Somewhere Over the Rainbow.....Bridge



Didn't we just do this?

Wednesdays sure do roll around quickly these last days of summer.

We are about to enter one of my favorite months, September,

the month I like to refer to as the Gateway to Autumn.

And it's almost my birthday and I feel greatly blessed to still be among the living...

...although I think I've aged about 10 years since my last one. 😒 

~

It's also time for Terri's Wednesday Medley...

Terri has been just a tad preoccupied for the past couple of days.

She now has a brand new knee!

Sending much love and prayers to you, dear Terri!

May you have a quick and complete recovery, sweet friend.

By the way, if you feel as good as your Facebook photo looks like you do,

then praise the Lord!

~

There are no Medley questions today...

...it's up to us to share a bit about a beloved fur baby (or babies) that have passed on.

So today, August 28, is a day set aside to remember these beloved pets...

...or more specifically, passed over the Rainbow Bridge.

Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day - August 28

from the web

It's a comforting thought to believe this is what really happens when a pet dies, isn't it?

There are many thoughts and beliefs out there as whether we will see them again in heaven.

Since I am not a Bible scholar, I don't have a clear answer, only what I hope to be true.

We are told in the scriptures that heaven will be filled with all things wonderful.

There are many places online to search for answers on this topic but until we get there,

we will just have to wait and see, won't we?

I did, however, find this Q & A on the Billy Graham Evangelical Association site

and I really thought it answered the question well. 

Q: Will there be animals in heaven?

A: God has a special reason and place for each of His created beings. Animals, too, have a purpose in God’s creation. Man, as the highest order of creation, has been given dominion over the animal kingdom (Genesis 1:26-28).

We believe that animals were intended for man’s enjoyment and use. The Bible itself does not indicate that there is life after death for animals. It may be that God’s purpose for animals is fulfilled on this earth. However, if animals would make us happier in heaven, surely there will be a place for them there.

Some Bible interpreters have called attention to Isaiah’s description of the peace of God’s future kingdom where he says that “the wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox” (Isaiah 65:25). Heaven will lack nothing that is good and that will bring glory to God.

 ~

So animals, in general, most likely will be there...but will we see or recognize our pets?

Only our Creator knows the answer to that question.

Although it's a comforting thought to believe that we will see our beloved pets in heaven,

I also know that if that is not going to happen, I won't be sad.

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Revelation 21:4
~

Over the years, we have lost several pets, be it by old age or getting hit by a car.

The latter is a most heartbreaking experience.

Our sweet boy, Hunter

But it was when we lost our precious Hunter in 2015, that was most devastating.

It was quite sudden and completely unexpected,

the night before we were to fly to Florida for a vacation.

I wrote about it on my blog and you can read about it here if you like.

~

So now that I'm all sad and everything, I will say goodbye for now.

Oh...I almost forgot...by the time some of you may be reading this post,

I'll be taking one of the best naps (via Propofol) that you could ever have....short but v-e-r-y relaxing.

I am getting my new and improved, long-lasting (so they say) stent this morning.

That's the plan anyway...but y'all know how my plans go. 😏

More excitement is on the horizon but I will share about that later...

...hmm...I wonder what it could be.....???

A High Flying Medley

 Hello and Happy Wednesday!

I hope your week is going great so far.
It seems the summer is flying by (pun intended)...but you know me,
I'm always ready for fall to appear!
In the meantime, we have been enjoying an abundance of beautiful butterflies.
How about in your neck of the woods?



Also, this summer we've been feeding a few neighborhood feral kitties.
They are so tame and act as though they live here (I guess they kinda do)...
...still not getting close enough to pet...but almost!



Isn't he a handsome boy?



Here's Mama and two of her three babies.
The other one hangs out on my next door neighbor's back deck most of the time.



Isn't it odd that one looks Siamese?

And this little one keeps hanging on to Mama, sharp little teeth and all.
I really want to catch the mama to take her for spaying but haven't done so yet.
Not sure what to do about the babies ...it's what you call a darling dilemma.
~
So much is going on here...more about that later.
But since it's Wednesday, it's also time for...

Terri asks the questions on her blog and we answer them on ours.
This week on August 23 is the day set aside to celebrate National Ride the Wind Day.
Hmmmm.....who knew?
 

 

 

1.  Tell us about the first airplane ride you took and do you like to fly?

I think I was about seven years old when I took my first ride in an airplane. My brother who lived in South Carolina and his buddy flew up to Ohio for the weekend in a small Piper Cub. I had stayed home from school that day because I hadn't felt well that morning but after I learned that my biggest brother had offered to take me on a plane ride, I got to feeling better really quick! It took some coaxing Mom a bit to let me go but she finally allowed it. I really felt like I was special because all my other siblings were at school and missed out. It was amazing and from then on, I was a fan of flying. After the weekend was over and my brother and his buddy were ready to fly home, they offered my sis, Barb, and I another ride before heading to school that Monday morning. He told Mom that we'd be flying right over our house and to be looking for us. I'll never forget that image...looking down and seeing Mom standing out in the yard waving to us with one hand and holding her comb in the other. She always wore her hair in a neat little bun, covered by her white prayer covering...never wore it down since it hung way down past her waist. She must have heard the sound of the plane and ran out of the house with her hair flowing, just in time to see us fly by!

