We talked today in Sunday school class about the process of maturity and how we tend to see things differently as we grow older and more mature, chronologically as well as emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. We talked about how our sometimes “black and white” ideas and notions are often tempered by age, experience, and knowledge. We looked at the man John, the disciple of Jesus and writer of several portions of the New Testament as an example of someone who, over the years, comes to moderate his persona and becomes known as the Apostle of love.
I find myself in that same position in many aspects of my life. What used to be so black and white to me no longer is, and what seemed to be such simple and easy solutions to problems and issues no longer are. I’ve become more tolerant in many ways, even as I become more set in my ways in other areas of life and living. And I’ve come to appreciate more and more those things in my life that are blessings. Grandchildren, family, work, music, health, God, wife, past experiences and friends all come to mind pretty much all at once and in no particular order.
I find myself thinking more about the past, marveling at the rich and full life I’ve lived to this day. I hear music of whatever variety from years ago, whether on an LP record, in church, or on the Lawrence Welk show on PBS, and I think of the good things that I’ve associated with that particular melody. I see old TV shows and recall pleasant times of comfort and security at home with Dad and Mom, knowing now that they were providing me with the best they had to offer. I see movies like Apollo 13 and think back to what I was doing and where I was and how I was astonished at the ability and capability of men and women to do things like that…and that I am still filled with wonder at the sight of portions of the universe never before seen until now through the Hubble space telescope.
Is this a sure sign of aging? Is this a precursor to life in retirement? Is this a mark of a man readying himself for the inevitable? I don’t know.
One thing I do know is that however much time I am blessed with here in this life, it has been given to me by God to use productively and wisely. And although I don’t always do that like I’d like to, I’d like to think that my age and experience enable me to do a much better job of being a good steward of the things I’ve been given. And if that means being not so much black and white and looking beyond the simplistic and naïve, so be it.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
It Happened Again
Well, it happened again. Tonight as we were just finishing eating at a local restaurant and getting up to leave, someone in a close booth greeted me by name. I looked at them and vaguely recalled them from our home community an hour or so southwest of here, but I couldn’t place them any more than that.
I was surprised, and said so, and tried to find some connection that would help me with the inevitable ensuing conversation. I found nothing in the 18 brain cells that I have left, so I just went along for the ride.
Come to find out they were up here after putting her dad in a care facility. They were eating before they went home. We visited some about our work, their situation, and not much else. Then I found an opening and left.
After we left the restaurant, I told the wife to not ask because I didn’t have a clue. She allowed as how they must be connected with me by EMS or the hospital, since she would know anyone else, but may not know some of those folks. I still don’t have a clue.
I suppose after the conversation, they asked each other, “Do you suppose he knew who we were?” I hate it that I can’t remember names, and don’t recognize people. I looked at them pretty much the whole time we were in the restaurant, as they were just beyond our table, but I never had a flicker of recognition the whole time.
I have to think that it doesn’t get any better as I age, but it wasn’t good when I was young. So I guess I’ll just have to swallow hard the next time and say something like, “You look familiar and I should know you, but can you help out an old man?” Maybe that would do it with enough humor that it would get us past the awkward part of my not remembering.
I was surprised, and said so, and tried to find some connection that would help me with the inevitable ensuing conversation. I found nothing in the 18 brain cells that I have left, so I just went along for the ride.
Come to find out they were up here after putting her dad in a care facility. They were eating before they went home. We visited some about our work, their situation, and not much else. Then I found an opening and left.
After we left the restaurant, I told the wife to not ask because I didn’t have a clue. She allowed as how they must be connected with me by EMS or the hospital, since she would know anyone else, but may not know some of those folks. I still don’t have a clue.
I suppose after the conversation, they asked each other, “Do you suppose he knew who we were?” I hate it that I can’t remember names, and don’t recognize people. I looked at them pretty much the whole time we were in the restaurant, as they were just beyond our table, but I never had a flicker of recognition the whole time.
I have to think that it doesn’t get any better as I age, but it wasn’t good when I was young. So I guess I’ll just have to swallow hard the next time and say something like, “You look familiar and I should know you, but can you help out an old man?” Maybe that would do it with enough humor that it would get us past the awkward part of my not remembering.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Work Appreciation
Years ago, in another life, I worked EMS in Harper County as an EMT. We took call from time to time, and could be called out on a moment’s notice at any time, day or night. Most of the time we dealt with the more routine things, but once in awhile we’d deal with a car wreck, fire involving people, car-train collisions, medical emergencies, or other more serious medical or trauma issues.
As part of what we did, when we had information on a patient we were bringing in to the hospital, we’d call the hospital by radio and give preliminary medical information to the staff there so they could prepare for the arrival of the patient by having the equipment, medications, and other needs already there. Because it was a small hospital, the charge nurse on duty was literally in charge of the hospital, and would often answer the radio and communicate with the ambulance crew. That communication was vital, and we knew it was important that we all be on the same page, especially if the patient was seriously ill or had major trauma.
I was always set at ease when I called in a report and Lisa would answer. I always knew that everything would be fine. Lisa would be ready, would have staff ready, equipment and supplies handy, and that things would go well. She was competent, efficient, intelligent, and organized. She knew what she was doing, knew how to think on her feet, and knew how to make decisions.
Some other nurses could have learned a lot by just opening their eyes and watching her for a day or two. Sometimes I wished they would, because some nurses were just not organized and seemed to never quite be totally in the present tense.
Lisa gave me a good feeling when she answered the other end of the radio. I told her so more than once. Have you told anyone recently that they’ve done a good job for you? You might not supervise anyone at work, but you do have people work for you. The waitress, the clerk, or someone at the bank who helps you all work for you. Let them know how much you appreciate their work.
As part of what we did, when we had information on a patient we were bringing in to the hospital, we’d call the hospital by radio and give preliminary medical information to the staff there so they could prepare for the arrival of the patient by having the equipment, medications, and other needs already there. Because it was a small hospital, the charge nurse on duty was literally in charge of the hospital, and would often answer the radio and communicate with the ambulance crew. That communication was vital, and we knew it was important that we all be on the same page, especially if the patient was seriously ill or had major trauma.
I was always set at ease when I called in a report and Lisa would answer. I always knew that everything would be fine. Lisa would be ready, would have staff ready, equipment and supplies handy, and that things would go well. She was competent, efficient, intelligent, and organized. She knew what she was doing, knew how to think on her feet, and knew how to make decisions.
Some other nurses could have learned a lot by just opening their eyes and watching her for a day or two. Sometimes I wished they would, because some nurses were just not organized and seemed to never quite be totally in the present tense.
Lisa gave me a good feeling when she answered the other end of the radio. I told her so more than once. Have you told anyone recently that they’ve done a good job for you? You might not supervise anyone at work, but you do have people work for you. The waitress, the clerk, or someone at the bank who helps you all work for you. Let them know how much you appreciate their work.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Today and Tomorrow
Today was an absolutely gorgeous day. The weather was like that in mid to late April, even though it’s February. We’ll not have this kind of weather continue, as rain is coming tomorrow and Monday, they say. But today couldn’t have been nicer or better.
Everyone, it seems, was outside today doing something. The trail in the park behind our house was busy both with those who walked and those who rode. No, they don’t allow ATV’s. We saw riders today on mules, ambling along the trail.
People were out in their yards with their kids, working in their garages, washing their cars, and doing things people do on a nice day. Most folks seemed to be a little friendlier than normal. And the prospect of longer days, spring, and the coming months of the year just make everyone sort of perk up.
We’ll be going to see my uncle tomorrow. It’s his 90th birthday and his daughter has planned a come-and-go reception for him tomorrow. He’s a joy to be with and seems to enjoy life. He was a farmer all his life, and never was much for mucky-muck or high class stuff. He’s always been a down-to-earth, simple man.
Yet he has worked wonders with wood, carved beautiful things, and has done taxidermy. He has had an invaluable impact on the lives of many, having taught both adults and children in church. He has a wisdom that comes from knowledge of and observation of the world around him, and carries too a wisdom that comes from a relationship with his Creator. He has a love for the creation and all of God's creatures, whether human or animal. He maintains a curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world and about God that amaze me.
We are blessed to have him in the family, and it is a privilege for me to go tomorrow and in some small way help him celebrate 90 years in this life.
Everyone, it seems, was outside today doing something. The trail in the park behind our house was busy both with those who walked and those who rode. No, they don’t allow ATV’s. We saw riders today on mules, ambling along the trail.
People were out in their yards with their kids, working in their garages, washing their cars, and doing things people do on a nice day. Most folks seemed to be a little friendlier than normal. And the prospect of longer days, spring, and the coming months of the year just make everyone sort of perk up.
We’ll be going to see my uncle tomorrow. It’s his 90th birthday and his daughter has planned a come-and-go reception for him tomorrow. He’s a joy to be with and seems to enjoy life. He was a farmer all his life, and never was much for mucky-muck or high class stuff. He’s always been a down-to-earth, simple man.
Yet he has worked wonders with wood, carved beautiful things, and has done taxidermy. He has had an invaluable impact on the lives of many, having taught both adults and children in church. He has a wisdom that comes from knowledge of and observation of the world around him, and carries too a wisdom that comes from a relationship with his Creator. He has a love for the creation and all of God's creatures, whether human or animal. He maintains a curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world and about God that amaze me.
We are blessed to have him in the family, and it is a privilege for me to go tomorrow and in some small way help him celebrate 90 years in this life.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Give God a Chance
Today our nephew’s fiancé came to our home to stay in the spare bedroom in the basement for a few weeks while they finalize wedding plans and get things ready to go for their married lives here in the Wichita area. We offered to have her stay some time ago and have been looking forward to being able to help out. Her mother is also staying with us for the weekend, having driven down here with her from their home in Wisconsin.
We enjoy being able to do things like this, and hope that their stay with us will be comfortable and pleasant. We aren’t great entertainers, preferring instead to have our house guests just find what they need and make themselves at home.
Our “things” aren’t that important to us. We have things that we enjoy; we have things that have sentimental value; we have things that make our lives pleasant. But all of those things don’t provide us with what we truly need for life and living. So they are like tools to us. They are here for us to use. We have them so we can make others’ lives more enjoyable and so…yes, I’ll be honest here…we can let others know that we live by a different standard.
Christianity (not religion) is that standard. We put out what I consider to be poor, weak efforts at making this world a better place and telling others about the love of God. But we also believe that God takes those poor, weak efforts and multiplies them, making them work out to His glory.
Now you may think that’s all a bunch of garbage, and you’re entitled to your opinion. However, if you’ve never tried it, how do you know what it is? Have you ever really looked objectively at Christianity? At God? At a way of life and living that offers hope, peace, and love? I thought so.
However you look at life and living, know that the Author and Creator of life loves you and desires a relationship with you that is beyond anything you can think or know. Give God a chance.
We enjoy being able to do things like this, and hope that their stay with us will be comfortable and pleasant. We aren’t great entertainers, preferring instead to have our house guests just find what they need and make themselves at home.
Our “things” aren’t that important to us. We have things that we enjoy; we have things that have sentimental value; we have things that make our lives pleasant. But all of those things don’t provide us with what we truly need for life and living. So they are like tools to us. They are here for us to use. We have them so we can make others’ lives more enjoyable and so…yes, I’ll be honest here…we can let others know that we live by a different standard.
Christianity (not religion) is that standard. We put out what I consider to be poor, weak efforts at making this world a better place and telling others about the love of God. But we also believe that God takes those poor, weak efforts and multiplies them, making them work out to His glory.
Now you may think that’s all a bunch of garbage, and you’re entitled to your opinion. However, if you’ve never tried it, how do you know what it is? Have you ever really looked objectively at Christianity? At God? At a way of life and living that offers hope, peace, and love? I thought so.
However you look at life and living, know that the Author and Creator of life loves you and desires a relationship with you that is beyond anything you can think or know. Give God a chance.
