Tag: miracle

TBT^18,446,744,073,709,551,616: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!

The Portly PoliticoLeave a comment

Happy Thanksgiving!  I first wrote about the Thanksgiving miracle of surviving a terrible fall from a ladder way back in 2017.  Now, the Thanksgiving miracle is Dr. Wife, and the fact that we’re together and enjoying a great honeymoon (presumably—I’m writing this before we leave, and while I’m positive it’s going to be awesome, I could be having too much fun and become physically addicted to the good times).

Thanksgiving is, of course, an ideal time to reflect on one’s many blessings.  God Is Good, and Has Been Good to me this year.  There have been plenty of trials and tribulations, but it’s been a year that’s forced me to submit to God and to stop trying to do things on my own.

I’m thankful for my wife and family, and I’m excited for the future.  Pray that I can be a good, godly man for her.

With that, here is 28 November 2024’s “TBT^4,294,967,296: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!“:

Read More »

TBT^4,294,967,296: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!

The Portly Politico3 Comments

It’s Thanksgiving, which means yours portly is adding another layer of quasi-Talmudic commentary to his classic “It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle” post from 2017.  My life is any many ways the same as it was a year ago, but some things have radically changed for the better.

My schedule at work is much more manageable.  I’m no longer teaching nonstop most days, and my number of private lessons are down, which makes them much more manageable.  Sure, I’d love the extra cash, and I am looking to increase the number of lessons I’m teaching each week, but I’m also appreciating the extra time.

I’ve released nine albums and/or EPs this year, with a tenth (hopefully!) coming out tomorrow, Leftovers III.  It’s been pretty cool composing and releasing so much music this year.

Most significantly, I am dating a wonderful doctor.  She is currently in her residency, so she is working very hard, but we see each other frequently.  She and I connect at a fundamental level, and share the same core values:  we’re devout Christians; we’re vehemently pro-life; we’re MAGA Republicans.  It’s great.  I’d sworn off “conservative” “Christian” women this summer, which just goes to show how much God Has a sense of Humor.  I know it will sound like I am a love-besotted fool, but for many reasons, she and I both believe—and know—that our relationship is the work of the Holy Spirit.  We did not arrive at the conclusion lightly.

So, yours portly is thankful for a great deal this Thanksgiving.  I am excited to see what the future holds.  Trump will be back in office soon, and it feels like we’re entering a golden age.

With that, here is 23 November 2023’s “TBT^65,536: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!“:

Read More »

TBT^256: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!

The Portly Politico2 Comments

I’m continuing the time-honored tradition of Thanksgivings past (2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017) with the annual reblogging of “It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!”  I wrote the original post (on the old blog) back in 2017, just a few days after I fell from a ladder and broke my wrist.  It was my lowest point in a number of ways, but I was grateful to be alive.

I’m thankful this year, too, although I am similarly in a bit a slump personally.  No matter—I’ve got a good family, a good house, a good dog, and lots of private lessons to tide over my insatiable lust for frozen pizza and LEGO sets.

My pastor has been working painstakingly through Philippians for some time now, and has been hammering home the idea of finding joy amid our situations, no matter how difficult they might be.  If the Apostle Paul could rejoice in a Roman prison, we can rejoice in the far less trying times of our daily lives.

Good stuff, even if it’s hard to live out.  At least today I’ll get to eat some turkey.

With that, here is “TBT^16: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!“:

Read More »

#TBT: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle

The Portly Politico14 Comments

It’s Thanksgiving Day 2018, and I have much to thank God for this year:  a new home, a good job, eight (and counting) private music students, President Trump, and a mostly-functioning left wrist.  I’ve also lost about fifty-one (51) pounds since early June.  Sure, the midterms were a bit of a stalemate, but the GOP kept the Senate.

In that spirit, below is 2017’s “It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle,” a post about surviving a pretty nasty (and stupid) fall from an extension ladder onto a concrete pad.  I wrote that post just a few days after the fall, and expressed my thanks to God for sparing me worse injuries.  The wrist is mostly healed now (I can play bass, guitar, and piano again, though the wrist gets agitated after playing bass or guitar after about thirty minutes), although it will probably never be back to 100%.  There’s still a gnarly scar on my left leg, though the leg itself is fine (the scar, unfortunately, doesn’t look cool or dangerous; it’s just kind of a scary gash).

We have much to be thankful for this year.  Enjoy some time today with your families (or the good folks at Waffle House or Golden Corral).

God bless.

–TPP

This past Saturday, I fell from a ladder while hanging Christmas lights…. I shattered my left wrist—it’s called a distal radius fracture—and gashed my left leg. My head was also hurt, but there was no damage to my brain.

The fall was about 10-12 feet onto concrete. It could have been much, much worse; I am very thankful it wasn’t.

The doctor at the ER and the nurse practitioner both told me I would almost certainly need surgery due to the nature of my fracture. I saw the orthopedist Tuesday, and he was able to set the fracture to an “acceptable” state.

America’s Favorite Food


Setting the fracture without surgery was a major answer to prayer. I go back on 5 December for a follow-up; if the setting takes, I’ll get a flexi-cast. If not, I’ll have to have surgery.

That’s all to say that my posting will be [limited] for a time, as typing is rather tedious (I’m “typing” this post on my cell phone–the predictive text actually makes it faster). I’ll continue to do my best to deliver quality content and thoughtful analysis, just in shorter and less frequent chunks.

I am very thankful to our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ, for extending His Hand of protection and healing; He has already worked miracles during my recovery through the prayers of many friends and family (not to mention the capable hands of my excellent orthopedic surgeon). I’m grateful to be alive!

God Bless, and Happy Thanksgiving!

–TPP