morning devotional at the plant.  My short message was about the "in between times" of life.  We have starting points and ending points in the chapters of our lives, and sometimes we struggle in those "in between times."  However, when God is with us, those are the times we see the presence of God, the power of God and especially the miracles of God.

Sondra's brother, Alden, is getting much better physically.  Tuesday, Sondra took him to VA Loma Linda and he got a primary doctor assigned, and was even able to get a checkup that very day.  His bronchitis is fading.  His strength has not returned, but all in good time.  He seems to be feeling better about life and is looking online for trucking jobs around here.  At this moment, he and Sondra are out getting groceries.  His appetite is returning, which is a good sign.  He went to church with us last night.

I am still working for the US Census Bureau and continue to get questions and comments from others about the "intrusion" of the government with the census.  I am amazed at the lack of understanding about this constitutional requirement in which the Census Bureau is bound by law to never reveal any personal information to any other agency (government or otherwise) by threat of prison and fines.  I think it will be interesting to see the shifts in population in many areas of America these past 10 years.

Anyway, I am enjoying working in the head office for Riverside county.  They asked me the other day if I would come in at 7am instead of 8am, so I immediately said yes because I can go home an hour earlier!

Last night at church, we watched the video on "God and History" in our Truth Project series.  It was fascinating to me, as it reviewed the history of our nation from the time of the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Last summer, Sondra and I did a lot of walking and reading and tours through the Boston area as well as Providence, Rhode Island.  These are sites which have so much history about the desire of the earliest settlers to come and propagate their faith in the Almighty and thereby do the will of God.  There has been quite a bit of revisionism in the textbooks of America about the founding fathers and religion.

The latest on my personal health is good.  I had a doctor's appointment last month and several tests were run.  The cardiologist reviewed my case and has taken me off the meds for atrial fibrillation now.  I will continue my Coumadin (blood thinner) for four months and see how I am doing then.  Several days ago, I received a letter from my doctor with my other blood test results.  The following tests were all "normal" at this time:  hemoglobin level, white blood cell count, sodium level, potassium level, liver enzymes, kidney function, total cholesterol (135), HDL (good cholesterol) was almost on target (38 where normal is greater than 40), triglyceride level was normal, LDL (bad cholesterol) was excellent (75 with goal of under 100).  I also had a heart ultrasound ECHO with results showing normal heart wall motion and function.

Next month I will have a dematology appointment to look at some skin lesions, and then a few days later I will have an overnight study for sleep apnea.

Lastly, Shawn and Crystal had a spare refrigerator in their garage, one that Shawn had for some time when he was single.  They are letting us borrow it until we figure out what we are going to buy.  So, at least we have something to keep our food cold and frozen as needed.  Shawn brought it over and took our old one out.  It was a lot of work, so we took them (with Bailey of course) to dinner at Claim Jumper.