My cat Sophia must have decided I needed the extra rest because she let me sleep until 6:30 this morning—an hour later than my usual wake-up call. I don’t know what got into her, but I’m not about to question a miracle.
My wife had a physical therapy appointment today, so I didn’t get much accomplished before it was time to chauffeur her to the appointment at 11:00. While she was with her therapist, I stayed in the truck. I used the time to go over my upcoming Bible study lesson. It was a productive way to pass the time.
I had planned to take my new shoes back to the store because the longer I wear them, the more my right foot hurts. I was hoping I could simply exchange them for a 7E width, but after doing some research online, I discovered that width isn’t available in the current style. Since my wife also had another appointment later in the day, I couldn’t make it to the shoe store. That means I’ll have to make a special trip tomorrow and hope I can find a pair that actually fits.
I have physical therapy in the morning, and afterward I’ll head across town to the shoe store. Once that’s done, I’ll come back home, pick up my wife, and take her grocery shopping.
After we get back, I’ll start loading what I can for Friday’s fishing trip. Unfortunately, I have a late meeting across town, so I won’t be able to load my kayak or fishing rods until I get home around 11:00 that night. Thankfully, it only takes a few minutes to load everything, so I should still be able to get to bed early enough for my 4:00 a.m. alarm.
I looked over my calendar for the next month, and it’s covered in red. I mark all of my appointments—and all of my wife’s appointments—in red so they stand out. Right now, there’s something scheduled at least three days every week, and several days have two appointments. Retirement sure wasn’t supposed to involve this many waiting rooms.
I’ll be glad when my wife gets her car back. Sharing one vehicle has made scheduling everything a lot more complicated. I know it’s only temporary and it couldn’t really be helped, but it has definitely added a layer of inconvenience to our daily routine. Hopefully, things will get back to normal soon.
Yesterday I got off to a later start than I had planned. I rolled up to my parents’ house a few minutes before 9:00 a.m. My goal had been to get there by 8:00, but I just couldn’t get moving. By the time I had eaten breakfast and made my second round of coffee, I was already running behind.
When I arrived, I didn’t see my parents’ car. Sometimes they park inside the garage, but most of the time it’s sitting just outside.
I unloaded the lawnmower, which takes a few minutes since it’s on a trailer. Once it was off, I moved it onto the driveway to make a few adjustments to the mower deck and ensure it was level.
Normally, by this point, Dad is already outside with me because his driveway alarm lets him know whenever someone pulls up. Since I hadn’t seen either of them, I figured one of them must have had a doctor’s appointment and had forgotten to tell me.
I started the mower and began cutting the grass. About thirty minutes later, I spotted Dad. Evidently, he had been outside the whole time working somewhere in the backyard. He was soaked with sweat. He had been picking up limbs to clear the way so I could mow the yard.
I immediately stopped the mower and told him he had done enough. I made him go inside where it was cool. I stood there and watched until I saw him walk across the deck and into the house. It was simply too hot for him to be outside doing that kind of work.
I mowed for a little over an hour before taking a break. When I went inside, Dad was sitting on the couch. He had changed shirts, but I could still tell he was overheated from being outside. I fussed at him a little for staying out there long enough to get that hot.
My poor mother was sitting on the other side of the room, bent over from the arthritis pain in her neck. She’s been dealing with that pain for several years now, and it just keeps getting worse. Unfortunately, there’s really nothing that can be done. She’s been rubbing Hemp cream on her neck, and it seems to help for a couple of hours, but the pain always returns.
Seeing my elderly parents in this condition always weighs heavily on my heart because I know the day will eventually come when they won’t be with us anymore.
Mom has been living with one kind of pain or another ever since they were involved in that terrible head-on collision back in 2014. She used to stand nearly six feet tall. Today, she’s barely five feet because of scoliosis and arthritis. She’s so hunched over and in so much pain. She refuses to just sit still. She wants to tend to her flowers and keep the house clean, but she’s reached the point where she simply can’t do those things anymore. Most days she ends up sitting in her recliner in the den, wishing she could still do what she once did.
