Mon.-Started new schedule today. Susan is getting up earlier and we are getting more accomplished in our day. Alli and Susan did the Zumba videos and went for a walk. Then we watched 'The Three Muskateers.' Philip wanted to see it too, so we kept it, and watched it again in the eve. Susan and Alli went out to Farmville. Susan got our groceries and Alli got theirs. She delivered Susan and groceries back home. I made quick caramel popcorn and we ate it while we watched the movie. Take a stick of butter. Melt it. Add some brown sugar and maple syrup. Say, maybe a cup of brown sugar and a half a cup of maple syrup. Bring it to a boil. Boil slowly for 5 min. Add vanilla and a tiny bit of baking soda. Pour over popcorn. You can add peanut butter to the mix as well. The key is to let it simmer for 5 min. That will make it the right consistency once it hardens.
Tues.-#728-thankful for Roger's encouraging call expressing appreciation for our family.
#729-Catch up chat with Lindsay.
#730-People's votes and encouraging words regarding devotional.
#731-KNIT group in eve. Had to leave early. Upset stomach again.
Wild Warm Wind Whips Wimpy Winter's Weather aWay While Saucy Spring Sprinkles Soft Showers and Spreads Soothing Sunshine on Sensational Spicy forSythias.
#732-I put that on face book and Melva, Leon's mother, wrote, "Are these musings brought on by Spring fever?" I think they do seem a bit feverish sounding.
#733-Thankful for protection. A truck veered over to Phil's side of the road and his mirror whacked Phil's mirror, breaking it. About 45 min. after they were at the job the window banged like a gun and shattered.
Wed.-Lindsay fixed my blogger! Yippee! I go through withdrawal when I can't write. Get a little grumpy, I think. Went out to Farmville and delivered some eggs. Went to Belk's, Cato's, and then to Walmart. Susan took her prom dress (which had just arrived in mail box as we were leaving) into the Cato's changing room. She tried on some shoes to go with it but none fit. We saw Rosie and Jenny in the parking lot and they ended up taking Susan with them for the day. She borrowed some money from the car stash and they went to Goodwill and then to Calvary Chapel. We'll pick her up after youth group tonight. I went to my first session with a man I'll call Dennis. He does deep muscle massage and he worked with my neck and already I have less vertigo. He thinks it will go completely away. Also, worked on my foot and ankle and leg muscle and showed me several stretching exercises. When he said, "You will walk again," I wanted to lay my head down and sob. I have not been able to take a real walk since mid-November. Every step hurts. My calf muscle is pulling my heel up and not allowing my foot to hit the ground correctly. His wife was helping him by taking notes and he was testing the strength of my muscles and they both were exclaiming at times about the strength I had and they said that very few people did what I did the right way. I forget exactly what it was right now, but it is sure nice to hear some good news when you think you're all washed up.
Thurs.-Achievement tests for Susan in Language Arts. She made buttermint dough which she didn't like so I colored them and added Kool-Aid flavoring-grape to the purple, cherry to the pink, lemon to the yellow, and I kept the green as mint. The flavored ones taste like those extreme sweet and sour candies that sort of sizzle in your mouth. The consensus is that they taste like playdough, which makes sense, since I make playdough with Kool-aid powder and color it the flavor's color. Susan made supper. Grilled chicken and green beans and salad and homemade dressing. So good. I planted some pansies and seeds in the front flower garden that Meredith worked on for 7 hours while I was in Pa. If you ever need a landscaper, she's great. Oh, Susan made real peppermint patties dipped in dark chocolate, too. The best. It was a cold, rainy spring day.
Fri.-Good Friday. Not rainy like it usually is. Psalms 145-David's praise of God. The LORD is gracious, full of compassion, slow to anger, great in mercy, good to all. His tender mercies are over all His works. His dominion and kingdom endures forever. The LORD upholds all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down. He gives us food. He opens His hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works. He is near to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fill the desire of those who fear Him. He also will hear their cry and save them. He will preserve all who love Him.
We read so fast. Sometimes, like when we come to the words in this Psalm, we should read slowly and think slowly and not hurry on to the next thing. I transplanted some irises growing along the lane. They never have bloomed because they have too much shade, so I moved about a third of them to the front garden. They will continue to multiply along the lane. But they'll bloom elsewhere. That sounds like a sermon plot but I don't have time to think about it. I've got sausage in the oven and pasta on the stove and peas in a kettle and a salad draining. My oldest brother sent me a quick e-mail about my devo for Zondervan publishing. I had miss-spelled a word-qick-instead of quick, and he wrote, "I was qick to vote. Actually I thought this was very good. Abe." I copied it and will keep it in my top drawer. Others have written words of encouragement. It means so much.