Sunday, February 01, 2009
So the close of another Sunday rapidly descends. Although this day is the first day of the calendar week, for many of us tomorrow will actually seem like the first day of the week because it is the first day of a work week.
Some enjoy the coming of the work week because they like their jobs, like their work environment, and take pride in a job well done. Others are ambivalent about their jobs and the work week is just something that happens regularly. Still others don’t really like their work, greatly dreading the start of the work week.
I’ll not tell you where I fall in, but will only say that there are things in my life right now that are more important than work. I like the job well enough. The hours are good, the environment is friendly, and the pay is fine. I’m just at the stage in life where work isn’t all there is to life. I’ve been there, done that. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. There are experiences of life that are more challenging than anything work can throw at me, so the challenge of my work isn’t where it’s at, either.
Some of you reading this know what the term “knob-farkeler” means (Yes, I know, the spellchecker doesn’t like that word. It suggests “darkener”, “foreleg”, or “fickler.”). For those that don’t, the term is a family expression which that means that things are working somehow to make things turn out in a certain way. We “borrowed” the term from the dice game by the same name. Our family chooses to use that expression to mean that God is working in someone’s life.
I get the rather unsettling (although not in a bad way) idea that there is some knob-farkeling (spellchecker: parceling, freckling, barreling) going on, and that there is some setting-up of things by Someone that will result in yet another, shall I say, adventure in my journey through space-time.
Now, I don’t know that’s true, but I’m not a young man any more. I’ve lived life, and believe that with maturity and observation come a kind of sense that starts nudging, picking, and poking when such things are happening. That poking and nudging has begun. I can’t explain it…but my antennae are perking up, fine-tuned to pick up the vibes.
Lord knows I’ve had enough adventures. And bless her heart, my lovely wife has gone on many of them with me. Thankfully I don’t see that this farkeling has to do with job loss or moving, although I don’t know for sure. I do know that whatever happens, we will be fine and things will work out; they always have.
I don’t claim to know (or want to know) the future. I’m not obsessed by what may or may not happen. I’m more concerned about the here and now and whether I’m in the place where I’m supposed to be, doing the thing I’m supposed to do. It’s been a great ride so far, and I’m looking forward to what is ahead, however far or near those events may be.
All I Ever Have to Be
By Amy Grant
When the weight of all my dreams
Is resting heavy on my head,
And the thoughtful words of health and hope
Have all been nicely said.
But I'm still hurting,
Wondering if I'll ever be
The one I think I am.
I think I am.
Then you gently re-remind me
That you've made me from the first,
And the more I try to be the best
The more I get the worst.
And I realize the good in me,
Is only there because of who you are.
Who you are...
And all I ever have to be
Is what you've made me.
Any more or less would be a step
Out of your plan.
As you daily recreate me,
Help me always keep in mind
That I only have to do
What I can find.
And all I ever have to be
All I have to be
All I ever have to be
Is what you've made me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohkdMXx_JlQ
Some enjoy the coming of the work week because they like their jobs, like their work environment, and take pride in a job well done. Others are ambivalent about their jobs and the work week is just something that happens regularly. Still others don’t really like their work, greatly dreading the start of the work week.
I’ll not tell you where I fall in, but will only say that there are things in my life right now that are more important than work. I like the job well enough. The hours are good, the environment is friendly, and the pay is fine. I’m just at the stage in life where work isn’t all there is to life. I’ve been there, done that. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. There are experiences of life that are more challenging than anything work can throw at me, so the challenge of my work isn’t where it’s at, either.
Some of you reading this know what the term “knob-farkeler” means (Yes, I know, the spellchecker doesn’t like that word. It suggests “darkener”, “foreleg”, or “fickler.”). For those that don’t, the term is a family expression which that means that things are working somehow to make things turn out in a certain way. We “borrowed” the term from the dice game by the same name. Our family chooses to use that expression to mean that God is working in someone’s life.
I get the rather unsettling (although not in a bad way) idea that there is some knob-farkeling (spellchecker: parceling, freckling, barreling) going on, and that there is some setting-up of things by Someone that will result in yet another, shall I say, adventure in my journey through space-time.
Now, I don’t know that’s true, but I’m not a young man any more. I’ve lived life, and believe that with maturity and observation come a kind of sense that starts nudging, picking, and poking when such things are happening. That poking and nudging has begun. I can’t explain it…but my antennae are perking up, fine-tuned to pick up the vibes.
Lord knows I’ve had enough adventures. And bless her heart, my lovely wife has gone on many of them with me. Thankfully I don’t see that this farkeling has to do with job loss or moving, although I don’t know for sure. I do know that whatever happens, we will be fine and things will work out; they always have.
I don’t claim to know (or want to know) the future. I’m not obsessed by what may or may not happen. I’m more concerned about the here and now and whether I’m in the place where I’m supposed to be, doing the thing I’m supposed to do. It’s been a great ride so far, and I’m looking forward to what is ahead, however far or near those events may be.
All I Ever Have to Be
By Amy Grant
When the weight of all my dreams
Is resting heavy on my head,
And the thoughtful words of health and hope
Have all been nicely said.
But I'm still hurting,
Wondering if I'll ever be
The one I think I am.
I think I am.
Then you gently re-remind me
That you've made me from the first,
And the more I try to be the best
The more I get the worst.
And I realize the good in me,
Is only there because of who you are.
Who you are...
And all I ever have to be
Is what you've made me.
Any more or less would be a step
Out of your plan.
As you daily recreate me,
Help me always keep in mind
That I only have to do
What I can find.
And all I ever have to be
All I have to be
All I ever have to be
Is what you've made me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohkdMXx_JlQ
Sunday, January 25, 2009
More Thoughts
I've had a chance to think of a few things this weekend. In an effort to let you get "inside my head" (sometimes dangerous, I know), I'll tell you what some of those things were that came to my mind.
Family provides a kind of grounding that cannot be obtained from any other source.
Church family provides a different, but no less important grounding that cannot be obtained from any other source.
FCC Chairman Minow was right in 1961. Television was a vast wasteland then. It hasn't improved in the last 48 years.
Sometimes, I wonder if we'd be better off if we didn't borrow the hundreds of billions of dollars and just let the recession run its course.
What happened to the coffee pot that sat on the stove in Matt Dillon's (Gunsmoke) jail?
Some people seem to have more than their share of bad things that happen to them.
I don't tell people that I love them.
I haven't a clue what it's like to lose a child. I can only imagine the pain and sorrow.
Pizza sounds good.
Drifting off into an afternoon nap is probably one of the most pleasant things a body can do.
Waking from that nap can be one of the more unpleasant tasks.
I don't tell people that I love them.
Just having one's spouse in the house brings about a kind of peace that can't be found any other way.
Hillary was right. It does indeed take a village to raise a child. (And no, that's not a socialist...in the bad sense of the word...viewpoint.)
I have to wonder how many people I know who are literally one paycheck away from financial ruin.
What happened to the great comedians? Jerry Seinfeld and Ray Romano don't hold a candle to Red Skelton, Bud Abbot and Lou Costello, Jackie Gleason, or Flip Wilson (to say nothing of many others I could mention).
While on entertainment, I wonder how many people living today know who Jimmy
Durante is.
I don't tell people that I love them.
Christian service isn't glamorous or glorious, but is an everyday, every hour thing.
If this life is all there is, what meaning is there to that?
How much longer will we be able to remain where we are and in the jobs that we are in?
What is it like to be 90 years old?
I am cheering for Mr. Obama. I hope he doesn't forget where he came from or allow himself to be overly polluted with the stench of politics as usual.
I'm actually somewhat excited about work this week. I don't know why.
I don't tell people that I love them.
Family provides a kind of grounding that cannot be obtained from any other source.
Church family provides a different, but no less important grounding that cannot be obtained from any other source.
FCC Chairman Minow was right in 1961. Television was a vast wasteland then. It hasn't improved in the last 48 years.
Sometimes, I wonder if we'd be better off if we didn't borrow the hundreds of billions of dollars and just let the recession run its course.
What happened to the coffee pot that sat on the stove in Matt Dillon's (Gunsmoke) jail?
Some people seem to have more than their share of bad things that happen to them.
I don't tell people that I love them.
I haven't a clue what it's like to lose a child. I can only imagine the pain and sorrow.
Pizza sounds good.
Drifting off into an afternoon nap is probably one of the most pleasant things a body can do.
Waking from that nap can be one of the more unpleasant tasks.
I don't tell people that I love them.
Just having one's spouse in the house brings about a kind of peace that can't be found any other way.
Hillary was right. It does indeed take a village to raise a child. (And no, that's not a socialist...in the bad sense of the word...viewpoint.)
I have to wonder how many people I know who are literally one paycheck away from financial ruin.
What happened to the great comedians? Jerry Seinfeld and Ray Romano don't hold a candle to Red Skelton, Bud Abbot and Lou Costello, Jackie Gleason, or Flip Wilson (to say nothing of many others I could mention).
While on entertainment, I wonder how many people living today know who Jimmy
Durante is.
I don't tell people that I love them.
Christian service isn't glamorous or glorious, but is an everyday, every hour thing.
If this life is all there is, what meaning is there to that?
How much longer will we be able to remain where we are and in the jobs that we are in?
What is it like to be 90 years old?
I am cheering for Mr. Obama. I hope he doesn't forget where he came from or allow himself to be overly polluted with the stench of politics as usual.
I'm actually somewhat excited about work this week. I don't know why.
I don't tell people that I love them.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Crown
I came to work for an 8am meeting this morning. During the meeting they had bagels. As I was chewing on a bagel, I heard (and felt) this rather sickening "ccrrraaccckkk!!" in my mouth.
I had broken a tooth. Not chipped. Not cracked. But broken. I could wiggle part of the tooth independently of the other part. Upper right, fourth one from the middle. I thought it was one that I knew already had a small crack in it, but no, this is a brand new one. The one with the old crack is right behind this one, and needs a crown any day.
In pain, I call the dentist (Dr. Dakin). The woman says, "How soon can you get here?" I say, "In 20 minutes." She says, "We had a cancellation, and if you can get here, we can fix you up this morning."
Needless to say, I jumped (so to speak) at the chance to minimize the length of time I was in pain. I go into the office, and am ushered to the chair in just a couple of minutes (after they ascertain that, although I have no insurance, I can pay the bill). The woman asks how I am and if I'm comfortable. Yeah, well, what else does she really not wanna know? I ask if the head rest can be lengthened, and they take care of that. I am lowered until I think the back of my head will hit the floor.
The dentist makes his grand appearance and shakes my hand, grateful that he has a paying customer after all. He looks at the tooth and says, "Let's hope that the break radiated from the middle to the outer part of the tooth above the gum line, because if it cracked straight up the middle, we'll have to extract it and I'll need to make a bridge for you."
I slink even lower in the chair, certain that the worst has happened. I have visions of blood, gauze packing, pain pills, and a day off at home. Dr. Dakin grabs hold of the inside part of the tooth and pulls slightly. The chunk comes out and falls onto the back of my tongue. They suck it out with the suction thingy.
He looks at it again. "Hmm," he says. "Well, it radiated outward, so I think I can crown it."
Grateful for the small blessings, I said, "OK, let's do it." He dopes me up, grinds away, and makes computer images of what is left of the tooth. He sends all the info to his computer and crown-grinder and tells me to have a seat in the waiting room for about 30 minutes.
I go to the waiting room, doped up. I look for a magazine. There's one "Consumer Reports" that some woman is hogging. There is a magazine in the rack dated 1994. All the others are ragged "Woman's Day" or some other such tripe. No man stuff. No Reader's Digest. No more Consumer Reports. Sigh.
I decide to just sit there and wait. So I just sit there and wait. About 30 minutes later, the woman comes out, smiles, and says, "John, we're ready." So I go back and the Dr. tries my new crown on for size. When he pulls it off, he drops it and it falls onto the back of my tongue. My immediate reaction was to swallow, but fortunately, I was able to control that. He quickly sticks his instrument down there and finds it, bringing it up from the abyss, but never saying anything. I know, though, that he was sweating it for a minute or two.
He farkels with grinding it here and there, trying it on, etc., about 10 minutes, then shows it to me. I'm amazed at how big it is. He dries my tooth (which by this time is an exercise in pain, as the anesthetic has worn off, but I don't want any more), cements on the new crown, grinds some more, and I'm done.
So, two hours (and $750...thank heavens for HSA's) later, I am the proud owner of a new crown, courtesy of a bagel.
Isn't it wonderful!! Crowns made while you wait. No more wax impressions, temporaries that come off, waiting a week or more, etc. Of course, the cost is something to consider. When I went in last fall, the crown for the old cracked tooth was going to be $700. Now this year it went to $750. I wonder what happened that he had to up his price by 8 percent or so.
In any event, things are getting back to normal; my mouth feels like a truck drove through the right side, and I'm ready for the weekend.
I had broken a tooth. Not chipped. Not cracked. But broken. I could wiggle part of the tooth independently of the other part. Upper right, fourth one from the middle. I thought it was one that I knew already had a small crack in it, but no, this is a brand new one. The one with the old crack is right behind this one, and needs a crown any day.
In pain, I call the dentist (Dr. Dakin). The woman says, "How soon can you get here?" I say, "In 20 minutes." She says, "We had a cancellation, and if you can get here, we can fix you up this morning."
Needless to say, I jumped (so to speak) at the chance to minimize the length of time I was in pain. I go into the office, and am ushered to the chair in just a couple of minutes (after they ascertain that, although I have no insurance, I can pay the bill). The woman asks how I am and if I'm comfortable. Yeah, well, what else does she really not wanna know? I ask if the head rest can be lengthened, and they take care of that. I am lowered until I think the back of my head will hit the floor.
The dentist makes his grand appearance and shakes my hand, grateful that he has a paying customer after all. He looks at the tooth and says, "Let's hope that the break radiated from the middle to the outer part of the tooth above the gum line, because if it cracked straight up the middle, we'll have to extract it and I'll need to make a bridge for you."
I slink even lower in the chair, certain that the worst has happened. I have visions of blood, gauze packing, pain pills, and a day off at home. Dr. Dakin grabs hold of the inside part of the tooth and pulls slightly. The chunk comes out and falls onto the back of my tongue. They suck it out with the suction thingy.
He looks at it again. "Hmm," he says. "Well, it radiated outward, so I think I can crown it."
Grateful for the small blessings, I said, "OK, let's do it." He dopes me up, grinds away, and makes computer images of what is left of the tooth. He sends all the info to his computer and crown-grinder and tells me to have a seat in the waiting room for about 30 minutes.
I go to the waiting room, doped up. I look for a magazine. There's one "Consumer Reports" that some woman is hogging. There is a magazine in the rack dated 1994. All the others are ragged "Woman's Day" or some other such tripe. No man stuff. No Reader's Digest. No more Consumer Reports. Sigh.
I decide to just sit there and wait. So I just sit there and wait. About 30 minutes later, the woman comes out, smiles, and says, "John, we're ready." So I go back and the Dr. tries my new crown on for size. When he pulls it off, he drops it and it falls onto the back of my tongue. My immediate reaction was to swallow, but fortunately, I was able to control that. He quickly sticks his instrument down there and finds it, bringing it up from the abyss, but never saying anything. I know, though, that he was sweating it for a minute or two.
He farkels with grinding it here and there, trying it on, etc., about 10 minutes, then shows it to me. I'm amazed at how big it is. He dries my tooth (which by this time is an exercise in pain, as the anesthetic has worn off, but I don't want any more), cements on the new crown, grinds some more, and I'm done.
So, two hours (and $750...thank heavens for HSA's) later, I am the proud owner of a new crown, courtesy of a bagel.
Isn't it wonderful!! Crowns made while you wait. No more wax impressions, temporaries that come off, waiting a week or more, etc. Of course, the cost is something to consider. When I went in last fall, the crown for the old cracked tooth was going to be $700. Now this year it went to $750. I wonder what happened that he had to up his price by 8 percent or so.
In any event, things are getting back to normal; my mouth feels like a truck drove through the right side, and I'm ready for the weekend.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Winners All...No Losers
Over the Christmas holiday, we went to my brother's place for dinner. Most of the Wichita family was there...sis and her extended family, my brother's daughters, and our sons and their families. We did the things we usually do at a gathering such as this. We ate, visited, played games, ate, and visited. A good time was had by all.
One thing we did, though, that I really enjoyed for more than one reason was later in the afternoon, we went outside and had a touch football game for awhile, then played workup softball.
This may not seem like much, but I think the last time we did this was 8 years ago in the family's home town, on the home place, just before we moved away from there. We went out into the patch (as we called it), set up some bases, and played workup softball after Thanksgiving dinner 2000.
We aren't very good. We don't try to kill the ball. In fact, we usually have a rule that if the ball goes so far into the outfield, it's an out. That saves us out of shape oldsters from having to shag balls all the time and levels the field for all.
The point isn't who wins or loses. The point is doing something that we've done as a family over the years and keeping the tradition alive. And this last time, we had some newer members of the family that played with us. We welcome them and hope they can play workup with us for a long time to come.
However, there will come a time when we won't be able to play workup or divide up and play football. There will come a time when those things will be memories, just as the home place now is a memory. But at least for now, we can still throw a softball. We can still work up fancy schmancy football plays (that seldom work as planned). And we can cement the memories and familial relationships that have made this life so extra special for us all.
One thing we did, though, that I really enjoyed for more than one reason was later in the afternoon, we went outside and had a touch football game for awhile, then played workup softball.
This may not seem like much, but I think the last time we did this was 8 years ago in the family's home town, on the home place, just before we moved away from there. We went out into the patch (as we called it), set up some bases, and played workup softball after Thanksgiving dinner 2000.
We aren't very good. We don't try to kill the ball. In fact, we usually have a rule that if the ball goes so far into the outfield, it's an out. That saves us out of shape oldsters from having to shag balls all the time and levels the field for all.
The point isn't who wins or loses. The point is doing something that we've done as a family over the years and keeping the tradition alive. And this last time, we had some newer members of the family that played with us. We welcome them and hope they can play workup with us for a long time to come.
However, there will come a time when we won't be able to play workup or divide up and play football. There will come a time when those things will be memories, just as the home place now is a memory. But at least for now, we can still throw a softball. We can still work up fancy schmancy football plays (that seldom work as planned). And we can cement the memories and familial relationships that have made this life so extra special for us all.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
New President
Mr. Obama is the President of the United States. Now, that isn't news for most of you, and for some, it may even be bad news. But the fact is that he is the President, and we now have, for the first time in history, an African-American President. Just as many have already said, I never expected to see this day. Since I am Caucasian, I never put the personal emphasis on it as some have, but I have always been interested in things like this.
I recall as a child in the 1950's, growing up in a small, white community. I recall hearing the stirrings of the civil rights movement, and in the 1960's some of the tragedies of that time. I recall being somewhat confused by it all. After all, I didn't have to find a restroom that said "colored" on the door, or be careful where I went to conduct business. It wasn't that I was racist...I just didn't have an understanding of what was really going on.
I also recall as a child in the 1950's, when Dad ran cattle and an African-American veterinarian came to our town. We never talked much of it, and most of the people in the community pretty much left them alone, but Dad acted like there was nothing out of the ordinary in having Dr. Hurley treat his cattle.
I learned something from that experience of watching my father and this good doctor interact and transact business with one-another. And I suspect that most of us learned about race and race relations in exactly the same way. Fathers and mothers teach through their actions and words much more than they may ever know. Little eyes are watching and little ears are hearing, and little brains absorb it all.
Like it or not, Democrat or Republican, we have an obligation to support the President and to do all we can to make this republic all it can be. We have an obligation to pray for those in authority. And we have an obligation to be good citizens, pay our taxes, petition our government, and participate in the solution rather than remain part of the problem.
May God bless Barack Obama.
I recall as a child in the 1950's, growing up in a small, white community. I recall hearing the stirrings of the civil rights movement, and in the 1960's some of the tragedies of that time. I recall being somewhat confused by it all. After all, I didn't have to find a restroom that said "colored" on the door, or be careful where I went to conduct business. It wasn't that I was racist...I just didn't have an understanding of what was really going on.
I also recall as a child in the 1950's, when Dad ran cattle and an African-American veterinarian came to our town. We never talked much of it, and most of the people in the community pretty much left them alone, but Dad acted like there was nothing out of the ordinary in having Dr. Hurley treat his cattle.
I learned something from that experience of watching my father and this good doctor interact and transact business with one-another. And I suspect that most of us learned about race and race relations in exactly the same way. Fathers and mothers teach through their actions and words much more than they may ever know. Little eyes are watching and little ears are hearing, and little brains absorb it all.
Like it or not, Democrat or Republican, we have an obligation to support the President and to do all we can to make this republic all it can be. We have an obligation to pray for those in authority. And we have an obligation to be good citizens, pay our taxes, petition our government, and participate in the solution rather than remain part of the problem.
May God bless Barack Obama.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Crows and Memories
I went to the restaurant this morning to have breakfast with my sister. It’s Saturday, and I sometimes go out for breakfast on Saturday. I parked in the lot and got out of the pickup. No sooner had I gotten out than I heard a loud “caw, caw” from above. A crow had perched on the parking lot light and was eyeing me carefully, letting me know that he was there.
I muttered, “Yeah, I see you,” as I went on into the restaurant. He cawed at me all the way into the restaurant.
Now, I don’t know that most people would make much of that, but I had the thought that even though I was in the restaurant parking lot where no one knew me (or cared that I was there), here was this pair of eyes watching my every move from atop a lamp post.
Wiki says that those caws were probably the crow marking out his territory. I presume that he was letting me know that I was not welcome there, and to move on, which I did.
Many animals have taken to the city and have become accustomed to the noise, vehicles, people, and buildings. We don’t often see them, but they are there nevertheless. All manner of snakes, rodents, and small animals inhabit yards, brushy areas, and flower beds. Raccoons, opossums (opossii??), skunks, rabbits, and other larger animals flourish. And although some birds are driven out, others take their place. Crow, starlings, sparrows, robins and others are avian neighbors in most city areas.
Of course, we also have the usual assortment of spiders, roaches, and other insects that sometimes make our lives more complicated. I’ve always liked spiders, however, and particularly enjoy the fall of the year when the orb spider makes large webs around homes and in yards. I continue to be amazed at the ability of that spider to be a structural engineer, manufacturer, builder, and consumer all in the same package.
The world around us, even in the city, can be awe-inspiring and can open our eyes to something greater than ourselves. One of these days, I’ll again hear the hooting of a great horned owl, just as I have for most of my life. It’s one of those sounds that for me carries with it a flood of memory and emotion of times past and gone. Although I like to think I’m a forward-looking person, I also enjoy the memories that God has given me. But that’s for another blog….
I muttered, “Yeah, I see you,” as I went on into the restaurant. He cawed at me all the way into the restaurant.
Now, I don’t know that most people would make much of that, but I had the thought that even though I was in the restaurant parking lot where no one knew me (or cared that I was there), here was this pair of eyes watching my every move from atop a lamp post.
Wiki says that those caws were probably the crow marking out his territory. I presume that he was letting me know that I was not welcome there, and to move on, which I did.
Many animals have taken to the city and have become accustomed to the noise, vehicles, people, and buildings. We don’t often see them, but they are there nevertheless. All manner of snakes, rodents, and small animals inhabit yards, brushy areas, and flower beds. Raccoons, opossums (opossii??), skunks, rabbits, and other larger animals flourish. And although some birds are driven out, others take their place. Crow, starlings, sparrows, robins and others are avian neighbors in most city areas.
Of course, we also have the usual assortment of spiders, roaches, and other insects that sometimes make our lives more complicated. I’ve always liked spiders, however, and particularly enjoy the fall of the year when the orb spider makes large webs around homes and in yards. I continue to be amazed at the ability of that spider to be a structural engineer, manufacturer, builder, and consumer all in the same package.