Dad keeps talking about buying a new lawnmower. The truth is, he doesn’t need another mower because he doesn’t need to be cutting the grass anymore. But he refuses to slow down. He’s always got to be working on something. No one can convince him otherwise.
He’s a smart man. There’s a lifetime of knowledge locked away in that brain of his, and every now and then I still have to make a phone call and dig some of that knowledge out. I’ll definitely miss that someday.
After I finished cutting the grass, we were sitting on the back deck when I told him he didn’t need to worry about buying another mower. I told him I’d be more than happy to come up every couple of weeks and cut the grass for him. He seemed to appreciate that… right up until he asked if he could sit on my mower and drive it around to compare it to his old one. Before long, we were right back to talking about buying a new mower.
After everything was finished, Dad and I sat on the back deck talking for several hours before Mom joined us. A cool breeze had started blowing, making it comfortable enough to just sit and enjoy each other’s company.
We talked about life and the choices we’ve made over the years. We talked about my kids and the possibility of grandchildren someday since two of my three children are talking about getting married.
Mom quietly said she hopes she’ll still be around when my children become parents, but she isn’t sure that will happen.
I took advantage of the few hours I had available to go fishing Saturday morning. I didn’t invite my friend Rick on this trip because I wasn’t sure how long my back would hold up. Since the ablation, I haven’t been able to sit in my kayak for very long before the pain starts bothering me.
I launched on the river around 5:30 a.m., and by 10:30 I was ready to head back to the launch. I knew that if Rick had gone with me, he would have wanted to stay out all day, and I knew that just wasn’t going to be possible for me.
The other reason I went alone was that I didn’t want to have to track him down when I was ready to leave. Last week, I told him I planned to head home at 2:00 p.m. By 2:30, he still hadn’t made it back to the launch. I finally left without knowing where he was, and that made me feel pretty uncomfortable.
At least until my back gets better, I think my fishing trips will end around 11:30 each morning. That’s quite a change considering we normally stay on the water until around 4:00 p.m.
Saturday evening, we went to my in-laws’ house on the river. They invited us, along with eight couples from their Bible study group, over for a barbecue and the annual fireworks show put on by their next-door neighbor.
I was genuinely surprised by the quality of the fireworks. It looked like something you’d expect to see at a professional display. I started recording about ten minutes after the show began, and it continued for another ten minutes or so after I stopped. My arm finally gave out from holding my phone up for so long, so I had to call it quits.
As you’ll see in the video, we were very close to where the fireworks were being launched. In fact, I think we may have been a little too close at times!
This was also the first time in about ten years that I was able to spend the Fourth of July at home. In years past, I was always away at Boy Scout summer camp. That meant leaving my wife at home with our two cats, who were terrified by the thunderous fireworks our neighbors set off every year.
It felt good to spend Independence Day with family, enjoy some great barbecue, watch an incredible fireworks display, and still squeeze in a few hours of fishing that morning. Even though my back limited my time on the water, it was still a day well spent.
Today is our 35th wedding anniversary. Time has really flown by. It doesn’t seem possible that we’ve been married that long.
We spent the afternoon watching Toy Story 5. That’s what my wife wanted to see, and I’m glad we did. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s well worth it. It has a great message for parents. I won’t give away any spoilers, so you’ll just have to see it for yourself to understand what I’m talking about.
After the movie, we drove to a place called Peach Park. It’s a combination produce market, ice cream shop, and cafeteria. They’re best known for their fresh peaches, peach ice cream, and peach fried pies. Their BBQ isn’t half bad either. We didn’t get there in time for the cafeteria, but we did enjoy some peach ice cream and picked up a couple of fried pies.
On our way home, we stopped at Chick-fil-A and grabbed a couple of chicken sandwiches for supper. We’ll celebrate with a nicer dinner one evening next week.
When we got home, we were greeted by a very unhappy cat. Since we’d been gone most of the day, she’d missed several of her snack sessions and wasn’t too pleased with us. There’s no telling how long she’ll stay mad, but I think we’ll survive.
