Rob's Ramblings

I'm so thankful for weekends. Although I love my jobs, it's nice to have some time to unwind and decompress after the week's events. I was blessed to put a cap on my Friday with a concert featuring Christian recording artists Cloverton and Lincoln Brewster. It's really a neat experience to hear the artist sing, in person, the songs you've heard on the radio for years. We were on our feet for most of the concert, praising and worshipping with the volume cranked so loud that we could feet the vibrations go right through us. Of course, we were on the third row, so that's to be expected. :-) By the end of the concert, many people had given their hearts to Christ, and a good number of Compassion children needing sponsors in foreign countries received sponsors.

I have passed the one-year mark in my journey with diabetes. Wow, has it been that long? I have learned so much in the last year concerning what to eat, how much, and how often. I've learned a lot about how to read how I'm feeling, and whether it's hunger or low sugar. I always keep a few protein bars close at hand for when I'm getting low. Thank heavens for Russell Stover sugar-free candy. It's definitely been a Godsend when I need something sweet. Something else I learned early on is that you don't want to eat too many sugar-free candies at once. I paid the price for that one! LOL

I have new eyes! When I was diagnosed with diabetes and began my regimen of meds, my vision improved to the point that I no longer needed glasses. However, after about 2 weeks of that, my vision went back to the way it was, and then some. Since then, my glasses have not been sufficient to meet my needs. After my last eye appointment, I now have to graduate to a progressive lens. My progressive lens is a no-line bifocal. The lower part is for reading, and the upper part is for general seeing. I also selected a new pair of frames that are not as wide as my former ones. I can see so much better now, and I don't have to take off my glasses to read anymore. I just read through the lower part.

Before too long, I'll be able to get out and plant my garden. Until 2 weeks ago, there was nothing sprouting in the peat pots in the window. They had been there dormant for over a month, but they have really taken off! I have tomatoes, watermelon, cucumbers, cantaloupe, and pumpkin seedlings reaching from the pots toward the sun and warming lights. I'm shooting for the first part of May for the planting. Last year's garden floundered, and I think a lot of it was attributed to a gopher or mole. I'm open to tips on how to deter them! All that I was able to harvest were some tomatoes, corn, and some cantaloupe. The tomatoes were pretty bountiful, and I was fortunate enough to be able to share them with friends. I'm hoping to do that this year as well. Last year, I also waged war on weeds, as most of my yard was comprised of weeds. I went through with weed killer, grass seed, and did this several times last year. This year, as the Spring progresses, it thrills me to see a good amount of grass coming up where there were weeds last year. Last year we had about a 90/10 weed to grass count, and right now it looks like a 70/30. I've already treated my yard this season, and we'll see how things look in the Fall. In the midst of my yard work, I noticed that the peony roots I planted last Fall have come up. We are now the proud owners of 4 peonies!

As I reported briefly last week, I experienced my first earthquake. I was sitting on my bed playing a computer game, when things began to sway a bit. Normally, when a train goes by a few blocks away, it causes things in my house to vibrate a bit. However, there was no train, and this was more than shaking. Huh? So, I popped onto facebook, and saw comments about how there had been a tremor. The radio and TV also reported on it. There have been other tremors here in Hutch, but I have not felt them. It was kind of eerie to feel this one. I'm not sure whether to be excited about it or to be scared. Lol.

On a final note, this past April 1 marked a 10-year anniversary for me. It was on April 1, 2005, that my 2 boys moved into my home for good. Since then, we have had a variety of ups and downs, laughs and tears, and now they have grown up and moved on in their lives. Through it all, I have never regretted my decision to adopt them. They drove me nuts sometimes, and I know that I drove them crazy as well as I had to be the dad, "aka bad guy." I just hope that one day, when they have kids of their own, they will realize why I did the things I did, and maybe even thank me.  

I have taken up enough of your evening, and I thank you for making my blog post a part of it. As always, I thank God for you and ask God's blessings to be upon you. Until next time.....

Rob's Ramblings

 

On this Saturday of Easter weekend, I tend to think of how the followers of Jesus were mentally tormented as flashbacks of Jesus' final hours invaded their thoughts and dreams...if they slept at all. Easter morning had not yet dawned, so they had no idea of the glorious miracle they would be greeted with the next morning. They were in a dark place. Although Jesus had predicted His resurrection, the anguish of the disciples had obviously erased that from their minds. I'm sure they were ashamed of their cowardice, as they ran from Jesus and the guards, and let Jesus suffer alone. However, on this side of history, we can look back and rejoice at what they were about to experience. How the 3 ladies came to the tomb to find it open and empty, except for the graveclothes Jesus was wearing. How the angels told them that Jesus had risen and was alive! How the disciples doubted the story of the women and tried to shut them up. And then, how Jesus suddenly appeared in the room with them. How I would have loved to be a fly on the wall when He appeared! But did Jesus chastise them for their desertion? Did He condemn Peter for denying Him? No! He came in love and forgiveness.  When the disciples saw Jesus with their own eyes, they knew it was true! He was alive! Jesus also addressed us here in 2015, when He said that those who believed in Him without seeing Him would be blessed.  There was an earthquake this morning in Oklahoma, with tremors felt here in my hometown of Hutchinson. I was in my room doing some work on my computer when I felt a shake, and things in my room began to sway a bit. Normally, the ground will shake when a train goes by a few blocks away. But this was different. There was no train, and things swayed much more than what a train might cause. It made me reflect on the earthquakes that occurred during the first Easter events. When Jesus died, an earthquake caused the veil in the temple to tear from top to bottom, representing the fact that people no longer had to go to the priest to ask God's forgiveness for their sins. People now had a direct line to God, and could talk to Him themselves. An animal sacrifice was no longer required, as a perfect sacrifice had been made (Jesus) for all time, and for all people. On that first Easter morning, an earthquake knocked out the guards to Jesus' tomb and rolled the stone away from the entrance. How appropriate for an earthquake to occur this morning to get my thoughts going!

 

Are you experiencing a Saturday? Are the memories of the past tormenting you in your thoughts and dreams? Are you in a dark place? I'm here to let you know that you don't have to experience this alone. On the other side of the door is Jesus, ready to help you bear the heavy load you carry. Do you need to meet Jesus today? If you will admit to Him that you have sinned and need Him to save you, believe in what He has done to save you, and will invite Him to come into your life, you will be a genuine child of God, with a Heavenly Father who will never leave you or forsake you. You are promised a home in Heaven, where you will meet Jesus face-to-face, and will see the nail prints in His hands and feet, symbols of His love for you. I can't wait for that day.

 

I have more info to share with you, but I feel this message is sufficient for today. I will fill you in all of the other details of my life in a separate post. God has basically taken over my hands today as I type, so I am feeling that someone needed to see this today. I pray that your Easter is Christ-filled and full of His love. He is risen! He is risen indeed!