Today, Chase, stresses and strains

Today may only be Tuesday but it feels like it should be later in the week. Mama called as I was nearing Amarillo yesterday evening and I told her the drive over was not as fun as I had remembered it in the recent past. I suppose that is because it is no longer our home, but also because my back was hurting. She called the chiropractor to see if there was an opening last night but he was booked up for the evening so I have an appointment tonight. When she is with me the trip always seems more enjoyable.


With the work load at the farm and the need to conserve our money we decided I would travel alone again this time. When I take the company truck they cover the expenses but when I take Mama I have to pay for the gas and food. Right now, it is better to have my company pay the fare so I can continue to but feed and milk replacer.

Chase came over to the motel last night after he got off work. It was almost 8 pm. Sadly, that is my bedtime during the week. We visited for about a half hour and I went to bed soon after we said goodbye. I did get the impression from him that he was not happy in the church here, mostly because of one person, but I explained that in every church you will find that one person that tends to provide repeated uncomfortable moments.

There was an individual in Somerset who delighted in introducing Chase by name followed quickly with the defining additive statement, “he’s adopted”. Why that was a defining characteristic to that person I still do not understand. Similarly, there is an individual at Central that repeatedly teases Chase by treating him as though he had not been to church recently, even though he attends every service. Those members are unavoidable. We have at least one where we attend now. So I advised him to put aside any irritation, consider the source and follow on until God gives him very clear direction to find another church.

Chase was telling me that he got over twenty Christmas cards, many of which he has yet to open. He said he will open a couple and they all say the same thing, “Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year”, or something along that line. So he will look at a few at a time and move on to something else. I share his sentiment in part. I still have not read or looked at the cards received at our home even though they are on display right inside the door.

Maybe my life is too electronically based to see the value of the thought that goes into the giving of the cards. If there were real thought attached to the note, if it were a letter about the significant events of the past year, if there was something personal about the card, maybe I would be more inclined to give them more attention. I do like the ones that have the family picture on them; at least I know who they are from.

As I talked with a friend in the Borger office this morning he noticed how carefully I moved and asked where I was hurting. When I told him he had me lay on the floor on my back. He picked up my left leg and after making sure I was relaxed, he pulled it towards him and I felt my back pop back into place. That was a relief.

With the strain at work, the financial strain at the farm and the continued need for more and more spending to keep things going there as well as in every other obligation we have, I have felt more than a little overwhelmed lately. I am confident we will make it through, but I am ready for some relief. I am convinced that the pain in my back is exacerbated, if not caused by that stress. I will have to find a better way to deal with it until our farm starts to produce as we are anticipating.

I still think working the farm is fun – for the most part.