Cut the Spareribs!

On April 26, I did meet with the Pastor and Jack from the Stanardsville UMC. I gave them some pointers of how to interact with Mike and some background information. We arrived at The Harbor just before lunch was being served. Mike was in his perseverative "o" and anxiously waiting for his food to arrive, so there was no possibility of visiting at that moment. I showed them Mike's room and where the games were kept, so at least they were oriented. They tried again to converse with Mike, but to no avail that day.

Later that afternoon, Mike was calmer and I decided to take him out for a haircut. After getting settled in the chair and telling the hair stylist to use the #3 guard, all of a sudden Mike blurts out "Cut the spareribs!" Whoa! What in the world? I pondered what he might mean and came up with "cut my sideburns." When I asked if that was it, Mike said a resounding "Yes!" Phew. Glad we got that straight.

I went to see Mike again on May 14 & 15. When I got there Pastor Chuck and Jack were there visiting with Mike in the sun room. Said they had been talking about OSU. The Pastor had to leave shortly after, but Jack stayed and took a walk with us. What a blessing to have these men take the time to spend with Mike. Mike and I played cribbage and then went down the other wing of The Harbor and played some of the computer games. He seemed to enjoy it for a while, but became bored after about 30 minutes. We video chatted with some family members which was the first time I had done that with him. It was fun and we'll do that more, since everyone else lives too far away to come and visit him in person.

On Sunday, I went to the early service at Stanardsville UMC which is a contemporary service and then went to get Mike ready to come to the 11:00 service. He did very well and we even stayed for their "Sip & Chat" (a light lunch) after the service. He also ate most of his lunch when we got back to The Harbor. He weighs more than he ever has, I think. Last time I saw his weight, it was 182. They feed him well at The Harbor, but he still forgets that he's eaten and is hungry all the time.

Oh that we would have that kind of longing for our Lord, Jesus Christ. An insatiable hunger for His Word with a burning desire to tell the unsaved about the free gift of life paid for and freely offered by God's one and only Son.

Psalm 63:1 (ESV)

O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;

    my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you,

    as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Revelation 22:17 (ESV)

The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” 

And let the one who hears say, “Come.” 

And let the one who is thirsty come; 

let the one who desires take the water of life without price.

Writers Conference

Hello beloved,

Here I sit, enjoying the solitude of my sister's house after an amazing week at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference held at the Ridgecrest Conference Center in North Carolina. It is a lovely day. I have the windows open, the breeze is gently stirring the leaves, and the birds are joyfully singing. I am thankful for the time to process all that I've heard and learned in the past few days, plus the opportunity to rest.

The conference started on Sunday, May 22. Due to the fact that my room wasn't ready until after 5 (I arrived at 2) I had the chance to take a walk and pray in the serene prayer garden. I'll be honest, I was asking God to help me stay calm and not become anxious or irritated. Once my room was ready, I took a little time to get settled and cleaned up before supper and the evening group session. This in turn caused me to be a little bit late getting to supper. Most people were already seated and eating, but shortly after I sat down, another newbie, Teresa, came in and sat at the same table. She and I hit it off and it was so nice to have her to meet up with at lunch and sit with at the group gatherings. She is a precious person who I might have missed meeting, if my room had been ready when I registered. Thank you, Lord, for the delay.

A huge SHOUT-OUT to Kris for informing me of the conference and to the family members who made it possible also. I'm still praying and feeling my way into this new venture of writing that the Lord has for me and this conference was a fantastic boost. The faculty and other conferees were so kind and we were often encouraged to never give up. The Lord's presence was felt and there was such a sweet spirit with no sense of competition among the writers. Each author, editor, and publisher was there to lend a hand in developing the God-given gifts of writing to each one they encountered. Worship was beautiful, keynote speakers were informative, hilarious, and genuine, and there were so many great choices for classes that it was hard to decide.

I told you about 2 posts ago that I had decided on a domain name for a new blog. I fully thought it would be up and running by now; however, even though I had actually started setting it up, I became overwhelmed and ended up backing out of that particular hosting package. Soon after that, my Mom's health became such that she needed more care and there were several doctor visits and one hospital stay, so setting up a new blog and writing have been low on the priority list. I am so thankful to be living with my parents and be able to provide the care that is needed and believe I am right where I belong. Care-giving and being available to my parents and Mike is my first calling, the writing will come eventually or as I carve out time.

There were great suggestions given at the conference of how to incorporate writing into a full day. I know I need to set aside certain times throughout the week to try to make it happen or it won't. Whether it's 15 minutes or an hour, if it means getting up early or staying up late, if it means going somewhere quiet, or turning off my phone, there are ways to incorporate more writing into my day.

The keynote that had the greatest take-away for me was given by Eva Marie Everson from a passage in Nehemiah. At the end of her keynote, she had us all get up and form a "wall", shoulder to shoulder around the room. Once in place, she pointed out that each of us has a place in the wall and that no one else can take our place, because they have their own spot in the wall. Whatever God has called us to do or write, do it. If there are those who heckle and ridicule and tell us to give up, remember what Nehemiah said to Sanballat and Geshem "I am doing a great work and I cannot come down."

Nehemiah 6:3

And I sent messengers to them, saying, 

“I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. 

Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?”

There were so many great lessons during classes also. The recurring theme was that, as writers, we must stay close in our relationship with God through Bible study, prayer, and community so that our words honor and glorify God and speak the truth of His word. It truly was a wonderful conference and spiritual retreat. Whatever our calling, the same truths remain. Do with excellence what we've been called to do. Don't be lazy in our calling or let negative thoughts or ridicule from others turn us aside from God's calling. Go! He will equip.