Here it is Friday... again!

The past couple of days have been like living on a yo-yo! We've been up, and we've been down. I mentioned that Tuesday was a tough day. Well, on Wednesday morning when I awoke, I heard some kind of kafuffle going on in the living room. A few minutes later, Mom told me that Dick was in quite a "mood" already, so early in the morning. He nearly had my sister in tears before the day had barely begun. However, we agreed that a little sassy is better than nearly catatonic.

Later that morning he told us how well he felt and proudly showed us how well he could walk. His speech even seemed a little better. He and my sis ventured next door to take some table scraps to the neighbor's six little laying hens. He decided one chicken in particular should be named Maude, so Maude she is! Another one's comb sorta droops over one eye in kind of a sultry way - I think she should be called Tallulah (as in Bankhead, if you're old enough to have heard of her), who wore her hair draped over one eye. They are so funny and so cute, scratching the dirt, pecking at everything and singing their little chickie "buck-buck-buduck" tunes. I love it! And the free eggs the neighbors share with us don't hurt, either!

Then came Thursday. Dick was actually still feeling good, but our joy was tempered by the fact that one of their two kitties (named Olivia and Syrah) was not doing well. Syrah, whom they've had for almost 13 years since she was a baby kitten, was having obvious difficulty breathing. We knew she wasn't doing well, because she had refused to eat for more than four days - not a good sign. As the morning wore on, she became worse and we consulted with Dick and Nancy, and all of us agreed it was "time." So we gently put Syrah into the pet carrier to head for the kitty doctor's.

When we arrived at the vet's, we had to wait for nearly 45 minutes before they could examine the kitty, who remained quiet and still in the carrier. The doctor a wonderful caring and gentle lady, held Syrah and stroked her, listening to her breathing and her heart. She assured us we had made the right decision - she was in obvious respiratory distress, jaundiced, and so weak. She cuddled the kitty to her chest and took her into another room right then and there to take care of what we knew had to be done. She asked my sis and I if we wanted to be in the room with her during her last moments, and we both started to cry. I said, definitely not! The LAST thing we need right now is to stand and watch something precious breathe its last - No thanks! I've seen quite enough suffering, thank you!

So that was a sad ending to the day. But it was the right thing to do. Hard to understand and wrap your head around! Once again we are reminded that this earth, with all of its sadness and heartache, is not our home. What do people do if they don't have the hope of living forever in a place where there's nothing but happiness and joy - all day, every day!

Love you all!

MY TEXT FOR TODAY: Isaiah 55:8-11 (The Message)

I don't think the way you think. The way you work isn't the way I work. God's Decree. For as the sky soars high above earth, so the way I work surpasses the way you work, and the way I think is beyond the way you think. Just as rain and snow descend from the skies and don't go back until they've watered the earth, doing their work of making things grow and blossom, producing seed for farmers and food for the hungry. So will the words that come out of my mouth not come back empty-handed. They'll do the work I sent them to do, they'll complete the assignment I gave them.

Here it is again from the New Living Translation:
My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, says the Lord. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.