There Naja's Gone

WORD COUNT: 25,803


Sixteen years and three days ago ...


I just found out tonight in discipleship class that Naja Dewdney died Sunday. Hard to believe -- people who have so much going for them and taken out at a young age (she's 21), and we who seem to plod through life are still plodding. When I asked the class tonight (Sheri, Cindy, Bryan, Melinda, Mike, Carolyn, and Walter) to lay hands on me, it amazed me that I am such a highly-thought of person, that I do do a lot around here for others, that it's really not such a pain to be around me. It just makes me feel ... unworthy sometimes, to be so much in debt that it will be a lifetime before I pay it off completely. But it won't, will it?


Cynthia and Neke wrote me back after about a month, and I appreciate hearing from and praying for them -- which I don't do often enough. As for Martha, she's always great to hear from -- she is so encouraging, even if she is a Northerner. (I'm kidding; I've never fully identified with "the South" myself as being that distinctive.) Darn it, though, I want to go in the way I know God has for me, even with the briars in my path.


I can't depend on what I see; I can depend on You who will not leave His children begging bread. So when I give my tenth I can see Your blessings all the more; I don't like my excuses or endlessly (it seems to me) paying on debts to others that I know I owe and have been dodging. I don't want to die before the job is finished either; I don't want my legacy to be a burden to the people I care about. I want to be remembered for the good I've done, for the encouragement that I've been and that I'm continuing to learn to be from You -- even when I just don't get it. Amen.


10011.14                2258 hrs                DA


See, not all my journal entries start with chapter and verse!


I started this year (the year 2000, I mean) with writing with two-page front and back entries and collecting them together in addition to what I write in smaller journals like what you usually see here on Thursdays every eight years. And today's title is the title of that particular entry. I went a few days back from today because 1) I apparently didn't write a longhand entry like this on November 16th and 2) It had a cute blurb about Martha in it -- yes, THE Martha I am married to now from a time when marriage or even a relationship with a woman was the furthest thing from my mind!


I'd just come off a mutually agreed breakup, but that's a tale for another day.


This morning after bringing the kids to school after we'd all sat home last night (for a Wednesday night, that's quite unusual -- the kids have choir and usually when I get home Martha has to leave) I headed up to Trinity Hospital to see my mother-in-law Sharon who'd been checked in there last night with an abnormal heartbeat (got up to 171 beats a minute!) and wasn't doing much better after two weeks of congestion. A few medications have been changed, and today Sharon's to be moved from ICU to a hospital bed for the next two days to check her out.


Prayers for her would be greatly appreciated.


Martha, Sarah, Jeffrey, and I didn't go to see her last night because Martha had stayed home from her work yesterday because of a developing boil or spider bite or sore on her left leg (seriously, we won't know what it is until the culture comes back) and the doctor had advised her to keep her leg elevated as much as possible for it's a numb spot. AND Sarah was feeling congested and nasty last night when I got home, so we didn't think taking her out was a good idea. Not sure what Jeffrey had -- forgive me, son -- but especially after eating sloppy joes and fries when I got there I didn't want to go.


Dinner can wipe me out.


This morning I met Robert (Martha's dad and Sharon's husband) and her sisters Mary and Lesa at Trinity Hospital and we were all in to see her. I suppose Martha will see her later today and I plan to bring Sarah and Jeffrey with me -- whether Martha can come with us or not I don't know as it's her night to bowl -- after work tonight if Martha hasn't brought them by already. The kids sounded a lot better than they did last night, hallelujah for that; the big hassle was getting them up and ready for the day.


And sometimes that is true of me too,


David

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