“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds” (Psalm 9:1).
Thanks be to God for a peaceful night's rest and for this new day. We were up a little bit earlier than usual because there was a lot of prep work and cooking to be done before kicking back and watching Notre Dame football. I also needed to get as much as my daily exercises as possible before game time. The shortness of the day is really noticeable and we will be turning back the clock to standard time next weekend. I stated the big big cook by prepping slice up four packs of rice noodles for tomorrow. Then I made Cantonese pan fried noodles. Next I browned hamburger meat for mama to make her pasta sauce as well as made meatballs that was all I was able to get done before the start of the Notre Dame Navy game. Wow, Notre Dame 51 - Navy 14. I expected a big win today but I did not expect expect the Irish to make a statement this big. More importantly, it was good to see that the Irish finally come to play ball from the get go. After the game, I cut up and marinated the spare ribs. And steamed some of the ribs making the Cantonese dim sum ribs with black bean sauce and stir fried spareribs with black bean and garlic sauce, we sampled both the rib dishes for our dinner. Next was the beef with gai Lan stir fry and then last but not least I finished the cook with spicy tofu. Psalm 125 is a short psalm titled, The Lord Surrounds His People A Song of Ascents. The psalmist begins this psalm by declaring that those who trust in the Lord are safe and secure. "Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abides forever" (v1). The psalmist then compares the protection and steadfastness of the Lord to the physical presence of the mountains that surround Jerusalem. "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time forth and forevermore" (v2). I can't get enough of the comforting and encouraging similes and metaphors found in the psalms. The psalmist paints a picture of the struggle between the good and evil, with the wicked exerting their authority and the righteous relying on God's protection to resist wrongdoing. "For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest on the land allotted to the righteous, lest the righteous stretch out their hands to do wrong" (v3). The psalmist calls upon the Lord to extend his goodness to people of integrity and follow his precepts. "Do good, O Lord, to those who are good, and to those who are upright in their hearts!" (v4). The psalmist concludes this psalm warning believers who do not faithfully follow God's precepts will suffer the same fate as evildoers. "But those who turn aside to their crooked ways the Lord will lead away with evildoers!" (v5). May we not be deceived and fall prey to the lies of the great deceiver. We FaceTime with Rob, Andrea, Isaac and Peyton, my day is complete. Wow, I saw that their Christmas tree is already set up, that what happens when there aren't rules, jk. No doubt Christmas has always been her favorite holiday. The verse of the day is, "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Today was a very good day and now I had Christmas on my mind. Come Lord Jesus.
25 October 2024
I woke up with prayers of thanksgiving for the gift of a new day, our Lord’s mercies are new every morning. We can never thank him for his steadfast love. There was quite a bit of rumbling from the overnight thunderstorm, but I didn't hear any loud thunder claps or heavy rain. I made us e-fu this morning and we bought it over to Alex's for lunch. On the way to Alex's, we stopped at Bolingbrook and Plainfield Target and I did a couple of walking laps along the inside parameter. Luckily both stores were on route and we didn't need to drive out of way. After lunch we went to the Target store in Shorewood and they had exactly what mama was looking for. The weather warmed up nicely into the mid 60s and I was able to get more steps in outdoors. Sweet, back to back to back ten thousand plus steps day! I like getting in at least five to seven thousand steps in a day, so this is extraordinary. It's time to talk Irish, it would be nice if #12 Notre Dame can blowout #24 Navy like they did last year 42 - 3, but that is highly unlikely this time around against the undefeated Midshipmen. However, I still expect a big win and would like to see Notre Dame do better during the 1st quarter. Psalm 124 is titled, Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord A Song of Ascents. Of David. The psalmist reflects on how God is the only true source of help and salvation. The psalmist begins this psalm by contemplating on what would have happened if it wasn't for the Lord. "If it had not been the Lord who was on our side— let Israel now say— if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters" (v1-5). The psalmist recognizes God's deliverance and gives thanks and praises God for preserving his people from their enemies. "Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth!" (v6). The psalmist then reflected on how God’s the Israelites have time after time found themselves in situations where it seemed impossible to escape and how God has repeatedly intervened and delivered them. "We have escaped like a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped!" (v7). I like the use of figurative language found in the psalms that helps the psalmist convey his messages in a colorful way. The psalmist concludes this psalm by declaring their trust and reliance on God's sovereignty and providence. "Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (v8). We are blessed that our creator is always for us and never against us. I can think of many instances where I have been delivered from my own foolishness and the hands of wicked evildoers. Indeed, our help is the name of the Lord!
24 October 2024
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!" (Psalm 103:1). Thanks be to God for all the blessings of this new day. Dang, it was outright cold this morning in the mid 30s. It was so cold that I felt the need to break out my thermal underwear. I thank God for the blessings of our warm home. I made us a timely fresh pot of hot oatmeal. I layered up to brave the brisk coldness of a winterlike autumn day. It is crazy how it gradually warmed up into the upper 60s by mid afternoon. We went out and about and man did we make the rounds. Before heading out, we like to check the weather app to dress appropriately and to check the Goggle app for gas prices. I had to do a double take at the gas price at the service station across from the Sam's Club because it was much lower than all the gas stations in our neck of the woods. First stop was going to Mariano's and the Jewels. We then drove out to the Sam's Club. We got for gas for $3.159 a gallon that is the lowest gas price we gotten in years. I wasn't really holding my breath and counting for this gas price because the gas prices are posted on there in real time. From there we stopped at, The Patio for lunch, we share their breaded cod entrĂ©e before going to the Chinese supermarket. It was hard to believe, but they actually had fresh rice noodles and decent bitter melon and Gai Lan. I think we will be able to make everyone happy with comfort food of their own choosing this weekend. What a generous afternoon weatherwise it turned out to be. It is crazy how many street are getting repaved in town. Everywhere you go there is some type of road construction going on. Sigh, the crazes on the road again today and extra defensive driving care is called for. Thanks be to God who watches over us. Psalm 123 is titled, Our Eyes Look to the Lord Our God A Song of Ascents. This psalm seems to be a song composed to be sung as a short communal prayer where God’s people looks up to heaven for God's mercy and grace favor. The psalmist begins this psalm by looking to the up to heaven and acknowledges God’s authority and his dependence on him and seeking his kindness. "To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maidservant to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till he has mercy upon us" (v1-2). Initially I thought it was somewhat odd to be pleading for merciful kindness, but then it made sense of how undeserving we are because our rebellious ways. The psalmist closes this psalm with repeated cries for mercy. This shows just how strained God's people were by the casualness of the ongoing relentless scornful contempt of the proud. "Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt. Our soul has had more than enough of the scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud" (v3-4). It never ceases to amaze me that so many unbelievers go out of their way to attempt to mock God. Prayers for the persecuted church. I made us stir fried beef with tomatoes for dinner. Sweet, I got in a back to back ten thousand plus steps day in. I facetimed with the kid again today and Peyton was happy to learn that we were able to find the rice noodles and the ribs and I was going to make it for her this week. I came across a meme that read, "A grandfather thinks about their grandchildren day & night. Even if they are not with him, they are always in his heart!" Amen. I can attest to that.
23 October 2024
I woke up this morning and made the sign of the cross and thanked God for the gift of a new day and new beginnings. My arm was stiff and sore, but it was less so than yesterday, but it wasn't enough to stop me from resuming my resistance training. Sweet, mama brought me a nice adjustable fall cap. The cap was warm and comfortable and didn't allow the wind to blow off my cap. We went out and about to the Danada area in Wheaton. Initially I started my walk in the TJ Max but it got crowded, thankfully the sun came out am it warmed up a tad into the low 60s and I was able to do the centurion like walk along the store fronts. I easily got in a ten thousand plus steps day in because I got ambitious and mowed the grass. I lowered the blades another notch to just one above the lowest possible setting and did a a Rob by overlapping in hopes that this would be my final time mowing the grass this year. Man, does it look nice, Rob doesn't have a thing over me, at least for this time around anyway. I definitely need to weed whack soon, change out the sump pump discharge hose before it gets too cold and hit the gutters one more time after most of the leave are off trees in a month or so. The title of Psalm 122 is, Let Us Go to the House of the Lord A Song of Ascents. Of David. The psalmist begins this psalm conveying his joy being invited and accepting to worship in Jerusalem by his fellow believers. I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” (v1). The psalmist expresses the joy of arrival and the longing for peace and fellowship among God's people. I could relate to the psalmist's joy when we first step foot in Saint John Wheaton. "Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!" (v2).The psalmist then describes the city of Jerusalem as a central hub where the different tribes gathered to worship and give thanks to the Lord. "Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord" (v3-4). The psalmist then reflects on the significance of the thrones of judgment, which was seen as a representation of divine justice and righteousness. "There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David" (v5).The psalmist then encourages believers to pray for the welfare of all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” (v6-7). It is fascinating that Jerusalem literally means city of peace. So the psalmist is actually asking people to pray for peace in the city of peace. I suspect that that psalmist speaks to civil as well as spiritual peace within the walls is Jerusalem. The psalmist concludes this psalm with a heartfelt love and concern for the well-being of his brothers and companions who travel to or reside in Jerusalem which was house of the Lord. For my brothers and companions' sake I will say, “Peace be within you! For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good" (v8-9). May the peace of Christ reign in our hearts. I made us chicken and broccoli for dinner. We will be going grocery shopping so went over our grocery app looking at sales and clipping coupons from the Jewel and Meijer and going over the needed at the Chinese supermarket. My brother had cataract surgery done to one eye this morning and thanks be to God, all indication is that the durgery went well. Prayers for our Lord's healing hand and quick recovery. I logged the data from the blood work I did last week at Edwards onto my spreadsheet. I pray for God’s care in healing all the infirmities that my love one and I are facing.
22 October 2024
Thanks be to God for the gift of another new day. My left arm was a little stiff and sore from my flu shot, but thankful that it loosened up as the day progressed. I opted not to do any of my resistance exercises and focused on my cardio. I finally am back up to doing eight minutes on the elliptical. I supposed if I pushed it, I could have achieved that much sooner, but I thought it best to slowly progress back without taxing my heart. It appears that today will be last nice autumn day before the temperature retreats back to the normal 60 degrees temperatures for this time of year. The autumn colors are all about and the leaves are begins to fall. After prayerfully consideration we went to do our civic duty and voted early in person on the November ballot. These are not good times for our nation. While people are trying to make sense of the polls showing Trump and Harris are tied, I trying to make sense on how these two are their political party’s nominees. Prayers for our nation to humble our hearts and to heal our land. From there we went to pick Alex pick at the car dealership service department. Operating and maintaining a car is so expensive. I am glad that he took the day off and for time we had with our son. We are blessed with well mannered children. My day is complete, I was so happy our children facetimed us. It looks like the family is getting together this weekend. I thank God for Rob’s willingness to bring his family down so often for a visit. A seventy mile drive each direction isn’t exactly a short drive from the northern burbs. Peyton asked to make her ribs and gon chow ngau ho. Alex jump on that and asked if I could make the dim sum steamed spare ribs with fermented black beans. So it looks like I'll be making both the steamed version and the stir fry version this weekend. The availability of rice noodles is always iffy. I was struck by the following quote: “When we stop making grand promises and ask for grace to endure momentary temptations, then there is the potential for real growth. Just as evil takes its time to gain ground, holiness must also grow inch by inch”, A Look Inside the Devil’s Playbook with “The Screwtape Letters” by Lauren Myers. I agree that spiritual growth will not come about from making unrealistic promises to perfectly follow God’s precept, but can by humbly asking God for the strength to resist everyday temptations. Instead of vowing to completely change overnight, we should focus on seeking grace to navigate immediate temptations and challenges. Psalm 121 is the second of a collect of fifteen songs of ascent, it is titled, My Help Comes from the Lord A Song of Ascents. This psalm speaks to our trust and reliance on God. The psalmist begins this psalm asking a rhetorical question and then acknowledges that our help comes from God and God alone, maker of heaven and earth. "I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth" (v1-2). We live in a world filled with uncertainty and many challenges. I totally agree with the psalmist's declaration of faith that that God is our source of help as we journey through life on our way back to Eden. The psalmist speaks to the unwavering divine care and assures us the God will not allow us to be moved from our faith and trust in him. "He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber" (v3). The psalmist then conveys that God is always attentive to our needs and concerns. "Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep" (v4). The psalmist then assures us that God is a constant companion who walks alongside his people, providing us refuge and protection. Beit in the brightness of day or the darkness of night, God shields us from harm. "The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night" (v5-6). We can trust in God’s unfailing protection and take refuge in his unwavering presence. The psalmist concludes this psalm assuring us that God will guard our lives each day. "The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore" (v7-8). I think it is wise to lift up all aspects of our lives in prayer to the Lord our God, creator of heaven and earth. I lift up my heart to the Lord and praise God's gracious mercy.
21 October 2024
We woke up to a bright beautiful mild autumn day much like yesterday that turn summer like by early afternoon. I got a call to schedule two more appointments at the Rush Medical University in Chicago in November. Sigh, I have to have more blood work done before then, but at least this time I can go to the nearby Rush-Copley on Ogden instead. We went Sam's Club pharmacy to get our flu shot and got gas across the way for $3.239 a gallon, I think that is the lowest we have paid for gas since this Joe Biden caused the gas prices to sky rocket. I could be wrong, but if memory serves me right, gas was well under three bucks a gas at the start of this president’s inauguration. Psalm 120 is titled, Deliver Me, O Lord A song of Ascents. The psalm is the first of a collection of psalms that were sung by the Israelites as they traveled to the temple in Jerusalem for festivals. The psalmist in his distress declares his certainty that God will answer his call for deliverance from dishonest and deceitful people. "In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me. Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue" (v1-2). The psalmist then asks a rhetorical question about the fate of a lying tongue. "What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?" (v3). The psalmist warns the deceitful tongue of its destiny, asking what shall be given to it or what shall be done to it. The psalmist then speaks to the fate that awaits the deceitful tongue. "A warrior's sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!" (v4). The psalmist then laminates about his living environment. "Woe to me, that I sojourn in Meshech, that I dwell among s the tents of Kedar! Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace" (v5-6). It is so sad that the land that the psalmist swelled in is still pretty much the same today as it was after all these centuries. Closer to home, Chicago isn't much better than a war zone. The level of violence is enough for me to avoid going into the as much as possible. I feel that we put our lives at risk every time we go into the city. The psalmist concludes speaking to his desires to live a peaceful life but is surrounded by people who are hostile and deceitful. "I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!" (v7). I wonder what percentage of people living in Gaza is innocent and actually desire to live peacefully with the State of Israel. Again, I can't believe what is going on in Chicago. With high crime there are advocates for defunding the police. IMO, that is ludicrous. I boiled spaghetti noodles and finished off the last of mama’s pasta sauce for dinner, so good. I am grateful the blessings of the day. Be with us O Lord; embrace your loving arms around all my love ones.
20 October 2024
Oh no, I can’t believe I deleted yesterday’s journal entry that was on my phone without cutting and pasting it to my journal entry here on Blogger. Grr, I am so mad at myself. Let’s see how much I can recollect, we went to Alex’s to watch Nala while Alex went to NIU with friends for homecoming. We watch watched the 31 to 13 Notre Dame victory over Georgia Tech and we went next door to celebrate Mary’s graduation. When we got home, we watch the Arkansas vs LSU game in hopes of the Hogs beating #8 LSU, but that didn’t pan out. And the Irish remained #12 in the AP rankings. I would have been super mad at myself if I would had mused yesterday on the psalms and deleted it without posting it. Well what’s done is done and I move on. Thanks be to God for the blessings of another day. My prayers go up to you at you altar on behalf of all my love ones, bless them and take care of all their needs. May the grace and the forgiveness of sins sustain us as we drink from your cup. Albeit, I went to bed slightly later than usual, I have noticed that I am zoning out just like that and am getting some solid quality sleep. It as stunning as we stepped out the door to a beautiful and mild fall day to turned to be very much summerlike. Our sister-in-law, Peggy, invited my siblings and us to her home for lunch. I am thankful for the blessing of our time together and for the fine Thanksgiving meal that she prepared to celebrate us. A FB friend raved about how much he enjoys his Tesla's full-self driving features during his current road trip. I think that he is among the most flexible and adaptive person I know to technological advances. I stuck with a manual transmission on a car until they were hard to come by and never considered cruise control until it was stander equipped. With the exception of thrill seekers, the initial anxiety associated FSD has to be the hardest thing to overcome. I downloaded our November ballot and reviewed it. I actually penned about it and deleted it. It was best to share my thoughts with the Lord. Psalm 119 (Taw) is about the deliverance found accordingly in God’s word. The psalmist begins this section by asking to be given understanding to God’s word. "Let my cry come before you, O Lord; give me understanding according to your word!" (v169). The psalmist understood the power of God’s word and in his supplication asks deliverance. "Let my plea come before you; deliver me according to your word" (v170). The psalmist utter words of praise in gratitude for the guidance and instruction provided by God. "My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes" (v171). Truly, the profound impact of God's word on our heart leads to a life of worship and praise. The psalmist then declares that he I s committed to sharing God’s righteous word. "My tongue will sing of your word, for all your commandments are right" (v172). The psalmist acknowledges his choice to follow God's precepts petitions God for His assistance. "Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts" (v173). Even when our best intentions and efforts to follow God's precepts, we fall short and need the help of the Holy Spirit to guide us. The psalmist expresses his deep longing of his inner being for divine assistance and salvation. "I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. Let my soul live and praise you, and let your rules help me" (v174 -175). It is wise to let God’s precepts guide us in our journey back to Eden. The psalmist concludes this section by throwing himself upon the mercy of God. He humbly admits his failures and confesses that he is nothing but a lost sheep. "I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments" (v176). We are indeed miserable sinners in our own total depravity, but thanks be to God in Christ Jesus who saves us. This was the last section of Psalm 119. I have been going through Psalm 119 for many weeks now. I think that each of the various sections in this psalm are similar in many ways speaking to different aspects of God’s word using words like law, testimonies, way, statutes, commandments, precepts, ordinances, I am glad that I took the time to pray and meditate on this very long psalm in the way that I did without glossing over it as I have done in the pass. Blessed are those who follow God's statutes. Teach us, O Lord, to treasure your guiding precepts. Song of the day is, Little Darlin' - The Diamonds. This was a very good day, filled with countless blessings. I thank the Lord who has graciously kept me this day.
18 October 2024
I am thankful for this new day. Rejoice in the Lord, O my soul, bless his holy name. According to the weather app we are at the start of an awesome weekend weatherwise. We went to the Edward 95th facility to have a couple more labs. It is crazy how much blood they draw from me for all these different doctors. From there we went to the Oswego area and did a little shopping and got in a little walking. We stopped at the Panda Express and bought food home. I'm not sure if we ever got it from their Oswego location, but it was noticeably really really good. I made my the spicy tofu dish that I normally make for Rob when he take his family down for a visit. Of course I change up the recipe to include a little bit of oyster sauce when I make just it otherwise. I ate it with the leftover kung pao chicken for Panda. It's time for me to get fired up for Notre Dame football. I really hope the Irish can play as well as they did against the Yellow Jackets as they did last week against the Cardinals tomorrow. I am glad that I will have the opportunity to watch Arkansas take on #8 LSU in the evening. A big win for the Hogs would most likely rank the Razorback and keep Notre Dame CFP hopes alive. Psalm 119 (Sin and Shin) is about the treasure of God’s word. The psalmist begins this section by declaring his innocents and yet the authorities persecute him. "Princes persecute me without cause, but my heart stands in awe of your words" (v161). Despite the psalmist's troubles, he remains in awe at God’s word. The psalmist expresses his joy in finding treasure in God’s word. "I rejoice at your word like one who finds great spoil" (v162). I was adult baptized and experienced a similar sense of delight in the unexpected and profound truths and wisdom found in Holy Scripture. The psalmist then contrasts his abhorrence of lying with his love for God's precepts. "I hate and abhor falsehood, but I love your law" (v163). Everyone hates being lie to, but we should hate telling a lie more. I can't wait until this presidential election is over. It is truly disgusting how we are plagued by deceptive practices of dishonesty and falsehood. I think we would all do well by embracing the truth and reject lying. Because of God’s righteous precepts, the psalmist expresses his unwavering commitment to honoring God throughout the day. "Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous rules" (v164). The Liturgy of the Hours also called the Divine Office comes to mind. The psalmist declares that those who love God's law will not be easily offended or shaken. "Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble" (v165). For sure, the peace that surpasses all understanding through Christ Jesus is the result of a deep love and trust in God’s word and promises. The psalmist then declares that he follows God precepts and hopes to be saved. "I hope for your salvation, O Lord, and I do your commandments" (v166). I can only speculate the psalmist is hopeful that God will save him from the princes who persecuting and those who are lying about him. I think that it is interesting that salvation is defined as preservation or deliverance from harm, ruin, or loss. Albeit we do pray for protection and to be kept from harm’s way, I tend to think of salvation in terms of deliverance from my sin and its consequences which is brought about by faith in our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. The psalmist declares his whole being aligned and committed to following God's precepts and his deep love for them. "My soul keeps your testimonies; I love them exceedingly" (v167). Jesus said that if we love him keep his commandments. The psalmist concludes this section by reflecting on his loyalty to God's precepts and the comfort that comes from delighting in the word. "I keep your precepts and testimonies, for all my ways are before you" (v168). I think this section is very encouraging and speaks to the priceless treasure found in God's word. I reflected on my prayer life and what it means to "pray without ceasing". Prayer is our God conscious response to our thoughts and feelings, be it thanksgiving or petitions. I think it is best to include God in every aspect of our lives. Today was a good day and I am thankful for the peace of the Lord.
17 October 2024
We woke up super early for my Outpatient visit to Rush Medical Center in Chicago to go over the evaluations of all the testing results from my previous visit. I am glad that there was no fasting this time around. I was surprised that there was a few bottleneck areas despite that we were out the door at 5:15 a.m. but say it wasn't a bad drive and was worth getting there a hour and a half early for my first my first of four appointments. I am grateful for the blessings of every sunrise and every sunset. Our Lord's steadfast love endures forever. I have a phobia about Chicago and ask the Lord for our protection against the wickedness of evildoers every time we are in or near the city. We bought our own bagels from home sat back and enjoyed a nice hot cup of coffee at the Panera in the hospital. I just ignored having to pay so much for coffee when we are out and about because it can be expected. I just bought coffee grounds this week on sale at a ridiculous high price in my opinion. Here I am starting my journal entry while sitting and sipping on my coffee waiting for my first appointment. I was wrong about just going over the previous test results, because I had more tests and blood lab work done today. At least they only took 2 vial of blood instead of 17 of them like they did on last month's visit. I still find it amazing the number to testing that I am undergoing and still scheduled for in the weeks to come, but I feel that is a good thing and better than just kicking the tires. As a person of faith and knowing that our days are numbered, I think it is a fascinating area how to view medical advances in conjunction to God’s plans for what is best for me, my trust and life is in the hands of the Lord. His steadfast love and goodness endures forever. I was happy that we were done and out of the hospital before noon, but even so, the traffic on the expressway remained insanely congested on the way back until we got past the airport. How people can stand life in the city is beyond me. We were glad that we were able to still able to go to Alex's for lunch. We ordered a takeout from Lucky Panda and enjoyed the blessings of a noontime meal with our son. It warmed up rather nicely into the mid 60s this afternoon and I was able to get in additional walking time outdoors to make it ten thousand plus steps day! I find to fascinating that I never went to the Shell station by our house, but have gone there for my last three fill ups. All of a sudden they have the cheapest gas price in the area. We paid the high gas price of $3.449 a gallon because of this president's doings. I couldn't believe that a USPS mail package was delivered at about 7:30 last night. I went out to the mailbox. It was our freebie at home covid-19 test kit. We speculated that covid-19 test kit was expired. Sure enough the box of 4 tests expired in January 2024; we went to the .gov website as instructed to look up the extended expiration date. Lol, expiration date was January 2025. I suppose that it is actually wise and necessary for the government to stock pile covd-19 test kits in case of another emergency and the distributing before they go bad is better than letting them go to waste. I think it to a good thing to make use of them during the holiday season. Psalm 119 (Resh) is about the greatness and glory of God’s word and how it can provide hope and guidance in times of need. The psalmist is confident that God's word is true and that every one of his judgments will endure forever. The psalmist begins this section by declaring that he has observed God’s precepts and asks God to take note of his afflictions and deliver him from his suffering. "Look on my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget your law" (v153). The psalmist asked God to defend him according to his word. "Plead my cause and redeem me; give me life according to your promise!" (v154). The psalmist then speaks to how the wicked distance themselves from God's statutes. "Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek your statutes" (v155). Albeit this maybe be most likely the case, I leave it to God to sort it out. It is noteworthy that because the wicked could care less about God and him ways, salvation and damnation are meaningless and is the farthest thing from their mind. The psalmist acknowledges the greatness of God’s mercies and asks God for guidance to align himself with his precepts. "Great is your mercy, O Lord; give me life according to your rules" (v156). This is my prayer and the prayer of God's people. Because of our total depravity we seek the help of the third person of our Trinitarian God, the Holy Spirit. The psalmist, while facing numerous adversaries, remains unwavering in his devotion to God's testimonies. "Many are my persecutors and my adversaries, but I do not swerve from your testimonies" (v157). The psalmist’s enduring message is inspirational and offer hope to the challenges we tend to face in our faith journey, as they seek strength and guidance in the truths of Holy Scripture. The psalmist is appalled and looked upon the faithless loathing their disregard God’s word. "I look at the faithless with disgust, because they do not keep your commands" (v158). The psalmist acknowledges that apart from God's steadfast love, he is unable to truly live out his love for God's precepts. "Consider how I love your precepts! Give me life according to your steadfast love" (v159). The psalmist concludes this section by emphasizing the righteousness of God's judgments, which endure forever. "The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever" (v160). There only a small portion leftover chicken with green beans. So I made myself egg fried rice for dinner. This journal entry is starting to get pretty lengthy, so I should stop; besides I need finish up the day's remaining workout exercises. Thanks be to God from whom all good thing flow. I am grateful for the blessings of my good wife, she is a remarkable woman.
16 October 2024
We got up early to go to dental office. I am thankful for the morning's light and God’s goodness. It is hard to believe that we are barely into the fall season and we are already waking up to temperatures in the mid 30s, especially when less than a week ago, we had a nice day in the low 80s. I am so sick of the ongoing unsolicited email that I decided to uninstall the Samsung Email app and activated the Outlook app in hopes of not receiving unsolicited email that I believe was being generated by the former. I layered up to brave the cold and am for blessing of warm clothing. Initially I was going to walk around while Fawn was in the dental office, but it was still in the 30s and too cold for my liking, so I just sat in the car and started praying and penning my muse on the next section on Psalm 119. From the dental office we went the outlet mall in Aurora. Not only are the days noticeably shorter, the sun is also noticeable low in the horizon to south. I was happy that we had a nice big rapid temperature swing into the 50s that allowed me to walk about the outdoor mall. It is amazing how windy it was yesterday and how windless it is today. I finished up the leftover beef with pea pods and the scrambled eggs mixing it up with rice and hot sauce for lunch. I like penning what I eat here so that I can track and weigh it against my lab work results. I spent time rereviewing my test results from my last visit at Rush for my upcoming visit there again. I thank God for all the work my wife is putting in managing my medical well-being, I don't know what I would do without her by my side. Psalm 119 (Qoph) is pray deliverance and obedience to God’s word. The psalmist begins this section with a heartfelt cry to God to hear and answer his prayer for deliverance from his enemies so that follow his percepts. "With my whole heart I cry; answer me, O Lord! I will keep your statutes. I call to you; save me, that I may observe your testimonies" (v145-146). The psalmist expresses his reliance on God’s word and with confident expectation prays for help. “I rise before dawn and cry for help; I hope in your words" (v147). I thank God for each new day. The dawn of each new day brings about renewal where the Lord blesses us with grace, mercy and breath. The psalmist then expresses a sense of urgency and priority in seeking God’s presence. "My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise" (v148). The psalmist dedication to prayer and meditation on God's Word is exemplary. We live a world filled with distractions and competing priorities. It is important for us to set aside time for meditating and reflecting on God's word. The psalmist then cries out to God to hear his voice and to quicken him according to his steadfast love and judgment. "Hear my voice according to your steadfast love; O Lord, according to your justice give me life" (v149). I thank God for his faithfulness, steadfast love and for his discerning wisdom in dealing with us. The psalmist recognizes that he is surrounded by the wickedness of his enemies but God is near and has not forsaken him. "They draw near who persecute me with evil purpose; they are far from your law. But you are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are true" (v150-151). It is clear that the wicked have distanced themselves from God's precepts. The psalmist concludes this section declaring that he known the unchanging and timeless nature of God's word. "Long have I known from your testimonies that you have founded them forever" (v152). May we have the fervent love and devotion to God's precepts as this psalmist. I made us a chicken with green beans stir fry and boiled a bag of baby carrots for our dinner. I thought that our dinner was pretty tasty. It’s time to relax and get ready for bed. Lord, be gracious and bless us, keep our hearts and thoughts secure in holy reverence and grant us peaceful rest.
15 October 2024
The sound of thunder rumbling and the heavy rain woke me up earlier than I would had like. I'll definitely need to retire for bed early tonight. Brr, it was only 41 °F when we stepped out the door this morning. In addition for the need to wear sweats, I actually had to break out my winter coat. Thanks be to God for warm clothing. The bright sunshine was deceiving, but just like that, within a hour the cloudless sky was completely overcast again and we got more rain. So much for the accuracy of AccuWeather app, so sad. There was no huge temperature swing today; the high temp was only in the low 50s. I really hope that this weary old body can still quickly accumulate to the cooler weather. Hmm, before we knew it, we were getting huge gaps between the clouds that allowed the sun to peek in and out. No wonder why it’s so cold, the wind was clearly blowing strong up high above from the north and we could see the moving fast southward. I put together a tasty lunch that consisted of leftover peppers and onions from Saturday, scrambled eggs from Sunday and rice yesterday. We finally got hold of the Cabrini Movie dvd and did a matinee. I am glad that a friend recommended a while back and I highly recommend the movie also. We found decent bitter melon last week and I finally got around to stir frying beef with bitter melon for our diner. I am thankful the blessings of the day.
14 October 2024
Thank you Lord for the grace of this new day and for the sleep that has refreshed me. I am grateful for our home and for central heating, the high temperature of the day was in the upper 50s and tomorrow's expected highs will be in the lower 50s. We'll that didn't pan out well, I tried to having leftover french toast my oatmeal and fresh raspberries, I'll never do that again, ugh. It won't be long before winter will be upon us. Halloween is serval weeks away and I always have mixed feelings and the holiday (?). Our neighborhood is creepy this time of year, a lot of the front yards and home often includes themes of death, evil, and mythical monsters. Mmm, even with a the Irish overwhelming victory over the Cardinals this weekend, #11 Notre Dame dropped to #12 in the AP College Football Rankings. Notre Dame will really need to take it to Georgia Tech next weekend and a few upsets ranked teams higher than Notre Dame would he helpful. Albeit I expect the Irish to win out the rest of the season, that won't guarantee them a spot in the playoffs. Albeit there is plenty of blame to go around for Notre Dame's loss to NIU, the ultimate blame goes to Marcus Freeman as far as I am concerned. He should have put in Steve Angeli after Riley Leonard was injured in that game. I started to muse about Columbus Day and the irony and our less than factual history childhood lessons beyond, "In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." Instead of wasting my time on that, I opted to muse on what I have been neglecting. Psalm 119 (Tsadhe) about the righteousness of God and the truth of God's word. The psalmist begins this section by declaring of the righteous character of God and recognizes that his precepts are fair and just. "Righteous are you, O Lord, and right are your rules" (v137). God's word is inherently just and true. The psalmist then declares the authoritative righteousness and faithfulness of God’s word. "You have appointed your testimonies in righteousness and in all faithfulness" (v138). It is noteworthy that the authority of God's word is not contingent on our acceptance or understanding. As believers, we are to submit to God's precepts and to orient their lives according to its teachings. The psalmist in his righteous indignation is deeply affected by the fact that his enemies had neglected God's words. "My zeal consumes me, because my foes forget your words" (v139). The psalmist declares that he loves God's word because is flawless and without error. "Your promise is well tried, and your servant loves it" (v140). When we walk in the joy and beauty of holiness in the light of God’s word kept away from all defiling ways of darkness. The psalmist then humbly speaks to his lowly and despised state and his unwavering commitment to God's precepts. "I am small and despised, yet I do not forget your precepts" (v141). My hope and prayer is that we may live a life of faith and grace here, and be removed to the life of glory hereafter. The psalmist acknowledges the unchanging righteousness of God and the truth of his precepts. "Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is true" (v142). The psalmist is emotionally troubled and has allowed anguish to take hold of him. "Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight" (v143). It is comforting to know that in the darkest moments of our life, that there is solace and hope to be found in the steadfastness of God's precepts. The psalmist concludes this section petitioning for understanding God’s righteous and eternal word in order to really live. "Your testimonies are righteous forever; give me understanding that I may live" (v144). I think the psalmist has a remarkably wise perspective on living. Most folks tend to view the best way to live based on location. Like choosing to live in the city or the burbs, in warm or cold climate, to live in the country or on a beach, etc. Outside of location, we say living a good life is determined by our activities we love doing like fishing, cooking, traveling, etc. We quickly learn that the things that focus on numero uno likes and wants are only temporary. Understanding God’s word serves as a better guide to living coram deo, it will never fail us. Mmm, I ate what was left of my Olive Garden salad for lunch, good stuff. And I made beef with pea pods for our dinner. Thanks be to God, his love endures forever.
13 October 2024
I barely remember lying down for bed last night before being in lala land. We woke up early and got fresh donuts to take to Alex's. I made breakfast sausage links, bacon and french toast and Alex made the scrambled eggs. Andrea and mama went out and Alex and I walked around the neighborhood with Isaac and Peyton while Rob mowed the grass. I initially didn't think that it didn't needed to to be cut, but like always, I grass look immaculate after Rob is done. I really don't get what Alex and Isaac was doing with that PokĂ©mon GO mobile app while we were walking, but it seems to be encouraging physical exercise. I made us gon chow ngau ho for lunch again and afterwards Rob and I took Isaac and Peyton to the park. Rob likes going to the different park, but I convinced him to take us to Gregory B. Bott Park again. I was a tad cool and breezy, but the kids seemed to enjoy the park a lot. I was surprised how crowded it was when we first got there. Both the kids had fun on the Ninja Warrior obstacles course. I did my best on the 40 yard dash track against Peyton. Lol, I was on able to mustard up a turkey like trot and was only able to barely make it to the 20 yard mark when Peyton crossed the finish line. I'm glad that tomorrow is Columbus Day so our grandkids could stay a bit longer and make a Funfetti cupcakes with their Uncle Alex and mom. While the cake was baking in the oven, I battled our grandkids fighting with the Star War toy lightsabers and got smacked more time than I cared for. Sweet, Rob was mindful enough to give me a much needed massage. I’m at the point in my life that I could use one on most days. I was surprised that Andrea and stayed as late as they did, it was nice that they went out for a takeout and treated us to food from the Olive Garden for our dinner! Brr, by nightfall, the winds picked up and the temperature took a nose dive. I thank God for this most wonderful day. I am glad that I finally got to spend some time with our grandson. Our grandkids are truly a blessing and a crown for the aged. I am way behind on my sleep, so I think I will quit penning and just get for bed early and just relax. Who knows I might just fall asleep as soon as I lie down.
12 October 2024
I'm grateful for the new day, we woke up a little earlier this morning than usual to beat the weekend shoppers at the grocery store. We hit the Jewels, Mariano's and the Chinese supermarket. Nothing beats a delicious fresh pot of oatmeal, especially when I have mine with fresh raspberries and toasted raisin bread. Today was definitely a much cooler day and breezier than yesterday for sure, but I would say that it was a rather nice autumn day. Oh wow, today was the first time we ever pulled in the Shell gas station closest to our house; it was $3.499 a gallon. We scored four of six rice noodles packages at the Chinese supermarket. It is clear to me that they go fast because there wasn't any to be found on Thursday. Peyton asked me to make her and mommy ribs yesterday, so I 'm sure she will be doing the happy dance. Alex had to screw in one of his tire that needed to be repaired so he dropped off his car at the Discount Tire and we went to pick him up. Because we were pressed for time, we took the food over to Alex's and did the prep work and some of the cook at his place for tomorrow and stir fried the pork ribs with black bean and garlic sauce. Sweet, Notre Dame 49 Stanford 7 #GoIrish We celebrated Oktoberfest at the Miller's, was good to spend the evening with all our neighbors. We have are blessed with so many good neighbors. Prayers that I may be a flicker of light in the darkness.
11 October 2024
Thanks be to God for this new day. We were up super early and we were out the door by 5 a.m. to spend the day carrying for our granddaughter. It was the first time in a very long time we stopped for coffee at Dunkin' Donuts $$$. That doesn't comes as no surprise anymore, because even the other day we bought several bags of grounded coffee at the grocery store on sale and it was still pretty expensive. Grandma took the first shift and read to Peyton while I enjoyed my coffees. I was nice to walk to the school bus stop with Isaac and see him with his neighborhood friends. I'm so glad that I got a full night's rest because that little girl is so active. I thought she was pretty active when I watch her at Uncle Alex's, but that pales to her in her own element at home. Between going back and forth upstairs to bedroom and downstairs to her basement playroom, she had me huffing and puffing. I was happy when got creative and combined a three children tunnel and three pop up tents, that kept her busy for a we while and provided me a opportunity to sit down for a spell. I continually am blown away by Peyton's vocabulary at such a young age. Her ability to articulate and hold a conversation is so remarkable. I think it has a lot to do with the way Rob always speaks with the Isaac Peyton since birth. Today was truly an outstanding day. We went out to buy a few items from the dollar store and stopped at McDonald's for a Chicken McNuggets Happy Meal for Peyton. I thought that the kid meal was rather pricey. I personally don't think their fast is all that and at those prices, it's no wonder I avoid eating there. I was glad we were briefly out and about on a gorgeous day. Whoa, traffic was a nightmare driving home; it almost took twice as long coming home than it took to drive up there. I really wish we could spend more time with Isaac; he is growing up way too fast. I've been fired up about Notre Dame football for a couple of days now. Albeit I expect the Irish to win out the season, they will need to win out in a big way to stay keep their playoff hopes alive. After coming off a bye week, the Irish should be able dominate the on both side of the ball tomorrow. I think that it will be tough to shut out Stanford but it is reasonable to expect to see a 50 to 10 blowout at South Bend on Saturday. We're half way into the season now, so it's time for Riley Leonard to live up to his high expectations. His passing and running game needs to continue to improve is make post season. At the beginning of the season, I was talking about a 12-0 season and a National Championship, but now I just think it will be great to make it to the CFP. For some unknown reason, it seems that the Irish manage to have a let down game every year against a unranked team under Marcus Freeman. Today was another outstanding day, God is good.
10 October 2024
I woke up this rejoicing in the new day. Thanks be to God for this steadfast love. Albeit the outside temperature was in the mid 40s when I woke up, the blessings from the warmth of central heating in our home was a reminder of God’s goodness. I sound like a broken record saying how I can't get over the crazy weather, the expected high tomorrow is in the low 80s before continuing to highs in the 60s and 50s. What is more striking is the lows will work it way down in to the mid 30s by Monday. We went out and about to the Fox Valley area and I did my first walk inside the Target. From there we went to the Chinese supermarket. For a supermarket that big, one would think that they would have a better handle managing their inventory. We walked out of there with only three jars of bottled condiments, so sad. From there went to the Jewels and Mariano's, by then I was as walking fool that was going to make a ten thousand plus steps day for sure. I even impressed myself doing it three days in a row. I made us stir fried lettuce and Chinese pan fried eggs with oyster sauce, it don't get more Canto than that for a simple meal. Naturally, I had to have that with a small side steamed rice. It's time to get fired up about Notre Dame football. Albeit I expect the Irish to win out the season, they will need to win out in a big way to stay keep their playoff hopes alive. After coming off a bye week, the Irish should dominate the on both side of the ball. It will be tough to shut out Stanford but it is reasonable to expect to see a 50 to 10 blowout at South Bend on Saturday. I had another slice of Little Caesars pizza add a little spinach to it for my dinner, that is definitely the way to go. I pan seared a bone-in ribeye steak for the little man. Isaac definately knows how to appreciate a nice steak, God how I love the little man. Of course I took the bone for myself and gnawed all the meat clean off the bone. Thanks be to God for his faithfulness, great things he has done. To him be the glory.
9 October 2024
Let us bless the Lord, thanks be to God. I simply love my morning fresh raspberries and oatmeal with toasted raisin bread. We headed out early to the Sam's Club pharmacy for our meds. We really think it is really lame for them to open their pharmacy at nine o'clock and then closes at 10:15 for a 45 minute break. What's up with that? I got in a little indoor walking there before we headed out to the Oswego area where I did more indoor walking at the Target and at the Walmart by this evening I was a officially a walking fool again logging another ten thousand plus steps day. We got gas across the street from the Sam's Club for $3.619 a gallon. The only thing good about this high price was that at least it was cheaper than the expected $3.80 price that was showing up on the Google Map app. Achoo, achoo, achoo, I suffer from seasonal allergies and was sneezing all day long. Mmm, I jazzed up the Little Caesars pizza with some spinach, so good. I finished off the ziti noodles with mama's pasta sauce. I definitely ate more noodles than I should have, but that's what happens when what would left wasn't going to be enough for another serving. Psalm 119 (Pe) is about the steady steps directed by God's wonderful word. The psalmist begins this section by declaring his pleasure in keeping God’s wonderful word. "Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them" (v129). The psalmist said that the entrance of God's word is illuminating and simple to understand. "The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple" (v130). I don't know about simple, but with the help of the Holy Spirit and the help of most learned teachers of Christ we cry out teach me precepts that I may walk in the ways of the Lord. The psalmist colorfully expresses his deep yearning for God's word. "I open my mouth and pant, because I long for your commandments" (v131). The psalmist petitions God to be in the customary way as he does with others who also loves his name. "Turn to me and be gracious to me, as is your way with those who love your name" (v132). The psalmist desires to align himself with God's will and recognizes that he needs God’s guidance to live a righteous life. So he petitions to God to order his steps in his word. "Keep steady my steps according to your promise, and let no iniquity get dominion over me" (v133). The psalmist implores God to deliver him from the oppression of man so that he can continue to keep God's precepts. "Redeem me from man's oppression, that I may keep your precepts" (v134). The psalmist then pleas for God's favor and presence and conveys his willingness to be instructed in God’s statues. "Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes" (v135). The psalmist concludes this section by tearfully reflecting on his own failures to keep God’s precepts and for the sinful shortcomings of the community. "My eyes shed streams of tears, because people do not keep your law" (v136). I am grateful this day. For some reason, the day stayed on the cool side, so we finally turned on the furnace and set the heat to 71 degrees Fahrenheit. Prayers for all in harms way of Hurricane Milton. This storm is being described by meteorologists as potentially the "Storm of the Century." Lord, have mercy.
8 October 2024
I am thankful for the morning's light. When I woke up this morning, it was in the low 40s and the temperature swing by mid afternoon was more than 30 degrees warmer. The days are getting noticeably shorter. I looked at the weather app and had to do a double take for the expected high temperature for this Friday. Mid 80s, really? We went out grocery shopping at the Jewels and Mariano's. Even though I wore an autumn jacket, it was too cool to walk outdoors, so I just walked around indoors along the store perimeter. We went back out to go to Alex's for lunch. Naturally, we stopped on the way and did a little shopping in the Bolingbrook area. It warmed up nice enough for me to do an outdoors centurion walk along the store fronts. It was then that I just knew that I was going to get in a ten thousand plus steps day in. Good eats, we stopped for food from, The Patio. The fall colors are beginning to really come in. In Psalm 119 (Ayin), the psalmist viewed himself as a servant of God sought after God’s word. The psalmist stream of consciousnessly starts this section expressing confidence in the general righteous in his life and petitions for protection from his oppressors. "I have done what is just and right; do not leave me to my oppressors" (v121). The psalmist then asks for assurance for his well-being and for God’s intervention. "Give your servant a pledge of good; let not the insolent oppress me" (v122). In his weariness, the psalmist expresses his longing for God's salvation and the fulfillment of his word. "My eyes long for your salvation and for the fulfillment of your righteous promise" (v123). The psalmist then humbly asks the Lord to deal with him according to His mercy and to teach him His statutes. "Deal with your servant according to your steadfast love, and teach me your statutes" (v124). Here the psalmist understood that God’s mercies are not a matter of a deserving nature but of the grace that is found in God's steadfast love. The psalmist in his pursuit to understand and know God’s testimonies humbly submit to God's will and identifies himself as a servant of God. "I am your servant; give me understanding, that I may know your testimonies!" (v125). The psalmist observed that many people disregarded God’s precepts and reminded God of his glory his people's necessities. "It is time for the Lord to act, for your law has been broken" (v126). I struck by the psalmist's boldness, perhaps this was a plea. The psalmist concludes this section by reflecting on God’s precepts and hating the wrong path. "Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold. Therefore I consider all your precepts to be right; I hate every false way" (v127-128). In our modern day society money is facilitates the exchange of goods and services. Once we have met our basic needs there is a tendency to pursue other things. Some will inevitably start to slowly move away and neglect God’s word in pursuit of riches. Walking in God's precepts are words hand down to his children to keep us from touching things that can hurt us. It allows us to love what God loves and to hate what God hates. Let us bless the Lord. Thanks be to God, he is our everything. Prayers for those impacted by Helene and those in harms way of Milton.
7 October 2024
It is rare for me to stay up late at night and even rarer for me to watch pro football outside of the playoffs, but that exactly what we did last night. We watched the weather delayed thriller between the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers that ended a little pass midnight. It got cold last night and I knew that the temperature would continue to drop overnight, so I put on and sweats and took out several blankets. I instantly fell asleep under the warm covers and slept solid throughout the night and woke up. The overnight temperatures dropped into the mid 40s. I understand why mama doesn't want to turn on the furnace just yet because we will have summerlike weather again towards the end of the week. I suppose that I could foolishly whine about the less than ideal weather, but I rather rejoice in our Lord’s grace instead. As I age and find myself seeing doctors more often than I did when I was young, I am grateful for each day and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving. It was timely to make a fresh pot of hot oatmeal, that warmed me up and the house. Today mark the anniversary of the October 7th of the Hamas led attacks against Israel. It is sad that there are so many conflicts happening in our post modern world. The two major conflicts are the Russia-Ukraine War and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Russia-Ukraine conflict began in February 2022 and continues with both countries striking each other. It seems to me that peacemaking is off the table and the conflict is spreading against Hezbollah and Iran. There are no ifs and buts that they want the State of Israel to be nonexistent. It is not clear to me why Russia (?) invaded Ukraine. Some say it the irredentist doing of Vladimir Putin. Prayers for world peace. Lord, have mercy. I finished off the last of the leftover scrambled eggs for my lunch. Since the weather was super nice in the afternoon, we got ambitious and cleaned all the debris out of the gutters and downspouts. We definitely will need to do it again in about a month or so. I've noticed that in the recent past that there are still leaves in some trees in December. How crazy is that? Mmm, I rewarded myself with fresh strawberries in my yogurt, so refreshing. Psalm 119 (Samekh) is about the psalmist being held up and supported by the word of God. The psalmist begins this section by making it clear that vain double minded thoughts and loving God’s percepts cannot coexist. "I hate the double-minded, but I love your law" (v113). Double-minded people are unstable in their beliefs and can be easily swayed by the world including false ways. The psalmist then declares that God provides him refuge and protection in times of trouble. "You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word" (v114). As we face the uncertainties found in our life's challenges, we can find refuge and protection by placing our unwavering hope in God's word. Then psalmist then declares his decision to resist the influence of evildoers and asserts his determination to remain faithful to God's precepts. "Depart from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commandments of my God" (v115). We are reminded of the importance of making a conscious choice not to touch evil things and living a life that honors God in a world filled with countless luring evil temptations and distractions. The psalmist then sought after God’s support and assistance to live to the will of God rather than to the will of the flesh and of the world. "Uphold me according to your promise, that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!" (v116). The psalmist also petitioned not to be put to shame in his hope. Our hope is in the Lord, who sustains us according to his faithful word. God promised that he will sustain us and will preserve us to the very end. The psalmist recognizes his personal weakness and implores God to hold him up. "Hold me up, that I may be safe and have regard for your statutes continually!" (v117). The psalmist is dedicated to living a sanctified life and pledges to have continual respect for God's statutes. The psalmist then praises God's faithfulness in dealing with those who have strayed from his statutes. "You spurn all who go astray from your statutes, for their cunning is in vain" (v118). We are reminded that there are repercussions for living in deceit and falsehood and the need for repentance and obedience. The psalmist then reflects on his longing for justice and righteousness in the world. "All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross, therefore I love your testimonies" (v119). The wicked are indeed impure and worth less, and God will sort it all out. The psalmist loves God’s testimonies that condemn sin. The psalmist concludes this us section by expressing a deep sense of reverence and fear towards God and his judgments. "My flesh trembles for fear of you, and I am afraid of your judgments" (v120). I believe this is correct response to our Lord and Savior's perfect justice. Often times when I think fearing God is to love God in reverence and in awe, but it is striking the the psalmist here trembles in fear in God. After all, this psalmist is aware of God’s love and saving grace and speaks to the goodness of God throughout this psalm. Yet throughout the Old Testament and New Testament whenever God revealed himself, people fell to the ground and trembled. It remains paradoxical that we are to, "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling." Teach me your ways, O Lord. Grant that I may grow in knowledge and understanding of God’s word and to walk in his ways.
6 October 2024
I woke up grateful for God’s grace. I looked at the weather app this morning and it looks like we will be having close to normal temperatures for the next couple of days, but unbelievably we will be back up toward the weekend and into the low 80s again. Oh wow, since Notre Dame was off on a bye week, I was hoping a couple of college football teams ahead of Notre Dame in the rankings would suffer a upset, but I did not expect so many teams to go down in flames yesterday. Believe it or not, I did expect Arkansas to have a good showing against Tennessee. Who expected Alabama, Michigan and USC to suffer an upset? Whoo hoo, Notre Dame moved up three slots in the rankings to #11 and with renewed CFP hopes. I finally got around to moving all the images and videos off my old smartphone. Who said, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks"? My son-in-law is the best. Anyway, Sundays are the best day of the week, worship and rest, for which I am thankful. I looked over the test results and not sure what to make of them. I will be going over them with the doctors on my next visit later this month. My hope is in the Lord.
5 October 2024
My eyes watch for you before dawn, O Lord. We woke up early so that we could make a stop at Mariano's before heading over to Alex's. Mama wanted to pick up fresh donuts and muffins. It takes time to have the bacon and breakfast sausage links and eggs ready our family gathering. We like to gathering around food wherever we celebrate family and mama tries to make sure that there is something that everyone enjoys. I am thankful for Andrea willingness to make the long drive so often, being surrounded by my family is among my greatest joy on this side of heaven. I am saddened that Rob was under the weather and wasn't able to come, prayer for a quick recovery. It was in the upper 50s when we stepped out the door and temperature was in the low 80s by mid afternoon. I can't get over the need to wear a fall jacket in the morning and then worrying not to forget leaving it behind later in the day. The low tire pressure light came on the way to Alex's. Luckily there was a Discount Tire on the way and we were able to get a tire check and have the tires inflated. Every year that happens when the weather starts to get cold. Seems like tire needs to be checked and inflated every spring too. After breakfast Andrea went out and about with her mama and Alex tended to his yard work and I was charged to watch over t our grandkids. I was initially apprehensive, but it worked out just find. I made us gon chow ngau ho for lunch. I psyched myself by eating off a small dessert plate and that allowed me to eat a second helping guilt free. Today was a very good day that was filled countless blessings.
4 October 2024
I woke up to the sound of the pouring rain against the window pane. There was a time when I could sleep through anything, apparently those days are gone. Since it was only a little more than an hour before I usually wake up. There was no sense going back to sleep, so here I am lying in bed and reflecting on and penning God’s goodness found in the rain. When I was much younger, I hated the rain; it brought me down and ruined my outdoor activities. Nowadays I am more grateful for the rain than for the lack of sunshine. Thank you Lord for the gift of rain that brings refreshment and beauty, that makes things grow and sustains us. I am thankful that the sunshine will unfailing follow. We went out and about this morning and did my walking indoors at the Walmart because of the cold. The huge temperature swings we get this time of year is really something. From there we went to the Chinese supermarket and surprisingly we scored! Isaac and Peyton will be happy to learn that the store finally had some fresh rice noodles in stock. Andrea and Alex will be happy we got home sui got. I was happy that they had decent bitter melon. Mmm, I made myself a couple of simple fish tacos with the leftover fish from the other day. After lunch, it was time to start on the needed for our weekend family gathering. First up was slicing up four 2 pound packages of rice noodles. Then I made spicy tofu for my favorite son-in-law. Naturally, I had to save a slice for myself. Next, I boiled a pound of ziti and a pound of rigatoni. Albeit I enjoy eating all types of pasta noodles, there is a special place in my heart for spaghetti, so I made and set aside a half pound of it for us home. I have many fond childhood memories of slurping on the long spaghetti noodles laughing a giggling with my siblings at the dinner table while splattering the pasta sauce all over the place. Boiling all that noodles was enough to comfortably warm up the house. After mama made her infamous pasta sauce, I made a boat load of french toast, I haven't done that in a long while. It was the last thing on my plate to makes. I finally had the opportunity to kick back and relax and opted to watch the season finale (s2e12) of, The Ark. I really hope there will be a season 3. Psalm 119 (Nun) is about the psalmist's obedience and never ending confidence in God’s word. The psalmist begins this section speaking to the illuminating guidance and clarity of God’s word. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (v105). We would do well to carry God's word as a reliable lamp as we journey back Eden. The Apostle Peter said it best, "And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" (1 Peter 1:19). The psalmist commits himself to observe God's righteous percepts. "I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules" (v106). Of course this is the only the psalmist's and our desire keep God’s righteous precepts, but we tend to fall short in our coram deo journey. We can only follow behind the light of Christ in his surety. The psalmist is deeply distressed in his afflictions and cries out for divine intervention according to God’s truths and promises. "I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word!" (v107). The psalmist not only petitions for relief from his hardships and sufferings but to also for revitalization. The psalmist then pleas that God would accept his grateful word of praises. "Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your rules" (v108). The psalmist had a humble and teachable heart that longed to learn God's righteous decrees. We would do well to desire spiritual growth and likewise seek God's guidance and wisdom. The psalmist’s life is always in constant danger, but he does not allow himself to be distracted from God’s precepts. "I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law" (v109). We can learn from the psalmist to be careful and keep God’s laws on the forefront. We are often absorbed with our circumstances that we allow ourselves to be distracted from God’s word when we should be mediating on what God wants to teach us in the midst of our circumstances. The psalmist speaks to the unwavering faith and trust in God's guidance, even in the face of adversity. It speaks to the resilience of the righteous in the midst of trials and tribulations, and it emphasizes the importance of staying true to God's word despite the schemes of the wicked. "The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts" (v110). This verse is a powerful reminder of the spiritual warfare and our constant battle with against evil and the importance for us to remain faithfully steadfast in the midst of our trials and temptations. The psalmist then speaks to the eternal heritage of God word that is the source of his happiness. "Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart" (v111). The timeless and enduring nature of God’s word is the eternal inheritance for all believers. I was adult baptized and remember upon examination, how confusingly sad how Christian different denominational and non denominational faith traditions have altered the apostles' teachings and preaching centered on the gospel and the teachings of Jesus. The psalmist concludes this section pledging to follow God's statutes without wavering. "I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end" (v112). This section is contains wisdom from above and encourages to hold on to God’s percepts as we walk through life in this broken world back toward Eden. Time to get ready for bed, we need to wake up early mañana. Thanks be to God, for his strong word.
3 October 2024
Bless the name of the Lord. His steadfast love endures forever. I woke up fully rested and in good cheer. I went up to bed early last night and laid in bed listening to peaceful classical music. I am at awe at how gifted these classical music composers are, surly God was their source of inspiration. I am glad that I wore a sweat shirt and sweat pants to bed last night, because it was in the mid 40s this morning. How crazy is it that it warmed up into the low 80s by mid afternoon and as soon as the sun went down, the wind picked up and the temps plummeted just like that. Of course we stopped by Panda Express for a carryout on the way to Alex's for lunch. Bad, bad, bad, I couldn't help myself and ate more than I should have. When I eat food that I don't cook myself, I usually eat a much smaller portion because I need to limit my salt and intake. I was surprised that Alex took the day off and is making it a four day weekend, so we spent the day visiting. Psalm 119 (Mem) is a pouring of the psalmist’s heart praising God for the loving sweetness of his word. The psalmist begins this section by proclaiming that he loves God’s law so much that he meditates on them throughout the day. "Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day" (v97). The psalmist then speaks to the wisdom from above. Because the psalmist meditates on and keeps God’s precepts, he is wiser than his enemies and has more understanding than his teachers and those with more life experience. "Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts" (v98-100). The psalmist has learned and kept the guiding principles of God’s precepts, which has kept him on the straight and narrow. "I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me" (v101-102). The psalmist speaks to spiritual delight of God's words that nourishes him and satisfies his soul. "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (v103). The psalmist then concludes this section speaking to the importance of understanding God’s precepts to prevent touching evil things. "Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way" (v104). The transformative power of God's precepts to resolve and reject anything that goes against God's truth. I am surprised that this section was entirely all praise and didn't have a single petition in it. I delight in the psalmist words of praise to our God and claim them as my own. Great news, it's my understanding that we'll get to see our grandkids this weekend! We stopped at the Jewels on the way home for a few of the needed grocery item for this weekend gathering. Look like we’ll also need to check out the Chinese supermarket for rice noodle, we haven’t much luck finding them in stock, what’s up with that? Anyway, I need to stop penning and take finish up a few my daily exercises before calling it a day. Today was a very good day, I thank God for our time with our son. May I grow to love our Lord’s percepts and keep his ways.
2 October 2024
Brr, it is tough getting out from under the sheets in the morning. It may soon be time to turn on the furnace, because it was in the low 40s. Our daily temperature swings are insane because the high of day by mid afternoon in the low 70s. Anyway, I am grateful for the blessings of a new day. The morning was so peaceful classical music playing in the background. I read over my appointment notes for my visit to Rush later this month. I am thankful that there is no fasting involved this time around. I think the appointments may have to do with going over all the labs results with all the different doctors from the various departments. There wasn't that much chopped Asian salad left in the package, so mama made me a fruit platter to go along with my salad for my lunch. My brother called today while out and about shopping at the Sam's Club with our sister. I am glad that they were doing a walk. He told me that he is getting cataract surgery later this month, prayer for a good outcome, for good health, especial for all my love one in need og God’s healing hand, and prayers of thanksgiving for answered prayers. Psalm 119 (Lamedh) is about the permanence and perfection of God's word. The psalmist begins this section focused on God’s word and his faithfulness. "Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast" (v89-90). Albeit, the bible has been read in various ways, it is not a book that is read just once and then put away or a book that is occasionally read and then set aside for another time. I agree with the psalmist and the prophet, "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever" (Isaiah 40:8). The psalmist then speaks to the fact that God is the Creator and sustains all things based on what he has ordained according to his purposes and makes it clear that everything is ultimately a servant of God. "By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants" (v91). The Psalmist's devotion to God's law is unwavering and felt it was essential for sustaining him in times of trouble and affliction. "If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life" (v91). It is striking was what prevented the psalmist from perishing in his affliction was not the ending of his affliction, but rather that he delighted in God’s percepts. The psalmist then pledges obedience to God’s precepts. "I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life" (v92). It is worth noting that this is not a matter of remembering God’s precepts, but a sincerity to walk in the ways of the Lord. The psalmist is reliant on God and as a child of God prays for deliverance from affliction. "I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts" (v94). It is worth noting that God’s help is not contingent upon the perfection of your life. If it were so, we are all doomed because we all fall short. The psalmist knew that in their wickedness, his enemies were waiting for chance to destroy him. "The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies" (v95). I was struck that instead of bear fearful, the psalmist chose instead to muse about God’s word and consider what God’s word applies to his situation. After all, they didn't just wanted to make life rough for him, they literally wanted take him out. The Lord will never leave or forsake us. The psalmist concludes this section contending that everything of human origin has its limitations. He the contrast between the finite nature of human achievements and the limitless wisdom and guidance found in God's precepts. "I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad" (v96). I tossed a tray of various frozen seafood in the oven for our dinner. It was good to warm the house up a little. Nice, the kids called on FaceTime! I is always a joy to video chat with them and our grandkids. I swear Isaac looks like he had another growth spurt. As the day is coming to a close and I'm wrapping up my thoughts and this journal entry, I saw a Facebook politically charged posting. I sure there will be plenty of the now until election day. If the last thing we do is listen or look at "the news" at night before we go to bed, most like we'll go to bed somewhat depressed. But if you go to bed with God’s truth playing in your head, then you’ll go to bed with peace, I choose the latter. Thanks be to God for his abundant blessings of love, family, friends and hope. May his word guide and strengthen us as we journey back to Eden.
1 October 2024
Blessed are you, O Lord. Your steadfast love endures forever! We woke up to a much cooler day. We went out shopping for groceries and it was a lot cooler this morning than I anticipated, so I did my morning walk inside the Jewels and Mariano's. We went back home to drop off the groceries before heading out and about, by then it warmed up quickly into the mid 60s, so I was able to do a outdoors centurion walk along the still fronts of the Springbrook Prairie Pavilion Shopping Mall while mama was shopping at Nordstrom Rack and DSW. I was able to get in over nine thousand steps in the a.m. alone, so was no issue getting in a ten thousand plus steps day in. I was happy that my sister gave me wellness call. It is a blessing to be able to mutually offer encouraging words as we frail and age in God’s grace. I ate a Asian chopped salad with carrots and a hard boiled egg for lunch. After lunch, I got ambitious and mow the grass. I kept my pedometer on and saw that mowing all the grass takes just over four thousand steps. Happy haircut, I thankful that mama is gifted enough to clip my hair. I always feel super good after getting my hair clipped. I heat up the leftover chicken with broccoli for myself and made mama a tomato beef stir fry for our dinner. I do my best to limit my red meat intake as much as possible. Psalm 119 (Kaph) about the psalmist who is in desperate need of comfort in the face of intense persecution. The psalmist begins this section expressing his profound longing for God's salvation and his unwavering hope found in God's word. "My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word. My eyes long for your promise; I ask, “When will you comfort me?” (v81-82). This verse encourages us to hold onto hope and find strength in the truth and reliability of God's word in times when our soul longs for deliverance and our eyes for God’s promises. The psalmist longing eyes suggests a weariness and desperation that emphasizing the psalmist's need for the fulfillment that comes from the promises found in God's word. The psalmist then speaks of his suffering to the point of shriveling up with sorrow. "For I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, yet I have not forgotten your statutes" (v83). It is striking that yet in the midst of the psalmist’s challenges, his commitment to God’s word is unwavering. Our faith does not rest only on favorable circumstances. The psalmist then questions and cries out for God's intervention and expresses his anguish desire for God's justice to the insolent who targets and persecute him. "How long must your servant endure? When will you judge those who persecute me? The insolent have dug pitfalls for me; they do not live according to your law" (v84-85). Of course who persecute do not live according to God’s precepts, his precepts opposes all wrongdoings. The psalmist speaks to the faithfulness and righteousness of God's precepts, as well as a plea for help from persecution. "All your commandments are sure; they persecute me with falsehood; help me! They have almost made an end of me on earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts" (v86-87). In a world filled with deceit and uncertainty, God's word stand as a beacon of truth and reliability. Despite remaining faithful to God’s precepts, the psalmist finds himself unjustly targeted and taken out. The harsh reality is that, even though God's precepts are sure, the world does not always recognize or respect their righteousness. The psalmist concludes this section by pleading for deliverance through God’s steadfast love to enable him to live in obedience to his word. "In your steadfast love give me life, that I may keep the testimonies of your mouth" (v88). Song of the day notes: I have never been big on, The Beatles and totally don't understand the rise of Beatlesmania in the early to mid 60s. Today I came across, In My Life - Himesh Patel. I really like the vision of the song from the motion movie soundtrack Yesterday. It appears the fighting continues to be expanding in the Middle East with Iran launching nearly 200 missiles at Israel. Lord, have mercy. Time to watch the VP debate. Hopefully this debate will be time worthy. I thank God for the blessings of the day.
30 September 2024
It is really nice to wake up in the morning realizing that God has blessed and renewed us. Sweet, I can't believe that I didn't look at the AP College Football Ranking yesterday. Sweet, Notre Dame moved up two slots and is ranked #14. I still think that the Irish need to win all their remaining games convincingly big before facing #11 USC to make the CFP. We went out and about early this and stopped at the Walmart on the way to the endodontist office for my for what I thought was a follow-up exam, it turns out that my appointment was for the second phase of my root canal procedure. My follow up is set for six months away. We were supposed to make a dental appointment to start on work on my crown, but Verizon had a major network outage. It goes to show how reliant we have become to our devices. Afterward, we went to the Oswego area. It was a drop dead generous day to be out about; there was a blue sky with beautiful white contrasting clouds and the temp in the low to mid 70s. It is hard to believe another month has gone by with just the blink of the eye. Talk about time, my Casio wrist watch has finally got to the point to where it needed to be replaced. It seems like I had that bad boy forever. It is at least as old as my oldest daughter. We stopped in the Walmart in Oswego and I bought myself a new Casio Illuminator wrist watch. I replaced my old stainless steel Casio Illuminator with a $17 rubber Casio Illuminator. I know that I already have a clock on my phone but I come a era before smartphones and have habitually wore a wrist watch daily. Mmm, I made us a Chicken with broccoli and shiitake mushrooms stir fry and also boiled some baby carrots. I personally think that traditionally most Chinese dishes with vegetables have very little meat in it. But with my new diet, the portion of meat is even less, so in order to get full, I need to make more vegetable sides. Psalm 119 (Yodh) is a out the psalmist's confidence in the Creator and his word. The psalmist begins this section recognizing God as the Creator and the fashioner of humanity, as well as a praying for understanding of his precepts. "Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments" (v73). The psalmist wisely understood that without proper understanding of the wisdom from above, it would be impossible to rightly walk in the ways of our Lord. The psalmist then speaks to the mutual joy found being in the company of fellow saints. "Those who fear you shall see me and rejoice, because I have hoped in your word" (v74). We find mutual joy and encouragement from seeing someone who share the same reverence for God and lives accordingly with his precepts. The psalmist acknowledges God's precepts are righteous and that divine discipline aligning with God's perfect justice. "I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me" (v75). It is a hard teaching that Christ likes himself the vine and God the Father prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, so that it will bear more fruit. It is striking that the psalmist just got through acknowledging the justice and faithfulness of God in afflicting him and is now looking for comfort from the same hand that smitten him with affliction. "Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant" (v76). Thanks be to God for his merciful kindness. The psalmist then petitions for God's mercy, the insolent be put to shame and for fellowship and support from those who also fear and honor God. "Let your mercy come to me, that I may live; for your law is my delight. Let the insolent be put to shame, because they have wronged me with falsehood; as for me, I will meditate on your precepts. Let those who fear you turn to me, that they may know your testimonies" (v77-79). The psalmist reflects on the need for community and divine guidance and understands the necessity for encouragement from fellow believers as he grapples with the challenges posed by the insolent and unfaithful. The psalmist concludes this section in prayer for a blameless heart. "May my heart be blameless in your statutes, that I may not be put to shame!" (v80). I believe that shame is the one thing that hampers true joy. Those of us who love and fear God are covered in the Lord our righteousness, Christ Jesus. Our own righteousness will never do. If we confess our sins and repent on them accordingly, we has no reason to be ashamed. We should never be concerned about the efforts of mere men to shame us. Who really cares what the wicked think, when we stand unashamed in the presence of our Lord and Savior? Joy facetiming with the kids, I am thankful for the gift of family.
29 September 2024
I was surprised mama woke me up early this morning and told me she was heading out to the Jewels. She must have wanted to pick up a few grocery item before the usual mad weekend crowd forms. Since I was up a little early, I decided to kick it up a notch on a few of daily exercise reps. I hopped on the scale this morning and was happy that I am able to steadily hold my weight with my current diet and exercise regiment. I hope my current diet will show improvement where possible and hold steady the numbers that are what they are from a lifetime of neglect. Lord, guard my health and those of my love ones. I love full blast worship on feast days, today we celebrated, The Feast of St. Michael and All Angels. The angelic like voices of the ensemble was so inspirational, everything teaches. We stopped at the Danada Square West Shopping Center. I did a centurion walk along the store fronts, but it was a super slow going wearing my Sunday dress shoes. I took the Asian chopped salad up a notch with a medley of fruit. I tossed in raspberries, blueberries, grapes and cantaloupe chunks into the mix, delicious! It is not clear to me why I need to limit my cabbage intake to a cup a day, but that is filling enough for me, so mama made me a small bowl of one of her delicious salad creations to supplement my meal. Psalm 119 (Teth) is about the benefits of God’s word during times of affliction. The psalmist begins with a prayer of praise expressing gratitude for how God has dealt with him. "You have dealt well with your servant, O Lord, according to your word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments" (v65-66). The psalmist here petitions for good judgment and knowledge. We would do well to do likewise. The ability for Christian discernment involves distinguishing between God’s voice and the voice of this broken world. The psalmist then confesses his rebellious was and have since repented. "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word" (v67). I verse speaks to repentance and redemption. It's not clear to me if the psalmist's affliction was a result of sin or a judgment from God. the psalmist then acknowledges God’s goodness. "You are good and do good; teach me your statutes" (v68). The key to understanding this holy petition is to walk in God's precepts by gospel grace. Jesus prayed to his Father for the disciples, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth" (John 17:17). In the midst of his afflictions, the psalmist expresses his struggle against the slander he faces from the insolent and delights God’s law despite their attacks. "The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts" (v69). It doesn't surprise me that the godless would attack God and his people. By embracing God's precepts we can navigate the complexities of life. It is not about adhering to God’s set of guidelines, but about walking confidently in the light of his love and teachings. I just had to chuckle when the psalmist said, "their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law" (v70). What a remarkable observation that a fat heart insensitive and doesn't feel the need to change. It's the hardened heart of the wicked. The psalmist declares that it was good for him to have been afflicted because it allowed him to learn and understand God's statutes. I was struck the psalmist's notion that his afflictions were good for him and was helpful to learn obedience to God’s word. "It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes" (v71). I suppose that if we lived in comfort and peace without any hardship or affliction, we would never learn love, patience, peace, joy and kindness. So I guess sufferings do have a sanctifying effect on us. But with that said, I doubt I would ever say, “It is good for me that I was afflicted.” The psalmist concludes this section by comparing the value of God’s law with extraordinary riches. "The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces" (v72). There are a lot of valuable things in this world, and most people, especially unbelievers value money more than anything, but to the believer there is nothing more precious and desirable than God’s word. Speaking to the blessings of wisdom, "All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold" (Proverbs 8:8-10). Lord, bless us and keep us.
28 September 2024
Thank you Lord for you have restored my soul within me. I am grateful for this new day. I put together a chopped Asian salad from a kit for my lunch. Joy, we facetimed with the kids and our grands. I can’t expect Rob to bring our grandkids down every weekend, but it was mindful and Andrea and Rob to spend a little time with us on a video audio app call. I never imaged what a blessing that this technology turned out to be. I didn't do much today except watch college football. First up was the Michigan vs Minnesota game. It was a thriller of a game. Of course I was cheering for the Golden Gophers because a #12 Michigan loss could be helpful for #16 Notre Dame, but the Wolverines held to their 27 - 24 victory. Next up was the Notre Dame vs. Louisville game. Joy, Notre Dame victorious over Louisville. I hope the 31 - 24 victory was enough to move the Irish up another notch in ranking. I made us a chicken with pea pods and shiitake mushrooms stir fry for our dinner. We thought it turned out pretty good. Psalm 119 (Heth) is about hurrying to God and keeping his precepts and seeking God’s mercies. The psalmist begins this section by declaring that God is enough and that God's inheritance is better than anything this world can offer. "The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words" (v57). The psalmist then earnestly sought after God’s gracious mercies. "I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise" (v58). The psalmist then self reflected considering the course of his life. "When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies" (v59). There are only two paths in life, one toward Eden and the other toward death. We would do well to examine ourselves in order to be aware of how we fail to walk in our coram deo, that we might repent and turn toward the Word of God as the path for his feet. The psalmist then speaks to his immediate determination to obey without delay to keep God’s precepts. "I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments" (v60). It is worth noting that delayed obedience is disobedience. The psalmist then speaks his faithfulness to God’s word in adversity. "Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law. At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules" (v61-62). Surprisingly, the psalmist didn’t continued dwelling on the onslaught of the wicked that he was facing into the night. Often times we tend to can play our challenges over and over again in our minds without any clear resolution. It is striking that the psalmist doesn't wake up in the middle of the up at night overwhelmed but give thanks to God and his righteousness. The psalmist finds solace among the faithful and expresses his commitment to associating with those who share his reverence for God and share the same commitment to keeping God's precepts. "I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts" (v63). It is noteworthy that our identities are significantly shaped by whom we associate with. The psalmist concludes this section by appealing to God to teach him his statutes. "The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!" (v64). What is striking here is that albeit evildoers ensnares the psalmist, when he sees the earth, he recognizes amazing evidence of God's steadfast love. This section offers comfort, strength, and encouragement in our ongoing journey of faith. I thank God for his steadfast Love.
