"My Psalm to God" by Danielle Vickery

Oh glorious, glorious God

My mighty God! 

I'm feeling good, i'm feeling great 

because of Your great name.

You, oh great God

You're my one perfection

with love, because of You

great Glorious God!

great Glorious God!


This was written one evening when she was supposed to be going to bed.  She was eight years old when she wrote it.

Yes, i'm extremely proud of her but more than that, I love how pure her love of God is and how freely her praise flows.  Would that I was so free.

Danielle's Ice Cream Dream

We're gonna do our first JDRF walk as a family this coming October!  Danielle is totally stoked about it.  The name she picked for her team of walkers...."Danielle's Ice Cream Dream"

Danielle was diagnosed with Type I diabetes when she was just two years old.  That seems like a long time ago now since she's about to turn eight years old.

It's been a constant challenge but it's developed in her a BIG HEART and she loves to give to others.  I know she would love it if they found a cure, but more than that she just wants to help others. 

Please consider giving to the cause.  You can donate to her, or to me (I'm trying to raise $100 also) or to the Ice Cream Dream.  (Team name: Danielle's Ice Cream Dream)

Thanks for being a part!

Donation Page - Just mention the team name or my name....Arron Vickery

http://www2.jdrf.org/site/PageServer?pagename=walk_homepage

Danielle's Dad

What's Been Going On?

It's been a while since I've posted to this blog.  I've been a little busy.  Crazy summer is almost a cliché but it really has been one around the Vickery home.

You remember that in back on June 17^th I went under the knife for a second procedure on my right shoulder.  The ROM or range of motion just wasn't coming back so the doctor suggested that they could help it along

by doing what they call a "manipulation".   After that I was to do no travel for another two to three weeks so that I could use "the rack". (See previous post for a picture)

During those weeks I was going to PT everyday and trying to do what I could for work to keep my numbers up.  We were always under pressure to be "billable" as much as possible.  So even though I had a medical reason for not traveling I was still expected to stay billable.  It wasn't fun.  You end up having to take all of the 'garbage' assignments that no one else wants.  Anyway, it was during this time that I got a call from a recruiter that I had talked to back around the time when my mom passed away last December. 

The opportunity that I had originally talked to him about had basically fizzled into oblivion and I had all but forgot about him.  I had even interviewed for other positions that were local to Dallas since then so this recruiter and the organization that he was recruiting for was completely "off my radar" as they say.  Since things at the Big Orange hadn't really improved but rather gotten worse I was eager to see what he was presenting.  I learned that the same organization that I had talked to him about before was now going in a different direction but had come back across my resumé and were interested in talking to me again.  This was on June 28^th that I talked to him.

The very next day, June 29^th I had a phone interview with a new Director at the University of Mississippi Medical Center who was putting together a team to implement a HCIS or Health Care Information System called EPIC.  That interview went well and she said she wanted to have me come in for a face to face.  Well, I was due to go back on the road for the Big Orange so it was very tricky setting this up.  That same week on July 1^st I had a lunch interview with a former colleague of mine named Tom who was offering me a job as well.  I was very interested in what he was offering so the UMMC interview moved to the back of my mind.   Tom was aware of the Big Orange's reputation so he asked me to check into the non-compete that I had signed.  After some investigation it was determined that it would probably result in a fight if I took a job with Tom.  That pretty much killed that because Tom wasn't willing to pay court costs if it came to it and I couldn't afford to.  Needless to say, this really ticked me off.  I already felt like an indentured servant and now it was made plain that in fact I was.  It could have been the proverbial "straw that broke the camel's back".

The next weekend I went on a vacation with my family to Camp Allen in Navasota, TX.  We attended a camp for special needs kids that we've been a part of for about four years.  Our kids really love this camp put on by Joni and Friends and so we wanted to go and have a good time and reconnect with some friends we hadn't seen in a year or two.  A few days into the camp my youngest who has Type I diabetes became ill.  Not being willing to chance the local ER we drove her back to Children's Medical Center in Dallas and she was admitted and stayed in the hospital for 5 days.  She's fine now, its just one of those things you go through when your kid has Type I.  This was the first week of July.  The next week I went back on the road and then on July 16^th went down to Jackson, MS for an all day interview process with UMMC.  

