January 3rd, 2003

Gee, I can remember when no one thought the world would be around in the year 2000. Now we are 2 full years into the second thousand years and looking forward to many more. How life has changed for many of us. When I was a child in the early to mid'50s I didn't mind being poor because nearly everyone else was too. Poverty wasn't thought about much where we lived. By the late 50s prosperity was moving into our part of the country and we started hearing about the poverty level of the poor people in the Appalacian Mountain area who worked in the coal mines and the ghettos of the big cities. Now middle class people live as well or better than many well to do folks did back then. And I'm not at all sure it has made Americans better people. We tend to be more self centered, not always as understanding of the troubles of others as we use to be, and expect the government to take care of us much more than it ever did back then.. We want instant gratification. Those of us who still farm and garden know that rarely happens but we are conditioned by much of society to think it should happen more often. Moral and value changes have reduced many in the world to not much more than 2 legged animals with somewhat higher intellegence than the four legged ones we have called dumb. We are told it is ok to kill our unborn offspring if they are inconvenient to us. The rights of animals and plants often override the rights of humans. Yes, there has been great improvement in many ways for which I am grateful. Like motorized vehicles and household appliances that supposedly free our time for other things. The quick foods are handy but not nearly as nutritious as from scratch ones and raw foods we use to eat. Medically we have advanced almost beyond the imaginagtion of most of us but not all of that is really good. We are too quick to demand anitbiotics which we don't take properly so we are now finding super germs which are immune to the very medications we took to kill them off. Our air is considered to be dangerous to breath in many areas of the world because of the pollutants modern industrialized countries put into it. All in all, I guess we are fortunate to have lived to see all this change. And I wonder if the future will make it any better or if we really will destroy ourselves and each other. Yes I do believe every word of the book of Revelation but don't feel we really understand as much of it as we think we do. And I really intensely dislike those books by Tim LaHaye which feed on and breed fear. However if they truely bring people to JESUS it will be worth it.
Enough reflection on life in the past. I'm looking forward to a new year filled with wondrous possibilities for my family. Now if I can just get them motivated to do the same!
I went to Kirksville Tuesday morning to see an elderly friend who is probably dying. She is 82 and has been in poor health for some time. She went to the hospital Saturday evening with a bad UTI and there is evidence of some light strokes as well. She is running out of veins to keep IVs in so a peg tube directly into the stomach will likely be put in soon. Another swollow test will be done today to see if she has regained any swollow abilities. The one they did Tuesday showed she could barely handle thick stuff like applesauce. Fortunately the doctor says he wants nothing to do with removing all IVs and oxygen letting her just starve and dehydrate to death so the sons who want that are up a creek. My mother died that way in '77 by choice and it was horrible. My friend made a wise choice many years ago when she gave her youngest daughter medical power of attorney. I came back Wednesday when it was obvious she had stablized. I really thought it was going to be a terrible long drive up there and back but was suprised to find it was quite pleasant. 63 highway is fairly straight and level so I didn't have any problems at all with suprise corners and hills/valleys, etc. I try to not drive after dark. Especially on strange roads.
SS checks come today so I need to get going. I also work today so we need to get in town and back before noon. Shad is going with Kyle to his mom for the weekend.
GOD bless and keep each and all of you.