0500 was my get up time today, or at least that was what was scheduled on my alarm clock. The  problem is that when I set an alarm, I am almost always up before it goes off. And that was the case again today.  My parishioner was to be wheeled out to the surgery ward at 0645 and I needed to be there well in time to have prayer with he and his family. I made it in plenty of time. He is in surgery as I sit here. It will take about five hours to do the double bi-pass and aorta valve replacement. They have a lot of family there at the hospital with Ida, his wife so I stayed for about an hour and a half and came on home. I'll go back to the hospital in a couple of hours and wait with her until the surgery is complete.

I spend a fair amount of time in hospitals doing visitation with parishioners during and after surgery. I never cease to be amazed at the procedures that doctors are able to perform. For this procedure today, they are going to open up this man's chest, stop the flow of blood to and through the heart by artificial means while they open up the heart itself and replace part of it. For the bi-pass places, the will take veins from other parts of the body and use them to reroute the blood flow in the bad spots! To the doctors this may be decades old surgery, and it is, but I sincrely hope they are as amazed at what they are doing as I am, and I sincerely hope they never lose that ability to be amazed. I hope they never forget that God is the surgeon, they are the instruments of His handiwork. Without God's nod of approval, they would never be able to do a bit of that.

I also give God thanks for the caregivers and nurses that will be careing for him after his surgery. I was there when his morning nurse told him that  she was about to get offf of work but would be back this evening to take care of him. Warren responded thaat he hoped he would be there for him to take care of; and she fired right back to him, "don't you worry, you will be." That was exactly the reassurance he needed at that moment, and I really appreciated hearing her do that.

I still haven't filled my bird feeders and by now they really need it. I'm sitting here watchcing a squirrel do its best to defeat the wire cage that I have a seed cylinder in. It is trying to chew through some heavy gauge wire and then it tries to reach way through and peel off a few sunflower seeds. Finally it just gave up. But --- it will be back. I will go out later and fill the feeders and make everybody happy again.

Ms. Kate and I got some quality weed pulling done yesterday. Now we need to get out there with the Round-up sprayer and spray it around. I also got another sermon written yesterday so it was a productive day afterall.

It is about time for me to head back to the hospital so I am signing off for today. Watch for the miracles in your life today, I guarantee you there will be some. Say a prayer for someone today; I just said one for you.