The world around us, even in the city, can be awe-inspiring and can open our eyes to something greater than ourselves. One of these days, I’ll again hear the hooting of a great horned owl, just as I have for most of my life. It’s one of those sounds that for me carries with it a flood of memory and emotion of times past and gone. Although I like to think I’m a forward-looking person, I also enjoy the memories that God has given me. But that’s for another blog….
Monday, January 12, 2009
On The Way
Well, I guess I need to draw myself up and blog again. I chastise others for not blogging and now find myself more days down than I care to have between blogs. I don't know, though, it was kind of nice to take a brief break, especially since I haven't been feeling well the last couple of weeks.
You may well know what that's like; you get some viral bug that settles in your sinuses, then seems to migrate to the various parts of your body that cause the most grief for you when disturbed. It seems those bugs can't settle in your earlobe or your hair; no, they have to lodge in your intestinal tract, you lungs, or your sinuses. I was going to say "Stupid bugs," but that isn't true at all. They seem to know how to be one step ahead of the latest medicines and two steps ahead of the home cures.
Life continues, even when you'd much rather it just all stop until you're feeling better. Meetings, work, church, and all the rest just continue on, and your choice is whether or not you're going to submit to the bugs and miss them all or endure in spite of them. Sometimes one can endure. Often the bugs win, though, and whether we like it or not, our bodies say, "I'm not taking another step. I think I'll just lie down right here."
On a more serious note, one of these days when my body says it's going to lie down right here, it won't get up again. It'll be the final curtain call. I still don't know quite what I think about that, but I continue to become more and more enamored with the idea that there is a better life ahead where the bugs not only don't win, they don't even exist. My uncle signs off his blogs with "Pilgrim on the way." He may or may not be closer to wherever "on the way" takes him, but I know we both agree that what is there is so much better than what is here....
You may well know what that's like; you get some viral bug that settles in your sinuses, then seems to migrate to the various parts of your body that cause the most grief for you when disturbed. It seems those bugs can't settle in your earlobe or your hair; no, they have to lodge in your intestinal tract, you lungs, or your sinuses. I was going to say "Stupid bugs," but that isn't true at all. They seem to know how to be one step ahead of the latest medicines and two steps ahead of the home cures.
Life continues, even when you'd much rather it just all stop until you're feeling better. Meetings, work, church, and all the rest just continue on, and your choice is whether or not you're going to submit to the bugs and miss them all or endure in spite of them. Sometimes one can endure. Often the bugs win, though, and whether we like it or not, our bodies say, "I'm not taking another step. I think I'll just lie down right here."
On a more serious note, one of these days when my body says it's going to lie down right here, it won't get up again. It'll be the final curtain call. I still don't know quite what I think about that, but I continue to become more and more enamored with the idea that there is a better life ahead where the bugs not only don't win, they don't even exist. My uncle signs off his blogs with "Pilgrim on the way." He may or may not be closer to wherever "on the way" takes him, but I know we both agree that what is there is so much better than what is here....
Thursday, January 01, 2009
The Present Tense
Just as it has for eons past, the new year really doesn’t look any different from the old. One must get used to the idea of rolling the calendar year number to the next digit upwards, and must get used to the idea of yet another year falling away, but that’s all a mental exercise, and not an observation of nature.
Nature, it seems, regards this day as any other. “This is the day the Lord has made.” The emphasis, it seems, is in the here and now. The past is for learning and experience. The future has not yet taken place. Here and now is the time that is of importance.
Recently, I’ve begun to think of the verse of Christian scripture quoted above in a little different light from what I’ve normally thought. What if God continually “unfolds” the present tense to each one of us on a continuous basis? What if God continuously creates a unique present tense for each one of His created beings? What if we can somehow visualize God unfolding or unrolling the present tense before us in real time in an act of supreme and loving continuous creation and renewal?
That notion kind of changes things, at least for me. Gone are the notions that God created everything (or didn’t create at all) and now just sits back and watches what happens. Done is the idea that God doesn’t care about the mundane and routine of my life. Finished is the concept of God taking a hands-off attitude toward His creation.
Now I can better understand passages such as John 5:17 where Jesus says that His Father is working “even unto now”. I can better grasp the idea that God intervenes in the lives of man, and that He causes “all things to work together for the good (Romans 8:28). And it is more comforting to me now when I read that the very hairs of my head are numbered, and that “He cares for” me (I Peter 5:7).
I don’t know if that concept (where God creates and unfolds a unique present tense for each of us) is valid or not. However, I choose to believe it now because of what it does for my faith and because of how that concept brings to life passages of Christian scripture that heretofore have been somewhat muddled and unclear. So when and if you hear me say something about God “unfolding the present tense,” you’ll have an idea what I’m saying and why. And if it helps you in any way, so much the better.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
The Holidays
I’ve sat down to write several times these last couple of days, but it just hasn’t come out. I’ve wanted to write about the holidays and of the events of the days and my feelings about them, but it just hasn’t been able to come out. I’ve puzzled over why I’m not able to put into words what is inside, since I’ve not had this problem to a great extent before now.
We attended evening church today. Normally, we have small group, but that isn’t meeting over the holidays, so we went to the evening services. It’s a small gathering, and there weren’t over about 25 people there. We sang, prayed, and heard a lesson from Nehemiah about worship. These services hark back to the older style of worship, as we sing from older song books, sing the old songs, and have a more traditional service than we usually have on Sunday morning.
I don’t know why, but as I sat there this evening listening to Jerry talk about Nehemiah and worship, I decided that the reason why I was having so much trouble writing (yes, I was listening to the sermon, too) about the holidays was that I always started writing about the wrong thing.
I’d start writing about what we did, what we ate, or where we went, but that always fell flat after just a sentence or two. What I need to write about is the reason we had such a good time this holiday season…family.
It was family that made the holidays what they were (and are). What we did, where we went, and what we ate are a small part of that, but it’s who we were with that really made it something special. Without family, our holidays are nothing more than just another day to scratch off on the calendar in a seeming endless parade of days and nights.
I’ve been there and done that. Long years ago, I had a job that required me to work some holidays. Some years I actually volunteered to work those days just so I wouldn’t have to face the holiday alone. It was just another day for me…just like any other. It was that way not because I had to work, but because there was no family around and no way to be with family.
Our Kansas family has 18 to 20 members, depending on who is counted and who is not. If everyone (including adopted sons, girl friends and boy friends, other hangers-on, etc.) is counted, I think there are 20. Each one is special. Each one is valued. Each one is unique. Each one is loved. And each one helped make the holidays special for the others.
We attended evening church today. Normally, we have small group, but that isn’t meeting over the holidays, so we went to the evening services. It’s a small gathering, and there weren’t over about 25 people there. We sang, prayed, and heard a lesson from Nehemiah about worship. These services hark back to the older style of worship, as we sing from older song books, sing the old songs, and have a more traditional service than we usually have on Sunday morning.
I don’t know why, but as I sat there this evening listening to Jerry talk about Nehemiah and worship, I decided that the reason why I was having so much trouble writing (yes, I was listening to the sermon, too) about the holidays was that I always started writing about the wrong thing.
I’d start writing about what we did, what we ate, or where we went, but that always fell flat after just a sentence or two. What I need to write about is the reason we had such a good time this holiday season…family.
It was family that made the holidays what they were (and are). What we did, where we went, and what we ate are a small part of that, but it’s who we were with that really made it something special. Without family, our holidays are nothing more than just another day to scratch off on the calendar in a seeming endless parade of days and nights.
I’ve been there and done that. Long years ago, I had a job that required me to work some holidays. Some years I actually volunteered to work those days just so I wouldn’t have to face the holiday alone. It was just another day for me…just like any other. It was that way not because I had to work, but because there was no family around and no way to be with family.
Our Kansas family has 18 to 20 members, depending on who is counted and who is not. If everyone (including adopted sons, girl friends and boy friends, other hangers-on, etc.) is counted, I think there are 20. Each one is special. Each one is valued. Each one is unique. Each one is loved. And each one helped make the holidays special for the others.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Peace and Quiet
I am taken by the change in the environment of this house today compared with yesterday. Oh, I know that when 17 or 18 people invade a home that one can't expect anything approaching peace and quiet. And it wasn't at all peaceful and quiet yesterday. We had a good time being together.
Today, however, it's just me. Late this morning, I was puttering around the house. No TV, no radio, nothing but just me. The house seemed so...well, empty.
That's a good thing, I think. To feel an emptiness when loved ones are not around is a good thing. Peace and quiet is fine at times, but we long for companionship, company, and being with others. I'm glad to have the quiet time, but I'm even more pleased that I enjoy the company of my family and friends.
Today, however, it's just me. Late this morning, I was puttering around the house. No TV, no radio, nothing but just me. The house seemed so...well, empty.
That's a good thing, I think. To feel an emptiness when loved ones are not around is a good thing. Peace and quiet is fine at times, but we long for companionship, company, and being with others. I'm glad to have the quiet time, but I'm even more pleased that I enjoy the company of my family and friends.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Today
Today is Christmas Day. It was declared to be a Federal holiday in 1870 by President Grant. However, it has been celebrated for hundreds of years prior, and has its true origins in rather murky areas of history. The story of the Christmas holiday and of Christmas day is cloaked in legend, story-telling, fact, history, and the inevitable twisting of that fact and history to meet some end.
No matter. The day is what we make of it in the here and now. Never mind whether or not our nation was founded on Christian principles. No matter whether or not the holiday was originally a festival day in some pagan sense. Not important is whether or not the Catholics (or Lutherans or Orthodox or whoever) thought the day was to be observed.
What is important is the here and now, and what we make of the day today...this year. You may choose to not celebrate the day. You may or may not be a believer or follower of Jesus and come to this conclusion. That's OK. You may have no connection with Jesus or any religion, yet you may wish to celebrate the day in all the secular fullness that can be had. That's OK, too.
That's all OK with me because, you see, what I am concerned with is how I celebrate the day (or not). It pleases me when others think as I do and celebrate it as I do, but why should I get bent out of shape if someone decides that the birth of Jesus should not be celebrated in this way? Why should I be concerned if someone should decide to make this a purely secular day for themselves?
The answer is, I shouldn't. My concern, rather, should be as it should be each day of the year. Am I living my life so that others know that I am a follower of Jesus? Am I living in such a way that Jesus is made known to others and I can be someone who can tell others who wish to know the good news of God Incarnate?
We who are Christians tend to get bogged down in the relatively inconsequential and forget what our responsibility is to those who do not know the story of God and how immensely He loves humanity. Of course, it's easier to rail against the secularization of Christmas for a month or so at the end of the year than it is to display the love of Jesus every day of the year.
Yes, Christmas is what we make it, here and now and in every here and now to come. The story of God as a baby born without human father in a barn in a nondescript rural area of a small country in the Middle East is at once remarkable, unbelievable, faith-building, challenging, and breath-taking. Take the time this year to read or hear it again, or perhaps hear it for the first time. Let it enter into your consciousness and exercise your simple faith.
No matter. The day is what we make of it in the here and now. Never mind whether or not our nation was founded on Christian principles. No matter whether or not the holiday was originally a festival day in some pagan sense. Not important is whether or not the Catholics (or Lutherans or Orthodox or whoever) thought the day was to be observed.
What is important is the here and now, and what we make of the day today...this year. You may choose to not celebrate the day. You may or may not be a believer or follower of Jesus and come to this conclusion. That's OK. You may have no connection with Jesus or any religion, yet you may wish to celebrate the day in all the secular fullness that can be had. That's OK, too.
That's all OK with me because, you see, what I am concerned with is how I celebrate the day (or not). It pleases me when others think as I do and celebrate it as I do, but why should I get bent out of shape if someone decides that the birth of Jesus should not be celebrated in this way? Why should I be concerned if someone should decide to make this a purely secular day for themselves?
