On Wallin Pond

When I was on vacation this summer with Christy and her family, we were talking one day about her girls getting braces. And in passing (I thought), I mentioned that I had always wished I'd gotten my teeth straightened. That started a conversation that finally had me promising I would pursue the possibility. But I didn't follow through until I got a prod from Christy, so the next time I saw my dentist (she's a good friend and goes to our church), I asked her what she thought. She immediately enthused over the idea and told me that one of her best friends was an orthodontist. I hemmed and hawed and gave some excuses, but she wouldn't let me off the hook. Later that week, she texted me to ask if I had set up an appointment yet. So right then I called and made the appointment for a consultation, then texted her back to say I had followed through!

It was amazing to see how little details came together to affirm that this was ok for me to do. When I called the office to make the appointment, the receptionist who answered recognized my name and was so positive about me going ahead with this. The receptionist is working in the same office that I took all three of our daughters to for their braces 25 years ago. The orthodontist is different, but she took over the office of the Dr. who had worked on the girls - when he retired.

I was pretty apprehensive about the expense, but even that worked out in an unbelievable way. I  had my consultation several weeks ago, then got them on this past Tuesday. As I was sitting in the chair with my mouth stretched open in a very uncomfortable position and cotton balls stuffed in my mouth to control the saliva, I couldn't help but wonder what in the world had made me decide to do this. Since then I've continued to ask that question because eating has been difficult and uncomfortable, too. And cleaning the teeth is very time consuming. But it's all for a good cause, right? No pain, no gain. I'm trying to keep a positive attitude and think of the end result. And it is rather "fun" to be going through this along with Grace and Naomi. (Do I have a skewed idea of what is fun?)
 

Silly little Claire loves to photo bomb!

The kids were performing in a concert on Friday night, so I drove over to be able to enjoy it. These are all homeschooled kids, in different choirs on different levels. The directors are professionally trained with various degrees so the quality of the music the kids produce is amazing. It's really a pleasure to sit through the program (not tortuous like some kids' productions!). Grace had a violin piece that she played with the choir on one of the songs and she did a fantastic job. It's one of my favorite songs: Gloria by Vivaldi. Grace and Aiden were in the oldest choir and Claire was in the Prima Choir. Naomi and Asher were not involved because they had been participating in another activity this fall.

On Friday afternoon, Dawn met me at COHV (Care One Harmony Village) to visit with Andy. When we were leaving, one of the PT's met us and asked if I had seen their "new" spa. I said I knew about it but hadn't really been inside. So he took Dawn and me in and showed us around. He turned on all the blue lights, the calming music and the water therapy, then proceeded to show how the massage chair worked. He took out his phone and showed me a video of Andy's tremors and how bad they were, but then he took Andy to the spa and had him relax on the chair. In only a few minutes, his tremors had ceased - and he showed me the video he had taken when Andy's tremors were under control.

This is so amazing to me about this place. The staff are so caring and really make an effort to love their residents. I'm so impressed that they take videos of the residents, then show the videos of Andy to me when I come in. Videos take up lots of space on iphones, but this is just another indication that they are caring and love the people they work with.

The PT told me I could take Andy in to the spa if I see his tremors are causing him anxiety. And he proceeded to show me how to turn everything on. He also said that if the door was locked, I could ask for the key at the front desk, and if I didn't remember how to work something, the receptionist could help me because all the staff has been trained on how to set it up. I tried it tonight after dinner. It was wonderful! I turned on all the blue lights, the water therapy, the soft music and had Andy sit in the chair. Then I turned that on, the massage feature, and he sat there quietly for 15 minutes without trying to talk or do anything. So it was relaxing for me, too.

I was happy to be home yesterday to enjoy the snow. It snowed all day and was so beautiful. It makes everything look clean, fresh and new. Then with the sun shining today, it added sparkle to the snow. I took some pictures first thing this morning. The sun wasn't 
entirely up in the sky yet, so everything had a blue tint to it - which gives an air of mystery to the pictures.

Snow always reminds me of how clean we are when we are cleansed by Jesus' blood. 

Psalm 51:7 - "Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow."

Isaiah 1:18 - '"Come now, let us reason together,' says the LORD. 'Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool'."

Natalie Grant sings a song that so graphically illustrates our state and how much we need the cleansing of Jesus:

 Clean
I see shattered
You see whole
I see broken
But You see beautiful
And You're helping me to believe
You're restoring me piece by piece

There's nothing too dirty
that You can't make worthy
You wash me in mercy
I am clean

There's nothing too dirty
that You can't make worthy
You wash me in mercy
I am clean

What was dead now lives again
My heart's beating, beating inside my chest
Oh I'm coming alive with joy and destiny
Cause You're restoring me piece by piece

There's nothing too dirty
that You can't make worthy
You wash me in mercy
I am clean, oh yeah

There's nothing too dirty
that You can't make worthy
You wash me in mercy
I am clean

Washed in the blood of Your sacrifice
Your blood flowed red and made me white
My dirty rags are purified
I am clean

Washed in the blood of Your sacrifice
Your blood flowed red and made me white
My dirty rags are purified
I'm clean, I'm clean, ohhh I'm

Washed in the blood of Your sacrifice
Your blood flowed red and made me white
My dirty rags are purified
I'm clean, oh I'm clean, I'm clean
Oh You made me
You wash me
Clean
Oh You made me clean
Written by: Natalie Diane Grant-Herms, Bernhard Herms; Lyrics © MUSIC SERVICES, INC., Universal Music Publishing Group

We've been studying the book of Hebrews in the Sunday school class I've been attending. The phrase in the song above that describes our being washed in mercy reminds me of Hebrews 4:16, where we're told "we can approach God's throne of grace with confidence where we will receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

These are good reminders at this time of year when we focus on the baby in the manger, that He came with a purpose - to die for our sins. He washed us and made us clean by the sacrifice of His own life. Hallelujah! What a Savior!