2.  Have you ever gone hang gliding and was it on the beach with boat power, or from a mountain with only the wind and your body?

Never hang gliding but the closest I have gotten to it was when I actually flew a glider (pilot on board, of course.)

This is the "bird" I flew. You can tell how long ago this was by the quality of the photo.

Here I am, curly perm and all, getting situated in the cockpit.

Right from the get-go, he had me at the controls...even let me release the rope from the tow plane. I flew it the for most of the flight but let him take over when it was time to land on that one little skinny landing gear in the middle of the plane. It was as close to being a bird as I'll ever get...the only sound to be heard was of the wind rustling against the plane...no motor, no nothing.
 

Jim and tiny little Aaron watching from below. My...how men's fashions have changed...thank the Lord!

There is a sad ending to this story, unfortunately. The pilot of the glider who had been flying for over 25 years, crashed only a few weeks later and was killed. I'm really not sure what the details were of the accident...so very sad.

 

3.  Have you ever gone kite flying and with whom?

My first memory of kite flying was with my brothers and sisters in the vacant lot beside our house. One year, my brother Doug made a HUGE kite, probably six feet tall, from plastic dry cleaning bags and a wooden frame with a long tail. He flew it from a heavy duty fishing pole and that thing went up so high it all but disappeared into the sky. One day the line broke and it took days to locate it after it fell to the earth...about a mile away in a farmer's field...LOL! Of course later on in life, what kind of parents would we have been if we hadn't gotten kites for our boys to fly at the beach??

4. Experimental aircraft is quite popular as a hobby where Terri lives. Have you or anyone you know ever constructed a flying machine and did you ride in it?

No and no. That's where I draw the line.

5. Another big hobby around Lakeland is Radio Controlled Airplanes. Have you ever seen them flying or tried your hand at it?

I have never flown them myself but my boys have played around with them a time or two. To my recollection, they never had one of their own. Our grandson Parker, however, has built a drone from a kit and the aerial photography from it's camera is pretty amazing.

Please tell us something about your week.

It has been a busy and very productive few days around the Ray house. Adam flew in (speaking of flying) and combined a business trip to Raleigh with a work weekend to help out with some of the projects around our house. Combine all the Ray men together, including the big, strong grandsons and together they knocked out a TON of work, inside and outside! Remember all of those painting projects I have been trying to get finished for the past year? They are DONE! Adam is a whiz with the paint brush! To top that off, we had a realtor come out to give some advice and listing information. We were pleasantly surprised when he gave us a ballpark figure as to what it should list for and also that he'd be surprised if it didn't sell within a couple of weeks after it is listed. It looks like it may possibly be on the market by sometime in September. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around it all....BUT...it is ALL in God's hands. Every. Single. Detail.

So that's all for now...

hoping y'all have a blessed week!

Wearisome

Yeah, that'd be me.

I've been searching for just the right word and I think I found it.

Wearisome...the state of being weary.

I haven't had the drive to do too much of anything for the past week or so...

although some might say I should be jumping for joy.

But I'm not.

Why wouldn't I not be after my doctor told me last week that I won't be having surgery?
I mean, normally, those are good words to hear, right?

It's too dangerous, they say.

The stricture (narrowing in bile duct) is not in a good place to repair surgically,

but only as last resort, they say.

Once the surgery is done, there's no going back, they say.



So for the past two months I have been psyching myself into the reality of a major,

very invasive surgery to finally get it behind me.

Although I'm relieved that I won't have to spend a couple of months recovering,
the reason why I won't be has sent me down a path that I wasn't quite contemplating.

It seems that now I will be getting another stent placed that is supposed to last up to year.
 We'll see if this will be happening on a regular basis.



Why the change in plan all of a sudden?

I have said ever since I began this journey in January, that I implicitly trust my doctors.

And I still do.

But with everything that is in me, I am determined to trust God more.



Long story short, after a meeting of the minds, my doctors seemed to be in agreement
that it was best to maintain me with stents as long as possible.
I am really very thankful that my doctors wouldn't rush me into a dangerous surgery.

I am scheduled to have the new stent placed at the end of this month.
Our goal is that it lasts a year and will then either be left out and see how I do
or it will be exchanged for a new one.



So...where does that leave us...and our plans for the future?
Right where it always has...right where God leads us.
Right now we are planning (there's that word again) to get the house on the market by fall.
We feel it's time to forge ahead unless we hit another roadblock.
I will continue to be under my Duke doctor's care until (if) we get settled in TN.
Even after that, possibly, for a little while at least.



But the long and short of it comes down to this...I have asked my Father for a miracle.
It's as simple as that.

But no matter what happens, I plan to go along my merry way.
This wearisome business is for the birds...and I think a week of it has been enough!



So tomorrow is another day and the beginning of a brand new week...
...and the beginning of a brand new attitude. 😉

Until next time....