I told you February would be busy. Good thing we have an extra day this year.
Quick visit with folks shows they are fine. Doc says mom’s platelets are stabilized, check again in 6 months. I also visited with family friends who’ve known us about 57 years and another friend we’ve known since before the 1980’s. We don’t visit & catch up nearly enough, but it’s wonderful when we do. All of those are essentially healthy as well, age 80-plus being a consideration.
I went to Ohio for a check on my eyes. It turns out the right has two cataract layers. One is the commonly-known age growth, the other is a diabetes side effect. Surgery to replace the lens on the right is scheduled for mid-March. The left eye will wait for now, I’m not sure how long. Cost will be just under $8k/eye, so I expect CHM will reimburse for that.
The internal bleeding is a matter of tiny blood vessels rupturing. That can happen with exertion like carrying logs or sneezing/coughing. There is no concern at this point, as it naturally reabsorbs & is fairly normal. There is a warning, though, that high glucose and blood pressure will both have a negative impact over time. I should be more strict about nutrition again.
It’s also interesting to note that two doctor appointments already scheduled for next week will satisfy the pre-surgical needs. They’re also in order, specialist first & primary care after. Ain’t God good?
While in Ohio, I got to see the new floor in the formal dining and living rooms. Carpet removed, hardwood installed. There’s a devotional there about tearing out the old and replacing it with the new, the time & effort required, and the significant improvement observed. We also need to get artwork back on the walls that will absorb some sound!
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The Deaf Kids Connect (DKC) retreat was wonderful. We had both hearing & deaf parents, an audiologist, teachers, a pastor, interpreters, & DKC staff. There were two primary questions. Now that all other projects are stable, what do we focus on to reap the greatest benefit for today’s children, and what do we do with the incomplete VBS?
The VBS is at a go/no-go decision point. There are a few revamps, many little edits, video & audio recording (& editing), and documentation to do. DWW actors, including character voice actors, are mostly aged out, having started in 2007 and in recent years declaring they’re done. That’s not considering the conversion to home use. We had to acknowledge that covid, tech, and attention spans have drastically changed our operating parameters in recent years. Access to the VBS videos as is (beta draft) was given to attendees after a presentation of where we were aiming, how far we got, and lessons learned. Reviving that is not our highest priority given the work needed to finish well, the resources available, and current societal trends. We’ll repackage and use what we can.
The update feels incomplete without investors knowing how far we got with the VBS. Contact me if you wish access to the videos – they’re good!
Next, we asked what would most benefit families of Deaf children, and the answer is relationships that lead to Jesus. If parents can confidently communicate spiritual truths, not only to but with their children, both kids and the gospel go forward.
For starters, we’ll focus on hearing parents of deaf children. Deaf & signing parents already teach their children ASL and naturally surround them with a visual environment and role models. It’s the hearing parent with a deaf child and no deaf awareness who feels adrift in uncharted waters and grieves the disconnect with their own baby. If we can come alongside those families, their children will dream up and build the resources that will reach their peers and generations after them. The adage “teach a man to fish…” was brought up.
Resource-building is not abandoned. We’re publishing memory verse videos weekly. Look for God’s Word For Deaf Kids to see it and/or learn more. We’re currently searching the (somewhat jumbled) archives to dig out some unseen gems we know are there, with plans to polish & release them. Two other resource possibilities are exciting. Scripture says Ask, Seek, Knock, and the first bit of asking went encouragingly well on Sunday 2/4.
Our office manager has set a firm retirement date of 2/29/24. She graciously stayed with us 14 months after her initial plan. We need someone local with strong admin skills who’s conversant in both English and ASL. Jesus knows who that is, but hasn’t told us yet.
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Thursday 2/8 was an adventure all its own. Check out the song “This Is the Stuff” by Francesca Battistelli for details. The workday was shot with surprise issues and the evening went to office work (instead of writing). On the up-side, I noticed 3 shirts as I went through the day… in order, they were:
- God’s Got This
- Blessed
- Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart
Friday included an office trip and a slightly overdue oil change. Friday also included a high school music exhibition & learning a new table game. This weekend starts with more friends I haven’t seen in way too long.
Even when life gets crazy, I’m still well taken care of.
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