I did some wash today. Also, I headed down to the river to take pics of bluebells. I went down the lane to go in that way and again, I just wasn't thinking, and I got stuck in the creek with the gator. I had to walk around the meadow and back up the lane and climbed over the gate down from the other one, because that one is shocking with a vengeance. That's why I went a different way. Fortunately, Michael had come home a few hours earlier. He walked barefoot to the skid loader and led the way down the lane and through the meadow, and pushed me out. I got into the very muddy gator and continued down to the river. He was so pleasant about it and not put out about it at all. When I came back, I hosed down the gator and my shoes for a good 20 min. I'm washing my shoes and clothes in the washer as I write. The amazing, wonderful thing is this. I COULD walk!!! And yes, my feet are sore, but I could walk!! Susan mowed our lawn today and now she is mowing over at Happy Valley. She's been trying on her prom dress and showing her brothers and dad-three separate times now, and they tell her she's very pretty but then they say something like, "I-Yi-Yi". She put her converses on and she looks adorable with those black and white sneakers on. I think she is going to go with her high heeled black boots, however. Her dress is a silvery sage green with black etchings and sequins on the bodice. She has a slit that will be tacked down a bit and filmy material that flows over the dress. Where did the time go?
I talked with Mother in the eve. and she said, "I wish you lived here." I said, "I'm sorry." She said, "Oh, well..." I am looking forward to the day when we'll all be together in heaven's oxygen tank-less air. Breath of Heaven...hold us together until that hour.
Sat.-Ps. 147:7-"The LORD executes justice for the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners." I am looking forward to justice. I am looking forward to having my soul fed. I am looking forward to freedom. It's a 'comin. What a great day was today. Freeman and Phil took Susan turkey hunting. They didn't get anything. I cleaned the house. Susan and Philip went out to Farmville to help set up for the egg drop. Michael stayed around here and helped Phil with some things. Michelle M. came around 2 with Maddie. We took a ride down to the river on the gator. Angel and Maddie came with us. It was good to have a boxer around again. It will be fun when Susan gets her boxer puppy in the second week of May. Will and Don came over too. Most of the Chi Alpha kids went home for Easter break. Philip made his famous chili over the fire. He puts in two bags of brown sugar in it. He made about 5 gallons total. I told him we should get t-shirts made. "Hertzler's Chili..." something or other. Maybe we could have some Banton ideas sent our way. I turned my back for a second and Michele was over on the far side of the lawn, shaking like a leaf. ;) Michael had a black snake draped in his hands. He had gone around the corner of the old house and there was the snake! He was draping it around his head and his shoulders and eventually, he put it in the rye field and then Michelle came back to us. Maddie and Angel began fighting not long afterward and we had to separate them. Later, the guys and Susan went over to fish at Happy Valley but they came back before too long because nothing was biting. Phil and I relaxed and read in the house. Michael is learning to play classical guitar. It is just beautiful. His interest gets Phil involved in playing and singing again. I love that. We are praying for the Rozier family, whose son, Hunter, is in Susan's drama group. He was in a serious accident on Monday.(Hit a tree with his vehicle.) He is in ICU with a fractured skull, punctured lung, broken ribs, broken nose and jaw, etc. They have him heavily sedated. He is one of the nicest young men in the world. Please pray for him. He is a Senior and is graduating this year.
Michael handed me an 8x10 certificate today. It says:
SOLO FLIGHT
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY
This is to certify that Michael Hertzler
has broken the bonds of earth and successfully
soloed at the Lynchburg Regional Airport.
It was signed by the Associate Dean and dated 3-26-12.
Today, I walked some more. Besides the exercises that I am doing every day to stretch my achilles tendon and other muscles, I am doing that yucky foot detox thing. Ever since I had the muscle massage, I am getting heavy metal material out of my body. Before it was more joint junk. I think this detoxing is helping me walk better. Dr. Forand had said that all the toxins in my body had settled in at my heel. This is more for my own records, so please don't read this. Thanks.
