Winter again, Brittany and Andrew

Mama and I did not make it to church yesterday. The sleet started in the early a .m. and continued until about 9 o’clock. Then everything changed to snow. All in all, we got a little over two inches with about a half inch if ice. It will be great when all of it finally melts and soaks in because we really need the moisture. I did not leave for work this morning until almost 10 a.m. and what I found on the roads from the snow yesterday confirmed our decision to stay home.

We could have possibly made it to church in the morning but our bigger concern was making it home after the morning service. Ice still covered major portions of the road to and through Bowie today. There was only one lane open on the highway to Decatur for about fifteen miles south of Bowie. After that it was clear travel in both lanes. It took about fifteen minutes extra to make it to work this morning so I am pretty certain coming home from Decatur yesterday afternoon would have been traumatic for Mama. The pastor cancelled church that evening.

Saturday afternoon we had all gone to Wichita Falls so we could do a little shopping with Brittany and Andrew. They got in Friday night a little after Mama and I got home from RU. We ate at the Genghis Grill for lunch. Brittany and Andrew had never been there. They enjoyed it. Then we went to Natural Grocers. They just opened a store in Wichita Falls, then on to Sam’s’ and home from there.

When we got home I fired up the grill and cooked a lot of meat for the next several days. Then evening was supposed to be the warmest one for many to come so we lit a fire and grilled some ribs, chicken, steak and shrimp. It was fun even though it was pretty chilly.

I put the grill in the open shed nearest the apartment so I could shield it from the north winds. As the grill got really warmed up it heated the little building to a tolerable level so we all stood around and talked. So it would be more comfortable I started a little fire in a portable pit we have on the farm. By the time I had finished cooking I was on my own, but we made a pretty fun evening of it.

Brittany and Andrew are driving over to Dallas this afternoon to visit with Brittany Pena. I do not know what they are planning but I hope they have a good visit. “Black Brittany” as the twins called her because of her black hair has not had a happy childhood or adolescence. I hope she and our Brittany can reconnect so she can see that there is hope beyond a rocky start in life.

We got some bad news yesterday. One of my great nieces, Honi, a four month old daughter of my niece Angela dies in a horrible accident. Angela, her husband and the baby were in a hotel in Austin for the night. After she finished feeding the baby they all went to sleep. When they woke, the baby had a pillow over its face. It was not breathing and unresponsive. They could not revive it.

The father became so angry and combative that the police had to taze him and eventually arrest him. He blamed Angela for the death of the baby. My mom, who was relating the story to me said my sister Cathy was devastated. She drove to Chappell Hill to tell the story to Mom and spent several hours crying on her shoulder. Mama and I have no idea what that feels like, but the Lord does.

The family needs our prayers.