In case you are wondering, we are still having a HEAT WAVE. Everything is dry and dying. When I opened the blinds overlooking the back porch this morning I noticed the first humming birds I've seen at our feeder. They must be desperate. There is nothing blooming and the solution in the feeder is old. Cleaning the feeder and stirring up fresh solution will be one of my first tasks of the morning. Our predicted high for today is 105. We're praying for cooler temperatures and rain, not just for our relief, but for the many who have no shelter, no cool air in their homes and for those who depend on the ground for a living.

We have been busy lately trying to work out a new schedule for ourselves and for our helpers. It is no longer necessary for us to have people come in five mornings a week and there are differing opinions about just how much help we need. I tend to be like a toddler proclaiming to all who are in earshot: "I can do it myself." Tom wonders why someone needs to stay with him at all and why can't he just go with me when I have shopping to do. Others tell me I need a little time to myself. In the end we/I will have to make the decision and trust that it's the right one.

Tom still has good days and bad days and sometimes days are a mixture of both bad and good. Last Sunday I preached in a neighboring town for a friend of ours. Monday, when I reflected on the day, I was surprised to realize just how "normal" the day seemed. At first Tom was a little shaky, but was quietly insistent that he was going with me. Everything about getting to the church, talking to the lay reader about the service, conversations after the service could have happened ten years ago when I was doing supply preaching. A funny thing happened while we were looking for the church. We had been there with our friend a few months ago, but had driven to the church from his house, not from the highway into town. Instinctively I knew where the church was, but not actually, if that makes sense. We drove around a few minutes and on our second pass by 1st Baptist, I followed a man in truck into the parking lot and parked beside him. Tom got out, spoke to the man and asked if he could ask a "friendly Baptist where to find the Presbyterian church." That was typically the Tom before Parkinson's; the post-Parkinson's Tom is usually upset by things like not finding the church when your wife is due there to preach. The afternoon was relaxing and we went to Tommy's to keep the youngest while everyone else went to the youth kick-off event. It was a great day--one I'll remember. Great days with Parkinson's are rare.

We have also had some good times this week being productive in our house. After living here nine months I have finally realized that just as Rome wasn't built in a day, so a house cannot be put in order in a day if the order depends on two like we are. We both get tired; Tom gets distracted and forgets where he puts things; I get frustrated when I can't get it all done at one time. Almost every day in the past week we have worked part of the day on the details and the sense of accomplishment is good. In another nine months the house might be ready--if we quit having to have things fixed. This morning we discovered water in front of the dishwasher--there's a leak somewhere.

It was hoped that my visit to the orthopedist this week would be the last, but I'm scheduled for one more appointment in October. The ankle has knit together, but the healing is still not complete. I was cautioned to be very careful lest I do something to make it snap. The "granny shoe brace" will stay with me when I'm away from home or doing much walking or work that might cause me to lose my balance. Needless to say, I hold on with both hands when I encounter stairs.

I've said it before and I'll continue saying: we are very blessed. We have faith, family, friends. God gives us good times to enjoy and patience and endurance on the bad days. "Great is God's faithfulness."

Blessings,

Pastor Margaret