The next week I was back on the road and midway through that week I got the feedback that UMMC liked me and was probably going to make an offer.  Well as you can imagine my head was spinning and I had no idea what I wanted to do or what I should do.  It was all happening so fast.  So I talked to the wife and we decided we needed to get away and talk and think and pray.  So where else do you go when you need to do that but Longview,  TX.  My wife's sister and family live out there and our kids were missing their cousin's so we though a road trip sounded like fun.  We packed up the kids and took off for a the weekend.  I even left work early on Friday (don't tell my old boss, he he)  So its July 23^rd and we're driving the two hours out to east Texas from Dallas when the recruiter calls and conferences me in with his boss.  They think I'm about to get sent an offer and they want to know if I'll accept it.   I'm talking to them while driving down I-20 so I tell them this is not a good time.  They tried their best to press me for an answer (guess they wanted to protect their relationship with their client.  It's a big account for them).  But I stood firm and told them I needed the weekend to talk and pray with my wife about it.  I don't think they were expecting that answer.  But hey, that's how I roll.  Anyway, They reluctantly gave me the weekend to decide.   Apparently no one communicated this to UMMC because after spending the evening with my wife's sister's family playing games and having some fun I received an email with an offer letter in it.  Geesh….now the pressure is on.  They even had the nerve to give me exactly what I asked for in Salary and relocation benefits.  I wasn't prepared for that.  I mean I told them a big number I thought so that they wouldn't ask me if it wasn't right.  Did this mean it was right?  Did this mean it was God???

Suddenly our relaxing weekend away wasn't so relaxing.  We still had a good time and I'm glad we were there with family to discuss it and I certainly appreciate their wisdom and encouragement and them praying for us. 

We talked about it.  Prayed.  Then we talked some more. Then we prayed some more.  Finally I just said, "Let's sleep on it".  So we did.   We had been asking each other what percent we were each at.   75%....82%.....90%

It would appear we were going to actually do this crazy thing.  After praying one more time we decided to step out in faith.  Yes, that's what I said.  It was a step of faith.  

I handed in my resignation at work the following day while I was on the road at a client.  My boss called me later that day to introduce herself and ask my why I was leaving.   Yeah, you read that right.  She had been my manager for well over a month by this time.  I'll refrain from throwing them under the bus.  Mostly because I'd be tempted to run over them in it and back up a few times.

The new job wanted me Aug 9^th.  I asked if I could wait one more week because I had a brand new client that I didn't want to leave in a bad place.  They agreed.

So, fast forward to now.  Aug 24^th and I've been here in Jackson working while Shelly and the girls get everything packed up at home.  I'm going back and forth on the weekends to help of course.   Next week we close on our new house in Jackson and move our stuff and our family here.

Like I said, its been a crazy summer!   But we're excited to see what adventure lies ahead.  Who knows what God has in store here.   Sure its going to be a great career move.  Sure its more money which will be good for my family.  And yes I won't be traveling anymore for work so I'll be here for Shelly and the girls every night.  These are all blessings for sure.   But I wonder what God is really up to?  There's always a reason behind his moves…..we just have to make sure we pay attention and listen to figure out what that is.

A Creator, a dad and a gifted child

As a parent of two beautiful daughters who are 6 and 9 years old, I find myself encountering things that make my heart swell with pride quite often.  Just about as often as I find myself reminding my girls "that I brought them into this world, and I can take them out of it" or some similar saying that I probably learned from my father.  Or was it a Bill Cosby comedy routine?   Hmmm...
The point is that I love being a father and I am constantly amazed at the wonder and life that they each were endowed with by their loving creator.  Things that I certainly cannot take credit for.  People say all the time, "Oh they take after their mother" or "She's just like her daddy".  I suppose that on some level that is true.  I certainly see their mother's beauty in them.  Stubbornness too!  (Love you dear) chuckle, chuckle...

Sometimes though one of them will say, or do something that is one of those moments that just makes me sit in awe because I know its a spark of the divine showing forth.  Its as if a glimmer of recognition of her true Father-in-heaven comes to the surface.  Last night was one of those moments with my youngest.

We call her "tunia bug" and she is, despite all the challenges that she's had to face in her young life, full of a grace and maturity that is beyond her years.  She embodies the little girl "princess" persona that most little girls her age aspire to.  Yet she also has a capacity for love and God's truth and grace that blows me away every time she let's it shine forth.  It's because of her maturity and her thirst for God and his word that I sometimes let her journal at nighttime.  Its sometimes a source of contention because she would rather do that than go to bed when its bedtime.  And she's only six so she doesn't always have the truest of motives when she asks.  In spite of that, I've felt that there's something there that needs to be cultivated and nurtured so I've given her permission to do so often when she asks.

Here is what happened:  I came in to her room to turn out her light and make her finally "go to bed" after receiving the look from mommy because she was still awake when mommy came back from a trip to the store.  I went in to say one last "goodnight" and she asked me if she could show me the song she had just written.  I said sure.  She then sang to me the sweetest few lines.