27 September 2024
"Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:25-26). Your will not mine, O Lord. After eating my usual hearty oatmeal breakfast, I immediately started on prepping and making the steamed Cantonese minced pork patty. Mama was right, it was worth paying extra for the butcher at Casey's to mince the pork than to go to all the mess and trouble of doing myself. I didn't have all the traditional ingredients I usually goes into the dish, but my improvised version of the dish was quite good. Since it was Alex's idea to have me make this dish, we brought it over to his place and dropped it off for his lunch. I think every Canto family from generation to generation have fond childhood memories of this particular comfort food. Grrr, gas was back up to $3.799 a gallon. It was a windy, cool and cloudy day that I had to take my walk indoors at the Target. The store was a tad crowded because for some reason the kids must have a day off from school. Albeit we had wind advisory throughout the day, I feel awkward complaining about the wind when Hurricane Helene is causing havoc and taking lives. Prayers for all in harms way from this mighty storm. Psalm 119 (Zayin) is about the power of God’s word to comfort and strengthen. The psalmist begins this section by holding God to his promises. "Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life" (v49-50). God's word is the foundation of our hope and the source of our comfort. Truly, God’s word is a solace in our times of difficulty and distress. The psalmist is unmercifully mocked and for his love and trust in God’s word. "The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law" (v51). I always thought it is odd that the proud who want nothing to do with God and his word go out of their way to mock God and his people. Prayers for the persecuted church. The psalmist then reflect on the eternal truths of God’s word and took comfort in recalling God’s the character. "When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O Lord" (v52). The psalmist expresses his annoyance about the ways of wicked people. "Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law" (v53). This is a reminder of the need to remain faithful to the Lord’s statutes despite the brokenness that surround him. Despite living in this broken world, the psalmist had a song in his heart! "Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning" (v54). We should always have a song in our heart and must never lose sight of the amazing hope that we hold in our journey back to Eden. The psalmist then concludes this section declaring his nightly meditation the name of the Lord and his precepts feelings blessed that he has kept them. "I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law. This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts" (v5-56). May we live obediently and bring glory to God’s holy name. Chirp chirp, Alex called and was said the pork patty was delicious! We’ve been spoiled most weekend with so many weekend opportunities seeing the kids, that it seems weird not to have them about this weekend. To you alone, O Lord, I wait, you are my hope.
26 September 2024
I woke up well rested and thankful, God is good. The days have become noticeably shorter and cooler in the a.m. I think that we can still hold off firing up our gas furnace for another week or two. We went out about to Casey's to buy minced pork to make Alex steamed Cantonese minced pork patty. We went to the Fox Valley area and I was able to get in a decent outdoor centurion walk along the store fronts since we got a nice mix of sun and clouds. We had plenty of leftover pasta and the untouched barbecue chicken, so I shredded myself a little of the chicken and had it with the pasta for lunch and dinner. It's time to start getting fired up about the Fighting Irish again. Last season Louisville handed Notre Dame their second lost and that sucked the life out of their playoff hopes. It will be ashamed if they do the same thing again this season. I think the Irish need to be running on all cylinders from the get go to win this one to keep their playoff hopes alive. I also think we need to see another convincing win in order to move up in the rankings, just winning out won't be enough; it is a defining must prove moment for the Irish. I would like to believe that their loss to the Huskies was a fluke. Outside of week #2, the Fighting Irish have been playing up to expecting and tweaking their vulnerabilities. Psalm 119 (Waw) is about being able to speak the truth of God's word and not depart from it. The psalmist begins by praying for God's steadfast love and acknowledges that salvation comes from God to us through the word of God. "Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word" (v41-42). Trusting in God’s word provides the strength and capability to respond to those who taunt us. The psalmist recognizes the importance of not letting go of the word of truth. It is the foundation of his hope in God's judgments. "And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules" (v43). The psalmist's petition is rooted in the understanding that it is only by grace of God that his word dwells richly within us. The psalmist then declared his intentions to continually keep God’s law. "I will keep your law continually, forever and ever, and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts" (v44-45). Surly the psalmist is not speaking of keeping the law in order to be justified before God, because that is a futile endeavor. "For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it" (James 2:10). I believe the psalmist is speaking about the fruits of living an obedience life to walk about freely and unburden. The psalmist is unashamed to speak on holy topics even before kings and declares, "I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame, for I find my delight in your commandments, which I love" (v46-47). It is worth noting the that Jesus said, "For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38). The psalmist concludes this section by surrendering God’s commandments. "I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love and I will meditate on your statute" (v48). The psalmist reveals heart of obedience to God’s word. Sweet, two days in row of doing a ten thousand plus steps day! It's time to kick back and relax and watch S2E11 of, The Ark. The verse of the day to close this journal entry is, "I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand" (Isaiah 41:10). Be with us, O Lord. Kyrie Eleison. I am grateful for his faithfulness and steadfast love.
25 September 2024
It got cold during the overnight hours. The coldness got me up for a blanket. I'm always cold, but the low 50s is too much for me. I guess I haven't seen nothing yet, October is just around the corner. Thanks be to God for this new day. "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Happy National Daughters Day! We are blessed with two beautiful daughters and a granddaughter. Albeit I think it's weird mentioning how much I love my oatmeal and raisin bread, but I do it anyway. Some people like taking pictures of food they eat, I guess that I just like penning about it. We went out and about to the Bolingbrook area and I did my walking while mama went shopping. Albeit it was a nice cool morning, I did my walk inside the big box stores, because I didn't want to be in the sun. I'm guessing because the sun is lower in the horizon, there wasn't any shaded area. It is about time Ross and Burlington cleaned up and organized their merchandise. I got in most of my steps walking in the Target. I already had over nine thousand steps by the noon hour. No doubt it'll be a ten thousand plus steps day. Mama suggested we do lunch at, The Patio. We ordered the 1/2 barbecue chicken and the beer battered cod. It way more food then we should have ordered. I couldn't finish the fish platter and didn't even touch the chicken platter. I was surprised that we got so full that mama made us one of her infamous salad for our supper. Psalm 119 (He) is a prayer for guidance. The psalmist begins by asking God for instruction on how to follow his statutes, "Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end" (v33). The psalmist desires to learn God's laws by heart. "Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart" (v34). Interestingly, it is only though a transformed heart can anyone ask for wisdom from above. I often pray, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit" (Psalm 51:10-12). The psalmist then asks God to lead him on the righteous path. "Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it" (v35). I really hate the use of "God’s commandments", it is better to say, "God’s precepts or Ten Words". In our own wisdom, we often don't see the immediate benefit of obedience so we reject it altogether. In own sinfulness, we often times choose instant gratification over the blessedness of following God’s path. It only through understands the goodness of God’s instruction, we can delight in God’s righteous path. The psalmist then asks to God to help turn his heart away from desiring personal gain and toward his word. "Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!" (v36). Covetousness is a sinful and is a form of idolatry. Jesus said to, "Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). The psalmist then reflects on the human struggle with distraction and the pursuit of a meaningful life. "Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things" (v37). We are daily bombarded with countless distractions and I join the psalmist in praying this petition for deliverance from worthless pursuits. In fact, I think this section lists a wide variety of meaningful petitions for guidance. The psalmist then asks God to be able to reverently love and fear him. "Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared" (v38). I believe the psalmist is asking God to make his precepts unwavering in his life. The psalmist then prayed for God to mercifully turned from shameful reproach. "Turn away the reproach that I dread, for your rules are good" (v39). The psalmist desires reflect God's goodness in living a sanctified life. The psalmist concludes this section praying for revival seeking to be made alive in the God’s righteousness. "Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!" (v40). I think the psalmist’s petitions in section were heartfelt pleas for guidance which allows for a sanctified walk as we journey back to Eden. Give ear my fervent prayers for my family, friends and self for comfort, health and healing. In your faithfulness and your righteousness, answer me! Your steadfast love endures forever!
24 September 2024
"The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light" (Isaiah 60:19). I woke up to what a use to call a dreary and cool autumn day with occasional rain throughout the day. In my latter days, every day is a beautiful day that God showers us with grace upon grace. I made us a fresh pot of oatmeal this morning and had it with a slice of toasted raisin bread, life is good. Lunch was interesting, I made myself a egg, macaroni, salmon and lettuce salad. We ate spaghetti for dinner, so good. Psalm 119 (Daleth) is about the strength that comes from God's word and is a prayer of a depressed and determined soul. The psalmist begins by crying out to be revived from death and asks God to teach him his statutes. "My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!" When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes!" (v25-26). I believe the psalmist is seeking a spiritual resuscitation. The psalmist then asks to be able to understand God's guiding principles. "Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works" (v27). The psalmist was concerned about living a sanctified life and wanted to be able to muse on God’s wondrous works is all around us. I often lack understanding of God's precepts. Albeit they are meant to be transformational, his ways are often beyond human comprehension. The psalmist then cries out in his grief asking God for strength and turning to God's word for hope. "My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!" (v28). The psalmist's continuous grief is slowly wearing away his soul. It is best to pray and wait for the Lord who renews our strength and mount us up on eagles wings. The psalmist was concerned about the direction of his life so he petitions his holy desires, "Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law!" (v29). May we learn to submit to God's good and perfect law. The psalmist is determined to follow the faithful way. "I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me" (v30). I believe everyone knows right from wrong and must choose the way of faithfulness and must continue to choose it, else eventually wander from it. The psalmist concludes by pledging his unwavering commitment to living according to God's precepts. "I cling to your testimonies, O Lord; let me not be put to shame!" (v31). The psalmist fear of shame may stem from deviating from God's word which can lead to dishonor and reproach. The psalmist He recognizes that as the Lord enlarges his heart. "I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart!" (v32). We often speak about obediently walking in God’s ways but by his grace, with an enlarge heart in the ways of the Lord. Truly God's word revives and restores us. It is tough being old and learning about friends and family health issues. Even in the mist of my own health battles, I see each day as a gift from God and don’t let these issues plague me. Our Lord will uphold us with his right hand.
23 September 2024
Thanks be to God for the gift of a new day. We got early and headed out the door to drive into the city. Albeit my 1st appointment wasn't until 8 a.m., we left during twilight to avoid driving east facing the sunrise and heavy rush hour traffic. I was actually surprised at the number of car already on the road. Traffic was slow at a few spots but we never came to a full stop. Naturally there were spastic people weaving in traffic and drove on the shoulders with total disregard for the rules of the road. Mama packed made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to take with us. We ate sandwiches from the food court on my initial visit last time and it was over ten bucks for a Potbelly Wreck sandwich, food prices in the city are ridiculous. I was happy that they were able to take me in early for my last appointment so we were done 1:30 because I have been fasting since dinner last night. A pj sandwich never tasted better. It was nice to beat the evening rush hour out of the city. I thought the folks were all nice, helpful in answering all our questions and very accommodating. I haven't penned the verse of the day for a long while, so today I have two, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) and "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8). God's plan for our life is the posture of your heart, we are to rejoice, pray and give thanks. It's been a long day and I think it's best to go to bed early. Prayers for good test results.
22 September 2024
We woke up the sound of the pouring rain. Today was definitely a much cooler day. I like it that we'll be in 70s all week long. I went over my notes of what I needed to do today and tomorrow again to prepare myself for a long day of testing at the Rush University Medical Center. We went to Ashley a Perry's to celebrate Perry & PJ's 3rd birthday party. It was nice to spend time with them and the Jones. They have been our good neighbors for well over 30 years. It's was a good thing we left when we did, as we pulled up into the garage, the torrential rain came crashing down. A peek at the AP college football ranking shows the Irish inching their way back toward getting in the CFP. #16 Notre Dame will be playing #15 Louisville in a must win game to keep alive any playoff chances alive. The other must win game is the last one of the season against #13 USC. The reality is all the remaining games are must be convincing wins for even to have a chance on top of the need for a few of top 12 contenders to be upset like what happened to Notre Dame by NIU. The Irish have nobody to blame but themselves. Going from being a sure bet to going to a maybe even if the win out, that's a hard pill to swallow. Anyway off to bed early ahead of a big day. Prayers for safe travels to and from the city and for good test results. I am grateful for the gift of family and friends.
21 September 2024
Praise the Lord, for he showers us with grace upon grace. I intentionally got up early so that I would have time to get in a little exercise before heading out the door to meet up with the kids at Alex's. I looked at the weather app and it looks like today will be the last summerlike day with the expected highs in the mid 90s. How fitting is it that the autumn equinox begins tomorrow morning when the expected high moving forward will be seasonally normal. Our extreme temperature change on a given day is insane, it was in the mid 50s when we stepped out the door this morning. We stopped at Mariano's for their fresh donuts and muffins. I made the bacon and breakfast sausage links and since Alex didn't have tennis this morning, he made the scrambled eggs. I don't get it, I watched Alex make the scrambled eggs countless time, but mine still doesn't come out as fluffy and tasty for some unknown reason. Weekend déjà vu, after breakfast the ladies and Isaac went shopping and Rob and Alex went out to do yard work and I watched Peyton. I think Isaac like to going to the toy department at Target. That little gal had grandpa huffing and puffing, she is so energetic. I got plenty of exercise playing road trip going up and down the stairs. We changed it up and took Nala to the Hammel Woods dog park in Shorewood. Just mentioning park, had Nala excitingly wagging her tail. This was the first time I ever went to a dog park. I was pleasantly surprised how the big and well kept the dog park was. I was right; we had mama's pasta for lunch. I was surprised that Alex made texas toast garlic bread on the stove top with regular white bread, pretty good. I always appreciate Rob giving this old man a much needed massage, it is so helpful. We watched the Notre Dame vs Miami (OH) game. It was pretty frustrating watching the Notre Dame defense and offense playing so sloppy during the first quarter, but they got their act together during the second quarter. I totally agree with the sportscaster today that this team still need to work on their penalties and need to be running on all cylinders from the get go. They definitely need to fix this before facing Louisville next week. Hopefully today's 28 to 3 victorious performance was enough to move the Irish another notch back toward being playoff contenders. On the way home we stopped at the Target just so that I could do an indoor walk in the cool. Today was a very good day and I thank god for our family time.
20 September 2024
I thank God for this new day. I woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of the pouring rain, but managed to fall back asleep. I think that we got a much needed rain, but with the warm weather that we are continuing to experience only made for a muddy day. We will be experiencing several more days of being in the low 90s before dropping back down to a more reasonable temperature. We went out and about shopping in the Oswego area and I got in a nice long outdoor walk singing sacred music. The weather this morning was outstanding. It was a good thing that it was slightly breezier. It became hot and muggy by the noontime. I started to cook food for the kids to take home with them to have a few home cooked food for later in the week in their busyness. First up was stuffed hamburger patties. Then I browned the remaining hamburger meat for mama's pasta sauce and hamburger gravy for Andrea. Next up were the mini hot Italian sausages to be served along with mama's infamous pasta sauce. Next I pan seared a nice porterhouse steak for Alex and Isaac, those two guys know how to eat and of course I gnawed the meat off the bone. Next up was honey glazed teriyaki salmon; I had that for my dinner with steamed rice, so tasty. Chirp, chirp, I mastered preparing that dish like a boss. I boiled two boxes of 12 oz. bowtie noodles and a 16 oz box of rigatoni. I guess that's what we are having for our family lunch tomorrow. Psalm 119 (Gimel) is about God's word and the trials of life. The psalmist begins this section with a prayer for God to be gracious to him so that his word can be kept. "Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word" (v17). The psalmist is not simply asking for more day on earth, but is seeking to live a sanctified life. The psalmist then asks God to illuminate him to the wondrous things found in his precepts. "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law" (v18). I believe that the expectation is to receive a deeper understanding of God’s divine instruction. The psalmist then asks God not to hide precepts from him. "I am a sojourner on the earth; hide not your commandments from me!" (v19). I hate the use of the word "commandments" and prefer it be called, the Ten Words. It is not surprising to find the psalmist feeling like a sojourner on earth. We as believers of Christ are called to be in the world but not of the world. The psalmist has an overwhelming unending desire for God’s precepts. "My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times" (v20). The psalmist recognizes his need for God’s wisdom and desiring to honor God. We would do well to constantly desire after the mind of God and long for holy things all the time. The psalmist then tells us that God rebukes those who wanders away from his precepts. "You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments" (v21). I see in this broken world so many proud people in their insolence; they wander away from God’s way and choosing to follow their own understanding instead. The psalmist now pleads with God to remove reproach and contempt from his life because he has kept God’s testimonies. "Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies. Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes" (v22-23). Despite being reproached by princes, the psalmist remains steadfast in his devotion to God's statutes. The psalmist concludes this section delighting in God's testimonies and acknowledges the wisdom and guidance that comes from embracing his precepts. "Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors" (v24). It was nice to get in a ten thousand plus steps day in! Notre Dame should be able to smoke Miami (OH) tomorrow, but… If they can blow them out of the water like they did Purdue last week and have a solid win against Louisville next week, there may be some hope for the Irish to move down some more in the rankings, it’s a hard road to get back down after losing to the likes of NIU. Anyway, time to get ready for bed. Thanks be to God for this day, watch over us, O Lord, and heal our infirmities.
19 September 2024
I woke this morning fully rested, it makes me wonder why I don't go to bed early all the time. I was up early this morning and meditated on Psalm (Beth) in the still of first light. Psalm 119 (Beth) is about the purity of life and meditating on God’s word. The psalmist begins by asking a rhetorical question, "How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word" (v9). Holy Scripture should become a joy and delight. The world offers many paths, but the path marked by God's word leads to purity and Eden. The psalmist then follow up with encouraging words to wholeheartedly guard our heart accordingly with God's word to stay pure. "With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you" (v10-11). For most of us, we often view ourselves as good people, but the more we learn God's word by heart, the more we begin to realize our total depravity. The psalmist then praises the Lord and asks God to teach him his statutes. "Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth" (v13). The psalmist’s wordplay is quite clever in that he desires to proclaim with his lips what God has declared from his mouth. The psalmist then speaks to a series of observations on the word of God and its precepts. "In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. The psalmist values God's word and is essentially saying that there is nothing of greater value than God's word in the world. I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways" (v14). I thought it strange that the psalmist now stream of consciousness focuses upon his need to meditate upon God's precepts. "I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways" (v15). One would think that one would first focus and meditate on God’s word to order to learn and then to proclaim it. The psalmist then concludes this section delighting in God's statutes. "I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word" (v16). Learning and living within the boundaries of God’s statues remains relevant and meaningful in order to honor the Lord in all circumstances. I've slowly ramping back up to doing my daily exercise again after a pausing from my bout with the gout in my left foot. I am foolishly focusing more on my abs trying to burn the fat off my abdominal area. I have managed to gain back a couple of pounds but am concerned that it will show up again as belly fat. I ate a hearty breakfast again this morning. I'm starting to get use to the raspberry oatmeal with a little jalapeño bagel, but still prefer the toasted raisin bread. Mama had me eat a small yogurt. We went out to the beautiful morning for my annual dermatology appointment. Surprisingly we got back up into the lower 90s again. I thought we done with the 90s, clearly the forecast early in the week was wrong. I am thankful for the mild summer (?) breeze that kept the heat in check. Hmm, song of the day is, Summer Breeze – Seals & Crofts. After my appointment we went to the Chinese supermarket for rice noodles to make this weekend, but there was none to be found. There wasn’t even any decent Chinese vegetable. I don't know about this place anymore, lately we've found this place disappointing. We stopped at the Panda Express for a takeout and bought it over to Alex's for lunch. On the back home we stopped gas on the way home. The downward trend was short lived; it was back up to $3.699 a gallon. I see that the crazies are out and about on the road today. It was bad enough with the spastic traffic weavers on the road way, but we had drover who had total disregard for the rule to the road. Since way pass the Chinese supermarket on the way home, mama had me pull in to give them one more check, but it was to no avail. So we went to the Jewels to buy hamburger meat to make hamburger patties and to brown for mama's pasta sauce for this weekend. It was dinner and a movie for me, I cleaned out the refrigerator and ate leftover chicken and green beans and spicy tofu and I watched s2 e10 of, The Ark. Time to relax a little before going to bed. I am thankful God’s steadfast love. Teach me your ways and help my unbelief.
18 September 2024
Thanks be to God for his steadfast love and faithfulness. It is good to go to bed in a timely manner to wake up well rested and in good cheer. I made us fresh pot of oatmeal and added fresh raspberries and a quarter of a shredded jalapeño bagel. Albeit was still very good, it pales in taste to having it with raisin toast. I think it has to do with toasting, but there is no way I was going to go through the trouble of toasting a quarter of a bagel. We went to Edward Hospital for Fawn's annual checkup and thanks be to God she is good for another year. This morning was just as awesome as it has been for the entire week. A peek at the weather forecast looks promising for the remainder of the week. I'm glad remembered to wear my pedometer this got a decent walk this morning got in ten thousand plus steps day in. Mmm, I made us chicken and green beans for lunch. Psalm 119 is the longest psalm in the Bible, with 176 verses. It is also the longest chapter in the Bible. There is no way that I could make this super long psalm a psalm of the day. It appears the psalmist has for some reason sectioned off this psalm by the letters of the Hebrew alphabet assigning eight verses to each. So I guess that I'll go easy on myself and muse on Psalm 119 one letter at a time for 22 days. Psalm 119 (Aleph) is about the blessedness of those who walk in the word of the Lord. The psalmist begins with the notion that being blameless in the way is a blessing. "Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!" (v1). The world tells us that living a defiled lifestyle is more fun than living a blameless one. The reality is that it is a delusional fun lifestyle and that those who live their lives according to God’s laws are truly happy and fulfilled. The psalmist then speaks to the blessedness of those who seek the Lord with their whole heart. "Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!" (v2-3). We are to love the Lord our God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might and teach his word to our children in the household. The psalmist then speaks to the precepts of God’s fatherly words on how we should best behave. "You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently" (v4). The blessed life is not found in our own personal development, but in obedience in our coram deo. The psalmist then reflects on a personal commitment to walk faithfully in God’s ways. "Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes! Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments" (v5-6). I think the psalmist is very wise in his desire to not only understand God's statutes, but to also embrace them and live in accordance with them. When we fall into sin, our conscience reproaches us and we become ashamed before God and man. The psalmist is right in saying, "I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules" (v7). It is only when we are in the process of learning God’s righteousness rules through Holy Scripture can we praise him with a upright heart. A upright heart could mean to be honest, honorable, and straightforward, but I think all encompasses love God and love our fellow man. The psalmist then continues this section by expressing his commitment keeping his statutes under divine guidance. "I will keep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!" (v8). Mama made me a big salad for dinner. I state my lab work data entry onto a spreadsheet. I was surprised to see that MyChart had a trend report, nice. The Lord is my source and my strength.
17 September 2024
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). I woke up this morning fully rested and thankful for the new day. I stuffed myself this morning eating oatmeal a slice of toast and a small yogurt because I didn't know when I would be able to have lunch because my tests are by walk-in. I thought it strange that they didn't take appointments. We drove to the Rush location in Oak Brook for a chest x-rays and more labs. I am thankful that these set of tests could be done at their Oak Brook location, which is leaps and bounds closer than going all the way into the city. I was blown by all these tests that are being ordered. It is amazing that I was able to be in and out of there just under 30 minutes. I thank God for my wife, I am totally helpless without her standing by my side selflessly caring for me. It was another beautiful morning. Albeit was already in the mid 80s by later morning, the humidity was low. The awesome summer breeze made for a nice 45 minute centurion walk along the strip mall. I made myself a nice simple salad without any bells and whistles for lunch. What a difference a day make going from musing on a short story a rather long one. Psalm 118 title is, His Steadfast Love Endures Forever. The Psalm begins by issuing an emphatic call to give thanks to the Lord for he is good (v1). The psalmist then invites Israel, the house of Aaron and those who fear the Lord to join in the chorus, “His steadfast love endures forever” (v2-4). I routinely pray through a psalm before becoming back to mediating on and giving muse to the psalm. For the larger psalm like this one, I try to group the verses the best I can. Much of this psalm appear to be fragments of pervious psalms. I kept wondering why is Israel and the house of Aaron is grouped differently, it turns out that Israel are a covenant people as a whole and the house of Aaron is a priesthood. The psalmist then gives a testimony to God’s steadfast love. The Lord answered the psalmist cries of distress by setting the psalmist in a secure place where he could freely look in triumph on those who hate him. The psalmist noted that it is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man and princes and to take refuge in the Lord (v5-9). The psalmist is surrounded and trapped by enemies who swarmed like bees. The psalmist understood that victory could only come about in the name of the Lord and the enemy was quenched like a fire of thorns burns out as suddenly as it flares up. The psalmist understood that he would have fell without the help of the Lord. The Lord was his strength and salvation and was his source of joy and happiness (v10-14). Having been rescued, God’s people gave voice to their joy in worship recognizing that the Lord had a hand in rescuing his people. The psalmist understood that God had a purpose in allowing his present crisis and confident God would allow him to live and recount the deeds of the Lord (v15-18). The psalmist then called on the Lord to open to him the gates of righteousness. I am guessing that the psalmist was probably eluding a triumphal entry into the holy city. With the gates of the Lord gates open, he would go through them, full of praise thankful for his salvation (v19-21). I keep thinking about the singular gate to heaven though Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior. As I look at our broken world, I see so many unbelievers could care less if the gate to heaven is opened or not; and neither does the thought of praising God so much has even crossed their minds. The psalmist then speaks to about the rejected stone that became the chief cornerstone. I am clueless what could have that led to the psalmist have bought this up. Perhaps he was thinking about how David was rejected or he was prophetically speaking about the Messiah. I opt to go with the latter. The psalmist noted that this was the Lord's doing and the people rejoiced God’s marvelous work, despite the rejection of the builders. The psalmist continues and call on us to rejoice and be glad in the day the Lord has made (v22-24). God give us many reasons to rejoice and be glad each and every day. I give thanks to God for each new day in that we are being made new. I have believe that the psalmist is stream of consciousness praying for preservation and success. There seems to be a lot of randomness in this psalm to me. The psalmist asks the Lord for salvation and prosperity and the people and priests recognizing their ruler, declaring him blessed, and asking him to approach the altar with his sacrifice. I was struck by the blessings, "The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us. Bind the festal sacrifice with cords, up to the horns of the altar!" This was fulfilled by Christ himself to be the willing sacrifice that was bound to an altar (v25-28). The psalmist concludes with the same exuberant and heartfelt praise, "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!" (v29). I'm never comfortable musing on these long psalms, and I don't even know how close I am correctly mediating on my muse. I have the attention span of a gnat. For me, this spoke to the psalmist's life experiences in general as well and his confidence that God will not abandon him to the hands of his enemies. Mama made me one of her signature salad to go with my jalapeño bagel. I’ve been eating more carbs lately to help keep my weight from continually dropping. I got back my lab results from yesterday’s blood work, I think they are trending the way I was prayerfully hoping for. Prayer that the doctor who ordered the test thinks likewise and my primary physician can offer me encouraging word during my six month check up in November. I guess I shouldn’t be complaining about all these tests and monitoring. Thanks be to God for his steadfast love and for all the doctors caring for this frail and aging old man. Prayers for all my love one in need of our Lord’s healing hands, may he heal our all our ailments.
16 September 2024
We woke up a little early to go to Alex's house to feed Nala and let her out. Alex had to go into the office in the city. I can't believe that Alex keeps his house so cool. I always have to adjust thermostat when I over there. There wasn't much to there so I just walked on his patio for 30 minutes in the morning. It was super nice out this morning, but it didn't take long for the temperature to soar up to another July like day in the low 90s. I was glad the humidity was low. I still can't get over seeing autumn color beginning to set in with summer like weather about. We drove to the Edward's Health Center on 95th and Book to do my labs. And then went grocery shopping at the Jewels and I got in another 30 minute walk. On the way back we stopped to pick up a Little Caesars pepperoni pizza. I'm not sure why I limit myself to a single slice. Alex's refrigerator was pretty empty, so mama had cook dishes for him to to have. I made spicy tofu, fried rice, pasta with spinach and sausage. I intentionally made extra scrambled eggs for the fried rice so that Nala could have a treat and that could make myself a jalapeño egg sandwich for dinner. Psalm 117 title is, The Lord's Faithfulness Endures Forever. I suspect that this not only the shortest psalm, also is also shortest chapter in the bible. Albeit this psalm short, it is an extraordinarily psalm that calls all nations and all people to enthusiastically praise the Lord. "Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!" (v1). The psalmist then gives a reason for us to praise, "For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD!" (v2). Hallelujah! Oh wow, where did the evening go, after supper, I sat down on the recliner and dosed off. Before I knew it, mama was waking me up to go up to bed. I pray for God to bless us and heal our infirmities and diseases. Great is the steadfast love and faithfulness of the Lord, hallelujah!
15 September 2024
"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul" (Psalm 143:8). I woke up well rested and thankful for the gift of a new day. When we stepped out this morning, we were already in the low 80s. The high of the day was in the low 90s. It's crazy to see autumn leaves beginning to fall while having summertime weather in mid September. I finished up the last of my Olive Garden salad for lunch. Mmm, mama made her fully loaded signature salad for our dinner. I thank God for her loving care for me in all she does. Psalm 116 is dear to my heart and is a most beautiful psalm that is the Offertory in our liturgy. The psalmist begins by simply saying that he love the Lord because he answered his prayers of supplication and is resolved to worship the Lord for the remainder of his life (v1-2). The psalmist then describes a time when he was distress and aguishly felt trapped by death's grip. However, he called on the Lord imploring him for deliver his soul (v3-4). I believe the psalmist was suffering from being persecuted and it weighted heavy on his soul. The psalmist then began reflecting on God’s graciousness pointing to God's righteous and merciful nature when he was brought low and encourages himself to return to a state of peace and rest (v5-7). Whenever we get stressed or even for a brief moment lose our peace of mind, we tend to turn to either turn to the world or to our own experiences to deal with our concerns. The world tells us to learn to deal with it rather than to seek the Lord. The psalmist then gave testimony of his soul's deliverance that bought comfort to his tearful eyes and strength to his falling feet and was commitment to worship God along with others. The psalmist understood that during the time of his great affliction was wrong for hastily saying that, “All mankind are liars" (v8-11).The tongue is a weapon that can wound another person deeply. We have to understand that it is so much easier to say than to unsay and undo the harm. May we repent of our wayward words. Before moving on, I would like to pause and meditate on, "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds" (v15-16). I was struck by and have to wonder why the psalmist would suddenly speak of the death of the saints being precious to God when he has been celebrating the life of the saints that God has sustained. I am going to go out on the limb and speculate that because the death of God's saints is precious in his sight, the Lord is faithful to deliver them from suffering and premature death by his compassionate grace. The psalmist responses to God’s faithfulness by committing himself to serving the Lord and acknowledging the freedom he has received from him. Gratitude drove the psalmist to consider what return he could make to the God who had so generously shared His benefits. We sing a "What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem" (v12-14, 17-19). “What shall I render to the Lord?” The truth is, we have nothing to render him. We brought nothing into this world and we will take nothing with us when we depart. However, an offering that we do continually and one day in heaven itself is the sacrifice of thanksgiving as we call on the name of the Lord. The psalmist concludes with, "Praise the Lord!" His hallelujah is both a personal declaration of praise and a call for us to join with the proclamation. This psalm serves as an inspirational reminder that even in our darkest times, God remains a compassionate listener and our help. In response to this steadfast love and faithfulness, we are called to a life of faithful devotion, filled with gratitude and courage to carry on. Let us never forget the cost of filling the cup of salvation. Thanks be to God who showers with grace upon grace.
14 September 2024
We work up pre dawn grateful for another day and ask the Lord to bless us and let his face shine on us. It wasn't an issue to be up so early, because we went to bed super early. There was no way being up at 5am was I going to wait until 8am to eat, so I started the morning off with bowl of hot oatmeal. Besides, I made huge pot of the stuff yesterday that needs to be eventually eaten. First stop was at Mariano's for Krispy Kreme and fresh muffins. Alex went to play tennis, so did all the cooking and made the usual bacon, breakfast sausage links and scrambled eggs. It was no surprise to me that Andrea and Mama went out and about shopping and to the bookstore, but I was surprised to see Isaac wanting to go with them. Clearly there was something he wanted to buy at the store. Peyton stayed behind because she opted to go to the playground. While Rob was out mowing the grass, I was blessed with lone time with Peyton. She has quite an imagination. She packed her toy suitcase and we boarded her imaginary airplane and she took us a most wonderful imaginary trip to Disney World. I am blown away how detailed oriented she plays out our journey. Rob picked out another Plainfield park. I'm guessing the Gregory B. Bott Community Park is the main park district indoors recreation center and outdoors facility complex. Besides the expected swings, slides, baseball, basketball and soccer fields, and what not, I also saw skate boarding and a Ninja Warrior challenge. I couldn't believe they also had a twp lane 40 yard track with a electronic bill board timer. The ladies came back with food from the Olive Garden. I had their house salad. I am happy that Rob and Andrea were mindful to bring our grandchildren down even for a short visit. My children and grandchildren are my greatest joy. Sweet, Rob gave a much need massage. Not only is the massage stimulating, it is also very therapeutic. I found the technology that Rob showed me was very interesting on how to load large sharable files to a cloud-based storage service online. Not only is my favorite son-in-law a very good looking man, he's also a very intelligent man. And I'm not just saying that because he is my only son-in-law. Man O man, it was like a hot summer day. I think it's best to mediate on the today's psalm, the Notre Dame be starting soon. The title of Psalm 115 title is, To Your Name Give Glory. The psalmist begins in prayer, to God be the glory. "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!" (v1). In all that we do, we do all to the glory of God. The steadfast love and faithfulness means that he is most worthy of praise and glory. The psalmist then exalted over the idols of the nations wanting to show God’s glory by comparing him to idols. The “nations,” meaning those who do not know God, complain that God cannot be seen. Their idols are physically present. But, the psalmist retorts, that they are physically only inanimate objects and not in any sense alive (v2-7). I concur with the psalmist that, “Those who make them become like them; so do all who trust in them” (v8). We have many idols more than the likes of golden calves today that Satan uses. Idols can be different pleasures of life, money, entertainment, just about we esteem that can draw our attention away from God. The psalmist then calls on Israel, the house of Aaron and those who fear the Lord, to trust the Lord (v9-11). I clueless to why the psalmist separates Israel and the house of Aaron as two groups. I'm guessing the third group are the Gentiles. The psalmist then gives assurances that God has been likewise mindful as is confident of God’s future blessings (v12-13). The psalmist then pronounces his blessings, "May the Lord give you increase, you and your children! May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth!" (v14-15). Here the psalmist recognizes flow whom all blessings flow and that God created the heavens and the earth. The psalmist then acknowledges that albeit the heavens belong to God, he has given the earth to mankind (v16). The psalmist then reminds that, "The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence (v17). The psalmist concludes with a pledge, "But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Praise the Lord!" (v18). This psalm is a call to recognize the one true God's unmatched sovereignty by contrasting the living God with inanimate idols. This psalmist encourages all to unwaveringly place their trust in God and outlines the blessings that await those who choose to fear and place their trust in the Lord. Wow, wow, wow, Notre Dame literally had their way with Purdue with a Irish 66 to 7 victory over the Boilermakers. I am not sure if the Irish can even still make the college football playoffs with a 11-1 record anymore with the shocking loss to NIU and the schedule for this season. Thanks be to God for the gift of family and the blessing of the day.
13 September 2024
"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90:14). Bless the Lord my soul. I made us a big pot of oatmeal this morning in anticipation of that will be my main food source after my root canal. We stepped out into another beautiful zip-a-dee-doo-dah morning. I was totally surprised how smooth and quickly the root canal procedure went, we were in and out of the endodontist office just under a hour. We went to the Oswego area to buy some Tylenol incase some pain set in. We stopped for gas and I was surprised to see gas price had dropped down slightly to $3.329 a gallon. Thanks be to God that it turns out I don't feel any pain from the root canal whatsoever, so I male myself a jalapeño fried egg sandwich for lunch. I did however avoided chewing with the right side of my mouth to avoid possibly damaging the filling. It was no different during supper, I boiled a chicken breast and used half of it to make myself chicken fried rice. I really have to get use to food having so little meat and being under seasoned. Psalm 114 is a psalm that commemorates Israel's deliverance from Egypt and focuses on the reason for praise by summarizing Israel’s redemption story. The psalmist begins by emphasizing the idea that the Israelites were an oppressed people and did not belong in Egypt. "When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language" (v1). God delivered his people, "Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion" (v2). This is dramatic change of status from being oppressed to redeemed in the promised land. The psalmist then speaks to God’s great in delivering Israel from Egypt beginning with authority over nature. "The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back" (v3). I clearly remember the Exodus story of God parting the Red Sea, but have forgotten about the turning back of the Jordon River. It becomes noticeable that the Israelites exit from Egypt and the entrance to the promised land are by God's wondrous works. The psalmist continues that the mountains and hills also recognizes God's presence. "The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs" (v4). I'm clueless to what historical event psalmist could be referencing to in this verse. The psalmist then began to challenge nature to explain the reason they forsaken their nature asking the rhetorical questions, "What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back? O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs?" (v5-6). The psalmist then called upon all of earth to be at awe in the presence of God. "Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob" (v7). Everything God does is good, but he is always for us and never against us, but the goodness of his wondrous works can be overwhelming, especially when we are obviously undeserving. The psalmist concludes by remembering one more event which demonstrated God’s power over creation during the Exodus, when God brought forth water for his people from the rock of harden flint, "who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water" (v8). The title of Psalm 114 is, Tremble at the Presence of the Lord . We respond by expressing gratitude to God and worship him. God looks to the one who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at his word. The reality is that no matter where we go we cannot escape the presence of God. We don't have to go far to experience the presence of God because the Holy is all us and as believers the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Nice ending of the day, getting to FaceTime with the kids. I am thrilled that they are coming down this weekend, but they can only visit for s short while because of other commitments for the day. Time to relax and chill before go to bed early. We have a big day ahead of us starting in the early morning. I am grateful for the blessings of the day and for his care. His steadfast love endures forever.
12 September 2024
I work up with joy and gladness in my heart, evermore grateful for the new day and for God’s steadfast love. I looked at the hourly forecast and 10 day outlook on the weather app. It's crazy that we have backed out of autumn into summer time weather for the duration. I got creative with my oatmeal and finely shredded a small piece of leftover chicken and gave it a splash of hot sauce and oyster sauce. I even broke up and tossed in a slice of toasted raisin bread. Mmm, the savory and spicy concoction had the mouth feel of a thanksgiving stuffing with gravy. I have a battery of tests coming up at Rush University Medical Center soon, so I spend the morning going over the testing schedule and details of what is required of me for the different activities of the day. I made myself Stir fried lettuce with oyster sauce and rice for lunch. Only Cantonese could think of stir frying an iceberg lettuce. It is a simple and light summer time comfort food. I know it's mid September, we're having unseasonably warm weather. The psalm begins with the familiar hallelujah and extends a call to the servants of the Lord to praise His name. "Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord!" (v1). The psalmist then speaks to continuous and unceasing nature of worship. "Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!" (v2-3). The psalmist then speaks to the majesty and sovereignty of God. "The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!" (v4). The psalmist then rhetorically asks, "Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high, who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?" (v5-6). The psalmist concludes by speaking to the answer to his question describing God's compassion. "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes, with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a home, making her the joyous mother of children. Praise the Lord!" (v7-9). This psalm calls us to praise our God who cares enough for humankind to look and reach down to raise up the poor and needy of the earth. The answer to the psalmist's question, “Who is like the Lord our God?” can be nothing more and nothing less than, “absolutely no one.” oh wow, that wasn't bad. I watched S2 e9 of, The Ark. This episode was so unexpected and so good. I made us beef and pea pods for dinner. I only can eat a very small portion of it, so mama made me a nice fruit bowl with blueberries, strawberries and kiwifruit. I am going have my first ever root canal procedure done tomorrow and am not looking forward to it. Prayers for an easy go at it and for comfort and a quick recovery.
11 September 2024
I woke up to the sound of silence, that's a good thing that beats having to wake up to the sound of an alarm clock. I am grateful for this say and God’s steadfast love. We will never forget a day of infamy in my lifetime of the notoriously evil against our nation on September 11, 2001. We stepped out this morning to a beautiful sunny day in the low 70s. I was so nice that just wore a tee shirt and shorts. We went to the Sam's Club pharmacy. I got in a nice 40 and 20 minute walk, so that was an improvement from yesterday. We then swung by Alex's to pick up my jacket and wallet that I left there yesterday. Mama had a good idea to takeout appetizers from Lucky Panda, we haven't there in a long while. We got pot stickers and crab rangoon. Ooo wee, did the temperature ever soar, our nice mid September day turned into a hot and muggy day in the upper 80s by mid afternoon. It is my understanding hurricane Francine is contributing to the warmer the usual temperature we are experiencing. The number of political spam I'm getting on my phone is incredible and now I'm starting to smishing and phishing text messages to boot. Prayers for protection against wicked and harmful assaults. May these wicked evildoers repent from their wrongdoings and seek forgiveness from the Lord our God. Ugh, former President Trump is something else, the things he say is something else. I have improved a lot in filtering what I say, but the is still room for improvement. I was told that I am old and intolerant in my views. It is clear to me I am now living age of “tolerance,” where discriminating discernment can be viewed as being judgmental. Often times, “Judge not, that you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1). Yet there is righteous judgment. Jesus said, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment” (John 7:24). How else can warn ourselves against toxic people and their behavior? Since tomorrow is garbage day, we spent a little time decluttering the garage of things we have no future need of use of. Psalm 112 is clearly a wisdom psalm speaking to the blessings of fearing the Lord. I am starting to see a hallelujah pattern at the start of these short psalms. The psalmist begins with an exhortation to praise the Lord, "Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who greatly delights in his commandments!" (v1). The mark of God's people are the ones who both revere God and delights greatly in his commandments as caring words and will of the Father and will embrace and delight in them. The psalmist then speaks to household of the blessed man, "His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever" (v2-3). These verses required a long pause. What is going on? Mighty? Wealth and riches? I was a little confused thinking about Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Blessed are poor and blessed are the meek, but I was comparing apples to oranges. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5). Surly the psalmist isn't endorsing a prosperity gospel where God rewards adherents with wealth according to their faithfulness and if you are poor then you are not faithful enough. Perhaps the psalmist is speaking to the stature or standing of the upright and to a prosperous line of descendants. The psalmist then elaborate on the qualities of the righteous, "Light dawns in the darkness for the upright; he is gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals generously and lends; who conducts his affairs with justice" (v4-5). Righteous men illuminate the darkness with their goodness, demonstrating a steadfastness that withstands all life's challenges. God looks after those who are fair in their treatment of others and generous with their time, money and talents. The psalmist then speaks to unwavering trust in the Lord. "For the righteous will never be moved; he will be remembered forever" (v6). The profile of righteous man that fears God is remarkable and will not fade in this world or the world to come. God himself will take charge of his memorial. The psalmist then speaks to the righteous fearlessness in the face of adversity. "He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his adversaries" (v7-8). This emotional and spiritual stability comes from his righteous unfaltering faith and trust in the Lord. The psalmist then speaks to the generosity of the righteous man. "He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever; his horn is exalted in honor" (v9). Since he is blessed with material things (v3?), it is important that he is able pass on freely his blessings to the poor. His strength and dignity in exalted in honor. The psalmist concludes by contrasting the righteous man with the wicked one who is frustrated when he see the prosperity of the righteous, be frustrated, and their desires all come to nothing. "The wicked man sees it and is angry; he gnashes his teeth and melts away; the desire of the wicked will perish!" (v10). The psalmist paints an inspiring portrait of the righteous life. It reminds us that righteousness is its own reward, leading not only to a path of duty but also the path of joy, peace, and fulfillment. Tremendous blessings come upon the man who fears God and delights greatly in his precepts. Albeit this psalm was a short one, this meditation was very difficult and time consuming once again. I don't even know if my muse correctly addressed the psalmist intent. I am looking at it from my own limited lay theological 20th and 21st century perspective. What to do? The end of the day is near and I just had an interesting thought about how my prayer life has changed since becoming a old elderly man. Outside of prayers of praise and thanksgiving, most of my prayers are petitions for health concerns for myself and my love ones, beit for wellness or specific medical conditions.
10 September 2024
I woke up pre dawn so that I could have breakfast before we headed out the door to go for mama dental early appointment. This taking antibiotic on a empty stomach and the need to wait afterwards before eating is for the birds. There are also warnings not to lie down immediately after taking the pill and be standing or sitting upright for 30 minutes afterwards. Despite this, how can I not be happy and glad rejoicing in the gift of a new dawn. O let us bless the Lord, his steadfast love endures forever. So here I am penning the start of this journal. I looked at the weather app this morning to how to dress. We had a crazy huge temperature swing today. It was 51 degrees when I got up and expected high is 86 degrees. We're getting the taste of autumn and summer. Sigh, here we go again with a slew of politics spam text messages, so annoying. I opted to recline the seat back and map in the instead of doing a walk while Fawn was having her crown work done in the dental office. We went to the Oswego area afterwards and I did a my walk there. I only got in two fifteen minute walk, but it was walk none the less. We got gas for $3.399 a gallon. I don't why the price of gasoline in going down, but I hope the downward trend continues. On thy back, we stopped at the car dealership to pick up Alex. He was having his serviced. We only stayed at Alex's for a short while and after they replaced his car battery, they couldn't reproduce the issue Alex was having with indicator lights on his dash, so we drove him back to pick up his car. I surprised myself when we got back some, I hand washed the car and cleaned the lint out the dryer louver. I'll need to add cleaning the entire dryer vent to my 2do lint and tend to it before winter sets in. It's time to talk about Notre Dame football again. Clearly anything can happen in college football. Notre Dame has a history of being able to play with the big boys and unexpectedly not being able move the ball and losing to unranked teams. If that wasn't bad enough, unbelievably the Irish had two of their field goals blocked. One was a game winning one at the very end of the game. Psalm 111 is a short psalm of praise. I think it worked out fine to stop and meditate on God’s word after each verse when the psalm is short, but surprisingly this makes for a long pen. This is mainly because I cut and pasted include the verses to help me reflect. The psalmist begins with a vow to give thanks, "Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart in the company of the upright, in the congregation" (v1). We gather on the Lord’s Day n the Divine Service to receive God’s gifts and in response, we offer back a sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise. The psalmist then describes God’s works and wonderful deeds. "Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them" (v2). I am far cry from being a learned theologian I have been blessed at Saint John to have been instructed by arguably few of the most learned teachers of Christ. I have high regards for the Reverend Dr. John Kleinig, Dr. Arthur Just and Dr. Scott Bruzek. Because our youngest went to Loyola, I also had the opportunity to read teachings from the many early church fathers. The psalmist reflects on the nature of God's work. "Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever" (v3). God is righteous in all he does. We are to do likewise. "He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful" (v4). It is good to remember and make known the wondrous works God has done for us and his people. Indeed our Lord is gracious and merciful. Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Verse 3 and 4 reflects the everlasting nature of God's character and serves as a reminder to believers about the importance of acknowledging his deeds in our lives. The psalmist then continues to describe the works and wonderful deeds of God. I could be wrong, but I think the psalmist is speaking about the Exodus and provisioning manna and quail in the wilderness. "He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever" (v5). I believe the psalmist proceeds to talking about God giving Canaan, the Promised Land to the Israelites. "He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the inheritance of the nations" (v6). The psalmist then speaks to God's faithfulness, "The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy; they are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness" (v7-8). In our corporate confession say, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). I believe the precepts the psalmist is speaking of are the God's Decalogue or 10 Words given to Moses at Mount Sinai a mountain in the wilderness. Pastor Bruzek taught us think of what is otherwise more commonly known as the Ten Commands as the 10 Words as words of a father to his children to not touch things that are harmful to you. The psalmist then concludes The psalmist then summarizes God's actions during the Israelites Exodus and Wilderness wanderings with God's redemption, "He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name!" (v9). God's covenant and Holy Name are foundational to Israel and its future as the people of God. The psalmist concludes noting that a profound reverence for God is the foundation of true wisdom. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!" (v10). Being God-fearing always results in thankfulness. I just too my last antibiotic pill and am thrilled that I am done with them. It's time quit penning and get ready and brace myself for the circus clowns, uh, I mean presidential debate. America has gone mad. I believe America can do better. Everyone already knows what each candidate will say, so I'm guess I want to see how it plays out. The debate can make or break a candidate, just ask President Joe Biden. I still can't get over that Kamala Harris is the Democrat Party's Nominee without presidential primary. Who is Kamala Harris? I've heard her called a chameleon, if she actually is, the question becomes, does it matter what she says? I am good at thanking God for his blessings but poor at remembering his works and wonderful deeds and fall back to my rebellious ways. Lord, help me remember and teach me your wisdom from above. May I thank and praise your Holy Name now and forever.
9 September 2024
"O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch" (Psalm 5:3). I woke up at the crack of dawn again to take my antibiotic on a empty stomach. I can't wait until I finish up on Wednesday. It is setting in that I will be getting my first ever root canal procedure done. I looked at a YouTube step-by-step root canal procedure video and it was pretty. I made us a fresh pot of oatmeal. There is nothing like a fresh pot of oatmeal, I had mine this morning with fresh blueberries and raisin toast. I feel slightly nauseated after taking my antibiotics, but I'm fine again after I eat. Sigh, it was supposed to have been a easy and simple repair the leak at the base of the kitchen sink faucet. But I wasn't able to twist off the hub with a pair of channel lock pliers to replace the o-rings and washer. We had to run out to Freight Harbor to buy a 14" pipe wrench to get enough torque to loosen the hub. I was glad Fawn took on the hard part of clean the disassemble parts and the sink area, we gotrdun! I ate half a chicken breast again today with carrots for lunch and half a fried egg sandwich and blueberry yogurt for dinner. Psalm 110 is a titled; Sit at My Right Hand A Psalm of David. This psalm is one of my favorite psalms. Albeit there are many psalms are classified as messianic, this couldn't be clearer. Since this psalm is short and describes the character and appointment of the Messiah, I'll pause after each verse and ponder on the revelations of this most beautiful psalm. The psalmist begins, “The Lord says to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool" (v1). This verse is very so striking, it says, "The Lord says to my Lord," here we have either polytheism or my profession of faith expressed in the Nicene Creed. Here, God the Father is speaking to God the Son, “Sit at my right hand.” After his resurrection and appearing to his followers, Jesus ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. This refers to Christ's exaltation and enthronement. The psalmist then speaks to Christ's triumph over all his enemies and rule over them. "The Lord sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies!" (v2). The psalmist then speaks to the spiritual warfare, "Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours" (v3). The Lord's people will be gathered together in their holy splendor as a willing army of radiant followers in their ageless strength. The psalmist speaks to the Messiah serves now and forever as a High Priest for his people. "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek” (v4). I am unclear about what the association is between Jesus and Melchizedek. But my Lutheran understanding of Melchizedek as a archetype of Christ, always for us and never against us. The psalmist then speaks to the divine power to contend with kings, "The Lord is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath" (v5). What are kings when they dare oppose the Son of God? A single stroke of his right hand shall more than suffice for their destruction. The psalmist then speaks to the Messiah's authority over of all the nations exercising his judgment and slaying the wicked. "He will execute judgment among the nations, He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth" (v6). Armageddon? The psalmist concludes with the victory over the enemies. "He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head" (v7). Christ will find refreshment and be exalted. Christ's head shall be lifted high in victory, and his people, shall be upraised up also. This psalm gives the highest revelation of Christ! I am surprised at myself for musing so much on each individual verse. Anyway, time for bed. Thanks be to God for the blessings of the day.
8 September 2024
Albeit I'm not a fan of waking up early to the sound of an alarm clock, I none the less woke up grateful for the gift of a new day. I only have to wake up early to take my antibiotic for a couple more days. I like the feel and fit of my new dress pants. It's hard to believe that it is in the 50s when we stepped out this morning, I had to wear a flannel shirt and a jacket vest. Fawn had leftovers and I boiled myself a chicken breast. I ate half the breast with green peppers for lunch and the other half for dinner with boiled baby carrots. After lunch, I finished off the weed whacking in the backyard and then sprayed weed and feed in the front yard. I am surprised to see the Irish are still a ranked team on the AP poll. They dropped from #5 to #18. NIU's win catapulted the Huskies in to the top 25! Thanks to ND's loss and Tennessee’s win, 6 of the top 7 teams are SEC teams. I was planning to send Andrea and Rob the videos I took of the kids in the playground yesterday, but the videos are way too large. I know it can be done via a link to the cloud, because that was how Rob sent a few to me in the past. I’m clues how to set that up and will need to ask Rob show this less than new tech savvy old timer how to do the needed next time I see him. Psalm 109 is one of those long imprecatory psalms that is troubling to me that asks God for deliverance from enemies and to punish them for their evil deeds. I've heard people say psalms like this is about the honor of God's name and not personal vengeance, I just don't know. The psalmist begins by making a plea not to be silent about the hare deceitful lies against him (v1-3). The psalmist explained, "In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer. So they reward me evil for good, and hatred for my love (v4-5). Here the psalmist contrasts how he use his tongue in prayer while the wicked render evil for good. The psalmist then goes into a imprecation for the destruction against his foes and their family and their sins (v6-1). The psalmist begins a long and intense set of curses against his enemy with, "Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand" (v6). I find difficult to count the psalmist imprecatory wishes as righteous anger. I was struck by, "Let there be none to l extend kindness to him, nor any to m pity his fatherless children!" (v12). In fact the psalmist continues, “May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and let not the sin of his mother be q blotted out!" (v14). I have to wonder if the psalmist crosses the line. The psalmist the concluded his imprecation with, “May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life!" (v20). The psalmist then makes a renewed plea for God's help, appealing to God's steadfast love and the the psalmist's own weaknesses (v21-29). The psalm ends with a vow to offer praise in the midst of a multitude of people. "With my mouth I will give great thanks to the LORD; I will praise him in the midst of the throng" (v30). Psalms like this are a quite distant from agrape love that Jesus wants us to strive for. It is hard to “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” but that is what Jesus ask of us so that we may be sons of the Father in heaven. We realize that in our own sinfulness we are enemies of God. We rejoice that God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Lord, teach us to love our enemies. Prayers for the Lord to heal our infirmities and diseases, especially for all my friends and family. My prayer list keeps getting longer as I learned today that more friends are contracting covid-19. Lord, have mercy. Subdue this plague and heal our mind body and soul.
7 September 2024
A beautiful morning prayer from the Serum Breviary. "In this hour of the day, fill us O Lord, with thy mercy, that rejoicing throughout the day, we might take delight in thy praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen." I woke up at the crack of dawn to a rather cool brisk day thankful for a new day. I'll have to this for seven days so that I take my antibiotics on a empty stomach and wait two hours before I can eat. I went to bed super early last night so getting up wasn't a issue. I thought yesterday was bad, today is much cooler. It was in the low 50s when we stepped out the door to go to Alex's. We got gas on the way for $3.549 a gallon, it is one of the few times we were ever able find gas cheaper locally. I made the usual bacon and sausage links while Alex made the scrambled eggs. I had scrambled eggs on toast, but I still sadly eye ball the bacon and sausage. After breakfast Rob, Alex and I took Isaac and Peyton to the Village Green Park in downtown Plainfield. The park had an impressive playground with a huge fort that was tall and complex. The configuration offered many levels of challenges for all different age levels. I was struck by two of the swings, one swing had a ride harness that allowed me to push Peyton swing high without fear of her flying off the swing. The other was a raft adventure swing. The only thing bad about the park was having to tell the kids it was time to leave. I made us gon chow ngau ho again for lunch. Then it time to watch Notre Dame football. It was tough sitting in a room with Fawn, Alex, Andrea and Rob who all graduated from NIU. I'm totally flabbergasted, NIU busted my bubble. I had to tell myself, "It's only a game ... It's only a game" sigh...
6 September 2024
I was a little surprised that I woke up early this morning because we went to bed later the usual, mama was watch Thursday Night Football. I'm not a pro football fan, so it was a good thing I remember the sci-fi, The Ark. I'm surprised that I forgotten all about that show. I binge watched s2 e7 & e8 on my tablet while Fawn watch the Raven vs Chiefs game. I definitely will be going to bed early tonight because we'll be up somewhat early and out the door tomorrow morning. Anyway, since I was up at the crack of dawn with a empty stomach, I decided to take my antibiotic. So here I am praying and penning my meditations on Psalm 108 on my phone. The psalmist begins to earnestly praise God with the best of his being in song. "My heart is steadfast, O God! I will sing and make melody with all my being! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn!" (v1-2). I think it great to greet the dawn of each new day with thanksgiving and praise to God. I am most grateful for his steadfast love and the gift of life. The psalmist leaps at the opportunity to praise God among the people and world. The psalmist understood God's steadfast love and faithfulness extends above our earthly realm and to exalt his glory in the heavens and all over earth (v3-5). The psalmist then shifts his prayer from praise to personal petition to be rescued from distress. The psalmist specified Moab, Edom and Philistia as the enemies (v6-9). The psalmist trusts God will deliver his people and petitions God to help crush his enemies. The psalmist acknowledges that help of man wasn't enough and that the help of God would lead them to victory. The psalmist concludes, "With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes" (v13). I gather that the psalmist and the people of God are broken down. I think that it interesting that that the psalmist sets his heart straight and in the right place praising God before petitioning God for deliverance. We must believe strongly that God is for us and never against us and through him we will do valiantly! Hmm, raspberry oatmeal, raisin toast and yogurt for breakfast. It feels so good to have food in my stomach after a couple hours after taking antibiotics on a empty one. I start my big cook off with making the Cantonese style pan fried noodles. It took quite a bit of time to stand over and pan fried all those noodles. Next was slicing up four packages of rice noodles for tomorrow. Then I sliced and diced the onions and green peppers and made stuffed hamburger patties. Mama did the bok choy and all the cleanup work. After lunch we went to the dermatologist to have her look a rash on her back just below her neck. The autumn temps finally arrived. It was breezy and the high of the day was in the 60s. Crazy how I had to don a light jacket and sweats while out and about. I made the hamburger gravy. I almost forgot to set aside a little plain hamburger for Nala. The final cook of the day was pork ribs with black bean and garlic sauce and a pot of steam rice. Of course I ate a small serving. I didn’t dare eat more because of the purine and the fear of a gout flare up. It’s time to stop penning and get ready for bed. We got a big day ahead of us tomorrow. "Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who has kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this season."
5 September 2024
I woke up pre dawn grateful for the gift of life. Waking up to the sound of the alarm on my phone isn't a bad as waking up sound of the, Big Ben Wind Up Clock, from days past. I had to get up to take an antibiotic pill. If waking up so early wasn't bad enough, I had to sit up and stay awake for an hour feeling nausea after taking the pill. Sitting up had something to making sure the pill didn't stay in the esophagus. Albeit I was able to go back to sleep, I woke up still tire. I felt much better after eating a bowl of oatmeal. I had to discipline myself to not randomly eat, because I had to take the antibiotic on a empty stomach between meals. The window to eat is one hour after taking the medicine or two hours before your next dose. Talk about restricting what to and what not to eat even tighter. We went over to Alex's for lunch and to pick up some of my tools that I left at his house so that I can repair our kitchen sink faucet and to drop off my electric hedger for storage in his garage. He uses it more often than I do. We stopped for a Panda Express Carryout for Alex and mama's lunch and I bought my leftover chicken and pea pod. We stopped at the Chinese supermarket on the way home and got ribs, rice noodles and bok choy. We also stopped at the Jewels for hamburger meat. I think Andrea wants ground beef and gravy. We had some concerns about me taking the antibiotics with potassium prescribed by the dentist so we queried my neurologist. He replied that there is no issue with the potassium but to take the antibiotic twice a day instead of four over the course of seven days. That is a lot more manageable and works for me. Psalm 107 is a psalm of thanksgiving and deliverance. The psalmist begins with an exhortation to give thanks to the Lord for his enduring love. "Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" (v1). The psalmist then encourages those who God has redeemed from all corners of the earth give thanks to the Lord (v2-3). The psalmist then speaks to God’s provisional care of the children of man. Lost and weary in the wilderness from their hunger and thirst, they cried out to the Lord in their troubles and God relieved them from their distress to dwell in city. The psalmist encourages them to thank the Lord's steadfast love who satisfies the longing and hungry soul with good things (v4-9). The psalmist then speaks to those rebellious to God’s word who sat in darkness and shackles bowing them to hard labor. They cried out to the Lord in their troubles and God shattered their chains and led them from darkness. The psalmist encourages them to thank the Lord for his steadfast love who shatters the doors of bronze and cuts in two the bars of iron (v10-16). The psalmist then speaks to those who loath food and nearing death because of their sinful ways. They cried out to the Lord in their troubles and God sent out his word to heal them. The psalmist encourages them to thank the Lord for his steadfast love and to offer sacrifices of thanksgiving in joyful songs telling of his deeds (v17-22). The psalmist then speaks to the seafarers caught in a violent windy storm. They cried to the Lord in their trouble and he delivered them. God calmed the storm to a quite hush and brought them to their desired haven. The psalmist encourages them to thank the Lord for his steadfast love and to extol him in the congregation of the people and praise him in the assembly of the elders. (v23-32). The psalmist then speaks to God's sovereignty over land and people. For those because of the evil of its inhabitants, the land is turned into dried up waste land. God changes the wilderness into pools of water and a dry land into springs of water and let the hungry dwell there. The psalmist emphasize how God pour contempt and diminishes and bring low the princes but raises up the needy out of affliction (v33-41). The psalmist concludes that the upright see it and are glad while all wickedness be be muted. The psalmist then encourages the wise to attend to these things (v42-43). This psalm is stirring reminder of God's unwavering mercy and enduring love for those who cry out to him in their distress and encapsulates our human journey from suffering to redemption. It is an earnest call for thanksgiving, recognizing God's redeeming work in our bleakest moments. I finished up the last of the chicken and pea pods for dinner. Looks like Week 1 pro football has started on Thursday Night Football, Ravens vs. Chiefs. Mama big on sports in general, but I know she's really into NFL, I'm just waiting for Saturday to row around, the big game of Week 2 is #3 Texas vs. #10 Michigan in the a.m. Of course I plan to watch Northern IL vs #5 Notre Dame in the afternoon. I'm not sure if I will be watch another ranked two battle it out in the evening, but #14 Tennessee vs #24 NC State. More importantly is we'll be getting to spend time with the kids and our grands, who brings me the greatest joy. God is good, his steadfast love endures forever.
4 September 2024
Sweet, mama has, The Very Best of Neil Diamond: The Original Studio Recording, cd playing as background music. We got up early this morning because mama had a early haircut appointment. I am grateful for the start of each new day. I looked at the weather app and albeit the will temperature will work itself up from the 50s to the 80s I had to put on sweats to go out the doors this morning so that I could do a little bit of walking while mama was getting her haircut. I sang sacred music this morning; it has been a while since I've done that. Albeit, I have learned all the lyrics by heart at one time, I struggled with some of them this morning and turned to them on my phone. Singing sacred music lifts up my soul. I looked at the AP Top 25 college football poll and saw that Notre Dame moved up in the rank from #7 to #5, sweet! Notre Dame is hosting Northern Illinois this Saturday. Albeit I expect Notre Dame to beat NIU by a sizable margin, I don't need a reminder of how dangerous a game like this can be. In the second game of 2022, then 8th ranked Notre Dame team was bested at home by Marshall. I'm sure the Huskies have the same aspirations. Whoo hoo, thanks be to God, Fawn's and her a1c substantially came down. Now we just need to wait for the ordering physician to review the results and update us. I got a call from our dental office that a there was a opening that became available this afternoon that I accepted. My next appointment wasn't until mid November because I had to cancel my appointment earlier in the year. We try to have teeth cleaned twice a year. It was heck of a difference weatherwise being out and about in the afternoon compared to this morning. Albeit the temps was in the mid 80s, it was still comfortable. Hmm, not good, I have a abscess tooth and was given an antibiotic prescription to treat the infection. The plan to save and avoid pulling the tooth is to have a root canal done and then replace the current crown. It is my understanding that leaving a tooth abscess untreated can lead to serious, even life-threatening, complications. The psalmist begins Psalm 106 with gratitude for God’s enduring love, "Praise the LORD! Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" (v1). The psalmist then asks God remember him with favor in hopes of witnessing the prosperity of God’s people and to participate in the joy of the nation and the glory his inheritance (v4-5). The psalmist then confesses that they have sinned like their ancestors, forgetting God's miracles. The psalmist recalls his ancestors rebellion in Egypt and by the Red Sea and God’s mercy in saving them for his name's sake, God parted the Red Sea and for the people to escape and then drowned the pursuing adversaries (v6-11). This deliverance encouraged faith and promoted praise. "Then they believed his words; they sang his praise" (v12). The Psalmist then recalls how quickly his ancestors forgot God's deeds and did not wait for his counsel in the wilderness. The then goes into a litany of their rebellious ways, most notably God's provision for them, the envy of Moses and Aaron as their divinely appointed, and the idolatry of the golden calf along with God's judgment that fell upon the leaders of the rebellion (v13-19). Because the people exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox and have forgotten God's deeds and wondrous works God was set to destroy them (v20-22). Moses interceded and averted God's wrath from destroying them. "Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them" (v23). The Psalmist then recalls how the people had no faith in God's promises and despised the beautiful land of Canaan and how their grumbling provoked God's judgment was that generation would not see the promised land. The psalmist then recalls how his ancestors yoked themselves to Baal and provoked God's anger and how Phinehas interceded on their behalf, which averted further judgment (v24-31). I am struck by, "They did not destroy the peoples, as the LORD commanded them" (v34). I believe the psalmist is referring to God’s command found in Deuteronomy 7:1-2 and Deuteronomy 20:16–17. I think that the most difficult part of the command of Deuteronomy for most people is when the Canaanites were exterminated without mercy, women and children were not spared. Why would God order the death of noncombatants and innocent children? The Canaanites were a threat to the purity of God’s people. "that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 20:18). God is sovereign over all of life, he alone can give life, and how and when we die is completely up to him. Judgment Day will come to all. Psalmist then laments over not only did his ancestors failure to follow what God commanded but also over they adopted the idols of Canaan. Despite this continued rebellion, God heard their cry when they were oppressed (v35-46). I am amazed at God’s enduring mercy in spite of Israel's repeated cycle of rebellious cycle sin, captivity, prayer and deliverance. The psalmist concludes with a prayer, "Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise" (v47). The fourth book of the Psalms concludes with a closing doxology, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the LORD! (v48). This psalm compels us to reflect on our sanctification, seek repentance and to appreciate God's divine mercy and grace. I think that my psalm meditations are still way too long and time consuming. Currently I pray the psalm of day three times trying to understand the author's intent and follow the psalmist's train of thought. I try to paraphrase of what you have read, but I struggle with these rather long psalms. I just don't know. Maybe I need to pen move my psalms mediation to a separate page and take the need time to more properly muse and reflect to my limited lay ability. Hmm, that sounds like a plan. Anyway, the day is almost over and the day is spent. Lord, stay with us. Prayers for all that ail us in our frail state.
3 September 2024
"Bless the Lord, O my soul." I woke with joyful thanksgiving for the gift of a new day. The morning started up great, mama made me raspberry oatmeal and a slice of raisin toast. I love this hearty and tasty breakfast. I looked at the weather app this morning and saw that today looked as it was going to exactly mirror yesterday weatherwise, so it was a great opportunity to mow the back yard. I thought for sure that I could have completed the needed without taking a break or one break tops; I ended up taking two short breaks, gotrdun! I have two 2dos left for time being, weed whacking and the repairing the kitchen sink faucet. We had a ton of leftovers in the refrigerator to choose from for our lunch, I opted for Chinese broccoli over pan fried noodles for my lunch. Fawn got a call from the doctor's office to remind her of her needed blood work. On her last doctor visit, her lab work placed her in the pre diabetes range. The plan was her to work on a diet to reverse and lower her a1c level through diet over a three month period. I am confident that she has done just that by curbing sugar, carbs and snacking on junk foods. We then drove out to the Sam's Club and to a few stores in Oswego. Judging from cutting the grass this morning, I need to increase my stamina, so I got off my butt and walk around. I sat around all that time with gout symptoms. We got gas for $3.529 a gallon across the street from the Sam's Club at the Shell station. I still say it needs to be at least three bucks or under for a gallon of gas. I keep hearing campaign promises of working towards lowering the cost of groceries, but I don't see how that can be done without lowering the price of gasoline. Funny how I think these psalms of praise are long, when these are only a small fraction on much longer psalms to come. The psalmist begins with a call to thanks to God and to sing praises to him telling of his deeds. "Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples! Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!" (v1-2). Actually, the first four verses are part of out post-communion canticle, "Thank the Lord and sing his praise. Tell everyone what he has done. Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear his Name. He renews his promises and leads his people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia! Alleluia!" I four short verses the psalmist encourages us to give thanks, sing in praise, seek the Lord, and remember his deeds. In giving thanks for the Lord’s deeds and wondrous works of salvation with a series of stories, the psalmist recounts the story of Abraham and God's everlasting covenant to the people of Israel, to give them the land of Canaan (v8-15). The psalmist then recounts the story of Joseph being sold into slavery and then rescuing God’s people (v16-25). The psalmist then recounts the story of Moses rescuing God’s people from Egypt and leading them in the desert, and then finally God’s people entering the promised land (v26-42). The psalmist concludes, "So he brought his people out with joy, his chosen ones with singing. And he gave them the lands of the nations, and they took possession of the fruit of the peoples' toil, that they might keep his statutes and observe his laws. Praise the Lord!" (v43-45). Let it be so. The psalmist has made known more than a few of God's deeds and wondrous works, speaking to God's faithfulness, deliverance, provisions, covenant and judgments. I made us chicken and pea pods over rice for dinner. I'm OK with picking around chicken serving myself. I feel my Andrea who favors more veggies and less meat in her stir fry. The song of the day is, Let's Stay Together - Al Green. The verse of the day is, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:25-26). At times when we struggle of jealousy and envy, we should remind ourselves that God is the only one who can satisfy to our hearts. There is nothing on this side of heaven worth desiring, but God alone. Not even death itself can keep us from our Lord’s kindness, mercy, and the true treasure of God's presence. Lord, crown me and all my love ones with your steadfast love and heal our diseases and infirmities, especially for Sue who recently suffered injuries from a serious fall. Lord heals her injuries and help with her recovery.
2 September 2024
Happy Labor Day? I never gave any thought to the significance of this holiday other than it is a national holiday and it was a paid day off work. For most people, it simply marks the last weekend of summer. I woke up feeling pretty good and grateful for the new day. I was glad that I m decided to wait to mow the grass today because we got the predicted 60 degree fall weather this morning. I did all the yard work in the front of the house. I started the needed trimming the bushes with a electric hedger and weed whacked. I decided it was time to lower the lawn mower down a notch and do a Rob overlapping and the results had me flexing. I looked at the weather app and there are plenty of nice days in the ten day forecast when I could tend to the yard work out back. I plan to set aside a day for mowing and set aside another day for weed whacking. I had a small salad and a soft flour egg taco to start out the day. It tastes like a egg burrito to me. I haven't mentioned the song of the day who a long while and it's high time I did. Funny how the mind works, it is most likely because I spend time with my brother enjoying our time during yesterday's family gathering. I use watch my brother record music on his deck reel to reel tape recorder. We grew up in Chicago in the sixties and there were countless garage bands during my high school years. The song of the day is, I Will Always Think About You - New Colony Six. I guess I might as well pen a verse of the day also, "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone" (Isaiah 9:2). This great light which Isaiah prophesied is realized in our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. I was asked if I seen the underwater aquarium in Chicago. Fawn said that it was impossible to get me to go into the city. Perplexed, the question became why. Violent crime is plentiful in Chicago are the hallmarks of this city. Pick any street or highway a one crime or another happen a VoilĂ . A Google search of Chicago shootings in on any given day will confirm that things haven't changed. I've been wondering what to do with Psalm 104, these psalms are getting quite long and I feel that I need to go about pending my thoughts as I pray these long songs of praise. The psalmist begins by calling for his soul to bless the Lord because he is great. "Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, you are very great!" (v1). The psalmist then expands in great length and at great detail, reason to praise God. Everything calls on us to bless and praise the Lord. The psalmist speaks to God's majesty found in the heavens and on the earth. God’s greatness is shown in his creation of the sea and the dry land and for his provision for all creatures. I think that the multiplicity of creatures on land and sea and his provision for all creatures shows God’s greatness. Before meals, I often pray the common pray, "Bless us, O Lord, and these thy gift from thy bounty." Verses 27 and 28, is the basis for another common table pray that we often say. "All eyes look to you, O Lord, and you give them due season. You open your hands and all are satisfied." The psalmist then continues and speaks to God’s mastery over the cycle of life and death showing his sovereign power over all creatures. The psalmist then concludes by offering a resolution to continue singing praises God and hoping that his meditations God pleasing and then ends, "Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord! (v35). I could wrong, but it seems a call for justice is weird and is distant from mercy. "Bless the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!" I guess it wasn't too bad to pen at a very high level. I made myself another egg taco for my dinner, but I was still hungry. Fawn bought home a plate of food yesterday from the family food boil, so I tried out one shrimp and one snow crab leg just to get a taste. I didn't dare try to eat any more than that. Albeit shrimp is relatively low in purine, crab is relatively high in purine. I am so scare to raise my uric acid level and trigger another gout flare up. I’m a tad tire and thing I stop penning and thank the Lord for all his blessing of the day. Bless us and keep us, O Lord, grant us your peace.
