We attended an open house and home dedication in the Kansas City area yesterday for a couple who recently moved from Topeka. They had been members at our church, and they retired and built a nice home in a nice place. I was struck by the openness of the main area…a huge expanse of high-ceilings large windows, and open space that encompassed the entrance, kitchen, and living/dining area. No walls were to be found in that area; only furnishings and a quiet elegance that lent itself well to the noise of the guests and visitors.
They are clear that they want their home to be used, and had it built with that in mind. Guest quarters are quiet and well-appointed. She is a great cook, and you certainly won’t want to miss anything she conjures up in her kitchen.
Many people will tell you to drop by anytime, and you know they really don’t mean it. When these folks tell you to drop by, they not only mean it, they expect it. They’re about 10 minutes from KCI, and I suspect that at least some of their friends will take advantage of both that and of their hospitality. These folks both expect and welcome that.
There are decent people in the world, and John and Joan are two of them. I am humbled and count it a privilege to know them.
2 comments:
Snake Hunters said:
Kansas! Isn't that the state
that tolerates a Baptist Church
that harrass Military Funerals?
That's dangerous business!
www.lazyonebenn.blogspot.com
Yes, and it's also the state that has John and Joan...the people I wrote about. Every state has its Phelps clans. Some are called Ku Klux Klan, some are called gangs, some are called serial killers and rapists. Others are just ding-bats or crazies.
Those who would blast Phelps to Kingdom Come are in many cases the weak, the vulnerable, and the ignorant. They readily take up the chant of others and have no fresh thoughts of their own.
Those who, as you say, "tolerate" Phelps are the ones who are the true movers and shakers...the ones who know who and what they are, and who have class, intelligence, and true guts.
Am I a Phelps sympathizer? No way. But silence him, remove his church from our society, and ban his speech? I wouldn't think of it, and neither does our Constitution or Declaration of Independence.
If someone doesn't like Phelps and his speech, ignore him. Why let him control my life by getting me all riled up about it? If he wants to picket the funeral of my son, daughter, father, or other relative, let him. What do I care?
The only reason we have laws and regulations against him is that there are more of us than there are of his kind. If the shoe was on the other foot, would you want the majority to close your church, stop your speech, and delete your blog?
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