Back from the Mountains

The weekend on the Blue Ridge Parkway was refreshing, restorative, restful, recreative, and "read-full." Okay, that's a stretch. But I did find time to read quite a bit, as well as hike. We camped at Mt. Pisgah, west of Asheville. Beautiful as ever! Friday night we got to see the International Space Station in its stately passage across the arc of the night sky.

My chronological Bible has now taken me through the end of the Psalms, and I want to remind us of one more of them before I move on. Psalm 147:3-5; 11:

He heals the brokenhearted, binding up their wounds.
He counts the stars and calls them all by name.
How great is our Lord! His power is absolute!
His understanding is beyond comprehension!
. . . the Lord's delight is in those who honor him,
those who put their hope in his unfailing love.

Last evening our diabetic friend, for whom we've been praying that a kidney donor will be found, got a call to go at once to the hospital in Winston-Salem. Presumably, it looked like a good match; and we've been praying that it would prove to be so and that by now she's either in surgery or maybe even finished. She'd experienced so many disappointing delays and things were looking so hopeless at times. God is good. She had boldly prayed that a donor would be found, even asking for a pancreas as well (end of diabetes), and that it would happen before the end of August. This phone call means there's a grieving family somewhere, and we pray for them too. But how we pray that our friend will be restored to health. She's one of those few who are perpetually helping others.

My aunt died last week. She's been totally out of touch with reality due to Alzheimers for so long; we can only rejoice that now at last she's whole again, and in heaven. With a strong history of that disease on both sides of my family, I've prayed often to not live long enough to get it myself. It's so hard on everyone. I'm glad she's free.

Have a great day.

Love,
Carol