A smack to the back of the head

On the whole, I would say that I do not encourage violence.  (My little sister, Annie, may disagree.  When we were young, I used to tell her that if she hit me, I would hit her back twice as hard) :)  However, sometimes I feel there are certain people who need to have some sense knocked into them.
Today was one of those times...

This weekend in Garden City there was a home and garden show, so Taylor and I decided to go over and look around and then run a few errands and catch a matinee movie. With today being kind of snowy and cold, it was a perfect way to spend the day.

After going through the home and garden show, Taylor and I stopped to eat some lunch.  Not long after we sat down, a mom and her daughter came in to the restaurant. The girl was probably around 14.  The mom sat with her back to me but I could see the girl, and I noticed that she was constantly texting/checking her phone. A few minutes later the dad came in and joined them.  If someone were to only steal a single, quick glance at all three of them sitting together, they would see a family at a table with their heads bowed.  It would be easy to assume they were praying. But a one extra glance would prove that assumption to be false.  Every single one of them, from the time each sat down, was looking at their phones...THE WHOLE TIME.  During the entire time Taylor and I ate, I bet they didn't say five words to each other.  Heck, I wouldn't even have to use all the fingers on one hand to count the number of times they looked at each other. It was the worst display of family-togetherness I have ever seen.  I was appalled.  Part of me wanted to walk up to their table and smack them all across the back of the head and point out the valuable, precious moments they were squandering.
I told Taylor that it is amazing to me how we claim technology and social medias allow us to stay connected - but connected to whom?  To a random person we barely know who took time to "like" our status/picture rather than to the people sitting across from us - the people who should be the most important part of our lives?
Don't get me wrong, I think Facebook and technology are great, but only when they are used responsibly. Even I need to work on that occasionally.  But as a nation and a culture, I find it remarkably sad how messed up our priorities have become.

I will say at least their idiocy provided Taylor and I a great opportunity to talk about how we want to interact as a family and stipulations we want to have on phone usage during family time.  There's always a positive side. :)  I guess since hitting complete strangers would be frowned upon, I'll say a prayer for them.

All in all it was a wonderful, relaxing day, and I was glad to get to spend it with my best friend. :)

Western Kansas Fact:  During winter storms, the power lines out here jump around like four-year-olds on a trampoline.  Maybe I've just never paid attention before moving out here, but anytime we've had snowy/icy/windy weather, the power lines get to swinging and bouncing dramatically.  This morning, as the mist froze to the lines, they were really moving.

You should be a light for other people.  Live so that they will see the good things you do and will praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16
This scripture stuck out for me while I was writing this blog because I as I thought about the family at the restaurant, I was reminded that others constantly see our actions.  I need to make sure I'm not just living my life to please myself, but to please God.  As long as I am living for Him, no matter what I do and no matter who sees my life, I'll be able to be proud of my actions.

Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the weekend, and be sure to enjoy your loved ones!
Lyndee

Assumptions and Adoptions

As humans, I'm not sure why we assume things.  Normally it just leads us to make fools of ourselves, and yet we continue to do it.  This weekend some small assumptions got the better of Taylor and me, and it reminded me that communication, even about the little, mundane things, helps build better relationships.
On Saturday morning Taylor asked me what I had planned for the day.  I listed off some of the things I wanted to get accomplished - cleaning the bathroom, cleaning the calf pens, sweeping floors, etc.
 - I should interject here that, normally, I think Taylor knows me better than I know myself.  One thing he understands about me is, sometimes, if I don't feel like I've accomplished very much in a day, my attitude can suffer a little (this is something I need to work on). Anyway -
Taylor assumed that accomplishing these tasks would be my first priority. However my assumptions were that I would help Taylor check our cows and go with him when he went through them to decide the best ways to sort them for the sale next weekend.  Then, in any down time I planned to work on my list of cleaning.
Long story, short, Taylor went to check the cows without me while I was cleaning the bathroom.  He assumed I didn't want to go, and I assumed he'd stop by the house before he went so I could go with him. In the end we both just ended up missing an opportunity to spend time together. So my newest personal-improvement goal is to quit making assumptions.

