Keys, Faith, Miracle

Good morning son! Evidently Jamison is going to help me write my blog this morning. He's laying on the back of the couch looking out the window. His behind is sitting on my shoulder and he seems perfectly comfortable. Talking about comfortable. The weather is finally cooperating. We just spent the last week in a heat wave. And just let me take this moment to "clear the air" when it comes to heat! There is a definite difference in heat waves. Call it "dry heat", "wet heat", whatever you want, but the heat in the San Joaquin Valley in CA is totally different than the heat in Troy NY! Most of the summer in San Joaquin Valley it was 105-108 degrees....and dry, not sticky. Here? the temp hits in the 90s and it feels like 105. And sticky? You have no idea. Dew Point and humidity play a very big part in being miserable in the heat. For the most part, we stayed in and stayed quiet. Dad's doctor was very explicit in what he expected dad to do: stay in, stay quiet and TURN THE AIR CONDITIONER ON! The doctor said so many seniors have air conditioners and try to make it with fans rather than turning the air on. He said it's very dangerous for seniors. Especially if they are taking certain types of medications. So, for the most part, that's what we did. I say "for the most part" because I couldn't actually nail his feet to the floor or his butt to the chair so a couple of times he had to learn "people that don't listen have to feel". Pain that is! The weather was really rough on our plants but we only lost a couple of smaller ones. They did drink a ton of water though. It's cooling off and the last couple of nights we were able to sleep comfortably.

I have to laugh at myself. Again. And, I do that a lot these days. I lay out plans of what I'm going to do and the time it's going to take. I'm so funny. Guess I think I'm still 30. The guest room is coming along nicely. According to my pre-planning both the guest room and the entry to our

building should be completed and I should be on to another project. As of this morning, I've not started on the entry. I have everything I need,  I didn't paint at all last week. Because of the heat and humidity the paint would have dried on the brush before I could get it smoothed out on the dresser. It was cool enough yesterday that I was able to prepare the dresser and today, hopefully, I will be able to do the painting.

 I continue to practice my sketching and am really enjoying it. Dad gives me good critique and ideas to try. Yesterday I spent a good deal of time practicing my depth perception. It pretty much looks like abstract art. Dad said this morning it's one he wants to keep because it reminds him of what he believes his mind looks like.

Auntie Di had her cataract surgery this last week and all is well. She had no pain. Fell asleep before the surgery, woke up 12 minutes later and was done. Thank you Lord.

We had a couple of interesting days this last week. Dad lost his keys! He frets so when something like this happens. We searched high and low. The first place we checked were the pants he had worn the day before nothing. I know a lot of people will have trouble believing this, but we turned the pockets inside out and nothing. We checked the pants he had on. Nothing. And remember, these are cargo pants we're checking so pockets are limitless. Dad even checked all his pants hanging in the closet. He tore the laundry room apart thinking maybe they'd fallen out in the laundry room. Nothing. He looked through all the trash containers in the house. And you know dad, when he checks, he checks. Nothing. He took a flashlight and searched the car. I looked through the car. Nothing. He checked the basement with a flashlight. Nothing. We then headed outside. Now don't forget. We have an acre lot in front of our house and because it had been so hot dad and Jamison had been taking brief walks when there was a hint of a breeze in the lot rather than their mile walk on the hill. So, we began the walk and the search. We poked and prodded the earth, Turned over leaves and branches. Wrapped Jamison's leash around trees and back around the other way to unwind. We walked the edge of the acre and criss-crossed the acre, searched the parking lot and the slope up the hill. No keys. Dad, being dad, came back into the house and re-did the house search. Nothing. As we were waling and searching the acre I was talking with the Lord. I knew how badly your dad was feeling. He just worries so when something like this happens. I'm more of a, "okay that's happened, now what do we do" person. Dad is a, "I've got to fix this" person. As I was talking with the Lord I asked him to let your dad find the keys. It would mean so much to him to know that he had solved the problem. But, like I said, at the end of our search of the acre, nothing. I had no idea what the Lord was doing. I really expected dad to find those keys right then and there. What? You mean just because I asked I wasn't going to get an immediate answer? What's up with that? We are funny creatures aren't we? Immediate gratification. We expect immediate gratification. Those darn expectations sure can get in the way sometimes don't they?  Anyway, as I think back now, I guess I was kind of disappointed that dad didn't find the keys in the acre. I guess I really did think that because I asked it was just going to happen. I immediately went on to something else however and knew there was a solution even if it meant we just had another set made and gave up on finding the other set. However, for some reason in his makeup dad doesn't have that

"give up" button. That's just who he is. Does it drive me crazy sometimes? Absolutely! Would I change him if I could? No. Because to change one single thing would be like skipping a stone on water. It would forever change the water. I love him just like he is. And because he refuses to give up, and God knows that, guess what he found the next morning? Right. His keys. Guess where they were? No, come on, guess. He was putting a load in the washer and found them in the pockets of the pants he had on the day before he noticed they were gone. The pair of pants that we had turned all the pockets inside out and had checked. It's pretty easy to take something like this and rationalize it away. But, for me, God gave a chuckle as he answered my prayer, in His timing, and allowed dad to find the keys. Pretty cool God huh.

Guess I'd best get up from here and get busy. Dad wants Jackpot Noodle Casserole tonight so I think I'll make it this morning while it's cooler and then we can just reheat. THEN, I can get to my painting!

Until next week, be Aaron, love mom