Thirty-five years have brought us countless memories, plenty of laughter, a few challenges, and more blessings than I can count. I’m thankful God brought Tracy into my life all those years ago, and I pray He continues to bless and keep us in the years ahead.
Here’s to another 35 years. May God bless and keep us.
As I mentioned in my last post, the church I attend is large with a seating capacity of around 2,500 people. I’ve been going to church on and off my entire life, and before coming here about three years ago, the largest church I had ever attended had maybe 100 members.
I absolutely love this church. One of the things I enjoy most is that there is always something going on. Case in point: our Vacation Bible School was held a couple of weeks ago and drew more than 1,500 kids. This church simply doesn’t do anything small.
However, attending a church this large does have its challenges.
I call them “Church Etiquette.”
This post will undoubtedly spark some debate, and it may even convince some people that I’m petty. That’s okay. It’s my blog and my opinion.
As I mentioned in my previous post, Sunday was my pastor’s final sermon after serving our church for forty years. It was a bittersweet day for thousands of people. Unfortunately, I had a difficult time enjoying the sermon because of several distractions that could have easily been avoided if people simply knew how to behave during a church service.
Distraction #1: Not Showing Reverence
It is my opinion that once the service begins, people should be reverent and avoid carrying on conversations.
Now, don’t get me wrong. If you want to say “Amen” when the pastor makes a good point, then by all means, let it fly. But discussing where you’re going to eat lunch afterward or making comments about how someone is dressed is completely different and uncalled for.
This was happening with a mother and her teenage son sitting directly in front of me. To make matters worse, because they couldn’t hear each other during the music, they simply talked louder.
And they did it throughout the entire service.
Maybe they don’t attend church very often. I don’t know. That’s just my opinion.
Distraction #2: Personal Space
What exactly is personal space, and how far does it extend?
According to Google, personal space is the invisible physical or psychological boundary surrounding an individual. People instinctively maintain this “bubble” because it helps them feel secure. When someone invades that space, it often creates discomfort.
I’m a firm believer that if someone wants to wear perfume or cologne, that’s entirely their business.
However, I draw the line when it invades my personal space.
If I can smell you from three to five feet away before I even see you, you’re probably wearing too much.
If you feel the need to bathe in perfume or cologne, perhaps a few extra minutes in the shower would be a better solution. Or maybe it’s time to switch soap brands.
A lady arrived late and squeezed into the same row as my wife and me, along with several of her friends. How all of them managed to find seats together remains a mystery.
Thankfully, there was one empty seat between us.
Unfortunately, her perfume was strong enough that the empty seat only reduced the impact by about ten percent.
I was still getting ninety percent of the experience.
Distraction #3: Parenting Skills
When I was growing up, we didn’t have Children’s Church. We sat with our parents in the “big church.”
We were expected to sit quietly, pay attention, and behave ourselves. If we didn’t, there would be consequences when we got home.
Believe me, we were as quiet as church mice because we knew exactly what awaited us if we embarrassed our parents.
Kids today seem to have a different arrangement.
Our church has theater-style seating instead of traditional pews. They’re comfortable, modern, and a lot easier on the back.
Unfortunately, they also make excellent drums.
A family sat behind us with a little girl who, for whatever reason, wasn’t in Children’s Church with the other kids her age. Her parents had given her something to keep her occupied, probably a coloring book.
Every so often, I could hear her mother telling her what color to use.
But coloring wasn’t the only activity taking place.
The little girl apparently decided that the back of my chair was part of the entertainment package.
Throughout the service, she repeatedly punched, kicked, bumped, or otherwise made contact with my seat.
Normally, this would just be annoying.
However, with the back problems I’ve been dealing with lately, every thump felt like a personal attack from a very small boxer.
Had that been me as a child, one look from either of my parents would have ended the behavior immediately.
If it continued, I would have found myself outside receiving a lesson in proper church etiquette.
I suspect most people my age know exactly what that means.
The Great Sunday Traffic Jam
Now the service is over.
Surely everyone wants to go home, eat lunch, and beat the Baptist crowd to the restaurant.
Apparently not.
Every Sunday without fail, people stop directly in the middle of the aisle to carry on conversations while everyone else is trying to leave.
