One might think that knowing someone only through the internet would lessen the pain of their passing. Having just learned one of my virtual friends is no longer present in this life I can now say that I feel the pain of that loss. She has been a great encourager to me and I can’t begin to express my grief. Still I know that soon I will meet her for the first time in person, and we will rejoice with the King.

@Pagan43, I miss you and look to see you then.

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Then we heard, after arriving at church, that the grandmother of one of my Youth had passed that morning. She had been sick with cancer for quite a long time and the family was told last week she would probably pass before the weekend was over. For once, it seems, the doctors were right, but not so much in a good way. I got to see the young lady who lost her grandmother but it was still to fresh for her to have really processed it. She has been going through grief for knowing but this was a new and stronger loss and so she was very raw with hurt when I got to see her. I figure I did a good job though. I didn’t ask how she was. I knew the answer and I know I hate when people ask that when they know it isn’t good. Actually I don’t remember saying much at all. I said hi and gave her a side hug. I don’t give many of those out unless someone initiates and almost never to a female but this seemed like a good time to break one of my rules.

Anyways, we had a board meeting, which I hate going to, after church and then I took two of the Youth to go see the family in delivery. The soon to be uncle and his girl friend. I was kind of hoping for screaming rage level of labor (since it was coming up on 24 hours) but she really wasn’t in that. Why did I hope for that? Hey can you think of a better way to sell abstinence to a teen girl?

As they got closer to the 24 hour mark the Dr. decided they needed to do a c-section. Mother and baby came out fine and the baby boy was about the 5th most beautiful baby I’ve seen shortly after birth.

So the day basically started with a death and ended with a birth. I think overall it was a good day but I really wish we could have skipped the death and made it a knock out awesome day.

I have to tell the new grandma about the death soon because she has a good relationship with the teen that lost her grandma, but I don’t want to break her new happy grandma bubble just yet. It was great seeing her when they brought the baby back into the room. She busted out into tears of joy like you couldn’t imagine. I wonder if that is how it is in heaven when people get saved?

So what do you think? good day or bad day?

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First, most people have less than a 1% chance of that death. Much less.

Second, let’s face it how often have you seen a button or switch with that kind of warning label? Yeah that means there can’t be many but if I’m within a few miles I figure my instincts will kick in a take me to the source of my destruction. I just can’t pass up something like that.

Third and finally, the other 90% is related to the same kind of accidental death just not involving a clearly labeled button or switch. I’m living proof that curiosity can kill more than just cats.

I can’t help it I need to know what things do. My last words will most likely be, “fascinating” or “So that’s what that does.”

What does all this have to do with why I can’t be serious right now? I feel like I have to be serious. I’m tired and a bit cranky, plus this is my serious post day. Everything tells me to do it so I’m being defiant. That is just how it works.

So in an attempt to find humor in frustration.

So I need to clean the floor in the Youth room. We have an old floor cleaner but it is broken. I can get it to spray chemical but not water. I took it apart and there is no physical reason I can find. It is just obstinate. (on a side note I do understand how I frustrate my wife by being the same but unlike the machine I can appreciate how funny it is to irritate people) We called someone with a floor cleaner but that one is broken to. It will spray but not vacuum.

Now for some reason my solution isn’t acceptable to my wife and the other lady. I say bring the other floor cleaner over. I have one that will vacuum but not spray, they have one that will spray but not vacuum. I have a hammer and duct tape, we can franken-cleaner them into a single working unit.

Speaking of franken, did I ever tell you about my frankenphone? It is my single greatest achievement. Sure some people are proud of their kids, and mine are awesome, but this is more awesome. A few years ago, when I was a carpenter, I was very abusive to my phone. It wasn’t intentional, but the silly thing kept falling from heights. I think it might have been depressed because all the newer cool phones could play mp3 ring tones but it was stuck with the old polyphonic tones. Anyways, one day it leaped to its death and broke the LCD. Fortunately I had acquired an identical phone when a friend upgraded theirs. I was using the replacement as a charging station so I could run my battery dead and have a backup in place.

I switched the sim cards and presto I was back in business. Then the new phone got depressed seeing all the other fancy phones. It jumped off while I was going up the stairs and damaged its circuit board beyond repair. So there I was with two dead phones and my cheapskate alarm went off. One phone had a dead LCD and the other had a dead circuit board. A short time later I had pulled the circuit board from both phones and put the good one into the phone with the working LCD. Next thing you know I had a working Frankenphone. The new phone seemed much more durable as it lasted another 2 years before I upgraded. The Frankenphone now sits in a place of honor awaiting its call to the big game. One of these days it knows the new fancy phone will give out but the will of the Frankenphone will endure. It will rise from the shelf and takeout any new fangled electronic device as it establishes world domination.

Don’t look at me like that. I am not an animal.

BTW did I mention I’m distracted by the revelation of shiny candy? You got to get past a nekkid buttler but it is there are the bottom of this post (I made two references to rear ends hehehe)

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I understand now that this movie followed the path of the hero. Much as Obi Wan had to die for Luke to become what he needed to be, Optimus had to die so Hot Rod could save the day at the end of the movie.

On Friday a dear woman died. She battle cancer for years. God had helped her often along the way and even in the darkest moments of this battle she would share a testimony of the power and grace of God. She is a true inspiration to me.

On Friday a hero died. She did not lose the battle. Instead she won through the transforming power of Christ. She sits with Him now free from the pain she never showed.

These things do not fit well with my own desires even now. Heroes should not die and so I am sad. Not because of the victory she holds now, but because death may not have victory but it does separate us and quite frankly that sucks.

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I have only been here a year but have known this lady to be amazing. She worked with young children in the church until January when her illness became too much. She has gone down hill quickly and now needs someone with her 24/7.

It breaks my heart and I want to see her healed or released. I don’t really want to pray that though because I think it would be so much the better to see her healed. She is not afraid to share what God has done for her. Even in her sickness she shared many small blessings God gave to her.

Please pray for her healing. Cancer seems so big and scary to us but we know our God is bigger.

Her name is JoAnn.

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