Life is Like a Merry GO Round

Gosh, what a couple of days it's been. When last I wrote, I was dealing with computer issues. Since then it's been dealing with losses, health issues, vehicles, and such. I got an email that my dear friend Mike from Knoxville died suddenly last month at the age of 43 -- what a shock. I'll write more about that later on. Yesterday I learned that two ministries in which I was involved a couple of years ago are ceasing to exist -- another loss. Yesterday I had a minor medical procedure done and am healing from that. And last night -- oh my. Ben came over and we decided to go do a quick picnic in the park. The first park we went to was very pretty but was lacking any grills for cooking. So off we went to another park a few miles down the road. The setting wasn't quite as nice, but at least we were able to cook and have dinner. The weather was beautiful and a good time was had by all. On the way home we stopped to put air in one tire. When Ben got back in the vehicle to start it, NOTHING happened. After a few minutes of fuming he called road service . During our hour long wait for the tow truck several folks stopped by with helpful advice or to offer us the use of their phones. Thank you to all of you. My friend Dan who lives nearby where we were stranded happened by and offered some help and some company as well. Part way through this ordeal, the wife of the tow truck driver (who lives a block from where we were) came by to tell us that her husband was on his way. Along with Dan, this very nice woman and her friend, Ben and I had a pleasant time in what could have been a miserable situation. The tow truck finally arrived (He had to come about 50 miles), we hooked up and towed the truck to a local mechanic and went home for some much needed sleep. This morning, we headed back to the mechanic to arrange for repairs and then on to the clinic for my follow up visit. I finally got taken care of after sitting for nearly an hour and a half in the "urgent care" waiting room. By the time I was done so was the vehicle repair which thankfully was relatively minor both in scope and cost. We are now back at my place getting ready to go to the lake tomorrow after church - can't wait. Right now Ben is napping and I am doing some odds and ends around the house. If you are a praying person (and I hope that most of my readers are) keep Ben in your prayers as he participates in his last service at the church where he serves. It's a difficult place to be -- a state of transition and leaving -- another incidence of loss. All of these transitions are difficult and stressful. Anyway, that is about all for this post, so hug someone, tell them you love them, and be happy. See you in church.