We got some exciting news on Friday.  After interviewing several people for the past couple weeks, the feedyard finally filled the accounting assistant job. Roshel has been doing this job while they were looking for the right person to hire, and I've been going in every morning to help her as well.  So I'm pretty sure out of anybody, Roshel and I are the most excited.

In between working at the feedyard, writing and taking care of cattle, I've started training again for the half marathon in Nashville at the end of April.  Roshel and I and several friends are all going together.  So far the training is going well, but I definitely had to talk myself into running 6 miles today.  It has been really windy.  I hate the wind, but I told myself that it would just make all the other runs seem a lot easier. It also helps to know that my friend Sarah is on the same training schedule and that she would be running today as well.  It helps keep me accountable.  By the time I got halfway done, I was feeling pretty good and enjoying myself.  I'm glad I didn't allow my negative thoughts to limit me and keep me from accomplishing something I could be proud of.

Last week my little sister, Annie, turned 21, so Annie, me, Katie, and our friend Julie decided to have a girls' night.  I went up and met them all in Manhattan for a night on the town. We spent the rest of the weekend at Mom and Dad's and had friends over for a card party on Saturday night. Love spending time with my family.

Found myself giving horsey rides while at Mom and Dad's.  Mom's floor is really hard  -  or my knees are old already. :)

I like getting mail, especially cards, notes, coupons from Victoria Secret, etc. If only I could get more of that mail and less bills... :) Anyway, I was really excited about one letter I got in the mail the other day.  It was from Albania!  At Christmas, on my wish list I asked for money to "adopt" a World Vision child.  Basically you pay a small amount every month to help give a child a better life.  I adopted a four-year-old boy named Gerald from Albania.  (There are so many kids to choose from, I had no idea how I could pick one.  I remember staring at the computer, asking God to help me.  Then I saw a picture of this little boy who reminded me of my nephew...God hears even the smallest prayers.)  :)  I got my first letter from him and his family. I learned about their family and that Gerald is in Kindergarten and loves to play with toy cars.  It was a great reminder that we should worry less about having things, and more about helping others.

Western Kansas Fact: Fog seems to have a weird effect on sparrows out here. One night after getting some snow, tons of little sparrows lined the road.  Then when we drove by, instead of flying away or up over vehicles like they normally do, the birds flew low to the ground right in front of oncoming traffic.  Many met an untimely end.  I don't know if they get confused about which way is up, or if they're just depressed by the fog and decide to commit suicide.

This scripture and lesson meant a lot to me, especially as Easter draws near.
Who is more important: the one sitting at the table or the one serving?  You think the one at the table is more important, but I am like a servant among you. Luke 22:27
The lesson that went with this scripture told me that hours before Christ was to die, He wasn't concerned about Himself.  He was concerned with proving His love to His disciples - to us.  The Lord, Almighty, got down on His knees and washed the dirt off their feet to show that His love serves us, even despite our sins.

Have a wonderful week!
Lyndee

Guns 'n Roses

Although it may be safe to say that I most likely was not Annie Oakley in a former life, maybe I could have been her second cousin or something.  Today after church Taylor and I drove to Garden City and met up with a couple of our friends, Jeremy and Carole, before driving out to a shooting range.  I've only shot a gun a few times (although as a 10 year old I could take out a pyramid of pop cans with our BB gun like no other), but I think I did fairly well.  We started off shooting pistols.  I pretty much hit where I aimed.  Mostly I was just glad to see that if I needed to defend myself, I should at least be able to do so.
At one point while I was shooting, I asked Taylor what I should aim for that time - the target's head or chest.  Carole chimed in and said I should aim for a more... sensitive area.  We'll just say by the time I was done, the target was thoroughly de-manned. :)
It was a fun way to spend the afternoon!

