Never Give Up

My family and I went to Destin for our annual family trip Memorial Day. It was quite a production getting me down and back. I have quite a bit of equipment to transport these days. I have all sorts of things I have to bring with me now including items I need for my bed, my computer and it's floor stand, a bipap machine, a suction machine, a shower bench, a portable ramp, etc. My whole family was there. There were about 35 of us in all and it was great to see everyone. Sunday night we had our annual dinner and picture at my Aunt and Uncle's house in Seaside. When I got there, however, everyone came to see me and I was totally overwhelmed with emotion because I realized it would almost certainly be the last time I would see everyone. See the picture below.

I bought Tara a toy poodle before we got married. We initially named him Yogi, because he was solid black and he looked like a baby black bear. When he would pee on the carpet of our first house, we couldn't ever remember his name so we changed his name to Toby. That name stuck. As soon as we had kids, Tara forgot all about Toby, so he became my dog. Once he became my dog, my friends made fun of me unmercifully. Being secure in my manhood, I told them to go _ _ _ _ themselves. Toby is now 16 years old. In his old age, he has lost all of his teeth, except for his two lower fang teeth. Because he has no other teeth, the two he does have stick out and make him look a little like a menacing shark. He walks unsteadily and his nerves are shot, so he shakes and trembles all the time now. Without a doubt, he knows I'm sick, so he has taken on the job of protecting me. He literally attacks any person who gets anywhere close to my bed.  I've watched every episode of The Dog Whisperer and I haven't been able to make him quit. It really drives me crazy, but he drives everyone else crazier. Keep in mind he only has two teeth, so even if he bit someone, it would feel like two boiled okra clamping down on you. Every day, however, someone gets mad at him and slings him off the bed. He often gets thrown into the armoire or the side of my wheelchair. It really breaks my heart to see him treated like that, but with no ability to move my arms or say anything, there is absolutely nothing I can do about it. Because I can't speak, I can't even call his name to get him to come to me. The worst thing of all, however, is that I can't even pet him and console him afterward. It is the little things like this that make ALS so hard. If Tara doesn't kill him first, I truly believe that Toby will allow himself to die as soon as he realizes that I've died. If that happens, I want my friend and protector buried with me.

I have far too much time on my hands, so I read a lot. I've been reading about a problem and I wanted to share the good news…Has anyone heard about the mysterious missing honey bees reported last week? Bee keepers all over the nation are reporting that whole colonies of bees are disappearing. Bee keepers on the West coast are reporting as many as 60% of their colonies have abandoned their hives, and on the East coast numbers are as high as 70%. Bees are also reportedly abandoning colonies all over Europe.

Why should you care? Well, this isn't about a honey shortage.  Most of the world's crops are pollinated by bees, so a lack of bees could be catastrophic to the world's crop production.  No one really knows what's causing the bees to go missing, but I've read that some believe it's mites, others think it's pesticides and Al Gore is blaming global warming. The latest and most plausible theory, however, is that radiation given off by cell phones and other high tech gadgets may be interfering with the bee's navigation system used to find their way back to the colony.

Did you know Albert Einstein once said that if the bees disappeared, "man would have only four years of life left".  Hmm.

Like everyone else, I've been glued to the television watching the latest developments at Virginia Tech. Events like that remind us how fragile life is. Many times I feel guilty about the extra attention I get because of my disability and the fact that doctors assure me that my number will be up soon. As I've said so many times before, none of us knows when our time on earth will end. I feel so grateful the Lord has given me this time to prepare myself for the end of my earthly life and get right with God. I’m also glad God didn't call me home during my years at Auburn! At that time in my life, I called myself a Christian, but I didn't behave like one. My Salvation at that point was far from certain. For that reason, I do worry about the 20 or so victims in Blacksburg, Virginia. I would gladly have taken a bullet for any of those poor souls who may have needed more time to get right with God.

I know I'm beating a dead horse for many of you. I also know, however, that several people who read my blog are walking a dangerous line and have not fully committed their lives to Jesus.

Most people believe in God, even Satan does. But to receive salvation, we must turn to God, form a personal relationship, turn away from our sins, and follow Him. We must trust in Jesus with everything we have and everything we do. "We are made right in God's sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this way, no matter who we are or what we have done" (Romans 3:22). The Bible teaches that there is no other way to salvation than through Christ. Jesus says in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

To become a Christian, repent of your sins, and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Once you've truly accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord andSavior, and you've publicly proclaimed this by being baptized, you are saved and will have everlasting life. This is the way to heaven. The only way!