July 2025 - Enduring

Photo by Maddi Bazzocco on Unsplash

What a blessing to reach the end of July 2025. This has been a challenging summer, so far. Myriads of difficulties I cannot discuss, but through which we are enduring with the help of the Lord. He continues to watch over us, protecting and providing. When worries assail, we lift praises for His provision to fend off the cumbersome chains of consuming concern.

This morning, I woke to find flooding in the basement. The men we paid to repair the roof took almost two months to come and then did not complete the repairs (saying they are waiting on an appeal to the insurance company for more extensive roof repairs). Thus, we are without gutters and the rain absolutely poured last night. I had moved several bags and boxes full of craft supplies I had purged and hoped to sell. They had been close to the window where it sometimes floods. Alas, given the lack of gutters, the flooding was in the very area where I had moved the items. One box was destroyed, but I had cardboard in the bottom and that kept the contents from damage. Plus, nothing leaked through the plastic bags, so it was merely a matter of drying off the bottoms. Now, I'm wondering if I should merely take all of it to Goodwill and get it out of the house without hopes of recouping any of the money I shelled out over the years on craft supplies I never got around to using.

After Sean's dentist appointment in early July, we learned he'd need all four wisdom teeth extracted. Just prior to the surgery date, his retainer broke, so I had to schedule a fitting for a new one just days after the wisdom teeth were removed. He is healing well, but we weren't without worry. On the first day, when he returned home, I was concerned about his overnight fast. I wanted him to eat something prior to taking the first pain meds. But, then, I worried food might be lodged in the extraction sites, so I handed him the irrigator tool they had sent home along with the gauze. As soon as he shot liquid into the site, he had to sit down for dizziness and pain. He stopped immediately, but after I called the office, I learned he wasn't supposed to use that instrument until the 5th day. Anxiety set in. 

When Bryce had his wisdom teeth removed, he ended up getting dry socket. My sister-in-law, Miriam, (once a dental technician) happened to be visiting and graciously walked us through best steps for dealing with dry socket. I was sure I had just doomed Sean to the pain his brother experienced. Thankfully, with Miriam's current encouragement, we iced regularly (20 minutes on and 20 minutes off) and he managed to escape the problem of dry socket. His girlfriend Claire came to comfort him and brought him a smoothie (very helpful, since we had few foods on hand soft enough that he could eat). He was fitted for a new retainer on Monday and they reported no appearance of dry socket at all. Yay!

I am still struggling with my back after my June fall on the treadmill. Although I can walk fine (and have gotten back on the treadmill successfully on days when it is raining), at night it still twinges when I attempt to sleep on my side (my natural preference). Not sure why that area is not healing, but I'm too much of a wimp to go to a doctor. Plus, it seems like such a minor ache. It is only an inconvenience. Not a tangible threat.

While listening to the Christian radio station in the car, I heard about an iced tea company that placed a vending machine next to a bench. The vending machine offered a free iced tea if you place your phone in the machine temporarily. Once the iced tea was dispensed, a sign flashed on the screen indicating the phone would be held for ten minutes. Patrons were encouraged to take a "tea break." Apparently, some did sit on the bench and relax for the ten minutes, refreshed by the forced leisure. Others were furious to learn they could not get their phone back immediately. The radio announcer suggested we might benefit from taking fasts from our phones.

I set out to do just that on my weekly fast day that week. I only managed 5-1/2 hours before it was necessary to use my phone for a mapping app. Not great success. Plus, I forgot to implement that into my fasting this week. Perhaps I'll try to incorporate it more fully in August. I have been faithfully fasting. Plus, in July, I managed to revamp my purging efforts (more about that in my quarterly purging post due at the end of August).

Lastly, I'm praising God for an increase in traffic on this meager book review blog. There were over 52 thousand hits last month, and I thought it might just be a fluke. This month received less, but not significantly. On this last day in July, Blogger tells me there were over 43 thousand hits on my blog this month. How I pray readers will find encouragement for living and recommendations for reading!