The answer is, I shouldn't. My concern, rather, should be as it should be each day of the year. Am I living my life so that others know that I am a follower of Jesus? Am I living in such a way that Jesus is made known to others and I can be someone who can tell others who wish to know the good news of God Incarnate?
We who are Christians tend to get bogged down in the relatively inconsequential and forget what our responsibility is to those who do not know the story of God and how immensely He loves humanity. Of course, it's easier to rail against the secularization of Christmas for a month or so at the end of the year than it is to display the love of Jesus every day of the year.
Yes, Christmas is what we make it, here and now and in every here and now to come. The story of God as a baby born without human father in a barn in a nondescript rural area of a small country in the Middle East is at once remarkable, unbelievable, faith-building, challenging, and breath-taking. Take the time this year to read or hear it again, or perhaps hear it for the first time. Let it enter into your consciousness and exercise your simple faith.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Boring??
Some gems from scientific discoveries of 2008, courtesy of Discover magazine.
People have the ability to recognize themselves in mirrors. So do great apes, bottlenose dolphins, and Asian elephants. However, until this year, no non-mammals have passed the recognition test. The European magpie now is on the list of animals that can recognize themselves in the mirror and react appropriately to that recognition.
A small tribe of hunter-gatherers in the Amazon rain forest were discovered to have no words in their vocabulary to express numerical concepts as "one", "two", or "many". These people evidently don't count and don't have words for numbers.
Swiss scientists sent a pair of photons along fiber-optic cables, in opposite directions from each other. When they measured one photon upon its arrival at its destination, the other photon changed instantaneously, even though it was 11 miles away. This linkage of matter is called quantum entanglement, and is a baffling reality of the quantum world.
A team of European scientists has built the worlds' smallest transistor. It contained about 10 atoms and was one atom in thickness. It's made of a material called graphene, a carbon nanomaterial only one atom thick.
Dutch researchers have found compounds in human saliva that hasten healing. Thise simple proteins are called histatins. They are well-known compounds, but just this year they have been found to cause cells from the skin's surface to close over a wound.
Physicists have created a motion picture of a single atom. They used a laser light that flashed for one attosecond (one quintillionth of a second) to capture the image. By the way, an electron orbits a hydrogen atom in about 150 attoseconds.
A ckBot is an aggregation of 15 blocks, which make up a robot. It is a machine that can propel itself. But it can also do something else. If the robot is kicked and the blocks are knocked apart and scattered over the floor, they flip over and about, wriggle toward each other, and latch themselves back together and reassemble themselves. See video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JG5GrAtalE
These are just a few of the marvelous, the weird, and the surprising things that scientists and others have found, found out about, or created this year. And you thought it was a rather boring 12 months!
People have the ability to recognize themselves in mirrors. So do great apes, bottlenose dolphins, and Asian elephants. However, until this year, no non-mammals have passed the recognition test. The European magpie now is on the list of animals that can recognize themselves in the mirror and react appropriately to that recognition.
A small tribe of hunter-gatherers in the Amazon rain forest were discovered to have no words in their vocabulary to express numerical concepts as "one", "two", or "many". These people evidently don't count and don't have words for numbers.
Swiss scientists sent a pair of photons along fiber-optic cables, in opposite directions from each other. When they measured one photon upon its arrival at its destination, the other photon changed instantaneously, even though it was 11 miles away. This linkage of matter is called quantum entanglement, and is a baffling reality of the quantum world.
A team of European scientists has built the worlds' smallest transistor. It contained about 10 atoms and was one atom in thickness. It's made of a material called graphene, a carbon nanomaterial only one atom thick.
Dutch researchers have found compounds in human saliva that hasten healing. Thise simple proteins are called histatins. They are well-known compounds, but just this year they have been found to cause cells from the skin's surface to close over a wound.
Physicists have created a motion picture of a single atom. They used a laser light that flashed for one attosecond (one quintillionth of a second) to capture the image. By the way, an electron orbits a hydrogen atom in about 150 attoseconds.
A ckBot is an aggregation of 15 blocks, which make up a robot. It is a machine that can propel itself. But it can also do something else. If the robot is kicked and the blocks are knocked apart and scattered over the floor, they flip over and about, wriggle toward each other, and latch themselves back together and reassemble themselves. See video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JG5GrAtalE
These are just a few of the marvelous, the weird, and the surprising things that scientists and others have found, found out about, or created this year. And you thought it was a rather boring 12 months!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
We Won't Like It
In my earlier blog, I talked of my belief that God will hold us as a nation accountable for how we treat the down and out, the widow and child. Don't, however, think for a moment that I have abdicated individual responsibility in these areas and given all to the government. On the contrary, even though government can provide many services and beneficial programs for those who have need, it is the individual who truly must step up and be the front line, so to speak, in this area.
Whether that person helps someone in his family, volunteers at a school, donates time and effort to an after-school program, mentors a child, or provides a family's basic needs, it is the individual working both alone and collectively with others that will truly make the difference.
Yes. I believe with all my heart that someone, somewhere in government will have to answer to God Almighty for how they have treated the widows of veterans. I believe with all my being that someone, somewhere in government will have to account for the lack of funds that resulted in the mentally ill to go out to the streets. However, I also believe that each one of us individually will be given the opportunity to account for our action or inaction when it comes to providing "a cup of cold water in (Jesus') name."
I think we will one day be utterly amazed (and dismayed) at the things God will hold us to account for in this life. We seem to think that He'll hold to account the axe murderers and the prostitutes (and I think He will do that if they aren't forgiven). But I also think He has things on his list that aren't even on our radar screens.
I know the idea of a little black book where God writes all of the bad things we do seems quaint and out of touch. But somewhere, somehow, the poor, the abused, the widow, the child, the orphan, and the mentally ill will have their day and have their say. And we'll be on the receiving end of it and we won't like it very much.
Neither will God.
Whether that person helps someone in his family, volunteers at a school, donates time and effort to an after-school program, mentors a child, or provides a family's basic needs, it is the individual working both alone and collectively with others that will truly make the difference.
Yes. I believe with all my heart that someone, somewhere in government will have to answer to God Almighty for how they have treated the widows of veterans. I believe with all my being that someone, somewhere in government will have to account for the lack of funds that resulted in the mentally ill to go out to the streets. However, I also believe that each one of us individually will be given the opportunity to account for our action or inaction when it comes to providing "a cup of cold water in (Jesus') name."
I think we will one day be utterly amazed (and dismayed) at the things God will hold us to account for in this life. We seem to think that He'll hold to account the axe murderers and the prostitutes (and I think He will do that if they aren't forgiven). But I also think He has things on his list that aren't even on our radar screens.
I know the idea of a little black book where God writes all of the bad things we do seems quaint and out of touch. But somewhere, somehow, the poor, the abused, the widow, the child, the orphan, and the mentally ill will have their day and have their say. And we'll be on the receiving end of it and we won't like it very much.
Neither will God.
Eyes and Ears
We hear much in our time about God being unhappy with America due to something we are or aren't doing. "God will judge us because we...." You fill in the rest. I've heard everything fill in that sentence from notions of political corruption and corporate greed to aborting babies and engaging in what people think are unjust wars. I've also heard that we will incur God's wrath if we don't support Israel, if we stay in the United Nations, and if Mr. Obama is elected President of this nation.
Now, I agree that some of those things should not be in the life of a people. (By the way, in my opinion, staying in the U.N. and electing Mr. Obama President are NOT in that list.) But I seldom hear anything about an issue that just continues to rear its head time and time again, and because of which I believe God may judge us indeed as harshly or more harshly than any of the above (with one possible exception).
God has always been especially interested in the powerless. He has always been the friend of the poor. He has evermore been on the side of the innocent, the child, the one unable to care for himself...the widow and orphan. He has also always been critical of those who would take advantage of someone who is in a powerless position in life...reserving the nastiest and harshest condemnations for people who would somehow run roughshod over the sick, the infirm, the children, and the powerless.
Look at the Beatitudes. Look at the rest of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Look at the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Look at what Jesus says about letting the children come to Him. Look at how Jesus treated the widow, the sick, and the infirm. Look at what Jesus says to the Pharisees about how they treat others.
Look at the Law of Moses and how that law treats the poor, women, and the powerless. Even though that law might be somewhat primitive for some of us, in that day, it was light years ahead of any other culture in the treatment of the servant or other powerless person.
I don't care what spin one tries to put on these passages of Christian Scripture; the meaning is plain as day to me. God has taken a special interest in the powerless. And if there is any judgment to come in this nation, it will be, I think, because we shove the sick, the widow, and the orphan into the corners of our lives. We push the homeless into the cracks of our society. We shuffle our children into the abyss of irrelevance. We tell the poor to just go get a job. And many of us do it in the name of "compassionate conservatism."
"They should get a job."
"Why don't they take better care of themselves?"
"They'll just buy cigarettes and beer with that money."
"Their families should care for them."
Do you find any of those types of comments in the words of Jesus when he dealt with people of little means? "Blessed are the poor in spirit." "Blessed are the meek." "Let the little children come to me."
I shudder to think of what God thinks of our Veteran's Administration, for example, which was ordered by law in 1996 to provide a full month's veteran's benefit to a surviving widow, even if that veteran died on the first or second day of the month. As of this writing, that STILL has not happened. Widows continue to have their checking accounts accessed to retrieve that last month's payment, and continue to be hounded by the VA if they can't get the money out of the bank account. Only the outcry of a couple of Senators who are also veterans has prompted the VA to decide that it needs to reprogram its computers to comply with the law.
I am appalled at the waiting lists that people who are sick and infirm have to be on for an interminable amount of time in order to receive basic life services. For some reason, we seem to have all kinds of money to build great edifices and purchase grand furnishings for government offices, but can't provide home services (washing clothes, cleaning house, etc.) to a paraplegic.
I can hardly stand it when I hear that there is no treatment available for the mentally ill, the addict, or the dysfunctional family; yet we seem to have all the money in the world to fight a war, bail out Wall Street, and junket to the south sea islands.
I tremble to think that we are throwing away children both by abortion as well as through inadequate educational opportunities, by forcing them to live in crime-infested neighborhoods, in looking the other way as they are abused and used, and neglecting their cries for help by not providing a safe and helping environment. (I worked this one for a time...don't you dare tell me we're doing all we can...if you do, you don't have a clue.)
I am angry at our Social Security system which takes months on end to process a request for disability, asking for more and more information, delaying upon delay; finally denying the claim only to reverse on appeal. By the time it's all over, the need is beyond critical and many just drop out of the process before any help arrives.
I'm even outraged at the fact that in Sedgwick County it takes upwards of four months to receive a death certificate from the Coroner's office due to backlogs, lack of personnel, and stifling inefficiency. (You know well that until a death certificate is issued, the person is not legally dead and no benefits, life insurance, or other business affairs can be paid or consummated.) Families in crisis and mourning deserve better, and I think God notices things like that and how we handle those things.
Yes, we may be a great nation, at least in the eyes of some. But I think the true measure of greatness is how we treat those who cannot provide and care for themselves. And I think we are even now being judged accordingly. I don't like where I think this is going, and I think the Christian community bears much responsibility for this fiasco. We have not been and are not the eyes and ears of Jesus. If we were, the world would be a much different place.
Now, I agree that some of those things should not be in the life of a people. (By the way, in my opinion, staying in the U.N. and electing Mr. Obama President are NOT in that list.) But I seldom hear anything about an issue that just continues to rear its head time and time again, and because of which I believe God may judge us indeed as harshly or more harshly than any of the above (with one possible exception).
God has always been especially interested in the powerless. He has always been the friend of the poor. He has evermore been on the side of the innocent, the child, the one unable to care for himself...the widow and orphan. He has also always been critical of those who would take advantage of someone who is in a powerless position in life...reserving the nastiest and harshest condemnations for people who would somehow run roughshod over the sick, the infirm, the children, and the powerless.
