DRIVING IN THE FOG

     

     It's so ironic that on Wednesday, June 22 I was seriously thinking about writing a blog about driving in the fog. Two day's later at 5:30 am as I was driving to work and it was very foggy! I have to admit the fog was extremely thick. I had never seen it that thick in years! I drove down Portion Road and I could barely see in front of me. The traffic lights were also hard to see. When I turned on Holbrook Road where there is a Taco Bell I was happy I didn't miss my turn. When I entered the infamous Long Island Expressway it seemed as though the fog was starting to clear up. It didn't seem so treacherous and I could actually see where I was going. I was happy to pull into my Chick Fil-A parking lot in one piece!

     One thing I notice about driving in the fog is this! The clearness seems to follow you as you drive. When you look ahead or you look back, all you see is fog. As you are moving in your vehicle, it is clear around you. Of course you really should slow down and not drive 80 MPH! You should drive at a slow pace. I seriously hate driving in the fog but I will admit it is pretty cool seeing it. There was a famous NFL football playoff game known as the "Fog Bowl." The Philadelphia Eagles visited the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago. It was December 31, 1988. During the second quarter of the game a thick fog rolled in to the stadium. I remember watching the game. CBS who broadcast the game had to film it from the sidelines. You couldn't see anything!! I'm surprised they didn't postpone the game but from what I understood both coaches agreed to play the game because they claimed you could see both goalposts. In my opinion, I think the NFL wanted to continue the game to help boost ratings for television and for their league. They wanted people to tune in and see the crazy fog at Soldier Field in Chicago  I'm sure my brother in law from Philadelphia would have loved to postpone that game. The Bears ended up winning the game and anyone who attended the game from the stands did not see a whole lot from the second quarter to the end of the game. It was wild!

     For me personally I have had some very "foggy" situations. My back issues,  my high blood pressure and my hopes of getting back in ministry have all been very foggy. I some times feel as though in life I have been driving in the fog not sure of where I am going. There is an important part of fog we have never discussed yet. Fog does disappear eventually! It doesn't always stick around Even in England it's not always foggy like they say. I lived there for two months as a missionary in 1986. I only remember one foggy day my entire time there. Fog does disappear! The skies do clear up and each day may have challenges but I am happy to say the sun does come out. A new day is approaching and like I always say, it can only get better. I am looking forward to moving ahead where I will know what direction I need to go in. I often think of the bible verse in John 3:30 - He must increase, I must decrease. It will always be my goal to let God increase more and more in my life. I need Jesus more and more everyday. After all, I know He won't leave me in the fog!!!

HITTING THE EASY BUTTON

 

     

     It's been quite a while since I have had the chance or time to blog. A lot has transpired in my life since May 12th. On that date I woke up on that Thursday getting ready for a procedure to be done on my back at at a Spine Center. It was all looking good and they were getting ready to wheel me in to the ER when they discovered my blood pressure was high. They monitored it for a while but it never went down. The doctor decided to go through with the procedure which was called a Medial Branch Block. I had 6 injections in my back! My hope and prayer was simple. I was hoping it went help relieve my pain so I would be pain free. After procedure was over and I was in recovery they took my blood pressure again and it was still very high. I had a doctor and 2 nurses staring at me telling me they would not release me until my BP went down. They asked me to call me doctor. She suggested I drink some orange juice and wait. The back doctor didn't care for that suggestion and gave me two options. One was for an ambulance to drive me to the ER and the other was to have someone drive me there. I chose option number 2! It's never a dull moment! I went to St. Catherine's hospital right around the corner from where I grew up in Smithtown and sat there for 3 hours as my blood pressure was monitored. They gave me meds and insisted I see my doctor the following day which I did. My doctor immediately put me on meds and since then I have been monitoring my blood pressure and the good news is that it has been coming down significantly. During the procedure my blood pressure was 199/115!! Not good. I was pain free for 6 days with my back but as of today I am back to square one. This past month reminded me of that old Staples commercial. They tell you to hit the "Easy Button" so that when you go to that store, starting a small business would be easy for you because Staples has everything you need. Unfortunately, life has no "Easy Button."

       The story I shared is mild compared to what some folks go through. I have realized in my 58 years on this planet a few things. Not everything comes easy and two, we all go through tough times. Yet I will confess to you all that I wish for just one day I had an easy button to push. Like for example, I would drive on the LIE with no traffic. I would work at Chick Fil-A and none of our guests would complain at all. Money would magically appear in my bank account so I would not sweat paying bills that were due. We all know that the "Easy Button" does not exist in life. I will confess one thing! When you have Jesus in your life, it makes all the difference. Notice I didn't say "When you have Jesus in your life, it gets easy." It says in James 1:2-3 - Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. When I first read that verse as a 13 year old I said to myself "WHAT???? Pure joy when you face trials?? Are you kidding me??" As I grew older and wiser (well, some would say I'm a wise guy) I realized we face trials because it helps us grow and become more and more dependent on Jesus. Our faith gets stronger and in reality as a result, we get stronger. That glorious "Easy Button" is a nice novelty and it did work for the Staples Company. They are still going strong as a business and they do provide small businesses with what they need in office supplies. In life though, it is not a reality. Life goes on and we just continue "Running the Race that is set before us." For me personally, I have some huge decisions to make. I know God will direct me in every decision I do make! It would have been nice to have an "Easy Button" but it's even better knowing Jesus is on your side!

HAVE AN AMAZING WEEK!!