Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

• Isaiah 41:10

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed,
    a stronghold in times of trouble.
Those who know your name trust in you,
    for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.

• Psalm 9:9-10

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

• Deuteronomy 31:6

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

• Jeremiah 29:11-13

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

• Joshua 1:9

But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.

• Mark 4:17

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

• Colossians 2:6-7

The New Boilerplate

My wife filled a small book with “Angel” on the cover.  It was hidden with a box of crafting things.  On 18 July 2025, I thought I had posted the last of these.  But this little angel book held a prayer, followed by 71 quotes.  So, the “with a little help” series is back in business for a while.  And it will be fun for me.  She did not attribute any of the quotes.  The first, next week’s installment, is from James A. Garfield, the 20^th president of the USA.  The next one is disputed, with some thinking it originated with Teddy Roosevelt and others saying Fred Astaire.  After the prayer, these might be on the lighter side.

Her comment

“Oh Heavenly Father creator of all things let me be more willing to share my life with others.  I pray that you bless me with the Holy Spirit so that I can have joy back into my life.  Forgive me for my self-centeredness.  I know that everything will be revealed to me but now I ask for your strength and courage so that I can overcome this burden of hopelessness and disappointment.  Use me, I know that my I may not what to, but fill me up with your living waters so that I can survive this trouble time.  Only the strong survive, but Lord my roots are weak and the tree will fall if you don’t strengthen me during this time of hardships.  Please, Please, Father hear my prayer”

• My wife’s prayer on the first page of the Angel notebook

The Discussion

This prayer was dated August 29, 2003.

Earlier that year, she had bariatric surgery.  She had lost a lot of weight, but not enough to regain her girlish figure.

Her greatest joy in life was socializing around the dinner table.  She was a master at preparing a meal, where everything on the menu seemed to be made to go with everything else.  We had a constant stream of dinner guests for the first thirty years of our marriage.

But she was rushed into ICU (the Intensive Care Unit) after the surgery.  Her kidneys had stopped functioning, according to the bloodwork.  She had various reasons to be in ICU.  They expected a little blood to be coughed up, but she coughed up such volumes of blood that they had to give her a pint of her own blood (given prior to the surgery).  Everything was falling apart.  It was determined that she was allergic to the anesthesia medicine on top of everything else.

But besides the fact that the surgery nearly killed her, she did not lose the weight that she hoped.  But the worst news was that she never was able to eat a full meal for the rest of her life.  She suspected that the surgeon messed something up that prevented her from ever enjoying food again.  She would eat off the children’s menu and give me half.  But most restaurants were crude in their comments, saying that she looked like she could eat for two people or “we do not allow an adult to eat off the children’s menu.”  Going to “all you can eat” places was off our lists of places to go.  And we fed the homeless, but we never had guests at our house again.

This might seem trivial to most people, but as I said above, my wife’s life centered around a social gathering at the dinner table.  But four or five bites of food, and she just smiled and watched others eat.

She could have been worried about the kidney function.  It rebounded or she would have never left the hospital.  But it settled at around 40% and each time she had a small procedure done, it dropped a little, until she needed kidney dialysis.

But even though she did not get what she had wanted that year, her diabetes was still part of her life, but finally controllable, near the end with almost no medication.  And once she got over feeling sorry for herself, something she never showed in public, she shared her faith, sharing God’s Love with everyone that she met.

And remember, she might have been in her 50s at this point, but she had only accepted Jesus three years prior, and her roots grew strong during this time of despair.  Her tree could withstand the greatest of storms and still stand strong.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory