Back to Normal -- Whatever That Is...

Update first. My friend's husband is doing much, much better. And, we have the story finally straight. He rents pasture land next to his calf barn. He had noticed a strange truck spending a lot of time sitting in the parking lot of a church that had been burned a number of times because it was integrated. He wrote the tag number down for Just In Case. Fortunately.

Later in the day, as he went to feed, he saw the truck in the driveway of the house that went with the property he rented and that he watched over for the family who lives away from here. He stepped out of the truck and asked the man what he was doing. The man told him it was none of his business. My friend's husband replied that it was as he was responsible for the house and that he rented the farm that went with it. At this, the fella jumped from the truck, slugged my friend's husband, knocking him to the ground. Then, he straddled him and proceeded to hit him more than 30 times in the face, breaking every bone in his face, all while my friend's husband begged him to stop. Somehow, my friend's husband managed to get an arm free and poke two fingers in the man's eyes, wiggled his cell phone from his pocket and call 9-1-1. This caused the fella to get up, run to his truck and go home.

He, along with his father-in-law, returned to see if my friend's husband had gotten up from the beating. Apparently, when they saw all the rescue works and deputies, they fled. Since my friend's husband had the tag number, however, he was detained before my friend's husband was even in Winston-Salem. He remains in jail under $250,000 bond.

My friend's husband, meanwhile, has managed to get from the ICU to home in three days! The bleeding on his brain stopped on Thursday and by Friday the blood was re-absorping and the swelling in his face was going down. He could open his eyes and the opthamologist determined that he would not lose his eyes. While he will have at least one surgery, after the swelling is gone, we are all blessed by his quick turn around. We feel optimistic and he feels well enough to watch basketball and talk about going fishing!

This incident has reminded me how fragile our lives are. We never know who or what will happen even in the next minute. We take for granted that we are safe and secure in our worlds. The idea of violence or cruelty seldom enters our minds; it isn't what we would do, but we forget not everyone shares our values. Yet, we mustn't forget that there are many who don't have this assurance. And, we must work to bring peace, safety, and kindness  in any way we can.

First Day Musings

"Hope and keep busy." This is the advice Marmee gave Jo as she was struggling to find her path in life. It is a truth that we do desparately need these days.

I've written about this before, but today, in this world of dark sadness and such a strong sense of defeat, it seems that we need a reminder to do just this.

Hope. The Bible says: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12 Notice that it says "joyful." I think of an expectant couple. They have hope they will have a healthy, happy child. They are joyful in that hope. They carefully select every item for their new child's nursery. Weeks are spent researching names and debating how it sounds. Dreams of what their child will look like, act like, become, fill the parents' nights and days. Hope. To me, it is like faith: the substance of things hoped (expected, anticipated, wished, longed) for.

Keep busy. This verse is so inspiring: "All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty." Proverbs 14:22-23. If we are worried or frustrated, the best thing we can do is get our hands busy. Think of it. If we are only talking, talking, talking about our problems or worries we are standing still. We are keeping them alive by continuing to relive them, confirming their power in our life. If we, on the other hand, put our hands to work, we are no longer immobile. Rather, we are finding something productive to do. We are filling our hands with now and not then. I have a friend who tells the story of how her family did her wrong every single time we talk. I can recite her story with her; it never varies. My friend is angry, frustrated, and hurt. I understand that. Who wouldn't be? But, by holding onto the past, she is only filling her hands with things that are dead, done, over. If she could just let go, she could fill her hands with the now and let go of and heal from the hurt. I'd love to tell her this, but she doesn't stop talking long enough for me to do so!

These are dark days, my friends. There is so much pain, hurt, loss, and unhappiness everywhere we turn. But, instead of staying tuned to CNN or Fox News, turn off the TV. Pick up a good book, your knitting needles, sewing needle, vacuum cleaner, or an empty box to fill with things you do not need or wonder why you bought them. Quit letting the world fill your mind and heart with worry. You make a difference in your corner of the world. As Winston Churchill said, "Never give up!"