A Camping we will go

We are going camping this Friday with all the family, that is all my family. L and L, the g'kids and us. We are going to camp Friday night and come home Saturday afternoon. I haven't been camping for probably 25 years. We all have tents to use. When I did go years ago we had a camper that slept 6 people. Our girls did enjoy it. We would build a campfire as we will probably do this time and would go swimming as I don't know if I will do since I have one in my back yard now. Any way we will have a great time with family. I am doing amazingly well now. I can do most anything but not without pain. That is a part of my life but I don't let it worry me. I am truly blessed to be able to do many things. I give all the praise to God who saved me and continually watches over all of us. Papa

It has been a long time since I have been on my blog. I am updating you on my life now. I have gotten my bridge in the front of my mouth and also my two partial plates. I can eat better now but the teeth seem very strange since I was without them for eight months. I have recovered very well. I still have some lingering difficulties. I can live with them though.

We had our annual fourth-of-July get-to-gather and has a really good day. We have celebrated many birthdays since I was last on. The oldest member was J.C. my wife's dad who turned 90. He is doing good for that age.

We are working in vacation bib*le sch*ool at our church this week. It is at night this year. We are having a fairly good turn out. Though it is better in the day time. I am the photographer. I have taken many pictures.

My pastor asked for us to tell one person this week how we came to know Jesus. I promised I would and I decided to tell everyone who reads this blog.

I was 13 years old when one revival day my mom talked me into going up and confessing to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I did it for her but I was not saved. I married at 20 and my wife and I attended church sometime. She was a Christian. I was being convicted that I needed Him and one Sunday I went forward and accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior and was baptised. Many years passed and I felt saved at times and others not. I as you may know from previous blogs suffer from depression and anxiety. I had a really bad bout with this for a year or so when my children were very young. I was at work one day and felt compelled to go to my church and meet with my pastor. I did and met with him in his office. I was suffering from depression at that time. I felt again that I was not saved. I poured out my heart and again accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. Now you do not have to do this but once if it is real the first time. I cannot tell you which time it was real. I do know that I know God and Jesus. I know He helped me through depression and my accident. I still suffer from depression. I still have doubts weather I am saved of not and people tell me if you are you know without a doubt that you are but I tell you and them that if you have illnesses like depression and anxiety you do not always think rationally. You have to walk a mile in other peoples shoes to know their feelings. So if you are a Christian and having doubts in this matter, you cannot keep being saved over and over as I was trying to do, three times in fact. You have to finally come to the conclusion that you are and that is that. I do not know how you do that because I haven't been able to but I am trying. I hear people talk about how they know without a doubt and I long for that even though I know I am saved. I hope I haven't confused anyone. In closing to know that you know that you know (an old saying) is very hard for me and I imagine it is for many of you. That is my conversion experience and I hope that it has help others and not hurt. I am a Christian who struggles with different things each day, but if you trust God to guide you He will.

Your friend, Larry

Susannah's Surgery

Today at 12:00 Susannah our granddaughter is to have lip and nose surgery to repair a cleft she was born with. She is a special little girl. She has already had heart surgery. She is doing great from that. She will have to be put to sleep again. We know everything will be fine but are still a little nervous. We would like to ask the readers and friends to lift up Susannah, Charllie, Leslie, Johah and Jackson today as she is in surgery. Please pray for the doctors, anesthetist and team today that all will be in accordance with God's will. We give thanks to God for bringing her here to her mom and dad and brothers. We thank you for all the prayers and concerns. Her grandparents, Papa and Grammy

Therapy Thursday

I am having therapy for the last time on my hands and jaws today. I am glad that is coming to a close even though I have enjoyed getting to know some really nice people at the clinic. I still have to exercise my hands and jaws 2 or 3 times a day for some time to come. I am much better but it will take some months to get to 80 or 90 percent. I will never be like I was before the accident. I went to my eye surgeon Monday and she was very pleased with the outcome and said she didn't think I would need any more surgery. I can see pretty good. I still have double vision if I look very far up or side to side but that is OK. I can deal with that. My hand doctor dismissed me yesterday.

