Sleep Study Yields Interesting Results

I went in for a sleep study last night. I was a first-time, never-ever sleep studier ...student ...person. I had read up on how they wired a person up like a telephone exchange, so I was prepared for that. I was pleasantly surprised that I had access to Discovery channel, so I watched some Deadliest Catch, a small luxury since we unplugged cable at home. What I dreaded was the effort it took for me to fall asleep on demand, and believe me, it's no small effort for me. I couldn't make it. I felt like I was doing the stuck-in-an-airport doze. No matter what I tried, something would bring me out of it. A noise. An itch. A snore.

Joni Faces A New Test of Faith

This stings a bit. Joni, a woman God has used to be a voice for Christians living with disabilities, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Please pray for her, her husband Ken Tada, and her ministry. Her video message is at Joni's Corner.

Fatherly Priorities From Early Life

I happened across a good quote today.

"I don't care how poor a man is; if he has family, he's rich."  - Dan Wilcox 

Before I became a father, before I married my wife, I knew what I wanted. I wanted a loving, kind wife and mother of my children who would love them as much as I would. I wanted a home where we would eat dinner together most every night. I wanted one where we loved each other, and told each other as much, as often as we could stand. I don't mean the "Love ya!" belted out as one leaves for an activity. I mean holding your beloved in an embrace, looking them full in the face, and saying "I love you very much!" I want a family that remembers with fondness all the time we spent with each other. I believe that this is what helps a family grow and produce stable, kind, engaging citizens who have the strength to help others.

My wife, thankfully, was of the same mind and as we've lived, we've made choices in line with that. We saw the busy lives of people who were chasing their tails, trying to have it all. Even if they could have it all--and they couldn't--how could they enjoy it?

To this day, I haven't regretted having set that priority.

Life Around the House

Despite all that we do to keep life simple, sometimes life gets busy and things can't (or won't) slow down. It's been that way since early May. Because of my disability, my family has undertaken a new business. A lot of it involves using our home, and we needed a lot of renovation to make it suitable. We had no way to make the renovations, however. Money was not just tight, it was literally non-existent. Thankfully, an anonymous donor (we have a lot of those, lately!) stepped forward and not only paid for the material, but they brought in friends to help with the renovations! Now we're set up and open for business. All we need now are a few clients.

Memorial Day and graduations filled up late May and early June. Allergies make life fun this time of year. Plus, we've been working on solving a leaky sprinkler system, which is no mean feat when you're living on a shoestring budget with a disability. Old faithful springing up in your yard is never good, especially when you're trying to keep a lawn from dying in the hottest June on record. Thankfully, we have very qualified help who loves my wife's cooking better than his own--cooking, that is!

Speaking of fixing leaks, Wednesday morning, my wife was in the garage when she saw a few drips hanging around, literally. We had a leak inside the house too! A helpful friend, two plumbers and nearly $100 later, we managed to find it. Of course, Farmers insurance company doesn't cover this sort of thing, despite the promise that they would. The fix is not inside a wall like we feared, but it means we can't use a bathroom for at least a few weeks. What fun!

Nonetheless, we're okay, and God continues to watch over us! Thanks for reading, and Happy Father's Day!