| Jernill |
Freeing the prisoners....After many years of foster care it is not unusual to have long term relationships with kids who have been with us and have moved on. The most natural ones are when the kids grow up, move on as adults, and adopt us as their children's grandparents. We love those, they are inextricably part of our family, they remain our kids and their kids are our grandchildren as much as any. We get to see them grow and get to see the kids that were once our kids be adult parents blessed with their own children. It is another representation of why the title "grand" is so aptly applied to the "grand parent" job.Some of the kids we maintain those long term relationships are not so happy. There are those who do not develop into successful adults, who struggle into their adulthood with much baggage from their unfortunate childhoods, damaged in many ways, on many levels. We have 2 of the most unfortunate in prison. They did dumb things and landed where they did, as predicted, and now must endure one more layer of the unfortunate. As adults, they get little sympathy and even less expectation that they will get past this. Fact is, when God places these people in the heart He doesn't place them there to be served only if it is fun, only if they "get over it", or only if they continue to be loveable. Certain ones have little left but our love, a love implanted by God. How can they be denied that? They don't deserve it, but how much of the love of God did I ever deserve? So we visited one in prison this weekend. He is trapped in an identity crisis, trying as hard as he can with his 22 year old over- sized ego to validate his existence and future. He has little interest in anything outside himself. It is very sad. When we parted he hugged like he hadn't hugged in a long time. Truth is, he hasn't. He still has a couple of years to endure...then something else altogether when he is outside. However that works out and whatever it is, we know he will still be ours, and the love of God can pour through us. The hope of hopes is that the love He has placed will be contagious, and my son, so damaged and tattered, can really serve with that love preeminent. If he does, these things from prison and unhappiness will be small, the means to the ultimate end. 6:47 PM - Jan. 25, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentI call firstWhen you read Kate's entry about a new and interesting pet selection my newest son made, understand that I was actually going to write it but I am allowing her to. Just for the record.8:13 PM - Jan. 19, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentBack in the dayI was thinking today about my sisters and brothers. How much fun we had...each in different combinations.My little brothers are twins. We, being the 3 boys, had it as our jobs to do as many stupid things in one day as possible all the while trying not to let it hurt very bad. One winter we convinced our friends to stack our sleds (they had runners in those days) on top of each other and go down the hill on the biggest stack of sleds possible. It was slightly stupider when, in the absence of snow one year, we did the same thing with wagons. I remember a fairly spectacular crash into the burn barrel. We must not have damaged it much or I'd remember how mad my Dad was. I remember my little sister. It was my job to "keep her quiet" on Saturday morning so my parents could sleep. I took it seriously...we made the biggest mess we could of the toys in her room, quietly of course. I had the joy of putting them away afterward, but, she was quiet. I was never sure if that was a punishment for her or me... My big sister and I were playmates for a long time as we are very close in age. Of course, she was the wiser one, a position I allowed her for a time because she could beat me up and later because she had a knack for telling on me in ways that I couldn't successfully refute. So, I accepted her wisdom...not that it wasn't good, some of it. Kissing the road that the Beatles traveled to play at the Boston Gardens in 1962 or 3 or whatever year it was didn't seem that wise, (busy road...Montvale Avenue) but she told me it was, so I accepted it....I didn't kiss the road, but when she and her girlfriends did I didn't tell on her...see how it worked? Now we are buried in our lives otherwise engaged. I tell my kids the stories. I wonder what their stories will be...? 9:04 PM - Jan. 18, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentThe next big market//Since "billions" are being overtaken by "trillions" in our daily lexicon of economic descriptors, I wonder what comes next.In societies of hyperinflation the greatest last retail product is wheelbarrows, taking over where wallets and purses were. 1:04 PM - Jan. 13, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentHail to the comet?Fun news for those of us looking for the truth. Seems there are a lot of a certain sort of diamond scattered across North America. (really - look it up on CNN) This discovery has prompted those-who-make-up-reasons-for-things (Many of them call themselves scientists) to imagine that this is due to a swarm of comets coming into the atmosphere and shwacking the earth about 12 thousand years ago. That swacking kicked off a 1200 year cold spell and killed off a lot of mammals, like mamoths, along with a large society of early humans.Hmmmmmm. Don't know how the diamonds got there, but the written record says that there was a major flood that changed the environment