1 September 2024
I woke up grateful for this new day but was slow to get out of bed because we were watching primetime college football. I put on my ND cap that mama gifted me and we cheered on Fighting Irish last night. It was weird to watch the game without any game food to be found. The final score was, Notre Dame 23 Texas A&M 13. It was a great win for the Irish, but they will need to address all those penalties. It was also somewhat laughable that most of the college football analysts were predicting ND to be a three point underdog. I think it is highly possible that this team could go 12 - 0 and are CFP contenders. I learned that my nephew involved in a automobile accident last night. Thanks be to God he was able to walk away from that rear end collision. From the damage I saw to the back of his car, the drunk hit and run driver must have been driving a tank to be able to be able drive away from the scene of the accident. I also learn a friend has covid in his household. Prayers for his health, comfort and recovery. Lord, heal our infirmities. I tried on a bunch of new pants that mama bought me. I am thrilled by how well the size 34 inch pants fit but less thrilled about continuing to lose weight. One couldn't help but to notice the awesome ideal weather we were having from the get go. We had a beautiful baby blue sky with a nice mixture of contrasting white clouds. It is an awesome start for September and the fall season. We went to a family gathering that was hosted by Alan and by Natalie. I enjoyed my siblings and all my nephews and nieces company. We don't gather often enough. What a most gorgeous day the Lord has made from dawn to dust. I am grateful for showering us with his countless blessings.
31 August 2024
I woke up to the sound of alarm so that I had time to do some stretching exercises and get in a few leg raising exercises before heading out to Alex's to meet up with the kids. Another month just flew by, incredible. It is to good still wake with a grateful heart and offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving for this new day. What a gorgeous looking day the Lord has made. The morning temperature and humidity was ideal. I am glad that mama stopped at the, Big Apple Bagels. I felt extra blessed when Isaac first came in and greeted me with concerns asking me if I was doing better an if I was OK. His mindfulness speaks well of him. I made us the usual breakfast of bacon and breakfast sausage links. For some reason I can't make my scrambled eggs as fluffy and tasty as Alex's, but I do my best. It is ashamed that I have to abstain from eating bacon and sausage. "Those who take medicine and neglect diet, waste the skills of the physician..." All was not lost! My palate did a happy dance to the tune of a jalapeño bagel and egg sandwich, so deliciously satisfying. It is hilarious how Peyton moves though her different toys from riding on her electric trike scooter and wanting to Star War battle grandpa with light sabers. Today was the first time I went with Rob to the playground by Alex's. I was surprised to see a tree fort slide is as high as it was. The playground also featured a tandem swing where a small child faces an adult swing. It also had a compact merry- go-round ride. Grandchildren are truly a joyful blessing. I got my resistance exercise by pushing Isaac on the merry-go-round and Peyton on the swing. It's not clear to me if they should be as fearless as they are. Aah, Rob gave me a much needed massage. I was surprised to see Peyton stop from her playful business to join in and help. Alex and I had the gas stove blasting away. We were side by side cooking, he was making an Italian sausage and spinach and pasta dish and I was making the beef gon chow. My nephew is hosting a seafood boil at his home tomorrow. It was nice of him to give me a wellness call and was mindful to ask about my dietary needs. How am so blessed to be surrounded by the gift of loving friends and family. I was surprised that I finished all the data entry for my lab work spreadsheet yesterday in one sitting. When we got back home mama gave me a haircut and I’m feeling pretty good. I need to stop penning and get ready for the Notre Dame to take on Texas A&M. I couldn't ask for a better day than today, because time with family brings me the most joy on this side of heaven. God is good.
30 August 2024
Thank you, O Lord, for the gift of this new day. Guide my thoughts, words, and deeds in accordance with your will. I looked at the weather app early last night and initially planned to either cut the grass out front or take the weed whacker to it. I looked at again. I looked at the weather app again and saw that Monday would be by far be a much cooler day, so I will postpone doing the needed until then. Besides, today is a big cook day for preparing home cooked meals for the kids to take home. I start the day off by making a large pot of oatmeal. First cooking task was making the Cantonese style pan fried noodles. Like a restaurant, we did all the prep work ahead of time this morning. We went big and I sliced up four packages of rice noodles to make gon chow ngau ho. Albeit Isaac and Peyton always ask me to make this dish, the reality is who doesn't love this classic Cantonese comfort dish. Albeit last time I use three packages and there was some for the kids to take home, four packages should be enough leftovers to keep our grandkids happy! There was plenty of vegetables to prep, mama helped with the bok chop and gai lan and kept up with all the pots and pans and cooking utensils while I did the green bell peppers and white onions. I fried up a hamburger patties and teriyaki chicken for us. It is so unfair that I had to limit myself to two thumb size amount of chicken for my noon time meal. We went on the portal to check the results of the blood two blood tests I took yesterday. Thanks be to God the lab work results were both in the normal range! That offered me confidence that I could increase my portion of the occasional chicken appropriately. It was time to stir fried beef with Chinese broccoli (gai lan). I'm assuming that the kid will eat that over the pan fried noodles at least that is traditionally how this classic dish is often eaten. Next up was spicy pan seared tofu, I think that it something that Rob enjoys. It is hard to tell, because he is always thankful for everything that is placed before him from God’s bounty. The biggest and my last cooking task of the day was making Peyton's favorite dish of mine, stir fried spare ribs with black bean and garlic sauce. This dish is another classic Canto dish that takes a lot of work to prepare but I think it is well worth the effort to make. Psalm 103 is titled; Bless the Lord, O My Soul Of David. The first thing I thought of when I saw this psalm title was the, Bless the Lord My Soul, taizĂ© chant. The psalmist begins by calling upon his soul and his whole being to bless the Lord and to remember all his benefits. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits" (v1-2). God does the verb, so how could we possibly bless the Lord? I think to bless the Lord means that it blesses and honors God when we appropriately praise and thank him. The psalmist then lists a series of great benefits God brings to his people: forgiveness, restored health, deliverance, love, satisfaction and renewed energy (v3–5). Albeit I have given muse and have sought God favor in prayer for these and other benefits, it would be too daunting task pen on all of God’s benefits we have experienced. The then recalls the Lord's righteous deeds and justice and made his ways known on behalf of Israel to Moses (v6-7). Hmm, I am only about a quarter of the way meditating and penning this psalm. The last time I prayed through the entire Psalter, I just picked a verse that caught my attention and mused about the single verse. Although I still intend to muse each of these psalms as a whole verse by verse, I need to pen my thoughts at a much higher level here for the sake of time and space moving forward. The psalmist then offered assurances that the Lord is merciful, gracious, slow to anger, loving, and ready to forgive our transgressions (Psalm 103:8–14). The psalmist then contrast between man’s moment and God’s permanence (v15–19). Man's days are numbered and will fade away while the steadfast love of the Lord is everlasting to those who fear him. The psalmist then contrasts between God and his angels and heavenly host (v20-21). Interestingly, the psalmist began this psalm by calling his soul to bless the Lord and then concludes with a call to the Lord's mighty angels and heavenly to also bless the Lord. The psalmist then yet further extended his call to bless the Lord to all of God’s work, in all places of his dominion. The psalmist closes his psalm as he started it with a call to his own soul to bless the Lord (v22). I love this beautiful psalm which describes God’s character and celebrates his faithfulness to his people. This psalm shows us that we have reason to praise the Lord and grounds our lives in gratitude and praise. Through Christ our Lord let us then continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God and acknowledge his holy name. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and let all that is within me, bless his holy name!” I guess I will stop penning now and dedicate some time to do more data entry on my lab work spreadsheet since I’m just waiting for the pork riblets to finish simmering. I hope to be able to enter all the data from sheet 3 of 4 from the print out. I have been standing up and cooking most of the day and haven’t notice or felt any stress on my foot, that’s a good thing. I am thankful our Lord healing. I can’t wait to meet up the kids this holiday weekend and celebrate the gift of family. I am also all fired up to watch the Fighting Irish take on the Aggies. It is one of the biggest college games this weekend. The reality is that a win here is an important one for Notre Dame in there quest to make the college football playoffs. Win or lose for Texas A&M, I see no path for the Aggies to make the college football playoffs because I don’t see them becoming the SEC Champions. "Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise" (Jeremiah 17:140).
29 August 2024
"Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!" (Psalm 107:8). I woke up this morning and thought how great it is to be alive in my senior years. Thank you Lord for all the blessings I have received but especially for the gift of life itself. The gout symptoms in my foot is only noticeable when I press down looking for that one tender spot, so that is a good thing that I am thankful for. I have been enjoying raspberry oatmeal with raisin toast all week for breakfast. Mama decided to change it up with cold cereal this morning. I am actually surprised that I haven't experienced any food fatigue yet being on very a limited diet. I hopped on the scale this morning myself and weighed 136.2 pounds. Eight years ago before retirement, my BMI was 29. I was overweight and was bordering on obesity and needed to lose twenty-five pounds. Today my BMI was 21.
• Healthy BMI range: 18.5 kg/m2 - 25 kg/m2
• Healthy weight for the height: 118.1 lbs - 159.6 lbs
• BMI Prime: 0.86
• Ponderal Index: 12.6 kg/m3
I have been hovering around 140 pounds for a long while now but within a span of a month, I have loss about four pounds because I changed to a stricter diet for health reasons. I had no intention of trying to lose any weight. Albeit I haven't loss my appetite and am not experiencing any hunger, I am losing weight because of my limited food selection choices and I have been eating a lot of salad as well as faithfully abstaining completely from eating junk food. I guess I will need to search for some healthier calorie dense food that will fit my dietary needs. We went out and about to the fox valley area shopping. So here I am sitting in the car musing and penning my thoughts about Psalm 102 that is titled, Do Not Hide Your Face from Me and is subtitled, A Prayer of one afflicted, when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord. That is an extraordinarily long and detailed intro. In his distress, the psalmist begins by pleading for God’s presence. He implodes God to hear and urgently respond to his prayer during his time of need. "Hear my prayer, O Lord; let my cry come to you! Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress! Incline your ear to me; answer me speedily in the day when I call!" (v1-2). The psalmist continues by describing the agony of his afflictions, suffering and loneliness to the point that he has loss his appetite and to his deteriorating health (v3-7). The psalmist then describes the agony of being afflicted by his enemies as they endlessly reproached him (v8-11). Again the psalmist uses similes to describe the toll of afflictions. "My days are like an evening shadow; I wither away like grass" (v11). This is remarkable simile. The evening shadow gradually lengthening before vanishing into the dark night as the psalmist withers away like decaying grass. Clearly, the psalmist feels overwhelmed with the sense of of divine rejection feeling that his life is short and God does care. The psalmist then contrasts his frailty and the fleeting nature of life to the enthronement of God eternal nature. "But you, O Lord, are enthroned forever; you are remembered throughout all generations" (v12). I am awestruck that the psalmist all of a sudden laments that God has allowed Jerusalem to fall while giving recognition to God’s favor toward Zion and is confident that God would act to restore Jerusalem its former glory and not leave it ruin and nations will fear the name of the Lord as he reveals his glory (v13-16). The psalmist is also confident that God will give ear to the poorest among the ruins. "he regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer” (v17). The psalmist’s then wishful pray recognizing the great deliverance God brings and that it will be recorded so that future generations may praise the Lord. The psalmist envisioned God looking down from heaven to see the earth and hearing the groaning the prisoners doomed to die and set them free so that they can proclaim the name of the Lord (v19-21). He also visions God looking down seeing, "when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the Lord" (v22). The psalmist confess reiterates his weakness and frailty. "He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days" (v23). Overwhelmed by his afflictions, the psalmist cries out in prayer pleading for the God’s help. The psalmist acknowledge ls God is eternal and as the creator of the heavens and the earth and that all things will eventually perish, contrasting that God is eternal and will remain the same (v24-27). The psalmist remarkably ends his prayer declaring that surly, "The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their offspring shall be established before you" (v28). I think that this psalm is remarkably well written prayer. I think when people in the mist of their suffering want a caring ear. Who better than to seek the ear and place your hope in God's enduring mercies. We went to the Chinese supermarket and picked up all the needed to fill up all the kids food requests and likes. We went out again after lunch for lab work at the Edward's facility on 95th Street. I like having my blood work done there because it is done by appointment with little to no wait and is easy to readily easy to get in and out hassle free. The high humidity we are getting is insanely uncomfortable. Before heading out, we turned to the Google Map app to check the gas prices in town and was happy to see that the nearby Shell station on Route 59 and 75th Street offer the lowest gas price. We got gas for $3.679 a gallon. Nice, we facetimed with the kids. Video chats technology is a blessing that always brings me joy. I worked my lab work spreadsheet today. So far I have the completed data from two of the pages of four pages. I am slow at data entry because I trying to do a little bit of analysis as I go along. I always knew that Fawn is very medically knowledgeable. When I have questions, she seems to be able to rattle off general information from a high level on most things which tell me that she not only research medical issue that impacts herself but also that of all her love ones. Good wife, I am so incredibly blessed. Anyway, this journal entry is getting super long and the day is almost over. We were planning to watch the Harris and Walz’s first interview tonight, but we just learn it wasn’t available to us free on network TV, that’s ridiculous. Thanks be to God for the blessing of the day.
28 August 2024
Whoa, kaboom! I'm on my phone this evening penning my journal entry for tomorrow because I wanted to capture the moment. The strong storm bore electrifying moments of frightening loud of thunder claps with a lot of ongoing rumbling last night. The lighting lit up sky and put on quite a light show and was followed by hail and a torrential downpour. It hasn't rained this hard in years and I have no recollection of continuous ongoing rumbling of this magnitude ever before. Looking at the weather app, I see a severe thunder storm warning as well as a flood advisory. I am surprised that we didn't get a phone alert. Guard us, O Lord, from harm during this storm... Thank you Lord for opening my eyes to the blessings of a new day. We got up early to go to Edward Hospital for mama's annual mammogram appointment. I usually walk around their beautiful campus during her exam, but here I am sitting in the car, praying and musing Psalm 101 and penning this journal entry. Psalm 101 is titled, I Will Walk with Integrity A Psalm of David. In his determination to rule righteously, the psalmist begins his psalms with a series of "I will". The psalmist begins by exalting love and justice of God, "I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O Lord, I will make music" (v1). King David was concern with love and justice. I think love and justice is a good way to describe God’s holiness in a nutshell. The psalmist then speaks to his second commitment, "I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house" (v2). The psalmist longed to connect his desire to live a sanctified life and sought God’s presence and divine help and vows to walk with personal integrity. These are encouraging words for me in my own coram deo. The psalmist continues with another "I will" by describing the righteous life. "I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil" (v3-4). I concur with the psalmist, if we truly desire to consistently live a blameless life we need to not pollute our minds with what we watch and read. I would also include what we listen to. The psalmist hates evildoers, vowing to distance himself from them and having nothing to do with evil. It requires great discipline over our wandering eyes in almost every facet our worldly interactions. We are constantly bombarded daily with sound and sights of the perverseness of pornographic and immorality as being an acceptable and inclusive way of life. The psalmist continues with another one of his "I will" vows, "Whoever slanders his neighbor secretly I will destroy. Whoever has a haughty look and an arrogant heart I will not endure" (v5). Making false and damaging statements about someone as well conveying arrogance and disdain for others is a grievous sin that the psalmist strongly opposes and will not endure. The psalmist then continues with another "I will" speaking to the advisors who will minister to him and the peoples he will get rid of. "I will look with favor on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; he who walks in the way that is blameless shall minister to me. No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes" (v6-7). The psalmist then concludes with his last and final "I will" vow, "Morning by morning I will destroy all the wicked in the land, cutting off all the evildoers from the city of the Lord" (v8). I'm shaking my head, and sarcastically saying, "Right, sure you will." The reality is that we are all sinful and unclean beggars in need of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. A commitment to public morality demands we first walk in the face of God with integrity of heart within our own house before we stand up and speak out on the public square about public morality and evil policies. I think that we would fare well to do as the psalmist did to protect ourselves from the countless temptations that surrounds us in our broken world. I don't know if it is a good idea or not to be including the actual ESV bible verses in my journal entry as I walk though each verse praying and pausing to muse and pen my thoughts because the entries are getting long. Mmm, mama put together a elevated chopped Asian salad kit with blueberries, raspberries, kiwi, Mandarin oranges and a hard boiled egg for out lunch. My Urologist called and updated me on the results of lab work and told me to see him again in six months for more testing. I have forgotten all about the spreadsheet I created so that I could view all my labs in a meaningful way. I guess I should spend a little more time today doing data entry. I really need to routinely spend some time on this project entering and analyzing the data. My wife has taught me the importance of needing to take some personal responsibility in own health care and being able to ask and formulate appropriate questions. I made us beef with pea pods for dinner. My portion was ridiculously smaller than I wish, but it is what it is. I later had to make myself a slice of toast to satisfy my hunger. Dang, after supper I went outside to row out the trash bin curbside and I could believe that albeit it was fifteen degrees colder than it was yesterday how hot and humid it felt. I am excited that we are one day closer to the start of the holiday weekend and relish the thought of spending time with family. With our inflationary poor economy looming over our nation, prayers for the unemployed and underemployed this Labor Day weekend.
27 August 2024
I need to do more exercise, so I went up to bed early last night and did a boat load of different leg exercises in bed. It was a big mistake; the adrenaline prevented me from falling asleep. Normally, I can simply lay down and close my eye and doze off rather quickly. Albeit I was slow to get out of bed this morning, I woke up with joy in my heart for the gift of life. Mama made me a bowl of oatmeal with fresh raspberries and raisin toast again. Albeit we have oatmeal most days, I often like to change oatmeal up in various ways. But I can do raspberries oatmeal with raisin toast every day, so good! Mama went out to the the Jewels for groceries this morning, but I opted to stay home in the cool and do many of the exercises that I haven't been been up to doing for weeks. Too bad that mama couldn't find any decent to make one of her amazing salads. So I heated up the little remaining spaghetti noodles and had it with a dab of her pasta sauce. It was enough, so I heated up a little bit of rice and had it with a thumb size piece of chicken and curry sauce. I came across a humorous video clip where an elderly gentleman made a wager that he could do between three to four hundred pushups and won the bet after he did four pushups. It was a matter of semantics. Hmm, I thought that I my symptoms of gout was improving, but that one lingering tender spot was somewhat noticeable this afternoon and I needed to elevated my leg again. So I just sat and watched s2e6 of, The Ark. I am so looking forward this holiday weekend. We will get to see the kids and Notre Dame will be taking on the Texas A&M. It will be one of the biggest college football game on week one between two ranked teams. It is not clear to me if this matchup is a must win game for the Irish to make the playoffs or not, but it will go a long way to speaking to the strength of the team. Many college football analysts are predicting the Aggies win over the Fighting Irish and Vegas has Notre Dame as the underdog by 2.5 points. Despite the loss of the talented Charles Jagusah at the left tackle position, I simply don't get it that is enough to dub this team as a underdog. I'm predicting that the Fighting Irish will victoriously come out on top. Psalm 100! I'm two thirds through the psalms. Praying and meditating on the psalms has helps understand God's character and my relationship with him. Psalm 100 is subtitled, A Psalm for giving thanks. The psalmist begins with an exhortation for the whole world to praise God. "Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!" (v1-2). I have no problems making a joyful noise whatsoever. I reside to the fact that I can't sing a lick, but I don't let that deter me one iota. I am clueless to what psalmist mean by, "Serve the Lord with gladness!" In the Divine Service, God severs his people and his people respond in thanksgiving. Perhaps the psalmist is alluding to our work is to happily praise God in worship with song, I just don't know. The psalmist invites to us into developing a relationship that already exists, the Lord is God our Creator and we are his sheep (v3). The psalmist exhorts everyone to come before God and worship him in his Holy Temple. "Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!" (v4). God, the Good Shepherd cares for us, as we are sheep in his pasture. Going to Mass is one of many ways to response to God’s love. I think the Mass is the best place to thank God for the gifts besides himself. By grace, I am blessed with the gift of life, family, friends, faith and love. The psalmist concludes his short psalm declaring that God is good. "For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations" (v5). This is a comforting assurance that God’s love and faithfulness endures for all eternity! I must have misunderstood mama this morning, because she made me one her signature salads for dinner. I thought that I wasn’t going to have any salad today when she said that all the lettuce was bad. The Jewels had iceberg lettuce on sale, but all the ones in the store weren’t any good. Forgive our iniquity, O Lord, and heal our diseases.
26 August 2024
I woke up grateful for a bright new day. I love the sunlight coming though the back of house. If I could have a do over constructing our home, I would have opted for something that would allow more sunlight in. Despite the gorgeous looking day, I hid indoors all day from extreme heat and humidity. I can see that the grass is overdue and needs to be mowed. I hope that my persistent goat will subside enough for me to tend needed by the weather will permit. Mama went out and about and was able to find fresh rice noodles at the Chinese supermarket. Mmm, lately I have been looking forward for my oatmeal with fresh raspberries and raisin toast for breakfast. We have a water leak at the base of kitchen faucet that can't be ignored much longer, so spent time this morning looking at a few videos on how repair our Pfister kitchen faucet and we came to a consensus that we will need to replace the o-rings. Since the parts are under warranty, mama called the manufacturer for replacement parts. I made mama teriyaki chicken using boneless thigh meat over rice for lunch. My dietary needs are so complicated, what is good for this is bad for that. I finally got around to eating meat. I boiled a slightly larger thumb size of chicken thigh and used curry powder to give the sauce some taste and had it over rice. The curry chicken lack depth without other seasonings and tasted rather bland, but I was still to change it up. Psalm 99 is a short psalm that celebrates God's holiness and his reign over creation. It may be best for me to walk through this psalm with muse and commentary. The psalmist begins by declaring "The Lord reigns, The Lord reigns; let the peoples tremble; He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake!" (v1). I was struck by how much this psalm differs from previous psalm declarations. "The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty" (Psalm 93:1) and "The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice" (Psalm 97:1). However, the psalmist invites man to tremble and the earth to quake. I was perplexed by, "We should fear and love God...", the first time I read, Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation. Love and fear? This becomes clear when we distinguish between the two types of fear, servile fear and filial fear. Servile fear is a fear of getting caught and being punishment for wrongdoing, while filial fear draws from the concept of family and refers to the fear that a child who desperately want to please their parents. So yes, let the saints’ tremble with devout emotion and sinners tremble with terror in God’s presence. The psalmist then speaks to relationships of God and his people. "The Lord is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let them praise your great and awesome name! Holy is he!" (v2-3). It is interesting that the Hebrew word for “holy” literally means “separate” or “set apart.” God is revealed as separated from everything that is unjust, untrue, and evil. The psalmist then describes God as a lover of justice and righteousness who cares about justice on earth (v4). The psalmist then re-emphasizes that God is holy and encourages us to exalt him and worship him. "Exalt the Lord our God; worship at his footstool! Holy is he!" (v5). The object of the exaltation is to submit oneself to God sovereignty and to respond properly to his holy presence. The psalmist then continues and named Moses, Aaron and Samuel as priests who interceded on behalf of the people and God answered them in a pillar of cloud when they called upon his named (v6-7). The psalmist then points out that albeit God answered them forgivingly, God also was an avenger of their wrongdoings (v8). The psalmist concludes with once again with a call for us to exalt the Lord our God at where he dwells in his holiness. "Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the Lord our God is holy!" (v9). Thanks be to God, his love and mercies endures forever.
25 August 2024
"O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch" (Psalm 5:3). The first thought that intuitively crosses my mind when I wake up is God and his gift of a new day. The freshness of God’s goodness and mercy are new every morning. How can I not respond with a sacrifice of thanksgiving? I can't believe that I am still tending to the gout in my foot. Albeit I can walk and move about, I remain fully aware that I have not fully recovered from the gout flare in my foot. Mama prepared me a nice bowl of oatmeal with fresh raspberries and a slice of toasted raisin bread. This combination makes for a tasty breakfast. Ooh-wee, we stepped out into a sauna this morning heading out for Sunday Mass. I laced up my dress shoes tightly to stabilize my foot and was walk without any issues. I always seem to think that I am unable to lose belly fat. The first noticeable sign was being able wear my along my waistline instead of below it. My second milestone was dropping down from a size 38 pants to a 36. The effect of mostly eating salads for the past two weeks showed this morning. My size 36 dress pants were a little loose and being at the last belt notch caused concerns. A closer examination of belt reveals that I have went down four notches. I peeked at the weather and saw there were a air quality alert as well as several excessive heat advisories. We are expecting to be well into the 90s for the next three days. We celebrated, The Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost, but with the Saint John Brass accompanying the pipe organist making a joyful noise, it felt like full blast worship it on a feast day. The Lord gladdens and lifts my soul. Aah, I couldn't wait to untie my dress shoes, when we got back home and have mama draw me a bucket of ice water to soak my foot. The song is the day is, Operator - Jim Croce and Time in a Bottle - Jim Croce. I watched, Notre Dame 2024 Preseason Special, and am all fired up for this team who I poised to be among the nations best. Nice, we on FaceTime with the kids and offered happy birthday well wishes to Rob. All who knows this find young man are blessed. Peyton with great pride introduced me to Hakuna Matata, her pet blue betta fish. Sounds like I'll be making Cantonese style rib for Peyton and Rice noodles for Isaac this upcoming holiday weekend. I boiled a small pot of spaghetti noodles and mama took a small container of her infamous pasta sauce from the freeze. Mmm, what a delicious change for me from eating salad for lunch and dinner meal for the last two weeks. The title to Psalm 98 is, Make a Joyful noise to the Lord. That is what I can do at best because my singing is terrible, just ask anyone who has had the misfortune of being seated in the pew directly in front of me. The Psalmist begins by inviting everyone to sing a new song to the Lord for his wonderful deeds. "Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him" (v1). Clearly the psalmist is a "new song" of praise for God’s saving grace. What is not clear to me is the meaning of a new song is and what does salvation mean to the psalmist, but indeed God has done marvelous things. I could be wrong, but I think that a “new song” is a celebration of a new victory accomplished by the Lord in the context of military victories or deliverance from the hand of enemies on the behalf of God’s people. Unlike the this view of salvation, I view salvation as deliverance of our soul from sin and its consequences. It doesn't matter that psalmist didn't identify what new marvelous thing God has done, because God is always doing some new work of redemption. The Lord has made his steadfast love and faithfulness known, his salvation is seen by all the ends of the earth (v3). The psalmist then call out for everyone to make a joyful noise to the Lord by sing praises and play the melody with the lyre and the sound of horns with the trumpets (v4-6). The psalmist went big and calls on the seas to roar, the rivers to clap, the hills to sing for joy together with inhabitants who dwells in the world before the Lord come to judge the world with righteousness, and the man with equity (v7-9). It's time to stop penning and with repentant joy thank God for his ongoing redemptive works and for the blessings of the day and ask for ask for the healing of our mind, body and soul. Lord, in your mercy.
24 August 2024
I woke up grateful for the gift of another day. I am at the age when I no longer take this gift for granted. May the Lord teach me to number my day that I may gain a heart of wisdom. The gout in my foot feels much better and I can move about with a slow walk, but it is still better to rest my foot than to stand on it for long periods. I am doing leg raises in bed as well as leg exercises sitting on a chair. I also did a few arm strengthening exercises. Surly, not doing any exercises whatsoever for two weeks now can't be a good thing. I made a fresh pot of oatmeal. I kicked up my bowl of oatmeal with a splash of Cholula hot sauce and my taste bud was doing the happy dance. I had to fight off my urges to indulge myself with a second helping. O what a beautiful morning, my sister give me a wellness call. We exchange inquiries about each other health and concerns as well as doing a lot of catching up. She finally closed her mom and pop grocery store and retired. I made myself a fixed egg sandwich lunch. It is so depressing to be on a limit diet for two weeks now. I need to find broader food options to deal with all that ails me. The psalmist begins Psalm 97 with a universal proclamation that the Lord reigns. "The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!" (v1). Our Lord’s divine rule brings us joy and gladness. The psalmist then speaks theophany of God reminiscent of God’s appearance on Mount Sinai and duly notes that righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne (v2-5). The psalmist then compares how nature and human beings respond to the revealing of God’s glory. Nature’s response is simple, "The heavens proclaim his righteousness" (v6). Man's response is mixed, pointing out that not all people worship God. The people who worship idols are ashamed. "All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!" (v7). The psalmist then contrasts with the response of God’s faithful people who rejoiced in God’s judgments. "Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O Lord" (v8). The psalmist then concludes by that God reassuring us that preserves the lives of his saints and delivers them from the hands of the wicked. The psalmist challenges us to live our lives in a way that will continually celebrate with thanksgiving the light of his righteous presence. Whoo hoo, college football is back! Oh wow, #10 Florida State Seminole was upset by the unranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, 24 - 21. The Seminoles was 10.5 points favorite to win. Florida State will most certainly drop in the college football rankings, but I am curious to see if be will remain a ranked team tomorrow. Today was an outstanding day. I am happy that my sister called, thank be to God for the gift of family.
23 August 2024
I woke grateful this morning grateful for the gift of new day. I was slow getting out bed because we stayed up pretty late last night to watch the closing day of the DNC. I'll get to musing about that a little later as I will be penning this journal entry as the day progressive. I am of good cheer; because I feel that I may be days from full recovery from my symptoms of gout. The tender spot on my foot is still noticeable and it shows when I walk, the pain is minimal and is manageable. Albeit I didn't feel that I needed it, I couldn't turn down mama's offer to draw me bucket of ice water to soak my foot in, it felt so good being immersed in cold water. Mmm, I had my oatmeal with a splash of Cholula hot sauce and toasted raisin bread, so good. Mama gifted me a new electric shaver, my old current electric shaver blades are getting pretty dull. The manufacture recommends the blades be replaced every 12 – 16 months. I previously replaced the blades foolishly once before realizing that albeit it was slightly cheaper than buy an entirely new electric shaver. At this point we thought the shaver was old and opted for a new one that was actually cheaper. It’s crazy that a new shaver initial charge takes 12 hours. The psalmist begins Psalm 95 by encouraging us to sing with joy, "Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!" (v1). The psalmist then invites us to come before the presence of God with the sacrifice of thanksgiving and with joyful song of praise. "Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!" (v2). The psalms then gives offers the basis for praising the Lord is that he a is great God and great king above all other gods as namely recognizes that God is the creator, the one who ordered and sustains the world. The psalmist then encourages us to reverently worship the Lord, "Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!" (v6). The reason we should bow and kneel is because we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand (v7). The Lord shepherds us. Oddly towards the end of verse 7, the psalmist begins to conclude his psalm with a warning to listen and to harden their hearts like their ancestors who refused to listen to God and suffered the terrible consequences. A Google search of Massah and Meribah appear together in Exodus 17, which recalls Israel’s disobedience during the period of wilderness wandering. The consequence was that for forty years that generation did not enter God's rest. Sigh, albeit I have been routinely getting quite a few spam emails, calls and text messages the uptick of these unsolicited political solicitations are so annoying. OK, I'll give it go on my thoughts of the televised final night closing of the DNC. Much like the RNC, I didn't care for the celebratory convention hoohas, I guess because I am a basically a moderate and don't care for extremism of either party as a collective. I was mostly interested in how Kamala Harris presents herself as well as the way she presents her sincerity on the content of her party's presidential nomination acceptance speech. I believe that she approached her acceptance speech in a way to appeal to undecided swing voters by spending little time on topics that are inspiring to democrats that put off swing voters. Much like Donald Trump, the Republicans nominee, she offered a series of populist promises to help the middle class. I thought Kamala Harris did a good job on the podium with well written speech to which I am sure speech had a fair amount of half political half truths. It didn't surprise me that she would bring up warnings about Project 2025, she said enough about it for me to look in to her and allegations. I read the PBS News article, Fact-checking warnings from Democrats about Project 2025 and Donald Trump. I will say that it is difficult to trust anything politicians say. For example, Trump said, “I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.” Trump also incongruously has declared both that, “I disagree with some of the things they’re saying and some of the things they’re saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal.” It is no wonder why many people don't trust politicians in general and label them as liars. I don’t know why I thought this weekend was the Labor Day weekend, especially when it always land on the first Monday of September, strange. Anyway, time to stop penning and relax before getting ready for bed. Thank you Lord for the blessings of the day. Grant, O Lord, your Holy Spirit to help heed your warnings and be attentive to your precepts. Lord, take away our infirmities and diseases and heal us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
22 August 2024
I often begin my journal entry by penning, "I woke up". How can I not follow by being thankful to God for the gift of life? The tender spot on my foot from my gout is still there, but it is less tense and I am able to slowly move about after soaking my foot in a bucket of ice water. I am so thankfully blessed for all that my selfless do. I looked at the weather app this morning and noticed that we are expecting actual summertime like weather for this weekend. My sinus was acting up big time, but I opted against the use of antihistamine without knowing what the side effects are with my gout. We went to Alex's for lunch and stopped at Panda Express for a takeout. Sadly, I'm still waiting for a full recovery before going back to my normal diet. I made myself a thin bagel egg and cheese sandwich. It was anywhere near as tasty as the sandwich I made for myself on Sunday with the jalapeño bagel. Needless to say that the Big Apple Bagel was laps and bound better than the packaged store bought bagels. I saw a, "Happy Senior citizens day! And for everyone else Remember to respect your elders because you will be in their position some day!" post. I think this is a weak reason to respect elders and think that ethical holiness would be a better reason to respect elders; it's the right thing to do. "You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:32). Albeit I have elders, there are far more that are not. That someday has come, Happy Senior Citizens Day! Psalm 94 reminds us that God does not forsake his people. The psalmist begins by addressing God as God of vengeance. It is a call for God to rise up by bringing justice to the proud. "O Lord, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve!" (v1-2). I always struggle with psalms that ask for divine vengeance and wonder whether or not it is appropriate for us to do so. Obviously, many psalmist have no qualms about it, but I honestly don't know other than that vengeance belongs to God alone, who sees more and knows more than we know. The psalmist then questions how long will the wicked and the proud be allowed to delight in their evil ways? "O Lord, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?" (v3). The psalmist concludes with accusation of the evildoers wrong doings. (v4-7). The psalmist then rebukes the rebellious reasoning against their wicked's belief that God does not notice their deeds (v8-11). It is not clear to me if the psalmist then proceeds by name calling or is actually intending to address them. "Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?" (v8). I think the psalmist is actually trying to specifically instruct them and think that it would be far more beneficial here not to outrightly call people fools and the dullest of people and expect them to heed his exhortation.The Psalmist then speaks of the blessedness of those whom God corrects and teaches from God’s law and points out the need for the righteous to find the blessings in life’s difficulties (v12-15). I think of God’s laws are that of a loving father. "And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives”" (Hebrews 12:5-6). The psalmist then asks several rhetorical questions, "Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?" (v16). The psalmist then answers that nobody will. "If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence" (v17). The psalmist then concludes by circling back, "Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death" (v20-21). It is comforting to know that albeit those charge can act in wicked ways, we can place our trust in the Lord. "But the LORD has become my a stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge" (v22). The chapter ends with a confident assurance of God's justice, and the downfall of the wicked. "He will bring back on them d their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out" (v23). These kind of psalms remain difficult for me to understand as I leave it to our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus to come in justice to punish the wicked and pray that he come to rescue us from their evil deeds. The first thing I did when we got back home was to submerge my foot again in ice water. The plan for later this evening is to watch Kamala Harris give her presidential nomination acceptance speech. I think that will be the biggest speech of her life. I believe that she will fare well in this high stake speech if she uses a teleprompter to deliver her speech and stay focus on the script. Without a doubt I will mostly disagree with much of what she will say, but it will be important for her to be in control and present herself presidential. She has been relentlessly criticize regarding her public speaking skills, often characterize as “word salad.” I remain cluessless as to who I will vote for or against, because I don’t care for either one of these two candidates, but at least she would be a better choice than Joe Biden, who I believe should not currently be holding the office of the POTUS because I have concerns about his cognitive abilities. Prayers for our nation during this time of transition. May our elected official seek God’s will that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
21 August 2024
"Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and Amen" (Psalm 98:52). The Lord is good, I am thankful for this new day. We work up early this morning because for mama's dental appointment for a temporary crown. Because of the one tender gout spot on foot, I initially didn't feel like there was any improvement. Mama drew me a bucket of ice water to soak my foot and I was good to go slow mo after that. Albeit I sat in the car mist of the time, it still felt good to be out and about. After mama's dental appointment, we went to, America's Best, to pick up and try out my new eyeglasses. We got gas for $3.569 which was comparably much lower than most filling stations in our area. I think it is ridiculous how much gas prices fluctuates day to day. We came to our senses last night and didn't bother to watch Day 2 of the DNC. I seen enough of "smiling face." ... Once again the protesters voice was overshadowed and diminished by violent, destructive and criminal acts. To be honest, I can't imagine anything the protesters are saying is anything worth hearing while when they are burning the American flag and Israeli flag. This protest has hate written all over it. Chicago Police Superintendent said, “Last night was a danger to our city and a danger to our citizens in this city, our residents’ property. And CPD has to protect that.” Snelling said that between 55 and 60 people were arrested. I give the CPD A A+ on day 2. Psalm 93 is a short song of praise that recognizes God's authority over all of creation. I'm not sure how to take in the crux of this psalm except walking through it verse by verse. The psalmist begins with a proclamation that, "The Lord reigns!" "The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved" (v1). The psalmist strongly emphasizes that God is robed in majesty and strength. Not only does God has established an unshakable world, he has established his throne before the foundation of the world. Unlike earthly thrones, there was a time when God did not and will not reign. "Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting" (v2). I am clueless what, the roaring and tumultuous seas, is suppose to symbolize, but the psalmist says that God’s might surpasses them. "The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their roaring. Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!" (v3-4). The psalmist paints a picture of how one of the most powerful forces of nature is no match to God's authority. This reminds me of the time when Jesus walked on water and calms the sea. The psalm concludes with a declaration of the steadfast nature of God’s decrees and the holiness that befits his dwelling. "Your decrees are very trustworthy; holiness befits your house, O Lord, forevermore" (v5). All teachings outside of Holy Scripture are uncertain, but the revelations of heaven are infallible. I kicked back this afternoon and binge watch a Hallmark Drama trilogy. The first movie was, The Ultimate Gift. The list of gifts given were the gift of Work, Money, Friends, Learning, Problems, Family, Laughter, Dreams, Giving, Gratitude, A day, and Love. I was a little surprise to see the gift of money on the list, but there it was in the OT of wisdom literature. "Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God" (Ecclesiastes 5:29). The second movie I watched was, The Ultimate Life. The choice of either watch between Day 3 of the DNC or the last movie, The Ultimate Legacy, was a easy choice. Thanks be to God, who showers us with countless gifts and blessings. I am thankful for signs of my gout symptoms subsiding.
20 August 2024
Thanks be to God for, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). I am thankful this morning for signs of improvement, yet the one tender spot on my foot is still there. I wanted to get out of the house and go pick up my prescription eyeglasses, but mama remains apprehensive and is fearful that I am not ready and may lose my balance and fall. Thanks be to God, it was good to see that there were far fewer protesters than the 30 thousand protester organizers expected. Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said approximately 3,500 protesters marched from Union Square to a park just north of the United Center on Monday. Initially Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling reported that at least four people were arrested. As of Tuesday morning, Snelling said approximately 10 people were arrested in relation to the fence breach. Since protests began on Sunday, 13 people have been taken into custody. I was not surprised to see confrontational idiots embedded the protesters. It is not clear to me if protesters are inherently violent. But can see how all the yelling and screaming could work even the people with good intentions be worked up into a frenzy. It is good to see that Governor Pritzker activated 250 members of the Illinois National Guard to assist the Chicago Police. I am glad to see the level of restrain of the CPD keeping yesterday's situation from escalating into a riot. I give the CPD a A+ for the first day. Thanks be to God, my brother called me this afternoon with good news, his angiogram this morning revealed no blockage after his heart surgery. Psalm 92 is subtitled, A Song for the Sabbath. The psalmist begins by praising, "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night" (v1-2). Thanks be to God for his steadfast love and faithfulness. May we continually offer the pure sacrifice of praise to his holy name. The psalmist proceeds praising God’s works, "For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy" (v4). The psalmist’s entire focus is on the joy of the works of God's hands and not on self. This is so Lutheran, God always does the verb. The psalmist then speaks to omniscience of God’s works and addresses what happens when we reject the life that God offers to us. "How great are your O Lord Your thoughts are very deep! The stupid man cannot know: that though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they are doomed to destruction forever" (v5-7). I just had a vision of my kids decrying political correctness of this verse. Rightly or wrongly, I grew up in a era where folks spoke unapologetically calling a spade a spade. I am fully aware that they look forward to a time beyond the rhetoric of my generation. The “stupid man” the psalmist speaks of are those who reject God and are content to be simple-minded. They can’t or don't care to comprehend the deep thoughts of God and thus remain fools with no understanding. Albeit evildoers may flourish like grass in our broken world, they are destined to face the consequences of their wickedness. The psalmist concludes declaring that those who are right with God will enjoy a long and fruitful life in contrast to the grasses and plants of the field that eventually withers away. "The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him" (v12-15).
19 August 2024
I woke up this morning in good cheer to a bright sunshiny day in good cheer, thankful for his gift of a new day. Funny how the mind works, I started to sing, "I can see clearly now the rain is gone... It's gonna be a bright Bright sunshiny day." Obviously, with the sun being out would bring cause, but the thought of going out to pick up my new prescription eyeglasses also was a trigger. I guess that makes the song of the day, I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash. I was hoping for continued improvement with the gout this morning, but I guess I was on it more than should have been. Mama thought it best that I give my foot another day of rest before going out and stressing my foot. That's be to God for my good wife 's loving care. She prepare a tub of ice water for me to immerse my foot in it. Mmm, she made fresh pot of oatmeal and prepared for me a wonder bowl of raspberry oatmeal and toast. Later in the day after immersing my foot in ice water and resting it was much better. Protesters gathered yesterday ahead of the DNC on the convention’s eve with a 1.5 mile march began around 6:30 p.m. along Michigan Avenue against the war in Gaza and for abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. During this morning press conference, Chicago Police Superintendent Larry Snelling was asked if any arrest was made. He stated that a 23-year-old woman was arrested for criminal defacement of property and resisting/obstructing a peace officer. That offered me a temporary sigh of relief, as I remain apprehensive about the conduct of would be pro-Palestinian protesters that is expected to be a much larger and vocal and disruptive group. I pray that these protesters are not anti-Semitic or pro-Hama. It is no clear to me who these protesters are, because I have hear the news media refer to these protesters as being pro-Palestinian as well as anti-Israel. Psalm 91 is one of my favorite psalms that reassure us of God's protection, comfort and care. The psalmist begins by celebrating that evil cannot defeat those who trust in God. "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”" (v1-2). The psalmist then metaphorically speaks outwardly to how God brings about his protection, comfort and care. "For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler" (v3-4). The psalmist is confident that nothing can ultimately threaten his life because he trusts God and that there was no reason to fear even when pandemics and wars ravage and kill thousands (v5-7). I am reminded of the September 11th terrorist attacks. We all face countless circumstances and dangers in this broken world like reckless drivers and road rage. Just the other day we were talking about crazies with high capacity automatic weapons. I was struck by, "nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday" (v6). The word "pestilence" popped out with covid-19 written all it to me. It is interesting that psalmist lists a few specific dangers that God protects us from and suggests that God will preserve his people in the midst of his “recompense of the wicked.” "You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked" (v8). The psalmist speaks to the deliverance and assurance of God’s protection for the believer with the aid of his "Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways" (v9-11). It is clear to me that God's people have fallen to evil or died in plague, so yes evil may indeed befall us; its effects are limited to this life. Thanks be God, I will never experience the recompense of the wicked because Christ and him crucified. The worst evil, which is eternal separation from God, true evil will never befall us. This psalm concludes with a salvation oracle in which God declares what he will do for the one who loves him and calls on his name. “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation” (v14-16). Away, it's time to for supper and kick back before watching the start of the DNC. Prayers of supplication for our leaders that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
18 August 2024
We woke up super early in the morning, pre dawn. We are nearly two months away from the longest day and the progressing signs of shorten days are clear. With joy in my heart, I am great for the gift of life and family. Mama's day started pretty much as usual, selflessly caring and tending to the needed. Albeit my foot still has that one tender spot, I think that submersing my foot yesterday ice water was very helpful. There is definitely some progress, because I am able to stand upright and slowly move about with very short steps and do things for short periods. Mama me raspberry oatmeal, these two very go well together. We stopped at Big Apple Bagels for and at the Jewels on the way to Alex's to celebrate Rob's birthday with the kids. It is so good to be able to get out of the house. The day started gathered around the table with Alex cooking the usual breakfast bacon, sausage links and eggs. I assembled myself a jalapeño egg and cheese sandwich, delicious. I'm shaking my head, because the bacon and sausage on the side would have been great. Unbelievable, I haven't had any meat for eight days now. Peyton's pet fish name is, Hakuna Matata. I'm not sure how that works with a tank full of fish, but she told me her fish was blue. After breakfast, Alex and went outside to do yard work while Andrea and Grandma went out and about with the grandkids. That me home alone with Nala with my foot kicked here penning this journal entry and musing on Psalm 90. Poor Nala was looking out the patio door whining and sad from the lack of attention want to go out. The psalm is subtitled a prayer of Moses. The psalmist opens with a clear contrast that God is eternal and everlasting; while man's is numbered. The opening phrases establish that God is beyond time and creation. "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations" (v1). It is an affirmation of God’s relationship with man. God had been our ongoing refuge and protection. The psalmist then speaks to God's perception and our perception of time. "For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night" (v4). God lives outside of time with no beginning and no ending. In contrast, our lives as a pasting of a dream. The psalmist then speaks to the reason behind the brevity of our lives. "For we are brought to an end by your anger; by your wrath we are dismayed" (v7). The psalmist then speaks to the inevitable arrival of death is constant, even if lives might stretch longer. "The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away" (v10). The psalmist believed when we die fly away to somewhere. In light of how God deals with man, the psalmist prays for wisdom. "So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom" (v12). People in general go about their lives with little awareness that life is short and and give little thought to what lies beyond this life. I am 73 years old now and the winter season of life and in my own frailty have considered the shortness and uncertainty of life. I pray that we acquaint ourselves with our Triune God in our walk back to Eden and be at peace that we may die in our Lord and Savior's favour. The psalmist sought God’s mercy in prayer. Our joy is found in God’s steadfast love. "Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our day" (v14). I often pray this when I wake up in the morning. Our Lord’s love is revealed in Christ Jesus, setting the tone for my joy and gratitude at the start of each new day evermore thanking God for the gift of life and family. The psalmist concludes seeking God’s favorable countenance and that their work would take hold and bear fruit. "Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!" (v17). In all we do, we should do for the glory of God while continually seek his blessing and favor. Alex made several pasta dishes and made one of signature salads to serve along with a few entrĂ©es from the Olive Garden for our family style celebratory noontime meal. I ate a little of the Olive Garden Salad and Alex's garlic butter noodles. I am happy to see Alex's have gotten really good. His scrambled eggs is far better than mine. I am impressed by how fluffy and tasty they were. I love the tradition of celebrating birthdays with cake and ice. We got the Jewels small birthday cake and their tiramisu cake. My plate was so sad looking with teaspoon size scoop of vanilla and chocolate ice cream and the thinnest slice of tiramisu cake imaginable, life isn't fair. Sweet, Rob gave me a quick message before heading back home. When we got back home, the first thing was to immerse my foot in the tub with ice water, ahh. I is good to mama finally get to kick back and relax and enjoy the nfl preseason game between the Saints and the 49ers. Prayers of thanksgiving, I am truly blessed. Thanks be God for his rich blessings of day, my cup runneth over.
17 August 2024
I woke up sounding like a broken record thanking God for the blessings of a new day. Eventhe gray sky didn't bother me, but I was disappointed that there were no signs of improvement on my gout, that one tender spot is still keeping me from freely walk and move about. So like a broken record, I will continue to pray for comfort and healing and wait. Aah, mama love me, she went out a got me tub so that I could immerse my foot in cold water to help reduce pain and inflammation. I think does a way better job than applying ice pads on my foot. She also bought me an ergonomic cane to help relieve pressure on the affected join while. In my mine, it is like buying green bananas. I started to that I am surprised that I have gone completely meatless since waking up last Sunday, but actually, I shouldn't be. The symptoms of gout are enough for me to stay the course. Besides I only get to eat what mama makes and place before me. I am glad that she so creative when she builds her delicious signature salads. Psalm 89 is subtitled, A Maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite. "And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore, so that Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt. He was wiser than all other men, wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame was in all the surrounding nations" (1 King 4:29-31). So I am excited to dive in this contemplative song or prayer that imparts wisdom. The psalm is a rather lengthy one so I'm not sure how I go about my muse other than to it in a stream of consciousness manner. The psalmist begins by declaring, "I will sing of the steadfast love of the LORD, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations" (v1). The psalmist celebrates God’s enduring steadfast love and faithfulness along with all the heavenly beings (v5-8). The psalmist venerates God's glory and perfection and continues to exalt and glorify God by declaring that, "The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them" (v11). This is powerful declaration of God's sovereignty. I was struck by, "Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O LORD, in the light of your face, who exult in your name all the day and in your righteousness are exalted" (v15-16). The phrase "festal shout" popped out. Imagine that, the people that walked in the light of God’s presence knew the festal shot and yelled it while rejoicing in his name. The psalmist then builds his hope on God's covenant with David. "Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: “I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him" (v19 -21). The psalmist then pauses to recount the warning given to David’s descendants. God said that if they forsake his law, they would be severely punish (v30-35). The psalmist then pauses again before laminating on the present calamitous state of the royal family before protesting the situation (v38 -49). The psalmist concludes with a prayer for redress. "Lord, where is your steadfast love of old, which by your faithfulness you swore to David? Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked, and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations, with which your enemies mock, O LORD, with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed. with which your enemies mock, O LORD, with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed" (v49-51). Book Three finishes of the Psalms with, "Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and Amen." The kids facetimed us and our grandkids I introduced us their new pet fishes. I have always been bad at remembering names. Fawn on the other is exceptional at remembering names and numbers. Time for bed, we have a big day ahead of us.
16 August 2024
"He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night nor the arrow that flies by day" (Psalm 91:4-5). I heard a few loud thunder claps and ongoing rumbling as the thunderstorm passed by during the wee hours of the morning. I am thankful that no tornadoes siren needed to blare. Thanks be to God, the Lord is my refuge and my fortress! I woke up this morning to the bright sunshine with my heart overflowing with thanksgiving, for God has given me a new day. Hmm, the tender sore spot is still there. It is not clear to me that I feel there is ever the slightest improvement on the gout subsiding or if it is just my wishful thinking. Prayers for healing, comfort and recovery. Psalm 88 is a contemplating prayer that is a hard read for me and i am finding it is difficult to respond to. The psalmist depression is unlike any of the previous laminate and his hopelessness is causing me to pause.I have already prayed this psalm twice and will need to come back later in the day to pray and begin musing on this psalmist's despair and affliction... It was movie and a meal, mama made me a super load chopped Asian salad that included blueberries, strawberries, hard boiled egg, macaroni, and toast for lunch. I watched s2e5 of, The Ark. After returning back to Psalm 88 and on my third read, I was struck that before psalmist began laminating, he call the Lord the God of his salvation. "O LORD, God of my salvation, I cry out day and night before you" (v1). By addressing God as the God of his salvation, the psalmist is declaring his hope and faith that will rescue him from his crisis despite feeling that God has not answered his prayer. I am struck by this because the remainder of the psalm stands in great contrast to this very claim. I am glad that read this psalm several times and paused before coming back to it because now am able to see the psalmist’s place of darkness as a whole in a new light. The psalmist pleas to God in his presence to pay attention and listen to his cries. "Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry!" (v2). The psalmist then spoke to the depths of his afflictions (v3-5). The psalmist's troubles were anything but superficial and was well deeply rooted in his soul enough to threaten his physical life towards Sheol. Whoa, after moaning over his afflictions, the psalmist bursts out blaming God as being the source of his afflictions saying he did this and he did that to him (v6-9). Clearly the psalmist does even have the faintest clue to why he is facing God's wrath. The psalmist then goes back to wondering why his daily prayers go unanswered after reminding him that he has been continually signaling mayday to him. I am then struck by the uncertainty of the Old Testament writers like this psalmist of what lay beyond the life of the living. The queries God, "Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the departed rise up to praise you? Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in w the darkness, or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?" (v10-12). There many things that are yet to be revealed that are revealed to us in the New Testament. The psalmist is then stressed out again and needs God to break his silence. "But I, O LORD, cry to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you. O LORD, why a do you cast my soul away? Why do you hide your face from me?" (v13-14). The worst of the psalmist’s afflictions was the sense that God had in some way forsaken him. The psalmist then going back to his ranting and once again attributes all his misery to God about this and that while his soul is submerged in agony, and it wasn't go to let up. The psalmist concludes without hope saying, "Your wrath has swept over me; your dreadful assaults destroy me. They surround me like a flood all day long; they close in on me together. You have caused my beloved and my friend to shun me; my companions have become darkness" (v16-18). The psalm seems to end without hope and is left hanging. The psalmist was forsaken and darkness became his only friend. How depressing is that? It is important to note that even though the psalmist was not getting what he desired from God, he continued to cry out to God anyway. Throughout his suffering the psalmist trusts only God and so he refuses to look elsewhere for relief. We will do well to learn from this. This psalm is by far the hardest psalm to take in. I pray that with the help of the Holy Spirit I have meditated correctly. I am perplexed on many things with this unresolved psalm. The psalmist’s pain is so so deep. Perhaps the resolution is to continue praying and wait or it is as simple as a child’s answer to every question, Jesus.
15 August 2024
I woke up thankful for a new day. I am grateful for the gift of another day. Albeit was totally unnecessary, I looked at the weather app the first time since the beginning of the week. I wasn't going anywhere with bad leg anyway. I must of been just curiosity waking up to a dark sky and the sound of rain. I was hoping that my foot would have showed some improvement this morning, but I still have that one stubborn tender spot on my foot that is preventing me from walking pain free. Aah, mama placed a ice pack on my foot and the cold compression pad instantly reduced the pain and tenderness. I am know that I am failing to show the appreciation for all things that my wife does for me in addition to taking caring me in my helplessness state of caring for myself. Mama went out and about and bought a chopped Asian salad kit for my lunch. Naturally she kicked it up notch tossing in a handful blueberries! Psalm 87 is a very short psalm of Zion where the psalmist beings by describing the importance and the glory of the gates of Zion, the city that God founded. "On the holy mount stands the city he founded; the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob" (v1-2). Zion is where God’s glory dwells among his people and glorious things are pasted on of God in the temple on the holy mount. The unseen reality of Zion is often compared with the city of Jerusalem. "Glorious things of you are spoken, city of God" (v3). Initially, I was struck by when the psalmist began mentioning nations outside of Zion, which are gentile nations that were rivals and enemies of Israel. But then by the second time I read this psalm, I began to realize who the "I" was. It takes getting use in the psalms when God speaks. "Among those who know me I mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and Tyre, with t Cush 1 — “This one was born there,” they say" (v4). Here God promises that even among these rivals and hostile enemies of Israel, there will be people who will come to acknowledge and worship him. As a side note, Pastor Bruzek taught us, whether we read passages from holy scripture, that we should pause and meditate on it three times to allow God’s word dwell within us. God is innvolved in the lives of individuals, carefully noting their origins and connections. This provides reassurance that we are not overlooked or forgotten by God, but the imagery of God counting and writing up the people associated with Zion can be are seen as God's thorough knowledge and remembrance of each individual. Albeit, Israel is God’s chosen people, people from all nations will be identified as those who have Zion as their spiritual birthplace. It is a recognition that even individuals outside of Israel will be included in God's kingdom. "The LORD records as he registers the peoples, “This one was born there"" (v6). The psalmist concludes with, "Singers and dancers alike say, “All my springs are in you.”" (v7). We learn that Zion is not only a birthplace of souls; it is the only true source of joy for its citizens. All other springs promising joy are delusional. This psalm is very encouraging to me, especially during this election year in particular. I was bummed out between needing to vote for either Biden of Trump. The current choice between, Harris and Trump, is not encouraging either. I will not fix my hope on either of these two political candidates. I am thankful for the privileges of my citizenship and will enjoy my life in America and exercise my rights as a U.S. citizen. I want my heart to rise and fall with the victories and assaults on God’s kingdom, not with the news from Washington. With that said, I may be deceived, but one political party seems to overwhelmingly be openly hurling those assault than that of the other. And it will become choice of casting a vote for the lesser of two evils. Crazy how I allowed politic to become part of my muse on today's psalm. Mmm, if I 'm going to be salad for a while, I can't think of anything tastier than eat one mama's delicious signature salads. I'm not sure if we ran out of croutons or if mama wanted to substitute it with toasted bread to use up some of the bread. I know that she cut back an insane amount carbs over more than the past two months to lose weight to lower her blood sugar. She lab work at the end of the month, prayers for good test results. It's a blessing to have the kids and our grands routinely facetiming or I would be suffering from boredom. I am glad that Rob and I got an opportunity to chat and bond. It is not often a young man would be willing to give an old man the time of day speaks well to his character, but of course I already knew that. Rob sent a me some more music videos covers that I guess Jennifer made with her school mates that she must have shared with her siblings. Making them shouldn't comes as a surprise to me, because she is is very talented and can play more a few different instruments. She once showed me how she was able to make a CD where she recorded herself on her multi-track recorder playing the drums, keyboards, guitar and singing. I thought that was pretty impressive, especially being a high school student in the Naperville 203 district and playing high school sports to boot. Today was a very good day. Prayers for comfort and continual healing.
14 August 2024
I am most thankful for the morning's light. I thought that I was a goner last night when I lost my balance and fell and took a blow to the back of my head. I fervently prayed for redemption through the blood of Christ. I was afraid to go to sleep after receiving a concussion so I stayed up and prayed for restoration, healing, and wholeness. "For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast: ‘It is Zion, for whom no one cares!’" (Jeremiah 30:17). This is a encouraging verse that reminds me that God will never leave me. Albeit, the swelling seems to have subsided, I was glad mama iced my foot to reduce the pain. I still have one super tender spot that is preventing me to move about without taking very short painful strives. Mama thought it would be a better for me to go back downstairs so that she can better care for me this morning. Mmm, mama made me one of her infamous signature salads my lunch and dinner. I think can eat salad with or without any meat multiple times a day every day. Albeit I am getting some protein from the fruits and eggs in the salad as a meal, I wonder if it is enough for the short term for me to literally get back on my feet. The psalmist begins Psalm 86 by humbly asking God to graciously hear and answer his prayer to preserve his life. I can relate to that after falling down last night. "Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Preserve my life, for I am l godly; save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God" (v1-2). With a lifted and gladden soul, the psalmist expresses his trust and confidence in God's character as a psalm of praise in God's goodness and love. "For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you" (v5). In God's faithfulness, "In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me" (v7). In God's unrivaled deeds, "There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours" (v8). In God’s grace, "For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol" (v13). The psalmist close his psalm seeking God’s strength, "Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me" (v17). The psalmist reminds us that we can ask God to show himself to us and send us a sign of his presence and favor in our lives to give us spiritual strength as we live in coram deo journeying back to Eden praying, "Help, comfort me, O Lord!" The highlight of my day was facetiming with all the kids. Rob sent me a video from days past of Jennifer singing playing Payphone - Maroon 5 (cover) on her ukulele, I'm sure she was a high schooler then. Her music video bought back memories of when we saw perform at her high school talent show singing and playing a guitar. Luckily my kids sing like their mom, because I can sing a lick and at best can only make a joyful noise. I am a little apprehensive about the upcoming DNC in Chicago next week. I remember all too well what happen in ’68. I don’t think there is such a thing as a “peaceful protest.” It is simple just an abuse of the word “peaceful.” People just don’t know how to carry themselves while yelling and screaming. I will be taken by surprised if the protesters don’t start rioting and looting even with the increase security and police presence. I hope pray that I am wrong, but I believe acts of violence will be inevitable in a city like Chicago. It’s time to wrap it up and thank the Lord for the blessing of the day and to pray for comfort and healing.
13 August 2024
Thanks be to God that the pain and swelling subsided enough last night for me to climb up the stairs to bed. My butt was getting a little sore from all that sitting. Albeit my foot is getting better, it is still tender when I stand on it and has a way to go. Lord, comfort me and heal all my infirmities and remove all the diseases that plagues my body. I am grateful for the dawn of another new day. I was happy when mama placed the ice pack on my foot. The cold compress helped to relieve the pain and swelling. I am thankful for my good wife who lovingly cares for me. Mama made me one her signature salads for dinner, it is hard to believe that I have ate meat in three whole days. The psalmist begins Psalm 85 by remembering how God have restored Israel in the past while in the middle of a crisis. The psalmist knows that God is angry with his people, but still asks to God to, "Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away your indignation toward us! Will you be angry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger to all generations?" (v4-5). I was struck by the verse, "Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other" (v10). It is only through the blood of Christ Jesus. It is there at the cross, that the steadfast love and faithfulness of God meets and where his righteousness and peace, kissed. The psalmist concludes his psalms proclaiming that God will bring increase to the land. It is striking that psalmist began by remembering a time when God was favorable to his land. But God now acts to bring Israel into righteousness in turn making a path for God to walk with his people of faith. Prayers for comfort and healing for all my friends and loved ones, God, you alone heal our body, heart, mind and spirit.
12 August 2024
Here I am up in the middle of the night feeling sorry for myself. Albeit I've had excruciating gout pain in the past that was much worse than the lingering discomfort I am experiencing right now. I have been able to fall back asleep, but it is annoying to wake up again to the throbbing pain in my foot. I can hardly wait to dawn when mama wakes up, so that she can help ice my foot to ease the pain and inflammation... Thank be to God for his wonderful gift of a new day. I was so happy to have a cold compress placed on my swollen ankle. There was very little for me to do except sit around icing and resting my foot. I kicked back and watched, s2e4 of, The Ark. The psalmist begins Psalm 84 by expressing how his soul longs, even faints, for the courts of the Lord. "How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God" (v1-2). I was struck by, "Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young, at your altars, O LORD of hosts, my King and my God" (v3). The psalmist images how the birds delight to nest at the house of the Lord, so wish the psalmist. "Even the sparrow has found a home” speaks to the significance of a small and seemingly insignificant bird, finding a place in God’s altar. Our soul also yearns to find a place of refuge and peace in the presence of God. The psalmist says that blessed are those whose strength is in the Lord, that have set their hearts on pilgrimage to God's sanctuary. The psalmist concludes by praying for God's favor and confident in God's goodness and protection. "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!" (v11-12). The psalmist emphasizes that it's better to trust in the Lord, declaring that the one who trusts in the Lord is blessed. Prayers for our Lord's guiding hands during my daughter's medical procedure tomorrow and to remove the pain and regulate the uric acid in my joints.
11 August 2024
Oh no, I woke up early morning with a minor gout flare up on my left ankle. It is the first that that has happened in a very long time. Albeit this attack is painful in in nowhere close to a full blown merciless flare up I have experienced a long time ago that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Words can’t adequately describe the pain associated with gout. “Severe” is not a strong enough term. The affected joint is swollen and so tender that even the weight of the bed sheet on it may seem intolerable. Albeit it tender, I am thankful that I can stand upright and sadly move about slowly limping along by ignoring the pain. I pretty sure that my gout flare up was triggered by my foolish eating habit of red meat this past week, I ate a Portillo's Italian beef sandwich and a Charlie's Italian beef sandwich and I did myself in yesterday with a Culver's corned beef sandwich. The family gathered at Alex's this morning and I made the usual bacon, breakfast sausage links and eggs. Dang, Alex steamed some dim sum. I sadly reheated myself up a bowl of leftover oatmeal and toast, that will learn me. Fawn and Andrea with out and Rob was outside helping Alex do yard work, so it was my job to watch Isaac and Peyton. Because of my limited mobility, I opted to put PokĂ©mon on to keep them occupied while I kicked back and elevated my foot and put a ice pack on it to help ease pain and inflammation. It was a good time to pray an muse on Psalm 83. In his psalm, Israel was under attack and the psalmist begins by petition God not to be silent and to rescue his nation from their enemies. "O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads" (v1-2). Talk about Israel’s enemies conspiring together to wipe out Israel. "For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant" (v5). The psalmist proceeds to name the ten nation coalition gathered against them (v6-8). After praying for the destruction of Israel’s enemies, the psalmist unexpectedly ends his psalm with praying that God would humble them and put them to shame so they will be led to seek the Lord. "Fill their faces with shame, that they may seek your name, O LORD" (v16). This psalm brought back memories of my sophomore year high school memories about 6 Day War fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab states, mainly Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Between June 5 and June 10, Israel defeated and occupied the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. I remembered this clearly because it began on my birthday. It is crazy how long Israel has been having conflicts throughout its history and is still standing. I still can't get over how immaculate how Alex's yard looks like every time when the lawn care is complete. I think my yard looks pretty good when I do mine, but it pales in comparison. Alex took Isaac and Peyton to the park and that gave me the opportunity to stir fried us the gon chow ngau ho for our lunch. I used up three whole packs of fresh rich noodles so that there will be plenty of leftovers for our grandkids to enjoy during the week too. Nice, Rob was mindful enough to give me a unsolicited massage before leaving. Despite waking up with gout, God in his goodness was kind and bless our family time together. It’s time to kick back and elevate my foot. Prayers that our Lord heal this gout disease and for comfort.
10 August 2024
"You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit" (Job 10:12). Thank you Lord for your daily life of life, divine favor and visitation, it is good to be alive in him morning, noon and night. We went to the endodontist office so that they could check on mama's jaw line. Albeit her cheek is still slightly swollen, she was given the ok to proceed with the initial procedure with our dentist of having her crown repaired. I still can't get over how awesome the weather has been, the blessings of these exceptionally cool spring like summer days have my soul rejoicing in God's goodness. Yessir, this walking fool got in another ten thousand plus steps day. Mama helped with the prep work with the bok choy while I did the prep work on the rice noodles for making tomorrow's gon chow ngau ho. I made the pork riblets with black beans and garlic sauce stir fry ahead of time today for the kids to take home and enjoy because that dish takes a lot of time from start to finish to prepare. But it worth the effort to make this classic Cantonese dish. I have fond memories of my parents making this and many other of my childhood comfort food. I enjoy cooking and and hopefully I have created memories for my children and my children's children of the blessing of God’s culinary provisions and family. I am glad that Psalm 82 is a short psalm because I had to reread it over and over many times before pray this psalm for many reasons. I am always struck by psalms that confront God earnestly and passionately bringing one’s frustration before God for his divine intervention or deliverance. I am more of a beggar in need of God’s mercies. The psalmist begins with a somewhat shocking statement that caused me to step back and take pause. "God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment" (v1). Huh, what could this verse possibly mean? It wasn't until toward the end of this psalm, "I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince” (v6-7) that human judges are being referred to as gods. What else could he mean? It was then that it was only the first verse and last verse are the psalmist's petitions. The psalmist concludes by confronting God on behalf of the weak, fatherless, afflicted and destitute calling on him to, "Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!" (v8). Now this psalm makes more sense about those who are given the mandate and privilege to represent God in the administration of justice fail and see the hand of God in the affairs of the vulnerable. God answers psalmist prayer and condemns the unjust and evil gods of all nations, whether they be political or spiritual. It is clear that man has failed miserably in judging. I see many people in their different walks of life are not even hiding their biased opinions and are ignore laws that should be guiding them. This is seen especially in today’s mainstream media and political arenas. Judgments are wielded like a weapon to force their beliefs and opinions on others. We are all guilty of quickly inaccurately judging from time to time without knowing all facts of what in going on in people’s lives, but this psalm warns against those who would deliberately pass unrighteous judgments. Thanks be to God is merciful and just. Prayers for the Holy Spirit to guide me for correct understanding as I pray the psalms and ruminate as I journey back to Eden.
9 August 2024
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night" (Psalm 92:1-2). Thanks be to God for the blessings of a new day. How wonderful it is to be loved by God. I looked at the weather app again this morning for and will be doing the happy dance the entire weekend with the ideal predict forecast! We are so blessed this summer weatherwise. I can only think of a few actual summerlike days we had to suffer through sofar this year. We spent the a.m. in the garage cutting down cardboard boxes and popping plastic bubble wrap. It is hard to believe that we clutter the garage so bad that we have do that several times a year. We went to the Chinese supermarket to buy pork riblets. It is ridiculous that they still don't have any Shanghai bok choy, so we had to swing by the Jewels. Something is very wrong on the store's supply chain side. Psalm 81 begins with a summons for the people to praise God. "Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy to the God of Jacob!" (v1). Then the psalm quickly turned to a proclamation from God, reminding Israel of who God is and what he had done for them before calling them back to himself. “Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me! There shall be no strange god among you; you shall not bow down to a foreign god” (v8-9). God’s people been unfaithful and allows people to pursue false gods. "But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels" (v11-12). I am reminded of my own inclination to wander as well as my own sinfulness and God’s faithfulness. I think God permits us to chase after false gods so we could see how empty and meaningless it is to do so. I am blown away with the remainder of this psalm, if we would listen to God and walk in his ways. "Oh, that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways!" (v13). The love of God for his people and his desire to show mercy are on full display. God desires for us to repent and to return to him so that he can deal with our enemies and satisfy our souls. In Christ, we are blessed beyond anything the psalmist could have imagined. We made us right with God and blessed with eternal life and joy forever with him. Thanks be to God who heals and watch over us, Carl’s surgical procedure went well and should be discharged sometime tomorrow. I came across a FB post that read, "I understand why people hate either Kamala or Trump (or both). I also understand why people will, little choice, vote for Kamala or Trump. What I don't understand is why some people love Kamala or Trump." The author is not alone, I don’t get it. I think this year's Notre Dame Fighting Irish is a better all around football team than it has been perhaps in decades. I have high expectations for this team in their 12 - 0 quest, anything less than 11- 0 is an under achievement with this season's schedule for this team imo. I can hardly wait for this season's primetime opener against the tough Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field. I do not expect the Irish will be receiving any southern hospitality. I believe this game will come down to a battle of field position and third downs with the Irish coming up on top with last minute heroics. This is the game to watch on week one! #GoIrish
8 August 2024
"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul" (Psalm 143:8). I woke up rejoicing in the gift of another new, his steadfast love life up my soul. It was a super nice morning, perfect weather for cutting the grass in the cool. After mowing the front yard, I took a break to go buy a gallon of gas before finishing up the mowing in the back, gotrdun. I am surprised that I’ll need to weed and feed the lawn in August. We went out and about, it's been a long time since we been in downtown Naperville. Unfortunately, I didn't get to walk around there. Mama did something quick and was in and out of Eddie Bauer. From there we when to Alex's for lunch and of course we stopped off the Panda Express for a takeout. Looks I'll be doing a big cook for the weekend with Andrea's request for teriyaki salmon on top of Isaac and Peyton’s request. Mmm, Alex had a 4 lb tub of, Papa Charlie's Italian beef with seasoned au jus and we Italian beef sandwiches with french bread. Alex thinks it tastes better than Portillo's, but I think it pretty much tastes the same. One thing for sure is it is way cheaper to heat it up and make the sandwiches at home yourself. Psalm 80, is a heartfelt prayer for the restoration. The psalmist passionately plead for God's mercy and intervention and longs for God's presence. "Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!" (v3). “The call upon God to "shine forth" (v1) and "stir up your might and come to save us!" (v2) is a call for God to show the full power of divine radiance and to pour down vengeance upon Israel's enemies. The psalmist recognizes God's anger and ask, "O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers?" (v4). Once again, in verse 7, the psalmist reiterated his plea for God's shining face and salvation, showing the persistence of their faith and longing for restoration. The psalmist then recalls and reminds God how he had once made Israel flourish like a vine brought out of Egypt. The psalmist concludes his psalm with a renewed plea for God's intervention, asking him to protect what his right hand has planted. He promises unwavering devotion to God from his people. "But let your hand be on the man of your right hand, the son of man whom you have made strong for yourself!" (v17). He ends with a third repetition of his initial plea for God's face to shine upon them that they may be saved. The desire expressed here is not for revenge, but for the very presence of God with God’s people. There is something about the simplicity of this prayer, "Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved!" that is deeply moving. I believe God answers this very prayer in our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus. This prayer reminds me of the priestly blessing: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace" (Numbers 6:24-26). In Jesus, the Lord blesses us and keeps us. In Jesus, the Lord makes his face shine on and is gracious to us. In Jesus, the Lord looks upon us with favor. And in Jesus, the Lord gives us peace. Amen, amen. Doing yard work and going out and about, getting in another ten thousand plus steps day in was inevitable. Thanks be to God for his faithfulness.
7 August 2024
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). I am thankful and rejoice in our Lord’s steadfast love, his faithfulness endures forever. I am thanks for the countless blessings the Lord affords to me and my family. Albeit the high of the day was in the low 80s, it was nice and cool this morning and I tended to doing the much needed weed whacking out back. We went out and about in the fox valley area and I got in a nice outdoor walk while mama was shopping. We stopped in the Chinese supermarket before heading home. Whoo hoo, Issac and Peyton will be happy to learn that we finally was able to purchase fresh rice noodles to made gon chow ngau ho this weekend. Our grandkids are a hoot, we got a text video of them requesting the gon chow ngau ho and the stir fried ribs with black bean and garlic sauce. I am reminded several times today just how incredibly blessed I am. How she is able to put up with me is really something. Thanks be to God for my wife, she is a remarkable woman. Mmm, mama took a piece of char sui out from the freezer, so I made us char shiu chow don for dinner. This is a great canto comfort dish, so good. Psalm 79 is a relatively short psalm that followed a rather lengthy one. The psalmist begins by setting the context before God of his prayer, "O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; they have defiled your holy temple; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins" (v1). Whoa, the psalmist proceeds with the details of the massacred Jerusalem’s inhabitants. "They have given the bodies of your servants to the birds of the heavens for food, the flesh of your faithful to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them" (v2-3). Albeit the psalmist blames this ruinous condition on the nations that mocked and decided Jerusalem the psalmist can’t help but point out that God is also angry with his people. "How long, O LORD? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?" (v5). The psalmist knows that even if Israel is guilty, God cannot always be angry with the same people he has promised to use for the world’s good, so he petitions God to to instead to, "Pour out your anger on the nations that do not know you, and on the kingdoms that do not call upon your name!" (v6). The psalmist then begs God to be merciful and to forgive their iniquities and save them. "Do not remember against us our former iniquities; let your compassion come speedily to meet us, for we are brought very low. Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name's sake!" (v8-9). Albeit I am uncomfortable with the psalmist's imprecatory petition seeking God’s vengeance sevenfold, I was struck by it was not so much for the sake of the people, but because these enemies have reproached the name of God. The prayer for the vengeance of God is the prayer for the execution of his righteousness in the judgment of sin, to which I myself, with my sin, belong under this judgment. The psalmist concludes with a glimmer of hope that one day they will emerge victorious and the all future generations will give thanks and recount his praise. "But we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will give thanks to you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise" (v13). I think that God wants us to realize that the sins in this broken world are no different than the sins we find in our own dark and hardened idolatrous hearts. The imprecatory psalm leads to the cross of Jesus and to the love of God which forgives enemies. I personally cannot forgive the enemies of God out of my own. Only the crucified Christ can do that, and I through him. Therefore we should leave the vengeance to God to execute his righteousness to all his enemies, Perhaps that is what the psalmist is doing. As Christians, our praise comes a place of humility as we stand convicted, justly deserving his present and eternal punishment. Thank be to God we are instead with triumphant joy are recipients of God's great mercy. Sweet, I got in a ten thousand plus steps day in again. I knew I would while I was doing my centurion like walk. Prayer for healing our infirmities, especially for Carl and Bill; prayers for healing, guidance, and peace with their upcoming surgical procedures. Anyway, I need to stop penning now because I have a ton of reading to do with all my upcoming different tests and medical evaluations from so many different doctors.
6 August 2024
Indeed, joy comes in the morning. Thanks be to God for a new day. I think that waking up grateful to be alive becomes intuitive as we age, because with each passing day, we become more aware that one unpredictable day, we will simply not have the gift of another day and our Lord will call us home. We went out and about to the Oswego area and I did my walk indoors. I can hardly believe that it was like a cool early spring day overcast in the upper 60s. We stopped for good eat to take to Alex's for lunch. Mama had her eyes on, Little Caesar pizza and I opted for the Tuesday's Doggie Diner two gyros special next door. It is clear to me that it has been too long since I had a gyro by the way I scarfed one of those bad boys down. I got a little ambitious today and hand pruned the brushes where they were needed and I took the time to restring the weed whacker, the needed weed whacking job is way over due. Psalm 78 is a psalm is a very long psalm that begins by encouraging us to listen as he tells parables about God’s power from the past and for parents to tell them to their children. "We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the LORD, and his might, and the wonders that he has done ... that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children" (v4,6). I was struck by the psalmist's candid reason why these stories need to be told and retold so that future generations will know what God has done for his people and what happens when his will is not followed. The psalmist elaborates that by reiterating the marvelous works of God should be done "so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments; and that they should not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation whose heart was not steadfast, whose spirit was not faithful to God" ( v7-8). The remainder of this psalm is a long re-iteration of Israel’s destructive pattern of where God provides for the people, they rebel and is followed by God disciplines. Of course it is always best that we learn from the mistakes of those that went before us, but because of our pride and sinful nature, we tend not learn from history and are doomed to repeat. It is worth noting that no matter how many times people tested God, he has always provided us way to be saved. The psalmist concluded his psalm with the hope that King David would lead the people to saving grace as the shepherd of Israel. "With upright heart he shepherded them and guided them with his skillful hand" (v72). As we respond to this psalm, we can ponder our own responsibility of instructing future generations by sharing stories of God and his people in all their glory and shame with assurance of the compassion and forgiveness of God. We actually have a better history of salvation story to tell then the psalmist as we speak toward the end of the ages. We have heard from the one who also opened his mouth to speak in parables and proclaim "what has been hidden from the foundation of the world." We can pass the story of God from the beginning to the fulfillment of the saving grace of Word made flesh, to the next generation. Like Saint Paul, I am determined not to know anything except Jesus Christ and him crucified. A look ahead at tomorrow’s forecast is very promising; we are expecting another cool spring like day but with sunshine. The actual reason I looked at the weather app was for this weekend’s forecast, because I heard the good news that Rob, Andrea and our grands are coming down for a visit this weekend. It is one of my cherished blessing God affords me. Now that Kamala Harris has selected her VP running mate and with the DNC less than two weeks away, it is closing in the time to consider the best candidate for POTUS between two lousy presidential candidates. The GOP primaries results were so heart breaking. More sadly was the DNC didn’t host any primary debates, so much for saving democracy. Gracious heavenly Father, giver of life, we entrust our nation to your loving care. Reclaim this land for your glory and dwell among your people. Send your Spirit to touch the hearts of our nation’s leaders. Remind your people that true happiness is rooted in seeking and doing your will. Grant us the courage to reject the “culture of death.” We ask this through Christ Our Lord.
5 August 2024
Oh wow, I woke up to the sound of a torrential thunderstorm. Talk about loud thunder claps and raining cats and dogs. The verse of the day is, "Keep listening to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth. After it his voice roars; he thunders with his majestic voice, and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard. God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend" (Job 37:2-5). The song lyrics, "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down" came to mind. But my mind set is far from that, I am grateful to be alive, the joy of the Lord is my strength. I couldn't refrain for penning my here on my phone the joy in my heart for the gift of my blessed life. I hope the weather app is correct the storm will blow over it 10 a.m. because I have a optometrist appointment. The frame of my temporary el cheapo glasses that I got from Amazon is falling apart. We were surprised that I was able to take my eye exam and pick out my two eyeglasses rather quick. From there we went to Comcast to renew our internet service contract. I got in my walking at the Target. We waited until after the noon time hour before going to, The Patio, for lunch and split their beer batter cod. We not only like large the taste of their food, we like the large portion of food they serve there and they don't charge for the extra setting. Mama cracked the whip on me to swap out the sump pump discharge hose that should have been done more than two months ago, gotrdun. Psalm 77, the psalmist begins his psalm by crying out to God for help declaring, "I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me" (v1) And then goes on to honesty describes the symptoms he's experiencing. "In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted. When I remember God, I moan; when I meditate, my spirit faints. You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak" (v2-4). Beside the psalmist's physical symptoms of having trouble sleeping, the trouble he is experiencing began affecting the way he relates to God and wonders, "Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?" (v9). The psalmist then swifts his doubting thought that God has abandoned him to remembering and reflecting on the wonderful redeeming works of God. I am far from certain, but I believe that the psalmist was recalling the exodus where the Israelites' were liberated from slavery in Egypt, "Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. You led your people like a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron" (v19-20). As I pray and reflect this psalm remembering and reflecting on the wonderful redeeming works of God, intuitively remember how God has redeemed us through Christ Jesus on the cross. Sweet, I got in another ten thousand plus steps day in. Lord, in your mercy grant us holy rest.
4 August 2024
Thanks be to God, his glory is found in the morning sky. I am thankful for the dawn of another new day. On the way home we stopped at few stores for what nots at Danada Square. Excuses, excuses, excuses, it was tough trying to do a walk indoors a brick and mortar store with so many weekend shoppers all about plus I forgot to bring my walking shoes. It's not comfortable doing a lot of walking in dress shoes. It was way too hot and humid with the temps in the low 90s to attempt walking outdoors. I like to get in at least 7 thousand steps in a day. In Psalm 76, the psalmist reflected upon the glory and power of God. We don't like to spend time pondering the judgment of God upon the wicked. If it weren't for the psalms, I would be more inclined to be more politically correct to talk about the patience, love and kindness of God. The psalmist acknowledges that no man can stand before God's anger. "But you, you are to be feared! Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused?" (v7). The Psalm encourages us to humble ourselves before God and invites his people to renew their faith and commitment to the Lord. "Make your vows to the LORD your God and perform them; let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared, who cuts off the spirit of princes, who is to be feared by the kings of the earth" (v11-12). It is God who appoints authority and establishes powers of nations. Many rulers have abused their positions of power. However, the final destiny and judgment of such people will rest with God. I started to pen about just look at the path our political leaders is directing our nation and their need to repent, but I must "first take the log out of your own eye." I made a beef tomato stir fry over steamed jasmine rice, so good. Thanks be to God for prayers answered for safe travel for all my children. Alex was vacationing at the Dells in Wisconsin with friends, Jennifer was in Minnesota to present at a Medical Conference, and Andrea, Rob and our grandkids went to the Badlands and Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. It was weird that in recent years how topic of heath related issues and our well beings have become a staple somewhere in my daily conversations. Prayers for our infirmities for family and friends, especially for my wife, brother, sister, Carl, Ken, Dave and myself. I could use the prayers and invite family and friends to prayer for each other through Christ our Lord.
3 August 2024
Rejoicing in the dawn of a new day. I am grateful each day for his gift of life. After the string of cloudy day with showers, the sunlight is much welcomed. I made a fresh pot of oatmeal this morning; it was the first thing I cooked since last weekend. Psalm 75, the psalmist begins, "We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near. We recount your wondrous deeds" (v1). It is a good to reflect and recount how God has worked in our lives because it will lead us to prayers of thanksgiving. There is a lot going on in the psalmist is thankful for, he is thankful that the name of God is near. A person's “name” is his entire character. So the psalmist is giving thanks that God himself is “near”, as well as his attributes. Hmm, I assume the speaker changes and I it is God who is saying, “At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity" (v2). God gives a stern warning to those who speak in a imperious manner unrighteousness against him saying, "I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck" (v4-5). The psalmist describes what happens to the proud who refuse to acknowledge God‘s sovereignty, "but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it, and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs" (v7-8). This is no celebratory wine but is the wine of the wrath of God. The psalmist uses colorful language. The most concentrated part of a cup of wine was found in the dregs at the bottom. So when the psalmist speaks of the wicked drinking of the cup of God's wrath down to the very dregs, he means that the proud will be forced to drink up God’s most severe judgment down to the very last drop. The psalmist responds to God righteous judgment saying, “But I will declare forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob” (v9). Again, I have to assume that God is closing this psalm declaring that, "All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up" (v10). For the unbeliever there is much to fear, but for those of us clothed in Christ’s righteousness, we have nothing to fear from God’s righteous judgment. We went to pick Alex up at the dealership because his car had issues with his wheel bearing and brakes. Ooh we, talk about stepin' out into a sauna. Achoo, my allergy is my sinus to be acting up. Since it was noontime and the dealership was nearby The Patio, we stopped there for a takeout and used my birthday gift card. That was some good eating. It's funny how the high price of restaurant food isn't bothersome and get in the way of good eats when you have gift cards. We went to pick Alex up at the dealership because his car had issues with his wheel bearing and brakes. Since it was noontime and the dealership was nearby The Patio, we stopped there for a takeout and used my birthday gift card. That was some good eating. It's funny how the high price of restaurant food isn't bothersome and get in the way of good eats when you have gift cards. We went out early evening to Carl and Sandy's to celebrate Zachary's 13th birthday. Time flies by so fast, it's hard to believe in a blink of the eye, the young man is a teenager going to be in the 8th grade this coming fall. Of course, I foolishly ate more food than I ought to have. Thanks be to God for the gift of family and friends.
2 August 2024
Thanks be to God for this new day. We go overnight rain. What is up with all these rainy days? I think few people look out the window on a rainy day and say, "What a great day!" I use to moan and groan at the sight of rain because it got in the way of outdoor activities. Nowadays it has become a metaphor for blessings. Truly the Lord showers us with grace upon grace. I am surprised that I haven't been ranting about having to daily empty the dehumidifier this summer. I looked ahead on the weather app and the weekend appears to be a summertime scorcher in the 90s. We have been blessed this year with a boat load of mild summer days, more so than average midwest summers. Now that's what I'm talking about, mama steamed up dim sum this morning! I can't think of any celebratory meal to start off the blessings of a new day than dim sum. We only had frozen har gow and bean curd rolls left. Clearly our family favors the shuimai. After breakfast we went out and about and took a drive to the Crest Hill area. The complete overcast along with a slightly cool breeze made for a nice comfortable outdoor walk in a nice long strip mall. I always feel like a centurion and tend to think about the spiritual warfare we daily fight on our journey back to Eden. There was no doubt that I was going to easily get in a ten thousand plus steps day in. Psalm 74, the psalmist feels cast off and forsaken. In the mist of disaster he cries out with an initial plea to God for reprieve. "O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?" (v1-2). Albeit the psalmist feels abandoned by God, he goes to God with his frustration with prayer. The psalmist continues by recounting their obvious disregard for God, destruction of the city, and especially the temple. "They set your sanctuary on fire; they profaned the dwelling place of your name, bringing it down to the ground" (v7). I was struck by how the psalmist goes about his prayer, while he has emphasized the devastating nature of the situation and the seeming silence of God, he remains confident in who God is and his power to intervene and takes the time to recount God’s sovereignty, power in creation and past acts of salvation. The psalmist concludes with a plea to God for deliverance, and asks God to intervene on behalf of His people for His own name’s sake. "Arise, O God, defend your cause; remember how the foolish scoff at you all the day! Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of those who rise against you, which goes up continually!" (v22-23). Dinner was a Little Caesars pepperoni pizza. Thanks be to God. Alex made it back home safely from his vacation with friends in Wisconsin. We saved some of the dim sum from this morning for Alex. Lol, after his initial thank you, he asked, “What, no shumai?” Now it’s time to kick back and relax. Thanks be to God for his steadfast love.
1 August 2024
"And I will make them and the places all around my hill a blessing, and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing" (Ezekiel 34:26). I woke up grateful for the dawn of a new day by the sound of the pouring rain. God showers us with his blessings. We went to the Sam's Club pharmacy for our meds and to a few stores in the Oswego area. Since I had got an Olive Garden gift card from my birthday that was burning a hole in my pocket, we stop there to pick up a Tour of Italy takeout on the way back to split for our noon time meal. Actually, there were still even leftovers. It is hard to believe that once upon a time, I had no problem eating the entire meal myself in a single seating. Psalm 73 is a psalm written by Asaph, where confesses to feeling bitter and envious when he sees wicked people prospering, which almost led him to lose faith in God. "But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked" (v2-3). The psalmist questions whether it's worth it to follow God when others who don't seem to walk with God and yet they seem so blessed. "Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence" (v12-13). The psalmist turned at God in his sanctuary to discerning how the world around him influenced his worldly views. "But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end" (v16-17). As the psalmist sought the wisdom from above his perspective shifts and the psalmist sees his own grumbling heart and repentantly pours out his heart saying, "Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you" (v25). The psalmist continues, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (v26). This verse provides me hope and comfort as aging brings about many physical infirmities. God is our strength even when our flesh, heart, or spirit may grow weak or fail. To say that God is one's "portion" is to celebrate one's inheritance as being a child of God. The psalmist concludes his psalm suggesting that people should put their hope in God, not in wealth or comfort. "For behold, those who are m far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may tell of all your works" (v27-28). Your name and presence is good to me. It was dinner and a movie; I reheated my remainder of my half of the Tour of Italy for supper and watched, Season 2 Episode 3 of, The Ark. Today was a very good day. Lord, heal our infirmities.
31 July 2024
I thank God for this day and for this past week. I am grateful to have time with our youngest. I intentionally tried to stay away from as much as possible from my phone and other electronic devices during her visit. It is no wonder why I feel like some days that there isn't enough time in a day. Her stay was way too short. It is hard to believe all our children are all grown up and have lives of their own. We were out the door by 5:30 a.m. to take our Jennifer to Midway. The traffic on the Stevenson flowed pretty good until we got near the airport exit and the airport itself was nightmarish. The outbound traffic back was pretty good, but looking at the inbound traffic toward the city looked like a parking lot. How do people daily commute into the city is beyond me. Thanks be God for her safe work relate flight to Minnesota. Psalm 72, Give the King Your Justice of Solomon, is a deeply moving prayer for the king. This inspirational psalm yearns for divine leadership and gives us hope for a time when all nations will be blessed under God's reign. The Psalmist begins with a prayer for the king, asking God to endow the king with His justice and righteousness. "Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!" (v1) And that he “May judge the people with righteousness and the poor with justice” (v2). The psalmist then describes the bountiful blessings that will flow from such a ruler, including the flourishing of the land and the protection of the weak. "Let the mountains bear prosperity for the people, and the hills, in righteousness!" (v3). The psalmist concludes, praises the God who lives forever, and hopes for a day when his name and kingdom fill the entire earth. "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who alone does wondrous things. Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen!"(v18-19). To mark the end of the second book of Psalms "The prayers of a David, the son of Jesse, are ended" (v20). We are to pray, "for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way" (1 Timothy 2:2). This psalmist reminds us to pray for those in authority over us. Regardless of what we think or understand about them. We are to pray for the enlightenment that all good things come from God, and God alone is the true king of Kings, ‘who alone does marvelous deeds’ (v18). I have been thinking about the Olympic Opening Ceremony more than I should. I don't know enough about the French people to know whether the Olympic Committee did France a disservice or that is the country's culture. The fact of the matter is, all I know when it comes to France is a little about Napoleon, Normandy, the statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, Notre-Dame Cathedral, french bread, french fries, and the 1963 movie, The Pink Panther. The only honey dos I did this week was to replace one of the wiper blades on the car and replaced a downspout extension. Replacing the wiper blade was relatively straight forward. One would think that replacing a downspout extension would be a piece of cake, but nooo. Getting to it with a the bushes was quite challenging. Albeit I managed and got it on, I am planning to redo it and add a gutter downspout elbow to the system. I can't figure out how the downspout extension got broke up into four pieces. I'm guessing some varmint got to it. Getting up so early and having a long day, I had no doubt in my mind it was going to easily be a ten thousand plus steps day. Notre Dame football fall training begun today. I think toughest games for this season are Texas A&M, Louisville, Florida State, and USC. With Riley Leonard as quarterback, I believe Notre Dame is capable of going 11-1, even with this tough schedule. College football has changed the way it determines its champion, the field will expand from four to 12 teams this fall. And yes, the Fighting Irish are expected to be in the playoffs! # GoIrish
27 July 2024
Yes, the dawn another new day. Our Lord's steadfast love and mercies never end. Thanks be to God Fawn's cheeks continues to heal. Albeit it slightly swells up as the day progresses, each day there is some noticeable improvement. It was a blessing to see my brother this morning, the stopped by to drop off package and briefly say hello. He looks like he has slimmed down quite a bit and is most likely weigh less than me. Mama has been on a diet for two months now and had set a three month goal to lose 20 pounds to get her a1c down to avoid being diabetic. I am so happy for her that she has already met that goal. I am pretty sure she will continue to remain with dietary efforts until she will meet with our family doctor next month. Shortly after, we had to leave to see the endodontist for a post surgery follow up. From there we went to the Oswego area to the Meijers for a few grocery items, mama is always on the hunt for fresh fruits and vegetables. Then we stopped at the Portillo's for a takeout to bring to Alex's for lunch. We opted to split their char broiled hamburger and had it with onion rings and french fries. I was surprised that Alex ordered chicken tenders instead of a beef sandwich. I never had that from Portillo's, so I had to ask him to share a piece. Lol, who an I kidding, if he would have gotten the beef sandwich, I would have shamelessly asked him to cut off a portion for me. Two thumbs up for the chicken tenders. Albeit I still haven't tried everything on their vast menu, I can honestly say that everything I've ever tried was pretty tasty. They are by far head a shoulder above all the fast food places I been to. When we got home, I tossed a four pounds slab of corned beef in pot of boiling water and simmered and sliced up that bad boy for tomorrow's gathering. Mama prep the bok choy and I pan fried the Cantonese style noodles ahead of time. Mmm, we took out the last of Peggy's joongs from the freezer a heated them up for our supper. One of the first things I do when I wake up in the morning is that God for the gift of a new day and pray the psalms. I have had Psalm 71 on the back of my mind throughout the entire day. It will be interesting where my stream of consciousness lead me with me pondering the psalmist prayer reflecting on his lifetime of trusting in God's faithfulness. I myself am a old man, I know this because my two grandkids tells me I am. The psalmist begin his psalm with a cry for help, "In you, O LORD, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me; incline your ear to me, and save me!" (v1-2). The psalmist show great faith in God trusting him for his deliverance from the hand of the wicked. I was struck by the psalmist God, "Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent" (v9). I am somewhat perplexed as to why he would think God would cast him off after reflecting on the realities of aging, such as the loss of strength in the mist of his ongoing struggles. Perhaps it is because he sees his enemies openingly mocks him saying that God has forsaken him and that there is no one to deliver him. Much like the previous psalm, the not only seeks God's presence in a 911 call, but to come forthwith. "O God, be not far from me; O my God, make haste to help me!" (v12). I was struck by the psalmist's vows to use his final years proclaiming to the next generation God’s power to rescue, deliver, and save. "So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come" (v18). From there the psalmist went on to acknowledged God’s providence with praise for his greatness. "Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?" (v19). The psalmist starts to wrap up his psalm concluding, "I will also praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, O my God; I will sing praises to you with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel. My lips will shout for joy, when I sing praises to you; my soul also, which you have redeemed" (v22-23). He makes a final declaration that he will talk about God’s righteousness help from his enemies that sought to do him hurt. After praying this psalm, I think a great verse of the day is, "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison" (2 Corinthians 4:16-17). I spoke so much about psalm but have neglected my meandering muse with doing my walk. Oh, by the way, I got in another ten thousand plus steps day in. I remembered once upon a time the question, "Would you rather live to 50 rich or 70 poor?" If memory serves me correctly, I was a teenager at the time and replied, "50 rich”. As a young man that became clear the foolishness of the young mind. People move on saying they want to live to a ripe old age. By the way, I am 73 years old. As we age, our body begins to fail, we develop more aches and pains, and we lack the strength to deal with various life struggles. And sadly, we see our family members and friends die. I appreciate that the psalmist was an older person who looked to God for help, encouragement and strength. As the psalmist looks to God for help, he finds that he has reasons to be glad and rejoice, even in his old age. I think growing old is a privilege because thing about privilege is not everyone gets to take part in it. The reality is that old age is a gift from God and we should embrace it. We as humans are very limited how gracefully our bodies and minds age, but God gives for every need so that we are able to rest in the arms of the one who carries us even to our old age. "Grandchildren are the crown of the age." Thanks be to God they call me a old man! It getting late and I'm at the point where I'm just yapping. Tomorrow's a big big day. I am so happy that Rob volunteered to pick up Jennifer at the airport tomorrow in the morning. I have much to be thankful for, God is good.
26 July 2024
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Happy Friday! It is good to be alive and my spirit rejoices. I got in a good night's rest, I barely remember lying down in bed last night before zoning out. I am most thankful this morning to see that the swelling on mama's cheek has tremendously subsided overnight. Psalm 70 is a short prayer that is profoundly personal, painful, and relevant. "Make haste, O God, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me!" (v1). I can't think of a prayer more relevant than a fervent prayer that is exactly the prayer of our hearts for the Lord to come quickly to help me. I am struck by in the time of the psalmist's need for God's presence to swiftly intervene to stop his enemies but he also prays that those who seek God would flourish. May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!” (v4). This verse is a good reminder that this short and beautiful psalm is worth memorizing and learnt by heart. Albeit we may or may find ourselves under dire circumstances crying for God to come quickly without delay to deliver us we don't know the circumstances of our brothers and sisters in circumstances, so we need to pray for the Church, especially for persecuted Christians. The psalmist concludes by once again for our Lord and Savior to come quickly and without delay. "But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!" (v5). So often we pray impatiently, "How long, O Lord, how long?" It was yet another gorgeously beautiful day and was able to walk outdoors during the cool of the day. We went out and about to run a few errands and go to the Chinese supermarket for fresh rice noodles and Chinese vegetables. Sadly they were still no rice noodles anywhere to be found. I'm thinking that the vendor that supplies the must be shut down a few weeks for summer vacation. I know that many Chinese small business entrepreneurs tend to close their businesses for a short period for vacation, hopefully this is the case. We were only able to find decent Shanghai bok choy and several packages of Cantonese style chow mein noodles. I'm guessing that will have to do for our family weekend gathering this week. It is amazing that I got in yet another ten thousand plus steps day in. The awesome weather we have had this summer has allowed me to do outdoor walks that seem to move about much better then pacing up and down the aisles of the brick and mortar big box stores. We watched the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony and to put it mild, I thought it was less than spectacular. To be totally honest, it was a total waste of time. It is hard for me to digest the drag queen parodying, The Last Supper. "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). I watched s2e2 of, The Ark! I think this show is an outstanding space sci-fi. It is refreshing to see a show that doesn't emphasize woke culture or gender identity politics. Achoo, achoo, achoo, all of a sudden I am sneezing like crazy. Help us O Lord, to rest all our problems in loving arms. May we feel the embrace of your grace as you heal our infirmities and soothe the unrest in our troubled soul. "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases" (Psalm 103:2-3).
25 July 2024
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!" (Psalm 107:1). Thank you Lord for each emerging dawn, your steadfast love endures forever. We had a rough night, mama had to get up every two hours and take meds for the surgical root canal procedure. Thanks be to God that mama's recovery is coming along and the swelling on her has subsided quite a bit. May her recovery be swift and her whole health restored. I definitely am calling today a rest day. "Save me, O God!" Suffering and despair is written all over Psalm 69. I was struck by, "I am weary with my crying out; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with a waiting for my God" (v3). The psalmist's moving cry for help and plea for relief in the midst of his suffering captures his deep sense of despair and longing for God's presence. The psalmist is clearly physically and emotionally drained. Most of this psalm is filled with the psalmist's plead to God for help and deliverance. It is common to see psalms that pleas for God help and calls for justice pivoting from despair to praising God’s unfailing love. "I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving" (v30). This shift from petition to praise demonstrates an act of faith of God's unfailing love will answer our prayers. Our Lord will not forsake us and will deliver us from evil. I am always uncomfortable with lament psalms where the psalmist asks for retribution against his enemies. David wants their food poisoned, their eyes blinded, their homes abandoned, and their souls damned (v22-27). I am blown away by justice and mercy. God calls us to live coram deo. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we are to be upright in our dealings with our neighbors and to be full of mercy toward those in need. That calls for us to be kind, compassionate and forgiving. Albeit I am speechless, it is jaw dropping and noteworthy that in the psalmist's deepest moments of despair, he prays that God’s love would move him to enact justice against his enemies, in contrast, Jesus’ final moments of his passion he asks God to forgive those who were crucifying him. It is mind boggling that Jesus dies like what the psalmist wanted his accusers to die: food poisoned with bile, eyes blinded and damned to among the dead. Does this mean that the psalmist's demands for justice came to pass in Jesus’ own body? I heated up my oatmeal this morning and turned into a savory concoction by adding spoonful of leftover tomato beef, a spoonful of mama's pasta sauce and a couple dashes of Cholula hot sauce, good stuff. After breakfast we went out and about to grocery shopping at the Meijers and Jewels and then stopped for a Chinese takeout from Panda Express before heading to Alex's to do lunch. Albeit I like a lot of authentic Chinese dishes, I prefer Chinese American cuisine more in general. Shopping for all this extra food makes me excited for this weekend, especially when we will be blessed to see all our children and grandkids. Thanks be to God that Alex's ankle is almost completely healed. It is not clear to me if it is my imagination or just being grateful for each new day that this summer has been a particularly mild one compared to the sizzler we gotten in past years in our neck of the woods. Normally this blue state would be decrying global warming during the summer months. For Pete's sakes, its called summer. Albeit I think that 72 degrees Fahrenheit with 50 percent humidity in ideal, I'll definitely take the low 80s during the month of July anytime without complaining. Sweet, mama got me a new Notre Dame cap from Dick’s Sporting Goods that was delivered. Now I am all fired up about the start of the 137th Fighting Irish football season on August 31st when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take on the Texas A&M Aggies. I have high hopes for this team to make it into the playoffs and go undefeated this year. I’m tire and can use some shut eyes, so I best stop penning and call it a day and wrap this up with a petition to borne our infirmities and carried our diseases. And offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving for showering us with grace upon grace.
24 July 2024
Albeit so repetitive, it is good to alive, so my soul leap with joyful thanksgiving for the gift of a new day. The verse of the day is, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17). We went out and about to a few stores and I got in another decent walk. We were planning to go to, The Patio, and share their Beer Battered Cod for lunch, but we didn't go in because there were so many cars in their parking lot and I still have issues dealing with being fearful of covid-19 in crowded places. It turned out to be a blessing, because I made us beef with tomatoes peppers and onions over rice. I am so glad that I patiently heated up the wok and got wok hei. I had to struggle not to go back for a second helping. Psalm 68 is a song of praise by David to God. The psalmist begins his psalm by recalling how God’s presence established Israel as a nation and fought on her behalf. "God shall arise, his enemies shall be scattered; and those who hate him shall flee before him!" (v1). The psalmist continues saying that "the wicked shall perish before God!" (v2). And contrasts, "But the righteous shall be glad; they shall exult before God; they shall be jubilant with joy!" (v3). The psalmist then exhorts the people to sing praises to the name of the Lord. "Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Our God is a God of salvation, and to GOD, the Lord, belong deliverances from death" (v19-20). So many of us in our brokenness try to “go it alone”, and fall. God wants his children to depend upon him. The psalmist reminds us that our burdens are to be left at the feet of the Lord. The psalmist concludes his psalms exhorting all the nations on earth to "sing praises to the Lord" and to "Ascribe power to God to him who rides in the heavens" (v32-34). We went out again for mama’s endodontist appointment. Prayers for comfort and healing. And once again I was a walking fool and got in another ten thousand plus steps day. This month has been crazy good about getting in so many steps this often. Sigh, it's insane the number of spam emails and text messages I have been getting recently from political campaigns solicitors seeking either donations or canvassing for votes for their presidential candidate. Prayers for a peaceful night and for our broken and troubled world.
23 July 2024
Thanks be to God for the dawn of new day after a night of peaceful rest. We went to bed early last night and I found myself praying and pondering Psalm 67 in the early morning quiet. We went out and about early in the cool of the day. Mama made a couple of quick stops in the Woodridge area before going to the Bolingbrook Promenade. This gave me the opportunity to pen my meandering thoughts on Psalm 67. This short psalm beings with a prayer seeking God’s blessings. "May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us" (v1). I was then struck by the psalmist was seeking God’s blessings for selfless reasons, the psalmist expresses a concern for other nations and suggests that God's people are blessed so that they can be a blessing to others "that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations" (v2). This upward prayer to God and outward towards others screams that we are not to be a reservoir of blessings but a river of blessing. I think that this psalm has, "The Great Commission", written all over it. "Praise God from whom all blessings flow." The psalmist concludes that "God shall bless us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!" (v7). The psalmist's wish for “your way to be known upon earth, your saving power among all nations” (v2) “the ends of the earth” is fulfilled in the life of the Christian as we journey back to Eden. And with the help of the Holy Spirit, bringing as many as will walk the path. I enjoy walking at the Promenade. I tend to reminisce fond memories of days past with my sister Mary. Fawn and I have spent many summer days out and about with Mary enjoying walking about the Promenade. Sweet, I knew earlier while walking around at the Promenade that I would surly get in a ten thousand plus steps for the day. The day is almost over and so I will end with a night prayer from the collect, Be present, merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of life may find our rest in You; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
22 July 2024
We woke up early to try to get an emergency dental appointment to repair a filling. Thanks be God she was able to get a one o'clock appointment. I am thankful for the gift of another new day. Being thankful in itself a blessing because I become aware of God's presence which allows me to live coram deo. What a wonderful thing it is to be able to go to bed at night or awake in the morning with the assurance that all is right with God! This is only because of the love of God and by his grace through Christ and him crucified. Albeit I only had time to take a brief walk, I always enjoy walking in the neighborhood behind the dental office. It was ashamed that mama's tooth was cracked and unrepairable and the dentist referred mama to see an endodontist. Thank be to God that the dentist was able to provide a temporary fix. Hmm, I don't know why I bother to make political statements on social media, there are always people who are politically passionate that will disagree. It was too bad that we weren't able to say anything beneficial to each other than being reminded that I am a poor miserable sinner in need of Christ, so all was not lost. "Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise!" (v1). Psalm 66 invites the entire world to sing praises to God and to, "Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man" (v5). How awesome is it that God always does the verb. "Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip" (v8-9). God is the giver of life and the one who saves us. I really appreciate the psalmist elaborating on the proper attitude we should have in our hearts before God in prayer. "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened" (v18). The psalmist then concludes his psalm with a prayer of thanksgiving. "Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!" (v20). It appears that this psalms pretty much speaks for itself. I hope that the fallout from the Microsoft IT outrage will be resolve soon, especially with how it pertains to air travel. We are so looking forward to our baby girl’s visit this coming weekend.
21 July 2024
I am thankful for the gift of a new day. I am bless by the psalm of the day. God makes it "so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy" (Psalm 65:8). I love Psalm 65; it is a prayer of praise and I am left by how good God is. It is highly noticeable that most of the psalms up to this point are 911 calls petition God for help in times of need. There is nothing wrong with petitioning God for comfort, protection and healing. In fact, after all his 911 calls, the psalmist concludes his psalms with thanksgiving. God wants people to pray for their needs, even though he already knows what they need. Prayer acknowledges dependence on God. I was struck by, "When iniquities prevail against me, you atone for our transgressions" (v3), it affirms that God hears our prayers and forgives our sins. There is much to be thankful for because God had initiated the action necessary to bring the people to himself. Truly God always does the verb. Unlike the world, the psalmist clearly does believe in mother nature, "You visit the earth and s water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it" (v9). The psalmist found much joy in the abundant of his bounty. May the Lord bless us and bless the gifts from his bounty. We love gathering at Alex's. I always look forward to our family time with the kids and our grands. That in itself is a celebration, but today is Alex's actual birthday and it makes the day even more special. I am always grateful of Rob's willingness to drive his family down so often. The long drive is far from just a hop skip and jump away. I thank God for this fine young man. I was surprised this morning that there was a complete overcast this morning, because that wasn't and still isn't in the forecast. We are accustom to starting the day with the usual bacon, breakfast sausage links and eggs when we gather. The ladies went out and about and Rob was outside doing yard work. I am always left amazed by how immaculate the yard looks after Rob tends to the property. I got to spend time with the grand. I did a little sword fight with Isaac and I read, "My Day with Gong Gong" to Peyton. Kids are so funny, lol, they like being rolled up in a blanket like burrito. It is clear to me that the kids really enjoy their screen time watching cartoons. I'm not much on watching cartoons, so I went out a sat on the back patio and enjoyed the mild idea temperatures in the low 70s with 53% humidity. Every once in a while I got up and did a centurion walk on the patio. There is much to say about the serenity. The sun eventually broke out and Alex for some unknown reason didn't setup his umbrella for his back yard furniture this year, so I went back in. The initial plan was to made gon chow ngau ho for our noontime meal today, too bad the store did get their Thursday shipment of the rice noodles for this weekend this weekend. We ended up doing plan b for lunch, Olive Garden! The highlights of my day was Rob giving me a much need massage, and then getting a second massage from Isaac, I especially enjoyed taking Peyton with me for a walk to the neighborhood park after eating lunch. I am surprised that the park doesn't have a playground with a slide and swings. Oh wow, Joe Biden dropped out the presidential race and plans to finish the remainder of his term. It would be better if he step down as POTUS all together at this time. It was only a short while ago when Joe Biden has said only the "Lord Almighty" could convince him to end his bid for re-election, as he sat for a rare primetime interview with George Stephanopoulos in an effort to attempt to calm Democratic concern over his candidacy. I don't think that he has the mental capacity to carry on as POTUS. I actually don't care for Biden or Trump and didn't either one of these two men egos and personal desires would allow them to drop out of the presidential race. Today was a good day, thanks be to God for all the blessings of the day. I am so thankful for the gift of family, family is my joy.
20 July 2024
I am grateful for our new dawn. We got up early this morning and ate breakfast in hopes that we can get fitted in for emergency dental work, go figure; sadly the office was closed for the weekend, that was disappointing. We went out early to Meijer and the Chinese supermarket to beat the weekend shopper crowd. We stopped at the, Nothing Bundt Cake; we had an email bogo free offer. Why not, will be Alex's actually birthday tomorrow. It was disappointing to see that there weren’t any rice noodles, we tried. The trip wasn’t a total bust; at least we found some decent pea pods and fresh steamed char sui boas. It was a big cook day, I made Cantonese style pan fried noodles and beef with Chinese broccoli (gai lan) which goes well over the noodles. It is truly a classic comfort food dish found in most Cantonese homes. I also made teriyaki salmon, stuffed hamburger patties, and browned the remaining hamburger meat for mama's pasta sauce and hamburger gravy. That should be plenty of food for the kid take home and have during the week. I feel bad that I wasn't able to make the request gon chow ngau ho that they requested grandpa to make them. David began Psalm 64 by pleading with God for protection from his enemies. "Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; preserve my life from dread of the enemy" (v1). I was struck by the psalmist not being afraid to boldly complain to God about the injustice he was experiencing. Perhaps God does want us to tell him exactly how we feel and what we're going through, even though he already knows. Anyway, the psalmist colorfully describes his enemies as having tongues like swords and speech like arrows and how they secretly plotted to pierce him with their words with gossip and accusations. The psalmist continues, "They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see them?” (v5). They were confident that their plots were fearlessly well conceived. They believed that no one could see and boast about how well hidden, secretive, and effective their plans were. What comes to mind are how the two political parties engage each other in our country. They are political adversaries who plot in secret and use words, tweets to not only attack each other, but also initiate threats to intimidate you into agreement with their beliefs or at least into silencing your voice. Even more sadly is that the main stream media is even worse. Call me crazy, but the main stream media seems to closely resemble the people that the psalmist is alluding to. They are even more divisive than the politicians spinning things and stirring the pot. I can't believe that I just went on a political rant tangent, but since I’m at it, funny how Kamala Harris went from low poll rating to all of a sudden being called a rising star now that there is talk about want Joe Biden to drop out of the presidential race. David then reflects on how all of mankind is capable of this type of cruelty and how their own lies will come back and bite them buy the hand of God. David knows eventually all humanity will respond in awe at the God. He notes that, "Then all mankind fears; they tell what God has brought about and ponder what he has done" (v9). David concludes him psalm with an exhortation, "Let the righteous one rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in him! Let all the upright in heart exult!" (v10). God is our refuge and our strength. "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Time for bed, I’m so excited and am looking forward to tomorrow.
19 July 2024
Thanks be to God for the gift of life. I slept really well and was in a deep sleep last, and could have slept through anything. We stayed up to watch the former President Trump at the RNC GOP presidential acceptance speech... I think that his acceptance speech was way too long. His meandering just went on and on and on for 90 plus minutes. I suppose the mainstream news media will all be placing their bias bs, lies and spin over the four day convention. I have no desire to hear any of their rubbish. We went out and about grocery shopping to the Chinese supermarket, Aldi, and Jewel to buy the needed for our weekend gathering. Albeit we were able to find decent gai lan and the Cantonese style chow mein noodle there was any fresh rice noodles, so I guess we are going to have to go back again tomorrow to see if they will have some, we are going to try our best to not disappoint our grandkids. I did my walking indoors because it was a little humid and too sunny and no shaded areas to walk. Yummy, we got us a bucket of the Jewels Friday fried chicken wings $9.99 special for my monthly fried chicken fix. The highline news of the day was the massive information technology outage that affected IT systems globally. Albeit also affected FedFex, thanks be to God that my overnight package delivery managed to reach its destination. From the intro to Psalm 63, we learn that this short psalm was written by David while in the wilderness of Judah. The psalmist begins his psalm with, "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water" (v1). I was struck by here David was in the wilderness where the land was dry and parched. In his hunger and thirst, his first thoughts were of his dry and parched soul thirsting for God and hunger being satisfied. "My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips" (v5). I ate leftovers for dinner, the beef with bitter gourd over the vermicelli went very well together. Oh wow, it was another ten thousand plus steps day! I'm a walking fool; I can't believe that I am getting in that many steps in so often all of a sudden. I'm finally have a little time to kick back and relax and will watch, The Ark, a little later this evening before going to bed. I recorded the first episode of season 2 of the sysfi on YouTube TV two days ago. Oh no, mama just lost a filling, I hope the dentist will be able to do an emergency repair tomorrow when we call for an appointment tomorrow morning. Prayers for comfort and care.
18 July 2024
I woke up grateful for the dawn of a new day. I am grateful for God's faithfulness and for my wife. What would I do without her? My urologist ordered me a special at home urine test kit. I had to place a urine sample in the provided container and drop the package off for a FedEx overnight delivery. We went to Alex's for a wellness check and to join him for lunch. Thanks be to God for Alex's continued recovery progress from his severe ankle sprain. He appears to be able to walk slowly without a limp. I made us Chinese stir fried vermicelli for our noontime meal. The plan this week was to initially to cut the grass tomorrow morning in the cool, but since today was such a nice day in the mid 70, I thought it was best to mow the grass this afternoon instead. With a couple of breaks I was able to mow the front and back as well as do the weed whacking. We'll about 3/4 of the backyard anyway, before running out of line. Happy haircut! Mama did a good job as usual. I still think it is kind of funny, how a haircut can make me feel like a million bucks. David is the psalmist in Psalm 62; he begins his psalm with a declaration, "For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken” (v1-2). One of the great truths of life is there is one and only one person on whom we can rely on is God and God alone. I think it is interesting that he similarly repeats himself counseling his soul with, "For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken" (v5-6). I find it interesting because the psalmist claims God as his own. And the goes on to say, "On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God" (v7). There is a whole lot of mys going on; my rock, my salvation, my fortress, my mighty rock, my refuge. I was then struck how the psalmist has gone from a personal expression of his trust in God to an exhortation for others to trust in God. "Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us" (v8). Trusting God at all times" notes that it is important to trust in God even when things aren't going well and in him we can find refuge. In God alone my soul can find rest and peace. Today was a very good day, I shocked myself by getting in a ten thousand plus steps day! Anyway, today is the last day of the RNC so I think I will wrap up this journal entry and kick back a watch what is going on. Prayers for God's mercy and for the restoration of the brokenness of our nation.
17 July 2024
Thanks be to God for this new day. I woke up early this morning again so that I could get in some of my daily workout routines in before heading out for the first dental appointment of the day. I think I will need to go to bed earlier if I am routinely going to need to be up so often. I looked at the weather app this morning and it called for nice day with the high in the low 80s, in fact the extended forecast for the remainder of the week will be likewise! It is crazy the number of appointments we have throughout the calendar year. I am thankful for the smartphones that Rob and Andrea have gifted me over the years. I would be overwhelmed by all the ongoings without the calendar and the notepad apps to track them. I like walking in the nice quiet neighborhood behind our dental office. Albeit it was a bright sunshiny day, all the mature tree in the neighborhood provided ample shade. We went to Sam's Club pharmacy to pick up a prescription and then went to the adjacent corner to buy gas at the Shell station. I was surprised that for dome unknown reason, they were selling regular tier one gas for $3.679 a gallon. That was substantially cheaper than everyone else in the area. We then went shopping in the Oswego area and I did the centurion walk on the long strip mall where the Target store is located. It us one of the strip malls that I like to do outdoor walks at because the store fronts face north, so the building provides nice shading to do a leisurely walk. From there we made a quick stop at the Meijer and then finally on the way home, we made another quick stop at the Walmart. By then, amazingly I already got in well over another ten thousand plus steps day! More amazing is that I got a back to back ten thousand plus steps day in, I haven't did that in a long while. Since today is national hot dog day, we had hot dogs and beans for lunch. Psalm 61 is a short psalm that expresses the desperate prayer of someone in sorrow and is in great need of help from God and asks God to be a sanctuary and to place him on a "rock that is higher than I". I think that he is asking God to do something for him that he cannot do for himself. I am struck by how this short psalm the psalmist is overwhelmed and begins his prayer with sadness and tears, and concludes it with praises. "So will I ever sing praises to your name, as I perform my vows day after day" (v8). This psalm reminds us that God hears our prayers, even when our hearts are faint, weary, or discouraged. I made up beef with bitter melon for dinner. It has been a long while since we have been able to find decent bitter gourd in the supermarket. I still can’t believe how pressed for time I am to do this and do that and try to get this and get that done. One would think thing would be more simple and easy going at this stage in my life.
16 July 2024
Just as I logged out of Blogger and was just about to go up take a shower before going to bed when all of a sudden the tornado siren started blaring. I'm on my phone penning this journal on the eve. They are announcing actual confirmed tornado touchdowns one after another as well warnings. We are by the basement door listening to emergency broadcast and fervently praying for God's protection. The Lord is my refuge and my fortress. I can the high winds blowing and the torrential rain beating against the house along with a continuous loud rumbling. I'm guessing there must be one heck of a light show from all that lightning. Thanks be to God we were spared from a tornado hit, but I am fearful there may still be some damages incurred from the severe weather. I remember not too long ago I was complaining about having to clean up twigs and other debris from the yard not realizing that we had a tornado touchdown just the from us. If I was any kind of a writer I could compose a psalm. Let us rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him. Away, time do the needed before going to bed... I had a real good night sleep and woke up feeling well rested. I thankful for another new dawn, bless the Lord my soul. We went to Alex's in the morning and stopped at Aldi, Meijer and Jewels on the way for a few grocery items. It was way too warm and humid to take a outdoor walk even in the cool of the day, so I did it in the indoors along the perimeter. I was able to get quite a few steps in so I made it a point to make it ten thousand plus steps day, whoo hoo! Thanks be to God, Alex looks like his twisted and swollen ankle is healing well and he is able to slowly walk about without the aid of crutches. I made us beef and pea pods stir fry for lunch. I really like the wok hei that I get from Alex's kitchen stovetop. Mama was mad, some bird bombed the car. I got ambitious and hosed the car down. Since I was already set up, I decided to hose down Alex's trash bin. Mama sprayed the trash bin with cleaning ammonia and I gave it a final rinse. Ps 60 is a psalm of David where he expresses grief and horror. I was struck by how the psalmist concluded the psalm, "Oh, grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes" (v11-12). Despite seeing no evidence that God was at that moment aiding Israel, the psalmist spoke with confidence expressing trust that with God's help, the nation will succeed. According to the intro to this psalm is a instructional psalm. We are taught an amazing truth that the help of man is useless. We live a broken world that believe there is no god that created us and that man has evolved into the highest being and that all achievement is due to the glory of man. Let us not be deceived by such thinking and unbelief. The verse of the day is, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). God blesses and saves a nation. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!" (Psalm 33:12). "God bless America" is a prayer that acknowledges God's blessings on our nation. "One day, American will be holy." Amen. Mmm, had the last of the remaining leftover Patios barbecue chicken, ribs, bread and a baked potato for our dinner. It was great to FaceTime with Alex, Andrea, Rob and our grandkids. Isaac and Peyton expressed how much they enjoyed the gon chow ngau ho and not only ask me if I would make it again, lol, they ask if I could make even more. These two are a real hoot! Thanks be to God for the day's blessings. I've been talking a lot with my siblings; we have been praying and providing support for each other as we continue to age with grace. Thanks be to God who showers us with grace upon grace. I really need to get ready for bed soon, because we will need to be out of the house early for a dental appointment. I looked at the forecast for early tomorrow morning and it appears that unlike this morning, I will have a opportunity to walk outdoors in the cool of the day while Fawn in in the dentist office.
15 July 2024
"But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress" (Psalm 59:16). Thanks be to God for the gift of another new day. He is my mighty fortress and a refuge. When I was laying in bed last night the rumbling started up again and was followed by yet another thunderstorm the produced a torrential downpour. There were a few loud thunder claps that shook the house. It made me think about the thunderous voice of God. I've been thinking about the failed assassination attempt of the former President Trump during him presidential campaign rally in Pennsylvania. I believe that by the grace of God he is still alive. Anyway, I got up early this morning to ponder the psalms and to try to get in as much of my daily workout as possible before heading out for my physical evaluation. Albeit our days are finite and numbered, I always pray for and seek God's healing hand and thank our Lord for his physicians. From the intro to Palm 59 we learn that this psalm was inspired by an incident where Saul sent assassins to watch David's home in order to kill him. David begins this psalm praying for rescue from these "bloodthirsty" men. The psalmist describes his enemies as howling dogs that comes back every evening prowling around at night looking for prey. It is encouraging to see that the psalmist is secure in faith by God's steadfast love. I was initially struck by, "Kill them not, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord, our u shield! " (v11). Unlike other imprecatory psalms; the psalmist usually asks God to destroy his enemies in no uncertain terms in a grueling way. So I was somewhat surprised that instead of a swift death, the psalmist prays that God will make an example of these enemies. The psalmist desires that they be trapped in their pride so that their thoughts, words, and deeds get the best of them before they are consumed in wrath and be no more. The psalm ends with, "But I will sing of your strength; I will sing aloud of your steadfast love in the morning. For you have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. O my Strength, I will sing praises to you, for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love" (v16-17). It is good to start our day relying on God to be our defense and refuge. The Holy Spirit will place a song of joy in your heart. Great, I did manage to get in most of exercises; the only thing that is outstanding is getting in a walk on a hopping on the elliptical. Mmm, I made myself an egg salad sandwich before heading out the the door. I can't remember the last time I ate one of those bad boys and have forgotten just how tasty they are. It turned out that traffic was not an issue, so we ended up getting to the hospital really early and had plenty of time to do a walk there before my scheduled appointment. I was asked a ton of questions and was give a ton of literature to take home and read. I was totally shocked that they took 23 tubes of blood and a urine sample for the lab work; I'm guessing they are testing for just about everything under the sun. Dang, my glasses fogged up from the humidity when we stepped outside. The temperature soared up into the mid 90s, more depressing how muggy it felt. Traffic was horrid coming out of the city. From there we went to Alex's to give him a wellness check, by then it was supper time, so we lived it up getting a takeout from, The Patio. We order the rib and jumbo shrimp combo, the rib and chicken combo, and the fried cod dinner meal. I like eating family style, because we get to a taste of variety of food. Mercy me, albeit I hopped on the elliptical when we got back home, I did my cardio training at a much slower pace than usual. Getting on the elliptical in the evening is definitely far from being ideal. Oh my, a severe thunderstorm with intense rain, high winds and potential tornadoes is heading our way. Protect us and our homes from all disasters of nature, through Christ our Lord.
14 July 2024
I woke up to the sound of loud thunder claps, rumbling, and the sound of the pouring rain. I am grateful and thankful for another new day. I was so tired last night that I easily just instantly nodded off. I decided that today would be a good day rest day from my daily workout routines. I made a fresh pot of oatmeal this morning and I made myself a small savory bowl with a splash of oyster sauce and Cholula and had it with a slice of toast. We went to Alex's because mama was worried about Alex's ability to move about because his twisted ankle was so swollen. I'm guessing that we will need to somewhat help him for at least a few day before the swelling goes down enough to move about freely without the aid of crutches. His ankle was still swollen earlier but after soaking his foot in a ice water tub, it really helped to take down the swelling considerably. Prayer for comfort and recovery. I made us bacon and eggs for an early lunch and of course I took advantage of my other half of the jalapeño bagel to make myself a breakfast sandwich and for dinner I made pork chops with mac and cheese. Psalm 58 is a short imprecatory psalm. I always have to take a step back when I come across these type of psalms where the psalmist lets his fury fly. I guess it is a blessing not to fully understand the psalmist’s emotions because I never had to contend with heinously wicked people who were just plain evil or wanting to personally destroy me up close and personal. The psalmist has nothing good or redemptive to say about his enemies or their intentions and turns to God and asks for God to destroy them. What the psalmist asks of God reveals the depth of his hatred and desire for the demise of his enemies. As much as I struggle with these imprecatory psalms, make no mistake, God will judge and it won't be pretty for the unbeliever. I have to stop and have things in order for tomorrow before going to bed. Thanks be to God who watches over us, his steadfast love endures forever.
13 July 2024
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night" (Psalm 92:1-2). I like the idea of penning my journal entry on my smartphone as the day progresses and then just cut and paste it to Blogger and finishing it up at the end of the day thanking God for his blessings and steadfast love. I woke up early this morning with thanksgiving in my heart grateful for a new day and for the blessing of family. I needed time to reflect on the psalms and to get in as much of my daily exercises in before heading out to Alex's to celebrate Alex's birthday with Andrea and Rob and our grandkids. I love it when family comes together to enjoy each other's company and eat an insane amount of food. I think the only time I ever eat more food in one day is at Henry and Heather's on Thanksgiving Day. I am so grateful and thank God for Rob's willingness to drive down so often. The drive is more than hop and skip away. From the intro and title of Psalm 57 we learn that this is prayer of David while he was hiding in a cave from his enemies. He begins with petitioning God for mercy and protection under the God’s wings. The psalmist is confident that God will answer his prayer and will vindicate him and in his steadfast faith that God in all his glory will be exalted and will soon come down from heaven and cover the earth. The psalm ends with a declaration of praise and thanksgiving to God for His steadfast love and faithfulness. I pray for the same steadfast faith as did David in what is faced living in this broken world. On the way to Alex's, we stopped off to get fresh bagels at Big Apple Bagels. Oh my, poor Alex twisted his ankle playing on his Saturday morning tennis. Prayers for comfort and healing. We always start the day off with breakfast sausage links, bacon and eggs. How can I not end up building myself half a breakfast sandwich? The jalapeño pepper bagel gave it a nice kick, so good. For our noontime celebratory meal, I made an insane amount gon chow ngau ho so that there would enough for leftovers for the kids take some home. The highlight of the day for me was when Isaac and Peyton told us that they loved us. It is no wonder that, "Grandchildren are the crown of the aged" is a phrase from the Proverbs in the Bible. Whoa, albeit was super nice outdoors this morning, the temperatures soar up unto the low 90s by early afternoon. Man o man, talk about being hot and humid. Alex has the greatest brother-in-law who help him out mowing the grass in the sauna. Rob always does a great job. Every time he does the yardwork, the yard looks like it is ready for a lawn care commercial. I love how Rob deals with children mischief. Peyton somehow ripped the screen for the patio door and instead of getting mad, he instructed her and had her help to repair the damages. I must be getting older and slower, do battle with Isaac with light sabers is really challenging. The young man is getting stronger and his swordsmanship shows a keen sense of distance, timing, strength and coordination. Nice, Rob gave me a much needed massage that this old body greatly appreciated. We celebrated with a yellow cake with chocolate frosting, albeit my slice was small, it was satisfying. By early evening the skies turned dark and the winds picked up as thunderstorm move in. There was quite a bit of rumbling followed by a torrential downpour. Oh wow, gunfire broke out during a Trump rally in Pennsylvania; it was a modern day shot hear around the world. One person dead and two are critically injured. A bullet pierced Trump's ear and the shooter was killed. The shooting is being investigated as an assassination attempt. Away, I'm tire and going to bed. Thanks be to God for his blessings. Prayers for all my love one, former President Trump and those injured or killed at the rally, and for the future of our country.
12 July 2024
Thanks be to God for the morning's light. I looked at the weather app and it appears that it is best to be out and in the cool of the day and the afternoon hours will be rather warm and humid moving ahead. Yikes, the early part of week will be like the normal July summertime heat we are accustom to having. Today was a big cook day, mama did all the prep and we made, stuffed hamburgers, hamburger gravy with peas, Cantonese style pan fried noodles, and stir fried beef with Chinese broccoli for the kids to bring home to eat during the week. The cook wouldn't be complete without a pan sheared ribeye steak for Isaac. And yes, I gnawed the meat off the bone. We did all the prep work to make gon chow ngau ho for Alex's birthday celebration meal tomorrow. There will be plenty for them to take home to boot. Psalm 56 is a psalm of David where he fearfully appeals to God regarding his desperate situation and his need for divine intervention and the need for grace. The psalmist continues to say, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in you" (v3). I think that is true faith, because there is no trusting a unknown god. I was struck by, "You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?" (v8). Imagine that, God collects our tears. Our tears are the tangible essence of broken hearts to be added to God’s book of remembrance as a reminder of the grief of his people. David concludes this psalm thanksgiving for delivering his soul from death and his feet from falling that he may walk before God [coram Deo] in the light of life. I got back the results from all the lab work and thanks be to God some of readings seemed to have slightly improved. Hopefully my doctors will be able to offer me some encouraging words. Lord, renew my mind, body, and soul and those of my love ones. I've started creating a excel spreadsheet to track all my lab work. It is not clear to me how useful it will be, but at least it will be a good exercise for my brain. Surprisingly, it was like riding a bike, skills came back intuitively.
11 July 2024
Thanks be to God for another new day. I was up early for a doctor's appointment and wanted to get in most of my exercises in before heading out. I went to the get lab work done as well as go the urologist office for a doctor's visit. I had my third and last taco for lunch. I am clueless what is added to the side of Mexican rice taste so good, so deliciously flavorful. After lunch we went out and about grocery shopping at the Chinese supermarket to get the rice noodles, Cantonese style noodles and tofu. We were able to find decent gai lan and bitter melon. It could just be me, but it seems that we are having hard time coming across decent fresh fruits and vegetables and really have to go hunting for it. It was another nice summer day with a nice mix of sun and clouds in the low 80s. Is it just me? Knock on wood, the weather sofar been outstanding this summer in NIL. The song of the day is, Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts. Psalm 55 is a psalm that explores the pain of betrayal by a close friend. It is one thing to have enemies, but I think there is nothing like the scars left on the heart by the betrayal of a person we thought was a friend. The psalmist begins the psalm saying he is trembling with fear asking God to his pleas for mercy. This is a good reminder we need to be sure to speak to God first when something happens in our life that is hard to deal with and burdens our souls. The psalmist wished he wings of a dove and can fly away and rest from the terror before him. I was stunned by the psalmist being betrayed by another child of God, with whom he had fellowship with worshipping God. "But it is you, a man, my equal, my companion, my familiar friend. We used to take sweet counsel together; within God's house we walked in the throng" (v13-14). The psalmist goes on to describe how his close friend has betrayed his confidence with smooth speech, leaving his heart wounded. "My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant. His speech was g smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords" (v20-21). I believe that this prayer flows out of his confidence in the Lord. He asks God to listen to him, hear him, and answer him and concludes by advising all men to fully entrust their burdens to God and he will sustain you.
10 July 2024
I woke up this morning feeling blessed to be alive. Thanks be to God for his merciful hands and his steadfast love. The rain from the tropical rainstorm Beryl moved in last night and is was with us most of the morning before the sun finally broke out with a nix mix of sun and clouds. Psalm 54 is yet another short psalm. I can see why these psalms are sung as prayers because this psalm encourages worshipers to turn to prayer instead of seeking revenge or retaliation when faced with false accusations. The psalmist begins his prayer by crying out to God for help, "O God, save me by your name, and vindicate me by your might. O God, hear my prayer; give ear to the words of my mouth” (v1-2). The psalmist acknowledges his enemies as those who have not set God before themselves and expresses confidence that God's faithfulness will not allow the evil before him to go unchecked. I was struck by how the psalmist concluded this psalm with his premature anticipation of his ultimate deliverance from evil where he will celebrate God's name being vindicated. The psalmist had great exemplary faith and trust in the Lord. "With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, O LORD, for it is good. For he has delivered me from every trouble and my eye has looked in triumph on my enemies" (v6-7). We both got the three tacos with two sides yesterday to celebrate Fawn's birthday. I ate one of those bad boys last night and another one for lunch today. When I was much younger, I had no problem the entire meal in one sitting along with a bowl of nacho chips. Those days are long gone. Mama made us one of her signature salads for dinner. They are always so good. The news is still dominated by a new wave of Democratic detractors calls for Biden to exit the race. I still hope the current nominees Biden and Trump both exit the presidential race. IMO Biden should to step down as the POTUS and not finish his term; his confused ramblings are very concerning. Why do I bother watching the news? I should go back to avoid watch the news, it’s so depressing. Prayers for this president and for our nation.
9 July 2024
Happy birthday to by darling wife! I woke up this morning rejoicing in the day. Thanks be to God for the gift of life and for the wonders of our being. I am up early and restless, so here I am penning the start of my journal entry while lying in bed on my phone. I will most likely continue to append penning throughout the day as the day progresses and will then cut and paste it to Blogger at the end of the day. We went out and about to the Oswego area and was shocked to be able to get gas for $3.749 a gallon for tier one gas when every place else was selling it for around $4.199. I walked around while Fawn went shopping in few of the stores. Because it noontime and there were more errands to run, we stopped at Portillo's and split one of their hamburger for a quick bite. Now I wished that I bought my pedometer along because and went walking some more along the store fronts while Fawn did more shopping. After grocery shopping and what nots, we stopped at the, Burrito Parrilla Mexicana, for a takeout meal to celebrate mama's birthday. It is hard to believe we were out and about most of the day. I think there was a good chance that I most likely put in a ten thousand plus steps day. Albeit it was completely overcasted the entire day, it was super nice out in the upper 70s the entire time. It's a good thing that I am tracking my exercise routine because I to put in a concert effort to check off the all the remaining sets of exercises. I have been musing about the violence over the holiday weekend in Chicago. Is it my imagination that the city is like a war zone? I remember it was once called “Chiraq” a portmanteau of “Chicago” and “Iraq”. That led me to ponder the wars being fought in Gaza and in Ukraine. Have we condone or accept the violence entrenched in many parts of our world today? Lord, please bring the evil and hostile eruptions of violence in our world to an end. Psalm 53 is another short psalm and opens with a declaration that "the fool" denies God's existence. "The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity; there is none who does good" (v1). There is nothing more foolish than denying the very existence of God. The psalmist then goes on and proceeding to describe the tragic state of humanity without God, and that our salvation only comes from God. From our Trinitarian perspective this Psalm is a reminder that without Christ, people are "totally depraved" and will never seek God on their own without the help of the Holy Spirit. Being totally depraved is true of all mankind; we are born under sin and do not have any regard for God. The psalmist goes on to describe the sure and certain judgment on all those who oppose God and then concludes the psalm with the hope of salvation that comes out of Zion. I believe that hope is found in our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. The verse of the day is, "Oh, let the evil of the wicked come to an end, and may you establish the righteous — you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!" (Psalm 7:9).
8 July 2024
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). Thanks be for faithfulness and mercies. After a day of rest from my daily exercise routines, I decided to kick it up a notch. I am by no means pushing it. This old man definitely do not want to injure himself. Oh wow, so sad. What a hell hole. The headline news this morning was on the violence on this 4th of July weekend in the city of Chicago, "At least 100 people shot, 19 fatally." By the noon hour, WTTW reported, "In total, 109 people were shot in 72 separate shooting incidents, according to the Chicago Police Department." I put on my pedometer and went out and about and in the cool of the day and got in nice walk at the Bolingbrook Promenade. Whoo hoo, I managed to do a ten thousand plus steps day in. We had hot dog and beans for lunch. I surprised myself and went back for a second hot dog and another helping of beans. Sometimes a simple meal is so comforting. Psalm 52 is a very short psalm of David that reflects on the downfall of the wicked and praises God's righteousness. The psalmist condemns those who trust in their wealth and deceitful ways, reminding them that God will ultimately bring justice and judgment upon them. Despite the evil actions of his enemies, David remains confident in God's protection and seeks refuge in Him. I was struck from the get go, "Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man? The steadfast love of God endures all the day. Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit" (v1-2). From the title of the psalm, the psalmist is referring to Saul and Doge the Edomite. The discerning about the deceitful tongue apparently from 1 Samuel 22 gave rise to this psalm is a terrifying one. Doeg betrayed the priests for helping David escape from Saul. And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod. And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey and sheep, he put to the sword. (1 Samuel 22:17-19). The psalmist continues either a warning not be the person who attempts to live by deceit or vicious words and not make God his refuge, but trusted in the abundance of his riches. The psalmist concludes by thanking and praising God. "I will thank you forever, because you have done it. I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly" (v9). I missed out on an opportunity to enjoy one of mama's signature salads she made for dinner because I needed to finish up some of the leftovers I made from the weekend. Chirp chrip, Alex texted and gave a thumbs up and a photo of all the empty tupperwares of the food I prepared for him over the weekend. Today was a very good day. I thank God for my wife, her birthday is tomorrow! I’m not much of a romantic but I’m still very much in love, she completes me.
7 July 2024
Thanks be to God for this new day. I contemplated in bed this morning whether I should rest or continue with my daily exercise routines and concluded it best to have at least one day rest each week. Today was the first Sunday in a while that we felt well enough to attend Holy Mass. There was plenty of leftover this and that, I opted to make myself pork chop sandwich with mustard and lettuce, so good. Psalm 51, Create in me a clean heart, O God is one of favorite psalms. Psalm 51 is a prayer of repentance and confession that conveys the emotions of shame and asks God for cleansing and restoration. "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions" (v1). Without excuses, the psalmist immediately admits his sinfulness and asks for God's mercy. I was stuck by, "Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil d in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment" (v4). This doesn't mean that our transgressions against our neighbors are unaffected by this sin, but it emphasizes the fact that all sin is a betrayal of God’s love for us. When we sin, it is so important to remember that we are rebelling against God. We need to realize that our sin only has to do with other people because it also affects our relationship with God and we need reconciliation with Him and ask for forgiveness. It is good to know that God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins. With that, we are able to move past our sin and pursue holiness, even when the people we have sinned against aren't forgiving. This psalm is sung from time to time as a offertory as part of our Eucharist service. I am blown away that the psalmist is not asking God to not not just simply blot out his sins but is also asking God to create in him a clean heart and to return to him the joy of his salvation. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit (v10-12). Here the psalmist sees that he needs an entirely new heart because his old heart leads him astray and is aware that a clean heart would change everything about his life. The dark clouds moved mid afternoon followed loud thunder claps and rumbling, I was surprised that we got a regular rain fall instead of heavy torrential downpour with all the booming going on. Mama made us one of her signature salads for dinner. I had mine with a small piece of teriyaki salmon and my palate began doing the happy dance. I thank God for the peaceful blessings of the day.
6 July 2024
I woke early grateful and excited for the new day. I wanted to get in most of my daily exercises before heading out to Alex's. We stopped at the Jewels and picked a delicious tiramisu cake to celebrate mama's birthday, the one we saw yesterday wasn't all that. I kept it simple this morning and made the usual breakfast sausage links, bacon and eggs. Rob and Andrea completed the brunch and bought down baked char sui bows! It was another beautiful day in the low 80s again. Because there was a perfect mix of clouds, I joined Alex and Isaac taking Nala for a walk around the neighborhood. Nice, Rob was mindful enough to give me a much needed massage. I always feel much better after receiving one. I made pork chops with two sides: stuffing and buttered noodles with shaved parmesan for our late afternoon celebration. Tiramisu cake is so good, best cake ever! I made it a point to finish up the remainder of my exercises when we got back home. Psalm 50 speaks of God gathering all of humanity and rebuking their disobedience and points out that he doesn't need animal sacrifices because everything in creation belongs to him. I believe this psalm is calling us to examine our heart and ask if we are grateful for God's grace, if our worship is genuine, and if we truly follow God's word. "Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me" (v14-15). God makes it abundantly clear that he wants our thankfulness and faithfulness. If we freely offer God the sacrifice of thanksgiving and faithfulness, when we call on him, he promises to rescue us and we will give him glory. God is all knowing and wonders why the wicked even bother to recite his statues and pretend to obey. The psalm concludes with, "The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” (v23). I am convinced that there is a positive correlation between the sacrifices of thanksgiving and the presence of God in our lives. Time goes by so fast, I have just completed one third of my journey praying through the psalms already. Today was a very good day. Prayers of thanksgiving for my wife and for the gift of family. May the Lord bless us and lay his hands upon us and heal our infirmities.
5 July 2024
"Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psalm 90:14). Thanks be to God for another day. I am glad that people quit setting off the fireworks early in the neighborhood. That has happened into the wee hours in past years. I still can't believe how crazy nice we are temperaturewise being in the lower 80s this time of year. I love the amount of daily exercise I am getting, because I am feeling better overall. There is no fear of me over exercising. It is not clear to me if I will need a rest day because I am not doing any intense workout routines, we'll see. I'm guessing that eventually I will need one every now and then. We went out and about early this morning. The price of fruits and vegetables all seem to be on sale this week, but we are having a hard time finding good fresh produce. It's good to get out and get in walk while mama is shopping for the groceries and what nots. Mmm, now that's what I'm talking about, I made us stuffed hamburgers for lunch and turned mine into the tastiest patty melt ever! Today was a big cook day, it took a lot of time and effort to prep and make the large amount of ribs with black beans and garlic sauce, teriyaki salmon, spicy tofu, hamburger gravy and Cantonese style pan fried noodles. It's a good thing that I enjoy cooking, gotrdun. We had some of stir fried spareribs with black beans and garlic sauce over steamed rice, Canto comfort food at its finest! Psalm 49 is a psalm that aims to teach wisdom and understanding and identifies two audiences, the poor who are afraid and don't need to be, and the rich who are not afraid and should be. We usually don't realize this until we find our lives in dire circumstances, such as when terminal illness strikes the rich that money cannot buy you a place in heaven. We should learn to be content with what God has given us, and not let money be the focus of their lives. There always seems to be a verse that catches my attention. "But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me" (Psalm 49:15). I think what the psalmist is saying that money can not pay for our sins. We have the advantage of seeing Christ and him crucified paid the price for our sins. The problem is not having money; the problem is putting our hope in the money, which is a utterly foolish thing to do. Eventually, everyone dies, and the rich will leave their money behind for others. Only a God fearing person has hope in eternity. I'm not sure why I started musing about penance, indulgences and purgatory. It’s time to kick back and relax. I am thankful for the blessing of the day and super excited about tomorrow.