My wife and I often find ourselves standing there waiting for people to realize they have created a human roadblock.
If you see someone you haven’t talked to in a while, that’s great. Say hello.
But maybe step to the side first.
The same thing happens once you get outside.
People stop right in the middle of the sidewalk and carry on conversations while everyone else has to maneuver around them like they’re driving through a construction zone.
I’ve threatened to make comments such as, “Move along,” or “If you’re going to talk, pull over to the shoulder.”
My wife has strongly encouraged me not to.
Apparently, though, I’m not alone.
Last week, I overheard a lady say, “Move along. Don’t stop to talk.”
It didn’t work.
But I bet she felt better afterward.
Stepping Off the Soap Box
Well, that’s enough complaining for one day.
Despite everything I’ve written, I truly love my church. The people are wonderful, the ministries are amazing, and the impact this church has on the community is incredible.
No church is perfect because no group of people is perfect. If it was perfect, it no longer is because I’m going there. After all, I’m not perfect.
These are simply a few observations from someone sitting in the congregation who occasionally gets distracted.
You don’t have to agree with me.
You don’t have to disagree with me.
Right or wrong, it’s my blog and my opinion.
I know nothing will change because I wrote any of this down, but sometimes it feels good just to vent.
Thanks for listening while I stood on my soapbox for a few minutes.
Happy Father’s Day! I hope all you dads had a great day.
My family and I spent the first part of our day at church, where our pastor of 40 years preached his final sermon. It was a bittersweet day for thousands of people. Yes, I said thousands. The sanctuary seats 2,500 people, and during the first service, people stood along the walls and filled the overflow chapel.
After church, we came home and had lunch together. I was able to celebrate Father’s Day with all of my children, and I couldn’t have been a happier dad.
After lunch, we loaded up and drove to my parents’ house to celebrate with my dad. Today was not only Father’s Day, but also his birthday. He is now 87 years old and is the last surviving member of his family of four siblings.
For his age, Dad is in remarkably good health. He still gets outside and works in his yard and tinkers with his farming equipment, even though he doesn’t do much farming these days.
We nearly lost both of my parents in 2014 when a woman who wasn’t paying attention crossed the center line on a dangerous curve and hit them head-on. Both of my parents spent several weeks in the ICU. After they were released from the hospital, they stayed with my brother and his wife for several months while continuing their recovery and medical treatments.
Mom never fully recovered from the accident. She still struggles with significant back problems, and Dad has balance issues caused by damage to his inner ear.
They both suffered serious injuries from the seat belts and airbags. While those safety features undoubtedly saved their lives, they can also cause severe injuries during a major collision.
I consider myself incredibly fortunate to still have both of my parents with us. At their age, I know every visit, every conversation, and every holiday together is a gift. I don’t know how much longer I’ll have them around, but I intend to treasure every day that I do.
Days like today are a reminder that family is one of God’s greatest blessings, and I’m thankful for every moment we get to spend together.
I was under the weather yesterday, and honestly, I’m still not quite up to par today. As a result, I didn’t get much done in the garage. I’m not sure if my illness was related to the weather or not, but it rained here most of the day. Whatever the cause, I simply didn’t feel like doing much of anything.
The heaviest rainfall came around 4:00 yesterday afternoon. My daughter was on her way home from work. Normally, her commute takes about 50 minutes, but with the rain, it took much longer.
We use an app on our phones that shares family locations. One feature I both appreciate and dread is that it alerts us when there’s a sudden stop along the way. Usually, that means someone has stopped for gas or coffee. Unfortunately, your mind always jumps to less pleasant possibilities.
My daughter had been talking to my wife through her car’s hands-free system, but decided to hang up so she could concentrate on the road conditions. A few minutes later, her boyfriend called to check on her. While talking with him, she hit a section of roadway that was partially covered in water.
The next thing she knew, her car was hydroplaning. She spun several 360-degree turns before crashing into the center guardrail.
As you can tell from the pictures, her car is pretty torn up. The front, rear, and right side all have extensive damage. If the insurance company doesn’t total it, I’ll be shocked.
