Missed Opportunities

I have not had the opportunity to visit my sister in Houston the past two weeks as my tangled web of life has held me back tying me down at home. My brother has remained at her side seeing to her needs and helping her to adjust and further settle into her new environment. One minute everything is well and the next she’s packing up wanting to go home to her own bed, so the solution is to move her bed to the nursing facility and establish some personal stability to soothe the soul. Meds seem to be working well and helping her a lot. There are times she’s the same ole Carri, and then she can take flight to be in a world all her own. My brother continues feeding me information every day.

I did get to participate in my least favorite activity this past week. Once again I went under the knife to attempt the eradication of bad cells on my right vocal cord which has eluded the surgeons the past four attempts. I came upon an opportunity, a referral, to try a new surgeon with a different super-duper laser almost promised to get the job done and relieve me of my cancer fears. I’ve not passed up any of my opportunities to correct any of my health issues and have always felt the God has sent me to the right people at the right time. The new surgeon did an exploratory surgery of sorts this past December and did a rather more aggressive profile this time with confidence I would do well and tolerate the treatment without fault. I guess we’ll know for sure the 11^th of this month when she sticks her camera down my throat for a look-see. I’ve still got my voice, such as it is at this point, and pray it will get better with healing, as in the past.

The story is told of a young man who wished to marry the farmer’s beautiful daughter. He went to the farmer to ask his permission. The farmer looked him over and responded, “Son, go stand out in that field and I’m going to release three bulls, one at a time. If you can catch the tail of any one of the three bulls, you can marry my daughter.” The young man stood in the pasture awaiting the first bull. The barn door opened and out ran the biggest, meanest-looking bull he had ever seen. He decided that one of the next bulls had to be a better choice than this one, so he ran over to the side and let the bull pass through the pasture and out the back gate. The barn door opened again. Unbelievable! He had never seen anything so big and fierce in all his life! It stood pawing the ground and grunting as it eyed him. Whatever the next bull was like, it had to be better than this one. He ran to the fence and let the bull pass through the pasture, and out the back gate. The door opened a third time. A smile came across his face. This was the weakest, scrawniest little bull he had ever seen. This one was his bull. As the bull came running by, he positioned himself just right and jumped at just the exact moment. He reached to grab, but the bull had no tail!

[Acts 24:24-25; 26:25-29] Life is full of opportunities. Some will be easy to take advantage of, some will be difficult. But once we let them pass, often in hopes of something better, those opportunities may never again be available. During the past six months opportunities have availed themselves to giving thanks to God, celebrating the birth of His Son, renewing our life with a new year, and learning of the true meaning of the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ. But alas, most have let these opportunities pass them by because, “I’ll dedicate myself to God after I get my life straightened out.” God’s love and grace straightens out life.