4 July 2024
Happy 4th of July! I got a good night's rest and woke up thankful for another new day. I was surprised that there was no stiffness or soreness on my thighs this morning and easily did my stretches before logging my exercises. I was able to kick it up a notch. As we celebrate the gift of freedom today, I think that is a good time to reflect on God’s goodness to us as a nation. "Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!" (Psalm 33:12). Lord, bless this land keep this nation under your care. We had scattered showers throughout the day, but luckily it didn't affect us when we were out about. Even with all the rain, it didn't provide any succor from the heat and only added to the humidity. The sun did eventually come out early evening. I don't know why I'm complaining about the heat when it’s in the mid 80s when it is more common for the temperatures to be in the upper 90s this time of year. We went grocery shopping at Meijer, Aldi and Park and Shop. We even found a couple packages of ribets to stir fry spareribs with black beans and garlic sauce for the kids to take home and enjoy. Mmm, mmm, I made us Cantonese stir fried ketchup shrimp for lunch, so tasty. Psalm 48 is a celebration of the city of Zion and the temple in her midst, a celebration of the covenant promise that God would faithfully meet his people there. For Christians, this psalm takes on a new significance because we are members of the body of Christ. Our body is the true temple of the Holy Spirit that Christ himself comes into us to abide with us and in us. I was struck by, "We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple" (Psalm 48:9). Jesus laid down his life for me on the cross when I was still his enemy. Pondering on such great love brings me tearfully to my knees in response to his love. The psalmist then invites us to come and see firsthand God’s might and beauty on display because his mountain city is waiting to be explored and end the psalm by reminding us God will guide us forever as we walk about Zion on our way back to Eden. I was sad to learn that Don passed away over the weekend in his sleep. Prayers for peace and comfort. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" (Psalm 116:15). Mama made salad again tonight for supper. I could eat this everyday because it is so good and healthy. Today the medley of goodies tossed in the salad was exceptional. I'm clearly a grumpy old man and saying bah humbug to fireworks. What happened to all those oohs and aahs of my youth? God bless America! I just have to pause … Andrea, Rob and the grands FaceTime! I’m dying to see them and celebrate mama’s birthday with them Alex this coming weekend. God bless America! Sigh, the sound of loud fireworks are already happening. Thanks be to God for guidance as we journey back to Eden.
3 July 2024
I woke up early this morning to a gloomy day and it was raining much like yesterday, but it didn't take long for the sun to come out mid morning and it turned into a hot muggy summer day in the upper 80s. I was a little surprised that I woke up early this morning because some .... was setting fireworks late last night around midnight. Here we go again, California wildfires. I believe that California can do more than they are doing to prevent annual wildfires. I think the biggest reason is mismanagement. I am thankful for the gift of another new day. Albeit my thighs are stiff and a little sore when I first wake up, they are fine after I do my stretches before doing exercises. Albeit I am only doing a small fraction of what use to do for now, I am glad I have started and I will attempt to gradually do better over time. Psalm 47 calls us to praise God and encourages us to clap our hands and shout songs of joy. I was struck by, "Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!" (v1). I actually don't recall ever clapping my hands or shouting for joy as we celebrate God’s sovereignty over all creation. More fascinating was the call for "all people" to praise God, "For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth" (v2). It is my understanding that to "fear God" is to be in reverent awe of God's holiness and includes adoration, honor, thankfulness, and love. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight" (Proverbs 9:10). Yessir, mama made one of her signature salad for our dinner, I love eating salads!
2 July 2024
I woke up thankful for the gift of another day. I'm guessing my thighs were a little sore and stiff from doing squats yesterday, but it didn't take long to loosen them up. Albeit being old has its rewards and can be gracefully embrace undesirable life changes such as cognitive alertness and physical infirmities. I find myself praying on a daily basis for strength and full health for myself and all my love ones as we continue to age. We had to drive to my doctor's appointment this morning in a torrential downpour, but luckily it stopped just as we got to hospital. I thank God for all the medical people who are tending to all my medical issues. I think when most Lutherans pray Psalm 46, the hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, comes to mind. This psalm have comforted and sustained us through life’s many storms. It is comforting to know that, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (v1). In the hardships of this life in a broken world, we can find safety and rest in God. Our response should be not be fearful and trust God with thanksgiving. Mmm, we had cavatappi noodles with Italian sausage and mama's pasta sauce for lunch, what a wonderful treat. I'm looking forward to this holiday weekend, it will be the first time we are well enough to spend time with the kids and celebrate.
1 July 2024
I woke up early this morning to the sound of a barking dog. Instead of being grumpy, I was grateful for the gift of another day. It has been a long while since I opened up the tracker on my phone and logged my exercises in an attempt to keep me honest. Albeit I only did a small subset of each of my exercises, it was a (good?) start. Well regardless at it was a start. It was cool this morning and I thought about going out and do some weed whacking only to find out that I left my extension cord at Alex's, oh well. I have to admit that Psalm 45 and a royal wedding was initially confusing to me until I remembered the teachings about Christ and his bride the church. The news about the presidential debate is still dominating the news cycle. Some are surprisingly calling for Biden to drop out of presidential race for the good of the country because of his cognitive decline. Albeit I may disagree with many of his policies, his cognitive abilities are even more alarming. With that said, I also think it would be best for Trump to also drop out of the presidential race for the good of the country, but we all know neither one of them will. How people can endorse either of these two unfit candidates is beyond my comprehension. OK that's enough depressing political talk. So much for cutting back on the red meat, I fried us up a ribeye steak for dinner with grilled onions and had it with boiled carrots. I actually sliced up that bad boy and turned mine into a very tasty ribeye steak sandwich. My heart leaps for joy, Jennifer will be visiting for a couple of days towards the end of the month on a stop over before heading on a business trip to Minnesota. Thanks be to God for his faithfulness, his steadfast love endures forever.
30 June 2024
Man o man, another month just whizzed by. Everyone knows we all get old and we become weak, but how fast that happens comes as a bit of a surprise. Thanks be to God I woke up feeling better than I have been in weeks and was energetic enough to do a small subset of light exercises. It is really taking a long while for me to recover and continue to pray for strength and full health for Fawn and me. I was hoping that we would be to attend Mass, but that wasn't the case. Today was surprisingly a nice cool and I didn't want to miss the opportunity to at least cut the grass out front, it was way over due. It was something I was looking forward to, but I hunkered down and grudgingly tended to the needed. I took a long break and surprisingly went and mowed the grass out back too! I am glad that I was able to do all the yard work on a cool day with a nice cloud mix. It has been a long while since I looked up and saw a beautiful picturesque blue sky with white fluffy clouds. Psalm 44 is a national lament and a prayer for help. It is so fitting since the 4th of July is just days away. In this psalm, the psalmist remembers God's pass deeds. Remembering God’s past mighty deeds grows a desire to see him perform those kinds of mighty deeds in our own lifetime. Even when we feel God-forsakenness, let us remember that we are not, and let us rest in the fact that nothing can separate us from God's love found in Christ Jesus.
29 June 2024
Thanks be to God for the blessings of this day. As I pray Psalm 43 it seems to be much like it joins together with the previous psalm as it was one continual psalm and that life is dependent upon God just as life is dependent upon water. Our soul longs for God find no peace until they rest in him. I think a lot of people can relate with the psalmist and being frustrated with suffering but need to look to the future with the same hope in God. Praise the Lord, O my soul.
28 June 2024
Thanks be to God, this morning is the best I have felt in a couple of weeks. Despite feeling much better, I still prefer to still close my eyes and rest reclining. May God continue to strengthen and restore us to full health. We were up early and went to Aurora for Fawn's dental appointment. It was raining, so I just sat in the car and just started penning this journal entry. We watched the presidential debate last night. I am dismayed that this President and the Former President can possibly be serving another term. I didn’t vote for either of these men during the primary. How can Biden's obvious cognitive abilities overlooked? Albeit I don't want to see either one of these two men in the WH, I thought both men were struggling to meet their low bar expectations, but I had to shake my head when the two started to childishly began arguing who had a better golf game, sigh embarrassing. Psalm 42 is a psalm that expresses both sorrow and praise for God. I am struck by the metaphor, "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God" (v1). Because of my kidneys, I have to drink a lot of water. With the warmer weather about, drinking more water has become easier to do. When I come across this verse, I almost always associate it with, On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."' (John 7:37-38). This psalm encourages us to trust in God by remembering what he has done for us in the past even when our soul is downcast. It encourages readers to tell themselves, "There is hope" and to praise God as their salvation. The psalmist concludes by answering his own question, "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God" (v11). It is good to have my appetite back and having stomach issues weren't very pleasant. Clearly I'm not fully back and fell asleep sitting up, the short afternoon nap was very helpful.
20 June 2024
I saw the following beautiful prayer this morning: Lord, thank you for the gift of life, allowing me and my family to see this another beautiful day. Today Lord, we open up our home to You and may you bring healing, blessings and miracles as you come in into our lives. In Jesus' name. Amen. I am thankful; mama was feeling a tad better today. I'm not sure what compelled me to try to eat plain oatmeal this morning. After only two spoonfuls, I had to splash on the Cholula. We had to run a few errands in the Bolingbrook Promenade area before heading out to Alex's to let Nala out. This tropical heat wave is no fun. It is good that all that screeching cicadas noise is finally coming to a end, but all those cicadas carcass roasting on hot pavement isn't very pleasant. We stopped for a takeout at the Panda Express. We must of went in bad time, it was their finest. Psalm 41 is the last psalm in Book 1 of the 5 Psalms. "Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him" (v1). On my first read-through praying this verse, I thought of the poor as people without financial means. How American is that? But the reality is, God's people are the poor in spirit hiding themselves in Christ. When utterly consumed by the brokenness around us, we runs to Christ, asking him to deliver him from the enemies and trials before us. We are sensitive to the needs of our neighbor, beit financial or emotional. We help those around us because Christ is always there to help us. Our good works are the fruit of a heart transformed by God's grace through faith in Christ Jesus. We began raining late afternoon. I think the blades grasses are rejoicing and dancing in the presence of God. May the Lord be gracious to my family and heal and restore us to full health.
19 June 2024
I woke up grateful for the gift of another day. One of first things I did was look at the weather app and saw that it was already in the low 80s. I popped on the scale again this morning and I still holding at 140.0 pounds. So I'm guessing that's my new weight for the time being. That was my weight on my senior year in high school. I'm really interested in trying to get rid of some of the visceral and subcutaneous fat to give my organ a fighting chance. Psalm 40, there is a lot to admire about the depth of faith by this psalmist. "I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure" (v1-2). We are not very good at waiting. It is very telling that patience is a fruit of the Spirit. I was struck by, "I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart” (v8). Imagine that, the image of God’s law is actually inscribed directly onto our inner heart. This psalm ends with a prayerful exhortation that we might find joy in his salvation! But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD!” As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God! (v16-17). We are called to walk on the path of life and blessings with praise, gratitude, thanksgiving as we journey back to Eden, prayerfully reminding ourselves and others of the glory and goodness of the Lord.
18 June 2024
Thanks, be to God that I woke up this morning feeling much better. I was well enough to go for a car ride to the Sam's Club to get my meds. I needed to get out of the house and walk a little. Ooh wee, it was a hot and muggy day. It is my understanding that it will be in the 90s the entire week with high humidity. I was so happy that Rob, Andrea and our grandkids called on FaceTime to see how I was doing. It is a rare opportunity for me to have so much attention from Isaac and Peyton, that privilege is normally reserved for grandma. Today is Andrea and Rob's 13th wedding anniversary. We are so happy for them. Oh no, mama is under the weather now. May our Lord heal her infirmities. Psalm 39, the psalmist suffering causes him to meditate on the brevity of his life and the futility of his achievements. I was struck that the psalmist wants to know just how short his life will be while proclaiming that under God’s discipline his life was meaningless. Our only hope is in God’s salvation.
15-17 June 2024
We were up early grateful and thankful for another day. I often think of the psalm as a prayer, but not so much with Psalm 37. It seems like the psalmist is consoling and advise us to trust in the Lord and to do good. This psalm can be viewed as a God given counsel. I had to pause on, "Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart" (v4). I believe the psalmist is saying that we should enjoy God's blessings and that our hearts will find rest in the Lord. The psalmist continues by encouraging us to commit our ways to the Lord. When we commit our way to the Lord, he will make sure that way is fruitful and will bring forth our righteousness. Then suddenly the psalmist calls on us to, "Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him" another words, be patient. There are good things coming way beyond your ability to imagine. I thank God we a advocate found in Christ Jesus. There is nothing in the broken world that Jesus himself did not face and have endured. "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere" (James 3:17). I made the usual bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs this morning but since it was later in morning, I also made pork chops and called it brunch. Peyton is growing up so fast and is already playing Saturday day morning soccer. My time with Isaac was a interesting one, he downloaded a Pokémon app on my phone and wanted to battle with me. Lol, it went way over my head and I was clueless to what he was talking about. After a few frustrating minutes he gave up and wanted to play Star Wars with me using light sabers. Even that was a learning lesson as he taught me swordsmanship. I spent a lot of time chilling, literally. Alex's house was so cold. He had his thermostat set at 68 degrees. I had to spend time on his patio just to warm up. I enjoyed Alex's backyard, especially after Rob cuts the grass and trim the bushes. He blessed today with two extra long massages. The day ended not as I hoped, I was tire and under the weather and went straight to bed when we got home.
6/16
I slept around the clock and then some. I had to force myself out of bed so that I could take my morning meds. Today was a total bust, I stayed in bed most of the and just slept. I spent a little time thinking about my dad. It has been 31 years since he has gone. I thank God for my parents. I had a great childhood and siblings, but I regret my rebellious teenage years. I thank God that I was able to eventually turn it around and became less of a burden.
6/17
I finally felt well enough to get out of bed. Being under the weather is no fun, especially when you are old and unable to bounce back. I hopped on the scale this morning and I was 140.0 pounds. I'm not sure it that is a good thing or not. There is a lot that we can learn from Psalm 38 about the conviction of sin that leads to confession and repentance. The psalmist often stated that his unrepentant sins led to his suffering which may very well be the case. However, illnesses can come for many reasons and we should not assume that our infirmities are a punishment. The psalmist concludes by asking for deliverance, "Do not forsake me, O LORD! O my God, be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!" (v21-22). The lesson here is if we confess our sins, God will be merciful to forgive us and that repentance is not just turning away from our sins, but is also turning to God. It is good that I am regaining my appetite. I am grateful to God for my loving and selfless wife who cares for me. May the Lord graciously heal our soul and our infirmities. It was pure joy to facetiming with Andrea, Alex and Isaac and to think that I once thought before its inception that video chatting would be lame.
14 June 2024
Morning joy, it is only in my latter years that I have not taken for granted the gift of another day when the realization that our days are numbered has sunken in with my old and weary body. Psalm 36 is a psalm by David that discusses God's faithfulness, love, justice, and the deceitfulness of sin and how it can lead to self-flattery to the point where they begin to spend time devising mischief when they should be meditating on God instead. I was struck by, "How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings" (v7). I wish that was true of me under all circumstances, especially on this father's day weekend. A child has no thought or worry about having a place to stay or food to eat while refuging under their father's wing. They trustingly look to their parents to provide for them. Yet, as a young man, I would worry about having enough money if the economy were to falter. The psalmist asks God to continue his steadfast love to the upright at heart and ends the psalm by saying that the evildoers will be thrusted down and will never be able to rise. Agrr, we went back to dealership for the tire rotation that was supposed to come with "The Works" oil change that they neglected to do, sigh. We'll at least they were apologetic and immediately tended to the needed. We went to the Chinese supermarket in hopes of finding some good fresh rice noodles without success. From there we went to the Jewels for the tomorrow's gathering. I did some of the cooking ahead a time for the food that the kids can take home to have during the week. I did the Cantonese pan fried noodles, teriyaki salmon, ground beef with gravy, and beef with Chinese broccoli. Mama found some nice well marbled Father's Day weekend inch thick bone-in ribeyes on sale! I fried up two of them bad boys and we had some of it for our dinner. I think Isaac is going to be very happy tomorrow, the little man said grandpa's made good steak. I been cooking with a stainless steel lately and now I have moved completely from cooking with our Teflon non stick pans altogether now that mama bought me a larger second stainless steel Cuisinart pan! Song of the day is, Precious and Few - Climax. Today was a very good day, I loving cooking for my family. I wish I was talented at it like my dad was. Anyway, I need to get ready for bed, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow and mama said that we need to be out the house by eight. Thanks be to God for his precious steadfast love.
13 June 2024
"It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night" (Psalm 92:1-2). Thanks, be to God! I woke up in good cheer knowing we will be spending a little time with our son. Family is one of the most blessed gift that brings me great joy. Albeit the cicada noise is still significant, it is nowhere near as loud as it was, it is only a matter of time now when those critters will finally die off. In Psalm 35, the psalmist proclaims his innocence and calls on God to destroy his enemies. I always struggle with praying imprecatory psalm and find it difficult asking God to curse the wicked even though it may reflect God's repulsion of evil. I think that it is a natural reaction to want to take vengeance when we feel we have been wronged. If someone wants to hurt us, we want to hurt them back. If they talk bad about us, we want to say something just as bad about them. It seems to be ingrained in our sinful nature to want to “get even”. The big picture view of this psalm shows us the hope that God will vindicate the faithful and rescue us. I was struck by, Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, “Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!” (v27). Thanks be to God who delights our health and happiness. We stopped at a few stores on the way to Alex's and got in a few indoor steps. There is no way I am able to do a walk with temps already in the mid 80 and high humidity. These dog days of summer in the 90s are something. I can see 100 plus degrees easily happening this year. Stopping at Panda Express was a no brainer. We ordered two of their big plate meals, that's six different entrĂ©es and with chow mein and fried rice to boot. I got a Father's Day gift from our son. It does get better than hearing your children saying, "I love you, dad." There is a Chinese saying that describes a father's love, 父爱如山 , meaning, “A father's love is like a mountain."
12 June 2024
Thanks be to God for this new day. In our Coram deo, we are gratefully given a merciful path for walking through life with our eyes and hearts wide open as we journey back to Eden. Psalm 34 the psalmist emphasizes the difference between the righteous and the wicked, saying that God cares for the righteous and will condemn the wicked and that God is close to the brokenhearted and delivers the righteous from all their troubles. "Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good. Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!" (v8). The psalmist encourages us to experience for ourselves God's goodness. I remember the time when I couldn't grasp the notion of "love and fear God." "Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!" (v9). I have since come understand that "fearing" the Lord means to be in reverent awe of his holiness. It is to give God complete reverence and to honor that is due him. We took our car in this morning for a oil change. Instead of just sitting in the waiting room while the car was being serviced, we went for a walk. Yessir, I easily got in a ten thousand plus steps day in with no problem. We had a Ford discount mailer for the Works Oil Change for $69.95. It is crazy how much the cost for that had gone up in recent years. Inflation is out of control. I did lunch at the Patio, and split the 1/2 barbecue rib combo with chicken and was stuffed. I glad we had an opportunity to do a indoor walk to burn a little of it off. There was no way in the world we could have walked outdoors when the temperature was in the low 90s with high humidity. We went to the Chinese supermarket and found some decent Chinese vegetables, we brought bitter melon and gai lan. I was disappointed that the rice noodles weren’t all that, but did manage to get the Cantonese Hong Kong style noodles. Maybe we can stop by there again before the weekend for the fresh rice noodles.
11 June 2024
Last night was so peaceful; it had been a long time since I had listened to sacred music on Lutheran Public Radio. I woke up this morning rejoicing in God's steadfast love and in the gift of another day. Even though tend to chant as I pray the psalms, Psalm 33 can be viewed as a song of praise that expresses the psalmist's love for God. The psalmist begins this most wonderful psalm by encouraging us to shout for joy and give thanks to God in song. "Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts" (v3). I always wonder what sing to him [the Lord] a new song is referring to. Perhaps it means to sing loudly a song that is inspired by a new awareness of God's character or blessings. I love to sing, but sadly the best I can do is make a joyful noise. I think that the psalmist has a keen insight on the moral and visible word of God. "For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness" (v4). God's word is in keeping with his character while evildoers speak with lies, hypocrisy, and malice. "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host" (v6). This is hard to fathom that all of creation came about with just the spoken word. "Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!" (v7). How can we not stand in awe and fear the power that is able speak and have things come into existence! The psalm concludes by expressing joy, patience, trust and hope in God's steadfast love. We went out to get a few grocery items and to gas up the car. I was surprised to see gas prices continuing to drop. We got gas for $3.669 a gallon. To put things in perspective, gasoline prices averaged $2.290 per gallon in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin area in December 2020. Gas prices remain relatively low compared to surges in 2022 and 2023. Today’s price is still much cheaper than it was June 16, 2022, when the highest average price was recorded at a whopping $5.016, according to AAA. I had Asian chopped salad again for lunch today. We have been trying to eat more better lately by eating more salads, cutting back on meats and snacking on yogurt and fruits. Whoo hoo, albeit took a big effort, I got in a ten thousand plus steps day in! Now I can kick back and relax and watch, Air. we are actually surprised to that the 2023 Michael Jordon Nike movie is already on network tv. My heart is glad in the Lord. May our Lord’s steadfast love be upon us in our hope.
10 June 2024
We woke up a surprisingly cool day for this time of year, but it did warm up into the low 70s. I think 72 °F with 50 percent humidity is ideal, I wonder what would happen to the planet if that was constant. I still can’t get over that we have been married for 40 years, it seems like only a blink of the eye ago when we first met. I made us a fresh pot of oatmeal this morning and I spiced mine up with a little oyster sauce and Cholula hot sauce to warm up these old bones. Psalm 32 is about the blessing of confession and forgiveness. The psalmist encourages us to confess our sins to God and that it is actually a blessing to lift off the physical distress of guilt. Confession of sin is an act of faith that God is not only righteous, but also merciful. Confessing and repenting of sin a way to enter into the grace of God’s forgiveness. There is no uncertainty in how God will respond to our confession and turning away away from sin, he is willing to forgive and lift away your heavy guilt. I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin" (v5). The Psalmist concludes by saying, "Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" (v10–11). The unrepentant have only sorrows, but we can shout for joy because the Lord does not count our iniquity against us when we confess our sins. I had another doctor's appointment again this morning. It's not fun getting old and needing to see different physician to be treated for this and for that. As I thanked the Lord for people in the medical field, I realized that I am grateful for all good citizens and their vocation. May the Lord watch over us and heal our infirmities.
9 June 2024
"Happy the husband of a good wife; the number of his days will be doubled. A loyal wife brings joy to her husband, and he will finish his years in peace. A good wife is a generous gift bestowed upon him who fears the Lord. Whether rich or poor, his heart is content, a smile ever on his face" (Sirach 26:1-4). Happy 40th anniversary! Thanks be to God for the blessing of a good wife and a good life. Joy indeed comes in the morning. O let us rejoice in our Lord’s steadfast love. Psalm 31 is a psalmist's prayer for deliverance from his troubles and gives glory to God by professing his confidence in him that he can deliver him from his enemies. I was struck by, "Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God" (v5). At the cross, Jesus said, "Into your hand I commit my spirit;" with his last breath, he proclaimed to the world that his Father is trustworthy. The psalmist concludes with praise, encouraging himself and others to trust in God. We have an awesome God that we can trust and take refuge in. Mmm, I had my morning oatmeal again with the last of the leftover fish, so delicious. With my Sunday ears on, those cicadas are so loud and annoying. Even with all the dead cicadas carcasses, there still are countless large cicadas flying about and seem to be everywhere. The day is almost over and I have spent much of the day recalling how bountifully the Lord has dealt with me, his love endures forever.
8 June 2024
Glory to God, joy comes in the morning. It is good to get a full night's rest that our body needs. We almost always have oatmeal every morning, but this morning was special. I had a little of the leftover fish fillet with ginger and green onions from yesterday's dinner mixed into my oatmeal and it was remincient of the fish congee my parents made us growing up, comfort good is so good. Since it was cool this morning with a complete overcast and I was ambitious and energetic enough, I decided it was a good to mow the grass out back. Initially thought about only tending to half the backyard, but with a five minute breather I ended up get 'er done. It was hard to believe that I still huffed and puffed and worked up a sweat in the cool of the day. Psalm 30 is a call to prayer that declares God is our helper and healer and that we can call to God in our darkest hour and he will hear us and heal us. The psalmist encourages us to sing praises and give thanks to God's holy name. I really love this beautiful psalm, verses like, "For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime" (v5) and "You have turned for me my mourning into m dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness" (v11) are so poetic. We went to Alex's because we had a ribeye steak that needed to be cooked and I also made Alex beef with broccoli and Cantonese pan fried noodles. We stopped at the Plainfield Target to buy chocolate and thank you cards. While Fawn when in the store for what nots and the needed, I went for a walk in the adjacent neighborhood. I like the walking path they have. We got back, went next door briefly to celebrate Xavier's first birthday, time really flies by so quickly. I'm glad I got to mowing all the grass, because we got more rain in the late afternoon. Thanks, be to God for the blessings of the day, his steadfast love endures forever.
7 June 2024
Thanks, be to God for this beautiful day. Psalm 29 begins with a call to praise God and offers reasons to why we should praise him and conclude with a reaffirmation of the implications of his glorious reign. I was immediately struck by “ascribe” to the Lord the worship due the one who possesses glory and strength. "Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness" (v1-2). I know it shouldn't bother me how vastly differently folks view Sunday worship... Lord, forgive me. In this psalm, the psalmist is reminding both the heavenly beings and us to give to the Lord all of the glory due to him, while also affirming that honor, glory, strength, splendor and holiness are attributes of God’s character regardless of whether we ascribe to God or not. Much like the psalmist, whenever it storms, I think about the thunderous voice of God. It is striking how this psalm ends with, "May the LORD give strength to his people May the LORD bless his people with peace!" (v11). We have a almighty God who cares enough for us to give us strength when we are weak and gives peace to our soul when we are anxious and fearful. I'm not a fan of plain oatmeal; I usually have it with fresh fruit or something savory, I opted this morning for a dab of oyster sauce and a splash of Cholula hot sauce, good stuff. I got ambitious and weed whacked the needed in the backyard. I'm not sure if it is just wishful thinking, but I believe the cicadas have peaked because they don't seem to be getting any louder. I hope that means that will be the end of all that loud screeching sound in a few weeks. It is clear to me that it is best for me to a little outdoor yard work at a time in the cool of the day. Even then, there are some challenges for old man, but I'll carry on just a little bit longer, until I am not able to keep up with the needed. We went out and about to the Bolingbrook near Boughton and Weber area. I did a little walking while mama shopped, I can hardly wait until we are done with the cicadas. I should be use to the summertime craziness with the cars driving recklessly fast in the parking lots with the awful loud vibrating music. There were a lot cars and people out and about. Mmm, lunch was a chopped Asian salad. Mama also made a fruit cup medley with, cantaloupe, kiwi, raspberries and blackberries, so refreshing. We are so glad Emma is in town and that we made plans earlier in the week to celebrate at the House of Emperor with our neighbors. It is hard to believe we have been neighbors for over thirty years and watch all kids all grown up. Thanks, be to God for the gift of friendship. He has placed within our hearts the desire to share a close bond with one another. God is good, his love endures forever.
6 June 2024
"Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving" (Colossians 6:7). Gratefulness throughout the day for things big and small found in Christ Jesus brings joy and peace to the soul. His goodness overflows at the start of each new day. Psalm 28 is a short psalm that beautifully encapsulates the psalmist's journey from despair through faith and towards deliverance and praise. In it, the psalmist calls out to God, not to have deaf ears and to hear his cry for mercy and places his trust in him. Today was a very quiet and relaxing day. Fawn spent the day with her sister and it was weird being home alone and watching D-Day footage under fire. I've have seen a lot of Hollywood D-Day movies and the storming of the beaches, but even their goriest depiction doesn't prepare you for real life film footage of the horrors of war. I can't even begin imagine myself facing something as frightening. War is a terrible thing. I have felt this emotional since college taking a humanities course studying the holocaust and viewing graphic images and videos. I dug up a frozen Stouffer's Stuffed Pepper that was buried in back of the freezer and was disappointed. It was edible, but wasn't all that. The highlight of my day was getting a phone call from Jennifer wishing me a happy birthday. Hearing your adult children saying, "I love you dad" melts my heart, God is good.
5 June 2024
We went out early for mama's haircut appointment and it was raining, so here I am sitting in the car waiting and starting my pen on this journal entry on my phone. "One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple" (Psalm 27:4). This “one thing” is to know God through an intimately lifelong relationship abiding in him. Happy birthday to me! I am thankful for each and every new day. Psalm 27, the psalmist remembers God's goodness and to trust the Lord to provide as he calls on the Lord not to forsake him and asks for more of God's presence, guidance, and protection. Our faith calls us to live into God's will instead of letting our fear insecurities reduce our fullness. The psalmist concludes with a confession of faith and words of encouragement, "Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!" (v14). Mama made us one of super salads for our lunch. I really eating salads and the health benefits are only a bonus. Nice, it stopped raining and the sun came out, so I did a little weed whacking and edge trimming out front. It's my plan moving forward to do outdoor work a little bit at a time without exhausting myself. Mmm, I made up pork chops and sautĂ©ed spinach with garlic for dinner. I am thankful for all my family and friends for their all their birthday well wishes. May the Lord continue to protect them and bless them with abundance and good health.
4 June 2024
I am thankful for the morning's light, God is good. I think that Psalm 26 is an interesting way to pray. Intially, what really stood out was the psalmist stood out loud and proud of his super righteous living. But come onman, "None is righteous, no, not one". As I continue on, I began to realize that the psalmist was speaking of his commitment to the Lord at the same time is crying out for God's help. As we strive to live a blameless life in our coram deo, it is good to confess to God not just our short comings, but also our victories in this life that comes from whom all goodness flows. May the Lord continue to shepherd our faith and grow us to be more like him! We were up early because the grass needed to be cut and I wanted to do the mowing out front in the cool of the day. Not only was I able to do a Rob by overlapping the needed, I used the rear bagger and tossed the grass clippings along the backyard fence. I have to admit that it does look much better with a smoother looking cut and without the dead leaves and twigs from last fall. I'm so glad that I gotrdun before the temperature and humidity skyrocketed. Alex called and had ants invade his home, so we went to Alex's to drop off our extra used ant baits when had problems earlier at our home. We a stopped at at Panda Express for Chinese takeout on the way for our lunch. Chirp chirp, I redeemed myself; the kids said the Cantonese style stir fried ribs I made them was good! I hate cicadas with my entire soul. The screeching sound is so annoying. They are so creepy and eerie looking. Demonic in my opinion. Just for kicks, I googled cicadas devil and to my surprise, it brought up, "Masked Devil Cicadas" and Red Devil Cicadas". Now ain't that a hoot? Kaboom! Sounds like a thunderstorm is rolling in. Sigh, so much rain. Anyway, time for bed, I take refuge in you, O Lord.
3 June 2024
Psalm 25 is a beautiful prayer that encourages us to trust in God and rely on him especially during difficult time and asks God for help, guidance, and forgiveness. This psalm reminds me that I can be honest with God, even when I am experiencing regrettable shame and struggle to pray with confidence to God because of the awareness of our own sinfulness. It is only when we acknowledge our sinful nature we can see who God is, rather than who they are, and can walk out of our shame and into the righteous path of Christ. Thanks, be to God for another day. It is sad that I am grumpy old man. After my morning prayers and psalm muse, I looked at the weather app and saw that beautiful morning would eventually turn into humid day... summer. I was even moaning about cicadas singing loudly and will most likely do so until the middle of the month and then start to taper off. We went to the pharmacy at the Walmart and the Jewels. It sure didn't take long for the cool of the day to turn hot and muggy; the high humidity is already terrible. Mmm, I love salad. Mama made us a salad romaine lettuce, strawberries, blueberries and cantaloupe; I added penne, croutons, sport peppers and Catalina dressing to the mix, so good. Whoo hoo! It's been a long while since I got in a ten thousand plus steps day in, good for me. Thanks, be to God, his steadfast love never ceases.
2 June 2024
"Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name" (Hebrews 13:15). Christ first! Praise him with adoration. Talk about a piercing sound, wearing hearing aids on Sundays is really something with all these cicadas screaming so loudly. Psalm 24 is a beautiful psalm where the psalmist dwells on God's sovereignty and the importance of having a pure heart and calls for worshiping the one true God. The psalmist asks several rhetorical questions, "Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place?" (v3). And then goes to say people with clean hands and a pure heart. This means to do righteous deeds and avoiding evil deeds. None of us have clean hands and a pure heart; we have all lifted up our souls to an idol and have sworn deceitfully. We need Jesus to clean our hands and purify our hearts, and to cover our sins with his death on the cross. I hate it when I take time to muse politically because I tend to pen a long rant and end up deleting it, today was no different. Everyone has their own opinions and they are all most likely preconceived ones at that. The afternoon was very relaxing with the La La Land soundtrack playing as background music.
1 June 2024
Early to bed early to rise! Albeit we woke to a cool dreary day, it was an awesome day the Lord has made nonetheless. Psalm 23, this psalms declares that “The Lord is my shepherd” and acknowledges God's great provisions and blessings that he reigns down on us. Truly, God protects and guides us and we lack nothing under his care. We stopped at Panera on the way to Alex's to pick up my freebie cookie and birthday freebie bakery item. I got their bear claw. I made us the usual morning breakfast: bacon, sausage links and scrambled eggs. I use to go big, but those days of eating a big hearty gluttonous breakfast are long gone with old age and health concerns. Mmm, talk about good Chinese comfort food. I made us stir fried beef with Chinese broccoli (gai lan) over Cantonese pan fried noodles for lunch. It has been a long while since I made gai lan. The aroma from it sizzling on the wok brought back fond childhood memories of growing up eating this dish with my sibling parents gathered at the dinner table. I felt extra special getting two massages today, one from Rob and one from Isaac! It doesn't get much better than day spent with family. God is good, his steadfast love endures forever.
31 May 2024
"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new m every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). I woke up grateful for another day and rejoicing is our Lord’s steadfast love, mercies faithfulness. Just like that with a blink of the eye, another month has whizzed by. Psalm 22 promises can help us cling to God's character even when we can't see or feel his presence and that God does not abandon us, will always help us, and that we can trust him to be with us through anything. How can, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” not pop out from the very get go? It is so tightly connected to the suffering and death of our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. The psalmist's cry of abandonment is actually an act of faith. In the mist of his cries is his profession of trust. Today was a big cook day as more requests came in for stuffed hamburger patties and for hamburger gravy. We had to make a quick run to the Jewels for grounded beef. I was somewhat apprehensive about making my stir fried rib dish because of how bad it turned out last time that I went into full kata mode before whipping up stir fried pork rib with black bean and garlic sauce. Instead of trying to stir frying everything all at once, I broke it down a third at a time and it turned out delicious. "A good wife is among the precious blessings given to those who fear the Lord" (Sirach 26:3). Thanks be to God, I am truly blessed. I am not complete without her by my side covering my six. I thank God for surrounding me with a family and friends. I don't know what I would do without them. Anyway, got to go down to the basement and empty the dehumidifier and kick back and relax before heading to bed, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Thanks be to God for the blessings of the day.
30 May 2024
Brr, we woke up early to a surprisingly cool morning It is hard to believe it started in the 40s and worked its way up to a nice spring day in the lower 70s. To God be the glory forever. Psalm 21 is a psalm of praise and thanksgivings past and future blessings. We can trust God's unfailing love and answers our prayers. This psalm ends with a shout of joy and call for us to praise Him! When I wake up each morning I am thankful just to be alive. May we learn to trust God’s unfailing love in all circumstances and continually praise and rejoice in him with grateful hearts for showering us with grace upon grace. We were up early and went to Alex's to let in the air conditioner service to give his AC its annual tune-up before the summer season. My job was to play with Nala in the back yard and to keep her calm and distracted. We went to the Chinese supermarket to buy pork riblets for this weekend. I was surprised to learn that Andrea wanted me to make pork riblets with black beans and garlic sauce after my last go with that dish. Hopefully I can redeem myself. Cicadas, agrr, the constant loud shrilling noise is driving me crazy, I'm glad that can't hear them indoors. I made us tomato beef for dinner and am really liking the way that am marinating the beef now, so tender. I listened to, Rhapsody in Blue (George Gershwin) - Yuja Wang & Wiener Philharmoniker. It is supposed to be representative of a music era 100 years ago and a cross between classical music and jazz. Getting old it tough, went I talk to my family and friends, the conversation almost always includes what ails you. Lord comfort us and heal our infirmities.
29 May 2024
We were up early because the air conditioning service came for the annual tune-up and they ended up having to replace the capacitor. I got ambitious and decided to cut the grass out back. It didn't take long for this old body to want to stop and break the task to a two day project because I was huffing and puffing. I got smart and took a break by going out front and trimming the hedges with my electric hedge trimmer. It is hard to believe that I use to find it therapeutic to do that slowly with a hand pruner. With the break, I was able to go to the back to the backyard and finish mowing the grass out back. We went to Peggy's for lunch to celebrate my birthday. I am blessed with such a great sister-in-law that is so mindful me. My brother stopped by for a quick visit and to pick up some joong that Peggy made also him and my sister. I think my brother is right about my shortness of breath from cutting the grass is most likely from me needing to wear a mask and breathing the carbon monoxide from the lawnmower. Psalm 20 asks for God's help in times of distress, and for the fulfillment of plans and desires. Because of God’s great love for his true saints, we can trust that he is always available to help and guide us in the way we should go. I am grateful for all our Lord’s steadfast love and for the blessings of the day.
28 May 2024
Albeit I woke up early than I liked, I am thankful for another day. The reason I didn't want to wake we up too early was because I was fasting for my doctor's appointment that included the need to fast for my labs. The cicadas were back to being crazy loud and annoying again today. They sure love to sing when the weather is nice. We stopped at the, Big Apple, on the way back home from our appointment to get my jalapeño bagel fix. Psalm 19 speaks about the glory of God by asserting that all of creation displays the glory of God and is declared through his word. Albeit we are wowed and know that God exists through creation, it is only through Holy Scripture that we are able to comprehend the nature of God. After all, faith comes from hearing the word. God’s precepts about what is right and wrong are reliable and trustworthy and will bring joy to the heart when followed. God’s Word is more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey. When we view ourselves and our sinful short comings in the light of God’s glory we should ask pray for a clean heart. I made us beef with pea pods for dinner and I thought it turned out pretty good. I changed the way I marinade and velvet the sliced flank steak and it came out pretty tender. Mama had the soundtrack of the movie La La Land playing and it was very relaxing background music.
27 May 2024
I habitually thank God for the gift of another day first thing in the morning, pray the psalms, deleting email spam and looking at the weather app. I also turned to a special prayer for this day from the, Lutheran Book of Prayers. Psalm 18 is a rather long psalm and today was a busy day to give this psalm due muse, but I'll give it a go. Psalm 18 praises God for saving and delivering him victory from his enemies and rewarding his righteousness. What a most beautiful declaration from the very beginning, "I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my i rock and my j fortress and my deliverer, my God, my i rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (v1-2). Indeed, God is our strength! I love how the psalm describe the greatness of God’s character with words like the Lord is his rock, his fortress, his deliverer, his shield, his refuge, the horn of his salvation, and a stronghold. It is encouraging to know that the same God who fought for David is fighting for us today and does all of the work necessary to defeat our adversaries. I am grateful we have such a caring and loving God. I was shocked to hear silence when we opened the garage door. I was expecting to hear their loud chorus of screeching, but I guess they stop singing when the temperature gets cool. Mmm, it's the first time I made hash browns in a long while, and it was the first time they came out decent, much like the one you get at a restaurant. I'm sure it is because I wasn't rushed to make them and I use two pans. All I had to do was scrambled the eggs and nuke the breakfast sausage links and bacon. Recently our daughter can only eat egg whites, so mama bought a silicon egg ring. Boy oh boy, that made the egg look so appetizing. The ladies and our grads went out and the guys stayed behind. Rob helped Alex with the yard work and the yard looks immaculate. I always feel peaceful and relaxed like I'm at my vacation home when I'm there. Especially, like today when Rob took care of this man with a extra long massage. I am so thankful for his willingness to go out his way for me. He is able help me relax and reduce my body tension. Alex made a pot of vanilla crème brĂ»lĂ©e coffee and smelled and tasted pretty good. Interestingly, Rob suggested to kick it up a notch with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Then the men got crazy on Oreo cookies. One would think we would go with hamburger and hot dogs with the unofficial start of summer this holiday weekend, but I made up gon chow ngau ho to celebrate the holiday and our time together for lunch. I was moved by a quote that has been shared on social media, "Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it; it flies with the last breath of every soldier who died defending it”. I have a follow up appointment tomorrow with my primary physician and will need to fast for my blood work. Prayers for our Lord’s care.
26 May 2024
I woke up to the loud sound of rolling thunder and to the sound of the falling rain. Actually, falling rain and rolling thunder are under statements, the intensity or the continual loud thunder claps and torrential downpour is really something. I'm sure that this thunderstorm has placed a damper on a lot of people's plans for the day. Yet, this morning, I remained in good cheer, grateful for the gift of another new day. However, the rain did finally come to an end and the sun did come out mid afternoon. It was a great opportunity for us to make a quick run to the Chinese supermarket and buy fresh rice noodles. I did the prep work to make gon chow ngau ho tomorrow. I received a prayer request for strength and clarity of mind in dealing with hardship. Lord, hear our prayer. Psalm 17, With trembling lips the psalmist to pay attention as he describes his dire situation and adamantly plea to God to provide deliverance, protection, and vindication from the wickedness that surrounds him. As I prayerfully chanted this psalm, the middle verses popped out. "I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words. Wondrously show your steadfast love, O Savior of those who seek refuge from their adversaries at your right hand. Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings." It is encouraging to know that when we call on God, he will answer (v6), God’s love for is wondrous and all encompassing (v7) and it gives me goose bump to be thought of as the apple of God’s eye. It means that he adores us and that are the subject of his affection and protection (v8). Thanks be to God who hides us in the shadow of his wings. His steadfast love endures forever.
25 May 2024
We woke up to a beautiful spring day. It was so relaxing listening to classical music and taking my time to leisurely prep and cook. It's not clear to me what we are going to feast on this weekend when we get together, but I made food for the kids to enjoy later in the week. I made vermicelli, ribeye steak and teriyaki salmon. To save time for brunch, I fried up the breakfast sausage links and bacon ahead of time. We decided to go get out and enjoy a little time out and about this afternoon and drop off the food at Alex's. I am glad that we can't here the cicadas while indoors; because they are make a annoyingly loud noise. Whoa, talk about price gouging. I am glad we didn't need any gas today; it was selling for $4.479 a gallon in town. Mmm, I couldn't pass up trying the fish taco Alex made. Simply but so tasty. I enjoy a nice leisurely outdoor walk while Fawn stopped to shop at the Kohls. Psalm 16 expresses trust in God and the belief that God is the source of all that is good and necessary in life. It also contrasts those who honor with those who dishonor God. This psalm encourages us to acknowledge God as Lord and to subject ourselves and to place our trust to him. God can bring us through life and death to everlasting pleasure if we place our trust in him as our refuge and counselor. The final verse, "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are e pleasures forevermore" (v11). Here the psalmist so eloquently speaks of the divine presence as the place that is most that gives the “fullness of joy”. Actually, from the beginning to the very end of the psalm testifies to a life that finds its ultimate rest in God's presence.
24 May 2024
Christ first, I can't thank God enough for the gift of another new day, great is his faithfulness. Today was a good day to do a little yard work because we woke to a complete overcast. I only was able to take the whacker to the front and side of the house and give the used it as a edger. Nowadays, this old body can tend to the yard work a little bit at a time. Happy haircut! I always feel great after getting one, mama does a great job. Psalm 15, I was stuck from the get go, thinking what a question. "O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?" (v1) and the how then go on to describe who may dwell on God's holy hill and abide in God's tent as one who walk with integrity, work righteousness, and speak truth in their heart are worthy of God's company. It is a godly trait to feel that vileness is repulsive and despicable and to admire it would be sin. As christians, we are called on to love even those we despise, that is not a easy thing to do. This short psalms encourages people to live with integrity and joy in Coram deo. Kaboom! It has been thundering and raining on and off all day long, it's clearly not a very good start to this holiday weekend.
23 May 2024
Whoa, we woke to the noise of cicadas; they are all over the place. I have no recollection of them being so bad. We gave our last go at trying to program the garage door keypad to no avail so we went to return it to the hardware store and brought different keypad brand. Sigh, that was a big bust too, so we returned that too and brought a regular opener remote. Clearly Fawn's analytical problem solving skills are superior to mine, not only when I fail to get the new remote to work, she managed to get it to work as well as the old keypad to do likewise, sorcery. While on the road, we saw a couple of crazies recklessly weaving between lanes in moving traffic. It is so sad to see people driving so irresponsibly. It is my understanding that the Memorial day weekend is one of the most dangerous holidays to drive. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there are four times more car crashes on Memorial Day weekend than any other holiday. Thirty-seven percent of fatal crashes during Memorial Day involve a drunk driver. Statistics also show that 12 red lights are run through every second during this weekend and 52 percent of traffic deaths occur when someone wasn’t wearing a seat belt. Stay safe, and drive defensively and buckle up. We stopped at the Panda Express for takeout to Alex's for our noontime meal. It loved that we were able to feast over so many different entrĂ©es of Chinese American food. It was understandable that Alex didn't care for the last batch of riblets that made, so I took them home and rinsed them off and nuked them with barbecue sauce and that made them edible. Psalm 14, David suggests that a simple weighing of the evidence found in all of creation is enough to persuade you that faith isn't foolish and that lack of faith is. There are days when I have moments of wondering if everything that I believe is true. Those are the day the evil one is hard at work and when I cry out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” I can only conclude that there is only one true God and he is found in the Trinity: God the Father; God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
22 May 2024
"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23). I woke up renewed in the steadfast love of the Lord. We went to the Sam's Club for our meds and to do a little shopping in the Oswego area. I thought that I going to get in a nice outdoor walk, but I was totally taken by surprise by how cool and breezy it was and ended up do my walk inside a few of the big box stores. We got gas for $3.839 a gallon. The roller coaster dip wasn't as much as I would like to see, but it was a dip just the same. I just penned and deleted a political rant. I turned to, "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior" (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Mmm, I build myself a really delicious toasted white bread sandwich white with black forest ham, hard salami, American cheese, french mustard and coleslaw for lunch, so good. After lunch we tried to program the new garage door keypad again and got the same result, nada. We will give it one last try again tomorrow morning. If it fails again the plan is to return it and try a different brand. I chilled and watched all the Abi Carter American Idol music videos performances from her audition to the finale, I think that she can sing the phone book and still sound beautiful. At the end of her audition, Judge Luke Bryan commented that she could be the winner! Psalm 13 is another short psalm. Interestingly enough, it seems that I spend as much time musing on the short psalms as I do on much longer ones. It is already striking how often David complains to God. Some people would say it is inappropriate to complain and question God to the degree as David, but then again you might as well lay it all out, because God already knows exactly how you feel. Whether or not that is good thing or not is another question. It find it interesting that immediately after his complaint, the psalmist cries out for help and expects an answer. Finally, there is the affirmation of trust and the vow to praise. I think in a nutshell, doubt brings sorrow and faith brings praise.
21 May 2024
I woke up joyfully to the gift of another day, and it was a pretty nice one weatherwise at that. Thanks be to God for Jennifer’s safe flight back to California. It got a frustrating trying to get the new keypad to work with no avail again this morning. And we just gave up because I had a doctor's appointment with my nephrology specialist who is monitoring my kidney function. The joy of the day was facetiming with the kids. Sweet, plans were already set in motion to gather again this coming holiday weekend. I am thankful for the gift of family and am thankful for my son-in-law for his willingness to make the long drive down so often to bring our daughter and grandkids down for a visit. I can’t enough good things about this young man. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. Psalm 12 is another short and power prayer packed truth. We live in a broken world tainted by sin. Falsehood is everywhere. Darkness spreads rapidly through words spoken in the mainstream media, in churches, and in politics. Even though evildoers invent countless different falsehoods to lead people astray, we can trust that the bible is the source of all truth. I think that, "The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times" (v6), is a jarring reaffirmation of the value of Holy Scripture as being flawless, pure, and incredibly valuable. We are especially mindful of that in this presidential election year with two candidates that I truly don't care for. One is ... and the other ... The psalmist lists the evil lies, corrupt speech, vain babblings, flattering lips and hidden motives of double-hearted and deceitful men still resonates today. It seems as though a lot of people prefer to listen to vain, empty words. Our government, universities, movie producers, and the mainstream media are constantly making heroes out of the wicked. In our church, they want a message of some kind of faith without the hard call for repentance. We have God’s assurance in that when we cry out to him, he will respond and deliver His people. It is encouraging to know that despite the arrogance and evil power of the wicked; God will intervene to save the humble and needy from this generation.
14 - 20 May 2024
Here you go, cut and paste…
5/14
Dang we got overnight rain that carried through the day and cooled things off a tad. I've start penning my journal entry on my phone and am clueless to when I will log into Blogger to cut and paste my stream of consciousness appending. I'm guessing some time after Jennifer's visit. I did quite a bit of walk and saw a monarch butterfly! Thanks be to God for Jennifer and RJ's safe travel. We finally got to meet Vinnie, their dachshund. The little puppy is as cute as can be. Hopefully Nala will calm down and stop scaring the little guy. God is good, I am thankful for the day and the gift of family.
5/15
I woke up early and refreshed and grateful for another day. Thanks be to God for the peaceful night's rest and for his steadfast love. I knew we were going to go to Alex's and stream dim sum later this morning, so I only started the day with half a croissant and hopped on the elliptical. Well, that didn't take long, it is so good to see Nala and Vinnie getting along so well and playing together in the back yard. Good eats again for supper, I made us stir fried beef and char sui with bok choy and broccoli over Cantonese pan fried noodles! Today's weather was sport on and where I like it. Our God continues to shower us with grace upon grace.
5/16
Christ first! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6). It is good to wake up in the morning excited about the blessings of the day ahead. It started out light again with eating the other half of the croissant and hopping on the elliptical because I knew we were going to stop off for bagels at the Big Apple on the way to Alex's this morning. As I look ahead for the day, I will need to keep an eye on my portion. I have definitely been eating more than I should be the past two days. I was hoping for a jalapeño Bagel but we weren't willing to wait twenty minutes for them, so mama did the next best thing and got an asiago one, so good with their honey walnut cream cheese. Good eats for lunch, mama made spaghetti and I grilled the garlic toast and Italian mini sausages to with it. I baby sat the dogs or about an hour or so while the kids went to play tennis and mama cleaned up all the pot and pan and put away all the food. I had the easy part just playing with the dogs. We stopped by the Chinese supermarket on the way home to make sure we have the needed for this weekend when we will have all my family together, we can hardly wait. When we I home, I decided to mow just the grass at the front of house since it the plan is break the job down to two or three smaller jobs moving forward. It is going to be crazy warm and summer like for the next five days. As the day is coming to a close, I give thanks for the blessings of the day to our gracious and merciful God. Prayers for restored health and compassion for the afflicted, have pity on us, O Lord.
5/17
I woke up super early this morning thankful for the day and for Holy Scripture. This the second time this week I prayed Psalm 9 and reflected on it a little more. I said it before, chanting makes words pop and stand out more for me. David encourages us to join him in giving thanks to the Lord and to sing praises to the Lord recounting all his deeds. We are reminded that God will always be at our side and will never forsake us and that the successes of evil deeds are only temporary and at the end, the righteous will endure and affirms the destiny of the wicked will not end well for them. I started the morning with oatmeal then hopped on the elliptical. I am glad to be that again as part of my daily cardiovascular exercise routine. We went to the Sam's Club for our meds and a few what nots as well as a few stores in the Oswego area before heading to Alex's to drop off groceries. Sigh, gas is $4.159 a gallon. I'm like most Americans and place the blame of high gas prices on Biden and his administration. I did a outdoor walk while Fawn was in the stores shopping. Since Jennifer and RJ went in the city to visit friends Alex made us hot dogs for our lunch. The plan was initially to have a quick lunch before heading back home, but we ended up eating hot dogs and watching the, Young Sheldon finale. I thought they did a great job bringing the show to a end. It had the correct balance on emotion and laughter.
5/18
I listened to Johann Bach's Toccata and Fugue d minor BWv 565 - Helena Schultess, it was so beautiful. Today's muse was on Psalm 10, it is a lament psalm that deals with the cry of the righteous concerning the ways of the ungodly. The psalmist begins this psalm questioning why God seems to ignore the wicked, who are described as arrogant, greedy, and insulters of God. It seems so strange to me that many non believers go out of their way to hate God and his followers. I am uncomfortable about laminating and speaking passionate word against bad people and have learned from Pastor Bruzek about mercy vs vengeance. We distance ourselves from God with our unbelief and then complain God stands afar from us. Today was a big cook day. Hamburger was on sale, so mama bought four pounds of the it. I browned the meat and made ground beef and gravy and mama made pasta meat sauce. I made a ton of pork riblets with black bean sauce, but it didn't come out a well as I hoped it would. I also did the prep work to made gon chow ngau ho tomorrow. Hmm, our garage door keypad stopped working yesterday, so I swapped out the nine vote battery, but I think it has to be reprogrammed again to work.
5/19
Oh my goodness, God is good. Sometimes we forget that waking up each day is the first thing we should be grateful for. Every morning is truly a new beginning, a new blessing and a new hope. Talk about a most beautiful day from the get go, it is so peaceful and tranquil. What a morning breakfast spread, I made the usual bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs and RJ made a fancy french toast casserole. I made us gon chow ngau ho for lunch and have to say it is way tastier then char sui chow fun. I also made pan fried tofu with garlic chili sauce. I am do dumb to be overeating and making myself feel sluggish, when will I ever learn? I was no match playing Star Wars with our grandkids, clearly my reflexes are not up to par and was easy pickings when the light sabers were drawn. Ahh, Rob gave me a unsolicited neck, shoulder and back message. It was so much needed; this old body is falling apart. What a great son-in-law being so mindful of me. Everyone went to visit Carl and Sandy except for me, I opted to go home and take a siesta... Well I ended up taking more than a siesta, if it wasn't for my alarm on my phone going off to remind me to take my meds, I think that I would have found myself waking up some time in the middle of the night. I thought the ribs were pretty bad yesterday, they are even worse as leftovers, disastrous sad. We watched the season finale of American Idol, I thought all the live show contestants were pretty good. It is rare that America agrees with me who I think is the favorite to win in past years, but it did this season. Congratulations to Abi Carter! I thank God for gift of family. It is such a blessing to have all my children under the same roof. We are blessed beyond measure. Prayers for my neighbor's safe pacemaker surgery.
5/20
I stubbornly played with trying to reset and get the garage door keypad to work with no avail, so much for all the troubleshooting tips online. I guess the next step is to go to the hardware store to buy a replacement unit, so we went to the Home Depot. Those bad boys aren't cheap either. Hope all goes well when I program the new keypad tomorrow. Psalm 11 is a short prayer that we can turn to in times of trouble advising to shun the advice of those who would tempt us to abandon God and find refuge anywhere else or in anyone but our Lord and petitions God to act in defense of the faithful. I was struck by, "if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (v3). Image that, even when our foundation is shaken and gives way, we can continue to trust God and still take refuge in him. Man o man, this week go blew by so fast, our youngest is leaving back to California early tomorrow morning. Prayers for their safe travel early tomorrow morning. We celebrated with thanksgiving for our time together with Mexican food from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana. Thanks be to God for prayers answered. Our neighbor had a successful pacemaker implantation. Prayers for his comfort and a speedy recovery.
13 May 2024
I went to bed early last night and woke up refreshed and thankful this morning. I got ambitious this morning and set out to do the weed whacking in the cool of the day, but this old body gave up after only tending to the back of the house. It may be a bite in butt to have to stop and do things in moderation, but it is what it is. "A man's got to know his limitations." I is still hard to believe that there are still a few muddy spot that I couldn't get to tend to trim the weeds. What a beautiful day, it was the first day I went out and about in my shorts and tees. We went to the outlet mall in Aurora, and I enjoyed a leisurely walk. On the way home we stopped for Culver's for lunch, mama got her usual Ruben sandwich and I opted for their pork tenderloin sandwich. So much for gas prices going down, it's over four bucks again. Like the weather it's on an insane roller coaster ride. We gassed up for $4.029 a gallon today. We went to the Chinese supermarket to restock and buy extra groceries; our baby girl is flying in for the week tomorrow! Psalms 8 is one of my favorite chanting psalms to pray in which David directs people to sing of the majesty of the Lord. We give thanks to the Lord as we look at creation and realize the unworthiness of God’s love for us, and yet he does! Recently folks were wowed by a solar eclipse and the northern lights against the night skies. It seems the older I have gotten, the more it takes to fill my heart with wonderment. It only seems God is big enough for that. Much like the psalmist, "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" (v3-4). I think this psalm is a hymn about the dignity and honor of every human being made in the image of God. I'm on my third day tracking my progress on the elliptical. It is good that I can gradually add a little more time and continue to keep up the pace. I have a friend that has owned a Tesla Model 3 for three years now and just worked up the courage to start using the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) feature on a road trip. He is a whole lot braver than me; I would be petrified being in a car on auto-pilot. Anyway, I have lab work tomorrow, time for bed and prayers for good test results.
12 May 2024
Happy Mother's Day! Fawn always lays out my church clothes for me on Sunday mornings, but as usual, it turns out mama knows best. Initially, I thought the long sleeve shirt might be too warm, but I was comfortable in the nave. After Sunday Mass, mama wanted tacos, that didn't work out. We stopped by Los Burritos Tapatios on the way home, but all the lights were turned off. Did they go out of business? So we took a slight detour to Burrito Parrilla Mexicana, but to our surprise, they are closed on Sundays, oh well. In Psalm 7, David reminds us that our refuge is the Lord and that he is a righteous judge. It brings me great comfort to know that he shields us from the evil one. We pray that our Lord would take evil and our enemies from our lives and to trust in his help. May he bring repentance to all of our hearts so that in him we are saved.
11 May 2024
I was tire last night and just wanted to relax in bed, but I nodded off to la la land within minutes. That allowed me to get wake up early and pray and meditate on Psalm 6, the first of 7 penitential psalms and a prayer of distress by a troubled heart and the relief of repentance. Our human impulse is to associate love and mercy through goodness or obedience, so a part of us clings to the notion that God’s love for us is tied to our behavior: good behavior earns God’s love and acceptance and that bad behavior means rejection. The psalmist knows that is a diabolical lie that Satan plants in our mind. We learn from David who readily admits his sin and begs God’s mercy anyway. The greatest danger of sin is its ability to make us doubt God’s love and willingness to forgive. If we wait for a worthy time to pray, we deceive ourselves and prayer will never happen. It is only a blessing to know that our Lord loves is unconditional and accepts the prayers of a contrite heart. The only exercise I got in was hoping on the elliptical this morning, and then it was off to Alex's to gather with family. I haven't seen a single carpenter bee flying around our house for a while now, so cheers to the Men in Black! Wow, a cloudless bluest of blue sky. I saw photo images of the northern lights taken in Illinois. I never actually had seen it in real life, so I'm guessing that it rarely invisible in our neck of the woods. I just looked it up and was surprised that the aurora borealis are visible about every two to three years. It is hard to see with the naked eye and easier to capture its beauty through the lens of a camera. I wish that I knew about it last night and had stepped outside to marvel at the wonders of God's creation. I suppose that could have stepped out this evening but I guess wasn't really all that important to me. The morning started with us gathering at the table with the usual bacon, sausage and eggs. The vermicelli dish I made for lunch came out pretty good, but my attempt at making it to meet Andrea and Rob's dietary need wasn't very good, but I was surprised to hear them say that it was good, because all my children always speak with blunt candor. I also fried up a ribeye steak; it is one of Isaac's favorite that he likes a lot. We celebrated Mother's Day with tiramisu cake! In my mind, best cake ever! Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.” (Proverbs 31:28-29). Thanks be to God for my wife and the gift of children. We are so looking forward to the week ahead; it's been about six months since we shared a thanksgiving with our entire family. I was blessed with two massages one from Rob and the other from Isaac. Every time Rob comes down he helps Alex with the yard work. I envy the golf course look every time, but today was exceptional because he use the weed whacker along the fence. I have to say the man takes pride in what he does. Today was another outstanding day. Family time, especially seeing our grandkids brings me great joy. I believe that joy is the simplest form of gratitude. Thanks, be to God.
10 May 2024
Christ first, joy comes in the morning! How can one wake up in the mornings and not be grateful for the gift of another day. I woke excited for the opportunity to cook homemade meals for my love ones that they can simply reheat and have during the week. There is nothing like praying the psalms in the morning. The last time I bathe myself in the Psalter; I took a single verse and mused about it. But this time around, I am struck by multiple verses and have more time to dwell on them. I'm not sure why, but chanting seems to make words pop to me. The word 'groaning' caught my attention. "Give ear to my words, O LORD; consider my groaning" (v1). Imagine that, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us through our wordless sigh or groan. The word 'sacrifice' caught my attention in, "O LORD, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch" (v3). In Lutheran theology, God/Jesus does the verb. Sacrifice isn't something we do for God. The word 'sacrifice' in this context here means that we are to lay all our concerns in prayer before the Lord and surrender them to him and then wait expectantly to see what he will do with them. At times I wonder if I will be brought in or cast out of Jesus’ presence. After all, at times I've been proud, told lies, and are guilty of the wickedness David describes ii his psalm. This is exactly what Satan wants us to lose ourselves in hopelessness. But even though we all deserve to be cast out from Jesus’ presence, we instead are brought into it. When we seek God's guidance and follow God's path of righteousness, we will rejoice! Today we had our fill of good eats. We went to Alex's to have lunch and to use his kitchen to do all the cooking. I made us beef with bitter melon over rice for lunch. It has been a long time since I made that dish, so good. After lunch I did the big cook and then it was food tapas then on of sampling all the food I whipped up. Teriyaki salmon, stuffed hamburgers, hamburger pea, linguine, cha sui chow fun, spicy pan fried Tofu slices. All that remains is the ribeye steak for the little man. And of course we will be celebrating from the get go with the usual bacon, breakfast sausage links and scrambled eggs. I will most likely make us stir fried vermicelli for our noontime meal for our Mother's Day celebration. I think that cooking home meals is a fluid art, when you cook for a restaurant to make the dish exactly the same every time, but when you home cook like a personal chef, use need to be flexible and tweak things for differently for each individual palate for taste and dietary concerns. Achoo, achoo, achoo, why are my allergies so bad this year? Away, I need to relax and go to bed and get some rest. My evening prayer is end the day is, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24). Often times this is my morning prayer, I also think what a positive way to end the day, by expressing gratitude and contentment with what God has provided. Thanks, be to God.
9 May 2024
We woke up to the loud sound of thunder rumbling that was followed moments later by a torrential downpour. Is it my imagination that not only has been raining a lot it has been it has been coming down heavily. I'm finding it easier to start penning my journal entries throughout the day on my phone and then cut and pasting to Blogger at the end of the day. This allows me to capture the joy in heart gratefully waking up to gift and blessings of another day. In honor of the ascension of our Lord, the verse of the day is, "In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you h to myself, that where I am you may be also" (John 14:2-3). Thanks, be to God. I weighted myself this morning and I seem to have leveled off and am holding at 143.6 pounds. I have been feeling better since I started getting on the elliptical again. I definitely should have never stopped. I'm not able to go very long or very hard on it anymore, which is why I have several goes on it every day. It is good that I am gradually building up a more time on it each day. Psalm 4 offers peace to troubled hearts and trust to doubting minds and makes for an outstanding evening prayer. The first thing I noticed about this psalm was the title and note to the choirmaster from David. It has slipped my mind that I could chant the psalms. I rejoice that I can say with David, "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:8). Lord, have mercy on me and hear my prayer. Search my heart, I believe, help my unbelief. Fill my heart, O Lord, that I may find peace and rest in you, for you are my peace and safety. Mmm, I made us bone-in pork chops for lunch and had it with a side of rice. I'm surprised we went out in the rain this afternoon. We were fortunate that we were virtually unaffected by the scattered rain showers were having this afternoon. We had to a few grocery items and stop at the bank to pay our property taxes. Because the savings account interest rates are a joke, they are so low and nominal that we decided to make both installment and just get it out the way. Helicopters are all over the front of our house from the huge oak from across the street. I guess taking out the ladder clearing the out the gutters and downspout has become the highest priority on the outdoors 2do list. When we got back, I did my second go on the elliptical and did a set of arm curls with my dumbbells. That was another thing that I was foolishly have been neglecting to do. Fawn finished off the leftover beef with tomatoes and I made myself a tasty croissant pork chop sandwich for dinner. Today was a good day, God is good.
8 May 2024
I really don't know what to say about Psalm 3 other than this psalm is a reminder that, we can always draw near the throne of grace for help. This psalm also says a lot about God's character, he delivers us from our fears and our enemies, he sustains and watches over us and is our salvation and he blesses us and gives us rest. Albeit totally out of context, I was struck by "I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me" (Psalm 3:5). At any age, especially mine, we should be grateful for the gift of another day. The weather forecast keeps on changing, I did not expect the spring day to be summerlike in the 80s today. A peek at the weather forecast app is it'll be chilly again tomorrow with highs in the 50s. We went to the Sam's Club pharmacy to pick up our meds and did a little shopping for a few items and to get more of their salmon. It looks like the kids want of my teriyaki salmon. Gas went back slightly down to $3.819. Albeit it has a way to go still to drop back down to get inflation under control, it's a move in the right direction. It was so nice to be outdoors and be about. We went to Alex's for lunch and I made us char sui chow fun, Cantonese comfort food at its finest. We stopped at the Chinese supermarket on the way home and we finally found some nice bitter melon! I was hoping to find char sui boas, but we haven't seen them carry that in their bakery section in the longest while. Mmm, we did find egg tarts though! Mama made me a nice salad for dinner and I even got in a second go on the elliptical. Achoo, dang it’s cold in our house. Lately Fawn always seems to be warm and I always seem to feel cold. I give you thanks, O Lord, and ask for your blessing on me and all my loved ones. Grant us peace and good health for the remainder of this day and all our days.
7 May 2024
Kaboom! I woke up to the sound of loud thunder claps. The sky was dark and the heavy thunderstorm accompanied with a torrential downpour was really intense. I'm glad that I wasn't facing any soreness or stiffness this morning and was able to have two goes on the elliptical again. Sweet, the storm moved out by mid morning and the skies cleared up with plenty of blue sky and sunshine, so we went out and about running errands. We did a little grocery shopping at the Jewels and went to the DMV to get our annual car license plate sticker. Mama made us croissant sandwiches for our lunch, so good. I am glad and rejoice in that the Holy Spirit has led me back to diving deeper into the Psalter. Psalm 2 talks about the power and authority of the Lord and is a prayer that calls on God to intervene on world affairs and set things right. In our broken world we continue to see wars and nations raging against God. Much like the first psalm, we have two paths the righteous or the unrighteous, the choice — to trust in the kingdoms of this world or to follow Christ. Sometimes I wonder about the wokeness that is taking place in our nation. We must, "See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ" (Colossians 2:8). We did a matinee and watched the first two episodes of season one of the crime thriller drama series, Mayor of Kingstown. Prayers for protection as severe weather is heading our way short and for divine physical and spiritual healing. Lord, in your mercy.
6 May 2024
Christ first! Nothing else matters! I've seen this time after time and believe that apart from Christ, indeed, nothing else matters. It has been a long while since I prayed through the psalms. It is way over due to start from the beginning delight in them. Albeit this psalm has only six verses, it is rich in wisdom that is clearly telling us that if we do not separate ourselves from the ways of this wicked world and follow the righteous path, it will not end well. God Himself will separate the righteous from the wicked at the time of eternal judgment and the way of the ungodly shall perish. We had the Men in Black come out this morning and spray for our carpenter bee problem. We are already seeing dead carpenter bees on our drive way. Hopefully we will be rid of them within a couple of days. I fried us up a bone-in ribeye steak for lunch! I didn't go for a walk today, so I ended up having a couple of goes of the elliptical. I haven't been on it for some time, so I'm hoping that I'm not going to have sore thighs tomorrow. The highlight of my day was facetiming with our kids and grandkids, God is good.
5 May 2024
Thanks be to God for this new day and for his steadfast love. I am glad to be able to get the needed rest before celebrating the sixth Sunday of Easter. I was in the mood for a light lunch, so mama made us a salad for lunch. I was initially sad today was much cooler than yesterday and required a light spring jacket, but it warmed up into mid 60s by mid afternoon. Mama thought it be a good idea that I get off my butt and cut the grass. I was able to cut all of the grass front and back except for the rear ten feet or so where it was still muddy from all the rain we have been getting. It is sad that walking behind a self propelling lawn mower feels like a workout. Time to kick back and watch AI Live! Prayers for our physical well-being and for the unemployed and under employed.
4 May 2024
"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). Praise God, rejoicing in the gift of another day. We finished up the rest of the cooking this morning to fill the kid's order, we browned hamburger meat, boiled sweet potatoes and pan fried breakfast sausage links. Mmm, I ate bigger breakfast than usual, I ate a bowl of oatmeal as well as sausage link croissant sandwich. What started out as one of the nicest spring day rapidly turned into a hot and muggy summer like day and our air conditioner kicked on. Oh that reminds me, thanks be to God the hot water heater seems to be working fine today. We went to Victoria's birthday party there was plenty of good eats and good conversation. The theme of of her party was Star Wars. I get it now' "May the 4th be with you." I probably ate more than I should have, that Portillo's Italian beef sandwich is just so good. Today was a very good day, bless the Lord my soul.
3 May 2024
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you" (Psalm 143:8). I wasn't surprised how quickly I fell soundly asleep last night. My psalm prayer before going to bed we was, "In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:8). It is amazing how then the rhythm of falling rain, wind and thunder lulled me to sleep. I woke up grateful the Lord watches over us and grants us the gift of another day. How often do we get to say that our heart is glad and that our whole being rejoices? A Facebook memory popped up of a family gathering with my siblings and their children. "Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward" (Psalm 127:3). Albeit today was much cooler than it was yesterday, it was a pretty nice spring day to be out and about. Fawn had me put on my pedometer and to my surprise, I got a ten thousand plus steps day in! Whoo hoo! We went out and did lunch at, The Patio. Although I think they have the best batter fried chicken wings and fried mushrooms in our neck of the woods, I also think that they pretty pricey. But then again, there is no getting around gawking and paying $$$ if you’re going to eat out anywhere. I made us stir fried pork spare riblet with a garlic and black bean sauce for our dinner and we boxed plenty for the kids. Mmm, I also made pan seared honey glazed teriyaki salmon, life is good! Oh wow, no hot water! I had to go down to the basement and relight the pilot on the gas hot water heater. I hope that resolved the problem. It has been so long that we can't even remember when I installed that bad boy. Anyway, time to kick back and relax. I am grateful for the blessings of the day.
2 May 2024
I woke up refreshed with another good night's rest. It makes me wonder why I don't always go to bed earlier. Waking up with prayers of thanksgiving and grateful for another day is a good start the day. One of my favorite morning prayer to start the day is, "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night" (Psalm 92:1-2). We went to Alex's and I made us pan fried pork chops, stir fried broccoli and beef fried rice for our lunch. I'm glad mama did all the prep work. I thought my fried rice was only so-so, so I splashed several dashes of Cholula and made it yummy. Brr, Alex's house was like a refrigerator, so I sat outside and enjoyed his patio. Funny; how I think of his house as a relaxing getaway vacation home. Oh wow, what started out as a awesome day took a big turn when dark clouds moved in and was followed by huge torrential downpour. The loud thunder claps and the continuous rumblings is really something. I love how Elihu describes God majesty, "Keep listening to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth. After it his voice roars; he thunders with his majestic voice, and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard. God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend" (Job 37:2-5). The changes of the weather are the subject of a great deal of our thoughts and common talk; well at least it is with me. I definitely notice God's glory in the thunder and lighting. One of my sinful follies is found in my murmuring complaints about the weather. I'm a hypocrite that is grateful for each day and turn around and complain. The reality is that there are no days are bad as God makes them, we just make many days bad with our sinful ways. Prayer for protection and peaceful rest as the storm still rages on.
1 May 2024
Christ first! "I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the LORD sustained me" (Psalm 3:5). Thanks be to God for a new day. I went to bed early and got in a full night's rest. This should be habitual doing this, because that is exactly what this old weary needs. It was truly a most beautiful day to be out and about. I love it whenever the temperature is in the 70s. We went shopping in the Fox Valley area and I had plenty of opportunities to do some walking as we did our grocery rounds. We went to the Chinese supermarket and bought a twenty five pound sack of rice and bought two packages of pork riblets. So the salmon and riblet is a go for the weekend. We also shopped at the Aldi and Whole Foods. I made us stir fried celery and chicken for our noontime meal. I only had two small chores, screw the mailbox sleeve to the post and clear the lint from the dryer vent louvers out back, gotrdun. Mama made us a salad for dinner again. The highlight of my day is seeing a video of Peyton cheerfully completing a puzzle and shouting, “I did it!” Poor Isaac sprang his ankle, prayers for healing and a quick recovery. Be gracious to me O Lord, and hear my intercessory prayers for comfort and healing to all in need.