Thankfully, my daughter is okay. She has some bruising on her left hand, which we think happened when she instinctively braced for impact. Surprisingly, the airbags never deployed.
Now comes the fun part—dealing with the insurance company. Since she doesn’t have rental car coverage, she’ll be without a vehicle for a while. My wife has already volunteered her car so our daughter can continue getting to work until the insurance company decides whether the car will be repaired or replaced.
That leaves my wife and me sharing one vehicle. With both of us having doctor appointments and other obligations, there’s going to be quite a bit of scheduling gymnastics in the coming weeks.
Still, the important thing is that my daughter walked away from the accident. Cars can be repaired or replaced. People can’t.
There will be inconveniences, sacrifices, and more than a little juggling of schedules, but that’s what parents do. No matter how old our children get, when they need help, we step in and do whatever we can to make sure they have what they need.
It was the first anniversary of their first date, so it was no surprise that they planned to spend the day together. What was surprising was how the day unfolded.
He showed up at her apartment with a dozen red roses, and the two of them headed a couple of hours north. They spent most of the day exploring antique stores and local shops. In fact, they even had lunch inside an old antique store.
Later, they made their way to Little River Falls and spent several hours admiring the beautiful waterfall and enjoying the scenery.
The next stop on the agenda was Cherokee Rock Village. I had never heard of the place before, but apparently it overlooks a lake and offers some breathtaking views.
The proposal was supposed to happen around 3:00 p.m., but when 3:30 came and went without a phone call, we started to wonder if something had gone terribly wrong.
We were on our way to my parents’ house to pick them up for the planned celebration dinner when the call finally came.
She was so excited and emotional that she could barely get the words out. As it turned out, the reason for the delay was simple: there was no cell service at the overlook. Her boyfriend had also arranged for a photographer to capture the moment, and they spent some time afterward taking engagement photos together.
Everything went exactly as planned, and I couldn’t be happier for the two of them.
She made it official this morning by posting pictures on social media. I had promised her that I wouldn’t say anything publicly until after she did.
What she still doesn’t know is that we’ve known for weeks that this was going to happen. I have a feeling she might be a little annoyed when she finds out that small detail.
Now they have us looking at wedding venues on Tuesday. Personally, I think that’s moving a little fast, but it’s not really up to me.
Congratulations to both of them. I wish them all the happiness in the world as they begin this exciting new chapter together.
Today was exactly what the doctor ordered—except for having to get out of bed at 4:00 a.m. I’ve never been much of a morning person.
Of course, it’s not just the early wake-up call that comes with a fishing trip. There’s all the preparation beforehand and the unloading afterward, both of which I could happily do without. Still, neither can be avoided if I want to spend a day on the water.
I’m always worried I’ll forget something important, and more often than not, I do. Today it was my camera’s SD card. I had removed it to download last week’s video and never put it back in the camera.
Despite that minor oversight, it turned out to be a great trip. Rick and I both caught fish, and that’s always a win in my book. In fact, I was already floating in the water waiting for Rick to launch when I decided to make a few casts. On my third cast, I landed a nice one-pound bass. It’s hard to ask for a better start than that.
The fishing trip couldn’t have come at a better time. We’re still waiting on AT&T to repair the damaged wiring in my parents’ neighborhood, and no one has been able to provide a timeline for when service might be restored. Dealing with that situation has certainly elevated my blood pressure over the past week.
Then there’s another situation occupying my thoughts.
My daughter’s boyfriend is planning to propose on Saturday. Quite a few people know what’s supposed to happen, and I guess that’s what’s making me nervous. The more people who know a secret, the greater the chance someone accidentally lets it slip before the big moment arrives.
I have a location-sharing app on my phone that allows my daughters to see where I am, and vice versa. Before Saturday gets here, I’m either going to turn my phone off or figure out how to disable location sharing. The last thing I want is for technology to spoil a carefully planned surprise.
I’m not in charge of the proposal, but I still feel responsible for making sure everything goes smoothly. There seems to be a hundred different ways things could go wrong.
