Of Little or no Interest to Anyone....But Those of us Who Were There

Wednesday....the best day of the week.  Wednesday...the busiest day of the week.  This past Wednesday is the last one this summer that I will have both boys together.  Some schedules have changed so I will have Simmie Pie on Tuesdays or Thursdays instead.  They will still see each other, for Simmie always visits when Max comes to play. 

Nunny came by for a short visit.  The boys love Nunny, and always ask where Do' Do' is when she comes.  Nunny and Do' Do' come as a "set" in the boys' minds.  While here, Nunny said something about the boys remembering these days spent with me.  I queried as to whether she remembered anything from when she was two. She was not sure, but thinks she remembers an event when she was three involving her older brother, Anderson, who shortly afterward died of leukemia.  Simple moments that surround significant events are often forever etched in my memories.

 Four years old is about where my memories begin ~ the traumatic year spent at "Miss" Ruby's daycare.  So many things I remember about that.  Never one to be a squeaky wheel (unless I am in pain, then I can drive the Lord God Almighty bonkers with my complaints - I am dealing with neck pain at the moment) I did not tell my mother how much I hated being at "Miss" Ruby's.  She learned it the day when I was 5, and she was gathering together all my new little dresses for day care and I burst into tears.  After much prodding, she learned that "Miss" Ruby's was NOT my favorite.  I spent my five year old year going to work at the television station with my mom, having lunch at the Krystal with mom and Mae (my grandmother), and just generally having a grand time. 

So, I do not think the boys will remember Wednesday, specifically, but I hope the feelings of love and fun and safety and acceptance will be woven into their beings.  Neither will I remember many of the specifics of the day, but I, too, will have the joy of the time spent together woven into my being. 

I actually planned for the day.  By the time Fizzie arrived with Simmie Pie ~ Fizzie goes up to Simeon's house around 6:25 and waits for him to awaken before he comes down to our house for the day.  What a spectacular grandfather Mr. L is!  The boys adore him.  I sort of do too :-)  By the time they arrived, I had high chairs on the patio, ghost snow made (microwaved Ivory soap, toilet paper and water - it is, in the words of Max "aweshum!")  Tiny, sweet, table grapes were frozen ready to eat.  Yogurt popsicles made.  Homemade banana ice cream (frozen bananas, vanilla, heavy whipping cream put in the blender until smooth, and then frozen) ready for dessert after lunch, Whole Foods' animal crackers and cheddar bunnies ready for rewards (bribes?) when they came inside when asked, wading pool filled, sprinkler suspended to make a sort of "boy wash" in the vein of a carwash.

Max arrived with all his enthusiasm for life, and at 8:30 am our day together began.  It was a great day.  Max loves the sprinkler.  Simeon is a bit more reserved in his enthusiasm for it. 

 

Simeon really prefers to have control over where the water goes rather than just willy nilly running through it.  This picture was not actually taken this Wednesday, but it is indicative of the different approaches to the sprinkler.  The wading pool is a fascination for both boys, however they do want to transfer pea gravel from Rocky, the purple dinosaur,  to it.  I highly discourage this activity, which results in either tears or defiance.  I try to kindly deal with both.  Max was not sure if it was okay to sit in the pool, but once I assured him it was fine, he would stand up and jump in the "deep end."  Our yard is on a slope, which makes a shallow end and a deep end for our little wading pool.  How perfect is that?  This impromptu hug just melted my heart.

 

 

So, this specific hug will not be remembered by these boys, but I pray the feeling of love and "this is my buddy" will.  After lots of time in the pool and sprinkler, it was craft time ~ working with our ghost snow.  It was a bigger hit than I expected.  Not much was molded from it, but the relaxation derived from just squishing it and throwing it was priceless. 

 

 

 

We ate, we played, we watched Daniel Tiger on TV and Winnie the Pooh on the IPad before bedtime.  Max was a champ climbing into the crib on the ladder (my neck).  It has become a great game, but of course the door has to stay shut tightly so they do not climb up the ladder unsupervised.  We water colored, spilled purple star glitter all over the floor, one of us may have had a drink of paint water (oops), we sang and danced and giggled and cried a little.  We shared and we fought over certain things.  All in all, a really great day, that I do not take for granted.  I am very fortunate to be able to have a work schedule that allows me to spend time with the boys.  I am most fortunate that these precious children live where I live.  Again, I do not take any of it for granted, for I know it could be so much different.  Oh, and one thing I learned on Wednesday ~ not just boys can pee in the backyard when desperate.  Seriously, did I, raised by Mary Williams, just use the word "pee" in a blog?

