Thinking of Dad

Daddy has been in Heaven 5 years now -- and I have been thinking about him a lot the last few days. 
He was such a great father. 
One of my earliest memories is the day he shaved off his beautiful mustache!  My heart was broken!  My daddy was so handsome, and it was awful for him to get rid of that mustache!  :)
Another is tooling around town on a Vespa scooter, standing in front of him on the foot space!  Oh - that was exciting!  How old was I -- 4 or 5?
When I was between 8 and 12 years old, in Huacalera, even though he sometimes had to be away for two or three weeks at a time (on missionary trips up into the Andes mountains), we knew that when he came home, he would be sure to make time for us kids.  I cannot begin to list all the great memories I have of him. 
Daddy always had a great sense of humor, and he loved a good joke, but I never, NEVER ONCE, heard him tell or enjoy a joke that was dirty or that was hurtful to someone else.  But, boy!  could he laugh!  Just get him started.
As far back as I can remember, Daddy had two loves.
The first - always the first - was God.  God was the most important person in Dad's life, beginning from the day that he gave his life to Jesus back in 1934.  His first desire was to glorify Him and to serve Him completely.
The second love of his life was my Mom!  She was "his girl" and we knew it.  Their life together was such an example.  He devoted himself to making her happy.
Daddy and Mom served the Lord as missionaries for over 33 years, in northwestern Argentina.  They "retired" in 1981, but Daddy kept working for the mission until 1991, when he truly retired.
During all his years, Dad kept his mind sharp by continuing to study and to learn.  During his retirement years, among other things, he learned to oil paint, he continued his years-long hobby of bird watching, and he wrote a book! 
At the end of his life, I heard him say again, as he had many times before, "I have had a great life.  If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change one thing." 
He went to Heaven on July 9, 1999, Independence Day in Argentina!  Boy, I miss him.  I wish I could get with him on the phone one more time.  Being with him was always a treat for me.
I love you, Daddy!

4th of July

We had all of our "kids" with us - they are all young adults. Janet lives up the lane from us with Jack and their children, and Ric lives with us, so it was "logical" that they would be with us. Jon and Ben live in Columbia, so it takes them a little more planning to make an appearance.

How wonderful it was to have the boys here for 4th of July! It seems like ages since we saw them.
They were with us at Easter, but were unable to come on
Shed's birthday (May 4),
Mother's Day (May 9),
Ben's birthday (May 10),
Father's Day (June 20), or
our Anniversary (June 27).
Each time there was an excuse or reason for their absence, but it was disappointing that they were not here. I assured them each time that I loved them and missed them, and that we would love to see them when they could get here.

It makes me think of those times that I have told the Lord I was going to do something, and then found one reason after another not to do it. I imagine that God lovingly looks at me, and though He is disappointed that I have not joined Him to spend time together, He assures me that He loves me and misses me, and He reminds me that He would love to see me when I can make time for Him.

The worst excuse must be that "I don't have time." How is it that I can make time to do all the inconsequential things I find to do, but not for those things that would draw me closer to the One I profess to love more than anyone or anything else? Of course I have time! I just don't choose the wise things over the mundane! I make time for the things I love.

I want to love Jesus more than anything else in the world!!

More love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!
Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee.
This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!

Eternity's values

I am a Registered Nurse at our local hospital, and this was a very interesting day.

It started out with a bang;

I discover I am the only nurse assigned to my unit, with two patients, one of whom was getting sicker instead of better
> Call for more help
* Lord, I need help! but don't let me panic.

A new IV needs to be started
> Reassure the patient, and give it a try
* Lord - please help me do it on the first stick - I don't want to poke him over and over!
> Request another nurse's help -- I am unable to start one
* Lord, don't let me be so proud that I keep hurting him, just so I can say "I did it!"

Doctors show up and start giving orders
> Follow orders carefully - no slip-ups, PLEASE
* Lord, help me concentrate.

Family members keep arriving, congregating in the crowded room
> Answer questions politely, help to calm fears
* Lord! Let them see a gentle, patient spirit
> Try to work around them - there are so many, and they don't seem to understand that they are in the way
* Lord, give me patience and grace.

Time for routine meds
> Be sure the right patient gets the right dose of the right med at the right time by the right route
* Lord, keep me focused.

Changes keep happening in his condition
> Assess each change, notify the doctor, treat as required
* Lord, keep my mind alert, help me see what needs to be noticed.

Patient is going to be transferred to another hospital
> Call the nurse there, and give report
* Lord, help me to think of everything I need to tell her so she can continue his care "seamlessly."

Ambulance personnel are here
> Give the paramedic report so that he also will know what is going on as they care for him
* Lord, he is out the door. Thank You! And thank You that Patient #2 did well this morning and didn't demand a lot of time. Now help me care for her.

And that was just the first four hours of a 12-hour shift!
The remaining hours were so much quieter.
Sometimes, though, I am not so aware of my need for Him when things are going smoothly. But cleaning equipment, count stock items, doing routine paperwork are all part of my job, and it is just as important to do these "with Eternity's values in view" as it is to do the "big" jobs.
Reminds me of a chorus we sang in High School:

With Eternity's values in view, Lord,
With Eternity's values in view.
May I do each day's work for Jesus,
With Eternity's values in view.