Timing, little things

It is often surprising that the 24 hours we are allotted per day seem insufficient to accomplish all that needs to be done on that particular day. In thinking back over yesterday, I cannot see any way I could have squeezed more activity into the hours I was given but I did not nearly get done all that I had intended to do. Over my lunch hour I worked on the stands I am making for Mama and her peers. As soon as I was allowed to clock out from work, I started working outside on the long list of little nagging chores – weeding the garden, trimming around the house,  planting some new plants Mama brought back from a visit to Kimberlyn’s parents, feeding and watering our animals, untangling the hose Mama had knotted up so it would be ready when needed, trimming the blackberry bushes to give us access to the ripening berries, cleaning the shop so I can have a clean work area to apply the finish to the stands I am making, and on and on.

None of those are big items but together they represent hours of work and even though I worked through the evening I was able to accomplish little toward closing out the chores on that list. I spent the evening completely soaked. Not because of the effort required in the work I was doing, but because of the hot, still, muggy weather. It is hard for me to admit that I am getting slower – much slower – and I was hoping to talk to the cardiologist about the possibility that the medications I am currently taking are contributing to that lack of vitality, but alas that did not happen.

When I showed up at the doctor’s office for my appointment Tuesday afternoon, so that I might possibly get some answers, I was told that my regular doctor had not sent the required authorization for the appointment. The cardiologist was willing to see me, but I would be responsible for the full cost of the appointment – and any tests done during that appointment. I walked away - very unhappy with my regular doctor’s office. Insurance requires a referral to any other doctor than my regular doctor. The last time I agreed to move ahead without that referral in place, insurance refused to pay. That visit cost me $1500 out of pocket. I was unwilling to take that risk regardless of the assurances of the office staff urging me to keep the appointment. So, I still do not have the answers I need because some little thing did not get done properly.

Now Mama tells me that as she was mowing, she must have run over something that caused the mower blades to lock up on her so she parked the mower by my shop so I could repair it. All that to my list of little things. Her advice to me was “Just run it up on some blocks so you can untangle whatever wrapped around the blades.” In her mind it should be an easy fix. It’s just a little thing.

Such is life. The Bible tells us that the “little foxes spoil the vines.” What that means is that the “little things” in our lives generally cause us the most problems. For instance, Mama is very proactive about filling up her vehicle at or near the half tank level. She does so immediately when she sees the set level being approached. She does not wait until tomorrow or a more convenient time, because tomorrow the price of the gas required to fill the tank will cost more that right now. A little thing but she will chide herself for if she does not get the less expensive gas right then because she will definitely pay more if she waits. This is the life we are living right now. Praise the Lord, we will make it through with His help!

Maggie let Mama know yesterday that they have secured a house. They will rent for a while so that they can explore at their leisure the areas near Aarons’ duty station and decide on the best location for a home purchase. The cost to secure the rental was rather large, but that is the market today. Essentially, the same thing is happening with Brittany and Andrew. I am sure things will work out well enough, but we have to work within the market as it operates today, as unfortunate as that might be for those of us are on the buying or renting side of the equation.

Blake, along with his mommy and daddy, continues to make the necessary adjustments to meet the demands of his diabetic condition. Cori tells us that there are times when he refrains from eating because he tires of the injections, translate that “shots”, needed to maintain a beneficial blood sugar level, but for the most part, he is managing as well as can be expected. I cannot know for sure, but I suspect that the constant monitoring and adjusting becomes exasperating for Blake. Couple that with the fact that his mom and dad think about his needs almost more than he does – and are therefore constantly reminding him of the necessary adjustments to be made – and you can start to see how irritating a little thing like insulin can become. When actions are required between six and ten times per day, that is a lot to handle for an eleven-year-old.

Cori and Nate are fully aware of this aspect of Blake’s condition (the emotional side of things) and I know they are gentle in their reminders, but constant ever so gentle reminders can still overwhelm the emotions of a young boy who for just a few minutes wants to feel “normal.”  

They appreciate your prayers for this ongoing need.