Last time I wrote, I said that I planned for my Fourth of July to be filled with grilling and gardening. We at the Vicarage were about as far from that idyllic form of celebration as we could be on the Fourth of July holiday.

It all started with a call from my daughter at 6:30 A.M. Melanie was having a gall bladder attack and was heading to the emergency room. She asked if I could watch Daniella and Abigail for the day.

The girls arrived around 7 A.M. and Melanie and James headed off into the uncertain wait that is our American medical system today. That’s not a criticism of the doctors and nurses who work so diligently in our hospitals, just a commentary about the state of our system. You never know what is going to happen when you head out to the hospital these days. It turns out this time around they would keep Melanie over until surgery could be scheduled. The girls would be at The Vicarage for the day.

At this point, I still thought we could rescue the holiday from the ashes of the fire pit. My nephew , Tyler, was still coming over. James was planning to pop by and check in on the girls if Melanie was in a place where she could be left for a bit. Kristine was willing to bake the cookies and make the Jello salad that Melanie was going to bring originally. I got the meats marinating and the barbecue started.

It was all going according to plan B and then our family cat, Picasso, had a stroke while my daughter Amanda was holding him. A few hours later, my daughter’s dear little companion for the last 13 years would pass.

It was not lost on any of us that this is the second family celebration in less than a month that has been effectively cancelled by illness and trauma. A week ago my daughter, Melanie, had sent me a word she felt was from God for our family. It read, “The garrison attacks are a distraction from the true objective of the enemy.”

Well we can now see what the garrison attacks are. What, I wonder is the true objective of our enemy, the Devil.”

LORD DO NOT LET ME BE DISTRACTED. LET MY EYES SEE AND MY HEART PERCEIVE THE TRUTH THAT IS BEING HIDDEN BEHIND THE HORRIFIC DISTRACTIONS.