 

For today, I wish you time in the presence of children, and I wish you

 

blessings





Bible Bangin' People Haters

This blog is not based on theology.  I do not have a Ph.d. in anything.  I am not a learned Bible scholar.  Frankly, I am not really all that observant, but I do observe some behavior that both puzzles and convicts me, for I am guilty of most every thing about which I am going to complain.

I am most aware of Bible Bangin' People Haters on Facebook.  Recently, I was like a crazed lunatic trying to remember how to block some one's posts.  I mean it was like my computer (or I) was going to go up in smoke if I did not get this person off my daily news feed......IMMEDIATELY!   Being, the propah Southern girl that I am, I could not just unfriend them, because then they would know and it might hurt their feelings (as if) so I had to hide their posts without them knowing it.  Wow, how direct and brave am I?  But, I have convinced myself that it was to spare their feelings, not because I am such a coward.  Actually, it is because Facebook, in my opinion, is not the place for the airing of grievances.  Obviously, I think a blog is.  Go figure.

This may come as a shock to many of you, but God is not a Republican (nor a Democrat, nor a member of any other political party).  Can that possibly be true?  Yes, yes it is.  Many Bible Bangin' People Haters would vehemently disagree with me, because if God is not a Republican, how can they justify their complete, bordering-on-hatred dislike of Democrats?  Let me be the first to say, that I am not a big Barack Obama fan, and he seems to be the one most despised at the moment by Bible Bangers.  I have also come to not concern myself with "respecting the office" because so many of those who have held the office have disrespected it in ways beyond mentioning.

Sorry to report, but God is not a U.S. citizen, and to further offend, he is not a Southerner.  He is not white.  He is not black.  He does not only live in the affluent suburbs.  He actually may be even harder to find there.  He lives in ghettos, and prisons, and mental hospitals, and under bridges, and in drug rehab centers.  He walks beside the offended AND the offensive.  He has all the answers, but he does not beat us over the head with them, but rather coaxes and loves us to find them.  This is very much unlike those of us Bible Bangers who do not have all the answers but think we do, so we bang people over the head with scripture, when in fact what we might better do is hold them with the love of the Lord. 

Forgive me if I sound ignorant, but isn't this Bible we read so diligently a means for teaching us the true nature of God?  Wasn't the meaning of Jesus' life to show us the face of God?  Bible banging and people hating are incompatible.  They should not be able to coexist.  In my opinion, and my opinion is all I have here, we cannot be a lover of the teachings in the Bible and hate people.  We cannot.  I may not be a Barack Obama fan, but God is, and not because he is president of the United States.  God is a fan of all his children, and make no mistake, every living human being is a child of God, not just white, protestant, middle class, Southern Americans.  So, I better get about the business of being a fan of every person I meet no matter how frustrating I may find them. 

This does not mean that I have to agree with their politics, their conduct, their lifestyle, whatever, but it does mean that I am called to love them, wholly and completely.  Not warm fuzzy, oh-they-make-me-feel-so-good love, but the down in the trenches, hard choice of treating others with respect and dignity, and yes, love even when I do not feel like it~perhaps, especially when I do not feel like it. 

If you are a FB friend who is a Bible Bangin' People Hater, I love you, but I will block you.  I am fairly certain that your life will continue just fine without being on my news feed, but I hope all of us will think twice before we blast away at one person, or a whole group of people, especially, if we call ourselves lovers of The Word.  It is unseemly.

For today, I wish us all opportunities to choose love, and I wish you

blessings 

Why I Don't Do Church

I do not do Church because of the scripture Hebrews 10:25 concerning not "forsaking the assembly."  Growing up, I believed that was a threat, and if I failed to attend a service, there was a fiendishly delighted god just waiting to take his wide-tipped Magic Marker and put a giant black mark by my name in the Lamb's Book of Life..., or worse, a grieving, sorrowful god, saddened by the fact that he must turn his face from me for my lack of obedience.  Let me say right now, for those in my youth who by word or deed made me view Hebrews 10:25 in a frightful way, I appreciate your diligence and your ethics and your desire to please the God you serve.  I know your words and actions were from a genuinely loving heart, seeking to help me "get to heaven."  I appreciate you, but I do not do Church for that.

