A good, good Father.

BOX SCORE




Element

Current

Std. Range

Trend

Hemoglobin

11.1

13-17

 ^

Platelets

85

140-375

^

ANC

1860

1800-8300

^

Sometimes, things just go your way. Know what I mean? Yesterday's labs were kind of a surprise, albeit a welcome surprise. My ANC went up significantly. It had been on the decline and based on previous experience, I was afraid it was going to fall some more...into the quarantine zone. Instead, it rose into the "standard" (read "normal") range. It has been about six weeks since we have had to quarantine. Hallelujah! My hemoglobin and platelets are also on the rise, although not into the "standard" range. That's OK, they are at a level where I feel pretty comfortable. 

And so, we are off to the beach today! Our eldest daughter has a birthday on Monday. Tara loves to travel. She also loves festivals, and the last few years her Christmas presents have been trips to various festivals within driving range. We took her to the Scandinavian Festival in Astoria, the Folk Festival in Sisters, and the Oktoberfest in Mt. Angel. And then the pandemic came along and messed everything up. Although we promised her another festival, it was hard to find any that were actually being celebrated. 

And so, alas, we are behind on our promises. We asked Tara what she would like for her birthday, and she said, "Could we go to Rockaway Beach?" Well, yes, in fact, we could. 

Now, Jill and I are not very adept at finding places to stay, but we found a little cottage on the beach in Rockaway Beach that should be perfect. It has two bedrooms and a cozy little sitting room with views of the ocean. Lovely! Of course, renting a place on the beachfront on a weekend in late June is not the cheapest way to travel, but we are a couple of "festivals" in debt, so it's all good, even though this trip will not involve a festival. 

We are so grateful to have three loving kids who actually seem to like to hang out with us. When Jill and I married, our biggest concern was that our kids might not get along. But thanks be to the Lord, our prayers have been answered, and the three of them not only get along, but they truly share love among them and with us. Much of the credit goes to them for trying so hard to make one family out of two. 

Our grandkids are growing up, and they each have their personal dreams and interests, so getting all twelve of us (Me and Jill. Patrick, Katie, Ryanne and Megan. Laura, Tim, Josiah, Judah and Malachi. And Tara.) together is not as easy as it once was, but I think it is safe to say that this is one of the most blessed, blended families that I know of. 

Thank you, Lord for your grace and your mercy and for the family that we dreamed of all those years ago. You are a good, good Father!

 

 

 

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 23, 2023 at 9:45 PM

    Happy Dance time!!!! I really hoped that the 3 of you could make it to the coast this weekend. Your scores are amazing. Laugh, play and have the best time ever celebrating Tara!!! Donalynn

    ReplyDelete

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