Enough

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 34:18

I lost another friend to cancer this weekend.

Beth fought bravely, courageously, with strong faith.

We had not seen each other since well before the pandemic. But we would chat by Facebook and keep in touch.

I knew that in the times that she was not posting or communicating that the challenges were great.

Around the end of March she posted that she was on her way to more chemotherapy. I believe that was her last post. I knew that the silence could not be a good thing.

Yesterday, her daughter confirmed that it indeed was not. Beth passed peacefully in her sleep on Saturday evening.

She leaves behind a loving husband, three beautiful daughters, her grandchildren, and many, many who loved her.

She is already missed.

I was in the employee canteen at the amusement park yesterday when I heard the news. I had a hard time not crying in public.

I know that Beth is no longer in pain. I know that this weekend she walked into the arms of the Savior.

The Write Side Shop

Healed. Completed. Restored.

I know that one day I will see Beth, and so many, many others, again.

But right now, my heart aches. It aches for the lost of my friend. It aches for her her family.

I am glad that in God’s master plan, I had the privilege to know and love Beth. I am richer for it.

I first met Beth probably ten or fifteen years ago. I lost count. She was the lead person on the makeup team for Glorious Christmas Nights at West End Assembly of God.

She was the first person to make me look like Santa, back when I was just starting to look like him without makeup.

When our youngest entered a gifted program at a school near Beth, she volunteered to help with afternoon care. Just for the love of doing it, and for us.

When our families went different ways with churches, we kept in touch, again mostly via Facebook.

Two or three years ago, I posted a picture of a horse that I had painted. She asked “are you selling that?” We worked out a deal, but I would just have given it to her.

That was before the pandemic and before her illness.

I never got the painting to her.

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Cancer sucks.

So I find myself asking, praying, when will enough be enough?

My wife and I have lost count of the funerals we have attended, or tried to attend over the last two years. Strangely, while the number is somewhere north of two dozen, I don’t believe any were COVID related. At least not directly.

There are so many things I do not understand.

I do not understand why so many have lost the battle to cancer while I have survived. Twice.

I cannot see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together.

I cannot see what the final tapestry will look like.

But I don’t believe in coincidence. I don’t believe in accidents.

I have to believe there’s a reason. I pray that I find it and accomplish it.


THINGS YOU SHOULD READ

Miyares To DHS: Disband the Disinformation Governance Board
Shaun Kenney at The Republican Standard
Of course, notable about the announcement of the new DGB is the uncanny timing of it all just as Elon Musk announced his intention to purchase Twitter, much to the utter shock of progressives who immediately shifted gears as to whether or not the social media giant was neutral, betraying the left-wing slant and information operations it had waged against conservatives for the better part of a decade. Read More.

EXCLUSIVE: Bill Barr Throws Cold Water On Biden’s ‘Disinformation’ Board And Its ‘Radical’ Head
Daily Caller
Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr denounced the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) new Disinformation Governance Board, characterizing its leader as an unqualified “radical.” Read More.

I Asked Thousands of Biologists When Life Begins. The Answer Wasn’t Popular
Steve Jacobs at Quillette
However, members of the media were mostly interested in my finding that 96% of the 5,577 biologists who responded to me affirmed the view that a human life begins at fertilization. Read More.

BORN ON THIS DAY

1860 – J. M. Barrie, Scottish novelist and playwright (d. 1937)
1914 – Hank Snow, American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1999)
1918 – Mike Wallace, American journalist, media personality and one-time game show host (d. 2012)
1936 – Albert Finney, English actor (d. 2019)
1936 – Glenda Jackson, English actress and politician
1942 – John Ashcroft, American lawyer and politician, 79th United States Attorney General
1949 – Billy Joel, American singer-songwriter and pianist

BENEDICTION

The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121:7–8

Agony, far more painful than yours*

Photo by Arnaud Mesureur on Unsplash

“The Destiny of Man is to unite, not to divide. If you keep on dividing you end up as a collection of monkeys throwing nuts at each other out of separate trees.”