I do not do Church because I am looking for a good, moral, Biblical lesson taught with great oratory skill.  I can stay home and watch a preacher on TV or drop in any of some 1,000 places of worship in my home town.  I do not do Church for that.

I do not do Church to keep myself unspotted from the "wicked" people out there "in the world."  It would be a woeful misconception to think that is possible anywhere, including Church , because, guess what, I am there.   I do not do Church for that. 

I do not do Church because I need more friends and a social life, and that is a good place to find them.  Actually, the older I get, the more I realize that I am not really looking for a "social life."  I do not do Church for that. 

BUT.....

I do Church because of Hebrews 10:25.  I now think of it as a gift.   For me, and I can and am speaking only for myself, the assembly is very important.   I have come to believe that these assemblies we are encouraged to not forsake are for our good, and give us the opportunity to be of some good to others.  I find that those who assemble can do so much more together than they can individually.  The particular community with which I work asked us to give $60,000.00 for a Habitat for Humanity build.  We raised over $100,000.00.  I gave a miniscule, I mean teeny tiny, part of that.  Others gave less (maybe), still others gave much more.  None of us could have done it alone, but together we were able to do mighty deeds.   I do Church for this. 

I do Church because I need to hear what learned people are saying.  I am blessed in my particular church community by young people who challenge me with their study, their wisdom, their humility, and, yes, their skill in articulating lessons of great value. I am grateful for their introduction of people of other faiths and beliefs and thoughts.  I am forever grateful to them for freeing me from believing that I have to have all the answers.  What a blessing. I need their encouragement.  I do Church because older, wiser people share the lessons they have learned along the way.  I do Church because there are people who can actually in 3 minutes or less, give a synopsis of Paradise Lost.   I do Church for this. 

I do Church because it reminds me that I am wounded and flawed and that the only response that is appropriate for me to offer those who are also wounded and flawed is the grace and mercy I solicit from them.  I do Church because together a place like Next Right Step shines a light on God's love for those struggling with addiction.  Everyone is  held accountable - but held accountable in love and community, and when one grows too weary to deal with another's pain, someone else stands in the gap.  Not all of us are called to work in this area, but all of us together can encourage and love and support in myriad ways the work.  I do Church for this.

I do Church because there are people there who love my grandsons, and do not hesitate to tell them and me.   I do Church because on one blessed Sunday morning I was given the privilege of hugging a young friend just about ready to deliver her first child.  We, alongside others, walked through dark days of loss and deep feelings of hopelessness that a baby would ever come to this family.   Now, we share the joy of expectation.  While hugging that young woman, another young friend came up with whom I have walked through similarly dark days, gorgeous baby boy in tow.  It was his first Sunday for the assembly.  What a joy and a gift to assemble with these glowing examples of.....I don't know....Church?  I stood and talked with another friend who recently lost her father.  She is grieving so, but that assembly bolsters her spirit for another week of living her new normal with her father gone - well, physically gone.  He will always live within her, her siblings, their children etc.  I do Church because of the relatively new friend, the ever-serving, new friend,  who shouts across the foyer to tell me hi and give me a hug.  She, just a week before had lifted a burden from me, in her usual efficient, selfless way.  I do Church because it gives me the opportunity to walk hand-in-hand with those who struggle, as others have walked and continue to walk with me.  I do Church so we can claim the victory together.  I do Church for this. 

For today, I wish you blessings,

Is God a Dropout?

Recently, I have seen on FB things like "put God back in schools," "let's get God back into our schools etc.."  I get the meaning, I do. I love to hear a prayer before a sporting event asking God's protection on players, and soliciting good sportsmanship. I make no apology for believing in the power of prayer, though I must be honest in admitting I have neither explanation nor understanding why some prayers seem to be answered and others do not.  I don't know, yet I still believe, and, frankly, I am not sure why my faith is unwavering. Certainly, I have been disappointed on numerous occasions when my prayers seem to have gone unheard.  Maybe that is a blog for another day.

My contention is that God has not dropped out of our schools.  I think He is present in ways far more powerful than a worded prayer. God is in the student who chooses to be inclusive rather than exclusive, and makes a point to be kind to classmates in spite of their popularity or lack thereof. God is in the student who stands up for those being bullied.  God is also present when that same student understands that the bully is hurting and scared. God shows up when a student realizes he forgot to study for a test but chooses to take a bad grade rather than cheat.  God is in the student who makes the hard choice to not go along with the crowd.

