The good people of West Texas

3/15/09 Sunday
We’ve missed church the last two weeks so are making a concerted effort to get there today. Cherie fell yesterday. I came in and found her on the floor working to get up. She fell last month and was just getting over the pain that caused when this happened. She will be going to the Chiropractor at the earliest time she can get in. I’m doing as much as I can to help her out and she’s gotten better at asking me to do things like carrying a basket of laundry. But she hurts pretty bad this morning. Cherie twisted her ankle again when we went to the bank Friday. She’s had painful problems with her ankles for years so this just aggravated matters.

My pain level is high because I was out till after midnight running the tiller last night. Took a pain pill at 10:30 because I knew I would be doing this. I almost never take a pain pill later than 7:00 but made an exception last night. What an irony this is. Pain pills were part of my downfall leading to the accident but now are a blessing that enable me to keep going. I’m real real careful and very aware of the potential for disaster they represent so carefully regulate my intake. They don’t make the pain go away, just make it bearable. The danger is that if I just took a couple more I would feel even better and that’s where feeling better can be a bad thing.

Speaking of the tiller, it fixed itself. Beats me how but yesterday when I went to take the carburetor off to go through it again I decided to start it up first and see how it ran. It sputtered and stopped just like before but when I started it back up it ran just fine. So I ran it till I hurt too much to run it anymore. By the way, I did get the last 150 pounds of seed sowed so there’s still plenty for me to with that tiller. It’s one of the many huge blessings we’ve received from those who have embraced us and I suppose you could say, have become partakers of the miracle of our life. We are designing the logo for Westbrook Farms and it will say “The farm that love is building”. This not just refers to the love Cherie and I have for each other but the love shown by the good people we’ve been blessed to have in our lives.

I talked to our friend, Steve, who has been helping us walk through the whole pipeline thing. When he heard what we had been led to believe at the bank he called to explain that the possible 120 day wait to get the funds was not how it worked. After learning the details it seems that the banker had it wrong and in fact made mistakes in how the paperwork was handled in the first place. The good news is it shouldn’t take nearly as long as we feared to get the money but he will have to work to get things right. When I again thanked him, and thanked him, he said “Don’t thank me, thank God”. I guess that my effusive thanking was a bit much and I can see where it would make someone less than comfortable. So Steve, I thank God for people like you, people who go out of their way and make the sacrifice of time and effort to help others. Here’s a thought folks, God needs people who are willing to make these sacrifices and have the compassion to do what they know God desires. Without them He can’t accomplish these things. Well, that’s probably not quite accurate because God can do anything he wants and there is nothing impossible for Him. But it’s those who show their faith in actions, not just empty words, who truly allow Him to get things done. That’s how He prefers to work I think.

Here in this blog the world can see this as they watch the continuing miracle of our life. What God has in mind I don’t know but there is no question that His hand is on us and I suspect He wants the world to see it, that despite my extreme shortcomings they can see His mercy and grace shown to one who had fallen and rejected God in his life. I am blessed, I’ve been humbled, and I am grateful for it. Some of you may know of the problems I’ve had with my faith. In fact there was a time I didn’t have any at all and what I did have was damaged by the experiences we went through at some of the churches we reached out to in Toledo and here. But that is being restored bit by bit by the good people we have met here in West Texas. I need to work through the bitterness that resides in my soul but that too is being chipped away bit by bit.