Look at the Beatitudes. Look at the rest of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Look at the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Look at what Jesus says about letting the children come to Him. Look at how Jesus treated the widow, the sick, and the infirm. Look at what Jesus says to the Pharisees about how they treat others.
Look at the Law of Moses and how that law treats the poor, women, and the powerless. Even though that law might be somewhat primitive for some of us, in that day, it was light years ahead of any other culture in the treatment of the servant or other powerless person.
I don't care what spin one tries to put on these passages of Christian Scripture; the meaning is plain as day to me. God has taken a special interest in the powerless. And if there is any judgment to come in this nation, it will be, I think, because we shove the sick, the widow, and the orphan into the corners of our lives. We push the homeless into the cracks of our society. We shuffle our children into the abyss of irrelevance. We tell the poor to just go get a job. And many of us do it in the name of "compassionate conservatism."
"They should get a job."
"Why don't they take better care of themselves?"
"They'll just buy cigarettes and beer with that money."
"Their families should care for them."
Do you find any of those types of comments in the words of Jesus when he dealt with people of little means? "Blessed are the poor in spirit." "Blessed are the meek." "Let the little children come to me."
I shudder to think of what God thinks of our Veteran's Administration, for example, which was ordered by law in 1996 to provide a full month's veteran's benefit to a surviving widow, even if that veteran died on the first or second day of the month. As of this writing, that STILL has not happened. Widows continue to have their checking accounts accessed to retrieve that last month's payment, and continue to be hounded by the VA if they can't get the money out of the bank account. Only the outcry of a couple of Senators who are also veterans has prompted the VA to decide that it needs to reprogram its computers to comply with the law.
I am appalled at the waiting lists that people who are sick and infirm have to be on for an interminable amount of time in order to receive basic life services. For some reason, we seem to have all kinds of money to build great edifices and purchase grand furnishings for government offices, but can't provide home services (washing clothes, cleaning house, etc.) to a paraplegic.
I can hardly stand it when I hear that there is no treatment available for the mentally ill, the addict, or the dysfunctional family; yet we seem to have all the money in the world to fight a war, bail out Wall Street, and junket to the south sea islands.
I tremble to think that we are throwing away children both by abortion as well as through inadequate educational opportunities, by forcing them to live in crime-infested neighborhoods, in looking the other way as they are abused and used, and neglecting their cries for help by not providing a safe and helping environment. (I worked this one for a time...don't you dare tell me we're doing all we can...if you do, you don't have a clue.)
I am angry at our Social Security system which takes months on end to process a request for disability, asking for more and more information, delaying upon delay; finally denying the claim only to reverse on appeal. By the time it's all over, the need is beyond critical and many just drop out of the process before any help arrives.
I'm even outraged at the fact that in Sedgwick County it takes upwards of four months to receive a death certificate from the Coroner's office due to backlogs, lack of personnel, and stifling inefficiency. (You know well that until a death certificate is issued, the person is not legally dead and no benefits, life insurance, or other business affairs can be paid or consummated.) Families in crisis and mourning deserve better, and I think God notices things like that and how we handle those things.
Yes, we may be a great nation, at least in the eyes of some. But I think the true measure of greatness is how we treat those who cannot provide and care for themselves. And I think we are even now being judged accordingly. I don't like where I think this is going, and I think the Christian community bears much responsibility for this fiasco. We have not been and are not the eyes and ears of Jesus. If we were, the world would be a much different place.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Odds & Ends
I got hauled onto the carpet a few days ago for saying in a prior blog that we were "plodding through Habakkuk" at church. This may have been a bit over the top. Maybe I should have said, "Were taking Habakkuk at a careful, even pace in order to glean the most from this amazing little book."
Now, really, does that sound like me? Or am I more like someone who would say that we're "plodding through Habakkuk?" Your answer to that question may as well rest with you, as I think I know which one I am. (Actually, we were taking Habakkuk at a careful, even pace, which I appreciated greatly. Thank you, Scott.)
It's been cold here, and we're had a couple of snows and a little ice. The sun is out today, but the wind is chilly out of the north. the snow is gone, and we are left with the cold and damp. This is the time of the year to expect that kind of thing, I suppose, but I also wonder if it's a little more than we usually get this time of year.
Christmas is fast upon us. Just a few more days until most of us have the privilege of being with family and friends, eating turkey, ham, cranberry salad, pies, and all that goes with a traditional meal.
We who are Christians are reminded pretty much all this holiday season (from Thanksgiving on) that God has been good to us, loves us, and desires a genuine relationship with us. I wonder how frustrating it is sometimes for God to continue to make overtures of friendship and fellowship day after day, only to see the objects of those overtures turn away time and time again. I feel that I have sometimes done that with God, and I wonder why it is that He continues to make advances toward me in love and acceptance, even when I know that I have rejected Him so much and so often. I'm reminded of the words of the old gospel song that go, "And wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean."
Of course, I know the words that follow: "Oh how wonderful, how marvelous, And my song shall ever be; Oh how wonderful, how marvelous is my Savior's love for me!"
Now, really, does that sound like me? Or am I more like someone who would say that we're "plodding through Habakkuk?" Your answer to that question may as well rest with you, as I think I know which one I am. (Actually, we were taking Habakkuk at a careful, even pace, which I appreciated greatly. Thank you, Scott.)
It's been cold here, and we're had a couple of snows and a little ice. The sun is out today, but the wind is chilly out of the north. the snow is gone, and we are left with the cold and damp. This is the time of the year to expect that kind of thing, I suppose, but I also wonder if it's a little more than we usually get this time of year.
Christmas is fast upon us. Just a few more days until most of us have the privilege of being with family and friends, eating turkey, ham, cranberry salad, pies, and all that goes with a traditional meal.
We who are Christians are reminded pretty much all this holiday season (from Thanksgiving on) that God has been good to us, loves us, and desires a genuine relationship with us. I wonder how frustrating it is sometimes for God to continue to make overtures of friendship and fellowship day after day, only to see the objects of those overtures turn away time and time again. I feel that I have sometimes done that with God, and I wonder why it is that He continues to make advances toward me in love and acceptance, even when I know that I have rejected Him so much and so often. I'm reminded of the words of the old gospel song that go, "And wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean."
Of course, I know the words that follow: "Oh how wonderful, how marvelous, And my song shall ever be; Oh how wonderful, how marvelous is my Savior's love for me!"
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Plodding Through Church (Not!)
I follow a blog written by a cousin of mine (actually, I think she’s a “first cousin once removed”). Joanna wrote several days ago about counting down to the weekends and dreading Sunday because it was the beginning of another week. I can relate somewhat to that, as I become noticeably more calm inwardly when Thursday afternoon comes, and Fridays are really a good day because I have a couple days to rest.
I have learned, however, to not dread Sundays or Sunday nights (which is now as I write this). On the contrary, I find Sundays to be the best of the days of the week, primarily due to the interaction and fellowship of my church family on that day. Of course, afternoon naps, Sunday dinner, and football are helpful in making Sunday a great day, but I’ll say with conviction and surety that it’s the relationships we have with church friends that makes the day.
Today I watched our sign language interpreter sign Silent Night as we sang. I watch them often, entranced by the beauty of that language and their interpretation of it. Today was no exception. I was moved to tears as I watched Scott interpret that song, and seemed to hang on each word and phrase, soaking in the meaning of God becoming a human being because of His love for me.
Rick had a great lesson and Eric did a masterful job as worship leader. The class was relevant and encouraging, and people were friendly and seemed genuinely happy to be there.
As I sit here and think about it, I think that’s one of the big things about Central. The people who come seem to be genuinely happy to be there. Church doesn’t seem to be a chore or something that they must plod through (even though we’ve spent the last seven or so weeks in Habakkuk chapter 1 in class…is that “plodding”?); it’s a joy and a privilege. Church politics and things that are not for the edification of all just aren’t allowed to be there. That kind of attitude rubs off on me, and I hope that my attitude is such that the good parts of it rub off on others.
Even though I’d much rather be retired and not have to go to work tomorrow, I’m ready for the week ahead. One huge reason for that is I have been renewed and revitalized by my association with others today who also both need revitalization and provide it.
Church is a blessing to me, and I hope it is for you as well. If it isn’t, maybe there’s something that’s not as it should be either in your life or in the life of your church family. In either case, it’s your business and it’s your responsibility.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
In The Feedbox
One of my favorite Looney Tunes cartoons from years ago is a Foghorn Leghorn cartoon that tells the story of when Foghorn woos Miss Prissy the hen in order to have a nice place to call home and keep warm in the winter. The plot goes something like this. (Credit Wikipedia for the synopsis. I changed it some to reflect my recall of the story.)
Foghorn reads a newspaper story in the Barnyard News predicting a cold winter. To avoid freezing in his shack, he decides to woo Miss Prissy ("I need your love to keep me warm."), who lives in a warm, cozy cottage across the way. Miss Prissy is flattered by Foghorn's brief courtship, but tells him that, in order to prove his worthiness as her mate, he needs to show that he can be a worthy father to her nerdy son.
The little boy - Egghead Jr., is dressed in a stocking cap and oversized glasses – and would rather read about "Splitting the Fourth Dimension" than engage in typical little boy games. Foghorn, intelligent rooster that he is, catches on to this and sets out to win Miss Prissy’s heart by showing Egghead Jr. how to play various sports games.
They try baseball and flying paper airplanes first. Then they play hide and seek. Foghorn hides in a feedbox. However, Egghead uses a slide rule (anyone younger than 40 won’t know what that is) and determines mathematically that Foghorn is buried in the ground. He uses a shovel to dig a hole, and pries Foghorn out of the hole with the shovel.
Foghorn is totally befuddled at this turn of events, knowing that he hid in the feedbox, not in a hole in the ground. He looks over at the feedbox, however, and decides to not look in it because, “I just might be in there.”
Although it’s a cartoon and is, at least in my mind very funny, on a more serious note, I’ve at times found myself in a situation, wondered how I got there, but decided to not pursue it any further because of what I might find out that I might not want to know. During those times (which have thankfully been few and far between), this cartoon sometimes came to mind as I struggled to make sense of it all, then decided that it wasn’t probably something I really wanted to do.
Just be prepared for what you're going to find in that feedbox.
Friday, December 12, 2008
A Message
Every so often, I get a comment on one of the blogs. I enjoy the comments, even the ones (although there are few of them) that do not agree with me. Discussion on issues is a part of who we are. That’s why I do not have comment moderation enabled on this blog; however, I will remove a comment if it is patently offensive or otherwise inappropriate.
One of my recent commenters is a woman named Carrie Looney. I give her entire name because she did the same in one of the comments. I know who this woman is, but haven’t met her. I’m going to use the blog to send you a message, Carrie.
I’d love to correspond with you from time to time, but don’t have your email address. Use my blog email address aminnot-blogger@yahoo.com to send me your address, if you wish to do so. If you do, I’ll send you my private email address. If you’d rather not, that’s OK, too.
I know most of the others who comment. Kathy is a good friend from Western Kansas. WDK is a relative who lives not far away. Scotty is my son. Chris is a friend from Northeast Kansas. And so on.
Carrie is a special person, even though we’ve never met. She is a descendent of the woman who graciously volunteered to pay for my college education and provided just the right amount of love and support for us when things seemed to be at about their worst for us. Also named Carrie, she did things like this not only for me, but for countless others over the years of her life…people who the granddaughter Carrie will probably never meet. However, young Carrie seems to have an interest in knowing more about her grandmother’s efforts and in seeing some of the results of her grandmother’s work.
I’m not a young man any more. I have far more years behind me than I do ahead of me. Who and what I am today, however, is in large measure the doing of the woman who quietly stepped to my side that day almost thirty years ago and gave me hope. I’d like to think that I have been and am doing the same as I can and am able.
You may think that I devote far too much time to this part of my life and Carrie Lou’s role in it. If you think that, you don’t understand the immense importance of what God did for me through her. To say that I am here writing this, having an intact family and a decent job could, I think, only be said because of her effort on my behalf. I shudder to think of what may have happened had she not been there for me.