God is in the teacher who diligently prepares for class in order to give her students her best effort. God is in the teacher who guides and corrects and does not belittle and berate. God is in the teacher who taps into his or her creativity to develop different ways to teach so that unique learners have a chance at success. God is in that teacher who comes early and stays late. God is in teachers who teach students, not subjects, who understand the whole point of this thing is to create an environment where kids learn to be productive adults. God is in the teacher who demands excellence but recognizes effort when excellence is not achieved.

God is in the cafeteria worker who puts a little extra food on a plate for a child whose only meal that day will be at school. God is in the janitor who cleans well so that children have a safe environment. God is in the principal who holds teachers, parents, and students accountable. God is in the coach who knows it is not about the game, it is about life. God is in the school bookkeeper who can be trusted to handle funds properly.  God is in the school nurse who lovingly tends to runny noses, vomiting children, and those who just need a little attention. 

God is not a dropout.  God does not need an invitation back into our schools. He does not need an act of Congress to be present, nor can laws keep Him away. He is there. 

For today, I wish you an awareness of God's presence and I wish you

blessings

Is Anybody Dead?

It has been a stressful few days.  Stress relief came in a most unusual way this evening. Mr. Lincoln, lovely man that he is, drives MP to Vanderbilt most Saturday and Sunday mornings. I might add that he always stops at McDonald's and gets me a large Diet Coke. He does not approve of my beverage of choice, but he buys one for me anyway. This morning was no exception. Did I mention that she goes to work at 5:45?  It is a Switzer thing to leave home an hour and fifteen minutes before one has to be at work some fifteen minutes from home.  He returned home, ran for about two hours, helped babysit both boys, went to the office downtown and worked three or more hours, returned home to drive me to Stallworth to visit my mother so that I would not have to walk very far as I am dealing with issues from the hamstring pull I accomplished during the infamous reindeer antler retrieval event, drove home, watched a little football before returning to Vanderbilt to pick me up and wait for MP's text that she was headed down at which time he departs his holding spot to time the pick up perfectly. What a man!!!

Things went a bit awry, however. MP's text "I'm headed down" came in so we pulled out to drive the two blocks to meet her. At the light at 25th and Children's Way, a CSO (Community Service Officer) was stopped.  We could tell that he was either texting or surfing the web on his phone. When the light turned green, Mr. CSO #972 did not move. Mr. Lincoln did what anyone would do in the circumstance; he gently tapped his horn to make the distracted officer aware that the light had changed.  There was no response, so Mr. L. tapped again, then again, a bit more forcefully, then again. At this time, the officer got out of his car, walked back in a semi-menacing demeanor demanding, "what's the problem?"

 "I am trying to get by so that I can pick up my daughter and you are just sitting there."

"Go around!"

So, Mr. L. backed up to get around the CSO (we were thinking perhaps he flunked out of CSI school) and promptly hit the car behind us. The lady driving said car was most displeased. We are not sure why because prior to this fender bender, the front grill of her car was dangling, there was about an 18 inch section missing, and a long scratch down the side that never came in contact with Mr. L's vehicle. We figured that she was no stranger to minor accidents. Her upset seemed a bit extreme so Mr. Lincoln asked, "is anyone dead?"  She was not amused and demanded an "inspection."

The police officer who was called to the scene of the accident commented that the CSO was the whole cause of the accident, and tried to convince the lady to just forget the whole thing.  She was having none of it, so the officer asked, "did this damage happen just now?"  "No."  "Did this?"  "No." "Or this?"  "No."  "Then what is the problem."  "I think I see a scratch."

So all information was exchanged. In the meantime on the sidewalk the intoxicated gentleman who had just jumped into the CSO's truck was waving his arms, trying to stand on one foot, and seemingly explaining something of great consequence.

Finally, the traffic officer returned Mr. L's insurance card and license asking him to pull on up so the lady with the banged up car did not back into him. The CSO began to back up coming at a rate of speed that caused the traffic officer to exclaim, "holy #%$x, that guy is giving me a heart attack."

Laughter ensued. Stress relieved.

So for today, I wish you non injurious moments of hilarity, and I wish you

Blessings

We Knew This Day Was Coming

My heart is not here today.  I have much to do to prepare for the 35 or so coming for Thanksgiving and for a rather large party on the 8th, so my body is in Nashville, but my heart is in Martin.  This is a day I have known was coming for quite some time.  It has been kept quiet so as not to draw attention.  It is a day that for most will seem "so what," but it is very significant in my dear Mr. Lincoln's life.  You see, today is the last day he will stand on a football field as a college football official.  It is the end of an era.  He chose the date, and once it was chosen, there was no going back.  He is leaving officiating on his own terms.