Yesterday I spent the morning cleaning the house, but right after lunch we had to take a heifer that was calving into the vet.  She was having problems, and the vet ended up doing a C-section. That was the first time I'd ever seen one done, and it was pretty interesting to watch. Thankfully he saved both the heifer and the calf, and they are doing well.  That same day we had three other heifers calve, but they were able to get the job done on their own.

On Wednesday our Lenten period of no TV began.  I'll admit the first night seemed a little weird.  A lot of times I turn the TV on just because I like the background noise while I'm cooking, so it was pretty quiet around the house.  At first I questioned the wise-ness of our decision to give up TV.  Without any other distractions Taylor thought picking on his wife might be a good alternative form of entertainment. :)  Admittedly we do like to tease each other, so it wasn't so far out of the ordinary. :) I am a little interested to see what types of conversations we end up having before Easter.  The first night during/after supper we had a fairly long discussion about the brussel sprouts I had fixed.  Taylor was afraid they might cause undesired effects on a person's digestive system. :)  I think we're going to have to find some better conversation topics, but at least there's never a dull moment!

For the rest of the week, not having TV was pretty easy.  Thursday was busy with Valentine's Day. Taylor and I decided we would stay home and cook a nice meal together.  And I'm pretty sure the meal we made would have easily beaten any we could have got at a restaurant nearby.  We had ribeyes that had marinated all afternoon with bernaise sauce, lobster bisque, bacon wrapped asparagus, puffs, chocolate dipped strawberries and champagne. It was pretty amazing!

Our beautiful center arrangement was the roses my sweet husband had delivered to me at the feedyard while I was working earlier that day.

 We went out to eat with Taylor's parents, Carole and Jeremy, and some other friends on Friday.  Saturday evening we relaxed around the house, and today we were gone to the shooting range.  I think it will only get easier from here, but I am excited for Daylight Savings in March.  It will be nice when we can spend more time outside during the evening. I can't wait to get into my garden!

Western Kansas Fact: Water will probably be the biggest issue for this area within the next 20 years. It doesn't rain enough out here to truly support all the farming (especially the corn crops), feedyards, people, etc.  The only way it works is because of the huge water reserve underground, the Ogallala Aquifer, that supports the crop irrigation and other water uses.  However a lot of the aquifer has been used up, so preserving the water base and allocating water use will someday soon have a great effect on every person in the area.

As spring gets closer, one scripture that spoke to me has been:  People harvest only what they plant.  Galatians 6:7

This scripture lesson reminded me that if I want a life of joy and happiness, peace and contentment, then every day I need to be planting seeds of hope, optimism, and patience.  But if I allow myself to be negative, irritable and impatient, my life will reflect it.  Planting is something that is done consciously, so even if I don't have the best attitude or outlook one particular day, I can still make an effort to plant good seeds in my life and the life of others, and one day I will reap the benefits from it.

Have a great week!
Lyndee

Joy Even in Sadness

Plans change. I don't always accept it well, but that's the fact of the matter. I'm not an impulsive person, and frequently I need time just to think over those changes so I can adjust.  More than once I've had to remind myself that I can still have a great day even if I'm not able to do everything on my "to-do" list because we had to change our plans for the day.
But there are occasions when it's pretty easy to accept change.  When Mom called me earlier this weekend and told me Grandpa wasn't doing very well, I made plans to come back early next weekend.  I figured I would drive up Thursday and spend the day with her and Grandpa and stay for the rest of the weekend.  But when she called me to say that she didn't think Grandpa would last til next weekend, I quickly and easily changed my plans.  So I left early yesterday morning and drove back to Holton.  My mom and her sisters were all already there as well as my sisters. I walked into Grandpa's room at the nursing home at 2:00 p.m. and around 2:20 p.m., he left this world. I was glad I got to tell him goodbye.