You too never know what effect you may have on the life of someone else. You don’t have to have a lot of money to have the most profound, life-changing effect on another. Kind words, a deed done well, a friendship, or just an understanding heart can literally give life and hope to someone who has that need. And you'll probably never, ever, ever know the full import what you did.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Dutchman
I was at the neighborhood hardware store this afternoon picking up some Christmas decorations at half price. I was in the checkout line bantering with the clerk (I go there often and know this clerk somewhat) about whether or not she would help me carry out what I had purchased. I don’t know exactly what I said, but must have butchered it some, because a man in the line behind me piped up and said, “Sounds like a Dutchman.” I smiled and told him that he was pretty close.
I’ve been accused by my wife of saying things in ways that tend to betray a part of my ancestry. It’s called Pennsylvania Dutch, I think, and beyond that I don’t know much. One or more of the readers of my blog who are related to me might be able to better talk about that ancestry and how it came to be known as Pennsylvania Dutch. I always thought it was more German than Dutch. But I’m not the expert.
One of the only lines I can recall that my mother used to say was, “It’s makin’ down wet,” when she wanted to say it was raining. I’m sorry to say that I can’t really think of any other phrases right now. I’ll probably be able to think of several after I publish this.
My Dad’s family was from the same ancestry as my Mother, and I’m sure they had several things they said similar to the “makin’ down wet” line. But Dad never carried most of them over, and we never really learned them from him. Other things, yes. And some of those “other things” are unmentionable here. He was a colorful man in some respects, to say the least.
What will we give to our descendants? What stays? What goes? What takes its place? It’s an ever-changing formula with an ever-different outcome. But that’s what, in part anyway, makes us the unique creatures we are.
Friday, December 05, 2008
Musings About a Job
I won’t go into detail, but will only say that the week at work was certainly one of the more trying weeks I’ve had recently. With that as a very brief background, I’d like to offer some snippets I’ve been thinking during this time.
I have a job. There are many that don’t. There are some standing in the unemployment lines. There are some standing in the food lines. I’m not doing that. I have a job.
The job I have is not of my doing; it is a gift from God. He has chosen to bless me in this way. I am so grateful and humbled by His decision.
Not everyone recognizes the blessings of having a job. Evidently, they believe the world owes them a job. I hope they learn the better of that before something bad happens.
I could have a job where I place a widget into a hole 450 times a day, go home, go back to work the next day, and do it all over again. Thankfully (and for my sanity’s sake), I don’t have a job like that.
I don’t like to leave things undone in my job. I have left some undone things over this weekend, and I don’t like that. I couldn’t help it, though. The time just ran out.
The whole of an organization is greater than the sum of its parts. The organization becomes an organism in and of itself. It’s both awesome and scary to be part of something like that.
I’ll do this for as long as it goes…as long as God chooses to bless me with this job. Then I’ll be off to the next adventure. Whether that comes next week, next year, at retirement, or at the end of my lifetime, I’ll need to be ready.
I get more tired at the end of the week than I used to get. It’s only 9:30 and I’m ready to hit the hay.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
The National Anthem
We were talking, during a Thanksgiving get-together, about the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner. There are four verses to the song, but we sing only the first, most times.
I agree with whoever of my relatives said that perhaps the fourth verse SHOULD be the one we know and sing. What do you think?
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
I agree with whoever of my relatives said that perhaps the fourth verse SHOULD be the one we know and sing. What do you think?
Oh, say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars thru the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming?
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen through the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes,
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected now shines in the stream:
'Tis the star-spangled banner! Oh long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore
That the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country should leave us no more!
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave:
And the star-spangled banner in triumph doth wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Oh! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
Between their loved home and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving
Today is Thanksgiving Day. It is a national holiday, made so during the Lincoln administration. It is meant to be a time of thanksgiving. It has, as most things do over time, morphed into something far different than the original intent.
That’s not necessarily bad. As society changes, these kinds of things change with it. Some of the changes are seen as good; others as unnecessary or even bad. The great thing about the holiday is that families can celebrate it (or not) pretty much any way they choose. And that in itself is something for which to be grateful.
Tomorrow is Black Friday, the day where the world is supposed to go shopping and give new life, especially this year, to an economy that many think is in sore need of a boost. I don’t plan to go shopping tomorrow. I plan to work. I have not made all of my purchases this year, but know what I will be getting and will buy them when the opportunity presents itself. Besides, what I want to buy won’t be on any sales racks tomorrow anyway. When I’m ready to get my items, I’ll go the store, go right to the display, choose the item, and pay for it all in the expanse of (hopefully) less than 15 minutes. And I’ll be done. If that means I’m not doing enough to prop up the economy, then I’m sorry, but that’s the best I’ll do.
Sometime this weekend, I need to at least formulate a plan for putting up outdoor lights. I’m not looking forward to it, but think it would be “best” if I made the attempt. Once up, I enjoy them; I just don’t like to do the work. Maybe I should hire someone to do my lights for me. There are people that do that in the Wichita area. Hmm. That opens up a whole new thought process…I’ll have to give that some thinking time.
Actually, there are people in the Wichita area that will do just about anything for you. They’ll shop, clean, drive, poop-scoop, trim, haul, deliver, build, pet-bathe, sit, cook, winterize…you name it; someone here will do it for a fee.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Monday, November 24, 2008
What is Important
I was coming back from my brother’s place this evening after going there to use his router on a piece of plywood. He lives in the Valley Center area, about 12 miles from where we live. It’s a rather good drive up there and back, taking about 20 minutes in decent traffic.
I was thinking, in the darkness of the cab of the pickup, of where we were a year ago at this time. As you may recall, we were staying with my brother in their home because we lost our positions at the children’s home where we lived and worked. We had no house to go to, no place to call home, and had to find something quickly. We packed our things and moved them into my brother’s big shed, then occupied a 12 foot by 12 foot bedroom in their home for four months until we found work and a place to live. During that time, we took unemployment, got ourselves back together, enjoyed the safety and warmth of a home, looked for work, and made plans for the future.
Of course much has changed in a short time. I haven’t a clue how or why things happened (and continue to happen) to us as they did, but came away from that experience with a renewed sense of what is truly important and what is not.
Family is important.
Faith is important.
Things are not important.
Encouragement is important.
Self-motivation is important.
Appearances are not important.
Church is important.
Maintaining some semblance of normal living is important.
Being first (# 1, primo, or however you want to say it) is not important.
Other important things might be:
Being gracious, thankful receivers of help.
Being as useful as possible in whatever circumstance.
Continuing cultivating relationships with family and friends.
Sharing.
Continuing to give.
Willingness to serve.
Some things to lose all together, especially during times like that are:
Pride
Selfishness
Pity
Revenge/Payback
Complaining
Sense of entitlement
Laziness
Some list, huh? Take a look at them and decide what you need to work on BEFORE you find yourself in some kind of predicament.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
More Random Thoughts
I’ve done a couple of “random thoughts” blogs lately, and kind of like that idea. Here are a few more thoughts that have been floating around among the cobwebs recently.
I have to think that God perhaps put within animals (I am thinking specifically about dogs) the ability to help humans with things that humans can no longer do. Seeing eye dogs, therapy dogs, and dogs that sniff out narcotics, petroleum products, bodies, and other things are invaluable. Dogs are now being trained to help combat wounded veterans with the activities of daily living.
We had inservice day at the home today. We did all of our required inservices at various stations, and employees came in and went from station to station to be inserviced. I had one of the stations, and had a chance to observe the parade of employees that came through. One or two were men; all the others women. I was taken by the diversity of our workforce and struck by the fact that many of these employees were living paycheck to paycheck, had basic needs that they could not meet, were in relationships that were not good for them, and were generally struggling with life and living. Even though I know that many people live less-than-stellar lives, I still would be surprised if I knew the life story of many of those I work with daily.
The sunsets the past several days have truly been superb!
My wife and I have been blessed far beyond what we have ever thought or imagined in our 34 years together.
Why does the Dillons brand of grape pop taste better than Pepsi or Coke at the end of the work day?
I think computer people purposely keep the operation and maintenance of software and hardware complicated in order to maintain jobs for themselves.
Sunday is probably my favorite day of the week. It wasn’t always so.
I’m not sure why, but it seems that the general population is getting younger.
On that same note, I am certain that there are doctors out there who aren’t yet 18 years old (at least they don’t LOOK 18).
I wonder how many people within five miles of our home will go hungry this Thanksgiving. I wonder how many are hungry right now with nothing to eat.
What, in heaven’s name, do I have to complain about?
Friday, November 14, 2008
Who Knows?
It has ended up a good day. This morning, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be part of this day or not; however, it ended on a couple of positive notes.
First, as I was going to my office, a resident stopped me and we chatted for a minute or so. She has multiple issues, and may never leave the home. Nevertheless, she seems to always have a good word, something funny, or just a smile for those who pass by. She wished me a good weekend, and I did the same for her.
Second, the computer guru for the place (our son) got the printer that we had tried to put on the network up and running. Now, we’ve said that before only to have it not work the next day. But I have good vibes about this time and think we (he) got it going for good. That’s been something weighing on me even though I wasn’t the primary person responsible for getting it going.
Shortly, we will go to my brother’s place for soup and a good time. We always get together on Friday evenings, and this time they’ve invited us all to their place. I look forward to the time.
Although much in the day was negative, or was something that nagged to be done, fixed, or dealt with, those two positives seem to outweigh all of the other and made the day a good close to the work week. Maybe that will carry forward on to Monday as I go into yet another work week. Or maybe not. Who knows?
I think I know, or should know. After all, I am the one who has charge of my attitude as the next work week comes on.
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Small Things
I want you to know that I started a blog about the thunderstorm moving through, and the power went off. Not having a UPS, I lost a couple of paragraphs, which I will try to recapture here.
As I sit here this evening, I am witnessing what may be the last true thunderstorm of 2008. The thunder is heavy and frequent, lighting is dancing all over the sky, and the rain is coming down heavily. The radar shows a line of thunderstorms moving through the area, with rather heavy returns on the radar echo.
Most of today, it has rained. It started about 9:30 this morning, and has rained more or less gently all day. But tonight, it seems that Someone wanted to flex some muscles, so we now have thunder, lightning, heavy rain, and just a wisp of hail on the roof.
(What follows will be the post-outage part of the blog.)
We are still experiencing thunder almost continuously, although it’s farther away than it was a few minutes ago. Lightning is still all over the sky, and it’s still raining, albeit slower.
I stood outside for a few minutes just after the storm started. I wanted to experience possibly the last display of spring/summer weather this year. I don’t know why; it just seemed important to me.
I seem to relish these kinds of things in life more and more. Smiles on children, orb spiders spinning big webs in the fall, pleasant smells, sunsets (I don’t get up early enough for sunrises), our music worship on Sundays, good coffee, rain, time with loved ones, and a host of other things that are for many routine, small, and unnoticed are for me some of life’s best moments.
I hope you are enjoying the small things in life. What are some of the small things you enjoy? Do you seek them out? After all, those small things are really, I think, God’s way of saying that He loves you and wants you to enjoy all that life has to offer. And we are blessed that it offers us so much; we are blind, ignorant, and idiotic in that we enjoy it so little.
Sunday, November 09, 2008
Coming Together
“I can’t believe you’re here!” So was the exclamation when we moved to the Wichita area a few years ago, spoken by my sister, who has lived in this area for many of her years. It was, I think, an exclamation of happiness that three of the six of us siblings were now within a few miles of each other.
Still within a few miles of each other, we welcomed yet another family member to this area yesterday. And in some ways, I can’t believe he’s here. Yesterday, our younger son and his family (and our grandbabies) put their worldly possessions on a truck, and with the help of some family members, me included, drove it all to Wichita and unloaded it at a house that will shortly become a home.