Mr. Lincoln will be emotional.  Those of you who know him best will not be surprised by this.  He is just an old softy.  He is wise, and so he will soak in every bit of this day.  I think he told his crew last night that next year they will have another leader.  Perhaps, they had already caught wind of his retirement, and have waited for him to make it official.  Perhaps, they were surprised.  Whichever, they are going to miss him. 

He has put so much energy and effort into being the best football official that he could be.  He knows those rules forward and backward.  His crew has to be one of the best prepared that ever hit a field.  There was never danger that Mr. Lincoln would embarrass his organization by acting the fool in any shape or form.  One of his fellow officials, who understands the significance of this day, sent him a lovely email yesterday.  He said that Mr. Lincoln had always conducted himself as a "man of God" on the field and off.  What more can anyone say of a person's influence? 

I think of Marshall's last football game in high school, how as he walked off the field, he turned and looked back to soak it all in.  He was etching that moment in his memory.  It was such a poignant moment.  Mr. Lincoln was crying then too.  I know he will follow his son's example this afternoon and turn to look back and etch the moment in his mind. 

My heart is not here.  You may wonder why that is true while my body is in Nashville.  Mr. Lincoln said, "do not show up at the ballgame.  If I look up in the stands and see you, I will lose it."  So, I will be here, cooking and cleaning and decorating and ironing, but my heart won't be in it, for my heart is with Mr. Lincoln today. 

For today, I wish you the ability to mark life's special events, be they sad, happy, frustrating or poignant.  I wish you someone to love, and I wish you

blessings

Sometimes, the Thing is not the Thing

Recently, I heard the story of a grandmother whose two teenage grandsons dropped by, spur of the moment, to ask her to go to dinner.  She said she had already eaten.  She did not go.  That story got me to thinking about how often what seems to be the main thing is not the thing at all.  Those boys stopping by to invite their grandmother to dinner had nothing to do with food.  It had everything to do with being together.  My first instinct was to be angry at her.  My second, was to feel badly for her.  She missed a wonderful opportunity to spend time in the presence of young people...young people who were seeking her out.  I wonder if she regretted her decision after they left.  I do not wish her regrets, but I do wish her to revisit that decision.  I hope next time she will go, and make a sweet memory for her grandsons and herself.  And, I hope she pays for dinner. 

That got me to thinking about a time when a man I know planned a trip for his dad to Chicago to see the Cubs play.  Now, this dad was a huge Cubs fan, and had passed that insanity on to his son.  The father was aging.  He was not ill, but he was aging, and the son felt the need to do something nice for his dad, and to spend time with him.  The son planned everything.  He was paying for it all - travel, lodging, food, tickets to the game at Wrigley Field.  Everything was set.  A couple days before the grand adventure, the father called his son to say that the weather forecast predicted rain in Chicago, and the game would probably be rained out so he was not going to go.  You see, the thing was not the game.  The thing was spending time with a son who planned a trip around his father's interests.  That was the thing.  As it turned out, it was a beautiful day in Chicago, the game did not get rained out, the Cubs won (a red letter day any way you look at it), and those tickets went unused.  That father is gone now.  He missed his opportunity.  I wonder if he ever regretted his decision. 

If you read this blog, you are aware that I often travel to the beach with two friends.  We go different times of the year.  I have had people say, "aren't you afraid it will be cold in November" or "the weather might not be good" or "it rains a lot there in August."  My reply is always, "we don't care."  While we all love the beach, the thing is not the beach.  The thing is being in each other's company.  Nice weather is great, but one of our most fun trips was when tropical storm Isabelle (I think) hit Gulf Shores.  It was awesome, and I mean that not in the present day vernacular but in the Webster definition of "inspiring a mixed feeling of reverence and fear."  Awesome!!!

Well, let me say, I have certainly been guilty many times in my life of thinking the thing was the thing when indeed it was not.  As I age, however, I try to pay attention, and see, what I learned in mediation classes, is "below the line."  Below the line is where you will find the thing that is the thing. 

A note to Simeon and Max - do not ever come by my house and invite me to do anything or go anywhere if you do not want me.  If I ever say to you, "I have already eaten," immediately call 911 for I am very, very ill. 

For today, I wish you the wisdom to recognize that thing that is the thing, and I wish you

blessings