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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Defeated at my own kitchen table!



3:53 p.m. Today's project was to welcome my dad over for his weekly Tuesday morning visit with Steve. Normally I'm at Bible study, so they enjoy a McDonald's Deluxe breakfast together (pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuit and jelly, no lie!) After an emotionally strenuous day visiting his dying brother and then lightening up things for Steve at Disneyland, it was time for a day at home. That meant cleaning, laundry, vacuuming, couponing, sending a few out-of-state Christmas cards and watering the few plants I've started in the winter garden.
Daddy came over, but Steve had already eaten a big bowl of oatmeal and an onion bagel, so the two of them visited while I got dressed upstairs for the day. Steve did his backyard cleanup as usual, and my dad read the paper. When Steve came in through the sliding glass door, he was feeling funny, like he might get sick, so he went upstairs to lie down. This was odd because Steve never gets sick. Even the ratio of colds we suffer is 1 for him: 3 for me in any given year. He's my healthy hubby! I praise the Lord for his fitness and active lifestyle. (And he did recover by late afternoon!)
Daddy said, "Well, it looks like Steve won't be playing checkers today," and started to put the pieces he'd carefully placed in position on the board back into the box. I said, "Wait! I'll play you!" This was a case of "fools rush in where angels fear to tread," for sure. I couldn't even remember the rules of the game we played so often as kids. Checkers, chess, Chinese checkers, all kinds of card games--that's how we occupied ourselves as kids in the 50's and 60's. For me, the quintessential nerd, games had to be squeezed in between violin practice and chapters of books!
As we began our game, Daddy kept up a running commentary as to each of our moves, and had his strategy all set. I, on the other hand, was just moving one "man" at a time, very bad strategy, as was proven by his having a "king" within minutes. I vaguely moved a few men around the board, and jumped one or two of his pieces, but it was a rout!
I should have taken to heart Jesus' words about advance planning strategy in Luke 14:31,
What king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? Or else when he is a long way off, sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace.
Probably would have been better to surrender to Daddy ahead of time!
There is such an extreme contrast between my very sharp 83-year-old dad and Larry passing away at 58 from Alzheimer's lesions on his brain. My dad's intellectual acumen could even be compared with Steve's, with no remembrance of what we did or said moments before, also due to Alzheimer's. But no matter what diseases we endure in this fallen world, God has a plan of salvation from all of them--heaven forevermore with Jesus. And He has provided grace for today to come through the most grievous trials with our testimony intact and peace in our hearts.
Jesus told Paul in II Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."
Strengthen our family this week, Lord, and pour out your grace upon us!

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