As has been told by news outlets, last night saw a barrage of storms and tornados in the South, including the Chattanooga area. At least three strong fronts passed through here beginning yesterday morning through last night. I haven't seen winds like that since perhaps Hurricane Andrew when we were living in Florida.
Sadly, many people lost their lives (about 200 at present) including 27 in the Chattanooga area. Probably 25+ homes in our neighborhood lost roof shingles, and a few trees split or fell. But our property was unharmed.
I'm reading the Bible chronologically this year and am in Joshua. Many times I have read of God's fury and anger against His enemies - including the Israelites when they forget Him. A storm is just a small puff compared to the power of God unleashed against sin, especially in the final days.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Peyton Joy
Peyton Joy Kelleran was born Thursday, January 27. This is Bethany's and Tony's second child and daughter. Peyton joins Ella, Reed, Hayden and Nathan as our favorite grandchildren. :)
Grammy thinks she looks a little bit like Hayden. Poppy thinks she looks like a baby.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Way Too Long
There are a multitude of reasons why I haven't posted anything since October 2009. Lazy isn't one of them. If you want to know the reasons...well you'll just have to wonder! :)
Regardless, I have missed writing to myself through these posts. Yes, there are others who put up with my ramblings. But over the last 10 months they have probably moved on to more important things. So for now, I'm probably the chief follower, and because I like order I'm numbering today.
1. I retired from Bible in the Schools in December. No, not because of age, but because of my Transverse Myelitis. It was more than hard to keep up with job responsibilities and expectations. It was an impossibility. I first mentioned to the board of directors that I needed to stop working because of my disability a year earlier. But they asked me to stay on in a part time capacity to help with the transition to new leadership. I agreed. But it was still difficult. So now, I am enjoying a different kind of life - I'm a househusband! Poor Deborah still has to work....
2. Grandchildren stands at four with the birth of Nathan in December.
Yes, you can be jealous.
3. Not being employed has allowed me to slowly tackle the scanning of slides that my father took and I took. Some of them go back to 1950. I think I'm finally getting to the end. I actually started the project about 18 months ago!!! No previews here yet. But the pictures bring back many wonderful memories as well as the all too frequent, "I don't remember that at all!"
4. Though I am sure I could have done it years before and thereby circumventing much stress and increased pain, I applied for Social Security Disability (SSD) and made a claim on my disability insurance policy. The SSD claim process can take up to two years. 80% of all claims are denied the first time. On appeal, 80% are denied. Then it goes to a judge. I was approved the first time!!! Woohoo! With my disability insurance company, I was approved for partial payment mid-2009 when I was still employed part time on a reduced salary. Then, the decision was rescinded. So, I had to get an attorney to step in. Last week, they decided to honor my claim. Again... woohoo!
I know there are more things, but right now I'm a bit tired.
Regardless, I have missed writing to myself through these posts. Yes, there are others who put up with my ramblings. But over the last 10 months they have probably moved on to more important things. So for now, I'm probably the chief follower, and because I like order I'm numbering today.
1. I retired from Bible in the Schools in December. No, not because of age, but because of my Transverse Myelitis. It was more than hard to keep up with job responsibilities and expectations. It was an impossibility. I first mentioned to the board of directors that I needed to stop working because of my disability a year earlier. But they asked me to stay on in a part time capacity to help with the transition to new leadership. I agreed. But it was still difficult. So now, I am enjoying a different kind of life - I'm a househusband! Poor Deborah still has to work....
2. Grandchildren stands at four with the birth of Nathan in December.
3. Not being employed has allowed me to slowly tackle the scanning of slides that my father took and I took. Some of them go back to 1950. I think I'm finally getting to the end. I actually started the project about 18 months ago!!! No previews here yet. But the pictures bring back many wonderful memories as well as the all too frequent, "I don't remember that at all!"
4. Though I am sure I could have done it years before and thereby circumventing much stress and increased pain, I applied for Social Security Disability (SSD) and made a claim on my disability insurance policy. The SSD claim process can take up to two years. 80% of all claims are denied the first time. On appeal, 80% are denied. Then it goes to a judge. I was approved the first time!!! Woohoo! With my disability insurance company, I was approved for partial payment mid-2009 when I was still employed part time on a reduced salary. Then, the decision was rescinded. So, I had to get an attorney to step in. Last week, they decided to honor my claim. Again... woohoo!
I know there are more things, but right now I'm a bit tired.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Bummer
Some days are bummers. Days where things just happen where we want to say,
Then, on Friday I received a phone call from my disability insurance company. I have been receiving disability payments after filing a claim last January when my job responsibilities changed. They have decided to rescind their initial decision. "What a bummer." I got the formal letter yesterday and have 180 days to appeal.
Then, probably because of the letter, all night I had sharp shocks on the right side of my pelvis, right where the leg attaches. It's the area where we tickle children. Not fun. Each shock causes muscle spasms. And it hurts! "What a bummer."
One nice thing about "bummers" is that they either become major problems or they work themselves out.
Amazon to the rescue along with credit card points that I've earned. Planning to appeal. And, eventually the shocks will go away. At least in the past they have. But then they always return again, just in another spot.