30 April 2024
"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!" (Psalm 113:3). It is such a blessing to wake up to a bright sunshiny days. Bless me, O Lord, to walk in your ways and delight myself in you. I am so glad we are done with April. Hopefully now we can have a little less precipitation. We went out and about to a most beautiful day. It's Victoria's birthday this weekend so it looks like we'll be celebrating this weekend! It looks like the kids want me to make some salmon and riblets again, so we went to the Sam's Club to buy some frozen Atlantic salmon. Albeit, I prefer fresh salmon cook and eat fresh salmon fillets, it is way more convenient to have the precut frozen fillet portions around. Sigh, gas prices are on the rise again, $3.949 a gallon. "There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?" (Ecclesiastes 2:24). I think it's safe to say that the Chinese are a culture that's particularly centered around food, I'm guessing that is why growing up our parents cooked so many small dish for each meal and why I always like to talk about the family gathering around the table with God's gift of food. There were plenty of leftover this and that in the refrigerator; I opted for the last stuffed hamburger. After lunch, I got ambitious and took to weed whacking in the backyard area and around the perimeter of the house. That was actually turned out to be pretty big undertaking. When you’re old, yard work isn't all that easy. Away, gotrdun! Mama made us a deli cold cut sandwiches and a salad for dinner. We continue to be living in difficult times and I keep hearing troubles and intercessory prayers and supplications with thanksgiving are in order.
29 April 2024
I woke up a little bit earlier then I liked, to the sound of the howling wind, rumbling thunder and the pouring rain. Despite being disturbed by the insane amount of rain, my soul rejoiced in the gift of a new day. We went to Alex's for lunch and I made us beef with bok choy over Cantonese pan fried noodles, but we didn't get to sit down and enjoy the meal with him. He was super busy, busy, busy and it was pretty much a thanks mom and dad as a hello goodbye. I came across a music video on Facebook that brought back memories of my youth. I have been musing about the 1969 song, Reflections of My Life - Marmalade. This song was constantly on the radio and can't help but to think that this song deeply resonates with the young men that were drafted and find themselves in a pretty bleak place. To this day, I remember radio and TV coverage of what we called the, "Vietnam War Lottery." I remembered being somewhat relieved for drawing 233 and felt the only way I was going to be called into service was if the war was going to escalate into another world war. That was so many years ago. It was a good eating day, I made us a bone-in ribeye steak for dinner and yes, I thoroughly enjoyed gnawing the meat off the bone, because I feel the meat closest to the bone is more tender and flavorful. Today was the first time I watched American Idol in the longest of time. Today was the live top 8 show and I thought all the contestants were very good. My personal favorite of the night was, Bring Me to Life -Abi Cater. My evening prayer tonight is from, Luther’s Small Catechism, “I thank You, my heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ, Your dear Son, that You have graciously kept me this day; and I pray that You would forgive me all my sins where I have done wrong, and graciously keep me this night. For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.”
28 April 2024
Waking up in mornings is amazingly an incredible blessing from God. Today I got to sleep in late and got a full night's rest, it is important that this old and weary body for my overall well-being. We were woken up once in the middle on the night by the sound of torrential pouring of the heavy rain, but thankfully we were able to fall back asleep. Since it still April, rainy days are not an unusual occurrence during this time of year. I can hardly wait until we are done with the rainy season. I am thankful that we are getting to finally enjoy temperatures in the 70s. "All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you" (Psalm 22:27). I will praise you Lord, in the assembly of your people. I am glad that we feel comfortable worshiping at the eleven o'clock Divine Service. We repentant hearts, we celebrated the fifth week of Easter and are partaking in Holy Sunday Mass again. Whoa, we heard a heavy downpour echoing in the building acoustics, but it was all over by the time Mass was over. Talk about a most beautiful sound, the procession was, Cantate Domino (based on Psalm 96). We saw a cybertruck in our church parking lot this morning. It was the first time I saw one of those bad boys anywhere and now understand why there was a lot of hoopla. Indeed the cybertruck is an impressive futuristic looking vehicle. My day is complete; amongst the countless blessings of the day was facetiming with our grandkids! Looks like Peyton really liked my stir fried pork riblets dish and wanted to know if I could make it for her. Thanks be to God for his steadfast love. Time for bed, we are expecting more overnight rain again tonight. I am thankful for our home and a place to sleep and good food to eat. Lord, grant us rest and send your angels around our home to protect us throughout the night.
27 April 2024
I am penning the start of this journal entry while lying in bed early morning on my phone and intend to append to it as the day progresses and then login and cut and paste it to Blogger later tonight or tomorrow. Wow that's crazy to wake up to temperatures already in the mid 60s early this morning. It was weird listening to all the roaring thunder last night in bed, but I did eventually fell asleep and did wake up early with enough sleep and with a song of thanksgiving for the gift of another day. "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night" (Psalm 92:1-2). Christ first! It is really good to routinely give thanks to the Lord, our God, and praise him for his grace, goodness, and mercies in our lives and for all the good and perfect gifts that he showers us with from above. When we stepped out of door into the bright sunshiny day, my soul leaped for joy and did the happy dance. Oh no, Isaac woke up this morning with a little pain, but it shortly went away. So instead of going to Alex's, we drove up to the northern burbs and cooked the usual breakfast sausage links, bacon and scrambled eggs as well a pan fried pork chops and called it a brunch. It has been a long while since we been up there for a visit. The drive was a reminder of just how blessed we are that Rob is routinely willing drive our girl and grandkids so often. We couldn't ask for a better son-in-law, God is good. Peyton took me down to their basement playroom and was happy to pridefully show me around her domain. Today was the first time Isaac show me how to play Pokémon on a smartphone, but I remained clueless and didn't fare well. Before we left back home, Rob gave me massage. These massages are a really much needed therapy, it is no fun being old and so stiff. Our Illinois REAL ID came in the mail today. I am clueless to what buys us, because IMO Homeland Security is anything but under the leadership of Alejandro Mayorkas. Away, we got that out of the way. I am ending the day with a grateful heart. God is my portion.
26 April 2024
Precious is the word of the day. I woke up in good cheer grateful for the precious gift of another day. I have been musing about a post that said that grandchildren are the most precious gift from God. That brings to mind, "Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers" (Proverbs 17:6). As precious as the good gift of family is and the blessing of grandparenting, in my brokenness, I have come to believe that the blood of Christ shed for us for the forgiveness of sins is God's greatest gift ever given to man. We got up early and went out the early to grocery shopping at the Jewels, the Chinese supermarket and the Sam's Club for our thanksgiving. When our family gathers, we love to celebrate the precious gift of family and gather around the table. Any moment spent with my beloved ones are very precious to me! It was a good thing that we went out early before the thunder storm with a torrential downpour moved in. Gas prices may have only gone down again a few pennies, but it beats trending the other direction. The Biden's high gas prices was $3.799 a gallon this morning. Mmm, mama made us the same identical delicious sandwich as yesterday for our lunch, good stuff. I did some of the cooking to get it out of the way some today and made the kids their requested stir fried pork riblets with green peppers and onions in a black bean and garlic sauce, sweet potatoes, and stuffed hamburgers to take home and enjoy at later time. I have big plans to do a lot more cooking tomorrow. I looked at the weather app for tomorrow's forecast and it is still calling for a summerlike day! What the heck is going on? We had six home burglaries in town in the last two weeks. Anyway, we need to get up early again tomorrow morning, so I’ll need to stop penning and call it a day. I am grateful for all the countless precious moments in my life, God is good.
25 April 2024
Happy haircut! I always feel great after mama gives me a haircut. We woke to a bright sunshiny day. Albeit it started out chilly, the temperature rose up from the mid 30s to the low 60s! A look ahead at the ten day forecast looks promising. These extreme temperature swings are really something. It didn't take long for the mailbox to loosen and start wobbling, so we went to the Home Depot to buy a bag of pea gravel this morning and stopped at Panera to pick my freebie bakery item. We also picked up a few items from Meijer. I love their kitchen sink cookie, but think it is way over priced, so it has become my go to whenever I get emails that offers us a freebie treat. Mama made up a black forest ham' salami and American cheese croissant sandwich with a side of coleslaw for lunch! Mmm, good eats! I waited until the afternoon when it was warmer to shore up the base of the mailbox, hopefully it will stay rigid with this fix. I had other 2do plans that I was hoping get to, the mailbox rework project took way more time than I expected it to. It was great facetiming with the kids and our grands. I was so happy that they are making time for us again this weekend, God is good. I wish we knew they were planning to come down earlier, looks like we will need to go out to the grocery store again tomorrow. The verse of the day is, "[Jesus our Lord], who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification" (Romans 4:25). When asked, "What is the bible about in a nutshell?" I think most people would say that is the greatest love story ever told that unfolds the love between the Creator and mankind. But I say it is all about death and resurrection. The gospel is the good news that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for our sins and rose again. That is the cornerstone and the foundation of our faith. I am thankful for the gift of another day, friends, family, and every perfect gift from above.
24 April 2024
You will say in that day: “I will give thanks to you, O Lord, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation.” With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted (Isaiah 12:1-4). I woke up this morning and my with my heart shouting for joy for another day knowing that God is my strength and my salvation. Aah, today was the first time I had a cup of coffee since I received my iron infusions at the beginning of the year. It is my understanding that there is something in tea and coffee that inhibits iron absorption. Initially we were supposed to go to Alex's today to let Nala out because he was going to go in the office, but something changed and it was no longer necessary. But we decided to go there away and make lunch. Well, I'm glad I didn't put way my winter coat just yet. Albeit we are a third of the way in the season of spring, the high of the day was in the mid 40s with strong winds. We stopped by the Jewels and the Chinese supermarket on the way. Funny how people in the Chicagoland area calls the Jewel-Osco, Jewels. I would hate to see Kroger buy out Jewel-Osco and merge it with Mariano's. I made us Italian sausage as well as spinach and rice as sides. Mama had me make mapo tofu as well as a stir fried vermicelli dish before leaving so that Alex can have a few homemade meals. Normally, I only toss Chinese sausages for the meat, but we cleaned out the refrigerator and tossed in the last of deli black forest ham and hard salami. I personally think this was by far my best go at my stir fried vermicelli dish. Nala was happy I made her some scrambled egg. I am so glad that we are retired, because it is insane how corporations work their employees. I love watching food shows and I really like the show. I am surprised that I never came across Master Chef Canada. There are 93 episodes over seven seasons! I know of Master Chef America, but never watched it because I don't care for the likes of Gordon Ramsay. I personally don't think this celebrity chef is all that and his personality is... It was very good day and the highlight was spending our noontime meal with our son.
23 April 2024
"Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy" (Psalm 103:1-4). Albeit we are undeserving' our Lord is merciful and gracious to us. May we join all of creation in praising his holy name. Hmm, with the winds and grey skies, the 50s just seems so cold when we were out and about. We did our grocery shopping at Aldi and Meijer where I was able to do my indoor walk. I can hardly wait until we are done with the April showers and cooler weather. I know we only get a small window before I will start complaining about how hot a humid it is. Mmm, good eats! I made us Italian sausage and spinach for lunch and I diced up the other half of the Italian sausage and made a sausage and spinach omelet for dinner. It is sad that I am starting to get use eating these small portions of things that I like to eat. It's a tough balance of do's and don'ts to get in the calories and the dietary nutrients my body needs more and less of. The day is almost over, accept then, O Lord, our prayers of thanksgiving for your steadfast love, your grace and all the blessings you bestow on us. Grant all our supplications, prayers and intercessions.
22 April 2024
I'm so woke up grateful for another day. One of the great things about being retired is being able to get enough rest when our bodies require it; I stayed in bed an hour long than I usually do this morning. The beauty is you can go to bed whenever and wake up whenever! Today was a beautiful spring day with the highs in the mid 60s. A peek at the ten day forecast looks pretty much the same except for some of the days with rain. Now I'm wondering if we can finally store our winter coats. We went to the Sam's Club for meds and shopping at few stores in the Oswego area. It looks like gas is inching down a little. We got gas for $3.819. Albeit there were several gas stations that are selling gas cheaper than that, we prefer to gas up with regular tier one gasoline. There are three things that irritate me on the roadways, needing to be on the lookout for carjackers, people blasting their car stereos, and the few drivers that have blatantly drive recklessly with total disregard for the rules to the road and the safety of others. R.I.P., condolences to the family of the off duty Chicago police officer Luis Huesca, who was heading home from his shift in a carjacking. It won't be long before road construction season will be begin. Lol, I must be a cranky old dude, every car we ever bought is a car magnet, we like to park the car away from everyone else and walk to the store, but no matter how empty the parking lot is, it seems like people will park next to us. I don't get it; this was even true where I use to work. Yep, I would intentionally park the car in the farthest parking spot away from the building and someone would always still park next to me, ridiculous. Anyway, back to the awesome weather we had today, it was great to be able to walk outdoors while Fawn was shopping in the stores. The verse of the day calls us, "to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22–24). God makes us new when we become disciples of Jesus, but the old Adam seems to make his presence known and tries to drag us back into our old sinful ways. May our thoughts, words and deeds be cleansed and made holy with the help of the Holy Spirit.
21 April 2024
I woke up this morning with my soul rejoicing and exulting in his salvation. It is good that we faithfully celebrated mass on the fourth week of Easter. With my compromised immune system, it took me the longest time to get over the fear of congregating near fearless people that don't seem to take any precautions against getting or spreading covid-19. It is still a work in progress. I gassed up the lawn mower and had at it. It took me four yanks on the starter cord before that bad boy fired up. Albeit I was huffing and puffing I was able to cut all the grass with two five minute breaks, gotrdun. How can I be that out of shape with a self- propelling lawn mower? I went around the perimeter of house applying the Home Defense insect killer again, because we still have a few stubborn ants roaming about. Dinner was awesome, mama one her signature salads and I had it with a small piece of teriyaki salmon. I limited myself to two ounces the honey glazed teriyaki salmon I made yesterday because it is high in potassium. That was actually the correct amount of salmon for the salad and the beauty of it was it didn't need any dressing! Mmm, it was so good and tasty! Today was a very good day fill with countless blessings.
20 April 2024
Christ first! "To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen" (Philippians 4:20). Please be glorified, O Lord, in my every thoughts, words, and deeds. As Usual, it is always great to wake up to the blessings of another day, especially when we get to spend time with our love ones. Brr, it is hard to believe that the overnight temperatures are still dipping near the freezing mark. It's crazy to be hearing the howling winds in the night. I felt bad this morning when I learned that Nala threw up early this morning from my carelessness. It was my fault yesterday for briefly walking away from the kitchen with a little raw hamburger meat on the counter top that I intend to cook for her. I thought she was ok because she looked fine, but it is clear to me now that isn't the case. We gathered at Alex's this afternoon and I made us honey glazed teriyaki salmon and char sui chow fun for a late lunch. I made the bacon and breakfast sausage links for the kids to take home and have during the week. I was relieved to see her back to old self when we got to Alex's. Rob blessed with my much needed neck, shoulder and back message. I'm so glad that he is willing to selflessly bring our daughter and grandchildren down for a visit. Thanks be to God for his steadfast love.
19 April 2024
I went to bed super early last night feeling tire and wanting to catch up on some shut eyes. I found myself waking up in the middle of the night. It wasn't until I prayed a few psalms that I was able to peacefully fall back asleep. I felt refreshed and cheerfully rejoiced in the gift of another day. Albeit the temperature remains in the 50s, at least the sun was out. Since we went to IKEA and was in the Promenade area, we ordered a takeout from MAGO. Wow, talk about $$$! I doubt if we would have ordered Mexican food from there if it wasn't for the gift card Fawn got for Christmas. We took the food to Alex's for our lunch. I got a jump on cooking the stuffed hamburgers as well as making a pot of Texas style chili. Out of boredom I decided to spend a little time on the puzzle. I'm so happy with the puzzle board because you can spend as much time on it without any pressure to complete the puzzle. The drawers are great for sorting and resorting and are also very helpful. A look ahead for tomorrow's forecast is even cooler than today, the expected high will be in the 40s. Despite being so cold today, it was a very good day. I am grateful for every second we get to spend with people we love.
18 April 2024
We had another cool damp day, temperatures in the 50s. Albeit may be a typical day from the month of April, I find it difficult to appreciate grey skies and April showers. Albeit I sound grumpy, I am actually grateful for another day. My joy this morning was knowing that I will be blessed with time with our son for a noontime meal. We went to the Sam's Club because the kids requested that I make teriyaki salmon for our weekend gathering. I'm all for that too, in fact I'm salivating at the thought about that. I'm pretty sure that Isaac and Peyton will be happy to learn that we were able to find fresh nice noodles at the Chinese supermarket to chow fun. I made us beef with bok choy over Cantonese pan fried noodles. Chirp, chirp, so good. I spent time musing about how messed up our broken world is. There is so much I can’t comprehend. It seems like so many people are getting sick more often since the covid pandemic. Lord, heal our infirmities. There is so much I can’t comprehend. I just have to trust God to guide us on our journey back to Eden. Lord, have mercy.
17 April 2024
I am thankful and grateful for the gift of another day. I guess that comes when you become old and finally realize that your days are truly numbered. But I've said it before, the last day can and will come like a thief in the night. Oh wow, I did realize how heavy of a downpour we were getting last night until I got upstairs and hear the rain beating on the roof. Today was one of those weird gloom and doom cool damp days that rained on and off throughout the day. I also didn't care for being out and about with the strong gust of howling winds blowing. I've given up on tracking my core exercises and only have doing a faction of them since the beginning of the month. I still do them because I do feel better as them being part of my daily stretching warm up. What a boring day. Perhaps thing will get better when the weather gets better.
16 April 2024
"he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth" (2 Samuel 23:4). God morning, good morning, good morning, every morning is a good morning! We were blessed with another awesome day. I was glad the weather forecast app was wrong and the all day expected thunderstorm held off until this evening. I understand that the science of weather predictions is not perfect but it mind blowing when the forecast is ridiculously so far off. We went to the Naperville DMV this morning to renew my driver's license and we provided them with all the needed to obtain our "real id". I think that something is inherently wrong when a driver's license is in itself not one. Needless to say that getting the new IDs took up our morning. After lunch, Fawn we the Jewel and I did an outdoor walk while she did the grocery shopping. I really liked what they did with the south end of the Market Meadows shopping center. The new store fronts and sidewalk looks fantastic. I thank God that we are able to enjoy a senior living lifestyle which encourages a slower approach to aspects of everyday life that involves completing tasks at a leisurely pace.
15 April 2024
I surprised myself and woke up a bit earlier than I wanted to. I was hoping to catch a few extra winks, but the morning sunlight wasn't having it. How can one complain about waking up to another drop dead gorgeous day? It is days like this that have my heart joyfully singing and doing the happy dance, God is good! Mmm, mama made a fresh pot of oatmeal this morning and I toss a riblet from the pork riblet dish I made the other day and transformed into a savory porridge to Cantonese jook like breakfasts. Oatmeal doesn't have to be boring. I thought about mowing the grass this morning, but Fawn easily convinced me to hold off until this weekend. We went shopping at the Sam's Club and the Oswego area. Finally, gas was back under four bucks, $3.969 to be exact. Gas prices have been so high under Biden that even this high gas price seems worth celebrating. I need to get politics out of my mind, because I can't stand the two political parties, Trump and Biden, really? So sad. I noticed that there were a lot of cars are on the roadways and people out and about, I'm guessing folks decided to take advantage of the exceptional weather we are having and extended their weekend. Oh wow, seeing bees flying around so early in the year. I received some bad news today; I learned that another one of my friend is having health problems that will require a pacemaker. “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people” (1Timothy 2:1). It is clear that we are called to pray for all people, but I tend to more times than not, to pray for myself and love ones. It makes me wonder if my prayers are selfish.
14 April 2024
Mid April and temps are in the low 80s? It's too early to start battling summer heat. But I will have to say it was nice to step out of the to 72 degree weather in the morning. We went to celebrate the, Third week of Easter. I started out with notion of penning about how sad it has been to be away so long from partaking the Holy Eucharist, but instead I am rejoicing that we did go to Mass. It was so nice out; we spent a little time in the fresh air socializing with our good neighbors. Today was a very peaceful day resting in the Lord.
13 April 2024
"Give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever" (Psalm 136:26). Every day is day new beginning, a new blessing and a new hope. I woke up early this morning with joy in my heart grateful for another day with the prospect of spending the day with our kids and grandkids. There are so ways God has shown this everlasting love for us. Albeit there are many verses in the Bible that speaks of God's love, I think that his love surpasses all understanding. May his love dwell in our hearts as his steadfast love and faithfulness endures forever. A quick peek at the weather app this morning had me doing the happy dance. Alex couldn't have picked a better weekend to start on his yard work project. On the way to Alex's we drove pass the CosMc's and saw there was only one car at the drive thru. When it first opened, there were incredibly long lines at this pilot store and now I think seems to be a bust for whatever reason. I'm clueless to what they even serve. Our gathering started out this morning with good eats, scrambled eggs, bacon and breakfast sausage links. Albeit, I know that bacon and sausages are bad for me, I can't help but to help myself to one of each. There was plenty of sausage, bacon and eggs leftover and Alex deli meat he wanted to get rid of in his refrigerator so I made them fried rice that they can eat later in the week. I made us char sui chow fun for lunch. Chirp, chirp, it was one of my better goes at it and Peyton and Isaac approved! I lucked out, Alex and Rob didn't need me to help out with any of the yard work. They did an awesome job; it's good to be young and physically capable. Even Isaac and Peyton helped out by watering the plants and shrubs after all the mulch were laid, 60 cu. ft. was perfect! Speaking about perfect, family, all gifts, time with everyone is such beautiful blessing. The weather was ideal for me; it doesn't get better than 72 degrees Fahrenheit with 50 percent humidity. Just prior to leaving, Rob gave me a really nice neck, shoulder and back message; I wish that I could do something nice for him in return. I use to view messages as something periodically beneficial, but nowadays I view it as medically therapeutic. LOL, Peyton is a hoot, Andrea was packing up the food to take home and Peyton hilariously shouted out loud, "Don't forget the doughnuts!" Fawn bought Krispy Kreme Assorted Minis for our grands. I'm not sure what is going on with the Ortho Home Defense, but we saw ants so I sprayed the exterior perimeter of our house again. I was hoping that I wouldn't need to cut the grass for a few more weeks, but it is clear to me that I will need to get gas and go at it sometime so. A peek again tonight at tomorrow's forecast is still 80! Time for bed, I am so grateful for all the blessings of the day, God is good.
12 April 2024
I couldn't agree more with the psalmist that, "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your h steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night" (Psalm 92:1-2). This psalm is one of my soul's favorite psalms to pray in the morning. Alex chose this weekend to do his spring yard cleanup and he took today off work to get a jump on his weekend project. We got up early this morning to go to Alex's to help out where we could. We went with to Menards to buy 30 - 2 cu. ft. bags of cedar mulch. Albeit, I routinely do resistance training, I can tell that I am physically out of shape, my mind tells my body that it’s 25 and my body tells my mind that it’s an idiot. Mmm, Alex rewarded us with pizza from Domino's. We absolutely love their chicken pizza parmigiana! This time we went with the hand tossed pizza instead of the pan. Today would have been a nice day weatherwise if it weren't for the wind because the high temperatures were in the mid 60s. We made rice, sweet potatoes, and stir fried pork riblets with garlic and black beans sauce for dinner and I made plenty so that the kids to can take some home to eat later in the week. We also did all the prep work for the char sui chow fun that I will be making for our noontime meal tomorrow. The plan is to start the day off with a hearty bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs breakfast prior to tackling the spring cleanup yard work. Alex is lucky to have Rob as a brother-in-law, we are for sure certainly a huge blessing in so many ways, God is good. I came across a one hit wonder from the 60s, A Whiter Shade of Pale - Procol Harum. Every day is a very good day, especially when we get to spend any of it with any of our children. Thanks be to God for the blessing of the day. Ongoing prayers for comfort, health and recovery for friends and family.
11 April 2024
"It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses" (Jeremiah 51:15-16). I'm not particularly fond of waking up in the morning to a cool dreary rain filled day, but I came to my senses and my soul shouted joyfully rejoicing in the gift of another day. I'm calling a spring day in the 50s cool, because we have been spoiled the past few days, but looking ahead towards the weekend; it is insanely forecasted to be summerlike up toward 80! But of course we are still riding on the weather roller coaster. We have so many idols in our lives and compelled in Jeremiah 51 to worship and pray to the one true God who established the world by his wisdom that he alone is worthy of all worship, praise, honor, and glory. I often think about my wife or my kids, grandkids, my parents and siblings, my friends and on and on and they all being good gifts from God's hand and not seeking these good gifts apart from our loving and faithful giver of these perfect gifts. We were out and about early this morning grocery shopping for this weekend's gathering. We've been noticing how grocery items and gas prices continue to increase and trying our best to purchase the needed when they are on sale and doing price comparisons. We went to the Jewel, Chinese supermarket, Aldi and Naperville Fresh Market. I'm pretty sure Andrea and Alex will be happy we found some really nice pork riblets at the Chinese supermarket. Fawn phone has been acting up for about a month or so. She ran a diagnostic tool and it didn't surprise us that the some of the functions weren't working properly due to her using 99 percent of the phone's memory. It was fun watching the videos, but it was time to delete some of them from the phone that were already preserved on our two terabytes laptop. Hmm, what the heck, I had hiccups on and off most of the day. Prayers for the health and well beings of love ones.
10 April 2024
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night" (Psalm 92:1-2). Every day is a new beginning, God is faithful. I'm love springtime. I finally got ambitious enough this morning to tackle some of the needed, because the clock was ticking. Today's project was digging out a hole and putting up the mailbox, I'm glad Fawn helped me out with the project and together, we gotrdun! Hindsight, there were things that could have been done better. Mmm, mama cut up a fresh pineapple, what an awesome treat. Today was way too nice of a day to stay indoors, so after lunch we went out and about. We went to Panera to get Carl a birthday treat. Funny thought, that Carl is is Fawn's youngest siblings and just the notion that he turned 57 today said a lot about just how old we are and how fast time flies by. Since Target was in the same strip mall, I went and bought some, Weed and Feed. I have a ton of little things on my 2do list. Nice to FaceTime with the kids and our grands. Looks like Alex recruited Rob to help him with his spring yard cleanup for this weekend. Usually the kid put in a order for food they want me to make them, but Peyton beat them to the punch this time and wants me to make her gon chow, how can I refuse? Lol, she definitely knows her Cantonese comfort food. I have been musing about my prayer life and noticed that noticed that I routinely offer prayers of thanksgiving in the morning for the gift of another day and in the evening give thanks for the day just past and make a evening sacrifice of praise to God, but I often fail to pray continually throughout the day. Health is a big concern for me and praying for my health and the well-being of all my friends and family. Because I am old and more acutely aware that our days are numbered, but I think everyone, regardless of their age need to stay awake, for no one know on what day your Lord is coming and all of us will have to give account for every careless word we speak and every unkind act we do towards others.
9 April 2024
We woke up to a beautiful morning I'm so glad that spring has finally arrived, there is absolutely not one thing I like about the season of winter. It is nice to see the grass had turned green and the trees starting to bud while others are flowering. I don't understand how the tree next door could have so many dead branches and still come alive every spring, unbelievable. We decided to go to the outlet mall in Aurora. I really enjoyed my outdoor mall walk, they even piped in some decent easy listening music! Usually, I complain about the music played at this mall. I love being out and about walking around during the weekday when the weather is nice and the kids are still in school. I'm one of those people who can't stand being in a crowd. I am happy to learn that our friend’s outpatient hip replacement surgery went well is already back home. Today was a gift from God. Hmm, that seems like a strange thing to say when every day is a gift from God. Prayers for strength healing of our mind, bodies and spirit.
8 April 2024
Thanks be to God for another day. Springtime has finally arrived! "for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land" (Song of Solomon 2:11-12). I'm finally calling it Spring, I always tend to think of the bible verse on the first day of spring. I looked at the 10 day forecast and there were no days low in the 30s. It was nice to see the sun out and the start of the day at 50. Wow, albeit usually doesn't take very long for me to fall asleep at night, last night, I laid down in bed and barely closed my eyes before I was in la la land. I gave more muse today about the solar eclipse and suppose it is a big deal with someone who never witnessed one before. I remember witnessing a solar eclipse using a pin hole camera when I was very young. I guess I've seen my share of blood moons, lunar eclipses and solar eclipses that I no longer find that the moon gliding in front of the sun fascinating. The last one in 2017 and I have no recollection of that being any big hoo-ha. The doctors that ordered all the labs got back to me today and it looks like two of my three issues has meet there goal but one didn't. The two that did will need to be monitored again six months from now, but I need to make an appointment for further consultation on one of the test results that fell short, that's never a good thing.
7 April 2024
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3;23-24).Thank you Lord for another day. Waking up is truly a blessing, his mercies and faithfulness is our hope. I thought that I was going to feel more energetic this morning; perhaps it is because it was a dreary day weatherwise. Yesterday was a nice sunny spring day and today was a contrasting spring day that was breezy with periods of rain throughout the entire day. Clearly, I'm not a spring chicken and can tell that I still have not completely recovered from being under the weather, or I just kidding myself and that my youth is actually slipping away more noticeably. Mama was up early this morning to make her infamous pasta sauce. We met up Alex's and I was surprised to see that he had fresh rice cooking in a rice cooker. I made the usual morning contributions of bacon and breakfast sausages and toss the store bought spinach cheese manicotti with mama's pasta sauce in the oven and nuked the potatoes and green peppers skillet back in the microwave. Then I boil some broad egg noodles and made butter garlic noodles. Alex then surprised again by scrambling some eggs in the bacon grease. Then I realized he was going to make a interesting fried rice protein concoction consisting hot dog, ham, salami, and bacon. His ingredients included soy sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup, Cholula hot sauce and black pepper. I gave it a taste and thought it was very flavorful. Wow, wow, wow, we ended up with quite a brunch spread and the joy of sitting down together breaking bread. Just a little taste of everything was quite filling. I was especially taken to the Smithfield Naturally Hickory Smoked Thick Cut Bacon. It is sad that I am forced to limit myself to a single slice. Even more sad is that had to distance and limit myself to time with our grandkids. I am so grateful that Rob is willing to drive the distance to bring our baby and grands down to visit. It always a pleasure to see him, we love like our own. Oh wow, I just peeked at the weather app and the seesaw roller coaster ride continues, tomorrow is forecasted to be a warm sunny spring day in the low 70s! The folks that are all fired up about witnessing a solar eclipse must be elated. For some reason, it's no biggie for me. As a child I was at awe at the beauty and vastness of God's creations revealed in the night sky. Nowadays, I realize that we can never begin to even phantom the greatness and wisdom of God. Funny how quick the day went by and I already to call it a day and go to bed. Today was a beautiful day being surrounded by loved one, God is good.
6 April 2024
Thanks be to God for another day as I continue to improve from what suspect we're symptoms of a cold. Albeit, I'm not feeling 100 percent back and fully energized, I was feeling well enough to do a small fraction of my daily exercises routines. Even though I chuckle at myself for saying 100 percent, it is sad what I am calling 100 percent as our body weakens for aging. We logged on MyChart to review the results of my blood tests from my ordering specialists and now I have to wait for them to confirm areas of success and areas where plans of further treatments or guidance may be necessary. The blessings started flowing from the get go this morning, Andrea, Rob and our grandkids facetimed in the early morning and asked how I was doing. It was good to see Isaac and Peyton completely being over from being under the weather. Isaac is still continuing to let his hair grow out and it is crazy how wavy and curly it is. He's becoming more and more handsome as time passes and looks like he had another growth spurt. Naturally Peyton has been a cutie all along and still looks like an Andrea minime. Dang, no wonder why I hate going to the grocery store on a Saturday morning, it was so crowded and I still almost got ran over by a crazy with a shopping cart weaving in the isles like a bat out of hell, I imagine that's how he is on the roadways too. It's sad that this middle aged man still hasn't matured. Away, since we're going to see the kids and our grands, we went to buy ground beef to make hamburgers stuffed with green peppers, mama and I also peeled three pounds of potatoes and diced them up along with green pepper to make a skillet for the kids to take home to eat later in the week or whenever. Today actually felt like a spring day, it was sunny and without a breeze in the 50s. We decided to do a little spring cleaning and get a few outdoor chores done around the house. We charged up Rob's new fancy 20V Black and Decker cordless Drill and drilled a deep starter hole for a 3 in x 3/8 in lag screw into the broken 4x4 post that was stuck in the mailbox post sleeve. I had to use a crowbar and banged on the screw to drive the two feet long 4x4 out. It was a lot harder thing to do than I anticipated, but with Fawn's help, gotrdun. Initially, I was thinking about buying a large 97¢ from the Ace hardware, but now I'm glad we decided to ended up deciding to spend 50 cents more and bought the large lag screw instead, because all I would done was bent or broke the nail. I clearly must have been taking too long on the mailbox project, because Fawn went and changed out the battery on the, Home Defense, battery operated spray wand and attended to the needed around the perimeter of our house by herself. Anyway, I took the ladder out and removed the the lint from the laundry dryer exhaust louvers while Fawn was in the garage cutting down shipping boxes for recycling. I couldn't convince Fawn that we could get away with using two 2x4 pressure treated pieces of scrap boards we already had in the garage for the mailbox post. I learned over the years that so many things just aren't worth getting into a argument over, so I'll just need to stop off at Home Depot and have them cut me a four feet long piece of 4x4. I have a drop dead date of May 24th when the city will come back to pick up their temporary mailbox. One would think that folks are making out with the claim made against the city for all the damaged curbside mailbox by the snow plows, but for all the replacement parts, labor and running around, I rather they just repair the damages incurred. I'm not looking forward to digging out the old post and am wondering if I used concrete or just gravel when I put in the post. Can you believe it? That bad boy has been in the ground since day one when we built our house 40 years ago. How crazy long ago is that? Come this June, we will be blessed with 40 years of marriage, God is good! I hate games on my phone and I always get annoyed when new games an apps are auto installed. I think that I finally figured out how to turn it off in the Play Store setting! I feel blessed that my sisters called me again just now see I was doing. My siblings and I continually pray for each other's well-being and for saving faith. Our days are numbered and nobody knows how many, but certainly they become fewer and fewer with the pasting of every season. Away, I’m getting a bit wordy and it’s getting late, so it’s best to stop penning and prepare to get ready for bed. Grateful for the blessing of the day and prayers for health and the well-being of all my friends and family, God is faithful and his love endures forever.
5 April 2024
I woke up energized, refreshed and grateful for another day. I went up to bed a little bit early last night because I needed to do a twelve hour fast for before my appointment to have lab work done. Having food out sight is always very helpful. We stopped at the filling station on the way to do my labs, although the gas price was still high, at least it was a penny cheaper a gallon today ($4.189) than yesterday. After having my blood drawn, we went grocery shopping at Meijer for various advertised items before heading to Alex's for lunch. We stopped for a Mexican takeout at Burrito Parrilla Mexicana. Albeit, Fawn and Alex has been getting food from there regularly again this past year, this was the first time I got over the fact of getting sick from their food a long ways back and voided eating their food like a plaque ever since. It is amazing how long has taken to overcome the phobia. Away, I ordered their 3 taco plate meal: Steak, chicken and pork with beans and rice. There was enough food to easily serve for both my lunch and dinner. I've been musing for several days now about a video that I came across that demonized a celebrity I know very little about that for some reason has a large global following and has been idolized for some time. Albeit, I love stream of consciousness writing, I just deleted what I penned, because some things are better left unsaid. Anyway, what struck me was the celebrity's, "desire to be on the right side of history." I could be wrong, but I think this is an often time catch phrase jargon used by progressives. In my mind, the only people on the "right side of history" are those who have humbled themselves, confessed their sin, believed the gospel and live a godly life. The verse of the day is, “And I tell you, ask, and sit will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:9-10). Jesus is teaching us to pray with persistence and boldness.
4 April 2024
Thanks be to God for another day. We woke up to another cold winter day in spring. We got rain mixed with snow, but at least it is not accumulating. Today was the first time we have been out of the house and picked a package from Kohl's and a get a freebie cookie from Panera, their $$$ everything cookies is pretty good. Whoa, looks like gas prices have shot insanely back up; all the filling stations were selling it for $4.199, in our neck of the woods. It didn’t matter though because we never pull in for gas whenever it is raining. I don’t know how long we can hold off getting gas. Mama got herself a Reuben sandwich from Culver's, I'm a little surprised at myself for not wanting a sandwich from there and opted to put myself a simple Vienna hot dog sandwich with bead of mustard and a couple of sport peppers. After chomping on my first bite, I understood and that no longer was surprised. I am grateful that my sister mindfully gave me a call to check up on my well being. Truly, siblings are a extraordinary gift from God. May the Lord bless us with good health and long life. I will have lab work tomorrow morning and will require a fast, prayers for good test results.
3 April 2024
Thanks be to God for another day and for continued improvement. I'm just about over from being under the weather. We are in the 3rd day of April and there is no sign of the season of spring to be found. We had a dusting of snow on the ground and we snow flurries this morning that eventually turned into drizzling rain the remainder of the day. It was chilly for me just to roll out the trash bin curbside and bring in the mail. Andrea called and am thankful that that her lab work isolated her medical and YouTube. There were music covers that I really enjoyed like, Dreams - Lanie Gardner and Never Be Enough - Claudia Santoso. When thinking about the phrase "never enough" I think about work righteousness. "For by grace you have been saved a through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Thank you Lord, we can never praise you and thank you enough. We have come to the end of the day, may our Lord grant us peaceful rest.
2 April 2024
I was totally under the weather yesterday. It is hard to believe that I could sleep for so many hours. Albeit, I'm feeling much better today, I opted to continue resting in the bedroom because I still had a nasty cough. I thank God for my wife who has been tending to all my needs. What is with all this rain? I can hear the torrential downpours from time to time the last two days. To make things worse, it's my understanding that will be getting some overnight snow.
31 March 2024
Christ is Risen! Grateful, grateful, grateful After a month of being on a low potassium diet, I loss about four pounds and leveled off. It is hard to tell if the little fat around my waist that I loss was from the diet or doing the added core exercises. I have no problem continuing to doing the core exercises in the hopes of shedding more of the abdominal visceral fat. I know everything I have read says it is impossible to target fat, but I see no harm in routinely doing them. It is clear to me that this is destined to be a long term endeavor. When I think of a traditional Easter meal, ham says come to mind. But this year it was nowhere to be found. We went to Alex's for lunch and I made us char sui with pea pods over Cantonese pan fried noodles. Rob brought Andrea and our grandkids down later in the afternoon to play for a while before we all went to Carl and Sandy's for a family Easter celebration. It bought me great joy to spend a little time with my granddaughter. I am actually surprised when she asks me to play with her; she is so talkative, liking to act things out. It is hard to keep up with all these toy characters, today I learned a lot about Bluey. Isaac continues to grow and likes to play Pokémon with his uncle. Funny how Alex grew up playing Pokémon and now he's playing it with his nephew. It looks like Isaac is attempting to grow his hair out, he always had his hair short. Rob was thoughtful enough to give me a neck and shoulder massage. Sweet, literally, we celebrated with tiramisu. It is by my favorite by far, it is ashamed that I can only enjoy a thin slice. Easter dinner was also nontraditional with hot dogs and hamburgers on the outdoor grill. It was good to spend with friends and family. Prayers for good health, especially for my daughter for good test results on her labs and for Mauri for his upcoming hip replacement surgery.
30 March 2024
Whoa, I woke to a single loud thunder clap that shook the entire house in the middle of the night and was followed by a torrential nocturnal storm. It is hard to believe that Fawn remained sound asleep. May the Lord keep us safe through these stormy nights. I hopped on the scale this morning and was glad to see that my weight leveled off and remained the same. I toss in a few sport peppers in by bowl of oatmeal and surprisingly my forehead started to sweat. It was nice to go out about this morning in the sunshine sporting a spring jacket. It was already in the low 60s when I went for my morning walk. We met up with my brother to do lunch at the Panda express. Mmm, they temporarily brought back the firecracker shrimp, so good. Today was a very good day, I was blessed to be able to spent a little time with my brother and sister. The verse of the day is, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). May Jesus become more significant and we become less. Thanks be to God for the blessing of the day. He is Risen!
29 March 2024
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Saint Paul encourages us to rejoice in the day of the Lord. I woke up this morning rejoicing in gladness of another day. It is clear that bright sunshiny days makes me happy. We went out early in the morning to grocery shop at the Jewels. It was nice to finally go outdoors wearing a jacket instead of needing to bundle up wearing a winter coat. When we got back, I tossed the marinated pork shoulder in the oven to roast the char siu and cranked up the broiler towards the end to give the char sui a nice char. I think that my char is as good a some of the meat shops and a heck of a lot cheaper by many folds. The highlight of my day was facetiming with the kids doing a virtual birthday well wish for Isaac's actual birthday. It was an awesome way to close the day. May God continue to bless our family with his gifts. Thanks be to God for protection and providing safe travel.
28 March 2024
I woke up this morning with devout thanksgiving for another day. I even was determined to not to complain about the weather and just dealt with it. Brr? :-). Wow, I just looked at the forecast for tomorrow, I’ll believe it when I see it tomorrow (60 ºF?). Talk about a rollercoaster temperature swing. I changed it up this morning and tossed in some stuffing in my oatmeal for the first time, I like the taste and texture. Raising the retirement age has been a hot topic lately. I think that the white collar people and politicians calling to raise the age retirement for Social Security and Medicare are out of touch. I would like to see them even try to stand on their feet and work a blue collar job that requires lifting heavy objects or climbing up scaffolding. We went out to the Oswego area and I did my indoor walk in the Sam's Club and the Target store. Hmm, I ask mama why she shook her head at me; she just laughed at me and sarcastically asked, "Do you think you could walk any slower?" We stopped by Lucky Panda on the way home to pick up a bunch of appetizers to take home for our noontime meal. After so many years raving how great their food is, I'm sad to say that this is the first time we didn't think too highly about their egg rolls, crab rangoon, fried shrimp or pot stickers. They all missed the mark, so disappointing. I heard mixed news today, the good news is one of my friends have put in his papers to retire. He was blessed with a long fruitful career. On the flip side, I am sadden to learn that another one of my friends is having some medical issues with his heart and will need to do further testing. Prayers for good test results.
27 March 2024
I know I don't sound like I am very grateful for another day, but I can't help raising a eye brow at these winterlike days in spring when the temperatures start out in the 20s and top up in the low 40s, but it was hovering round the freezing mark the entire time we were out and about this morning. We are at the last week of March and still needing to wear a coat to go out and about. Albeit was a windy and was cloudy most of the day, at least it didn't rain. Dang, even with all the layers I had on, the wind chill had me shivering. OK enough ranting, and time to reflect joyfully on the blessings of the day. I start penning this journal entry on my phone this morning with the intent to cut and paste it on Blogger this evening. Mama was up super early to make the oatmeal and was preparing tuna salad I'm guessing is for our lunch. We were out the door early because mama had a hair salon appointment. There isn't much to do until the weather gets better, but at least I started on my spring 2do list while she was getting her hair cut. At the beginning of the week, since it is Holy Week and the kids are out of school for spring break, I envisioned all the stores to be crowded and busy all week long, but it was just the opposite so far. It was very noticeable today and the word ghost town can to mind. I'm guessing a lot of folks opted to go out of town this year. Today's muse on Wednesday of Holy week, Judas travels to Jerusalem to contract Jesus’ betrayal. "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called the Passover. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to put him to death, for they feared the people. Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve. He went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers how he might betray him to them. And they were glad, and agreed to give him money. So he consented and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of a crowd" (Luke 22:1-6). The temple leaders plotted to kill Jesus by creating lies about him and twist his words around so that they can accuse him of blasphemy. The Chief Priest, Caiaphas, propositioned Judas to give up Jesus over thirty pieces of silver. One piece is equivalent to one day’s wage. He took the offer and made a deal with the leaders and agreed to identify Jesus with a kiss. I never really gave too much thought about Judas Iscariot other than him being the treasurer for the disciples and the person that betrayed Jesus. I find it fascinating that Zechariah predicted Jesus would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver and in Psalm 41 predicted that Jesus’ betrayer would share his bread, which Jesus directly referenced and acted out. It is so tragic and mysterious that Jesus chose the twelve fully knowing one is a devil. I wonder what was going though Judas' mind. What was he feeling and thinking just prior the days leading him to commit to such a grievous sin? In Matthew 10, we learn that Jesus gave his twelve disciples authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction, instructing them to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. How can someone be so close to God yet not know God? Judas, in his guilt, killed himself and we have no record that he ever reconciled with Jesus. I cannot claim that I am better person than Judas, but I can only repentantly throw myself on the mercy of God with bent knees and cling to his the hope of his forgiveness. I make us Chow fun. I stir fried some cabbage to my portion to stretch my portion, it was pretty tasty. Fawn doesn't care for cabbage because it causes her gas and bloating. After dinner, I finally got around to deboning the pork shoulder and marinated the big chunks of pork for char sui and sliced up the trimmed pieces and portioned them into small freezer bags for another time. We thought it best to do the canned tuna and debone the pork shoulder today because garbage collection day is tomorrow. I learned a lot about God's love. Seeing Jesus' love for Judas throughout the betrayal speaks volumes about his love for us despite our sinful betrayals, God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. I'm all talked out. I am thankful and rejoicing in God's steadfast love.
26 March 2024
"for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:26-27). This morning was weird, normally the day starts off rather cool and tend to warm up by late afternoon, this morning start off in the mid 50s and dropped down into the low 40s mid afternoon. Agrr... sigh, enough of this rain already! We had to dress up warmly against the rain and winds before heading out. But this verse talks about being clothed in Christ by confessing him as our Lord and Savior. My afternoon muse was on Ephesians 6, The Whole Armor of God, and standing u to the schemes of the devil. The whole armor of God comprises the Belt of Truth, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit. We went the Sam's Club for our meds and to the Oswego area. I did my indoors walk at the Sam's Club and Target. We picked up some sandwiches from Culver's afterwards and bought them over to Alex's for our noontime meal. I always have a hard time struggling between getting their Reuben sandwich or their pork tenderloin sandwich. Without fail, Fawn always gets the Reuben and Alex their ButterBurger. I got the pork tenderloin sandwich this time around soley because I got the Reuben on our last go. Actually, it was a good eating day, mama took out the steamer and made us some dim sum shui mai and bean curd rolls for a snack and I made us hamburger tacos for our dinner. I love the culinary diversity we have here in America. I have no evidence of it, but I'm starting to believe that my email client is generating spam mail on the behalf of advertisers. FaceTime (pause)… Second highlight of my day! My first was spending a little time with Alex during his lunch hour and now a got off a call from Rob, Andrea and our grands as well a surprise with Carl, Sandy and our niece and nephew. I had no idea that they were on vacation with them in the Smoky Mountains. A friend posted, One Moment In Time – Danna Winner, as much as I like Whitney Houston version sung for the 1988 Summer Olympics, I like Danna Winners rendition where I felt every word with a total different vibe. Anyway, enough yapping and time to call it a day. Albeit not the best weatherwise, it was still a beautiful day. Rejoicing with a grateful hearth.
25 March 2024
I woke up this morning to the rumbling sound of an approaching storm heading our way along with high winds. Finally, a springlike day in spring. Albeit we got rain, at least the temperature was in the mid 60s! But it was still so windy. I’m loving how efficient our new sump pump is handling all this rain. This morning's Psalm was, “Shower, O heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain down righteousness; let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit; let the earth cause them both to sprout; I the Lord have created it" (Isaiah 45:8). God's sovereignty and redemptive power over all of creation invites us to trust in His provision and to embrace his righteousness, for he alone has the power to bring about salvation and renewal. As we pray for God's blessings to shower us with his grace upon grace may we also seek to reflect of his righteousness in the world and bear witness to our Lord and Savior's love and grace. This morning's exercises went well and I have a good feeling about being able to shed the fat around my waist. I think it will take another two to three before I will truly notice a flatter tummy and the love handles starting to fade, that will be a sign that I have begun to lose some of the harmful visceral fat that is dangerously wrapped around my abdominal organs. It's always one thing or another, yesterday I was sneezing out of control, and today I have a runny nose. Thanks be to God for antihistamine nasal sprays. We met up with my brother at Kohls because he wanted to buy a new sport jacket. He has loss quite a bit of weight this past year since his heart bypass surgery and Fawn had a 30% off Kohls coupon. From there we went to IKEA for lunch. I like eating there because of bright open dining area. They didn't switch over from breakfast to lunch until 11 o'clock so we did a maze walk for a little exercise. I normally like to have their Swedish meatball, but this time I opted for their garlic fish, it was pretty good. Clearly, we don't go there that often, because the Swedish meatball meal use to cost $7.99 and it cost $8.99 the last time we ate there, now it's $9.99! We clearly are living in inflationary timeshare are so reminiscent of the Jimmy Carter years. It was good to sit down to yap and enjoy a leisurely meal. We went for a second maze walk/shopping afterwards. I fried us up a ribeye steak for dinner and had stuffing as our side. I am finding it very difficult to eat well and hold the potassium down as far as I would like, not eating enough calories is not a good thing either. Lord, grant me good health and heal my mind, body, and soul. Prayers for all the needs of my love ones.
24 March 2024
Hmm, I woke up in the middle of the night thirsty and had to go downstairs to the refrigerator to pour myself a glass of cold water. I am thankful that I am one of those people that have no problem falling back asleep. My morning prayer was, "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" (Psalm 42:1-2). I am thankful for another day and for the desire of God that is written in my heart. The hymn of the day is, A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth. Like many Christians during Lent, I reflected on my mortality and sinfulness and contemplated on the suffering of Christ. The solemnity of the season of Lent can sometimes turn discouraging, but through our Lord’s passion, I find comfort, assurance, and confidence in the hope of the resurrection. I opted to listen to my body and gave my body a rest from doing the core exercises, so yes the body does needs a day of rest from time to time. I say it ain't spring until it gets a lot warmer than it is now; this cold weather is for the birds. These March winds are are something else, they make worry me that something might blow in my eyes. Before March came along, I was chirping about not needing to wear glasses while out and about, now I wear them just to protect my eyes against foreign objects. I'm not sure what would happen to the intraocular lens in my eyes if something got on them. It is my understanding that there is very little chance that any damage can occur to it. Mmm, I love it when mama makes us one of her fancy salad and put all kinds of goodies in it, do good. Achoo! Gesundheit! What is going on? I've been sneezing off and on all day long. During this Holy Week, we will be walking with Jesus to the cross, but because of his resurrection and his love for us, he walks with us as we bear our own crosses. God is good, gesundheit, may God bless our fragile bodies with good health.
23 March 2024
Thank you, thank you, thank you Lord for another day. Brr, we woke up to another lovely winter day in spring. It started out in the 20s and worked its way up into the mid 30s. Maybe things will start to warm up and begin feeling like spring when April rolls around. Well, at least it was a sunny out and the days are getting even more noticeably longer. I am happy to see that I am able to maintain a low potassium diet for a little over three weeks now as well as keeping up with my daily exercises with the few added core exercises. There was only one day that I didn't complete all the squats. Does that mean I need a rest day somewhere in the mix? I was going to see if the value of the doing the leg lifts in trimming vascular fat after a month. For now, the only thing I am noticing is that I am more flexible around the waist but am still seeing now reduction in the subcutaneous fat along the waistline. I think I will need to get more cardio in. But because I am able to readily bend and twist my abdominal area, I assume I have been trimming off some vascular fat around my organs. I weighted myself again this morning and was surprised to see that I am still continuing to lose a little weight, because according to the bmi weight loss calculator app, I should be at or near plateauing. I have to keep reminding myself the goal is to improve my overall health. I will be having my lab work done in about two weeks, prayers for good test results. We bundled up and when out and about in the Fox Valley area. What is going on with the produce this spring, finding exceptional fresh vegetables without blemishes is quite an undertaking, but we did find some good Shanghai bok choy at the Chinese supermarket. Heck, they even had a one steamed char sui boas, but we only bought a half dozen package because it looked like it were from a different vendor. It is alright though, we thought the OK, but the bread didn't seem as fluffy. Sigh, so annoying, a car with one of those deafening super loud vibrating sub woofers pulled next to us. How in the world can people stand that? My brain would be hemorrhaging. We did lunch at, The Patio, for lunch. It's been a while since we sat in a restaurant to enjoy a meal. Normally, we just order their 1/2 barbecue chicken that comes with a baked potato, cole slaw and French bread and ask for a extra plate and silverware, but this time we also ordered fried mushrooms and fried chicken wings for starters. We got stuffed just feasting on the two appetizers and ended up boxing the entire chicken meal to take home for our dinner. When we got home mama decided to give me a haircut. Happy haircut! Getting a haircut is so very therapeutic. Today was a very good day. I’m so glad we went out for lunch and enjoyed a little time together away from everything. The day is coming to a close and my soul clings on the Lord.
22 March 2024
I peeked out the window at dawn and was happy to see that we only got a dusting of overnight snow on the grass and rooftops. It seems like winter is hanging on and is putting up a heck of fight to remain with us. What a lovely winter we are having this spring. Funny how I think when the weather is above normal and take note of "global warming" and on days like today, I just pass it off as a myth. I think feeling cold is partly psychological, just seeing the snow made my fresh hot pot of oatmeal even more satisfying. I didn't finish doing all my squats yesterday; I'm guessing my body was telling me that I needed the rest. That wasn't the case today, game on! It is amazing all the updates we are getting on the J.U.L.I.E ticket we opened for our mailbox dig project. Today someone came out and put up red flag (electric) on our parkway. Fawn did a great prep job cutting the broccoli and I finally got around to stir frying the beef and broccoli but we opted to just to eat it without any sides as an attempt to cut a little bit back on some of the carbs. It was one of my better goes, yummy. We did get a little snow/sleet in the afternoon that didn't accumulate much either. I am very thankful for that. Thank you Lord for your faithful goodness, heal our infirmities, grant us a peaceful evening and blessed rest. Prayers for good weather and safe travels of love ones along with joy and meaningful experiences.
21 March 2024
I got a good night's rest and woke up a little early than usual this morning. It is only by God's grace that I am given another day. Two of my favorite psalms to pray in the morning are, “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly" (Psalm 5:3) and “Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you, I entrust my life" (Psalm 143:8). I thank the Holy Spirit for my soul's desire to earnestly I seek and thirst for the Lord. I can't think of a better way to start each and every day than placing Christ first with morning prayers and dwelling on his words and ending the day with a grateful heart musing on his faithfulness and his continual showering of blessings of his grace upon grace. I keep looking at the weather app every morning longing for warmer weather. Mmm, why am I not surprised that we will be getting some overnight snow? The average last day of measurable snow for the Chicagoland is April 2nd. Albeit the day still starts off well below freezing, at least it made it into the low 40s by mid afternoon. Anyway, we bundled up and went grocery shopping at the Jewel. Meat was on sale, we got some good deals, pork shoulder was 99¢ a pound and frozen shrimp was $9.99 for a two pound bag! We also found a couple of bone-in ribeyes that were marked down to boot! Albeit we still had plenty of char sui in the freezer, it was hard to pass up the deal on pork. I like the technique I use the last time I deboned the pork shoulder. I was able to get nice size pieces for the char sui and nice slices for my stir fries, soups and what nots. I don't think that I will be able to get to that big boy right away though. We then went out and about in the Joliet area and got my walk in at the Target store while mama went to the Old Navy before stopping by Alex's to make us lunch. Today called for extreme defensive driving on the roadways, because there was more than a few outright reckless drivers out and about. The plan was to make us stir fried beef with broccoli over rice. I grew up eating and prefer the Chinese broccoli called gai lan, but mama and the kids seem to prefer the regular broccoli. It took me the longest while to get use to eating the florets. Broccoli and cauliflower looked and tasted both foreign and weird to me when I first move out to the burbs. We ended up picking up a Domino's pizza instead because it was 50% off for this entire week. We like building a medium size handmade pan with a garlic parmesan sauce with extra cheese, chicken and bacon toppings. My handy work of the day was to adjust the latching tab on my wristwatch band with a pair of needle nose pliers and now it snaps on tightly again. It is hard to believe how many years I have been wearing my inexpensive Casio A168 1572 Illuminator LCD Watch. It's got to be somewhere in the neighborhood of at least 30 years. I know that I have already changed out the battery twice on this bad boy. Aiya! Gas is back up again with a Biden vengeance. I just filled up our tank with regular tier one gas for $3.959 a gallon. When we got home, I was surprised to see more paint and flags on our parkway. This time there were yellow from the gas and orange from the telecommunications companies. I took the time to go around and inspect the exterior of our home for possible wind damage. I had a nostalgic night thus far chilling to Motown on streaming on jango. All these old songs bring back so many memories from past gone by. Away, it’s time to put down the pen and call it a day. Thanks be to God for a grateful heart and a righteous path. Ongoing prayers for continual healing for my family and friends as well as myself.
20 March 2024
We woke up to a bright sunshiny day, but it was cold as heck. I layered up as though we were still in the dead of winter, because we went first thing in the morning to Fawn's dentist office to have her teeth cleaned and I just stayed in the car in the parking lot kicked back. Usually I do a nice outdoor walk in the adjacent neighborhood, but it was too windy and cold. Since my driver license expires this year, I spent the time researching the needed, but it's still not really clear to me what this real id thing is all about. After visiting the dental office we went to the outlet mall in Aurora where I did do my morning walk. I had no choice but to do an outdoor walk there, it was a good thing that I was dressed warmly to the hilt. Agrr, what is up with all these spam and potentially look scam text messages and emails? So annoying... Mmm, stir fried Cantonese style pork riblets with green peppers in a black bean sauce over rice, taste so good. I am thankful for God’s faithfulness and for his provisions. We are blessed with a warm home and clothing, with food on the table and for a righteous path to salvation. God is good.
19 March 2024
I know that I am repetitive every morning about being blessed with another day and being grateful for God's faithfulness at the end of the day, but concur with the psalmist that, "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your h steadfast love in the morning and your faithfulness by night" (Psalm 92:1-2). I woke up in the middle of the night longing for the Lord. "My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness" (Isaiah 26:9). I've read through this passage several times and meditatively prayed how my soul yearns and seeks a greater yearning to be with God before peacefully falling back asleep. Today is the first day of spring and I jokingly started to say that, Mother Nature didn't get the memo" but something inherently told me that would be marginalizing God from his creation. The temperature started out below freezing, but eventually reached the mid 50s by late afternoon. Sad that today is forecasted to be the warmest day of the week with overnight lows below freezing and the highs in the upper 30s and lower 40s, sure feels like winter to me. No kidding, March is notorious for its gusty strong winds. Yesterday I didn't have much to say while penning my journal entry; I took for granted the precious blessings of my good wife who spent a good part of yesterday setting up appointments for lab work and lining up my doctor appointments. The list of doctor appointment to schedule gets longer and longer as we age. I must of been energized this morning, because I was able to slightly increase the number of reps on my single leg raise, double leg lifts and squat exercises. The operating verb is slightly. Whether, no pain no gain, is a myth or not, I'm definitely too old to be embracing any soreness. It doesn't come as a surprise to me that I when I got on the scale this morning that I am still slowly losing weight, because I am tracking my calorie intake along with the amount of potassium I am consuming. My biggest problem is trying to balance eating healthy and watching my diet. A lot of things we like to eat are low on calories but high in potassium. According to the BMI weight loss calculator, I should be plateauing pretty soon. I hope that what I have read is true that we can still lose vascular fat and not lose weight through regular exercise. We went to Alex's for lunch and I made us comfort food, chicken with bok choy over Cantonese pan fried noodles. Albeit it somewhat warmed up in the afternoon hours, it remained very windy, so I did my walk in the Target. Today was a very good day and I turn to you, O Lord, as the day begins to wind down and give you thanks and ask for your blessing on me and all my loved ones. Grant us your peace in the balance of this day and in all our days.
18 March 2024
"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3:18). May the Holy Spirit continually transform us to be more and more like Jesus as we journey back to Eden. I woke up feeling blessed and grateful for another day. It's hard to believe we still have to worry about the cold and freezing pipes, especially when tomorrow is the first day of spring. The days are finally getting noticeably longer, but it's hard to believe we still have to worry about freezing pipes this time of year, especially when tomorrow is literally the first day of spring. J.U.L.I.E. came out and marked the parkway grass with a blue paint and a blue flag. Learning something new every day, I didn't realize they follow a color code. Mmm, I made us a bone-in ribeye steak for dinner, so good. Time to kick back and relax. Thanks be to God for his faithfulness.
17 March 2024
I woke up to a bright sunshiny day feeling grateful for another day. The weather app was trending, "Drag The Jackets Out Again, Winter Isn't Done". Drag the jackets out? Who has put them away with our Midwest roller coaster temperature swings? Allow me to complain a little bit, the temperature was below the freezing mark this morning and the high for today and tomorrow will be the 30s. Jacket nothing, I went the whole nine yard and layered up with a scarf, gloves, winter coat and winter hat. I thought about and considered digging out my thermal underwear and corduroy pant, but didn't. After being out, I really wish did, because it was cold as heck with the wind chill. I must have been super tire and surprised myself this afternoon, I sat down on the recliner and instantly ended up doing an afternoon nap sitting upright. “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created" (Revelation 4:11). Worthy is your name, O Lord, you deserve the praise.
16 March 2024
Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection once said, "I do not advise you to use multiplicity of words in prayer: many words and long discourses being often the occasions of wandering. Hold yourself in prayer before God, like a dumb or paralytic beggar at a rich man’s gate", that is why I also start my praying the psalms. Indeed, we are nothing more than beggars. "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore" (Psalm 16:11). God instructs, guides, and leads us in his innermost being and will never abandon us and at his right hand he will find fullness of joy and eternal pleasure. Indeed, the instructions of the Lord are perfect and revive the soul. I set my alarm to wake up super early so that I could get in most of my daily exercises, but amazingly I woke well before that and I was left without any excuses. It's been half a month now and it is funny how hopefully I expect to notice some flatten of my belly hang, someday. But that is no the main goal, reducing the visceral fat that is deep within the abdominal cavity that surrounds my organs dangerous to my health is. I know my waistline is way down from when I consider myself really obese at 205 pounds and wore a tight belly hang size 38 belt. I find it strange that my BMI is in the normal range, because it is often considered an indicator of body fatness. Well actually it is a surrogate measure of body fat because it measures excess weight rather than excess fat. There is no need for me to take circumference measurements that is so visually obvious. One would think that I would get use to waking up in the darkness, especially during and after the winter months. Busy, busy, busy, we were out the door and about at sunrise just as the sky reveals God's glory. It reminds me that at the start of each day, his mercies are anew. Brr, is it cold at the crack of dawn. We went to the Jewels to pick up a small festive birthday cake and a small tiramisu cake to celebrate Isaac's birthday month. I'm pretty sure Isaac likes ice cream and cake. May he be blessed with many joyful childhood memories. Then we went to the Home Depot to buy a patio door replacement screen. I thought for sure that the last one we installed would last for a while, but noooo, Nala, Nala, Nala. Naturally, the last stop before going to Alex's was to Target to buy something to spoil our grandkids with. We started out the day gathering around the table with scrambled eggs, bacon and breakfast sausage links. It was the first time I fried up Smithfield maple thick cut bacon. It's ashamed I had to limit myself to one slice of bacon and one sausage link, breakfast was so good. After breakfast, Rob mowed Alex's grass and helped Alex installed the replacement screen for his patio door. Alex is so blessed with so good of a brother-in-law. I taught and worked with Alex on that project last year and now he's a pro. It brought back memories of learning and doing stuff with dad. I'm not looking forward to cutting the grass. I was able to get a nice looking lawn several times like Rob with the overlapping, but not during the hot and humid summer months. Not only is Rob a great brother-in-law, he is an awesome son-in-law that takes good care of our daughter and grandchildren, he cares for his old man's aches and pain giving me a much need neck, shoulder and back message. I thought we were going to have corned beef for lunch, but we ended eating the char sui chow fun for a late lunch, so mama packed the corned beef for the kids to have at another time. The mini birthday cake was surprisingly good and only a small fraction of the cost of a tiramisu cake, but in my mind, a tiramisu cake is the best cake ever. I had plenty to eat and used up my food allowance, so there was no need for supper. When we got back home, the goal was to drill out the screw with the broken off head that was holding in the mailbox post sleeve to the 4x4 post and remove the post from the sleeve, but that proved to be more difficult than I anticipated. I finally got smart and decided to drill around the screw through the plastics and wood around the screw then griped the wood screw with a needle nose plier and backed out the screw. I was wrong to think that the 4x4 would easily slide out, but that bad boy was wedged in there for some reason. Guess I'll need to nail a spike to the post to help slide it out, that's a job for another day. While I was working on the mailbox, Fawn was tossing unused things out to declutter the garage. Without so much junk, it is now easier to get in and out of the car. I think there is plenty of more junk that can be donated or just tossed out. I am most grateful for all the blessings of the day, especially for our family time where I am surrounded by God's goodness, prayers that I may become God's goodness that someone else sees in the world.
15 March 2024
Talk about doing Zs, it was lights out within a few minutes of hitting the bed. Clearly my body was trying to make up for night before. Psalm 143:8 is a beautiful morning prayer, "Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." I was right about how much easier it is to get my core exercises in, in the morning. We went out and about to the Fox Valley area this morning for groceries and what nots. We always have to get the needed to whip up the big breakfast whenever we get together. Looks like we are going to be celebrating Isaac’s birthday month with a little Irish. The kids always like their usual scrambled eggs, bacon and breakfast sausage links, especially Isaac. It is not clear to me when are why I moved away from the big all out brunch like breakfasts. I ended up doing my walk indoors at the Walmart and the Target store. Albeit it's still hard to find good fresh Chinese vegetables in the Chinese supermarket, we did manage to find some nice Shanghai bok choy. We also bought rice noodles to make Char Sui chow fun for the little man. We are a week away from the first day of spring and I can't wait to say goodbye to winter. I wish it would be a little bit warmer during the a.m. hours because it is still rather chilly when we are out and about in the morning. I boiled and sliced the corned beef ahead of time for this weekend's gathering. I like to boil the corned beef to rid some of the sodium. It is my understanding that boiling meat reduces its potassium content. The key for me is to only limit myself to moderate portion. I also steamed Cantonese style tilapia filets for the kids to take home. Learned something new every day, I changed the font on my phone from default to roboto and I love how everything lines up as well as the clarity of the monospace font. I finally got around to going online placing a J.U.L.I.E. request to locate and mark the underground utility facilities on the parkway in front of our house so that I can dig out the old damaged mailbox post, that one step closer on this item on the honey do list. Anyway, I need to stop yapping and get ready for bed, tomorrow is a big with a lot going. Thanks be to God for his faithfulness.
14 March 2024
Kaboom, I don't know when overnight thunder storm actually began, but the rumbling sound was very pronounced and was accompanied by heavy rain early pre-dawn. There was a time when I was a sound sleeper and could sleep though anything, but those days are long gone. Normally, if awaken, I am able to quickly fall back asleep, but the constant thunderous voice of God stay with us for a while. I don't really care too much for rain, but the reality is, rain is a beautiful thing. "Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17). Thanks be to God for the abundance of joy that comes from his provisions. I chilled to Adele 30 last night and albeit her voice remains incredible, I was taken by surprise on her new style, it's so different from all her previous work. Actually, I was a little disappointed. Team Lee, mama did all the prep work and I stir fried the beef with tomato over rice for our lunch. Beef with tomatoes was once we a goto comfort dish for me. It's ashamed it had limit myself to a super small portion because of the high potassium content found in tomatoes. Sigh, I hate it when my phone updates and new apps are installed on my phone. Somehow the auto update is getting enabled. The plan was to stay around house all day today because the forecast called for rain the entire day. But we were taken by surprise that there was a brief gap in the clouds and we sunshine for a couple of hours during the noon hour and decided to go out and about. Usually we are out and about during the a.m. hours when there are fewer people to contend with. I got in a nice outdoor walk while Fawn was shopping in the stores at the Two River Plaza. I enjoyed the solitude of pacing back and forth like a centurion along the store fronts. So much for thunder showers throughout the entire day. Yesterday I morning I added leg lifts to doing singles leg lifts and had no problems doing them. I didn't get around to doing them until this afternoon and I found that lifting both legs up in the afternoon is a lot tougher to do than in the morning. Ongoing prayers in these trying times for friends and family members for good health and for his healing hands. Thanks be to God. God is good, his steadfast love endures forever.
13 March 2024
Nice, it's the first time I'm listening to Adele 30. I woke up this morning grateful for another day. One of my common morning prayer is, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). This morning prayer is a joyful reminder that each day is a precious gift from God filled with grace upon grace and new opportunities. I know that I said that I would give the my core exercises a month, but we are already about a third of the way in and nada other than feeling a little more flexible from all the stretching. So I decided to add another new core exercise and will gradually increase the number of reps slowly over time. These exercises remind me high school gym class. I have come to realize the importance of diet and the need of getting rid of my belly fat to improve my overall health. I hopped on the scale again this morning and it didn't surprise me that I have lost nearly three pounds since I began the low potassium diet at the beginning of the month. It is not an easy thing to balance lot of calories and stay on a low potassium diet. There list of things to avoid is a lot bigger than the list of friendly things to eat. I'm just wondering where I will level off and still be in the healthy weight range without a gut. Wow, wow, wow, today was so crazy nice, even more of an awesome day than yesterday. Albeit the high for the day was about the same, it was warmer in morning and without the wind. Went to to the Sam's Club for our meds Next stop was Blain's Farm & Fleet to get a couple of yard flags to mark off the scope of my dig for the new mailbox post per J.U.L.I.E. before they will come out. Personally, I don't think we need them to come out for me to dig out the old shattered post, but Fawn insisted. Lol, the flags were only 15¢ a piece. I thought it would be silly to use my charge card, so I took out a dollar to make a cash transaction. That was the first time the cash in my wallet seem daylight in more than a few years. Next we went to the Auto Zone to buy a low beam headlight. Dang, it's hard to believe that bad boy cost close to $20 with tax. Albeit my hands are small, I still had a hard time getting in the tight spot to replace the light bulb. Anyway, we gotrdun in the store parking lot. I'm happy to be out and about when the weather is ideal like today. Albeit chicken is my favorite meat, I'm glad it was the last of the fried chicken from Isaac's party. Sometimes too much of a good thing is too much, if that makes any sense. The verse of the day is, Christ s redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Once upon a time, one of my evangelical friends asked me something to the affect, "Aren't your children scared of crucifixes and stories of crucifixion?" My children were brought up in the church and understood that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. Indeed Christ hung to a tree in front of a jeering mob and was executed like subhuman scum of the earth, but the beauty of his shame and disgrace is that Jesus became the curse for us so that we can become righteousness of God. Praise God we are redeemed! Praise his holy name.
12 March 2024
I was an amazing day sun filled day in the low 70s. I would have enjoyed my morning outdoor walk more if it weren't for the wind. It's too bad that the wind comes along with the month of March. Whenever we get temperature a.m. swings from the 50s to afternoon temperature in the 70s, I tend to think of San Francisco Bay area weather, where you need to wear a jacket to start off the day. We went and fid our grocery shopping and naturally bought corned beef for this weekend. We stopped by Alex's for lunch and I made us beef with pea pods over Cantonese pan fried noodles. I also browned some hamburger meat for Nala before making tacos for Alex to have for supper later this evening. Mmm, after we got home, mama made us tuna salad for tuna salad sandwiches later for dinner. I couldn’t believe how late UPS deliver a package to our porch. What was more unbelievable was just how warm it still was. The verse of the day is, "Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience" (Colossians 3:12). It is incredible that God's has chosen us to be his holy children, calling us to a lifestyle of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience! I know in many ways and times I have fallen short in Coram deo. May the Holy Spirit help guide me, so that I can be a blessing to others. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
11 March 2024
"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!" (Psalm 113:3). I love waking to bright sunshiny days, bless his holy name. It is simply by your grace that I have lived to see another day. The mystery of sleeping and waking up with the breath of life is beyond my understanding. It is good to praise and proclaim our Lord’s undeserved love for us. Lord, help me proclaim your love in the morning, and declare your faithfulness at night. I can't remember the last time I woke up in the middle of the night parched and need to go downstairs for a cold glass of water to quench my thirst. Albeit I didn't care for the wind, it was still a rather nice day in the mid 60s. Oh rats, I forgot to get back my cordless drill the other day. Today would have been the perfect day to drill out the broken screw that is preventing me from sliding out the broken wooden post in the mailbox. Lord, bless my family and friends physically, and spiritually, filled us with love, joy, peace, and happiness. Protect us from all harm and provide for our needs.
