A Pre-Christmas Miracle Report

The Lord Answers prayer.

One of the critical milestones in the whole tenant relations issue in Holliston has been my construction of a new septic system to replace the old  system. I gave the check to the Engineering company to start the design work in the middle of September. Normally such systems take many months from the start of the design work to completion.

Well the Lord helped from the beginning. My property manager has good relations with the Engineering firm and the local town officials and the project design and approval process was put on the fast track. The building permit was issued in the beginning of November; but the local contractors were too busy to bid on the job to install my system. Out of the blue a contractor from Blackstone saw my permit right after it issued and gave me a bid. (Jasco Management, Fred Gremza. They do excellent work and Fred is a good man to work with)

I signed the contract with them to put in the new system toward the end of November. They estimated a start date on the installation project during the last week of November. It was starting to look like winter and you can’t do this kind of work once the ground freezes and snow flies.

Well the Lord gave us good warm days for digging all the way through the time Jasco was installing the septic tank and leach field. But winter weather was closing in. The outside part of the system was still open to the weather as of this past weekend and snow was predicted for this past Monday. It didn’t come.

On Wednesday the final outside plumbing connections were complete and the only thing left was the last inspection and backfilling over the pipes and septic tank. The weather forcast predicted the first major snow storm of the season for Friday. The inspection happened Thursday night. Mr. Gremza’s crew was there Friday morning at 8:00 AM and did the final backfilling. The system is now closed up and ready to go as soon as the plumbing in the house is attached.

It started to snow at 3:00 PM on Friday just hours after the system was closed up to the weather.  Praise the Lord! (the storm dropped about eight inches of snow)

Who woulda thunk that we could build a new septic system at this time of year. But our God is able and He made the way for us to get the job done. All that’s left is the indoor plumbing work and it’ll be complete.

I call it a significant miracle the way the weather held off until the outside work was done. You might think otherwise but I’d rather live in the world where my Father runs the storm clouds and answers prayer for those who call on him in faith.

He kept assuring us whenever we prayed that He was going to make it all work; and He did. From getting the approvals for the project in record time,  having Fred (Jasco) show up at just the right time and the way the snow storm held off  until the last part of the system was covered, He made the way for it to work. Thanks be to God!

Thanks also to all who worked at the job to get it done. Pete, Fred, GLM, the Holliston Board of Health, the engineers,  inspectors and the guys working in the trenches.  Thank you all.

God miraculously opened the door, we got up and walked through it to claim the victory.

Love to all my friends and enemies.

dave

December Update

Well here it is December.

I guess the biggest news is that we had all the kids and grandkids for Thanksgiving. The house sounded about like my elementary school bus for four days. It was great.

We were filled up with grandkids and kids. I really do have to get some pictures up on line. Joanna is still a doll, and we don’t see Josh and Crystal enough. (Josh had to work Friday so they weren’t there even though their kids were.)

And it looks like we will have Christmas this year after all. Hannah and Mike invited us up to be with them in Lake Placid. Hey even in the land of White Chritstmas, the land of endless winter. Money will be tight but we’ll be with family.

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The not so big news is that my tenant hasn’t been paying the rent on my mothers old house for three months now.  She is a former paralegal. I started eviction proceedings for nonpayment of rent and  now she has threatened to sue me for damages. I guess a judge could award her up to three months rent if she can get a judge to agree with her.  Interesting; Like the facts don’t matter?

A lawyer on the radio once recited the old lawyering maxim that said, “If you have the law on your side, cite the law; if you have facts, cite the facts; if you have neither, pound on the table.”

As near as I can tell she’s pounding on the table.

Never mind that I’ve had to raid the cash value of all my insurance policies and wipe out my savings to pay for the Septic System replacement and ongoing expenses.  I tried to get a mortgage on Mom’s old house to pay for the project and the bank turned me down. I don’t make enough money as a school bus driver to get a mortgage, even with the rent coming in (which it isn’t right now).

(Missing three months of work while I was in the hospital almost dying last April, May and June didn’t help much either.)

I’ve had the suspicion for a while that she’s saving up for something and has decided that I’m the mark to steal from to get it. Almost $4000 of rent not paid is a pretty good savings account. Yup, you betcha.

Now I’ve got to hire a lawyer too boot. Oh well what are 401k retirement savings for if not to pour down a rathole after a deadbeat tenant. I really can’t afford this landlord business, especially not in the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts.

But the Lord keeps assuring my wife and me that He’s got things under control and He’ll take care of us in this situation. He has some very not nice things to say in the Bible about those who:  a) don’t pay their bills; b) try to steal from the poor; and c) rise up against Levi. He says vengeance is His;  that’s fine with me I don’t want vengeance,  I just want to be able to pay my bills.