So, there will always be more "bummers" to look forward to.
WhatFirst of all, one day last week I was going out for my daily one mile walk with Cooper. As I was punching in the code to close our garage door from outside, he jerked on the leash and my IPod fell to the cement driveway. Upon picking it up, it looked okay, but...all I could hear was a click - click - click from the hard drive. Busted. "What a bummer."
a bummer.
Then, on Friday I received a phone call from my disability insurance company. I have been receiving disability payments after filing a claim last January when my job responsibilities changed. They have decided to rescind their initial decision. "What a bummer." I got the formal letter yesterday and have 180 days to appeal.
Then, probably because of the letter, all night I had sharp shocks on the right side of my pelvis, right where the leg attaches. It's the area where we tickle children. Not fun. Each shock causes muscle spasms. And it hurts! "What a bummer."
One nice thing about "bummers" is that they either become major problems or they work themselves out.
Amazon to the rescue along with credit card points that I've earned. Planning to appeal. And, eventually the shocks will go away. At least in the past they have. But then they always return again, just in another spot.
So, there will always be more "bummers" to look forward to.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Flu Shot
Yesterday I stopped by the pharmacy and got a flu shot. I haven't gotten one in probably ten years. And in recent years, I haven't gotten bad cases of the flu. But when I do, they are usually 2-3 week episodes of hacking and sleepless nights.
Anyway, what I found interesting in that after you get your shot, the pharmacy gives you a free coupon book with $100 worth of coupons. Not a bad deal!
However, why is it that the majority of the coupons are for flu and cold medicines. Didn't I just get a shot to help me NOT get the flu?
Sam
It was just a couple of weeks ago when Sam had a very unfortunate accident. He had just moved into his college dorm room and was looking forward to beginning this new phase of his life.
And then there was the Slip 'n Slide.
Since it was first introduced, the simple Slip 'n Slide has evolved into an activity even young adults enjoy. All you really need is a hill, hose and a big sheet of plastic.
But for Sam, something fun turned into a broken neck.
His family is from my church. As I read their poignant email updates, each word reminds me of my early days in the hospital and then in therapy.
And they cause me to stop frequently during the day to pray for him, his parents, and his siblings as they face this new and unexpected challenge.
And then there was the Slip 'n Slide.Since it was first introduced, the simple Slip 'n Slide has evolved into an activity even young adults enjoy. All you really need is a hill, hose and a big sheet of plastic.
But for Sam, something fun turned into a broken neck.
His family is from my church. As I read their poignant email updates, each word reminds me of my early days in the hospital and then in therapy.
And they cause me to stop frequently during the day to pray for him, his parents, and his siblings as they face this new and unexpected challenge.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Ironic?
Yesterday I was scheduled to speak at the Little Brown Church on Signal Mountain. They have invited me for several years. The church is only open in the summer, a tradition that started many years ago.
For several weeks I thought about what I wanted to say. I first thought of doing something on Samson, but then decided up a story that is very familiar - Daniel in the Lions' Den.
The thesis:
Well, I spent Saturday night with a stomach virus, and at 7:30AM Sunday morning, I had to call and cancel. First time I've ever had to do that.
But I did think that it was ironic because in this illustration that I read in preparation...
Someone is running late for work and in one of those “duh” moments can’t find their keys, only to realize they are in their pocket. The whole ordeal only takes about thirty seconds out of their day but, while approaching a stop sign on the way a car appears out of nowhere and runs it. If they hadn’t had that momentary lapse, they very well could have been road kill.
The question is: was losing the keys just a random hiccup of the brain or part of a preordained destiny?
How easy it is to take for granted that stopping to tie a shoe, turning left instead of right, looking down instead of up, etc. could potentially be the difference between life of death.
Hmmm. My belief in it not being a "random hiccup" makes me wonder why I got sick. And, of course, it always make me wonder why I have Transverse Myelitis.
For several weeks I thought about what I wanted to say. I first thought of doing something on Samson, but then decided up a story that is very familiar - Daniel in the Lions' Den.
The thesis:
Is the universe deterministic or random? Is everything in some way preordained or does it happen by chance?It was the movie, "Knowing" that triggered this theme.
Well, I spent Saturday night with a stomach virus, and at 7:30AM Sunday morning, I had to call and cancel. First time I've ever had to do that.
But I did think that it was ironic because in this illustration that I read in preparation...
Someone is running late for work and in one of those “duh” moments can’t find their keys, only to realize they are in their pocket. The whole ordeal only takes about thirty seconds out of their day but, while approaching a stop sign on the way a car appears out of nowhere and runs it. If they hadn’t had that momentary lapse, they very well could have been road kill.
The question is: was losing the keys just a random hiccup of the brain or part of a preordained destiny?
How easy it is to take for granted that stopping to tie a shoe, turning left instead of right, looking down instead of up, etc. could potentially be the difference between life of death.
Hmmm. My belief in it not being a "random hiccup" makes me wonder why I got sick. And, of course, it always make me wonder why I have Transverse Myelitis.
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