What a Month…

"There are days…" I remember my mom sighing this line occasionally. She was mostly one of the most upbeat people I've known. But four kids and two working spouses inevitably led days that were not to be believed.

Here we are well over a half a century away from our full house and chaotic schedules. Now we are dealing with wannabe dictators working their evil magic. Cut, slash, rip out, destroy, eliminate are the verbs of choice. And even though I inherited my mom's sunny disposition (mostly), I'm daily feeling like I've taken a beating just watching what's going on in the world.

But that's not what I'm whining about today. Today I'm trying to process the following amongst my friends.

• One with a cancer diagnosis
• Communicating with another dear friend on hospice (Had to Google advice on how to a communicate with friend who as days to live)
• A devastating diagnosis of degenerative disease of the brain
• Another with a degenerative disease of the nervous system
• Another with a stroke
• And, the ultimate, recording a comment presented at a memorial service I wasn't able to attend

It's getting to the point where I'm not sure I want to read my texts or answer the phone.

To quote my mom again, "There are days…"

And what to do? Well, I'm at that age where this process is not going to stop anytime soon. And the reality is that I could very well have to add myself to the list above at any time. It's the age I am. Well, here's what I'm doing, learning some new communication skills and dusting off some of the old ones. 

In the last few weeks I've reached out to several friends I haven't contacted in awhile, made calls to friends who I know will listen to me whine (bless their hearts!) and to friends who I know will make me laugh! And, I'm not done. In the last few months, I've been collecting music I love (I splurged on a YouTube Premium account). My entire CD collection has been digitized but once iTunes passed away, all the work of curating my music library kinda disappeared and I just didn't have the time or interest in "reorganizing" it. And, getting that music to play on my phone was a very significant pain in the butt! 

But that's another story, and not a terribly interesting one at that. So to begin bringing this missive to an end, here's a couple of songs that I have listened to a number times this month.

First, for my friends who are believers, this song, by a BYU male chorus, is the best rendition of this hymn I've ever heard. It makes me long to sing in a choir again.

And for those of you who have chosen a different path, like me, this one gives me a boost, whether I feel like laughing, crying or I'm just numb (I know, I know, how can I get a boost if I'm feeling numb? Well, trust me, it works). I've used this in another post but it is one of those that has become a regular in my running play list.

Finally, a note about a new series of posts I'm going to deliver soon, Butch's Bible Studies. I've decided I'm not going to let my 15 years of very expensive Christian education go unused. It appears vast swaths of those who call themselves Christians seemed to have missed huge chunks of the Bible in creating their value systems.

By the way, I'm wide open to feedback and suggestions. You can make comments here, although you'll have to register your email first. And, you're free to make comments on social media. Just remember I won't be moderating those so things can and likely will get wonky. As a teaser, I leave you this good Old Testament commandment. Imagine what would happen in the world if the majority Christians actually obeyed this command.

Micah 6:8

New International Version via Bible Gateway

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.