You know, I can't even be sad that Grandpa is gone because ever since Grandma died 6 years ago, he didn't want to be here anymore. He wanted to be with her, and now he is. I know he's happy now. Mom and her sisters said they could just imagine him and Grandma dancing together in heaven - they loved to dance together. I'm a little jealous, too because Grandpa is getting to eat some of Grandma's amazing cooking again.  She was a fabulous cook.

So that all the family can make it in, we're waiting until Saturday for the funeral.  I went ahead and drove back home today and Taylor and I will go back together next Friday.

Donald Whitesell - Feb. 3, 2013.  We will miss you.

During hard times, it becomes so very clear how blessed our family is.  Before the night was over we already had three families come by to bring food, offer their condolences and tell us that if we needed anything, all we needed to do was ask.

Not to mention the four little kids in our family can help bring joy to any situation. Kolden is ornery, but he cracks me up all the time.  After coming back from the nursing home, Mom, Katie, Annie and I were going to take a short walk up in the pasture.  Kolden was going to stay and help Dad feed the bucket calf.  We had just started walking up the path, when I heard some very heavy breathing behind us.  We turned around to see Kolden running as hard as his little four-year-old legs could carry him, sounding like a winded rhinoceros. As soon as we stop, he said, "I was trying to catch up to you, but you were going so fast!"  When we asked Kolden if he told Grandpa where he was going, he paused to think as if the thought had never occurred to him.  We called Dad to let him know he didn't have to worry in case he was wondering where his grandson went.  Then for half the walk Kolden rode piggy back on me, hollering "giddy-up" and telling me that horses don't talk, whenever I started to say something.
Just seeing Rowan can melt your heart.  That night she had these adorable little pig tails in, and later that evening when I put in "Brave" for them to watch, she wanted me to hold her because she was scared of "that mean bear."  We ended up snuggling on the couch as we watched it.  Kallan joined us, too, and we all curled up under a blanket together.  Dawson is growing so quickly, but having a little, warm baby curl up by your neck can make any day better.

I may be biased, but I'm pretty sure you'd be hard pressed to find a cuter little girl with pigtails.

At home, I now have three little babies of my own - baby calves.  Cookie, Milo and Sweet (If you've seen the Disney movie Atlantis, you'll know where I got my names.)  These some of the nicest little calves I've had in a while.  I keep telling Taylor we need to build a small barn with pens so when they get bigger I can move them to larger pens and continue to keep them and wean them. :)

Western Kansas Fact: Even if it's different than where you grew up, Western Kansas can easily become your home. (Although as long as I am with Taylor, I could probably feel at home anywhere.)

A scripture that spoke to me recently was:
The Lord is close to everyone who prays to him, to all who truly pray to him. Psalm 145:18

God reminded me several days ago that He doesn't expect us to be perfect before He'll answer our prayers.  We had a heifer that had trouble calving not too long ago, so we had to rope her and load her onto a trailer to take her to the vet.  It took a while to get her, and the whole time I was praying that God would somehow help the calf survive until we could get it out.  But at the same time, I kept thinking that we should have come out sooner to check on the heifers then maybe we could have caught her more quickly and had  a better chance of saving the calf.  Honestly by the time we got the heifer to the vet, I was all but certain the calf would be dead.  But God doesn't expect us to be perfect.  He just wants us to come to Him earnestly and pray to Him, inviting Him into our lives.  He answered our prayers, and we pulled a live calf.  Now they are both back out in the pasture and doing well.



Find joy in everything.
Lyndee
 

No TV

It's pretty amazing to me how our tastes/perceptions of things change as we get older. I used to hate peanuts of all kinds, even if they were covered in chocolate like peanut M&Ms.  But I've outgrown that dislike. Heck, cover anything in chocolate now and, odds are, I'm going to like it.  I used to think running was some weird form of torture, but now I really do get a lot of enjoyment out of it and most other forms of exercise although it does take me a while to get motivated sometimes.