10 March 2024
One of the best things about retiring is being able sleep as much as you want most days. With that said, despite getting in a full night's sleep, I was initially a little sluggish. Either it was psychological or it was from all that food I ate yesterday. What was I thinking? I crunched out the numbers this morning from what I ate yesterday. One can say that I was doing well until falling off the wagon. I was exaggerating and it was a good thing I didn't feel like having dinner when we got home. I really shouldn't have eaten that much food in a single sitting. I guess foolish in my glutinous ways. Albeit was a bright sunshiny day, brr. It was right at the freezing mark when we stepped out of the house this morning into cold and windy morning moaning and groaning that it still felt like winter, but I guess we are technically are. I can hardly wait until tomorrow, the day is expected to start out much the same as today, but will soar up into the mid 60s by late afternoon! The chore of the day was setting all the clocks in our house up an hour. As I was going about do the needed, I thought about Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Indeed, he has made everything beautiful in its time and has put eternity into man’s heart. May we be joyful and do good as long as we live.
9 March 2024
We went to bed super early last night, so I was able to wake up super early and able meditate of God's word during the quite hours and go about my morning routine before heading out early to watch our grandkids while Rob and Andrea are busily preparing for Isaac's birthday party. The plan is to journal on as the day unfolds and going over and contemplating on his word throughout the day. "Praise the Lord! Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord, or declare all his praise?" (Psalm 106:1-2). I take comfort in knowing that God's love toward us will never change. I wake up every morning with exuberant joy and offer prayers of thanksgiving for each and every day of life. I find it amazing that God continually showers us with grace upon grace and mark us with his blessings. It was a nice drive up with not very much traffic, but most of the driver that were out and about seemed to have a lead foot. Wow, for some reason we were celebrating Isaac's 8th birthday. It is about to turn seven in a couple of weeks, so I had to go back and edit yesterday's journal entry. It has been a while since we been up for a visit and I have forgotten how much I love the openness with all the windows in their home. It was fun watching our grandkids. I never met a kid that love books as much a Peyton; she had me read one book after another to her. And Isaac love playing video games on his school computer. He logs in to something called Math Playground. After sitting our grandkids in the morning, we went to the party to celebrate Isaac's birthday, there were a lot of school friends and his cousins running around screaming with joyful laugher. I had my fill of good food and there was no need for dinner other than two glasses of ice cold water. Thanks be to God for the love shown Today was a joyous day filled with love and good cheer.
8 March 2024
Morning thanksgiving and praise, God is good. Rain and more rain, the forecast changed from a few hours of it to an all day affair and our sump was working overtime. I often think of this verse whenever we rains comes during the spring months, "Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth" (Hosea 6:3). Albeit I am intentionally progressing slowly, I also think that I am progressing fairly well with my core exercises. Although I may not be able to target fat around my waist, I am definitely more limber. I slightly loss over a pound in a very short time, I think because of my diet and focusing on doing more core exercises. It makes you wonder how accurate my ballpark calculated calorie counting is. The diet intent is not to lose weight, but to be on a low potassium diet. Another reason I might have shed a little weight is because I started using my daily exercises tracker again and it is keeping me honest. What a team, mama did all the food prep and I stir fried the chicken with celery with shiitake mushrooms. Mmm, good eats when you have it with La Choy Chow Mein Noodles. It's ashamed that I can't eat too much of it. We stayed in because of the rain, so I had to do quite a bit of stepping in place in lieu of a walk. Tomorrow will be a big day celebrating Isaac’s seventh
birthday. It
will be great to come together with family and friends for his early birthday party.
God’s blessings overflow!
7 March 2024
I woke up this morning feeling good and feeling blessed for the gift of another day. I wake up early and stay in bed and pray the psalms and meditate before doing a few core exercises lying on my back before getting out of bed. Sometimes I wonder about people. While I was doing my morning exercises, I was thinking about the old saying, "No pain, no gain" and the need to work though the pain. I have aging friends that seem to think that by pushing their body that they can retain their youth. They claim to be having fun with their strenuous exercise and sport activities which is a good thing, but with it I hear their complaints about soar this and that and the need for physical therapy. In my mind, "A man's got to know his limitations" and do things in moderation and within their physical limitations. We went to Alex's for lunch and mama had me fry up a couple of bone-in ribeyes and well as hamburger tacos. I always think about the bible verse, "And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate" (Luke 15:23), whenever I maķè steak for Alex or Isaac. These two seem to love eating steak and I love celebrating them. When it comes to eating bone-in meat, I simply enjoy eating the intense flavor and texture of the meat closest to the bone. I was shaking my head looking at the gas prices on Google Map. The gas prices are continuing to rise, most places were showing between $3.80 to $3.90 a gallon. The cheapest on the way to Alex's was for $3.659 a gallon. We also stopped a the Target store, so I was able to get in a solid 45 minute walk, before tiring out and calling quits. The piped in a long string of Beatles music that I thought would never end. I never understood why my brother along with millions of people thought that their music was all that. Indoor walks in the big box stores are great in the mornings during the school year because there are so few people around. Brr, it's always so cold in the morning and the March winds isn't helping things. I can hardly wait until the temperature stays and hovers in the upper 60s and lower 70s. Sigh, the lid on our recycling bin is starting to fall apart again. It cracked near the hinge a few years back and I ducted taped it, the tape is starting to show signs of giving way, so this time around I taped it with Gorilla Duct Tape. Away, time to stop penning and get ready to watch the State of the Union. Thank be to God who sustains us.
6 March 2024
"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I t trust" (Psalm 143:8). I love praying the psalms, especially first thing in the morning, there are so many of them. The news media love to biasly report disasters and crime as well as stir the pot. They make their money by creating fearful chaos continually bombarding us bad news and make the story fit their narrative. This gives us all the more reason to look for what we can trust; we can trust God's steadfast love and faithfulness. I am grateful for this day and for the peaceful rest throughout the night. I am so glad that I started focusing on getting in few daily core exercises. Between that and my new diet, I am feeling more vigorous. I think that I am getting in the right amount of the needed daily exercise. I am finding it so odd that I have been able to lose a lot weight for some time now but still have boat load stubborn belly fat that just refuses to shed off. It is good to get out and about and out of the house for a couple of hours every day and get in a few steps walking, especially whenever we have sunshine! We went to the Bolingbrook area and I did my morning walk in the several of the big box stores. We brought a Watchdog water detection alarm specifically for the sump pump area in our basement. Fawn's brother had a issue with their sump pump discharge pipe this past winter and the alarm device proved to have been beneficial for them. I personally could take it or leave it, but for a few bucks, it is most likely good to have for a peace of mind. Looking ahead, next week looks pretty good with temps in the 60s! Simple eats today, I finished up the Italian leftovers for lunch and made myself egg fried rice for supper. I learned today that our friend is going to have surgery next month to replace both his hips. It is crazy what modern medical procedures are capable of accomplishing. At times, it seems like more and people that I know have one health problem or another. There are so many psalms we can pray when we are in need of words. There is nothing quite like praying back to God his own words. "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who a forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases" (Psalm 103:2-3). Saint James encourages us to pray for one another, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). May the Lord be with us and heal our infirmities.
5 March 2024
"Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth" (Hosea 6:3). How appropriate is this bible verse for the verse of the day. Clearly, I'm not as sound of a sleeper as I once was, but it's a good thing I can still fall back asleep after being waken up several times by the thunderous voice of God in the middle of the night. I can't believe we had a severe move in last night and stayed with us until this morning. I thank God for the gift of another day and surly the rising of the sun changes with the seasons. Albeit it seems to come too early sometimes too late, its appearance is as certain as our Lord’s. We stepped out and shopped at a few stores in the Woodridge Downers Grove area before picking up food from Carrabba's Italian Grill to take home for our lunch. Surprisingly, this was the first time we ever try food from this franchise. The only reason we gave it a go was because Fawn received a gift card from there for her birthday and is just using it now. I looked at their menu earlier this morning and it didn't impressed me. Many years ago, we use to like going to Romano's Macaroni Grill and I thought it was a step up from Olive Garden. I didn't care it after they changed their menu and we stopped going there, that was a very long time ago. Now I'm wondering what their menu looks like. The verdict, sorry but it was just OK, Olive Garden is all around better menuwise, tastewise and pricewise. It's a lot of work tracking and portioning the food I eat for potassium their content and adding it to my list that I have previously generated over time for calories. I had a super amazing afternoon on the lazyboy chilling to Pink Floyd. I know they have a great audio visual video, but I just closed my eyes and enjoyed their beautiful harmony and musical talent. I am reminded by the psalmist that, "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night" (Psalm 92:1-2). Indeed it is. I have noticed in my journal entries I routinely talk about exercising daily, trying to eat healthy food, praying for others and the list goes on. As we go through life, it is easy to get caught up in the good physical things to be done. These temporary things are good for life on this earth, but once a person dies, they hold very little meaning anymore. Often times, in our busyness we neglect praising God. We should keep in mind that his mercies and compassions are new every morning and remember that his great love in forgiving us of all of our sins is a sign of his faithfulness. The day is almost over. Thanks be to God, his love endures forever.
4 March 2024
"O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch" (Psalm 5:3). As I continue to age, I find myself more and more grateful for all the gifts our Lord showers us with and rejoicing in his blessings. God hears our prayers at any time of day, but away from all the distractions in the quite of the morning, we can hear our hearts’ yearning and gladden by the thought of God. I've been trying to go to bed earlier to try to get some extra sleep to rest my body only just wake up earlier. I suppose it is OK, because I am able to just lay a while longer and meditate in bed as well as get in a few exercises in on my back. I hopped on the scale this morning and weighted at 150.4 pounds. I think 150 pounds is a good weight for me, but my issue is the subcutaneous fat and visceral fat around my belly. I'm hoping the low potassium diet I'm on now will help with that department. Today was another awesome day to be out and about, I even got in a nice ten thousand plus steps outdoor walk! The high was in the mid 70s! Starting tomorrow, all of next week is forecasted to be in the 50s, which is still ten degrees above the normal temperature for this time of year. I can hardly wait until the weather is steadier and a jacket is not needed during the a.m. hours. We went out shopping for groceries and for a birthday gift for Isaac. We did our civic duty and voted. It was the first time we stepped in the Naperville Mall of India. I'm starting to read more and more articles about healthy eating and about healthy aging. I hear rumbling at a distance and expect a severe thunderstorm to be rowing in shortly. I am happy we brought a new ½ hp sump pump. Anyway, I best shut ‘er down. God is good.
3 March 2024
I went to bed early last night to try to catch up on some needed rest, but all I did was wake up earlier this morning. I noticed this morning that the days are noticeably longer and sunrise was getting earlier and earlier, that prompted me to lookup daylight savings time. Lo and behold, we spring our clocks forward an hour this weekend! This was a reminder to me that time is a gift and I thank God for every moment of it. Talk about March winds, today was supposed to be the same as yesterday, sunny and in the low 70s. Thanks be to God, my thighs were sore this morning, so I went back to doing some added core exercises, but less and intend to gradually build it up. I'm on a low potassium diet (2,000 to 3,000 mg), I am targeting to be on the low end. Since I am ball park tracking my potassium intake, I might as well track the calories too. I'm pretty sure that I will be able to get my number down to where they need to be now that I know what is going on. There are more things going on to having a balance diet then what meets the eye. I am finding is that what is good for this may be bad for that. Almost all foods have some potassium and some food will have more potassium than others. A food that is considered “high-potassium” will generally has 200 mg or more potassium per serving. This means the size of the serving that you eat is very important. Fawn made me a salad for lunch following the new guidelines, which made for a slightly smaller salad. You thing that was bad, the stir fry beef with tomatoes portion size I made us for dinner was even worst for me. The weather was so nice out I decided to see what I about repairing our mailbox. First I wanted to see if I could dig out the broken part of the 4x4 that was still in and below the ground that was a bust. I think it was deep in the ground and was most likely had a concrete base, so that idea was scrapped and I will need to buy a small bag of dirt to fill the hole. Then it was time for phase two, removing the broken part of the 4x4 that was held in the plastic architectural mailbox by four wood screws. Naturally, one of screw head was snapped off and couldn't be extracted which didn't allow the 4x4 to slide off. So I'll need to drill out the broken screw to complete phase two. The plan B for phase one is to order a mailbox anchor kit from Home Depot. Achoo, allergies. Nice, the distance vision eye glasses we ordered on Amazon was delivered two day! The verse of the day is, “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both” (Proverbs 20:12). Thanks be to God for the gift of sight and hearing. Because of my old age, my hearing and vision is less than I ideal. Thankful I live is a time where my hearing aids can amplify the pitch and sound volume and cataract surgery and eye glasses were able correct our vision problems. Even so, some people remain deaf and blind. Thanks be to God who gives his saints the incredible gift of spiritual vision and hearing!
2 March 2024
We woke up early to a cold brisk sun filled morning, but it didn't take long for the temperature to soar up from about the freezing mark into the low 60s, zipadeedoodah! I had to do less squats today because my thighs were a little sore. looks like I’ll need to work my number of core exercise reps I do up slowly. I made us the usual bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs big breakfast to start the day off. I made us several noodle dishes for lunch, char sui chow fun and vermicelli with Chinese sausage. The day was filled with good eats and joy. It is tough to be on a low potassium diet, 2,000 mg of potassium is squat. I had to low up everything I ate and add it to my running list so that I can track my daily potassium intake. I thank God that Rob drove our grandkids down for a visit. I got creamed sword fighting with Isaac; I only got him three times to his countless numbers of whacks to my hand and legs. Clearly my reflexes are slower than dirt. It's rare that Peyton wants one on one time alone with me, l was thankful that today she asked me to go pretend shopping with her. It was so nice of Rob to give me a neck and shoulder message, life is good. It’s been a long day and this old man needs to get some rest.
1 March 2024
Hello March, it's beginning to look like spring! While folks were saying goodbye to February yesterday, I was saying good riddance! Did I jinx the string of sunny days by mentioning it yesterday? Lol, I'm actually not the least bit superstitious. Sigh, wildfires already? This time it's happening in the Texan panhandle. Prayers for those in harms way. I woke up motivated and energized this morning filled with God's love. Squats, that's the plan. It seems like I've been complaining about my belly fat forever. I'm going to track and log the number squats I do daily for a month as well focus on doing more daily core exercises. I know, I know, everything I've read says that you can't target fat, but hopefully I will show some progress in the fat around my waist. One more day, we still had to bundle up to go out and about this morning. We went shopping for specific grocery items. I did my walk in the Walmart and at the Whole Foods and I made a concert effort to pick up my pace whenever possible. The results of my blood work came back and my doctor said that I need to go on a low potassium diet and redo my labs again in a month. There so many things I like to eat that are rich in potassium. It is so difficult to choose what to eat because what is good for this is bad for that. Andrea is on a temporary special diet so I made her a pot of egg drop soup and mama made her sweet potatoes. Today was one of those days that had its ups and down, but God’s faithfulness and love is always a constant. I need to prepare to go bed because tomorrow is going to be a big day with an early start.
29 February 2024
Happy Leap day! Thanks be to God, the mama is doing a zillion times better after going on the antibiotics. Hmm, I hopped on the scale this morning and I weighted in exactly the same as last time, 151.2 pounds. I'm guessing that I won't be losing away weighted until the weather better and will permit to routinely walk more often. Albeit was still a cool day, it was a lot warmer today than it was yesterday. At least it got in the mid 40s which is considered pretty good for the month of February. It was still in the 20 when went out this morning to get my lab work done at the Edward Hospital Clinic on 95th Street. The temperature is expected to gradually continue to climb up into the 70s by Sunday, got to love the midwest roller coaster temperature swings. Medical bills are insane. Thanks, be to God for medical Medicare insurance to ease the pain. I'm loving how many days we have been getting the last two weeks, it is so uncharacteristic of the usual gloomy winter days. I got my morning walk inside the Target store. Whoa, mama mia! What the heck, we got gas for $3.599 a gallon. Well at least it about 30¢ cheaper than most of the other gas stations in our area. What is going on? Mmm, mama made us delicious tuna salad sandwiches for our lunch. There is a always a good chance of that happening whenever we buy celery. Albeit the kid routinely call mama on most days, and sometimes multiple times a day, lately they have been making their call on FaceTime, which is a blessing for me because I get to join in on the call and get to see the grands. Whoo hoo, Andrea and Rob are bringing our grandkids down for a visit this weekend, looks like we’ll need to go out tomorrow and get some groceries. Thank you Lord for this day.
28 February 2024
I woke up grateful to be alive with the knowledge that our Lord has kept us from harm’s way. Nice, we didn't get the expected overnight snow. Brr, winter is hanging on, it was in the 20s this morning and the temperature stayed below the freezing mark all day. We bundled up and went to doctor's office to see what why Fawn was still under the weather for three weeks. Our weather is like a Rollercoaster, one day your wear a spring jacket and the next day you need to layer up wearing a winter coat. I was happy to see that there wasn't any damage to our house from last night's storm. Surprise surprise, the doctor prescribed antibiotics for her sinuses and ear infection. Thanks be to God who watches over us. Sigh, not once but twice, what is with all the reckless driving on the road? These drivers with total disregard for other and for the rules of the road is becoming more and more prevalent. I tossed in some frozen mixed vegetables and a few frozen pot sticker dumplings in some of broth I made yesterday and that made myself a hearty lunchtime soup. And for our supper, I made us a Chinese - American stir fry. I made us diced chicken with celery, onion, peanuts and shiitake mushrooms. I'm glad that mama talked me into cooking the dish with the shiitake mushrooms, because that made the dish so deliciously flavorful. (Pause FaceTime… ) We just got off facetiming with Andrea, Alex and Peyton. It is hard believe that once upon a time I thought that televideo was lame. Prayers for the healing hands of our Lord for all my friends and family especially for our daughter that the doctors will find the cause for what is ailing her. Guide us, O Lord, as we humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide our efforts to be reconciled with you.
27 February 2024
Kamboom! “Keep listening to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth" (Job 37: 2-3). We got the news on and keeping an eye on several nearby tornado touchdowns I can hear the torrential downpour beating on the roof and against the house. I woke up feeling great! The song of the day is, It's a Beautiful Morning -The Rascals. We went out and about this morning to beautiful day that pretty much like yesterday until the turbulent weather moved in. We are currently under a tornado watch and are expecting some overnight night snow. In fact, a couple days from now the weather will be screaming the reality of winter. But for now the green chlorophyll is becoming highly noticeable in the bark of the trees, crazy midwest weather. One of the errands we ran was the dropping off a form at the Naperville public works building. I think the city system of processing things is so archaic. I did my outdoor morning walk like a centurion at the Naperville West Plaza while mama was shopping in the Burlington and Ross stores. I did likewise at the Fox Valley Mall just outside of JCPennys, spring was in the air, at least it was for today. Judging from the number of cars in the parking lot, how can the mall possibly survive? After that we went to the Chinese supermarket. What the heck, that's the third time in a row there wasn't any decent fresh Chinese vegetables. Finally on the way home we used up the last of the Outback gift card we were gifted to get a takeout to bring home for our lunch. We got their Alice Springs Chicken and it was bloomin' good! I'd order that again! Agrr, block block bock, but I’m still getting so many political spam text messages asking for donations, so annoying. Sigh... I really don't care for the Democrat (Biden) or Republican (Trump) front runners. Lord, have mercy. I made us rice noodle soup for dinner. I love how soup tends to warm up the soul. "For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken" (Psalm 62:1-2). Truly my soul finds rest in God; our salvation comes from him. This verse encourages us to place our trust God alone. Albeit I'm feeling a lot better, I still am coughing every now and then. For some reason, Fawn still has a sore throat and still feel congested with a lingering cough going on three weeks now, I'm glad she made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow morning. Prayers for protection against all harm and for health and healing, Lord watch over us and grant us good health, especially my wife and daughter.
26 February 2024
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? (Joel 2: 12-14). I love this Lenten Bible verse calling us render our hearts and return to God. I had this hymn in the back of my head all day long. I am grateful for God's love. Oh wow, the high of the day was 70 degrees Fahrenheit, that's more than 30 degrees above the norm! That’s a new record high for this date. We are expecting tomorrow to be even warmer but will also become very turbulent late afternoon into the evening hours. The temperatures will then plummet back down into 30s overnight into Wednesday. We went out and about and enjoyed the day. We headed out to Sam's Club and did our shopping around the Oswego area. What an awesome day to get in a leisurely walk outdoors. We got gas for $3.169 a gallon. Albeit it was still over three bucks a gallon, it was substantially less than what we have been paying for quite a while. Mmm, on the way back, we stopped by the Culver's and picked up a couple of Ruben sandwiches to take home for our lunch, so good. Prayers for God’s healing hand as we are born in extreme weakness and our lives will end in extreme weakness.
25 February 2024
Albeit the day started out in the upper 30s, the high for the day ended up in the mid 50s. What is nice is the highs for tomorrow will be in the 60s and the day after in the 70s! Not much chores for the day, I only had to take out the ladder and spend a few minutes in the back of the house cleaning out the dryer vent louvers. Good eats, I made us a bone-in ribeye steak with rice and peas and carrots as sides. I find gnawing meat off the bone so satisfying and it is so true how peas and carrots go together so well! I feel a lot better today and am undecided on whether or not I should take a dose of NyQuil before going to bed tonight. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness.
24 February 2024
Brr, winter is back with about three inches of fluffy snow on the grass and rooftops. I am so happy none of it amazingly stayed on street, sidewalk or driveway! The high today was in the mid 30s, tomorrow we are expecting it to soar into the 60s and 70s by Tuesday before dipping back below freezing, that's similar roller-coaster I saw being forecasted the other day. I'm glad I took NyQuil again last night, I think I will continue to do so as long as I feel congested and have a cough. Mmm, it's been a long while since I made myself an Italian sausage sandwich smothered in grilled onions, so good. After lunch we binge watched the remaining season one episode of Reacher. That was one long dragged out violent drama. Verse of the day is, Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:23-24). God made both male and female in his image and to complement each other as one. Bless our marriage O Lord. Just saw that Trump is predicted to win the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina, it's not looking good for Haley. I hope she fairs better comes March 5th, Super Tuesday. I'm still flabbergasted that Biden and Trump are to two front runners. Covid-19, It is sad that I'm still learning that folks we know are repeatedly catching it. I don't know what to say. That doesn't give me any comfort and actually makes me anxious. Lord, protect us and heal our infirmities.
23 February 2024
Lord, blot out my offences and cleanse me from all my sins. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. I can't remember the last time I took NyQuil before going to bed, but I didn't want a repeat coughing episode like I encountered last night. I'm so glad I mama checked with the doctor and bought the cold and flu medicine for me. Being preemptive allowed me to get in a good night's sleep. I'm slow on the news; seem yesterday there was historic moon landing. The Odysseus lander’s mission is to assess the lunar environment of the moon's south pole ahead of NASA’s current plan to return a crewed mission there in 2026. What do I know? I must lack the adventure to explore new frontiers. I really don't get it other than think space traveling makes for great sci-fi movies. I was inspired to pray Psalm 8, "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" (v. 3-4). I took a look at the weather app to dress accordingly since we were going to the outlet mall in Aurora. I took advantage to do an outdoor walk while Fawn went to a few of the stores. A look ahead on the app showed a crazy roller-coaster ride weatherwise for the week ahead. I ended up getting in fewer steps than I was hoping for. Clearly it is the affect of being a little under the weather as well as coming to terms with side effects of aging. Lol, did the use the affect and effect correctly? Talk about a huge temperature swing, we were 50s and it took a nose dive into the 30s and we ended up get about a inch of snow this evening. I had my burrito leftover for lunch and felt exactly the same way about the portion size. How in the world can someone eat the entire 1500 calories burrito in one sitting. By cutting the burrito into three portions, I'm still eating a hearty meal without overindulgence. After lunch we did a matinee and binge watched two more episodes of Reacher. I wasn't in the mood to do any cooking, so I finished off the last of that humongous burrito for dinner. Nice, we were blessed with Rob, Andrea and our grandkids. I especially enjoyed my time talking with Rob who is starting to learn how to stir fry. I love exchanging culinary ideas and experiences. God is good, his love endures forever!
22 February 2024
Initially we could hear the skies rumbling at a distance and then all of sudden we heard a loud kaboom, followed by a late night thunder shower move in. Boy oh boy, I had a rough go in the middle of the night and started coughing away and needed to take a couple of maximum strength Multi-Symptom Flu HBP caplets for relief, it worked like a charm. Peggy came by this morning and gifted us with gai loong dumping and turnip cake. She is so good at making traditionally Cantonese homemade style food you won't be able to find at restaurants. We bought some over to Alex's to reheat later. Since we were in the mode for takeout Mexican, they got tacos from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana and I got a burrito from Chipotle. We didn't stay, and only dropped off the food. It just realized that I am somewhat finicky. I haven't eaten food from either place in a long while. Burrito Parrilla Mexicana, because I got sick from I think their rice and from Chipotle because they mix cilantro in there rice For some strange reason, it seems like the taste and smell of cilantro hasn't been bothersome. I initially intend to eat half of it for lunch, but that bad boy was so huge. When we got home, I ended cutting it up into three portions. ¡Buen provecho! Good stuff! I was one happy noontime camper. Sik faan la! I heated up some of Peggy's eats for a supper, probably more than I should of. I had myself one of those good stuff too stuff moments. It is so sad that I am still lacking discipline at a time when folks are opting to fast during Lent. The verse of the day is "Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?" (Isaiah 2:22). O let us move away from the ways of man and toward the righteous path of the Lord.
21 February 2024
We woke up to a zipadeedoodah kind of day, plenty of sunshine. Talk about a crazy day in February, it was already 50 degrees by the time we stepped out the door and the temperature soared up into the low 60s. The historic average temperature is 37. The springlike weather beckons up to go out and about to the Promenade area. It was a tad windy. Before having cataract surgery done to my eyes, I always wore glasses whenever we were out and about. Now I only wear a pair them to drive, otherwise I am fine without them. Fawn bought me a pair of sunglasses, they were perfect for protecting my eyes against the sun and the wind. I tend to talk about food I eat, I think it is because cooking, eating and even watching cooking show videos brings me joy. Today we had Italian sausage ravioli with mama's pasta sauce. The ravioli stuffing wasn't all that, so we ended up rinsing it out, so much for licking one’s chomps, too bad. Afterwards the plain noodles and sauce was good. I made us chicken fried rice for dinner. Thank you Lord for your grace and mercy.
20 February 2024
We finally stop holding off or should I say that I finally stopped procrastinating and went to the Home Depot to buy the needed to replace our sump pump. I even splurged on upgrading our old 1/3 hp to a new 1/2 hp motor. During our morning breakfast were talking about how sump pump generally are replaced every seven to ten years. We were guessing we had this bad boy for over twenty, but of course not without all the rigging I did to keep it chugging along. I used the Home Depot gift card that my neighbor gave me for my birthday. The eased some of the pain of our sump pump purchase. Albeit the temperature rapidly worked its way up into upper 50s today, the overnight cold is in the mid 20s, and we still have to worry about frozen pipes. All things considered, it was a beautiful day to be out and about. The midwest temperature swings are insane. I'm loving this string of bright sunshiny days with awesome blue skies. We went to the Jewels for groceries, but not before stopping by the Panera a few stores over for my freebie cookie. I couldn't believe the size of their kitchen sink cookie was. The 5.5 in diameter cookie weighted 5.6 oz. Fawn guessed the cookie would have costed around five bucks. Good guess, $4.89! Well blow me down, we stopped for gas and agrr, it was $3.499 per gallon. I shocked myself by being able to replace the sump pump and check valves in under a hour, I was so glad that I was able to reuse all the previous pvc pipes without any alterations. Not bad for an old dude. I hope my new Everbilt was last long like my old Flotec. I was impressed by how much faster the 1/2 hp pump emptied the well than the 1/3 hp did. Gotrdun! I rewarded myself by breaking off a chunk of the cookie. It was actually pretty good, not for the $$$. We picked up a DVD and did a matinee. The being watched the first three episodes of season one of the tv series, Reacher, while stuffing my face with popcorn. (Pause)… Joy, I just got off the facetiming with Andrea and our grands. The verse of the day is, "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8). May we follow Christ’s example of humility.
19 February 2024
"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). I am reminded that each day is a gift from God. We woke to another sunny day! I really love sunny days, because we don't get too many of them during the winter months. Achoo, achoo, achoo! Yesterday I had was hacking away with a persistent cough. Today I'm sneezing and coughing, but I don't feel under the weather. I looked at the allergy outlook and the tree, ragweed and grass pollen as well as mold was low, but the dust and dander was very high. I'm guess that is what is causing my sneezing. Or am I coming down with a cold. Lord, grant us good health. Today's rant is about spam e-mail and spam text messages. I wonder if there is a limit on blocking them, they are so annoyingly ridiculous. Don't get me started on scammers. Our sump pump was sounding very good and has been on its last leg for quite time. It sounded enough for me to some research on the internet on the various pedestal sump pump available in the hardware stores. Today's good eat wasn't very healthy, but so good. I ate a pork chop sandwich french fries and onion rings for lunch and I made us ramen noodle soup with the last of my homemade pork both, so much better than those flavor packets. Anyway, I'm off to bed a little early to get some rest.
18 February 2024
I love waking up fully rested and energized to a bright sunshiny day. Whoo hoo, today was the last day the steroid eye drops to my left eye. I am thankful for Fawn’s help administering the antibiotic and steroid eye drops for so many weeks. I am really pleased with the outcome of the cataract surgery performed to both of my eyes. Thanks be to God who watches over me. For some reason, I decided to finally hop on the weight scale and was surprised to see that I was only 151.2 pounds, because I thought for sure that I put on more holiday pounds than that. I see no need go on a diet, but I will need to slightly curb taking that extra bite or two. I would like to get back down to about 145. My weight is not actually concerning me as the excessive amount of belly fat that I do not seem to be able to shed. I had the soup again today for lunch and I guess made too much because there is still a lot left. We did a matinee and played the musical La La Land. This wasn't the first time we saw this movie and I still think that the ending was weird. This time we also watched the extras and the making of the movie. I disagree that there is something magical about Los Angeles. Funny how whenever I watch a musical I always think about Andrea and watching her sing in choirs. Mmm, now that's what I'm talking about, I made us bone-in pork chops for dinner. There is nothing like gnawing meat off the bone. Sigh, I have a nagging chest cough that I can’t seem to clear, prayers for relief. Wow, mid week forecast is calling for temps in the 50s, I hope that comes to past. Highlight of my day is facetiming with the kids. What a great technological blessing, God is good.
17 February 2024
Dang, today was even colder than yesterday and a lot windier. “Windier”, hmm, the spelling looks so weird, but it’s correct. It started out in the teens and worked its way up into the upper 20s, but at least it was a bright sunshiny day. I made us a fresh pot of oatmeal at kicked mine up a notch with a little chili crisp. Because of the cold, all I did was do steps in the house all day. We had all eats though, I made us egg sandwiches for lunch and stir fried beef and pea pod over rice for dinner. The verse of the day is, "And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. And the idols shall utterly pass away" (Isaiah 2:17–18). O let us walk humbly and anticipate the glorious day when our Lord returns. Lord, please humble me gently.
16 February 2024
Brr, dang we're winter is back, the high temperature for the day remained under the freezing mark. And the bad thing was the sun was nowhere to be found. Albeit tomorrow is forecasted to be slightly colder, at least there is a chance for some sunshine! Mmm, I made myself a really nice salad for lunch. I tossed together some romaine lettuce, blueberries and strawberries, a hard boiled egg, caesar croutons and a little french dressing. While I was enjoying my salad, I began musing about meatless Fridays and especially during the season of Lent. How can one avoid the subject of abstaining and fasting when Lent comes around every year? I could be wrong, but I believe that abstaining from meat has something to do with Jesus sacrificed his flesh on Good Friday that people refrain from eating flesh meat in his honor on Fridays. I know a lot of people, including myself have practiced giving up something during the season of Lent and was clueless of the point of it or even what the motivation behind what was truly in my heart. I'm not sure that giving up something temporarily accomplishes, perhaps I'm missing the point altogether and the motivation of giving up something is the motivation of growing one's faith as a reminder of our dependence on God rather than on the world. I believe that Lent is ultimately about fasting from sin and preparing for the new Christian life with the risen Christ. Soups‘R’us, I'm pretty proud of the large pot of fuzzy melon soup with shiitake mushrooms, silken tofu and shredded pork that I made mid afternoon. It not only warmed up our home, but it also warmed up my soul. The splash of sesame oil at the end made the soup so fragrant. I love sucking on coffee candy, so good. It was one of my mom's favorite too. Grateful for the blessing of the day. Lord, grant us good health, help our infirmities and restore our immune system to ward off all the viruses that are plaguing our world.
15 February 2024
I woke up to a gloom and doom looking morning, but the sun did come out just before the noon time hour. It rained last night and I'm glad that I was able to immediately fall back to sleep, there is nothing worse than being wide awake in the wee small hours. Mmm, the oatmeal with strawberries was pretty tasty this morning. I have oatmeal for breakfast most mornings and I like mixing it up between having it sweet, savory or spicy. I hope we made the right decision to return 80 pounds of driveway salt back to Walmart. It was very windy and it's nearing the time of year when we will be facing March winds. I have a memory of walking with my mom as a toddler and needing to hang on tightly to her to keep from being blown away. The temperature peaked in the early afternoon to the low 40s before taking a nose dive. The expected temperature for the next two days will be below freezing with the high at or around the freezing mark. It is a reminder that we still in the winter month of February. Afterwards Fawn had her annual physical and some blood work done at the doctor's office, prayers for good test results. I stayed in the car while Fawn was in for her physical. It has been a while since I sang praises to the Lord. I once learned all verses to three on my favorite by heart, today I'm glad I had them in notes on my smartphone and was able to sing making a joyful noise, that's how terrible and off key my singing voice is, but I have to believe God loves me anyway. Mmm, I heated up the last of the pork bone broth I made yesterday and added the last of the rice noodles with bok choy. I'm glad mama took out some char sui from the freezer early this morning. I sliced up that bad boy and added that to the soup and that made the soup even more flavorful. It reminded me of all the wonderful soups we use to order all the time from Fabulous Noodles before changed owners and eventually permanently closed. I made myself another toasted sub sandwich today for dinner, I swear toasted subs are so tasty. Nice, the kids called to FaceTime, what a great way to round off the day. God is good, may his goodness strengthen, heal and restore us.
14 February 2024
It's Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, thinking about God's love. We went to the Wheaton Eye Clinic for my final post cataract surgery that entails seeing the optometrist and ophthalmologist. I'm so happy and thankful to God for the successful cataract surgery. I can see clearly now and now have 20/20 near sight vision and will only require distance glasses when required. We went to the Park and shop afterwards for some Chinese groceries, the vegetables were slim pickings. It was nice to be out and about on a bright sunshiny day that was completely cloudless. Ahh... I made us rice noodle soup using the bone from the pork shoulder I deboned last time to make char sui. Nothing says comfort to the soul like homemade soup. Today was a good day, love is in the air.
13 February 2024
DĂ©jĂ vu, today was pretty much the same quiet and peaceful like yesterday. Soup and sandwich, I finished the delicious soup Natalie made the other day for the New Year celebration. I made a tasty butter toasted sub sandwich with ham, salami and gouda cheese, so good. The verse of the day is, “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” turn to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster (Joel 2:12-13). Return to Lord, Your God. May I see my sinfulness as they truly are and repent of them.
12 February 2024
I’m glad that I am down to putting steroids in my left eye once a day and that this is the last week before I am completely done. I thought that was a pretty good Super Bowl game. Patrick Mahomes is someone to reckon with. I went in the game rooting for the 49ers I thought Brock Purdy played a solid game and that the defense is the key to winning this Super Bowl. The 49ers fate was written on the wall when Dre Greenlaw somehow injured himself. That was so weird to see. Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs to their back to back Super Bowl wins. Our refrigerator is loaded with a ton of leftovers so I just eat a little of this and a little of that all day long. Saint Paul exhorts us, "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6–7). Lord help us in life, especially to come closer to you. Today was a very peaceful and relaxing day.
11 February 2024
Posting early and getting ready for Super Bowl LVIII. I'm not a nfl football fan and know little of the going ons about the teams, but will be cheering on the 49ers because I'm rooting for things for Brock Purdy. I think Patrick Mahomes is a great quarterback, but he has had more than share of being in the limelight. We celebrated the 2nd day of Chinese New Year with our kids at Alex's. We steamed the frozen sui mai, har gow and bean curd rolls for our dim sum brunch. Along with the char sui gon chow and char sui with bok choy over Cantonese pan fried noodles to boot. I also pan seared a bone-in ribeye steak especially for the little man. I think that the rice noodles and steak are among Isaac's favorite things I make. We had tiramisu cake for dessert, so good. It is sad that I have to limit myself to such a thin slice. Yessir, I always feel better after Rob gives me a neck, shoulder and back message. We stopped by Little Caesars for a pepperoni pizza on the way home for our game food. OK, got to go, the kickoff is about to be on its way. Today was a good day, God is good.
10 February 2024
Happy Chinese New Year! I know little about the holiday except that it occur beginning on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February and the holiday is celebrated for 15 days. This year is the year of the dragon. I always thought the celebrating New Years day on January 1st was always weird and made little to no sense in my mind it should be celebrating it in the spring when everything is anew. Spring Equinox in March has been New Year for thousands of years. It was still New Year in the US for the first several decades. The past few days in the 50s were really nice when it lasted, but we're back to the lows in the 20s and highs in the 40s this week. It's fun to see the groundhog getting it right so far for a change. I'm enjoying the sunshine, the few white clouds against the blue sky is so beautiful. Mmm, I pan seared us a bone-in ribeye steak with onions and had it a rice on the side. I was a happy camper when I got to gnaw the meat off the bone. We went to my sister's house to celebrate the holiday with my siblings. Everyone brought multiple dishes I was even surprised that even our third generation nephews and niece made Chinese dishes for dinner. The food was good and there was plenty of leftovers to take home. We had fun looking at old photos and reminiscing on days gone by. Some of the photos looked so weird on how heavy I let myself go. Lol, talk about reminiscing, my brother is a Bears fan and they had Super Bowl XX on. Social media is flooded with articles about food poisoning from eating leftover rice. We always intentional cook extra rice every time and portion it in small separate containers and immediately refrigerate it after we finish our meal. We never had problems and have eaten rice three or four days later. I'm guessing if we are going to get sick it would have already happened. I agree that if food have been sitting out hours on end, I would be reluctant to eat it nowadays with a compromised immune system. Youth are wonderfully blessed with resiliency. I thank God for the blessing of family, especially for the gift of siblings. I can hardly wait until tomorrow to celebrate New Year with our grandkids.
9 February 2024
I love waking up to bright sunshiny day. Not only did the climbed up into the upper 50s the sky as blue as can be. I am thankful for the good weather considering we are still in midst of winter. We went to the Sam's Club for meds. I think that I'm really asking for trouble, we were having problems with the sump pump again and I had to make another jury-rigging adjustment to it. It's my understanding; sump pumps should be replaced every 7 to 10 years, I guessing I installed this bad boy in our basement at least 15 to 20 years ago. Other than that, it was just another typical day filled with God's abundant blessings.
8 February 2024
Wow, it was hard to believe that it was already in the mid 40s when I woke up this morning. The days are finally getting noticeably longer. Sunrise was before seven o'clock and sunset was after five o'clock. I checked off all exercises before we stepped out and about to what I would describe as an outstanding February morning. I could have never imagined myself taking a long outdoor walk wear a jacket in 50 degree weather as if it was autumn like weather. Whoa, we got gas for $3.399 a gallon. The price is expected to go up even higher because of a major oil refinery was having an issue. We stopped Alex's for lunch and I made us a char sui with pea pods over Cantonese style pan fried noodles and I also heated us up some of Peggy's roast pig. I use to buy cooked meat for the meat shop, but prices have gone up so ridiculously high that it's not worth it any longer. Dinner was leftovers from yesterday's lunch. Happy haircut! I always feel like a million buck after getting a haircut. Whoa, kaboom! O wow, we are getting a heavy downpour just now. I’ll take a heavy thunderstorm over a heavy snow storm any day. Mama always does a great job and the clippers paid for itself over a hundred times over. We facetimed with the kids again and the day just kept getting better. The verse of the day is, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Chinese New Year is just a couple of days away and as a child, I receive red envelope gifts. Gifts are free expressions of love I didn’t deserve that were given to me by people who truly cared for me. God gives us the gift of salvation through faith as an expression of his great love for us. Thanks be to God for showering us with all his extravagant gifts.
7 February 2024
Joy comes with the morning, thanks be to God. I was thinking that it was still pretty nippy in the morning when we went out, but then stopped to think, it's still early in the month of February. Regardless, I bundled up and did a outdoor whenever I could. According to the weather forecast, it was supposed to be a sunny day in the lower 50s, but neither came to pass, it only climbed from around the freezing mark into mid 40s degrees. That is still above normal for this time of year though. It's been a while since I been in the HMart. I think they did super job cleaning that store up with big isles and new fish tanks. I also went in the Skechers shoe store thinking perhaps the prices of their shoes might be a little bit more reasonable, but the cheapest pair was still around sixty bucks. We met up with Peggy to celebrate her birthday at the Red Lobster. It was tough for me to resist ordering the Ultimate Endless Shrimp, I ordered the last time I was at Red Lobster and couldn't stop until I over stuffed my face and it wasn't pretty. I ordered the Admiral's Feast and couldn't finish it and had to box it to take home. Half the portion definitely would have been enough for lunch. Peggy gifted us with her homemade oven roast crispy pork belly, so good! Today was a very good day and thank God for all the blessings of the day.
6 February 2024
Today was another nice day in upper 40s, but looking ahead, the next three days are supposed to be in the 50s! The reality is, I'm never really happy with the weather unless it's 72 degrees Fahrenheit with 50 percent humidity. Checking off the exercises is motivational and is proving to be very helpful. I even remembered to put on my pedometer before going out. We went shopping near the Bolingbrook Pomenade area. I bought a jar of puzzle glue from Michaels, but not sure when or even if I'll get around to using it. The rest of the morning was just shopping for groceries at Aldi and at Meijer. We even cashed in $15 dollars cash of mPerks! I got in my morning walk in the store while mama did all shopping. Mmm, another day we were blessed with good eats, I make us sui chow don for lunch and beef with tomato over steamed rice for dinner, life is good! Thanks be to God, my heart is overflowing with thankfulness.
5 February 2024
Albeit, I exercise regularly I've been slacking off on doing squats, but today wasn't one of them. I think that I should start going back to using my check off list after doing each of the different exercises. It was a good thing too, because I ate more than my fair share of the dim sum. So dinner consisted of making myself the last of the spinach and bowl of cold cereal.
4 February 2024
We just off facetiming with the kids, it was by far the best part of our day. Whoo hoo, today was the last day for steroids to my right eye! But I still gave two weeks to go before I am completely done. Lord, bless us and heal our infirmities. Mmm, I roasted the char sui and mama had me broil them bad boys for the last ten minutes to give the meat an good char, my best batch of char sui ever! But the good eats didn't stop there, I made a chicken with shiitake mushrooms and bok choy dish over rice for dinner. "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5). We are left breathless by God's love, mercy and grace. God is good, truly we are saved by grace through faith.
3 February 2024
It's clear to me that it is a big deal to me to wake up in the morning with the sunshine in my m eye, so much better than waking up to a cloudy day. Scientifically, the exposure of sunlight is thought to increase the brain's release of a hormone called serotonin which is associated with helping a person feel calm and focused, so they say. Mmm, I had a chicken taco with rice. I love it when you buy extra tacos for another day and make them into ready made meals that you just have to microwave. One is so blessed to be born and raised in America. One of the benefits of living in my neck of the woods is the diversity of people and availability of different ethnic foods. Albeit, was only in the upper 40s but way above the normal for this time of year for our neck of the woods, it sure felt like a springtime. I was able to get in a nice hour long outdoor walk, the solitude was very peaceful, I have forgotten just how blue the cloudless sky can be after all that pollution from the uncontrollable Canadian wildfires that broke out last year that dwarf the stupid California wildfires that we get every year. I thought about all the wonderful walks Fawn and use to always take together. That gradually pretty much ended because my walking pace kept getting slower over the years. Today was busy day working on filling the federal income tax. I have thoughts about that and it is along the lines of about two thirds of Americans in a recent Gallop poll and it ain't pretty. Sweet, I'm glad my brother gave us a call; he's going to the city and picking up frozen dim sum sometime this week! Naturally, we had placed a order for us too! I made us a beef with bok choy stir fry over Cantonese pan fried noodles, so good. Yesterday was ground hog day, and ever since the 1993 Groundhog Day film was filmed in Woodstock Illinois, it has been cult thing in Northern Illinois, to gather there for the annual prognostication to celebrate the holiday. As the folklore goes, since Woodstock Willie didn't see his shadow, we are going to have an early spring. After all these years, my inquiring mind finally wanted to know what the phrase, "early spring", actually meant. Willie uses a formula that equates that the majority of the days between Groundhog Day and the spring equinox feature temperatures of 40 degrees or above, there, now I know. Anyway, its getting late, time to shut 'er down. Bless us, O Lord, keep us in peace during this night.
2 February 2024
It was a gloom and doom looking day with a complete overcast. So much for the weather app, it was supposed to be a bright sunny day today but the weather app never updated to correct that. We finally got around to going to the Illinois Toll Authorities Headquarters to return an I-Pass transponder that expired and hasn't been used for quite some time. Today was a much cooler and breezy day, so I took my walk indoors. Out of curiosity I stopped by the men’s shoes and was stunned to see how much the cost of shoes has insanely gone up. How do parents with young growing and active kids can afford to continually buying them new pairs? Albeit I don’t need a new pair of walking shoes yet, it may be best to keep an eye on the prices and watch for when they go on sale. I sliced up the pork shoulder into manageable size pieces off the bone and made the char sui barbecue sauce. I normally marinade the pork pieces overnight, but this batch will be sitting in the refrigerator for two day because we already have plans for tomorrow, who knows, maybe it’ll taste better! Prayers for good health and saving faith for all my love ones. I love praying the psalms, "Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things" (Psalm 107:8–9). I am thankful for each and every day. Thanks be to God.
1 February 2024
I woke up well rested and with good cheer, the sun was shining as bright as can be. I heard Tom Skilling say that December and January were both cloudier than normal, something and us only seeing 30 percent sunshine during the available sunlight hours instead of the normal 40 percent. He mentioned something about getting depression from not getting enough sunlight. Of course I'm happier when I see the sun, but thankfully I don't understand depression. I did some walking in the K0hl’s, but eventually decided to take outdoors. We are among only the few remaining people still who still wear a mask indoors in public places. I was glad that I layered up and was able to enjoy the fresh air, blue skies and the beautiful sunlight. We went to Alex's house for lunch and to pick up the roasting pans I use to make char sui tomorrow. I seared us a couple of delicious ribeye steak with stuffing on the side. Nala was a happy camper when mama had me make a small piece for her. Outside of needing to watch the road extra carefully for pot holes, one has to really drive carefully defensively; it always seems we routinely encounter blatantly reckless drivers on the road. I saw gas is back up to $3.099, good thing we got it yesterday for $2.919. I guess I didn't bother to mention it because I didn't think it was worth mentioning that I was only able to top it off up with a little over three gallons worth. I spent a little fun working on the jigsaw puzzle and got about half the border pieces connected. Wow, the weather was so nice today; I just had to go do another outdoor walk in the afternoon when the temperature soared up into the mid 50s. that is crazy warm for this time of year. I wished I would have had my pedometer with me today because I was a walking fool and think I could have logged in my first ten thousand plus steps in for the year, oh well. It is weird walking around without my glasses on nowadays; I am so use to wearing them all the time whenever I am out and about and can clip on my tinted uv ray sunglass clip-ons. Now I only need glasses for distance. With the sun still so low along the horizon this time of year, one should really be wear eye protection. The verse of the day is, "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 1:2). I'm embarrassed by my weakness and vulnerability to sin and am thankful that Jesus provided me the way back into your holy presence. Satan tries to weaponize every single sinful against us as unworthiness. Henri Nouwen said, "Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the “Beloved”. Being the Beloved expresses the core truth of our existence."
31 January 2024
What is with these spammers, I hate it whenever I get these annoyingly suspicious text messages, calls and emails. Since I'm already in a rant mode, I might as well complain about the cold weather and about how cloudy it's been this month of January. I didn't layer up this morning before going out because I need lab work done, so I just wore a tee shirt and felt the sting of winter because it was still in the mid 30s this morning. It did eventually worked its way up into the 40s, but it still felt a little nifty out. OK, I got that out of my system. After doing my labs, we went to the Sam's Club and did a little shopping in the Oswego area. I got in a decent indoor walk at the Target. Even as big as the store was, I walked around and around the store until the store felt like the size of a postage stamp. It was strange to wake up this morning with a craving for shrimp egg foo young, so we had to stop by Lucky Panda on the way home to take out a order of that and some egg rolls. There were 4 patties in an order, so we ended eating it for our lunch as well as for our dinner. There is something about gravy over rice that have me licking my chops, I really like Chinese-American food. Today was a good day God is good.
30 January 2024
We got up early and went grocery shopping at the Jewel to take advantage of really good sale items like eggs for 99¢ a dozen and 99¢ a pound for pork shoulder butt! I see me roasting char sui some time later this week. I normally would be ranting about high inflationary cost of groceries nowadays but because there were a lot of items on sales, the grocery bill was within reason. It was nice to get in a decent indoor walk when few people around. While we were out, I kept thinking that we should start getting out of the 30s sometime soon, so I took a look at the weather app for the ten day forecast and lo and behold, we will be climbing into 40s starting tomorrow. Now that's another step in the right direction toward spring. Since the ground isn't covered with snow and isn't frozen anymore, I was wondering what the city was going to do about my claim against the damaged mailbox and was going to contact them today to learn what was going happen, but we got a letter stating that the city was only going cut me a check. Sigh, I was kind of expecting them to do the necessary repairs. What a relaxing afternoon listening to classical music streaming as background music and resting in God’s peace. I have more lab work tomorrow and pray for good test results.
29 January 2024
I woke up feeling well rested and blessed. I’m really happy with how well my eyes are healing and am finally done with the antibiotic eye drops and this is the final week of using the steroid eye drops on my right eye. The left eye will still need steroids for several more weeks. Thanks be to God for his heal hands and the gift of sight. May the Lord open my eyes so that I may turn away the darkness and power of Satan. I really like the chopped Asian salad kit, it is so tasty. I'm able to get three portions from on bag by mixing in some baby spinach. For today's lunch, I tossed in some blueberries and kiwifruit. Gag me with a spoon, a network TV segment about the upcoming Super Bowl came on and then out of nowhere they brought up that this was going to be the greatest Super Bowl ever because Taylor Swift was going to be there and something about her having to immediately flies from her concert in Japan to the game. Half of me is chuckling inside and the other half think this a sad day for sport commentaries. Well, at least that took my mind off the BS politics that on the news.
28 January 2024
Mmm, I made us beef with bitter melon for our lunch, good stuff and this super food benefits are idea for me to boot, but I will say that it's bitterly pungent taste is not for everyone. Today's go on this dish was one of me better go because I allowed plenty of time for the beef to marinate and become pretty tender. Mama pasta was outstanding, I licked my plate clean. Too bad there wasn't any second helping to be found. I missed my opportunity yesterday. We watched both of divisional championship games. I was expecting the Ravens and the 49ers to win. Clearly Fawn wanted the Chiefs to. Well at least I called the 49ers game right, what a tremendous second half comeback.
27 January 2024
You have to love abstract words and how the media exaggerates the fog. Albeit it hasn't lifted for the second day, calling it a dense fog when the visibility is a quarter mile is ridiculous. We gathered at Alex's this morning and I made us the usual big breakfast, bacon, sausage links and scrambled eggs. Even though there was plenty of food left over, the kids requested that I steam the last of the dim sum Sue and Peggy made that we froze. No doubt about it, the kids know how to eat and that works for me! Ahh, Rob gave me a super nice neck, shoulder and back message that was much needed. We had mama's pasta dish for lunch, I was already stuffed after eating a spinach salad. I guess I'm not going to get to have some until tomorrow. Fawn and I went to Ken and Anna's for a small get together to celebrate Sandy's birthday with tacos from Los Burritos Tapatios. Now that my near sightness has been corrected after my cataract surgery, I no longer need to wear glasses except for when I'm driving or see things at a distance. LOL, I was looking everywhere for my glasses when I got back in the car and they were in my pocket, sigh. Anyway, it was a very good day. Feeling blessed with God's goodness.
26 January 2024
We went out early to get more groceries because Rob is bringing our grandkids this weekend. I was able to wear my Skechers walking shoes and got in a decent indoor walk. We love cooking for the kids and we went all out, Mama made her pasta sauce! I happily boiled a couple boxes of penne noodles, because added some much needed humidity to the house. Now that’s what I’m talking about, a look ahead of the 10 day weather forecast shows the temperature to move into the 40s and stay above freezing. I hope that comes to pass but that is the weirdest thing because 57 years ago today, we had one of the biggest (if not the biggest) blizzard in one setting in the Chicagoland area in my lifetime. My sister gave me a wellness check-up call. I am so blessed to have such loving and caring siblings.
25 January 2024
I always seem to be cold, so I layer up a little albeit the temperatures were in the upper 30s. Because we have been in the deep chill for so long, today seemed like a pretty mild day weatherwise. We went to the Sam's Club where I got in my morning walk and we did a little shopping in the Oswego area before heading to Alex's to make lunch. Since Lucky Panda was on the way, we stopped to pick up some of their potstickers, crab rangoon and fried shrimp for appetizers. It's has been a long while since we been to there and naturally the $$$ keeps going up. There has to be an end to this inflationary trend. I just deleted my rant about the cost for groceries we just bought this morning, but deleted it. I shouldn't work myself into a frenzy about that ongoing thing when I could rant about all the new potholes on the roadways. Some of them were insanely big and definitely needed some immediate attention. I made us a chicken and broccoli stir fry over Cantonese pan fried noodles. I started 20 in. x 30 in. 1,014 pcs jigsaw puzzle I got as a Father's Day present that were family photos from Andrea, Rob and our grands. The highlight of my day was getting together on FaceTime with all kids. What a great blessing it was towards the end of the day. How can the verse of the day not be, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever" (Psalm 136:1). God is good.
24 January 2024
I woke up this good in good cheer as my vision continues to improve as the swelling subsides and heal after my cataract surgery, God is good. I suppose, just waking up is enough to rejoice in the day. I'm glad to hear the sound of our sump pump working OT. It is good to finally be out of subzero temperatures and better yet, above freezing. It is good to finally have above normal temperatures. It is only a matter of time before we will be singing, "for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of d the turtledove is heard in our land" (Song of Solomon 2:11-12). According to the weather app, we are supposed to stay above freezing for the next three or four days, so we should be getting a slow but steady melt. Mmm, nice change up this morning to my oatmeal, I had it with a little chicken and chili crunch. Today's good eat was fusion made from an Asian chopped salad kit and chicken tacos. We ended up staying home all day, so I did a lot of pacing around the house.
23 January 2024
Wow, we're the roadways icy and slick. It was a good thing we left super early for my follow-up appointment and was able to drive nice and slow like most of the folks on the road. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like during the morning rush. Thanks be to God that my eyes are healing well and for safe travel. I had to use the ice chopper/scraper on driveway and sidewalk as well as salt things down. I called my brother and glad that all is well with him. I think the biggest problem with everyone our age is all the what ails you that come with aging. Prayers for health and healing for all our friends and family. It’s not looking good in New Hampshire, c’mon America, really? Sigh… (delete) time to chill and rest. Thankful for all the good things going on in my life, so blessed, God is good. "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). The Lord is in control and is making sure that everything that happens to you will make you grow closer to him. rejoicing under all circumstances is not an easy to do, but thankful we have the Holy Spirit to help you to rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances.
22 January 2024
We got up super early and made our way to the eye clinic for my cataract surgery. The freezing rain was just starting up, but the roadways were well salted and still decent. Thankfully there are only very few cars on the road and I was able to drive nice and slow. Fawn had to scrape the ice off the car before she was able to drive back, but she said that roads weren't bad. The surgeon said that the surgery went well, but I was a initially a little concerned because my eyesight was more blurry than last time. It was fine by early evening and I'm able to pen this journal entry. I hope for a good surgery follow up exam report tomorrow and that the roadways will be safe to drive on. We are expecting more freezing rainfall overnight. I heard yesterday that Ron DeSantis dropped out of the GOP Primaries. Clearly I don't want to vote for Biden or Trump, so that only leaves Haley up for investigating and consideration. How and why Biden and Trump are the two front runners is beyond me.
21 January 2024
We woke up to another cold brisk day. I thank God that the sun was out again and we are no longer in subzero temperatures. It is my understanding that we will get above freezing temperatures and there will be a chance for rain later in the week. Albeit the temperature was in the teens, I was layered dressed to the tee ready to face any the coldness. Yeah I'm still whining about the winter season. I've been getting into the nfl divisional round this weekend. I glad both the games were early. We watched the Lions Buccaneers games, there no surprise there. The Bills Chiefs game was a lot closer and more exciting. Anyway, off to bed now, we got to get up early for the cataract on my right eye. Prayers for good weather and good road conditions. May the Lord grant me a successful eye surgery again. I am thankful for his loving care.
20 January 2024
It was a stay at home do nothing day with good eats chomping on fried chicken wings, shrimp tempura and fish and chips watching football. I actually watch two playoff games and didn't fall asleep during the games. I don't know much about nlf teams, but I cheered on the Texans. Who doesn't want good things for CJ Stroud? But the Ravens proved to be too much of team for them to overcome. The Packers vs 49ers was a much closer game. Mama called the 49ers win.
19 January 2024
I think that most folks are fed up with the cold and snow. We got more overnight snow and it is getting old. We are so blessed to have awesome neighbors who have been helping us out with the bulk of the snow removal. We are so grateful for their help with the needed. May God keep and bless them.
18 January 2024
LOL, I'm even boring myself with my daily rant about how I hate the cold, the snow and the lack of sunlight. I hate winter! We about two inches of snow overnight and more is coming overnight tonight and the temperature will drop below zero again. Thankfully the snow that we got was fluffy and light. The temperature swings are so amazing here in the midwest. I got a chuckle out of seeing a list of old jingles from days past that made my day. OK, there more to life than sitting around waiting for spring. We dug out a joong from the freezer and that bad boy was still pretty tasty. There are things that are going in my life other than just sitting around and waiting for spring to come around, but they are rather private and are best to stay private. Crazy how my whining about this and that is actually revealing to me actually just how blessed I am.
17 January 2024
Albeit today was a lot warmer than it has been in recent days, I felt the urge to add a little chili crunch to my oatmeal. The temperature was in the teens, so we finally were brave enough to go out and about running errands and to pick up a few items at the grocery store. I was totally comfortable all layered up in my warmest clothing as though I was going on an arctic trek. Regardless, I still hate the cold weather climate and can't wait until springtime comes about. I did get a short indoor walk. It wasn't much of a walk because I was wearing my slip resistance shoes. Sigh enough already, we are expecting to get another one to three inches of overnight snow and again in the evening. Today was a good day where we were blessed with sunshine and out of subzero temperatures.
16 January 2024
HB to my little pumpernickel. According to the weather app, it looks like today may be the last subzero day. I am so surprised that we are still adding to a string of sunny days. It's my understanding that sometime next week we will get above freezing. I have a lot of thoughts about the Iowa Caucus that I just penned and deleted, holding to notion that some things are better left unsaid. The only thing I can say is that I rather not see Biden or Trump running for the POTUS. I made us beef and broccoli for dinner and it was one of my better goes at it. The highlight of the day doing FaceTime with all the kid to wish Andrea a happy birthday! God save and bless our nation.
15 January 2024
Initially I thought it snowed overnight, but it became clear to me at day break that there was snow drift. I was happy that we got plenty of sunshine today. Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He is a American hero. I hopped on the scale this morning and was surprised to see that my weight is already back down to where it was before the holidays, but I still have my long time waistline dilemma. We got two wahlburgers patties from Alex the other day and made them for lunch. A wahlburger is a proprietary blend of chuck, brisket and short rib vs the standard ground chuck I normally buy. It must be me, because I don't see what the hooha is all about. It tastes about the same to me. This nfl wildcard weekend has been less than interesting to me. I sort of watched a few of games, by that, I mean I dosed off during the Browns-Texans, Packers-Cowboys, and Rams-Lions games yesterday. I did the same watching the Steelers-Bills game today. I'm clueless to why I tend to nod off during nfl games, but I do. Prayers for folks that need to be out in the cold and for safe travel. As for me, I plan to hibernate in the comfort of our home for at least another day. ay the Lord be with us on our on our walk back to Eden.
14 January 2024
Thankful for our centrally heated home. The outdoor temperature was -12 degrees Fahrenheit. I am happy that Fawn cranked up the thermostat a few notches in the early morning. I was so happy to see that the sun was out during the daylight hours. Mmm, today was the perfect day to make steamed tilapia for lunch. It only turned out tasting so-so, so I rinsed it off and seared it in a frying pan and turned it tasty opened faced fish sandwich. We facetimed with the kids and see that RJ and Jennifer got themselves a dachshund dog. I could be wrong, but I think I heard that the name had some kind of play with Vienna hot dog (I'm terrible with names). I'm happy that Isaac is feeling better; he was under the weather this morning. I got wellness call from my sister and was so happy to hear from her. I pray for the good health of my siblings as time is taking a tow on our ever physically aging bodies. Thanks be to God kids are so resilient. Mama made me a nice salad for dinner. I actually love to eat salads, especially the way she puts one together. Dang, it's ten below zero now and it will be fifteen -15 degrees Fahrenheit when we get up tomorrow morning. Wow, that's cold.
13 January 2024
The plan is to hunker down tonight after I pen this journal entry. Not only do I routinely look at the weather app I think it is amazing how much the forecast changes every time I look. We woke up to about a than a inch ot two of overnight snow. Brr, it got colder and colder as the day progressed into single digits. We will drop into and stay in subzero temperatures for three or more days. Prayers for our Midwest family and friends for Divine safekeeping. Lord, have mercy. I'm always thankful that Rob drove his family down so that we could celebrate Andrea's birthday, I think it somewhat of a long drive. Family gatherings brings me great joy, especially when hearing the laughter of grandchildren. Our morning started out with the usual sausage links, bacon and scrambled egg breakfast. It is kind of sad that now I actually have to curb not only what I eat but also the amount of what I eat. I tried my best to only limit cold cereal with milk and blueberries for breakfast but failed; I ate half a egg, half a sausage link and half a slice of bacon. Today was the first time I drove since having surgery on my right eye. Albeit the city did a great job plowing and salting the roadways, I drove slowly and extra carefully defensively. There has way too many times since the beginning of the pandemic that seemingly more people are outrightly driving recklessly with no intentions of following the rules to the road and with total disregard for others. Albeit Peyton is rather low maintenance, she go from one thing to another and after a hour and a half, she completely wore me out. It is hard to tell if sword fighting with Isaac or playing with Peyton is more exhausting. Anyway, I got in a good workout for the day. Albeit we celebrated with food from the Olive Garden Rob and I enjoyed one of Fawn's super salad was made mostly with spinach and romaine lettuce with honey crisp apple, grape, cantaloupe, watermelon and blueberries. I did manage to sneak in two pieces of fried cartimari appetizer. I was surprised to see a chicken & gnocchi soup, because pasta e fagioli has always been strictly our family's go to soup. I tried a spoonful of the gnocchi soup and was left unimpressed. Dang, Andrea cut me the thinnest slice of tiramisu possible. I hope I have move away from my glutinous ways during the holidays. I fell asleep watching the Browns Texans playoffs game. Wow, the Texans gave the Browns a 45 - 14 shellacking. As I contemplate selecting a verse for the day, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24) keeps coming to mind. We are to rejoice in all circumstances, but it is so easy to rejoice in an awesome day surrounded by your love ones. Oh wow, I almost forgot to mention that Rob gave a really nice extra long back neck and shoulder massage. I'm so undeserving, that's love for you.
12 January 2024
Not good, we woke up to a boat load of snow. We got about seven inches worth. Thanks be to God for blessing us with our good neighbors and friend. Both Yi and Ken have been helping us with the heavy wet snow. I am thankful that we didn’t get the second wave of expected additional heavy snowfall like the northern burbs did. We are expecting arctic cold temperatures this weekend into the early part of next week. Here we go again with the dry winter hand. It has been an extremely tough go since the beginning of the pandemic where I have been constantly using the hand sanitizer with alcohol while out and about. There is a lot of talk about the rise of COVID, Flu, and RSV. Lord, have mercy. I am thankful for the quite peaceful day.
11 January 2024
"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil" (Psalm 90:12-15). It is sad at times to be reminded that our days are numbered, but I woke up this morning rejoicing with thanksgiving in the knowledge that we have a Lord and Savior found in Christ Jesus. Today was pretty much like yesterday, no overnight snow, gray skies and bitterly cold, but that is forecasted to change with the beginning overnight snow continuing well into Saturday and dumping well over a foot of heavy heart attack snow and bringing with subzero temperatures. I should take that back, the sun did come out briefly several times. Great, the city put up a temporary mailbox curbside. I'm assuming they will repair the damages when the temperature permits. We saw on the Nextdoor app a lot of complaints about folk mailbox being hit by the snow plows yesterday. We watched the GOP primary debate last night between Haley and DeSantis. A lot of headlines suggest that few Americans want to another Biden -Trump rematch comes November, yet according to the polls. Biden and Trump are their party's front runners. Nice, mama got me some clothing suitable for arctic weather. On cold winter days like to today, how can one not be filled with gratitude for our Lord's provisions? We ran out to run a few errands and to grocery shop. I suspect we will be hunkering down for the entire weekend. We drove by the CosMc's on the way to Alex's and saw that they are still doing a substantial drive thru business. But the lines are nowhere nearly as backed up as in the past, so either they are extremely more proficient or all the hooha is subsiding. We stopped for gas and it looks like the below three dollars a gallon prices are gone again; we ended up paid $3.099 a gallon. We stopped by for lunch at Alex's and made a bone-in ribeye steak and you can't beat scalloped potato and mac and cheese sides, so good! I decided to cut down on my portion because it’s time to drop some of the holiday pounds and diet more sensibly. I’m finding that the foods that are good for this is bad for that, seems like one can’t win. Talk about salivating, Fawn had me fry Nala a chunk of steak was she was a happy camper. The day is almost over and I enjoy praying the psalms. I prayed Psalm 63 and was struck by, "when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63:6–8). Blessed and thankful.
10 January 2024
I was most thankful this morning that Peyton was well, the things little children get themselves into. I was also thankful this morning not to see any overnight snowfall, but according to the weather forecast, we can expect another inch or two overnight again. I would have been doing the happy dance if only the snow plow truck didn't level our mailbox, sigh... Brr, we had below freezing temperatures the entire day. To add to the misery I see more snow and subzero temperatures heading our way this weekend. I really didn't want to go out today, but I needed to have more lab work done. There are so many things that ails me that constant monitoring of this and that seems to be the norm for me. I am thankful that my eyesight is continuing to improve as the swelling of the eye continues to subside. Mmm, I made us pan seared bone in pork chops with grilled onions and boiled carrots for a side. Chirp chirp, so good! We facetimed with Andrea, Rob and our grandkids. We were thrilled to see Peyton being her cheerful self, God is good. Lord, bless us with good health and heal us in every area of our life.
9 January 2024
We woke up early and Fawn tended to the expected heavy wet snow on the driveway. I wish that I could have contributed to the effort. It was a slow cautious drive to Wheaton Eye Clinic. Thankfully most of the drivers on the roadway this morning were on good behavior. Thanks be to God, my ophthalmologist said that my eye is healing well. Today I am thankful for the call of love and holiness through vocation, especially for those in medical field. My highlight of the day was facetiming with Andrea and Peyton. Prayers for divine protection. Congratulations to the Wolverine CFP Champions. I was looking at the final college ranking for the season and most had Notre Dame @ 14. I also looked at several Way-Too-Early Top 25 College Football Rankings for 2024 with Notre Dame either #8 or #9. With all that is going on, Notre Dame is poised to playoff contenders! #GoIrish
8 January 2024
I am thankful for the gift of sight. We woke up early and had to be at the eye surgery center by 6:30! I was taken by surprise that the topical anesthetic didn't completely numb my eye, because I was expecting the eye surgery to be completely painless. I was fine afterwards and there was no need for pain killers. Immediately after the surgery, I definitely can see a huge difference between the two eyes. I am so blessed to have family and friends who knew I was having cataract surgery give me a wellness call. Isaac was the first, and that bought me great joy. It's been a long time since I've listened to Adele 25, too long. I think her voice is incredible. The plan is to listen to the Michigan Washington National Championship game. Mama got Fish filet and sesame chicken from the House of Emperor. Food is so expensive nowadays.
7 January 2024
This is going to be an early and quick pen. Going to bed super early, tomorrow is going to be a big day. We got a little overnight snow, but I'm glad it didn't accumulate on the driveway and walkways. Just seeing the snow on the grass and rooftops is enough for me to sigh. Actually I don't have the winter blues, I just don't care for winters, especially for snow. According to the forecast, a major winter storm with heavy wet snow is heading our way. There is 72 days before spring, but who's counting? Mama put out a nice big ribeye steak for our supper; I can't believe we eat the whole thing! Each and every day is a miracle. Thankful to be a live, for the food on the table and the blessings of the day.
6 January 2024
I have Fleetwood Mac playing as background music. The song of the day is, Dreams – Fleetwood Mac. It was still snowing when we woke up this morning, so much for little to no accumulation. We ended up with 2 - 3 inches when the snowfall finally tapped off. We got pics and video having fun playing in the snow. I suppose that when I was a kid I loved playing in the snow as well as playing with it with my kids as my parents did with us. Funny how this old man now cringe at the sight of snow. I don't know how to react to mama's insistent for me not to shovel the snow. Our neighbor Ken shoveled our sidewalk and front porch and Fawn shovel the driveway and the deck out back. Sure Fawn has helped me plenty of times shoveling the snow, but she never had to do it without me. I am thankful to be blessed with a godly women who clothes herself with strength and dignity. It has been a while since I made a dish that I could chirp about, but I'm chirping about my pork riblets with shiitake mushrooms over steamed rice dish today, mmm the mushroom sauce was so tasty. I just looked at the weather app and it looks like we are going to be getting more snow, sad. Prayers of comfort and strength as I prepare my eye surgery and for healing on what ails me. Indeed, old age comes with increasing infirmities.
5 January 2024
I woke up early and limited myself to only doing stretching exercises before enjoying a nice fresh hot bowl of oatmeal with a slice of raisin toast before heading out to Edward's and then stayed home and rested upright on the recliner most of the day. I was correct in assuming that I would be tire most on day. I read the about the foods one should eat and avoid and I came to the same conclusion that what is best for me is to eat in moderation because what is good for this is bad and should be avoided for that. I did get often, but did very little walking. Hope tomorrow will be a better day. I keep hearing snow in the forecast, I suppose it's only a matter of time before we will be buried under it. The kids called to see how I was doing. I am blessed by their mindfulness. Everyone was hoping to gather this weekend to celebrate Andrea’s birthday, but we thought it would be best to wait another week. I need to stay healthy because I’m having cataract surgery done to one of my eyes early in the week. 2024 prayers for good health and world peace.
4 January 2024
I have been whining about the gloomy grey skies of winter, but not today! What a beautiful zippy doo dah day filled with plenty of sunshine! Albeit the temps were above freezing, I opted to layer up to the tee for subzero weather. We had quite a few errands to run, so I did a little bit of walking. I had no intentions of exerting myself and managed a six thousand steps day. Really? I don't get it, we passed by the CosMc's and there was still a super long drive thru line. One would think the hype would have diminished by now. Clearly people are still willing to wait a long time for whatever fancies them. Talk about good eats, I had a carving for Portillo's and got myself their combo sandwich, so good! Thanks be to God, each and every day is a blessing.
3 January 2024
I know that winter days are more cloudy than not, but I was surprised to learn that that the sun only shows itself one in four days during the winter months. It is bad enough that we are in the darkness already during the winter months with the days being so short. I am happier whenever we have sunny days than when day with a complete overcast. Fawn had me wear pedometer today. Albeit I got up often and walked in place and around the house often, I didn't realize how few steps I have been getting in a day when I stay in. I managed to do a five thousand plus steps day, only because I put in a little more effort having the pedometer on. Grateful for the blessing of the day.
2 January 2024
I'm was feeling less tire today, I think mainly because I have been getting plenty of rest. I can't believe how cold my body feels that I have to layer up even at home. How awesome the day when the sun is out, finally! I took the time to review all the materials that Wheaton Eye Clinic provided about cataract surgery with intraocular lens replacement. There were also quite a few annual policies and documents l had go over and review at the beginning of year. Keeping things orderly and up to date becomes more important when people getter older. What a pleasant surprise, Peggy stopped by and gifted us a radish cake that she made! Well, that answered my question, it's clear to me that my cooking has been off, because the radish cake was delicious and went well with the earl grey tea. I made rice noodle soup for dinner and it was good as it get, good for me! Nice, I had to pause penning this journal entry because the kids facetimed us! The call was the highlight of my day. Thanks be to God for his unfailing love.
