Road in Retirement

A New Route for My Retirement Road My next two blogs are centered around the goodness of God, a new diagnosis, my fancy wheelchair (WC) and my hunt for a used WC-accessible van. I am hitting my road in retirement hard and trying to use available tools and medical helps to serve God and experience his goodness best I can. My WC and a WC van provide mobility; pretty important components of a “road in retirement” for someone like me battling Parkinson’s disease (PD). Most recently, after a spinal tap test of brain proteins, I received some interesting news; a new diagnosis.  God is Good Flooding my soul most recently is the truth of God’s goodness in leading me and Chris during this part of our life; fighting for mobility, fulfilling our purpose, and finding delight in  His Presence. These words come into my spirit: The LORD is good to all, he does good things, his mercy and goodness are forever poured out over all that He has made. Psalms 100, 119 and 145. Think about those wor...

St. Peter’s Prayer In my last blog I mentioned that the apostle Peter wrote a prayer to a group of Christ followers in Turkey (ancient Cappadocia) who were undergoing severe religious persecution. He prays that they will not complain. What? First-century persecution was ruthless and without judicial guidelines that our modern-day society would demand and expect. It seems harsh. One of the definitions of complaining is to lament; often a heartfelt expression of true emotional pain. The Bible is full of laments. To be honest, there are times that I can see how uttering the negative dark truth, pain or difficulty of a matter, might help us vent septic emotions, leading to a more peaceful homeostasis. Broadening his prayer to us, Peter seems to intimate that we can all overcome complaining using antidotes that ward off deleterious complications. He lists three powerful remedies we can put into action to replace grumbling about our plight. Peter says we should love one another, be hospitabl...

Announcement When Chris, my blog typist and editor asked me what the next topic was going to center on, I announced it would be on complaining. He objected because he sensed the entire blog was going to be centered on him. He was sort of correct, but he asked for a topic and I gave him one. Then we had a discussion, meaning spoken words (Chris) and the AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) device (me).  Chris: “So are you insinuating that I have been complaining a lot lately?” Me (AAC): “Yes.” Chris: “But I just had carpal tunnel surgery on my left hand with the right hand coming up soon with no additional help to care for your needs and schedule.” Me (AAC): “Yes.” Chris: “Yes? You understand my plight and realize complaining is just part of dealing with it? Or yes, my complaining is out of control and wearing on your soul.” Me (AAC): “Yes.” A New Quest So, this discourse sent Chris on 15-mile bike ride. When he returned, he mumbled (same Greek word in the Bible for “com...

Family Dynamics Everyone’s family dynamic and upbringing is different; leading to varied relational experiences. Some of us are extremely close and do all sorts of family activities with parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, and in-laws. Others of us, for whatever reason are just not close with immediate family or distant relatives. And still others have no family! I am not writing a treatise on family dynamics here, but I have connected with siblings and close relatives more than ever later here in life; now on my road in retirement with Parkinson’s (PD). Maybe retirement is designed as a great opportunity to “re-engage” with family. The Bible and Families I assume that most planned family gatherings are like ours, never a dull moment with tons of loquacious banter and storytelling. The bible records many genuine family discussions. Here are a few that come to mind, some often very descriptive and honest:  “Where is Abel your brother?”  “How should I know...

Challenges of Distance: Mobility My Road in Retirement has become a gigantic challenge of distance; with respect to mobility and friendships. First, wheels. I have been harping on Chris to get us an accessible van for weeks and finally, we actually saw one; like discovering bigfoot is real. It was a God thing: “Hey, maybe there is a dealership here in Central Wisconsin that sells these vans,” as we traveled back to North Dakota recently (Chris family visit). And sure enough, literally 30 minutes later we rolled my wheelchair (WC) into a showroom to learn about a possible future purchase. The market for vans with WC ramps is huge but disparate; because they are scattered across the country and sold by broker houses mostly. An accessible van allows my WC to glide through a sliding side door via a foldout ramp and proceed directly into the front passenger seat. We need this mobility more than ever to drive my road in retirement.  Challenges of Distance: Friendships Four decades ago, w...

The Above and Beyond Continues Last blog I detailed my latest road in retirement segment involving travel to San Diego and how God cared for us in the journey, above and beyond our prayers and expectations. Looking back now, I’m in awe of God’s hand and presence, like Israel’s cloud in the desert; ever evident and carefully assisting our preparations and travel with immense favor. Let me set the theme for this west coast excursion using thousand-year-old prose from King David:  By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap. He lays up the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. Psalm 33:6-8 The “Wrong” Hotel We landed in San Diego on March 16 and headed for Del Mar, about 25 miles north where we hoped to experience surfer life for the next five days. Chris is such a gracious loving man (remember he types the blo...