Gotta get this off my chest....
So my dad died this thanksgiving. Respiratory failure. He was a hard line Republican, big trump fan, and retired from the usaf, but decided that he should stay in his mountain home with copd and not go to lower altitudes. It's kind of a miracle he lasted this long, but I wanted him to see so much more from me. That said, it was quick and probably painless, according to the coroner at least.
I'll be in CO for a few months at least sorting out his affairs. Then... Well, we will see.
2025 has been a bit of a shit year for me tbh personally. My mom threatened suicide at least once, my last pet died, my wife's dad had multiple heart attacks and though alive is still not 100% right, my own health went in a tailspin and my wife's seems to be doing a bit shit too, and I haven't been able to find work for the entire year. Those are just the highlights, as it feels like shit keeps hitting the fan for me. Now this.
Feels like every 4 years some new fresh form of hell gets unlocked. 4 years ago my first wife died suddenly in every meaning of that term. Four years before that, my house went up in flames. Sure financially it worked out for me each time, and will likely do so again with this, but I'm so tired of tragedy and misery knocking on my door over and over again.
Thing is, I can't stop, even though what I want to do is just curl up and fall apart. Gotta stay strong, otherwise everything else will crumble around me. But I just wanted to give him a grandkid before he went. I wanted him to be able to read the book series I've been writing.
Sorry. I know people out there and here probably have it worse than me. I'm just down, and rambling a bit. Tbh I really hope some good shit happens next year, cuz I can't wait for this year to end already.
I would like to offer you something that has been a tremendous help to me for the last decade. I am not a Bible reader because I cannot take and process the grammar.
Sarah Young wrote a book called Jesus Calling. She puts the daily Bible verse on a calendar of daily scripture. She writes it in layman's terms to so easily understand in the way we use language today. They even move the dates as the calendar dates change year to year.
Yesterday's Jesus Calling for December 1st 2025 was comforting, so I know it will comfort you and this time. I encourage you to Google it each day under the date for Jesus Calling.
I have not looked at today as yet, but wanted to share yesterday's. This will give you the strength you are intended to have through Christ. I know this will help you daily!
Jesus Calling: December 1st, 2025
I love you with an everlasting Love, which flows out from the depth of eternity. Before you were born, I knew you. Ponder the awesome mystery of a Love that encompasses you from before birth to beyond the grave. Modern man has lost the perspective of eternity. To distract himself from the gaping jaws of death, he engages in ceaseless activity and amusement. The practice of being still in My Presence is almost a lost art, yet it is this very stillness that enables you to experience My eternal Love. You need the certainty of My loving Presence in order to weather the storms of life. During times of severe testing, even the best theology can fail you if it isn't accompanied by experiential knowledge of Me. The ultimate protection against sinking during life's storms is devoting time to develop your friendship with Me.
RELATED SCRIPTURE:
Jeremiah 31:3 (NLT) 3 Long ago the Lord said to Israel: “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
I recommend a modern English Bible translation; a lot easier to read than King James English. There are minimal verses that are translated differently and really don't amount to much difference in the work as a whole. Some people get really hung up on "the King James Bible is the only valid Bible!".
And there is a New King James that is in modern English.
👍