The Once and Future King

American historian, journalist, and author, Theodore H. White, was born on this day in 1915 (d. 1986)

*Okay, probably not.

In case you don’t get the reference, it’s a line from the song sung by the princes in Into the Woods as they um…agonize over winning their respective princesses. It’s a favorite stage show and not a bad movie either.

Speaking of agonizing stage shows…no, I won’t go there.

What prompted today’s title was the morning’s pain at the pump. I’ve mentioned before, this week even, that

Available at
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(click the pic)

I’m doing a lot of driving these days. It’s just where our circumstances have us for a season.

I filled my truck up this morning for $85.00. I do that roughly twice a week.

So, my agony might not be more painful that yours, but I don’t feel too skippy about it.

It’s Friday and I’m writing this a couple of hours after I normally post.

Again, for reasons I don’t need to explain, I didn’t have Thursday evening at home. And when I got home after eleven, I still needed to take care of today’s drawing for The 100 Day Project.

Also, I had no idea what to write about.

Oh, there are many things I could write about, but I choose not to.

In the early days of the interwebz, I would have been snarking about all of the current issues. I actually identified my political affiliation as snarxist.

I was an equal opportunity mocker.

And, to be totally honest, I was pretty good at it.

But along the way I realized that I wasn’t making a difference. I wasn’t changing any minds.

So, while I’d love to express my opinion and tell you while I’m right, I realize that my rantings on this blog, or any other social media platform, aren’t going to change minds.

The best I can do is provide my little “Things You Should Read” list at the bottom and hope that you do.

Otherwise, I have decided to use my powers for good.

No, I’m not delusional.

But maybe, just maybe if I speak softly, and calmly, with an underlying dose of love and respect, maybe I can convince a handful of people, or even just one, to do the same.

We’ll never be completely united. Just open up Google and click on news.

I’d like to think we could debate the issues and remain friends. Sometimes we can. But I lost friends because of how I voted in last year’s Virginia election.

Their decision. Not mine.

I won’t back away from what I believe. But I also won’t start, or join, an argument if I can at all avoid it.

That’s the little bit that I can do. Try to use this blog and my other work to help us get a long, to speak a little reason, to make this world a better place.

That doesn’t sound so agonizing after all.

Growing up in church, I didn’t always understand when some of the older folks would say they were “homesick for heaven.”  I’m not quite sure I’m there yet, but I get it…even so, Lord Jesus…


 

THINGS YOU SHOULD READ

BREAKING NEWS: Elon Musk ‘will serve as CEO of Twitter for a few months’ when his $44B deal goes through as the billionaire reveals the 18 investors pumping $7B into his buyout including Tesla board member Larry Ellison
Daily Mail
The tech tycoon will hold the role for a few months following the buyout, CNBC confirmed Thursday morning. Read More.

Wisconsin Dems Rely on Front Group To Attack Republican Incumbent While Decrying Dark Money
The Washington Free Beacon
But Opportunity Wisconsin doesn’t actually exist on paper. The name is a business alias for the North Fund, which is more than 600 miles away in Washington, D.C. The North Fund filed to conduct business under the name “Opportunity Wisconsin” in January 2020, according to D.C. corporate records. Opportunity Wisconsin did not respond to a request for comment.  Read More.

What’s Not Going to Happen After Roe Falls
Ramesh Ponnuru in Bloomberg
Roe may be on its way out. But social conservatives are still under political and institutional constraints that would keep them from undoing social liberalism across the board even if they wanted to. The sexual revolution is not going to be repealed.  Read More.

 

BORN ON THIS DAY

1856 – Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist and psychoanalyst (d. 1939)
1915 – Orson Welles, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1985)
1931 – Willie Mays, American baseball player and coach
1945 – Bob Seger, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1955 – Tom Bergeron, American television host
1960 – Roma Downey, Irish-American actress and producer
1961 – George Clooney, American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter

BENEDICTION

The Lord will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the Lord will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121:7–8