Wednesday, November 29th -

Thanks to my substitute blogger who realized that nothing had been posted for a while. It is true that since Thanksgiving day things in Jackson have been very busy.

The flight went well Thursday - in fact, it arrived fifteen minutes early. Tom and Margaret were whisked to Jackson from Memphis and got settled in at Tommy and Elizabeth's. Thanksgiving dinner was good, and the grandparents have been enjoying playing with the grandkids again.

Tom was ready to go to church Sunday morning, but Margaret was not emotionally ready to go to church just yet, so Tom stayed behind with her. 1st Pres Jackson nevertheless is at the ready to jump in and help Tom and Margaret as they begin to get settled. As mentioned many times before on this blog, the move has been bittersweet - sweet because they are near family - bitter for the neccessity of the move and the friends left behind.

The furniture is . . . . somewhere in Texas? It is a mystery. The truck was supposed to arrive Tuesday. The movers called and said they couldn't make it. The truck was then supposed to arrive today. The movers called Tommy's cell phone and mentioned something about their truck breaking down. The truck is supposed to come tomorrow (30th). It probably won't make it. West Tennessee is supposed to get bad weather tomorrow - thunderstorms. Midday, the temperature is supposed to plummet. Snow and sleet is expected by Thursday evening and into Friday. Hopefully the truck will arrive sometime before 2007! Tom and Margaret are troopers, though, and despite their frustration, they are hanging tough.

The oncologist visit did go very well. Both Tom and Margaret were pleased with the new doc. She will go back to Corinth, MS this coming Monday for a five hour infusion of chemo. Tommy will drive them both to the appointment. On the doctor's front for Tom, both Tommy and Margaret are trying to get him in to see a neurologist in Jackson. They are a reputable group, but getting in to see them is proving to be a little more difficult than desired!

Overall, the move has been good. Margaret is still a bit uneasy and perhaps sad that she had to move from Fair Oaks. She honestly doesn't feel that she was done there yet. She won't come out and say she feels cheated, but our prayers should center around Margaret's acceptance of God's desires for her life. Tom, on the other hand, is relaxed and excited to be "home." He is concerned about the furniture and Margaret's health, but watching him holding little Meredith, and seeing him trying to get out of the way of Drew blowing through a room, confirms the fact that he is truly happy.

The faithful nomad, Abraham, traveled the majority of his adult life following the will of God. He was to receive a promise and blessing from God if he only remained faithful. He would become the father of many nations and the Lord God would never leave him and would always remain faithful and protect Abraham and his family. At the end of his long, stressful, and tiring life, Abraham knew that he had been faithful to God. God DID bless him. God DID bestow upon him that promise, and the scriptures tell us in Genesis that Abraham, in his old age, finally died a good death. His mind was clear. He knew that God had done everything that he had promised. He knew that ALL of his loved ones were taken care of. He ultimately knew that God had been, was, and would continue to be good.

Perhaps it is true that Tom and Margaret are nearing the end of their God-directed journey here in Tennessee. Just like Abraham, may their minds be clear, may God fulfill his promises to them, and may the rest of us, their family, rest in the comfort that we, too will be cared for. And may we be also encouraged to follow in Tom and Margaret's footsteps of faith inspired by our truly good and faithful heavenly Father!

Updates on the truck and snow tomorrow evening! Grace and peace to you all!