Lifestyle

There’s a Chinese/Vietnamese restaurant that we like to eat at in Woodbury. The owner, Duc (pronounced Duke), and his wife run the restaurant and all of the food they serve is delicious. They are proud to say that everything is freshly made – and no canned sauces! Even Duc himself waits on tables and likes to interact with the customers. He also enjoys giving people a hard time.

Sometimes it seems heaviness just keeps piling up. I’ve felt it lately: relentless heat, shocking headlines of young lives cut short, quiet goodbyes to older loved ones, as well as devastating images of flooding fields, rivers, and homes. Through social media, I’ve seen corn fields perfect one minute, and totally destroyed by rain and wind the next. In these moments, we are powerfully reminded of the biblical truth: as God “sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), so too does hardship, storms, and trials touch every life without discrimination. Flooding, car accidents, or heart disease don’t happen to people because they are bad or evil; these things just happen in this earthly life.

A week ago I sat softly petting our cat, Tommy. Two days earlier, he seemed completely normal as he vaulted to his favorite sleeping place on top of our dining room hutch. But now, something was definitely wrong. Tommy laid very still – he wouldn’t lift his head, he hadn’t eaten or drank anything for two days and he was very lethargic. I sat “chairside” and slowly petted him – but he didn’t purr or respond. After a trip to his regular vet and two trips to the ER vet, we just couldn’t figure out what was the matter.

I understand the pain of social isolation well. On July 2nd, I celebrated completing my ninth year of sobriety. I was addicted to alcohol and the more I drank, the more isolated I became and the more I lied to myself about everything. Since I was still functioning, it couldn’t be that serious. I had an image in my mind of what a problem drinker looked like (someone in ragged clothes passed out in the median of the road in the middle of the day holding an empty bottle in a paper bag) and there was no way that was me. Alcohol is a depressant. Drinking to feel better was the biggest lie of all- the more I drank, the darker life became.

We have new words and phrases in our language today that would never have made sense even ten years ago. Our language changes so rapidly that sometimes it’s hard to understand everything we read or hear on the news.

A few weeks ago, my sermon was about Jacob. The Jacob that has such a long, wonderful story in the Bible. He’s the twin that was hanging on to his brother’s heal, trying to be the first born, but coming in second. He’s the son that cheated his brother out of the official birth rite. He’s the husband that had to work seven years for Rachel, the woman he fell in love with on first sight, only to be tricked to marry her older sister Leah and then having to work another seven years to marry Rachel, the one he truly loved. He’s the father that had at least 13 kids, but made it known he loved the two born to Rachel the most. He’s the son-in-law of Laban that had to run away at night with his wife, kids, grandkids, and possessions because he was afraid that his father-in-law wasn’t going to let him leave with his family. He’s the brother that needed to make amends for cheating his brother out of his rightful birth rite. He was the father whose 12 sons became the founders of the 12 Tribes of Israel. He’s the faithful believer that wrestled with God and wouldn’t let go until he was blessed. He’s the wrestler that walked away changed: blessed, renamed, and redefined by God.

With summer in full swing, we have had a taste of hot days with high humidity. For many who are not water drinkers, dehydration can easily become a concern.

I’m currently at my “big” summer vacation. My husband and I have national parks on our bucket list, and we will hit up three over our 4th of July holiday vacation. But that’s not all, we’ll also visit eight other sites that are state parks, state monuments, national monuments, scenic overlooks, or museums. We’ll travel through Minnesota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. We’ll be gone 8 nights. That’s a lot to see as we average about 450 miles per day. Some don’t call that a vacation, it’s too busy; but that’s what we like to do.

In the last few years, insurance companies have begun adding new extra benefits to their Medicare Advantage plans. While most have included some form of hearing, dental, and vision coverage for years, many now offer an over-the-counter allowance for qualifying purchases. Some even have special discounts or coupons for food. A number of people who have these benefits aren’t using them- because they aren’t aware that their plan includes them!