Life Is Short; Life is Fragile

Hey Everyone! I'm back...thanks to our youngest daughter, Tabitha Jaycox who drove all the way from Talbott to Cleveland just to help her Mom and me get new phones and new internet connections. I had no idea what a great negotiator we had raised. THANK YOU TABI!.

The Assembly concluded and I returned home to find that Frances is not much better physically. She really needs your prayers because she is apprehensive about having the procedures done to find out what has caused her problem. Yesterday, for the second time since the meeting in San Antonio she has postphoned her procedure. The first time because of a mix-up in our insurance which got canceled without our knowledge. (It is re-instated.) This time she post-phoned because of the critical condition of her sister-in-law (Ruth Hildreth). Ruth tripped over a suitcase and hit her head on the tile floor in her bathroom as they were preparing to go to the quartet convention in Louisville, KY. She and Frank went to the convention but Ruth was embarrassed to go the third day because of the discoloration of her face and eyes. Then Frank decided to bring her home. When they went to the doctor he did immediate surgery to stop bleeding which was occurring on the brain. This was not successful, so more serious surgery was done. Ruth has been in a coma for almost two weeks now and was taken off the respirator yesterday. This is a critical time. Please pray for Frank and the two sons (Tim and Greg) and their families. Life is so fragile.

O.K. -- what am I doing since retirement? I really don't have anything to do, but at the end of each day I am not finished. I've been as busy as a one-armed paper hanger in a honey bucket. I've visited and preached and sung in churches in Tennessee and North Carolina...have plans to do a series of missions classes in an independent Pentecostal church in Madisonville beginning five weeks before Thanksgiving...am in process of building a 5' by 12' bathroom onto the cabin...bought and installed a new gas fridge for the cabin...bought and installed new batteries for the solar powered electrical system...bought and delivered two new plastic barrells which will serve as my septic system...went fishing a couple of times...stopped and picked a gallon of wild grapes (musky-dines) on the bank of the Hiwassee river...read more of "The Shack"...and, in general, staying pretty busy. I think I need another job so I can get some rest!

After some urging from my dear Mother I went to my first "Seniors Retreat" a few weeks ago. Lowell went with me. So there we were - Mom - and Lowell and me acting like her kids again! What fun we had as we worshipped, sung, played pool, fished in the camp pond, participated in a "Silent Aution", and met some friend, new and old.

Oh - Remember the fellow I told y'all about who was so hurt and critical of the church and some of it's leaders? I have since met one of the men he was criticizing and found out that the man had died. I'm so glad God allowed me to meet the man and to have that frank conversation and prayer with him before he died. Again, Life is short and so fragile. Like James says, "It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little while and soon vanisheth away."

Whoa! It is already 9:27 and past my bed-time.

G'Night!