The talented Mountain View bluegrass and comedy gang!
- My Dad (skinny one) next to Earl Scruggs, on Earl’s front porch.
Dear Friends,
I thank you all so much for your encouragement and well wishes following the vaccine. I’m doing really well with no discernable side-effects from the vaccine except a sore, red knot on my right thigh. I don’t know if it’s as much reaction as they hoped for or not, but they asked us to literally measure and record the size of the redness and knot.
I had fun on Saturday and Sunday. We didn’t have too many people at the book signing—things only started getting busy at the Store about time we were planning to leave. By that time, I was tired, so we called it a day. I guess we should have selected an afternoon time, but who knew?! We had a great time nonetheless with those who came. And we enjoyed spending some time with author and photographer Fred First. He taught us several things—like having more stuff on our table than just the book so people will feel more comfortable walking up to the table. So, if Shayley wants to, we’re going to try making some bookmarks and notecards during the next few evenings to have with us at Sweet Providence Market this coming Saturday morning (10 a.m. to Noon.)
Except for still having to nap or at least lay down for a while each day, the last 3 days have been remarkably unremarkable as far as symptoms overall. I’ve cut back on dairy products, and it actual seems to have leveled out the bowel swings somewhat as long as I rest often. I LOVE dairy, though, so it will be harder to gain weight when I’m trying not to eat ice cream! Thankfully, there are still fresh tomatoes to eat—they make so many things good.
Saturday evening I met up with 3 friends I graduated high school with. Hard to believe it’s been 21 years. We had SUCH a good time of fellowship and fun. We went to Mountain View Church in Meadows of Dan for a special event—where the men served our meal, plus several of them put on a great bluegrass and comedy show. (e.g. Q: Who was the great financier in the Bible? A:Pharoah’s daughter—she went down to the Bank of the Nile and pulled out a little “prophet.” –OK, well, it was funny in person.) It was the second time that day I felt almost visited by my Dad: earlier at the Country Store someone showed us a book there that had a picture I’d never seen of Dad playing his banjo with the Bolt twins; then, my dad had once sold a Gibson mandolin to the pastor, Terry Martin, who was playing Saturday night; then when someone else picked up a banjo and began to play, it was almost tangible– everytime I hear a banjo in church, I feel the resonance of Dad’s music in my soul.
Then Blonnie Gregory—who along with her husband, has been ministering from an 18-wheeler for over 30 years—shared some thoughts with us. Her message was about praying for God’s guidance at important decision points in our lives. I was riveted by her stories, especially of the teenage runaways she’s tried to help at truck stops around the country. One young girl in California came up to their chapel (in the trailer of their truck). Blonnie listened to her and then tried to talk her into going home. The teenager assured her that she knew what she was doing and that she was careful who she climbed into a vehicle with. Again, Blonnie begged her to go home. Blonnie watched when she left and she climbed into a truck with a stranger. Three weeks later, Blonnie saw a wanted poster in another truck stop in California: the person had stabbed the young girl to death.
She told another story of a young man they met who had been out on the road. She waved him down and gave him coupons to McDonalds that the church had given them. After they began to talk, he told her his story; there had been 9 of them on the road at one time—doing as they please—drugs, alcohol, free-wheel living. Now, the other 8 were dead from various accidents, violence and overdoses. She asked him why he thought he was left alive. He said, with tears, that he felt sure it was because he had a Mom and Dad at home praying for him.
I am convinced there is no more important thing we can do in this world than open our hearts to God in prayer—about our children, our family, our friends, our leaders, our hurts, our failures, our losses, our doubts, our fears, and our ideas. While prayer can often feel like an unanswered message, I am convinced it is more. Prayer changes the pray-er, for one thing. And, as we see in Scripture, there are times that God has intervened in the course of history because of prayer. None of us have the promise of tomorrow. I am convinced that I have had my life extended to this point because of the faithful prayers of you all. Saying a simple “thank you” feels so inadequate, but I don’t know what else to do.
I am so grateful to have had some very good days of late. Shayley and I have played a little ball in the yard the last two evenings for the first time in over a year. I have actually felt relaxed and had some fun.
I thank you for praying with me for more time. And I pray that I will do what God wants me to do with any time I’m given.
Love,
Lydeana