As kids, "no TV" was a punishment, but even that view has changed. Earlier this year Taylor suggested we give up watching TV for Lent.  We're not actually Catholic, but for several years I have given things up for Lent just because I think it's a good practice to find ways to bring Christ into my life, and this is a way for me to make a small sacrifice to honor the sacrifice He made for me.

Anyway, when Taylor suggested giving up TV, I wasn't disappointed like I would have been if I was still 6 years old and forbidden from watching Looney Tunes on Saturday mornings. 

 Actually I was pretty excited about the idea. Lately I've been thinking about the different ways we might spend our evenings.  One thing I need to do is call a guy to tune my piano.  Without the TV, maybe I'll be a lot more inclined to practice in after supper! Heck, who knows, maybe I'll even write blogs a little more frequently! I've also need to make sure I've got some good books on hand.  I love to read, but haven't allowed myself the luxury the last few months.  When I get started on a really good book, I have a hard time putting it down, and my priorities tend to become a little skewed. So sometimes it's just easier to avoid the temptation all  together.
For a while I thought the thing I would miss the most about not having TV would be not getting to listen to the national news in the morning as I get ready.  But it seems there's so much junk on the news anymore, maybe it will be a relief instead of a hardship.

Once our "no TV" time is over, Taylor and I have planned to make the first thing we watch be The Passion of the Christ.  I figured it would be a good choice since it would be Easter and the reason we gave up TV in the first place.

Living out away from most of my family and friends, we don't always have a lot of visitors.  But last week was special because two good friends of mine, Bethany and Morgan Parker, stopped by on their way to Colorado, and then my sister Annie and her boyfriend, Abe, came out to visit for the weekend.

Bethany & Me - so great to have such wonderful visitors take time out of their busy schedule to stop by.
(Annie and I are terrible at remembering to take picture so I don't actually have any with her from her visit - guess we were too busy watching Disney movies and other fun things) :)

Annie and I decided one of the first things we needed to do together was watch the new Disney movie Brave - so good, I highly recommend!!  I don't think we will ever outgrow Disney movies.  One day when I have kids, I'll probably use them as an excuse to watch these movies more often. :)
The rest of the weekend was wonderful, too, and I cherish any time I get to have my loved ones with me.

Time sure flies when you're having fun ... staying busy. Before Christmas one of the girls in the office at the feedyard found a job closer to home and the other one retired.  My mother-in-law, Roshel, has been filling in full-time and I've been helping out quite a bit as well to keep the office running smoothly.  Hopefully we'll get someone hired soon.

Western Kansas Fact:  There is A LOT of truck traffic down here (especially by my house).  With all the cattle coming in and out of the area, plus all the corn, hay, etc. needed to feed them being moved constantly (and all the other regular goods that are hauled around), there are semis everywhere.

Martha was distracted by much serving...But Mary had chosen that good part which will not be taken away from her.  Luke 11:40-42.
This was a scripture I read recently, and it's one I definitely need to be reminded of often.  I love to make "To Do" lists and mark things off them.  Sometimes I get so concerned with "getting things done" I fail to take time to enjoy the things I should, especially the everyday little gifts God gives to me.  I need to remember that my world shouldn't solely revolve around whatever my plans are for the day.  God's plans may differ from mine, and I don't want to miss out on the good things He has lined up for me because they weren't on my list of things to do.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! Also, if anyone else thinks they would like to give up TV for Lent, I'd love to hear how the experience goes for you!  I'll be sure to write about what it is like for us.

Lyndee

Wanted and Unwanted House Guests

As kids we had quite a few rules around the house.  No dating until you were 16; you were only allowed to talk for 10 minutes on the house phone; no jumping on the beds; no singing at the table (I'm pretty sure Dad made this one up out of sheer annoyance); and no animals in the house.  I distinctly remember sneaking a kitten in under my shirt one time as a little girl, but I was afraid I would get caught so after maybe 30 seconds to a minute, I took it back outside.
However there was one exception - any baby farm animal (calves or pigs at our house) was allowed on the back porch in extreme emergencies.  Once in a while a calf would be born in really bad, cold weather, and we would bring it onto the porch to warm it up so it didn't freeze to death.

