My Sweetheart

Dale was having fun the day that she took a trip on the Duck River in my kayak. She loves to exercise no matter what it is. Running, hiking, swimming or Kayaking, you name it and she is game.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer over 6 years ago. It turned out to be Metastatic Breast Cancer meaning that it would travel to other parts of her body. Well, it did and ended up in her bones, brain and liver.

The one in her liver kept growing and growing until it became the size of a tennis ball. Now it will not react to chemo treatment and so her doctor told us 3 days ago that she was dying. The awful pain she was experiencing was the cancer and she was put in the hospital to get the pain under control.

When we received this terrible news we both cried and cried. Talking about dying is the hardest thing I have ever done. She is my Sweetheart! We've been married almost 37 years. What on earth am I going to do without her? We knew that there was no cure but was hoping that one would come along or Jesus would work a miracle or He would come back and we would go together.

We had the sweetest prayer together that night after the news. Some people get angry at God for such things. Some people turn away from God when bad things happens. Not us, we draw closer to Him. He is still God and in control of our lives. I am about to lose my wife to another, Jesus. It looks like Jesus wants her to come be with Him now. I am thankful for the time we have had together and for the last days together we are making them special.

For those of you reading my blog, pray for us. Pray that Jesus will heal. Pray that He will give us strength. Pray that Dale does not suffer anymore. Pray that God will wipe away these tears and replace them with peace.

alight     

I pray for rain

I live about 65 mile west of Nashville Tennessee. It has been the strangest year so far when it comes to rain fall. We are 14 inches behind for the year and no rain in sight. Hey, I'm trying to fill up a new pond!

Well, maybe not as dry as this picture but it will be if we don't start getting more rain. Kentucky Lake is a few miles away from my home and this is the first year that I can ever remember that it had trouble coming up to summer pool. Today I checked and it was still 2 feet low.

Everyone has their gardens out except me. I believe this will be the driest year ever for this area and I know that I would have to water the garden daily so I'm not putting one out. I'm getting my pond level up will well water. My next electric bill has not come out yet and I hope that I don't have to take out a loan to pay for it.

This is the third dry year in a roll for this area. Hopefully it will be the last one for a while. I remember back in the 80s and 90s we had 3 day years in a roll with about 10 year in between. Last year it was so dry that the tree roots were damaged and the wind could get up and they would fall over. I've lost about 100 so far.

I pray for rain. I feel for the farmers who make a living growing crops. I stop and give thanks when I hear about someone getting rain in my county even though I don't get any. I heard someone say just today, "You know, I pray for rain!" and he did not come across to me as a praying man. Maybe God is trying to get our attention. Well, it is working.

alight

Dwight's Childhood Hero

Someone who had a positive impact throughout my childhood on my life was my dad. At the time of course I did not realize what an impact he was having on my life. I just thought that he was old fashion. Well, now I thank God for the impact he had on my life. Most every day I catch myself saying or at least thinking of things that came from my Dad. He is gone now and I wish that I could have let him know much more of just how important he was on how I would turn out as an adult. My dad was a good money manager. He could take $60 or less a week and raise 7 kids. Yes, that was a long time ago but still "$60"!

Dad was a good man. He loved his family and would do anything he could to help us. In fact he would help anybody if he could. I look back now and understand why I like to help others, I'm taking after my dad. 

My dad took his family to church every Sunday. We lived too far away from church to go more often than Sunday mornings. I go to the same kind of church today. My dad was a Republican and voted. Guess what? I am one of the few "confessing" Republicans where I work. We are union and it is very unpopular to be a Republican but my dad taught me to be sure what you believe in and then not to be ashamed.

(In the picture I'm the little guy with his arms around his only sister.)

Leo's son,

alight 

Turtle Shells

"Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in Him, because we have trusted in His holy name." Psalm 33:20-21


Today I was driving home from a morning of fishing on the Kentucky Lake when I slowed down and drove around a turtle that was trying to cross the road. He was going as fast as he could go when he saw me coming. The turtle just stopped and drew up into his shell.

Didn’t he know that my GM pickup weighs over a ton (probably close to 2 tons)? Didn’t he know that his shell would be useless against my truck and boat trailer?

It makes me think about the things that I trust in to save me in times of troubles. Like sickness, do I really trust in doctors and health insurance? Like my future retirement, do I trust in Social Security and my 401k? Like food and my other daily needs, do I only trust in my weekly paycheck?