Our family is close by any standard, and we enjoy the company of one-another. We have made a conscious effort, over the years, to get along, forgive, laugh, enjoy, cry, and revel in each others’ company. It started before our parents died, and the commitment only grew following their passing. No one in our family is a black sheep regardless of what they might have done in the past or are doing now, and no one in our family is an island, being alone. Even if someone would prefer to be that way, it would be very difficult to maintain that for any length of time because the love, I think, would be overpowering.
We are indeed getting older. We are not the young, vibrant, and energetic people we once were. Our reunions aren’t so much about going out and doing anymore as they are sitting, reminiscing, and catching and keeping up. We enjoy morning coffee much more than we used to, and think the grandkids have more energy than we ever had.
As we ate pizza just before we left town yesterday with our son and all of his stuff, a flood of memories came through my mind…so many memories that I couldn’t process them all. We’ve moved…a lot. And we’ve helped others move…a lot.
We have histories in several of the communities that we’ve moved to or from or helped someone move to or from. In our son’s case, my history with Emporia, Kansas where they lived began in the late 1950’s when my oldest brother moved there to go to school. It continued when next brother went there as well and continued when my niece on my wife’s side of the family moved to the area. Then our oldest went to school there, and our younger son moved there with his family shortly after that. You get the idea.
And it’s tough sometimes to let some of that go and live in the present. But do that we must, savoring the past and learning from it, growing all the time as we meld past experiences with present situations to create future decisions. It all comes together, and it all fits, somehow. The trick is to accept that at face value and just continue on life’s adventure as God continues to unfold to each of us our own personal and unique present tense.
Monday, November 03, 2008
A New Addition
Friday evening we had our family over for pizza. When sis arrived, I was out on the drive looking at a stray dog that had wandered into our neighborhood. One of my neighbors had earlier told me that the dog had been here for several hours and possibly a day or so, so his daughter put out some water for it. He said they called animal control to come and get it.
When I told my sister what I was looking at, she immediately saw the dog and tried to befriend it (I knew she would do that). One thing led to another and before I knew it, the dog was in our back yard and she had gone to the store for some food.
Coming back, she fed her and said she would be back today to take her to the humane society. When she came back today, that had changed to taking the dog to the vet to be checked out. It was obvious that the dog had been either homeless for some time or had been abused. But she was friendly and seemed to be behaved.
Saturday, the vet said that she was in basically good shape, didn't have heartworms, and had a bacterial infection on her skin that made her hair shed. She has several cracked or broken teeth, and is not neutered.
As of now, the dog (Lydia is her name, since she was found on Lydia street) is at my sister's house and is being medicated for the infection and treated to a bath (that should be interesting). Sister's hubby isn't too thrilled about this whole affair, but she thinks he will come around.
I know that sometimes it isn't worth it to save an animal like this. The cost is just prohibitive. However, it doesn't take that much to take it to the vet and have it examined...then make the determination as to what to do. I also know that it isn't possible for one person to take in every stray that comes along and do what Sis did.
But isn't it good to know that there are still people in the world who have compassion for those (animal or human) who are in need. There's an attitude there that manifests in deeds such as this...an attitude that is more and more being shoved to the background as greed and selfishness come front and center. Christians are called to be salt, light, and leaven. I don't have time to go into the theological explanations of that statement, but will only say that it is more critical than ever in this day and time that we truly become what we are asked to be.
When I told my sister what I was looking at, she immediately saw the dog and tried to befriend it (I knew she would do that). One thing led to another and before I knew it, the dog was in our back yard and she had gone to the store for some food.
Coming back, she fed her and said she would be back today to take her to the humane society. When she came back today, that had changed to taking the dog to the vet to be checked out. It was obvious that the dog had been either homeless for some time or had been abused. But she was friendly and seemed to be behaved.
Saturday, the vet said that she was in basically good shape, didn't have heartworms, and had a bacterial infection on her skin that made her hair shed. She has several cracked or broken teeth, and is not neutered.
As of now, the dog (Lydia is her name, since she was found on Lydia street) is at my sister's house and is being medicated for the infection and treated to a bath (that should be interesting). Sister's hubby isn't too thrilled about this whole affair, but she thinks he will come around.
I know that sometimes it isn't worth it to save an animal like this. The cost is just prohibitive. However, it doesn't take that much to take it to the vet and have it examined...then make the determination as to what to do. I also know that it isn't possible for one person to take in every stray that comes along and do what Sis did.
But isn't it good to know that there are still people in the world who have compassion for those (animal or human) who are in need. There's an attitude there that manifests in deeds such as this...an attitude that is more and more being shoved to the background as greed and selfishness come front and center. Christians are called to be salt, light, and leaven. I don't have time to go into the theological explanations of that statement, but will only say that it is more critical than ever in this day and time that we truly become what we are asked to be.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Make a Difference
This afternoon was just drop dead gorgeous. The temperature was just right, the wind was a breeze, and the sky was clear blue as far as I could see. Fall is here, and the trees are shedding leaves that are brightly colored and hued. Native grasses are subtly beautifying the landscape with their seed heads and multi-colored stems. What could be better?
Well, a lot of things could be better, in my estimation. We could have a better election campaign season with ads that are not misleading or outright wrong. We could have a favorable international balance of trade. We could have elected officials that truly take our interests to heart instead of the interest of how to maintain their positions. Individuals could take others’ best interests to heart as well in the form of respect, dignity, deference, and humility.
I could go on and on about what is wrong with the world today. However, I must stop and ask myself, “What am I doing about it?” Yes, me. What am I doing about the elected officials, or treating people with respect, or the balance of trade? What am I doing about the issues that affect me and about which I complain? What can I do? How can I do anything about some of these? I feel so helpless and powerless.
I’m not going to give you any answer to the question of “What can I do?” Instead, I’m going to leave it to you to seriously ponder that question in response to the things you complain about, and find something that you can do to help alleviate that issue. It doesn’t matter to me if the issue is homelessness, the deterioration of morality, abortion, corruption, violence, or something else.
You can do something. You are not powerless. We hear and read regular accounts of people who have and are making a difference. Ordinary people in an ordinary position in life are making extraordinary differences in the world. If you still are clueless, Google “make a difference” and take a look at some of the URL’s that come up.
It’s easy to complain. It’s a lot tougher to find an answer and a response that is appropriate. But that’s your task right now. And if you’d like to tell me just one thing that you complain about and what you’ve decided to do about it, email me or comment on this blog. If not, that’s OK; just don’t complain to me about whatever it is that gripes at you.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Striking!!
I was standing outside our church building this evening waiting for classes to begin. We often are early for classes due to our eating at the building every Wednesday (they serve a meal there for anyone who wants to eat there…it’s $3.00 a person) at 6pm. Classes don’t start until 7pm, so there’s usually some time available.
In any event, I was standing outside the building when another member came to me. I said I was outside because it was quieter out here than inside. He remarked the same and said he had come outside to take a cell phone call from Guyana. Guyana is a South American country. This man does mission work there a couple of times a year, so the phone call wasn’t unusual for him to receive.
What struck me, though, as I wondered on out into the parking lot, was the fact that someone in South America dialed a number (actually, they probably punched in various tones that represented numbers) and a cell phone in central Wichita Kansas USA rang and these two people carried on a conversation. What an amazing technology telephony is! How wonderful! Then it really hit me.
Why is it that our government seems to have so much trouble counting votes in an election?
Saturday, October 25, 2008
The End
Today, we went to our house in the small community southwest of here for what we hope is the final time. If all goes well, this coming Tuesday we will sign papers handing over title to the property to the buyers. When that happens, a long history with that property and with our family comes to an end.
Dad bought the place in 1939 and moved his bride to it that year. They lived there, raised a family of six children, and made a house a home for 45 years or so. Following their deaths in the mid-1980’s, I bought the place out of the estate and raised my family there. We moved away in 2000 for what we thought were greener pastures, and have rented the place out since then. Now it is for sale, and now we think it is sold.
Today, we got the last of the personal items out of the house and outbuildings that we want to keep. We dug up some day lily bulbs and also dug up some old fashioned rose bush roots that we’ll try to transplant. I don’t know how successful either of these ventures will be, but we’ll see.
When we were about ready to go, I took one last look around in the house. Although it looks nothing like it did when we lived there due to wear and tear and some bad renters, it seemed that each window, each doorway, each wall, each item I looked at released a flood of old memories about that particular item. Some memories came from the time I lived there as a child. Others came from the time I was the Dad in the house and was helping raise our kids. But they all came, and came in a flood. Some choking up came as well as I realized that what has been a part of my life from my birth was about to be taken from me, leaving only memories.
Just before I left the house, I moved a small folding table that was remaining there into the middle of the living room. I placed a “Dad cap” (family will know what I’m talking about here) on the table, looked at it for a moment, then went out the front door and locked it. I know it won’t be there long, as the new people will be working on the house soon. But it’s there right now, and in a sense will remain there for many years to come, because a neighbor came over while we were there. Among other observations he said that the house will always be known as “The (my last name) House” in the community.
And that’s just fine with me.
The Inevitable
It seems that in the span of about three days, the trees changed from green to all the colors of fall. I’m not certain why, but the air indeed is more crisp and for the first time this morning, I noticed frost on our roof and on the grass in the yard. Fall is not my favorite season of the year because it portends winter and the dying, so to speak, of the things that are outdoors. I much prefer to see spring come than fall.
Having said that, I also know that fall is inevitable. I should make the most of it and enjoy what God provides, and I do. The crisp air, the smell of the morning, the bright fall days, and the coolness of the environment are both appreciated and enjoyed. I also know that winter isn’t far away. Knowing that, I always sort of skip thoughts of winter and immediately look forward to the coming spring, counting the days until the solstice and beyond.
Sometimes we allow work, issues, problems, and other things to interfere in our perception of what is going on around us. Oh, life goes on, and these things happen with regularity whether we’re aware of them or not, but it’s so much better for us when we take the time to perceive and appreciate.
It doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to do that. Just a few minutes a day looking out a window or standing on the drive in front of the house can do it. Looking at the night sky for 20 to 30 seconds is sometimes all it takes. Or finding a place to go out and dig in the dirt for awhile, if you have such a place, can be very fulfilling.
No, it doesn’t have to be a lot, and it doesn’t have to be much. We really can appreciate what we might call the small things in life. And by doing that on a regular basis, we gradually find ourselves less concerned with the latest drop of the Dow or the most recent failure of government and more enamored with those things that have preceded those other things by eons and will for eons to come outlast anything we can devise. And therein may just be our sanity.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
More Thinking
Some more things I’ve thought about recently:
A fertile hen’s egg goes from a single cell to a fully-formed chicken in 21 days. The chicken is, almost from the moment of hatching, capable of drinking, eating, walking, scratching in the dirt, and many other instinctive things that chickens do. How can all of that information be packed into a single cell and that cell transformed in 21 days into a complex organism?
While we’re on the subject of chickens, if you know anything of the habits and ways of chickens in their more natural environment (on the ground or free-range), you know also that they are a marvelous and wondrous creation. They may not have the largest brains in the world, but they have been given wonderful and amazing abilities by the Creator.
Can anyone tell me why many people say “hot water heater” instead of just “water heater”? I’m guilty. Are you?
So, is it really ArKANsas? Or is it ARkanSAW?
Do politicians running for office ever really answer the questions posed to them in debates?
According to Wiki, no century ever starts on a Sunday. If true, isn’t that strange?
Why do morticians mostly all look the part?
I wonder what percentage of our national oil consumption is taken up by private automobiles? That’s where everyone is wanting to conserve, but are there other parts of our society that take as much or more oil daily that could conserve as well? What about commercial vehicles? Industrial uses of oil? Other uses?
If the universe is young (circa 5,000 years), but God created it to look mature and old, did God deceive us?
Since some of the months of our calendar are named after gods of myth and legend, should Christians adopt other names for our months? Is the use of these names tacit approval of these gods? Isn’t this the same basic argument used by those who don’t celebrate Christmas because of its pagan roots?
Will we ever get back to civility and cooperation in Washington?
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