These same rules for animals apply in my house, too, and before Christmas my back porch met it's first baby calf.  Taylor and I have some heifers out on cornstalks near the house, and of course two decided to calve the day a snowstorm came through.  The first one was born early in the day, several hours before the snow hit, so it was up and going well by the time the weather turned bad.
The other one was born only a couple hours before it started snowing, and the weather was hitting it hard.  Taylor and I went out to check on the heifers and their calves right after it started snowing.  At that point the wind was blowing pretty hard, but the snow was still fairly light.  We drove the two miles to the field and found the newest calf.
I should preface that heifers are not always the smartest when it comes to having a calf.  It's their first baby, and some of them just don't know what to do to take good care of it, but this heifer seemed to be doing alright.  She had cleaned her baby off, and was laying next to it, blocking it from the wind.  Unfortunately the calf never had the chance to get completely dry before the really cold and wet conditions hit, and he was suffering.  We tried to stand him up and dry him off some more, but he hadn't yet gotten up on his own, and his legs were so cold he couldn't straighten them properly.  To make it worse, since he hadn't stood up, he hadn't nursed, and he was quickly getting weaker. We decided we would have to take him back to the house, or he would never make it in the storm.

Before we left with him we wanted to check on the other baby.  We weren't as concerned about this one.  It had gotten fully dried off, eaten and had been up and going.  But as we started to drive to find this other calf, the snow started coming with a vengeance.  It was pretty much whiteout conditions.  We got about half way across the field before we realized we wouldn't be able to see the second calf in this weather, and if we didn't hurry up and get back to the other calf, we might not be able to find it.  We had to use the fence as our guideline just to make it back to the general area of the first calf.  We drove past it the first time without seeing it, but luckily as we turned around and drove back, we could just barely make the cow out in the blowing snow.  We got the calf, loaded it in the truck and started heading back to the house.  The two mile trip took longer than we hoped.  It was at this point Taylor's truck heater quit working, the windshield started frosting over, and I ended up sticking my head out the window to watch the white line so I could tell Taylor where he was at on the road. Finally we made it back.
At home we dried off the calf (who we dubbed "Frosty"), laid out some plastic on the back porch and brought him inside. My hair dryer came in handy to help warm him up more quickly.  It took a little bit, but after we got some milk in his belly and his body warmed up, he started recovering quickly.  After maybe an hour he was working to get up on his own and start walking.  At that point we were able to move him back out to our garage.  The next morning we took him back out to his mom.  She was a  little confused as to whether the calf was hers or not and it took her most of the day for her to start acting like Frosty's mom again.  But he's done well ever since.

I did have a few other unwanted visitors in my house while Taylor and I were gone over Christmas weekend.  Apparently our house has shifted a little and our front door isn't closing as tightly as it should. When we left, we must not have got the door shut properly and the strong wind that started blowing Christmas morning blew our door open.  Our cats took advantage of the situation.  Thankfully Taylor's dad stopped by that morning, saw the door was open and got the cats out. Although we had to wipe a few things down, they didn't make too much of a mess and they didn't leave any surprises anywhere! :) 

Even with the cats jaunt in the house, it was a wonderful Christmas.  Taylor and I were blessed to get some very nice gifts, but more importantly we had a wonderful time with our families!

This was one of my favorite pictures from Christmas with my family.  My sister is such a goof, and I love her for it!

Western Kansas Fact:  The stars are brighter out here.  It may partially be the higher elevation and/or simply that the sky is so wide open, but you can see a lot more stars out here.  They fill the night skies.