As if that weren’t enough, my son spent this past week in Orlando, and my daughters have been taking turns checking on his two cats. During one visit, one of my daughters noticed the house was unusually hot and humid. After looking around, she discovered that one of the kitchen windows had blown open.
She did what she could, but when my son called, he asked me to stop by and see if I could secure it better. Once I got there, I found that both window latches were broken beyond repair. I ordered replacement latches and plan to head over tomorrow to help install them.
Saturday morning will be devoted to cleaning my truck inside and out. I managed to cut the grass yesterday, so either tomorrow or Saturday, I’ll need to finish the trimming.
Needless to say, there’s a lot on my plate right now.
That’s why today’s fishing trip was so important. For a few hours, I was able to leave the worries behind, enjoy some time on the water, catch a few fish, and recharge my batteries.
I’m looking forward to a stretch of days when life slows down a bit, and there isn’t quite so much going on. There are still plenty of projects waiting for me around the house and yard, and I’d like to spend some time working on them without feeling pulled in a dozen different directions.
Tomorrow, I’m heading to the river to spend some time resting, fishing, and gathering my thoughts before I go completely nuts. It’s been a rough week.
If you’ve ever had to deal with AT&T, you probably understand my frustration. This is just one of the many things I had to deal with this week. The others will come in a later post.
When you call or chat with technical support these days, you’re often not dealing with a person at all. You’re dealing with AI. I’ll be the first to admit that AI can be useful, but it isn’t nearly as smart as some people think. It’s only as good as the people who program it.
If it doesn’t understand what you’re asking, it tends to circle back to a previous question, and before long, you’re stuck in an endless loop that eventually ends with the chat session closing without warning. And if you’re hoping to speak with a live person, you had better pack a lunch and prepare for a long wait.
This whole saga started last Friday when my dad asked me to come by on Saturday and help connect a new router that AT&T had sent him. According to them, the old router was bad.
As it turned out, the router wasn’t the problem at all.
Dad had already spent time with technical support trying to resolve the issue. Nothing they suggested worked. He asked repeatedly for a technician to come out, but AT&T seemed convinced that he could solve the problem himself. Eventually, they simply disconnected the call.
That’s where I entered the picture.
Friday evening, I spent an hour and a half trying to reach a live agent. After finally getting through, I was able to schedule a service appointment for Monday between noon and 5:00 p.m.
Monday came and went.
By 6:30 that evening, it was obvious that nobody was coming.
I then spent three and a half hours on hold trying to speak with someone, only to have my phone battery die before I ever reached an agent.
I called back and scheduled a callback for 9:00 the next morning. By 10:00, nobody had called.
Once again, I called AT&T and sat on hold for about an hour before finally reaching a representative.
To his credit, he was polite and listened patiently as I explained everything we had been through. By this point, the appointment had been moved to Friday, and Dad had discovered that the real problem wasn’t the modem at all. Phone lines in the area had apparently been cut—or possibly stolen—which explained why nothing was working.
I told the representative that, in my opinion, customer service had lost sight of the customer. If customers were truly important, there would be a way to speak with a real person without spending hours fighting through automated systems and AI chatbots.
There are some problems that technology simply can’t fix. Sometimes people just need to talk to another person.
The representative assured me that our conversation was being recorded and that he would escalate the issue. He said someone from AT&T would contact me regarding our experience, although it might take a week or two.
We’ll see.
After dealing with all of this, I am emotionally drained. The one thing I’m proud of is that I managed to keep my cool throughout the entire ordeal. I could have unloaded my frustration on the representative, but I knew he wasn’t responsible for what had happened. He was simply the person caught in the middle.
So tomorrow morning, Rick and I will launch the boat around 5:30 and spend a few hours on the river.
At this point, I honestly don’t care whether I catch a fish.
What I need is some peace and quiet. I need time away from hold music, automated systems, and frustration. I need to be reminded of who is really in charge.
And for me, there are few better places to find that reminder than sitting on a river at daybreak, watching God’s creation wake up around me.
Sometimes the best therapy isn’t found in an office, on a phone call, or behind a computer screen.