The best vengeance would be for her to repent of her larcenous ways,  get evangelically saved from sin and become an honest and sincere person. That would make God happy, Jesus happy, me happy and most of all she would really be happy from the inside out for the first time in her life.

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Oh and in the midst of all this there is a miracle to report. I put down the deposit in the middle of September on the engineering plan for the new septic system. What with the time for the Engineers to do their thing and the permitting process through the town it was November before we could go out for bids to the contractors. None of the ones we asked were able to do the job, too busy.

A contractor by the name of Jasco Management from Blackstone MA (@ 40 miles south) saw the permit at town hall and bid on the job. I hired him to do the job on Nov 15th. He said it would take about three weeks to get it done if it didn’t snow. We had weather in the teens for the next week.  Fact: It’s against the law to build a septic system with frozen soil. (hmmm)

(Oh by the way, if you need contracting in southern Mass or RI call Fred at Jasco, he’s one of the best)

It is now the 9th of December, snow,  ice and frozen ground time in good old New England.  But The Lord has sent us warm weather for the whole 12 days that Jasco has been out there digging and installing.  The outside work is nearly done and closed up in time for this weekends predicted snow storm. Glory be to God!

My hope is in the Lord who made the Heavens and the Earth, I will not fear what man can do to me.  (“It’s all just stuff anyways.” to quote my friend K.D. Atkins)

Love to all my friends and enemies.

(You who think you’re my enemy. Hah! You’re not really my enemy,  you’re a soul for whom my Jesus died to save you from your sins and make you Holy. You’re really just a friend who hasn’t happened yet.)

Cheers

dave

Nov. Update

November Update:

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Medically I’m pretty much on my own now. Passed the big milestone Sept 23rd and my weight restriction came off. So I’m effectively healed up from my bypass operation. The nurses at Cardiac Rehab say I’m doing fabulously on my recovery.

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I don’t have the strength I did before after sitting around doing nothing for 8 months but I can start working on that now.

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So I’m Just driving my school bus and writing my Sf novels.

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The big news is that I finished the first draft of my first novel. 55,000 words and counting. It may top 100,000 before I’m finished with the style editing. 

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I’ve got some more pics of the grandkids and Joanna. She’s growing like a weed. I’ll post them later.

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Cheers

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dave

September Update

It’s been a while since I updated. I’ve been busy with a collaborative story that I’m writing online with a guy from Anchorage, AK. If your’re interested here is the link IC Matthew 24 et al
My attempt to put sermons on this blog took a lot of time too but didn’t work too well.

The big news from my Medical Misadventures thread is that I started back to work on Sept. 2nd driving school bus again. I’ve still got another month of Cardiac Rehab but for all intents and purposes I’m over the problems.

I don’t hurt any more (except muscle aches when I overdo) and I’m done with restrictions on what I can lift at the end of September.

So naturally I got a summer cold to make up for it.

Not much interesting going on except on the School Bus, the kids always surprise you. I’ve got one of the liveliest bunch of kids in the town for which I drive. But I have school bus radio on the bus they gave me this year. The music keeps them quieter and it also has a microphone to allow me to speak through the radio speakers. Sounds a bit like the Voice of God from one of those old movies.

It gets their attention and I don’t have to shout to be “not” heard. They hear me now. Sometimes they listen to me too. :~)

I’m working on the “best of” pictures of the grandkids and Joanna. I’ll post them soon.

Cheers

dave

Joanna Joy’s Dedication service

Sunday morning at the Haverhill Pilgrim Holiness Church our friend Rev. Kurt Groder dedicated Joanna to the Lord. Here is a video clip of much of the actual service. It also includes some video of Joanna, Josh and Crystal after the church service at the parsonage.

Second Sunday home; medical misadventures

Me at Nubble Light

One week later.

Well I’m not exactly on vacation at the beach. This pic was taken before I went in for the bypass operation, but I am finally starting to feel a little better.

I’ve been able to stand taking my pain meds 6 hours apart instead of every four hours with Ibuprofin in between.

So today I’m going to church for Joanna Joy’s dedication and a fellowship meal afterwards at the parsonage. This is a really big deal, last week I didn’t even think about leaving the house. Now i’m going to church.

A few minor hiccups along the way. One of my incisions on my leg looks like it may be getting infected, have to show it to the doctor tomorrow. One of the holes where my chest tubes were started to bleed this morning and got blood on my dress shirt but a bandage fixed that. It was the deepest of the holes in my belly so I guess that is normal even though it is a pain.

I’ll have some more Pics of Joanna to post this afternoon, and if I can find an mp3 sharing site for free I’ll start posting Bro. Groders sermons too.

Well got to go get ready.