Michael has gotten my laptop working today. I couldn't use it all week. It kept saying, "Bad request" for anything I tried. I also don't have spell check or options to use italics, color, or enlarging letters on the laptop. So please forgive any miss-spellings. Like that word. How do you spell misspelled? Also, I can't save. I've been using our old computer this week but now that I am on the laptop, I can't save this, so I will print it now, before the week is up.
Sun.-"..a haven of rest for the weary...how beautiful heaven must be." I've been listening to the Gaither videos all week. They were in my mother's pile of things to give away and I jumped for them. No one else was around to compete with me, but I jumped anyway. I love them. There is a guy named David Ring, I think, who shared on their show. He was born with cerebral palsy and was orphaned at 14. He has quite a testimony. Then he began to sing, "What a day..that will be...when my Jesus I shall see..." I didn't realize that Philip was in the house when I first saw it and I 'let go' and he came to see if I was okay.
Woke up at 5:30 and we went down the road a mile to Walkers Presbyterian Church for their Easter Sunrise Service and breakfast. Mitch and Mickey had invited us. We had gone to their Thanksgiving service in the fall and it's been good to get to know their interim pastor and his wife as well as the others in the community. We had part of the service outside and the sunrise was beautiful. Then we went into the warmth. The pastor asked if anyone was brave enough to begin the hymn. There was no one there to play the piano. Phil looked at me and asked, "Can you play this?" I nodded. Phil spoke up and said, "I volunteer my wife to play this song." Everyone was happy about that. It was 'Lo, in the grave He lay." No sharps. No flats. And it was the younger children's favorite song at Easter when I taught last year. I was wearing Phil's big camouflage jacket with his license pinned on the back. At the end of the service, the pastor asked if I'd play another and so I flipped the page and there was, "Christ the Lord is risen today..." It was great fun and a great joy and everyone appreciated it so very much and I was offered a job at $100 a week just to play for Sunday mornings.I said that I was busy elsewhere on Sunday mornings but if they ever had special services or funerals, I'd be happy to play. We had a delicious breakfast. Biscuits, sausage gravy, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, tator tots, strawberries, watermelon, strawberry yogurt,cinnamon rolls, and coffee. And that's just what I ate. They also had grapes and cheese and donuts, etc.
Then we came home and got ready to go to New Life. It was so good to see Laurel and Ivan Henry. Michael came into the worship service and said that on his way to Calvary, he saw an elderly hitchhiker. He picked him up and he needed a ride into Farmville. Michael told him to have a happy Easter and then asked him if he knew what Easter was about and he didn't know anything about Easter. So, Michael told him about Jesus and took the dear old man to Him and the man wanted Him and received what He had to offer. What a thrill! Oh, Jesus. Help that dear old man to know you more and more every day. Help him lead the rest of his family to You. Help us know what else we can do.
The sermon was interesting. There were at least three kinds of people at the cross, just as there are three kinds of people at church. There are those who were forced to come, like Simon, who carried the cross for Christ. These folks stay in their bondage and don't voluntarily come to the place where they could hear the truth that could set them free. There are those who were fools, who linger too long between the space between believing in Christ and rejecting Him. They stay in the grave, locked in by the huge stone. And there are those who are forgiven. They want Jesus to come in any room that may have been locked in fear. They want to live a Resurrected Life. They don't want to live in bondage or fear.
After visiting for awhile, we came home and had some leftover chili and took a nap. The Fishers and clan put in at the river and went canoeing, kayaking, etc. It was fun to see Aaron, Thomas, Andrew, Matthew, Teresa, Kyle, and another relative. We invited them to stay but I think they had other plans and not all of their families were there. Bethany, Meredith, and Tommy came over with two baskets of plastic eggs filled with candy around 3:45. Susan and I took everyone and their eggs down to the river where we hid them for the little girls to hide. When the rest of the family came a short time later, we went back down to the river and Abby and Serena looked for the eggs for about half an hour. We came back up and had supper outside around a fire. Freeman and Alli came too. Helen made a ham, a carrot casserole, a salad, a peanut butter pie, mint tea, baked beans...I stuck with our original simple plan and brought the hot dogs,saukraut, paper goods, s'more fixing's, and Susan's eggs.I added chili to the menu as well. The kids played 'volleyball' and we had a good time visiting until some time after 9 I think. The night was so clear. It's been a blessed Easter from start to finish. The LORD is risen! The LORD is risen indeed!
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