I don’t know what the deal is, but I am enjoying a round of nausea this afternoon. My guess it is the result of re-upping on a medication, but it could also be my stomach’s unhappy handling of a mug of coffee this morning, or a reaction to something else I have eaten. I ran with Kurt this morning and then came home and had a protein shake. I also had a cookie with my office coffee this morning. That was about 3 hours ago. Oh well. I am going to skip lunch today. My hope is that the nausea just lingers for a bit, gets bored, and then goes somewhere else soon to hang out.

It’s been a strange last week and a half related to health and feeling in general. With the arrival of some rains a weekend ago, I have seen a return of a feeling of ache or inflammation in my long muscles. It’s been frustrating in the morning to wake up and feel about 200 trying to get out of bed with stiff arms and legs. I also periodically just feel cold during the day. Not feverish, but just on the verge of chilling. And then it rolls back in a short time. I’d like to say I know what is up, but I have no clue. And it’s a little frustrating. I’m trying, regardless, to get back out on the track with Kurt after a three week sabbatical. The exercise at least cuts pain and stiffness for the day.

I’ve been spending a fair amount of time with an old friend, Bonnie, and with her in nursing school and being a nutrition student and a physical trainer, she is at least asking me questions to help me consider possible medical explanations for things. My friend Gwen has also been encouraging. For now, more B-12. More C. More potassium. More rest.

Otherwise the week has been good. I still feel some frustrations about my slowness on projects at work, and I also have one for a friend at home I need to do. In Proverbs, the author says if you get into an obligation with someone, get out of it as fast as you can, either by finishing it or asking release from it, or it will become a trap to you. I am feeling that way about this obligation right now. It is not getting done, and I am frustrated by that.

In brief, our Sagebrush Highland small group moved from Monday nights to Tuesday nights this week, and we went over the second half of Acts 2. Peter preaches that the purpose of Pentecost and the coming of the Holy Spirit is to point at Jesus as Lord and Savior. The product of Pentecost is the baby church beginning: a supernatural community of love, faith, generosity, and servanthood. The study was a great reminder of what a church should act like, and what qualities were developed in the early believers.

I’ve fallen off again with my daily Bible study, if only because I let myself get distracted so much. My Bible is bookmarked in I Samuel right now.

I ended up learning that the State Fair admission was free yesterday, so I asked my boss if I could get off early and go check it out for a bit. He was good with that, so I called Bonnie and had her join me. We mostly walked through art exhibit halls and the FFA building, the Manuel Lujan Hall, and watching some horse handling in the fairgrounds arena. We did end up getting Frito pie and some pie from the Asbury Cafe. Since I can remember, whenever I go to the fair, I’ve always stopped there for a meal and pie. It was a good time, and we got out of it early enough that I could make a dance class at Dirty Bourbon. The class I took was great, and I danced for a little while after in the open dancing, but I got home fairly early, and just went on to bed. My body said I had to do that.

Bonnie is a going through some changes in her life, and so I have been spending time with her some to help be a distraction to her as she endures a trial. We’re very similar emotionally, and so I have a small sense of how to encourage her in the moment. I have also been drawing on my recent experiences as someone losing I’ve loved and striving to make positive changes coming out of it. For both of us, becoming fast friends over the last two weeks after a long history of surface exchanges has been serendipitous and fortuitous. We are able to talk clearly with one another about pretty much anything, and so the friendship has been immediately valuable and productive for us both. I’ve appreciated that.

Sadly, even in residual, G. still stays firmly entrenched as the gal who owns my heart. My hurt feelings have largely burned off now, but she still remains the one I would wish for if God gave me free reign. Her reputation remains so high in my heart, and history aside, she still embodies the kind of woman I pray I might find one day. I’ve always been wowed by her heart, despite how I might, or might not, fit into it. To Jenise, I issue an apology- I gave in here for a moment.

On Tuesday, my parents had a tree that has been in the backyard of their home for 38 years cut down. It was at the end of its life. We used to climb in that tree as kids, as have the grand kids. The tree sheltered a lot of birds that my mom and dad loved to observe.

Goodbye, old tree.

Life moves on. To every season of our lives, there is a time under heaven.

I hug the tree.

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Lord, thank you for today, for the grace, mercy and forgiveness you gave us through the cross, and for your Holy Spirit in our lives. You promise us that we are never alone. Amen.

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The nausea has settled a bit for now. I hope it holds.

Back to work.