7 March 2024
I woke up this morning feeling good and feeling blessed for the gift of another day. I wake up early and stay in bed and pray the psalms and meditate before doing a few core exercises lying on my back before getting out of bed. Sometimes I wonder about people. While I was doing my morning exercises, I was thinking about the old saying, "No pain, no gain" and the need to work though the pain. I have aging friends that seem to think that by pushing their body that they can retain their youth. They claim to be having fun with their strenuous exercise and sport activities which is a good thing, but with it I hear their complaints about soar this and that and the need for physical therapy. In my mind, "A man's got to know his limitations" and do things in moderation and within their physical limitations. We went to Alex's for lunch and mama had me fry up a couple of bone-in ribeyes and well as hamburger tacos. I always think about the bible verse, "And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate" (Luke 15:23), whenever I maķè steak for Alex or Isaac. These two seem to love eating steak and I love celebrating them. When it comes to eating bone-in meat, I simply enjoy eating the intense flavor and texture of the meat closest to the bone. I was shaking my head looking at the gas prices on Google Map. The gas prices are continuing to rise, most places were showing between $3.80 to $3.90 a gallon. The cheapest on the way to Alex's was for $3.659 a gallon. We also stopped a the Target store, so I was able to get in a solid 45 minute walk, before tiring out and calling quits. The piped in a long string of Beatles music that I thought would never end. I never understood why my brother along with millions of people thought that their music was all that. Indoor walks in the big box stores are great in the mornings during the school year because there are so few people around. Brr, it's always so cold in the morning and the March winds isn't helping things. I can hardly wait until the temperature stays and hovers in the upper 60s and lower 70s. Sigh, the lid on our recycling bin is starting to fall apart again. It cracked near the hinge a few years back and I ducted taped it, the tape is starting to show signs of giving way, so this time around I taped it with Gorilla Duct Tape. Away, time to stop penning and get ready to watch the State of the Union. Thank be to God who sustains us.
6 March 2024
"Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I t trust" (Psalm 143:8). I love praying the psalms, especially first thing in the morning, there are so many of them. The news media love to biasly report disasters and crime as well as stir the pot. They make their money by creating fearful chaos continually bombarding us bad news and make the story fit their narrative. This gives us all the more reason to look for what we can trust; we can trust God's steadfast love and faithfulness. I am grateful for this day and for the peaceful rest throughout the night. I am so glad that I started focusing on getting in few daily core exercises. Between that and my new diet, I am feeling more vigorous. I think that I am getting in the right amount of the needed daily exercise. I am finding it so odd that I have been able to lose a lot weight for some time now but still have boat load stubborn belly fat that just refuses to shed off. It is good to get out and about and out of the house for a couple of hours every day and get in a few steps walking, especially whenever we have sunshine! We went to the Bolingbrook area and I did my morning walk in the several of the big box stores. We brought a Watchdog water detection alarm specifically for the sump pump area in our basement. Fawn's brother had a issue with their sump pump discharge pipe this past winter and the alarm device proved to have been beneficial for them. I personally could take it or leave it, but for a few bucks, it is most likely good to have for a peace of mind. Looking ahead, next week looks pretty good with temps in the 60s! Simple eats today, I finished up the Italian leftovers for lunch and made myself egg fried rice for supper. I learned today that our friend is going to have surgery next month to replace both his hips. It is crazy what modern medical procedures are capable of accomplishing. At times, it seems like more and people that I know have one health problem or another. There are so many psalms we can pray when we are in need of words. There is nothing quite like praying back to God his own words. "Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who a forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases" (Psalm 103:2-3). Saint James encourages us to pray for one another, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16). May the Lord be with us and heal our infirmities.
5 March 2024
"Let us know; let us press on to know the LORD; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth" (Hosea 6:3). How appropriate is this bible verse for the verse of the day. Clearly, I'm not as sound of a sleeper as I once was, but it's a good thing I can still fall back asleep after being waken up several times by the thunderous voice of God in the middle of the night. I can't believe we had a severe move in last night and stayed with us until this morning. I thank God for the gift of another day and surly the rising of the sun changes with the seasons. Albeit it seems to come too early sometimes too late, its appearance is as certain as our Lord’s. We stepped out and shopped at a few stores in the Woodridge Downers Grove area before picking up food from Carrabba's Italian Grill to take home for our lunch. Surprisingly, this was the first time we ever try food from this franchise. The only reason we gave it a go was because Fawn received a gift card from there for her birthday and is just using it now. I looked at their menu earlier this morning and it didn't impressed me. Many years ago, we use to like going to Romano's Macaroni Grill and I thought it was a step up from Olive Garden. I didn't care it after they changed their menu and we stopped going there, that was a very long time ago. Now I'm wondering what their menu looks like. The verdict, sorry but it was just OK, Olive Garden is all around better menuwise, tastewise and pricewise. It's a lot of work tracking and portioning the food I eat for potassium their content and adding it to my list that I have previously generated over time for calories. I had a super amazing afternoon on the lazyboy chilling to Pink Floyd. I know they have a great audio visual video, but I just closed my eyes and enjoyed their beautiful harmony and musical talent. I am reminded by the psalmist that, "It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night" (Psalm 92:1-2). Indeed it is. I have noticed in my journal entries I routinely talk about exercising daily, trying to eat healthy food, praying for others and the list goes on. As we go through life, it is easy to get caught up in the good physical things to be done. These temporary things are good for life on this earth, but once a person dies, they hold very little meaning anymore. Often times, in our busyness we neglect praising God. We should keep in mind that his mercies and compassions are new every morning and remember that his great love in forgiving us of all of our sins is a sign of his faithfulness. The day is almost over. Thanks be to God, his love endures forever.
4 March 2024
"O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch" (Psalm 5:3). As I continue to age, I find myself more and more grateful for all the gifts our Lord showers us with and rejoicing in his blessings. God hears our prayers at any time of day, but away from all the distractions in the quite of the morning, we can hear our hearts’ yearning and gladden by the thought of God. I've been trying to go to bed earlier to try to get some extra sleep to rest my body only just wake up earlier. I suppose it is OK, because I am able to just lay a while longer and meditate in bed as well as get in a few exercises in on my back. I hopped on the scale this morning and weighted at 150.4 pounds. I think 150 pounds is a good weight for me, but my issue is the subcutaneous fat and visceral fat around my belly. I'm hoping the low potassium diet I'm on now will help with that department. Today was another awesome day to be out and about, I even got in a nice ten thousand plus steps outdoor walk! The high was in the mid 70s! Starting tomorrow, all of next week is forecasted to be in the 50s, which is still ten degrees above the normal temperature for this time of year. I can hardly wait until the weather is steadier and a jacket is not needed during the a.m. hours. We went out shopping for groceries and for a birthday gift for Isaac. We did our civic duty and voted. It was the first time we stepped in the Naperville Mall of India. I'm starting to read more and more articles about healthy eating and about healthy aging. I hear rumbling at a distance and expect a severe thunderstorm to be rowing in shortly. I am happy we brought a new ½ hp sump pump. Anyway, I best shut ‘er down. God is good.
3 March 2024
I went to bed early last night to try to catch up on some needed rest, but all I did was wake up earlier this morning. I noticed this morning that the days are noticeably longer and sunrise was getting earlier and earlier, that prompted me to lookup daylight savings time. Lo and behold, we spring our clocks forward an hour this weekend! This was a reminder to me that time is a gift and I thank God for every moment of it. Talk about March winds, today was supposed to be the same as yesterday, sunny and in the low 70s. Thanks be to God, my thighs were sore this morning, so I went back to doing some added core exercises, but less and intend to gradually build it up. I'm on a low potassium diet (2,000 to 3,000 mg), I am targeting to be on the low end. Since I am ball park tracking my potassium intake, I might as well track the calories too. I'm pretty sure that I will be able to get my number down to where they need to be now that I know what is going on. There are more things going on to having a balance diet then what meets the eye. I am finding is that what is good for this may be bad for that. Almost all foods have some potassium and some food will have more potassium than others. A food that is considered “high-potassium” will generally has 200 mg or more potassium per serving. This means the size of the serving that you eat is very important. Fawn made me a salad for lunch following the new guidelines, which made for a slightly smaller salad. You thing that was bad, the stir fry beef with tomatoes portion size I made us for dinner was even worst for me. The weather was so nice out I decided to see what I about repairing our mailbox. First I wanted to see if I could dig out the broken part of the 4x4 that was still in and below the ground that was a bust. I think it was deep in the ground and was most likely had a concrete base, so that idea was scrapped and I will need to buy a small bag of dirt to fill the hole. Then it was time for phase two, removing the broken part of the 4x4 that was held in the plastic architectural mailbox by four wood screws. Naturally, one of screw head was snapped off and couldn't be extracted which didn't allow the 4x4 to slide off. So I'll need to drill out the broken screw to complete phase two. The plan B for phase one is to order a mailbox anchor kit from Home Depot. Achoo, allergies. Nice, the distance vision eye glasses we ordered on Amazon was delivered two day! The verse of the day is, “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both” (Proverbs 20:12). Thanks be to God for the gift of sight and hearing. Because of my old age, my hearing and vision is less than I ideal. Thankful I live is a time where my hearing aids can amplify the pitch and sound volume and cataract surgery and eye glasses were able correct our vision problems. Even so, some people remain deaf and blind. Thanks be to God who gives his saints the incredible gift of spiritual vision and hearing!
2 March 2024
We woke up early to a cold brisk sun filled morning, but it didn't take long for the temperature to soar up from about the freezing mark into the low 60s, zipadeedoodah! I had to do less squats today because my thighs were a little sore. looks like I’ll need to work my number of core exercise reps I do up slowly. I made us the usual bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs big breakfast to start the day off. I made us several noodle dishes for lunch, char sui chow fun and vermicelli with Chinese sausage. The day was filled with good eats and joy. It is tough to be on a low potassium diet, 2,000 mg of potassium is squat. I had to low up everything I ate and add it to my running list so that I can track my daily potassium intake. I thank God that Rob drove our grandkids down for a visit. I got creamed sword fighting with Isaac; I only got him three times to his countless numbers of whacks to my hand and legs. Clearly my reflexes are slower than dirt. It's rare that Peyton wants one on one time alone with me, l was thankful that today she asked me to go pretend shopping with her. It was so nice of Rob to give me a neck and shoulder message, life is good. It’s been a long day and this old man needs to get some rest.
1 March 2024
Hello March, it's beginning to look like spring! While folks were saying goodbye to February yesterday, I was saying good riddance! Did I jinx the string of sunny days by mentioning it yesterday? Lol, I'm actually not the least bit superstitious. Sigh, wildfires already? This time it's happening in the Texan panhandle. Prayers for those in harms way. I woke up motivated and energized this morning filled with God's love. Squats, that's the plan. It seems like I've been complaining about my belly fat forever. I'm going to track and log the number squats I do daily for a month as well focus on doing more daily core exercises. I know, I know, everything I've read says that you can't target fat, but hopefully I will show some progress in the fat around my waist. One more day, we still had to bundle up to go out and about this morning. We went shopping for specific grocery items. I did my walk in the Walmart and at the Whole Foods and I made a concert effort to pick up my pace whenever possible. The results of my blood work came back and my doctor said that I need to go on a low potassium diet and redo my labs again in a month. There so many things I like to eat that are rich in potassium. It is so difficult to choose what to eat because what is good for this is bad for that. Andrea is on a temporary special diet so I made her a pot of egg drop soup and mama made her sweet potatoes. Today was one of those days that had its ups and down, but God’s faithfulness and love is always a constant. I need to prepare to go bed because tomorrow is going to be a big day with an early start.
29 February 2024
Happy Leap day! Thanks be to God, the mama is doing a zillion times better after going on the antibiotics. Hmm, I hopped on the scale this morning and I weighted in exactly the same as last time, 151.2 pounds. I'm guessing that I won't be losing away weighted until the weather better and will permit to routinely walk more often. Albeit was still a cool day, it was a lot warmer today than it was yesterday. At least it got in the mid 40s which is considered pretty good for the month of February. It was still in the 20 when went out this morning to get my lab work done at the Edward Hospital Clinic on 95th Street. The temperature is expected to gradually continue to climb up into the 70s by Sunday, got to love the midwest roller coaster temperature swings. Medical bills are insane. Thanks, be to God for medical Medicare insurance to ease the pain. I'm loving how many days we have been getting the last two weeks, it is so uncharacteristic of the usual gloomy winter days. I got my morning walk inside the Target store. Whoa, mama mia! What the heck, we got gas for $3.599 a gallon. Well at least it about 30¢ cheaper than most of the other gas stations in our area. What is going on? Mmm, mama made us delicious tuna salad sandwiches for our lunch. There is a always a good chance of that happening whenever we buy celery. Albeit the kid routinely call mama on most days, and sometimes multiple times a day, lately they have been making their call on FaceTime, which is a blessing for me because I get to join in on the call and get to see the grands. Whoo hoo, Andrea and Rob are bringing our grandkids down for a visit this weekend, looks like we’ll need to go out tomorrow and get some groceries. Thank you Lord for this day.
28 February 2024
I woke up grateful to be alive with the knowledge that our Lord has kept us from harm’s way. Nice, we didn't get the expected overnight snow. Brr, winter is hanging on, it was in the 20s this morning and the temperature stayed below the freezing mark all day. We bundled up and went to doctor's office to see what why Fawn was still under the weather for three weeks. Our weather is like a Rollercoaster, one day your wear a spring jacket and the next day you need to layer up wearing a winter coat. I was happy to see that there wasn't any damage to our house from last night's storm. Surprise surprise, the doctor prescribed antibiotics for her sinuses and ear infection. Thanks be to God who watches over us. Sigh, not once but twice, what is with all the reckless driving on the road? These drivers with total disregard for other and for the rules of the road is becoming more and more prevalent. I tossed in some frozen mixed vegetables and a few frozen pot sticker dumplings in some of broth I made yesterday and that made myself a hearty lunchtime soup. And for our supper, I made us a Chinese - American stir fry. I made us diced chicken with celery, onion, peanuts and shiitake mushrooms. I'm glad that mama talked me into cooking the dish with the shiitake mushrooms, because that made the dish so deliciously flavorful. (Pause FaceTime… ) We just got off facetiming with Andrea, Alex and Peyton. It is hard believe that once upon a time I thought that televideo was lame. Prayers for the healing hands of our Lord for all my friends and family especially for our daughter that the doctors will find the cause for what is ailing her. Guide us, O Lord, as we humbly seek to repent and return to your love. May humility guide our efforts to be reconciled with you.
27 February 2024
Kamboom! “Keep listening to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth" (Job 37: 2-3). We got the news on and keeping an eye on several nearby tornado touchdowns I can hear the torrential downpour beating on the roof and against the house. I woke up feeling great! The song of the day is, It's a Beautiful Morning -The Rascals. We went out and about this morning to beautiful day that pretty much like yesterday until the turbulent weather moved in. We are currently under a tornado watch and are expecting some overnight night snow. In fact, a couple days from now the weather will be screaming the reality of winter. But for now the green chlorophyll is becoming highly noticeable in the bark of the trees, crazy midwest weather. One of the errands we ran was the dropping off a form at the Naperville public works building. I think the city system of processing things is so archaic. I did my outdoor morning walk like a centurion at the Naperville West Plaza while mama was shopping in the Burlington and Ross stores. I did likewise at the Fox Valley Mall just outside of JCPennys, spring was in the air, at least it was for today. Judging from the number of cars in the parking lot, how can the mall possibly survive? After that we went to the Chinese supermarket. What the heck, that's the third time in a row there wasn't any decent fresh Chinese vegetables. Finally on the way home we used up the last of the Outback gift card we were gifted to get a takeout to bring home for our lunch. We got their Alice Springs Chicken and it was bloomin' good! I'd order that again! Agrr, block block bock, but I’m still getting so many political spam text messages asking for donations, so annoying. Sigh... I really don't care for the Democrat (Biden) or Republican (Trump) front runners. Lord, have mercy. I made us rice noodle soup for dinner. I love how soup tends to warm up the soul. "For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken" (Psalm 62:1-2). Truly my soul finds rest in God; our salvation comes from him. This verse encourages us to place our trust God alone. Albeit I'm feeling a lot better, I still am coughing every now and then. For some reason, Fawn still has a sore throat and still feel congested with a lingering cough going on three weeks now, I'm glad she made a doctor's appointment for tomorrow morning. Prayers for protection against all harm and for health and healing, Lord watch over us and grant us good health, especially my wife and daughter.
26 February 2024
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? (Joel 2: 12-14). I love this Lenten Bible verse calling us render our hearts and return to God. I had this hymn in the back of my head all day long. I am grateful for God's love. Oh wow, the high of the day was 70 degrees Fahrenheit, that's more than 30 degrees above the norm! That’s a new record high for this date. We are expecting tomorrow to be even warmer but will also become very turbulent late afternoon into the evening hours. The temperatures will then plummet back down into 30s overnight into Wednesday. We went out and about and enjoyed the day. We headed out to Sam's Club and did our shopping around the Oswego area. What an awesome day to get in a leisurely walk outdoors. We got gas for $3.169 a gallon. Albeit it was still over three bucks a gallon, it was substantially less than what we have been paying for quite a while. Mmm, on the way back, we stopped by the Culver's and picked up a couple of Ruben sandwiches to take home for our lunch, so good. Prayers for God’s healing hand as we are born in extreme weakness and our lives will end in extreme weakness.
25 February 2024
Albeit the day started out in the upper 30s, the high for the day ended up in the mid 50s. What is nice is the highs for tomorrow will be in the 60s and the day after in the 70s! Not much chores for the day, I only had to take out the ladder and spend a few minutes in the back of the house cleaning out the dryer vent louvers. Good eats, I made us a bone-in ribeye steak with rice and peas and carrots as sides. I find gnawing meat off the bone so satisfying and it is so true how peas and carrots go together so well! I feel a lot better today and am undecided on whether or not I should take a dose of NyQuil before going to bed tonight. Thank you Lord for your faithfulness.
24 February 2024
Brr, winter is back with about three inches of fluffy snow on the grass and rooftops. I am so happy none of it amazingly stayed on street, sidewalk or driveway! The high today was in the mid 30s, tomorrow we are expecting it to soar into the 60s and 70s by Tuesday before dipping back below freezing, that's similar roller-coaster I saw being forecasted the other day. I'm glad I took NyQuil again last night, I think I will continue to do so as long as I feel congested and have a cough. Mmm, it's been a long while since I made myself an Italian sausage sandwich smothered in grilled onions, so good. After lunch we binge watched the remaining season one episode of Reacher. That was one long dragged out violent drama. Verse of the day is, Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:23-24). God made both male and female in his image and to complement each other as one. Bless our marriage O Lord. Just saw that Trump is predicted to win the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina, it's not looking good for Haley. I hope she fairs better comes March 5th, Super Tuesday. I'm still flabbergasted that Biden and Trump are to two front runners. Covid-19, It is sad that I'm still learning that folks we know are repeatedly catching it. I don't know what to say. That doesn't give me any comfort and actually makes me anxious. Lord, protect us and heal our infirmities.
23 February 2024
Lord, blot out my offences and cleanse me from all my sins. Desperate times calls for desperate measures. I can't remember the last time I took NyQuil before going to bed, but I didn't want a repeat coughing episode like I encountered last night. I'm so glad I mama checked with the doctor and bought the cold and flu medicine for me. Being preemptive allowed me to get in a good night's sleep. I'm slow on the news; seem yesterday there was historic moon landing. The Odysseus lander’s mission is to assess the lunar environment of the moon's south pole ahead of NASA’s current plan to return a crewed mission there in 2026. What do I know? I must lack the adventure to explore new frontiers. I really don't get it other than think space traveling makes for great sci-fi movies. I was inspired to pray Psalm 8, "When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" (v. 3-4). I took a look at the weather app to dress accordingly since we were going to the outlet mall in Aurora. I took advantage to do an outdoor walk while Fawn went to a few of the stores. A look ahead on the app showed a crazy roller-coaster ride weatherwise for the week ahead. I ended up getting in fewer steps than I was hoping for. Clearly it is the affect of being a little under the weather as well as coming to terms with side effects of aging. Lol, did the use the affect and effect correctly? Talk about a huge temperature swing, we were 50s and it took a nose dive into the 30s and we ended up get about a inch of snow this evening. I had my burrito leftover for lunch and felt exactly the same way about the portion size. How in the world can someone eat the entire 1500 calories burrito in one sitting. By cutting the burrito into three portions, I'm still eating a hearty meal without overindulgence. After lunch we did a matinee and binge watched two more episodes of Reacher. I wasn't in the mood to do any cooking, so I finished off the last of that humongous burrito for dinner. Nice, we were blessed with Rob, Andrea and our grandkids. I especially enjoyed my time talking with Rob who is starting to learn how to stir fry. I love exchanging culinary ideas and experiences. God is good, his love endures forever!
22 February 2024
Initially we could hear the skies rumbling at a distance and then all of sudden we heard a loud kaboom, followed by a late night thunder shower move in. Boy oh boy, I had a rough go in the middle of the night and started coughing away and needed to take a couple of maximum strength Multi-Symptom Flu HBP caplets for relief, it worked like a charm. Peggy came by this morning and gifted us with gai loong dumping and turnip cake. She is so good at making traditionally Cantonese homemade style food you won't be able to find at restaurants. We bought some over to Alex's to reheat later. Since we were in the mode for takeout Mexican, they got tacos from Burrito Parrilla Mexicana and I got a burrito from Chipotle. We didn't stay, and only dropped off the food. It just realized that I am somewhat finicky. I haven't eaten food from either place in a long while. Burrito Parrilla Mexicana, because I got sick from I think their rice and from Chipotle because they mix cilantro in there rice For some strange reason, it seems like the taste and smell of cilantro hasn't been bothersome. I initially intend to eat half of it for lunch, but that bad boy was so huge. When we got home, I ended cutting it up into three portions. ¡Buen provecho! Good stuff! I was one happy noontime camper. Sik faan la! I heated up some of Peggy's eats for a supper, probably more than I should of. I had myself one of those good stuff too stuff moments. It is so sad that I am still lacking discipline at a time when folks are opting to fast during Lent. The verse of the day is "Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?" (Isaiah 2:22). O let us move away from the ways of man and toward the righteous path of the Lord.
21 February 2024
We woke up to a zipadeedoodah kind of day, plenty of sunshine. Talk about a crazy day in February, it was already 50 degrees by the time we stepped out the door and the temperature soared up into the low 60s. The historic average temperature is 37. The springlike weather beckons up to go out and about to the Promenade area. It was a tad windy. Before having cataract surgery done to my eyes, I always wore glasses whenever we were out and about. Now I only wear a pair them to drive, otherwise I am fine without them. Fawn bought me a pair of sunglasses, they were perfect for protecting my eyes against the sun and the wind. I tend to talk about food I eat, I think it is because cooking, eating and even watching cooking show videos brings me joy. Today we had Italian sausage ravioli with mama's pasta sauce. The ravioli stuffing wasn't all that, so we ended up rinsing it out, so much for licking one’s chomps, too bad. Afterwards the plain noodles and sauce was good. I made us chicken fried rice for dinner. Thank you Lord for your grace and mercy.
20 February 2024
We finally stop holding off or should I say that I finally stopped procrastinating and went to the Home Depot to buy the needed to replace our sump pump. I even splurged on upgrading our old 1/3 hp to a new 1/2 hp motor. During our morning breakfast were talking about how sump pump generally are replaced every seven to ten years. We were guessing we had this bad boy for over twenty, but of course not without all the rigging I did to keep it chugging along. I used the Home Depot gift card that my neighbor gave me for my birthday. The eased some of the pain of our sump pump purchase. Albeit the temperature rapidly worked its way up into upper 50s today, the overnight cold is in the mid 20s, and we still have to worry about frozen pipes. All things considered, it was a beautiful day to be out and about. The midwest temperature swings are insane. I'm loving this string of bright sunshiny days with awesome blue skies. We went to the Jewels for groceries, but not before stopping by the Panera a few stores over for my freebie cookie. I couldn't believe the size of their kitchen sink cookie was. The 5.5 in diameter cookie weighted 5.6 oz. Fawn guessed the cookie would have costed around five bucks. Good guess, $4.89! Well blow me down, we stopped for gas and agrr, it was $3.499 per gallon. I shocked myself by being able to replace the sump pump and check valves in under a hour, I was so glad that I was able to reuse all the previous pvc pipes without any alterations. Not bad for an old dude. I hope my new Everbilt was last long like my old Flotec. I was impressed by how much faster the 1/2 hp pump emptied the well than the 1/3 hp did. Gotrdun! I rewarded myself by breaking off a chunk of the cookie. It was actually pretty good, not for the $$$. We picked up a DVD and did a matinee. The being watched the first three episodes of season one of the tv series, Reacher, while stuffing my face with popcorn. (Pause)… Joy, I just got off the facetiming with Andrea and our grands. The verse of the day is, "And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8). May we follow Christ’s example of humility.
19 February 2024
"This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24). I am reminded that each day is a gift from God. We woke to another sunny day! I really love sunny days, because we don't get too many of them during the winter months. Achoo, achoo, achoo! Yesterday I had was hacking away with a persistent cough. Today I'm sneezing and coughing, but I don't feel under the weather. I looked at the allergy outlook and the tree, ragweed and grass pollen as well as mold was low, but the dust and dander was very high. I'm guess that is what is causing my sneezing. Or am I coming down with a cold. Lord, grant us good health. Today's rant is about spam e-mail and spam text messages. I wonder if there is a limit on blocking them, they are so annoyingly ridiculous. Don't get me started on scammers. Our sump pump was sounding very good and has been on its last leg for quite time. It sounded enough for me to some research on the internet on the various pedestal sump pump available in the hardware stores. Today's good eat wasn't very healthy, but so good. I ate a pork chop sandwich french fries and onion rings for lunch and I made us ramen noodle soup with the last of my homemade pork both, so much better than those flavor packets. Anyway, I'm off to bed a little early to get some rest.
18 February 2024
I love waking up fully rested and energized to a bright sunshiny day. Whoo hoo, today was the last day the steroid eye drops to my left eye. I am thankful for Fawn’s help administering the antibiotic and steroid eye drops for so many weeks. I am really pleased with the outcome of the cataract surgery performed to both of my eyes. Thanks be to God who watches over me. For some reason, I decided to finally hop on the weight scale and was surprised to see that I was only 151.2 pounds, because I thought for sure that I put on more holiday pounds than that. I see no need go on a diet, but I will need to slightly curb taking that extra bite or two. I would like to get back down to about 145. My weight is not actually concerning me as the excessive amount of belly fat that I do not seem to be able to shed. I had the soup again today for lunch and I guess made too much because there is still a lot left. We did a matinee and played the musical La La Land. This wasn't the first time we saw this movie and I still think that the ending was weird. This time we also watched the extras and the making of the movie. I disagree that there is something magical about Los Angeles. Funny how whenever I watch a musical I always think about Andrea and watching her sing in choirs. Mmm, now that's what I'm talking about, I made us bone-in pork chops for dinner. There is nothing like gnawing meat off the bone. Sigh, I have a nagging chest cough that I can’t seem to clear, prayers for relief. Wow, mid week forecast is calling for temps in the 50s, I hope that comes to past. Highlight of my day is facetiming with the kids. What a great technological blessing, God is good.
17 February 2024
Dang, today was even colder than yesterday and a lot windier. “Windier”, hmm, the spelling looks so weird, but it’s correct. It started out in the teens and worked its way up into the upper 20s, but at least it was a bright sunshiny day. I made us a fresh pot of oatmeal at kicked mine up a notch with a little chili crisp. Because of the cold, all I did was do steps in the house all day. We had all eats though, I made us egg sandwiches for lunch and stir fried beef and pea pod over rice for dinner. The verse of the day is, "And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. And the idols shall utterly pass away" (Isaiah 2:17–18). O let us walk humbly and anticipate the glorious day when our Lord returns. Lord, please humble me gently.
16 February 2024
Brr, dang we're winter is back, the high temperature for the day remained under the freezing mark. And the bad thing was the sun was nowhere to be found. Albeit tomorrow is forecasted to be slightly colder, at least there is a chance for some sunshine! Mmm, I made myself a really nice salad for lunch. I tossed together some romaine lettuce, blueberries and strawberries, a hard boiled egg, caesar croutons and a little french dressing. While I was enjoying my salad, I began musing about meatless Fridays and especially during the season of Lent. How can one avoid the subject of abstaining and fasting when Lent comes around every year? I could be wrong, but I believe that abstaining from meat has something to do with Jesus sacrificed his flesh on Good Friday that people refrain from eating flesh meat in his honor on Fridays. I know a lot of people, including myself have practiced giving up something during the season of Lent and was clueless of the point of it or even what the motivation behind what was truly in my heart. I'm not sure that giving up something temporarily accomplishes, perhaps I'm missing the point altogether and the motivation of giving up something is the motivation of growing one's faith as a reminder of our dependence on God rather than on the world. I believe that Lent is ultimately about fasting from sin and preparing for the new Christian life with the risen Christ. Soups‘R’us, I'm pretty proud of the large pot of fuzzy melon soup with shiitake mushrooms, silken tofu and shredded pork that I made mid afternoon. It not only warmed up our home, but it also warmed up my soul. The splash of sesame oil at the end made the soup so fragrant. I love sucking on coffee candy, so good. It was one of my mom's favorite too. Grateful for the blessing of the day. Lord, grant us good health, help our infirmities and restore our immune system to ward off all the viruses that are plaguing our world.
15 February 2024
I woke up to a gloom and doom looking morning, but the sun did come out just before the noon time hour. It rained last night and I'm glad that I was able to immediately fall back to sleep, there is nothing worse than being wide awake in the wee small hours. Mmm, the oatmeal with strawberries was pretty tasty this morning. I have oatmeal for breakfast most mornings and I like mixing it up between having it sweet, savory or spicy. I hope we made the right decision to return 80 pounds of driveway salt back to Walmart. It was very windy and it's nearing the time of year when we will be facing March winds. I have a memory of walking with my mom as a toddler and needing to hang on tightly to her to keep from being blown away. The temperature peaked in the early afternoon to the low 40s before taking a nose dive. The expected temperature for the next two days will be below freezing with the high at or around the freezing mark. It is a reminder that we still in the winter month of February. Afterwards Fawn had her annual physical and some blood work done at the doctor's office, prayers for good test results. I stayed in the car while Fawn was in for her physical. It has been a while since I sang praises to the Lord. I once learned all verses to three on my favorite by heart, today I'm glad I had them in notes on my smartphone and was able to sing making a joyful noise, that's how terrible and off key my singing voice is, but I have to believe God loves me anyway. Mmm, I heated up the last of the pork bone broth I made yesterday and added the last of the rice noodles with bok choy. I'm glad mama took out some char sui from the freezer early this morning. I sliced up that bad boy and added that to the soup and that made the soup even more flavorful. It reminded me of all the wonderful soups we use to order all the time from Fabulous Noodles before changed owners and eventually permanently closed. I made myself another toasted sub sandwich today for dinner, I swear toasted subs are so tasty. Nice, the kids called to FaceTime, what a great way to round off the day. God is good, may his goodness strengthen, heal and restore us.
14 February 2024
It's Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day, thinking about God's love. We went to the Wheaton Eye Clinic for my final post cataract surgery that entails seeing the optometrist and ophthalmologist. I'm so happy and thankful to God for the successful cataract surgery. I can see clearly now and now have 20/20 near sight vision and will only require distance glasses when required. We went to the Park and shop afterwards for some Chinese groceries, the vegetables were slim pickings. It was nice to be out and about on a bright sunshiny day that was completely cloudless. Ahh... I made us rice noodle soup using the bone from the pork shoulder I deboned last time to make char sui. Nothing says comfort to the soul like homemade soup. Today was a good day, love is in the air.
13 February 2024
DĂ©jĂ vu, today was pretty much the same quiet and peaceful like yesterday. Soup and sandwich, I finished the delicious soup Natalie made the other day for the New Year celebration. I made a tasty butter toasted sub sandwich with ham, salami and gouda cheese, so good. The verse of the day is, “Yet even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” turn to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster (Joel 2:12-13). Return to Lord, Your God. May I see my sinfulness as they truly are and repent of them.
12 February 2024
I’m glad that I am down to putting steroids in my left eye once a day and that this is the last week before I am completely done. I thought that was a pretty good Super Bowl game. Patrick Mahomes is someone to reckon with. I went in the game rooting for the 49ers I thought Brock Purdy played a solid game and that the defense is the key to winning this Super Bowl. The 49ers fate was written on the wall when Dre Greenlaw somehow injured himself. That was so weird to see. Congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs to their back to back Super Bowl wins. Our refrigerator is loaded with a ton of leftovers so I just eat a little of this and a little of that all day long. Saint Paul exhorts us, "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6–7). Lord help us in life, especially to come closer to you. Today was a very peaceful and relaxing day.
11 February 2024
Posting early and getting ready for Super Bowl LVIII. I'm not a nfl football fan and know little of the going ons about the teams, but will be cheering on the 49ers because I'm rooting for things for Brock Purdy. I think Patrick Mahomes is a great quarterback, but he has had more than share of being in the limelight. We celebrated the 2nd day of Chinese New Year with our kids at Alex's. We steamed the frozen sui mai, har gow and bean curd rolls for our dim sum brunch. Along with the char sui gon chow and char sui with bok choy over Cantonese pan fried noodles to boot. I also pan seared a bone-in ribeye steak especially for the little man. I think that the rice noodles and steak are among Isaac's favorite things I make. We had tiramisu cake for dessert, so good. It is sad that I have to limit myself to such a thin slice. Yessir, I always feel better after Rob gives me a neck, shoulder and back message. We stopped by Little Caesars for a pepperoni pizza on the way home for our game food. OK, got to go, the kickoff is about to be on its way. Today was a good day, God is good.
10 February 2024
Happy Chinese New Year! I know little about the holiday except that it occur beginning on the new moon that appears between 21 January and 20 February and the holiday is celebrated for 15 days. This year is the year of the dragon. I always thought the celebrating New Years day on January 1st was always weird and made little to no sense in my mind it should be celebrating it in the spring when everything is anew. Spring Equinox in March has been New Year for thousands of years. It was still New Year in the US for the first several decades. The past few days in the 50s were really nice when it lasted, but we're back to the lows in the 20s and highs in the 40s this week. It's fun to see the groundhog getting it right so far for a change. I'm enjoying the sunshine, the few white clouds against the blue sky is so beautiful. Mmm, I pan seared us a bone-in ribeye steak with onions and had it a rice on the side. I was a happy camper when I got to gnaw the meat off the bone. We went to my sister's house to celebrate the holiday with my siblings. Everyone brought multiple dishes I was even surprised that even our third generation nephews and niece made Chinese dishes for dinner. The food was good and there was plenty of leftovers to take home. We had fun looking at old photos and reminiscing on days gone by. Some of the photos looked so weird on how heavy I let myself go. Lol, talk about reminiscing, my brother is a Bears fan and they had Super Bowl XX on. Social media is flooded with articles about food poisoning from eating leftover rice. We always intentional cook extra rice every time and portion it in small separate containers and immediately refrigerate it after we finish our meal. We never had problems and have eaten rice three or four days later. I'm guessing if we are going to get sick it would have already happened. I agree that if food have been sitting out hours on end, I would be reluctant to eat it nowadays with a compromised immune system. Youth are wonderfully blessed with resiliency. I thank God for the blessing of family, especially for the gift of siblings. I can hardly wait until tomorrow to celebrate New Year with our grandkids.
9 February 2024
I love waking up to bright sunshiny day. Not only did the climbed up into the upper 50s the sky as blue as can be. I am thankful for the good weather considering we are still in midst of winter. We went to the Sam's Club for meds. I think that I'm really asking for trouble, we were having problems with the sump pump again and I had to make another jury-rigging adjustment to it. It's my understanding; sump pumps should be replaced every 7 to 10 years, I guessing I installed this bad boy in our basement at least 15 to 20 years ago. Other than that, it was just another typical day filled with God's abundant blessings.
8 February 2024
Wow, it was hard to believe that it was already in the mid 40s when I woke up this morning. The days are finally getting noticeably longer. Sunrise was before seven o'clock and sunset was after five o'clock. I checked off all exercises before we stepped out and about to what I would describe as an outstanding February morning. I could have never imagined myself taking a long outdoor walk wear a jacket in 50 degree weather as if it was autumn like weather. Whoa, we got gas for $3.399 a gallon. The price is expected to go up even higher because of a major oil refinery was having an issue. We stopped Alex's for lunch and I made us a char sui with pea pods over Cantonese style pan fried noodles and I also heated us up some of Peggy's roast pig. I use to buy cooked meat for the meat shop, but prices have gone up so ridiculously high that it's not worth it any longer. Dinner was leftovers from yesterday's lunch. Happy haircut! I always feel like a million buck after getting a haircut. Whoa, kaboom! O wow, we are getting a heavy downpour just now. I’ll take a heavy thunderstorm over a heavy snow storm any day. Mama always does a great job and the clippers paid for itself over a hundred times over. We facetimed with the kids again and the day just kept getting better. The verse of the day is, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Chinese New Year is just a couple of days away and as a child, I receive red envelope gifts. Gifts are free expressions of love I didn’t deserve that were given to me by people who truly cared for me. God gives us the gift of salvation through faith as an expression of his great love for us. Thanks be to God for showering us with all his extravagant gifts.
7 February 2024
Joy comes with the morning, thanks be to God. I was thinking that it was still pretty nippy in the morning when we went out, but then stopped to think, it's still early in the month of February. Regardless, I bundled up and did a outdoor whenever I could. According to the weather forecast, it was supposed to be a sunny day in the lower 50s, but neither came to pass, it only climbed from around the freezing mark into mid 40s degrees. That is still above normal for this time of year though. It's been a while since I been in the HMart. I think they did super job cleaning that store up with big isles and new fish tanks. I also went in the Skechers shoe store thinking perhaps the prices of their shoes might be a little bit more reasonable, but the cheapest pair was still around sixty bucks. We met up with Peggy to celebrate her birthday at the Red Lobster. It was tough for me to resist ordering the Ultimate Endless Shrimp, I ordered the last time I was at Red Lobster and couldn't stop until I over stuffed my face and it wasn't pretty. I ordered the Admiral's Feast and couldn't finish it and had to box it to take home. Half the portion definitely would have been enough for lunch. Peggy gifted us with her homemade oven roast crispy pork belly, so good! Today was a very good day and thank God for all the blessings of the day.
6 February 2024
Today was another nice day in upper 40s, but looking ahead, the next three days are supposed to be in the 50s! The reality is, I'm never really happy with the weather unless it's 72 degrees Fahrenheit with 50 percent humidity. Checking off the exercises is motivational and is proving to be very helpful. I even remembered to put on my pedometer before going out. We went shopping near the Bolingbrook Pomenade area. I bought a jar of puzzle glue from Michaels, but not sure when or even if I'll get around to using it. The rest of the morning was just shopping for groceries at Aldi and at Meijer. We even cashed in $15 dollars cash of mPerks! I got in my morning walk in the store while mama did all shopping. Mmm, another day we were blessed with good eats, I make us sui chow don for lunch and beef with tomato over steamed rice for dinner, life is good! Thanks be to God, my heart is overflowing with thankfulness.
5 February 2024
Albeit, I exercise regularly I've been slacking off on doing squats, but today wasn't one of them. I think that I should start going back to using my check off list after doing each of the different exercises. It was a good thing too, because I ate more than my fair share of the dim sum. So dinner consisted of making myself the last of the spinach and bowl of cold cereal.
4 February 2024
We just off facetiming with the kids, it was by far the best part of our day. Whoo hoo, today was the last day for steroids to my right eye! But I still gave two weeks to go before I am completely done. Lord, bless us and heal our infirmities. Mmm, I roasted the char sui and mama had me broil them bad boys for the last ten minutes to give the meat an good char, my best batch of char sui ever! But the good eats didn't stop there, I made a chicken with shiitake mushrooms and bok choy dish over rice for dinner. "But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved" (Ephesians 2:4-5). We are left breathless by God's love, mercy and grace. God is good, truly we are saved by grace through faith.
3 February 2024
It's clear to me that it is a big deal to me to wake up in the morning with the sunshine in my m eye, so much better than waking up to a cloudy day. Scientifically, the exposure of sunlight is thought to increase the brain's release of a hormone called serotonin which is associated with helping a person feel calm and focused, so they say. Mmm, I had a chicken taco with rice. I love it when you buy extra tacos for another day and make them into ready made meals that you just have to microwave. One is so blessed to be born and raised in America. One of the benefits of living in my neck of the woods is the diversity of people and availability of different ethnic foods. Albeit, was only in the upper 40s but way above the normal for this time of year for our neck of the woods, it sure felt like a springtime. I was able to get in a nice hour long outdoor walk, the solitude was very peaceful, I have forgotten just how blue the cloudless sky can be after all that pollution from the uncontrollable Canadian wildfires that broke out last year that dwarf the stupid California wildfires that we get every year. I thought about all the wonderful walks Fawn and use to always take together. That gradually pretty much ended because my walking pace kept getting slower over the years. Today was busy day working on filling the federal income tax. I have thoughts about that and it is along the lines of about two thirds of Americans in a recent Gallop poll and it ain't pretty. Sweet, I'm glad my brother gave us a call; he's going to the city and picking up frozen dim sum sometime this week! Naturally, we had placed a order for us too! I made us a beef with bok choy stir fry over Cantonese pan fried noodles, so good. Yesterday was ground hog day, and ever since the 1993 Groundhog Day film was filmed in Woodstock Illinois, it has been cult thing in Northern Illinois, to gather there for the annual prognostication to celebrate the holiday. As the folklore goes, since Woodstock Willie didn't see his shadow, we are going to have an early spring. After all these years, my inquiring mind finally wanted to know what the phrase, "early spring", actually meant. Willie uses a formula that equates that the majority of the days between Groundhog Day and the spring equinox feature temperatures of 40 degrees or above, there, now I know. Anyway, its getting late, time to shut 'er down. Bless us, O Lord, keep us in peace during this night.
2 February 2024
It was a gloom and doom looking day with a complete overcast. So much for the weather app, it was supposed to be a bright sunny day today but the weather app never updated to correct that. We finally got around to going to the Illinois Toll Authorities Headquarters to return an I-Pass transponder that expired and hasn't been used for quite some time. Today was a much cooler and breezy day, so I took my walk indoors. Out of curiosity I stopped by the men’s shoes and was stunned to see how much the cost of shoes has insanely gone up. How do parents with young growing and active kids can afford to continually buying them new pairs? Albeit I don’t need a new pair of walking shoes yet, it may be best to keep an eye on the prices and watch for when they go on sale. I sliced up the pork shoulder into manageable size pieces off the bone and made the char sui barbecue sauce. I normally marinade the pork pieces overnight, but this batch will be sitting in the refrigerator for two day because we already have plans for tomorrow, who knows, maybe it’ll taste better! Prayers for good health and saving faith for all my love ones. I love praying the psalms, "Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things" (Psalm 107:8–9). I am thankful for each and every day. Thanks be to God.
1 February 2024
I woke up well rested and with good cheer, the sun was shining as bright as can be. I heard Tom Skilling say that December and January were both cloudier than normal, something and us only seeing 30 percent sunshine during the available sunlight hours instead of the normal 40 percent. He mentioned something about getting depression from not getting enough sunlight. Of course I'm happier when I see the sun, but thankfully I don't understand depression. I did some walking in the K0hl’s, but eventually decided to take outdoors. We are among only the few remaining people still who still wear a mask indoors in public places. I was glad that I layered up and was able to enjoy the fresh air, blue skies and the beautiful sunlight. We went to Alex's house for lunch and to pick up the roasting pans I use to make char sui tomorrow. I seared us a couple of delicious ribeye steak with stuffing on the side. Nala was a happy camper when mama had me make a small piece for her. Outside of needing to watch the road extra carefully for pot holes, one has to really drive carefully defensively; it always seems we routinely encounter blatantly reckless drivers on the road. I saw gas is back up to $3.099, good thing we got it yesterday for $2.919. I guess I didn't bother to mention it because I didn't think it was worth mentioning that I was only able to top it off up with a little over three gallons worth. I spent a little fun working on the jigsaw puzzle and got about half the border pieces connected. Wow, the weather was so nice today; I just had to go do another outdoor walk in the afternoon when the temperature soared up into the mid 50s. that is crazy warm for this time of year. I wished I would have had my pedometer with me today because I was a walking fool and think I could have logged in my first ten thousand plus steps in for the year, oh well. It is weird walking around without my glasses on nowadays; I am so use to wearing them all the time whenever I am out and about and can clip on my tinted uv ray sunglass clip-ons. Now I only need glasses for distance. With the sun still so low along the horizon this time of year, one should really be wear eye protection. The verse of the day is, "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 1:2). I'm embarrassed by my weakness and vulnerability to sin and am thankful that Jesus provided me the way back into your holy presence. Satan tries to weaponize every single sinful against us as unworthiness. Henri Nouwen said, "Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the “Beloved”. Being the Beloved expresses the core truth of our existence."
31 January 2024
What is with these spammers, I hate it whenever I get these annoyingly suspicious text messages, calls and emails. Since I'm already in a rant mode, I might as well complain about the cold weather and about how cloudy it's been this month of January. I didn't layer up this morning before going out because I need lab work done, so I just wore a tee shirt and felt the sting of winter because it was still in the mid 30s this morning. It did eventually worked its way up into the 40s, but it still felt a little nifty out. OK, I got that out of my system. After doing my labs, we went to the Sam's Club and did a little shopping in the Oswego area. I got in a decent indoor walk at the Target. Even as big as the store was, I walked around and around the store until the store felt like the size of a postage stamp. It was strange to wake up this morning with a craving for shrimp egg foo young, so we had to stop by Lucky Panda on the way home to take out a order of that and some egg rolls. There were 4 patties in an order, so we ended eating it for our lunch as well as for our dinner. There is something about gravy over rice that have me licking my chops, I really like Chinese-American food. Today was a good day God is good.
30 January 2024
We got up early and went grocery shopping at the Jewel to take advantage of really good sale items like eggs for 99¢ a dozen and 99¢ a pound for pork shoulder butt! I see me roasting char sui some time later this week. I normally would be ranting about high inflationary cost of groceries nowadays but because there were a lot of items on sales, the grocery bill was within reason. It was nice to get in a decent indoor walk when few people around. While we were out, I kept thinking that we should start getting out of the 30s sometime soon, so I took a look at the weather app for the ten day forecast and lo and behold, we will be climbing into 40s starting tomorrow. Now that's another step in the right direction toward spring. Since the ground isn't covered with snow and isn't frozen anymore, I was wondering what the city was going to do about my claim against the damaged mailbox and was going to contact them today to learn what was going happen, but we got a letter stating that the city was only going cut me a check. Sigh, I was kind of expecting them to do the necessary repairs. What a relaxing afternoon listening to classical music streaming as background music and resting in God’s peace. I have more lab work tomorrow and pray for good test results.
29 January 2024
I woke up feeling well rested and blessed. I’m really happy with how well my eyes are healing and am finally done with the antibiotic eye drops and this is the final week of using the steroid eye drops on my right eye. The left eye will still need steroids for several more weeks. Thanks be to God for his heal hands and the gift of sight. May the Lord open my eyes so that I may turn away the darkness and power of Satan. I really like the chopped Asian salad kit, it is so tasty. I'm able to get three portions from on bag by mixing in some baby spinach. For today's lunch, I tossed in some blueberries and kiwifruit. Gag me with a spoon, a network TV segment about the upcoming Super Bowl came on and then out of nowhere they brought up that this was going to be the greatest Super Bowl ever because Taylor Swift was going to be there and something about her having to immediately flies from her concert in Japan to the game. Half of me is chuckling inside and the other half think this a sad day for sport commentaries. Well, at least that took my mind off the BS politics that on the news.
28 January 2024
Mmm, I made us beef with bitter melon for our lunch, good stuff and this super food benefits are idea for me to boot, but I will say that it's bitterly pungent taste is not for everyone. Today's go on this dish was one of me better go because I allowed plenty of time for the beef to marinate and become pretty tender. Mama pasta was outstanding, I licked my plate clean. Too bad there wasn't any second helping to be found. I missed my opportunity yesterday. We watched both of divisional championship games. I was expecting the Ravens and the 49ers to win. Clearly Fawn wanted the Chiefs to. Well at least I called the 49ers game right, what a tremendous second half comeback.
27 January 2024
You have to love abstract words and how the media exaggerates the fog. Albeit it hasn't lifted for the second day, calling it a dense fog when the visibility is a quarter mile is ridiculous. We gathered at Alex's this morning and I made us the usual big breakfast, bacon, sausage links and scrambled eggs. Even though there was plenty of food left over, the kids requested that I steam the last of the dim sum Sue and Peggy made that we froze. No doubt about it, the kids know how to eat and that works for me! Ahh, Rob gave me a super nice neck, shoulder and back message that was much needed. We had mama's pasta dish for lunch, I was already stuffed after eating a spinach salad. I guess I'm not going to get to have some until tomorrow. Fawn and I went to Ken and Anna's for a small get together to celebrate Sandy's birthday with tacos from Los Burritos Tapatios. Now that my near sightness has been corrected after my cataract surgery, I no longer need to wear glasses except for when I'm driving or see things at a distance. LOL, I was looking everywhere for my glasses when I got back in the car and they were in my pocket, sigh. Anyway, it was a very good day. Feeling blessed with God's goodness.
26 January 2024
We went out early to get more groceries because Rob is bringing our grandkids this weekend. I was able to wear my Skechers walking shoes and got in a decent indoor walk. We love cooking for the kids and we went all out, Mama made her pasta sauce! I happily boiled a couple boxes of penne noodles, because added some much needed humidity to the house. Now that’s what I’m talking about, a look ahead of the 10 day weather forecast shows the temperature to move into the 40s and stay above freezing. I hope that comes to pass but that is the weirdest thing because 57 years ago today, we had one of the biggest (if not the biggest) blizzard in one setting in the Chicagoland area in my lifetime. My sister gave me a wellness check-up call. I am so blessed to have such loving and caring siblings.
25 January 2024
I always seem to be cold, so I layer up a little albeit the temperatures were in the upper 30s. Because we have been in the deep chill for so long, today seemed like a pretty mild day weatherwise. We went to the Sam's Club where I got in my morning walk and we did a little shopping in the Oswego area before heading to Alex's to make lunch. Since Lucky Panda was on the way, we stopped to pick up some of their potstickers, crab rangoon and fried shrimp for appetizers. It's has been a long while since we been to there and naturally the $$$ keeps going up. There has to be an end to this inflationary trend. I just deleted my rant about the cost for groceries we just bought this morning, but deleted it. I shouldn't work myself into a frenzy about that ongoing thing when I could rant about all the new potholes on the roadways. Some of them were insanely big and definitely needed some immediate attention. I made us a chicken and broccoli stir fry over Cantonese pan fried noodles. I started 20 in. x 30 in. 1,014 pcs jigsaw puzzle I got as a Father's Day present that were family photos from Andrea, Rob and our grands. The highlight of my day was getting together on FaceTime with all kids. What a great blessing it was towards the end of the day. How can the verse of the day not be, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever" (Psalm 136:1). God is good.
24 January 2024
I woke up this good in good cheer as my vision continues to improve as the swelling subsides and heal after my cataract surgery, God is good. I suppose, just waking up is enough to rejoice in the day. I'm glad to hear the sound of our sump pump working OT. It is good to finally be out of subzero temperatures and better yet, above freezing. It is good to finally have above normal temperatures. It is only a matter of time before we will be singing, "for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of d the turtledove is heard in our land" (Song of Solomon 2:11-12). According to the weather app, we are supposed to stay above freezing for the next three or four days, so we should be getting a slow but steady melt. Mmm, nice change up this morning to my oatmeal, I had it with a little chicken and chili crunch. Today's good eat was fusion made from an Asian chopped salad kit and chicken tacos. We ended up staying home all day, so I did a lot of pacing around the house.
23 January 2024
Wow, we're the roadways icy and slick. It was a good thing we left super early for my follow-up appointment and was able to drive nice and slow like most of the folks on the road. I can't even begin to imagine what it was like during the morning rush. Thanks be to God that my eyes are healing well and for safe travel. I had to use the ice chopper/scraper on driveway and sidewalk as well as salt things down. I called my brother and glad that all is well with him. I think the biggest problem with everyone our age is all the what ails you that come with aging. Prayers for health and healing for all our friends and family. It’s not looking good in New Hampshire, c’mon America, really? Sigh… (delete) time to chill and rest. Thankful for all the good things going on in my life, so blessed, God is good. "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). The Lord is in control and is making sure that everything that happens to you will make you grow closer to him. rejoicing under all circumstances is not an easy to do, but thankful we have the Holy Spirit to help you to rejoice always, pray without ceasing and give thanks in all circumstances.
22 January 2024
We got up super early and made our way to the eye clinic for my cataract surgery. The freezing rain was just starting up, but the roadways were well salted and still decent. Thankfully there are only very few cars on the road and I was able to drive nice and slow. Fawn had to scrape the ice off the car before she was able to drive back, but she said that roads weren't bad. The surgeon said that the surgery went well, but I was a initially a little concerned because my eyesight was more blurry than last time. It was fine by early evening and I'm able to pen this journal entry. I hope for a good surgery follow up exam report tomorrow and that the roadways will be safe to drive on. We are expecting more freezing rainfall overnight. I heard yesterday that Ron DeSantis dropped out of the GOP Primaries. Clearly I don't want to vote for Biden or Trump, so that only leaves Haley up for investigating and consideration. How and why Biden and Trump are the two front runners is beyond me.
21 January 2024
We woke up to another cold brisk day. I thank God that the sun was out again and we are no longer in subzero temperatures. It is my understanding that we will get above freezing temperatures and there will be a chance for rain later in the week. Albeit the temperature was in the teens, I was layered dressed to the tee ready to face any the coldness. Yeah I'm still whining about the winter season. I've been getting into the nfl divisional round this weekend. I glad both the games were early. We watched the Lions Buccaneers games, there no surprise there. The Bills Chiefs game was a lot closer and more exciting. Anyway, off to bed now, we got to get up early for the cataract on my right eye. Prayers for good weather and good road conditions. May the Lord grant me a successful eye surgery again. I am thankful for his loving care.
20 January 2024
It was a stay at home do nothing day with good eats chomping on fried chicken wings, shrimp tempura and fish and chips watching football. I actually watch two playoff games and didn't fall asleep during the games. I don't know much about nlf teams, but I cheered on the Texans. Who doesn't want good things for CJ Stroud? But the Ravens proved to be too much of team for them to overcome. The Packers vs 49ers was a much closer game. Mama called the 49ers win.
19 January 2024
I think that most folks are fed up with the cold and snow. We got more overnight snow and it is getting old. We are so blessed to have awesome neighbors who have been helping us out with the bulk of the snow removal. We are so grateful for their help with the needed. May God keep and bless them.
18 January 2024
LOL, I'm even boring myself with my daily rant about how I hate the cold, the snow and the lack of sunlight. I hate winter! We about two inches of snow overnight and more is coming overnight tonight and the temperature will drop below zero again. Thankfully the snow that we got was fluffy and light. The temperature swings are so amazing here in the midwest. I got a chuckle out of seeing a list of old jingles from days past that made my day. OK, there more to life than sitting around waiting for spring. We dug out a joong from the freezer and that bad boy was still pretty tasty. There are things that are going in my life other than just sitting around and waiting for spring to come around, but they are rather private and are best to stay private. Crazy how my whining about this and that is actually revealing to me actually just how blessed I am.
17 January 2024
Albeit today was a lot warmer than it has been in recent days, I felt the urge to add a little chili crunch to my oatmeal. The temperature was in the teens, so we finally were brave enough to go out and about running errands and to pick up a few items at the grocery store. I was totally comfortable all layered up in my warmest clothing as though I was going on an arctic trek. Regardless, I still hate the cold weather climate and can't wait until springtime comes about. I did get a short indoor walk. It wasn't much of a walk because I was wearing my slip resistance shoes. Sigh enough already, we are expecting to get another one to three inches of overnight snow and again in the evening. Today was a good day where we were blessed with sunshine and out of subzero temperatures.
16 January 2024
HB to my little pumpernickel. According to the weather app, it looks like today may be the last subzero day. I am so surprised that we are still adding to a string of sunny days. It's my understanding that sometime next week we will get above freezing. I have a lot of thoughts about the Iowa Caucus that I just penned and deleted, holding to notion that some things are better left unsaid. The only thing I can say is that I rather not see Biden or Trump running for the POTUS. I made us beef and broccoli for dinner and it was one of my better goes at it. The highlight of the day doing FaceTime with all the kid to wish Andrea a happy birthday! God save and bless our nation.
15 January 2024
Initially I thought it snowed overnight, but it became clear to me at day break that there was snow drift. I was happy that we got plenty of sunshine today. Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He is a American hero. I hopped on the scale this morning and was surprised to see that my weight is already back down to where it was before the holidays, but I still have my long time waistline dilemma. We got two wahlburgers patties from Alex the other day and made them for lunch. A wahlburger is a proprietary blend of chuck, brisket and short rib vs the standard ground chuck I normally buy. It must be me, because I don't see what the hooha is all about. It tastes about the same to me. This nfl wildcard weekend has been less than interesting to me. I sort of watched a few of games, by that, I mean I dosed off during the Browns-Texans, Packers-Cowboys, and Rams-Lions games yesterday. I did the same watching the Steelers-Bills game today. I'm clueless to why I tend to nod off during nfl games, but I do. Prayers for folks that need to be out in the cold and for safe travel. As for me, I plan to hibernate in the comfort of our home for at least another day. ay the Lord be with us on our on our walk back to Eden.
14 January 2024
Thankful for our centrally heated home. The outdoor temperature was -12 degrees Fahrenheit. I am happy that Fawn cranked up the thermostat a few notches in the early morning. I was so happy to see that the sun was out during the daylight hours. Mmm, today was the perfect day to make steamed tilapia for lunch. It only turned out tasting so-so, so I rinsed it off and seared it in a frying pan and turned it tasty opened faced fish sandwich. We facetimed with the kids and see that RJ and Jennifer got themselves a dachshund dog. I could be wrong, but I think I heard that the name had some kind of play with Vienna hot dog (I'm terrible with names). I'm happy that Isaac is feeling better; he was under the weather this morning. I got wellness call from my sister and was so happy to hear from her. I pray for the good health of my siblings as time is taking a tow on our ever physically aging bodies. Thanks be to God kids are so resilient. Mama made me a nice salad for dinner. I actually love to eat salads, especially the way she puts one together. Dang, it's ten below zero now and it will be fifteen -15 degrees Fahrenheit when we get up tomorrow morning. Wow, that's cold.
13 January 2024
The plan is to hunker down tonight after I pen this journal entry. Not only do I routinely look at the weather app I think it is amazing how much the forecast changes every time I look. We woke up to about a than a inch ot two of overnight snow. Brr, it got colder and colder as the day progressed into single digits. We will drop into and stay in subzero temperatures for three or more days. Prayers for our Midwest family and friends for Divine safekeeping. Lord, have mercy. I'm always thankful that Rob drove his family down so that we could celebrate Andrea's birthday, I think it somewhat of a long drive. Family gatherings brings me great joy, especially when hearing the laughter of grandchildren. Our morning started out with the usual sausage links, bacon and scrambled egg breakfast. It is kind of sad that now I actually have to curb not only what I eat but also the amount of what I eat. I tried my best to only limit cold cereal with milk and blueberries for breakfast but failed; I ate half a egg, half a sausage link and half a slice of bacon. Today was the first time I drove since having surgery on my right eye. Albeit the city did a great job plowing and salting the roadways, I drove slowly and extra carefully defensively. There has way too many times since the beginning of the pandemic that seemingly more people are outrightly driving recklessly with no intentions of following the rules to the road and with total disregard for others. Albeit Peyton is rather low maintenance, she go from one thing to another and after a hour and a half, she completely wore me out. It is hard to tell if sword fighting with Isaac or playing with Peyton is more exhausting. Anyway, I got in a good workout for the day. Albeit we celebrated with food from the Olive Garden Rob and I enjoyed one of Fawn's super salad was made mostly with spinach and romaine lettuce with honey crisp apple, grape, cantaloupe, watermelon and blueberries. I did manage to sneak in two pieces of fried cartimari appetizer. I was surprised to see a chicken & gnocchi soup, because pasta e fagioli has always been strictly our family's go to soup. I tried a spoonful of the gnocchi soup and was left unimpressed. Dang, Andrea cut me the thinnest slice of tiramisu possible. I hope I have move away from my glutinous ways during the holidays. I fell asleep watching the Browns Texans playoffs game. Wow, the Texans gave the Browns a 45 - 14 shellacking. As I contemplate selecting a verse for the day, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24) keeps coming to mind. We are to rejoice in all circumstances, but it is so easy to rejoice in an awesome day surrounded by your love ones. Oh wow, I almost forgot to mention that Rob gave a really nice extra long back neck and shoulder massage. I'm so undeserving, that's love for you.
12 January 2024
Not good, we woke up to a boat load of snow. We got about seven inches worth. Thanks be to God for blessing us with our good neighbors and friend. Both Yi and Ken have been helping us with the heavy wet snow. I am thankful that we didn’t get the second wave of expected additional heavy snowfall like the northern burbs did. We are expecting arctic cold temperatures this weekend into the early part of next week. Here we go again with the dry winter hand. It has been an extremely tough go since the beginning of the pandemic where I have been constantly using the hand sanitizer with alcohol while out and about. There is a lot of talk about the rise of COVID, Flu, and RSV. Lord, have mercy. I am thankful for the quite peaceful day.
11 January 2024
"So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. Return, O LORD! How long? Have pity on your servants! Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil" (Psalm 90:12-15). It is sad at times to be reminded that our days are numbered, but I woke up this morning rejoicing with thanksgiving in the knowledge that we have a Lord and Savior found in Christ Jesus. Today was pretty much like yesterday, no overnight snow, gray skies and bitterly cold, but that is forecasted to change with the beginning overnight snow continuing well into Saturday and dumping well over a foot of heavy heart attack snow and bringing with subzero temperatures. I should take that back, the sun did come out briefly several times. Great, the city put up a temporary mailbox curbside. I'm assuming they will repair the damages when the temperature permits. We saw on the Nextdoor app a lot of complaints about folk mailbox being hit by the snow plows yesterday. We watched the GOP primary debate last night between Haley and DeSantis. A lot of headlines suggest that few Americans want to another Biden -Trump rematch comes November, yet according to the polls. Biden and Trump are their party's front runners. Nice, mama got me some clothing suitable for arctic weather. On cold winter days like to today, how can one not be filled with gratitude for our Lord's provisions? We ran out to run a few errands and to grocery shop. I suspect we will be hunkering down for the entire weekend. We drove by the CosMc's on the way to Alex's and saw that they are still doing a substantial drive thru business. But the lines are nowhere nearly as backed up as in the past, so either they are extremely more proficient or all the hooha is subsiding. We stopped for gas and it looks like the below three dollars a gallon prices are gone again; we ended up paid $3.099 a gallon. We stopped by for lunch at Alex's and made a bone-in ribeye steak and you can't beat scalloped potato and mac and cheese sides, so good! I decided to cut down on my portion because it’s time to drop some of the holiday pounds and diet more sensibly. I’m finding that the foods that are good for this is bad for that, seems like one can’t win. Talk about salivating, Fawn had me fry Nala a chunk of steak was she was a happy camper. The day is almost over and I enjoy praying the psalms. I prayed Psalm 63 and was struck by, "when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me" (Psalm 63:6–8). Blessed and thankful.
10 January 2024
I was most thankful this morning that Peyton was well, the things little children get themselves into. I was also thankful this morning not to see any overnight snowfall, but according to the weather forecast, we can expect another inch or two overnight again. I would have been doing the happy dance if only the snow plow truck didn't level our mailbox, sigh... Brr, we had below freezing temperatures the entire day. To add to the misery I see more snow and subzero temperatures heading our way this weekend. I really didn't want to go out today, but I needed to have more lab work done. There are so many things that ails me that constant monitoring of this and that seems to be the norm for me. I am thankful that my eyesight is continuing to improve as the swelling of the eye continues to subside. Mmm, I made us pan seared bone in pork chops with grilled onions and boiled carrots for a side. Chirp chirp, so good! We facetimed with Andrea, Rob and our grandkids. We were thrilled to see Peyton being her cheerful self, God is good. Lord, bless us with good health and heal us in every area of our life.
9 January 2024
We woke up early and Fawn tended to the expected heavy wet snow on the driveway. I wish that I could have contributed to the effort. It was a slow cautious drive to Wheaton Eye Clinic. Thankfully most of the drivers on the roadway this morning were on good behavior. Thanks be to God, my ophthalmologist said that my eye is healing well. Today I am thankful for the call of love and holiness through vocation, especially for those in medical field. My highlight of the day was facetiming with Andrea and Peyton. Prayers for divine protection. Congratulations to the Wolverine CFP Champions. I was looking at the final college ranking for the season and most had Notre Dame @ 14. I also looked at several Way-Too-Early Top 25 College Football Rankings for 2024 with Notre Dame either #8 or #9. With all that is going on, Notre Dame is poised to playoff contenders! #GoIrish
8 January 2024
I am thankful for the gift of sight. We woke up early and had to be at the eye surgery center by 6:30! I was taken by surprise that the topical anesthetic didn't completely numb my eye, because I was expecting the eye surgery to be completely painless. I was fine afterwards and there was no need for pain killers. Immediately after the surgery, I definitely can see a huge difference between the two eyes. I am so blessed to have family and friends who knew I was having cataract surgery give me a wellness call. Isaac was the first, and that bought me great joy. It's been a long time since I've listened to Adele 25, too long. I think her voice is incredible. The plan is to listen to the Michigan Washington National Championship game. Mama got Fish filet and sesame chicken from the House of Emperor. Food is so expensive nowadays.
7 January 2024
This is going to be an early and quick pen. Going to bed super early, tomorrow is going to be a big day. We got a little overnight snow, but I'm glad it didn't accumulate on the driveway and walkways. Just seeing the snow on the grass and rooftops is enough for me to sigh. Actually I don't have the winter blues, I just don't care for winters, especially for snow. According to the forecast, a major winter storm with heavy wet snow is heading our way. There is 72 days before spring, but who's counting? Mama put out a nice big ribeye steak for our supper; I can't believe we eat the whole thing! Each and every day is a miracle. Thankful to be a live, for the food on the table and the blessings of the day.
6 January 2024
I have Fleetwood Mac playing as background music. The song of the day is, Dreams – Fleetwood Mac. It was still snowing when we woke up this morning, so much for little to no accumulation. We ended up with 2 - 3 inches when the snowfall finally tapped off. We got pics and video having fun playing in the snow. I suppose that when I was a kid I loved playing in the snow as well as playing with it with my kids as my parents did with us. Funny how this old man now cringe at the sight of snow. I don't know how to react to mama's insistent for me not to shovel the snow. Our neighbor Ken shoveled our sidewalk and front porch and Fawn shovel the driveway and the deck out back. Sure Fawn has helped me plenty of times shoveling the snow, but she never had to do it without me. I am thankful to be blessed with a godly women who clothes herself with strength and dignity. It has been a while since I made a dish that I could chirp about, but I'm chirping about my pork riblets with shiitake mushrooms over steamed rice dish today, mmm the mushroom sauce was so tasty. I just looked at the weather app and it looks like we are going to be getting more snow, sad. Prayers of comfort and strength as I prepare my eye surgery and for healing on what ails me. Indeed, old age comes with increasing infirmities.
5 January 2024
I woke up early and limited myself to only doing stretching exercises before enjoying a nice fresh hot bowl of oatmeal with a slice of raisin toast before heading out to Edward's and then stayed home and rested upright on the recliner most of the day. I was correct in assuming that I would be tire most on day. I read the about the foods one should eat and avoid and I came to the same conclusion that what is best for me is to eat in moderation because what is good for this is bad and should be avoided for that. I did get often, but did very little walking. Hope tomorrow will be a better day. I keep hearing snow in the forecast, I suppose it's only a matter of time before we will be buried under it. The kids called to see how I was doing. I am blessed by their mindfulness. Everyone was hoping to gather this weekend to celebrate Andrea’s birthday, but we thought it would be best to wait another week. I need to stay healthy because I’m having cataract surgery done to one of my eyes early in the week. 2024 prayers for good health and world peace.
4 January 2024
I have been whining about the gloomy grey skies of winter, but not today! What a beautiful zippy doo dah day filled with plenty of sunshine! Albeit the temps were above freezing, I opted to layer up to the tee for subzero weather. We had quite a few errands to run, so I did a little bit of walking. I had no intentions of exerting myself and managed a six thousand steps day. Really? I don't get it, we passed by the CosMc's and there was still a super long drive thru line. One would think the hype would have diminished by now. Clearly people are still willing to wait a long time for whatever fancies them. Talk about good eats, I had a carving for Portillo's and got myself their combo sandwich, so good! Thanks be to God, each and every day is a blessing.
3 January 2024
I know that winter days are more cloudy than not, but I was surprised to learn that that the sun only shows itself one in four days during the winter months. It is bad enough that we are in the darkness already during the winter months with the days being so short. I am happier whenever we have sunny days than when day with a complete overcast. Fawn had me wear pedometer today. Albeit I got up often and walked in place and around the house often, I didn't realize how few steps I have been getting in a day when I stay in. I managed to do a five thousand plus steps day, only because I put in a little more effort having the pedometer on. Grateful for the blessing of the day.
2 January 2024
I'm was feeling less tire today, I think mainly because I have been getting plenty of rest. I can't believe how cold my body feels that I have to layer up even at home. How awesome the day when the sun is out, finally! I took the time to review all the materials that Wheaton Eye Clinic provided about cataract surgery with intraocular lens replacement. There were also quite a few annual policies and documents l had go over and review at the beginning of year. Keeping things orderly and up to date becomes more important when people getter older. What a pleasant surprise, Peggy stopped by and gifted us a radish cake that she made! Well, that answered my question, it's clear to me that my cooking has been off, because the radish cake was delicious and went well with the earl grey tea. I made rice noodle soup for dinner and it was good as it get, good for me! Nice, I had to pause penning this journal entry because the kids facetimed us! The call was the highlight of my day. Thanks be to God for his unfailing love.
1 January 2024
It was a funny thing to have to login the laptop to create a new blogger journal page and set up the links on the site to pen this entry, because I had to refigure out the how2s. It is hard to believe how cold I feel when I get up in the morning. We were blessed from the get go this morning. Alex, Rob, Andrea, Isaac and Peyton called and we facetimed with joyful new year good cheers and well wishes. I swear, just to briefly see Isaac and Peyton and the kids is enough to lift my spirit. Albeit I got plenty of sleep, my body still felt cold a little bit tire, but I forced myself to get up every twenty minutes and walked around the house for three minutes at a time, just to get a little bit of exercise. I wonder when we will ever see the sun again; look out the window seeing gloomy winter days is such a downer. I can't even begin to imagine how even made end meet in the past. The verse of the day is, “I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” (Psalm 13:6). Indeed. I made us beef gon chow ngau ho for lunch. My taste buds must be off, because everything doesn't seem satisfying lately. We watched the Rose Bowl. Congratulations to the Wolverines Rose Bowl Champions on their OT win! Michigan 27 Alabama 20. The plan now watch the Sugar Bowl as much as possible before going to bed. Thanks be to God for this new year day.
It was a funny thing to have to login the laptop to create a new blogger journal page and set up the links on the site to pen this entry, because I had to refigure out the how2s. It is hard to believe how cold I feel when I get up in the morning. We were blessed from the get go this morning. Alex, Rob, Andrea, Isaac and Peyton called and we facetimed with joyful new year good cheers and well wishes. I swear, just to briefly see Isaac and Peyton and the kids is enough to lift my spirit. Albeit I got plenty of sleep, my body still felt cold a little bit tire, but I forced myself to get up every twenty minutes and walked around the house for three minutes at a time, just to get a little bit of exercise. I wonder when we will ever see the sun again; look out the window seeing gloomy winter days is such a downer. I can't even begin to imagine how even made end meet in the past. The verse of the day is, “I will sing to the LORD, because he has dealt bountifully with me.” (Psalm 13:6). Indeed. I made us beef gon chow ngau ho for lunch. My taste buds must be off, because everything doesn't seem satisfying lately. We watched the Rose Bowl. Congratulations to the Wolverines Rose Bowl Champions on their OT win! Michigan 27 Alabama 20. The plan now watch the Sugar Bowl as much as possible before going to bed. Thanks be to God for this new year day.
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