One of my favorite scriptures recently has been:
He gave up his place with God and made himself nothing.  He was born to be a man and became like a servant. Philippians 2:7
I loved this scripture because it reminds me that God, Ruler of the universe, left His throne and came to earth simply because He loves us.  And He didn't come to earth to rule over us, but to serve us and die for us so that we may truly see what love is.  I pray that we may choose to love and serve the Lord, simply because He loved and served us first, even when we didn't deserve it.

Here's wishing 2013 is a wonderful year for every one of you!
Lyndee

Christmas means...

I know I'm not alone in this - but I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!  I love celebrating the birth of Christ and what his birth meant for the human race; I love making Christmas goodies (well, actually it's a love/hate relationship - I hate the fact that I can't resist them once I've made them, and that they make my pants fit more snugly) :); I love Christmas decorations, especially Christmas lights!; I love watching corny Hallmark Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music nonstop, etc.

This past weekend I went back to Mom and Dad's to help kick off the Christmas season.  My hometown has a Christmas lights parade at the beginning of the Dec.  This year we talked to our friends who own the little coffee shop on the square and asked if we could bring in our sound equipment and do a Christmas show in conjunction with the buffet they were doing the night of the parade. They were happy to let us, so the past couple times I've been home my mom, sisters and our good friend Connie have all gotten together and practiced singing.  I think the practicing is my favorite part.  We all just relax and enjoy making music together.

Us girls had fun putting on fancy dresses and singing to the crowd that night.  My favorite part about singing is when you're able to look out and see smiling faces, and you know the audience is having as much fun as you are.

Mostly I thought last weekend would just be a great way for me to get in the Christmas spirit, but I got more than that.

Several years ago some neighbors, Ray and Sandy, moved in a couple miles from my mom and dad.  We got to be pretty good friends, but my dad was especially close to Ray.  Lately Ray had started having a lot of health issues.  For years he had persistent urinary problems, but hadn't gone to the doctor about them.  Eventually this led to one of his kidneys completely failing and the other was only partially working.  Around the same time he had blood clots in his legs, and they found he had a heart arrhythmia.  Needless to say he wasn't doing well, and he was in a lot of pain. 

On Saturday morning my mom, dad, Katie, Kyle and I were all coming back from my great, great uncle's funeral when Sandy called.  Ray was having a lot of trouble breathing and she wanted to know if we could help get him in the car so she could take him to the emergency room.  When we got there, Mom (who's a nurse) said she wouldn't take the risk of moving him in a personal vehicle because she wouldn't have any equipment to help him if something happened, so we called an ambulance.  Katie, Kyle and I stood outside and directed the ambulance where to go.  After a while they wheeled Ray out and before they loaded him up, he waved to Katie and I who were standing together.  They took him straight to Topeka, and we went home and waited to hear some news.  Right before the show, we got a call.  They said Ray was coding, and dad left to go be with Sandy.  We all decided that we still needed to go perform, so we went ahead and went to the coffee shop.  

Right before the show we got a call that Ray had passed away.  He was only 68.

Mom and Dad stopped by to be with Sandy after the show for a while.  

Sandy told mom that before Ray died, she had been wiping his brow with a washcloth and all of a sudden he said that he couldn't see. She asked him what he meant, and then he said, "I see God."  "Then go to God," Sandy said.  He took one last breath and then went to meet the Lord.

Sandy said Ray believed in God, but didn't have a strong faith.  I thank God that He gave Sandy the peace of knowing where her husband was going.  

And I think this story offers a lot of hope.  

God doesn't expect us to be perfect or to have a perfect faith. Instead He looks at us with all our imperfections and sins, and He loves us still.  He never gives up on us.  Even up to the last moment, He will reach out His hand and invite us to be with Him.  And it all can happen because of Christ's birth.

So I pray this Christmas, we all can understand and appreciate what this season really means.  And please treasure this time with your family, and pray for those who are feeling the absence of their loved ones.

Lyndee