Done, on the way, diagnostics

Last night Mama, Victoria and I finished our third of three tests to complete this semester of FBI. The test was over very familiar material so it was not too difficult and I am sure that all three of us did well. It is a relief to have a few weeks of Monday evenings free. Classes will resume in late August or early September. That will be the last semester required to complete the program. I am not sure how God will use the certificate in our lives but I am sure He will use the increased knowledge of the Bible over and over again. I am always amazed by the breadth of what we are able to learn in the short weeks of each semester.

I was up this morning at about the time Maggie and Aaron and the kids should have been getting on the ferry in Juneau. I was up for completely unrelated reasons but it was in an unusually opportune timeframe to really pray for them all…especially Aaron. He will have his hands full as they make the 3,000 mile trek to Wilmington from Seattle. They will be on the ferry until sometime on Friday. I am not sure of the distance but it has to be over 800 miles down the inland passage from Juneau to Seattle. Hopefully, they will have time to stop and see the sights along the way. It is difficult to imagine they will ever make the trip again, though it is impossible to say for sure. So, I hope they make the best of it as they go. Maggie has plenty of experience in traveling by car. Not that she always enjoyed it, but she has plenty of experience.

I am scheduled for an MRI at 9:15 tonight. Fortunately, the imaging lab is not too far from us and is in an area that is familiar to us. Mama and I should have no trouble getting there and back. Since it is so late in the evening, we will go early and do some shopping at a couple of local stores while we wait for my turn to get magnified and resonated. The timing is good, because I have an appointment with the chiropractor Wednesday afternoon after work and the receptionist in that office is confident that the images will be available at that appointment. That way, we will know what the path forward will be and I will know how careful I must be in the coming weeks as we implement a strategy for recovery.

Pray for Mama. Between her bad knees and my injured back, she is under quite a load keeping the farm running. The most difficult task is getting the feed to the proper place for dispensing to the animals. Right now, we have feed in several locations being stored for later use. As Mama uses the feed in each barrel it must be refilled. To get the 50# bags of feed to refill the barrels is a chore that I have largely done for her but she is hesitant to have me do it right now – I am not sure why – but it still needs to get done. I know we will be able to work it out and when needed, the Lord will supply the help, but she is stressing over it none-the-less.

I have hurt this badly in the past and a time or two, much worse. I think, from Mama’s perspective, it is different because the cause has been roughly diagnosed. From my perspective, it is a little different because I am not only dealing with the constant pain (nothing new) but also with the neural impingement issues – and the light headedness; which is still undiagnosed. When I am not paying close attention, I find myself stumbling like a ninety-year-old. So, I pay attention and hope the recovery is not long.

I need to get together with an instructor and learn Thai chi. If I start now and continue for the next thirty years or so, maybe I can get some of my flexibility back…maybe.