Love to all my friends and enemies.

dave

Home Sweet Home; Sunday

My wife brought me home from the Hospital yesterday. I am very glad to be home.  One set of challenges is behind me.  By all accounts the surgery was a success. I am completely free from any Angina and my heart rhythm is solid and regular (Sinus). Thanks be to God.

Then yesterday afternoon I started reading the stuff that Layhe Clininc gave me about what to expect after surgery and now I feel a bit like one of those people who climb big mountains. When they  reach the summit they’ve reached their goal and finished the hardest part of the climb but they still have to get back down to the world. That’s how I feel now looking at the predictions.

According to the surgeons it should take 4-6 weeks for the extreme pain from the surgery to finally go away. It seems that all the muscles and tendons in my chest and back were strained when the surgeons pulled my chest open to get at my heart.

Next, because my breastbone was split in half I need to be very careful to not put stress on it until it knits back together (after about 4 months). This means I can’t lift, pull or push more than 5 pounds with either hand or arm for the first month; 10 lbs for the second month; 15 lbs for the third month.  If I use both hands I can double it. (ie. a gallon of milk weighs 8 lbs. so that’s a two handed job for me until August) This means I can’t pick up any of the grandkids until next November.

It is amazing how much we use our hands to carry our own weight and don’t even think about it. They gave me a Heart pillow to “hug” with both hands while I do things like getting into and out of bed or a chair; to keep me from using my hands. If I don’t get it right I can split my breastbone at the cut that is in the process of healing. Then I’ll have to go  back in for surgery to fix that. (shiver) I’m going to be very carefull.

Still in all this My Father’s grace is enough. He sent me through this, so I’ve had His grace to help me when I needed it. I only hope I’ve been a good example to someone of what a Christian man looks like when he goes through hard things.

Love to all my friends and enemies

dave

God’s Grace made perfect in my weakness

The last two days have been both encouraging and frightening at the same time.  The last hardware, the two pacemaker wires they had implanted during the operation, departed this tired old body yesterday. The cardiologist who is handling my case followup pulled them out just after noontime. He said that they would feel funny coming out. The first one felt very funny and hurt a little. The second one hurt a lot an took three pulls to get it out.

After ward he told me to stay in bed for an hour. Since i was trembling so much from the extraction I had no desire to get up for several hours. Once I got up again I was actually feeling pretty good until I tried to go to sleep, then I felt like I couldn’t breathe when I lay prone. No explainaiton, but it went away with beta blockers and about two hours.

Today the cardiologist told me that I could go home today if I wanted to do that since all of my major milestones were cleared. I felt after the incident last night the my pain management was not under control well enough yet to go home. He agreed with me. I feel that this was the right decision.  

This afternoon I had another incident. I was walking in the hallway with my wife when I suddenly got very weak and started having violent chills. The best explaination is that my body is so weak that it just shut down when more demands were made.

Now all of this finally got me thinking. I have always thought of myself as strong. My doctors have looked at me as young and strong compared to most of thier patients. But this really isn’t the case. In the last months time I have been:

1) hospitalized with Congestive Heart Failure in Mid April wih only 25% function (Apr 14)

2) I nearly died (the doctors words) twice from a previously unknown drug alergy and spent the night in ICU (Apr15) 

3) hospitalized for fairly severe Angina attack (Jun 8th)

4) heart cahtererization on June 9th discovers that I have three blockages in my descending left side cardiac arteries, main descending artery is blocked twice, the worst blockage is 80%. As a result I have had continuous Angina until June 23rd.

5) June 23 I undergo a double bypass operation at Layhe clinic.

Summing this all up, I may be younger than most bypass patients but I have been physically battered by an awful lot of trauma in the last 40 days and I cannot expect my self to bounce back quickly.

Light finally dawns over marble head. I will not rise up in my strength. I have to go slow and let my body rebuild. Maybe in 6 months or a year I may once again regain my strength, but not this summer or even this fall. I have always tried to be strong to carry the load for others;  but as of now I have no more strength. I need to learn how to be weakand let others carry my load.

According to Paul both are positions of Grace. Now i will get to find out how God’s grace is made perfect in my weakness. 

Love to all my friends and enemies

dave

A New day of advenure

I am movin ahead toward recovery today. I got most of my “Lines” removed today. My central line is gone and they pulled out my chest lines this after noon. That hurt but it feels a lot beter now that the three drain lines are out of my chest. I’m feeling more human now.

Bypass Operation was a success

I came through the bypass operation sussessfully.  I am living on powerful painkillers and I can’t move without help but they tell me that I’m in good shape considering. 

They just moved me out of the surgical ICU. I thank the Lord for his goodness to me.  More later once I get my laptop. I’m trying to type ths on the computer TV in the room. Strange device not all the funcitons work.

Love to all my friends and enemies

dave