Like the turtle I find myself trusting in things that are not very trustworthy. Doctors and insurance have let me down many times. Social Security, will it even be here when I retire, who knows. Can you trust in a paycheck? Ask the 9% plus unemployed in the United States.

Every night I cry out to God my Savior to be my shield, my protector, my provider. In my 54 years of living, God has never let me down. Sometimes He has been a little late according to my watch and calendar. The day will come when I will know the reasons why God does things the way He does and the timing was always perfect.

I will trust in the Lord with all my strength and not in the shells that this world provides.

alight

My Special Visitor

I had a special visitor at my pond the other day. It was an American bald eagle. Our running club was standing out on the road waiting for everyone to arrive and lo and behold here comes the eagle flying right over us heading up the valley I live in. When he got even with the pond I had built he suddenly turned and begin to circle it a few times.

Then to our delight the eagle landed in a tree at the back of the pond. I have a couple of geese decoys and two duck decoys sitting on the water just to decorate with. I think he may have thought that they were real or something. Anyway, I ran into the house and got my camera.

When I came out I had the camera ready and the eagle began to fly off. I was able to take a couple of pics and he was gone. He was so big! No, huge!

"Thank You Lord for letting us see one of Your most spectacular creatures."

If you are having trouble seeing him in the picture, he is on the left side of the tall tree. I promise you that the picture does not do him justice when it comes to showing how big he is. He is huge!

alight

The Rainbow

This evening God took His paintbrush and did it again. He amazed me with the most beautiful picture in the sky. As soon as I noticed it I had to say, "Praise The Lord". I was reminded of God's promise made to man that He would not destroy man again by flood.

It was a reminder that just like He kept His promise then He will keep His other promises also. It was written all over the sky this evening that God is faithful.

Although I have seen many rainbows in my life, I still have to grab my camera and take a lot of pictures. I just want to capture the beauty so I can look at it later. This one will be my desktop picture for a long time. I hope it blesses you.

alight

Hello Birdie!

Well, I've added a new member to my family. Her name is Birdie. The previous owner did not have much of an imagination when it came to giving her a name. I might change it.

She is an African Grey parrot. She is 6 years old and may live to be 60 years old. She already talks a lot. For some reason she does not like women. She bites Dale every time she gets a chance. She just loves me and likes to go for a ride on my finger.

I look forward to teaching Birdie new words. She already knows "Praise the Lord". I have read that the African Grey is the smartest bird. I am hoping that she will speak lots of praises to encourage me.

alight

The Super Moon

Tonight (March 19, 2011) I just had to go out and take a picture of the Super Moon that everyone has been talking about. Well, it was 9:00 pm and so right before bed time I went out in my pajamas and set up my camera.

I was hoping to get a good picture in the dark but I am not sure of the camera settings so I just took a lot of them. After I finished I went back in my house and sat down to go over my pix.

After looking at all of them I was impressed with my new camera. Then I started zooming in on them to see how they would look. To my surprise I had taken a picture of a meteor streaking across the sky.

I mean, what is the chances?

One of these days I will look up and see the most special surprise when I see Jesus coming back in all His glory. Oh, what a day that will be! I can't wait.

alight

Space Shuttle Discovery

Tonight I watched the Space Shuttle Discovery following the International Space Station for the last time. Because of the NASA website I am able to know the times that the Space Station or Shuttles are viewable from my area in Tennessee. I hear that after this last mission it will be heading to a museum.

I wanted to see both of them still connected but it wasn't to be. Tonight was the first chance for me to see them and they were already separated. They looked like they were only a little bit apart but probably many miles.

In order for me to watch this last flight of the Discovery I needed to jump on my ATV and ride up on top of the hill behind my home. From my location it was viewed in the northern skies and the hill was blocking that. At 7:32 pm, right on time, the two of them came streaking across the sky. It was quiet a sight.

alight

Listening to the Gospel

On my many mission trips I have taken thousands of pictures. I must admit that most of my favorite ones are really accidents. Most of the time when other team members are sharing the gospel with a group of people I will sneak the camera out and capture the looks and expressions on their faces. The Kenyan lady above has got to be my favorite.

This Ethiopian lady was listening to every word.

I treasure this picture of a African girl. Even though the sermon she was listening to was kind of long, she never put her basket down.

I walked up to a group of men who where working in their field and asked them when they had time I would like to talk to them about Jesus. They all dropped what they were doing and sat down to listen to me. They were so kind.

I have been so blessed to be able to go on mission trips around the world. I try to go at least once a year and hopefully when I retire I will do much more. "Thank You Lord Jesus for the chance to share the gospel with so many people."

alight