"I Love the snow when it gets played in. And when the rain falls down. And I love sunny days as well."

There was a peace and presence in her room.  I knew what it was.  Or should I say I knew Who it was.  My little girl was tapping into a gift that had been given to her by her heavenly Father and He had showed up to see her use it. I'm sure it was because he was blessed by it.  I was too and I knew it was one of those special times that are all too rare in the hurried pace of modern life.

Understand, its not because the words were all that profound. The words on the page were misspelled the way most 1st graders would. Neither was it because the melody was so pure. It wasn't even because her voice was like that of an angel.  It was in my opinion, simply a Father delighting in his child.   I guess you could say both fathers were delighting in their child.

Carpet cleaning...and other general craziness at our house

So last week I had a second "surgery" on my right shoulder.  It was more like a procedure really.  I had not gotten all of my ROM (That's Range of Motion for you lay people out there) back and had hit a wall in physical therapy. Now I'm recovering from a procedure and on narcotics for pain, albeit not taking them that much. And I'm supposed to be working from home this week because we are always "encouraged" to keep our billable utilization as high as possible.  So remote phone training sessions and other services are what I'm trying to provide while I'm rehabbing my bum shoulder.  PT appointments every day as well.

Well, it just so happens that we have been trying (not very hard) to get a bid for someone to come fix the walls and ceiling in our master bedroom from water damage that occurred during last years spring storms.  We got a bid we liked and the guy could start right away so we decided to do that at the same time.  This meant taking all the furniture out of the master bedroom and filling the rest of the house with it.  Which of course made the house unlivable for the week so we all moved to Grandma's house. 
Phew.....    We had a lot going on I guess you could say.   Well, when you clear a room of its furniture you really get a good look at the carpet in the room.  Underneath all the dust-bunnies it needed help.  So we thought, let's clean the carpets too.

Those carpet cleaning machines that you can rent from Albertson's are great.  Maybe too great... It did such a good job on our master bedroom that we thought we'd move a bunch of furniture around in the other rooms and clean all the carpets. We have a blond dog, a snow white cat and forest green carpets in all the bedrooms, living room and dining room.

Picture all of this with me crammed up in the corner of the dining room trying to work with furniture from the master bedroom all around me. Nothing like a little last minute home improvement project!   Of course, I forgot to mention that my daughter was attending a diabetes day camp put on my the ADA across town so we had to ferry her back and forth every morning and afternoon as well.  The funny thing is, it didn't really seem that abnormal for us.

Yes, my life really is a bruehaha.  And not just sometimes.

P.S.  The doctor wanted to really make sure we're getting the most out of our PT this time so he sent me home with my own personal torture rack to stretch my shoulder. 
See picture below taken at Grandma's house.

My Mom

She raised two boys. She was far from perfect. She was both a shinning example and a royal pain in the arse. What can I say, she was my mom. The one who brought me into this world. So much of who I am is because of what she poured into me. From her I learned to laugh, to love the beauty of God's creation and how to hang on to God's word and promises. There are things in my family's history and ancestry that I love that came down to me from her. My grand-father the artist who painted signs at carnivals and played music in a time when being a musician was magical. I like to think that I have his creative essence deep inside me. This I got through her. At the same time there are things that I don't like about myself that I know I got from her. Like her abysmal ability to manage money. And other dark things that sometimes haunt my personality. But its all part of the package. She wasn't easy but she was my mother. And though I didn't realize it often or tell her nearly enough, I loved her dearly.

This past Sunday was the first Mother's day that I've ever spent on this earth without her. That thought seems to echo inside me in a hollow and empty space whenever I allow my brain to speak it. It's like a bottomless pit. The kind that when you drop a stone into it you never hear it hit. Just blackness and nothing. My wife asked me on Mother's day as we were at church if I was alright. I didn't know what to say really. On one hand I was with her, the beautiful mother of my own children and celebrating all that is good about mothers. But on the other hand, I had an ache that I couldn't put to words.

I've thought about writing something about mom now for several weeks but when it came to sitting down and actually typing the words, I always shyed away from the act because I just didn't want to go there emotionally. I'd really love to be able to put together a witty essay extolling the virtues of my mother but its just not in me.....yet. Perhaps next year when I've had time to process. After we've placed a proper headstone on her grave. Right now, there are just so many thoughts and feelings and stories even that have yet to settle in my soul. All I can for now is, I am who I am because of her. She will forever be a part of me and my progeny.

I love you mom. I miss you. I'm sorry your life ended the way that it did. I hope you're proud of me.

See you after a while.

Your Sugar Bear
Arron