The things that I have been through have been life changing and I do now wish that on anyone. I have gained much strength through all of it and have grown some patience. I have learned to be content in all things, well almost all things. I have learned to evaluate everything that I do now and think is there any danger here and could I get hurt. I do things much more carefully now. I was hurt cutting corners. DON'T DO IT. Do it the safe way. I am left with a numb face, hands that hurt a lot, have limited use and an eye that is less than perfect. I still have to go through the teeth process too.

I am not complaining. I am still very thankful for the recovery that I have had thus far and for God looking over me. I am told very often that I was saved from the fall to do something. God is not through with you. I hear that a lot. I believe it too. I asked God OK what is it that you want of me. It was a long time before the answer came to me but it did. He said all I want is for you to tell everyone you come in contact with who I am and what I did for you. I have tried to do that with people. I do it through this blog which is a very good tool. I do appreciate all who read this and hope I bless someone each time I write. Thanks for all your prayers. Larry

Making progress on Monday

I am making much progress today. My eye is much better and am seeing more clearly. I can look side to side and up and down now and see some without double vision. I am confident that it will continue to improve. I look forward to complete recovery but if it does not get any better than it is now I am so grateful because it is 100 percent better than it was before the surgery. It still is watery and running some but no pain to speak of. I do not have pain very much. I am glad for that too. Most of the pain from all the troubles have been jaw pain. It is much, much better now. The next milestone to cross is getting more teeth. I am looking forward to that. It will be done in the next two months. I know now what it means to be content in all things and give thanks always. I am not a patient person but I have grown patients through the trials I have had since November 3. A couple more weeks of hand and jaw therapy and I will be through with that. Please pray for a friend named David who is in grave condition at Vanderbilt hospital. No matter what condition you find yourself in there is always someone who is worse and needs your help. Helping others helps you to heal also. Thanks for replying in Leslies blog about my condition. I am grateful for you all. Thanks, Larry

Day after sergury

Surgery went really well. The people who attended me at Vanderbi*t were wonderful. I have no complaints of my care. They took two hours to lift and move outward my right eye to alignment. I can see straight ahead now. It is still blurred which is normal. I still have double vision when I look up, down, left and right but the dr. said we would have to wait a week or two to see if that corrects. If now I will have to have muscle surgery also. I am so thankful for the straight vision. I do not have to tilt my head to see anymore. I was very apprehensive about being put under again general so close to the other one where I saw weird things in my room. I thought the room and bed and covers were made of Lego blocks and the walls were red with moving lines in them. In the back of my mind I was afraid I would not wake up. So I had my preacher and best friend pray for peace about that. Many others were also including Brenda and I. Well to show you how powerful prayer is while I was waiting to get into surgery the anesthetist came into the room to talk to me. She left and some few minutes later she came back and said I remember you. I put you to sleep the first time you were hurt. Well the peace came immediately because I knew she was present when I was under 12 hours. So if you still don't believe in prayer I don't know how to convince you. That hospital is too large and so many people who put you under for that to be a coindense. That is my testimony of the day. I am doing well and am still thankful for all God has done for me this far. God Bless each who reads this message. I am enclosing a funny pix and a pix of me after surgery. One is a glove wrong side out filled with ice which I have to put on 40 min and off 20 min through tomorrow. I was eating supper and felt something funny on my face and it was a finger of the glove that had melted ice and and fell down. I still have a sense of humor. Papa

The Day Before

I am having surgery on my eye tomorrow at 11:30 AM. Please pray that it will be successful and my eyes line up so I can see clearly. My wife's dad J.C. is in the hospital for the last two days with heart failure. He is better and has to be on oxygen. He is 89 years old. She has to put him in rehab for a few days. Pray for her strength to take care of her dad and for her having to be with me tomorrow also. She is very tired now. We believe strongly in the power of prayer and lean on God for all things.

Our good friend just lost her husband who was only 39 to kidney failure and a stroke yesterday. He battled cancer and kidney failure for several years. He had beaten the cancer but all took such a toll on his body that it failed. He is in the arms of God today and that gives the family comfort. They do grieve for him. He left a wife, two boys and many other kin people. Please pray for his family. The funeral is Saturday. Thanks for all the support. Larry (Papa)