world wide, killed off a lot of mammals (along with everything else that walked or crawled) and wiped out whole civilizations of humans. And - it happend around 5-6 thousand years ago. C'mon, what's a 5 or 6 thousand year difference when we are talking eons anyway> So the good news is that as we seek the truth the truth appears. And the truth is, it wasn't a swarm of comets. It was a swarm of a God who wasn't very happy. Wonder how he's feeling right now? 4:22 PM - Jan. 3, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentGimme a secondWell, 2009 is here. Of course, we all realize that it will now be 1 second longer, because we had to make that adjustment to the "clock". Somehow we found that the year was 1 second off. And to think, I'm feeling good to get things done the DAY it is supposed to happen.Funny how we can ask what it would take to fix our economy and come up with a nice round number like "700 Billion" in a matter of days, but we find that the accuracy of our calendar is off by a SECOND out of a whole year. What are we thinking? 7:44 PM - Jan. 2, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentWhen pressed.....A real couple of beauts today from our sourpuss press."Foreclosures dip" On the one hand, if we are an economy affected by our feelings (like the measurement called "consumer Confidence") then a press interested in being part of the solution could say "Maybe this is good news among all of the bad news, maybe things could improve." Instead, they said "don't pop the bubbly" and went on to explain why this is actually bad news. "Americans debt falls" We might consider this a good thing, showing that Americans are learnign the lessons necessary to recover, but....noooo..... Instead "this means Americans are spending less, which is bad for business" I wonder if there can be good news? 8:33 PM - Dec. 11, 2008 - comments {0} - post commentAll Aboard!One of my favorite parts of going to work during the Christmas season in the later part of my career was going through Union Station in Washington DC to catch the train. I actually liked going there, even though it was one stop on a long and otherwise dreary commute. During Christmas the building was decorated with Christmas stuff everywhere, including a fabulous train display.Long ago I used to take my daughters to work with me during their CHhristmas break. We went on the train so they could see it. I gave them metro passes and instructions which stops they could go to. They would shop and travel, acting like they were city girls while I worked. We got to eat at great places, of which Union Station had many. I also loved looking for something unique there for my wife for Christmas. Occasionally I ran into my sister who also commuted by train. Sometimes we met for lunch, though not at Union Station. We talked to each other then. It was nice. My favorite part of commuting was in 2005, when I did it for the last time. Union Station is a wonderful place at Christmas, but so is my home...where my new office is. As I look back and reminisce over the "good ole days", it's nice to remember the good parts and let the bad parts fade away. Union Station at Christmas will always be one of those fond memories of a tough time. 7:39 PM - Dec. 8, 2008 - comments {1} - post commentYou smell like a monkey....We went to our grandaughter's 2 year old birthday party today in Baltimore. Her parents recently moved to the city to renovate an old house and live the city life. It was very fun, there were a lot of kids, my daughter and son-in-law's friends, the great grandparents, and, of course, the star of the show, 2 year old Scarlett.When God says He blesses us with children it is events like these that cement the blessing in place. As all 15 or 20 of these people, from age 88 to age 2 sang that silly song "Happy Birthday To You" and watched her vainly attempt to blow out the candle, I looked on, realizing how lucky I am. What happiness and joy this room full of people had to celebrate an event that had to happen regardless of the party. She wore a pretty red dress with sparkly red shoes that made her look like a princess. 7:52 PM - Dec. 7, 2008 - comments {1} - post commentWho- who- whoWe're teaching our new boys about why we have a Christmas celebration. It was a sad thing to learn they didn't know. Fact is, they didn't know there is a meaning behind ANY holiday. They lived associating the events of the holiday to the holiday - Christmas you get a tree and stuff, 4th of July is fireworks, etc.I wonder how many kids there are out there who don't get the message. Is it because nobody made the effort, nobody made a point of it? Three boys, wide range of ages, none had a clue. Once they found out there is meaning and whole dimensions to the holiday. Funny, they did learn about Santa Claus. 7:32 PM - Dec. 6, 2008 - comments {0} - post commentThe good news is the bad newsIt is very tiring listening to the news broadcasters make everything be bad news. It was a real piece of work today when a commentator explained why the higher than expected Black Friday sales really meant that the season would be worse, since it means that shopping would end early.Since these brilliant minds haven't predicted anything correctly so far, why do we keep listening to their lame prognosticating? (answer - because there's nothing else on....) 8:49 PM - Dec. 1, 2008 - comments {0} - post commentOh yes, it is the seasonWhat wonders will the holidays that are coming bring? These are holidays that were anticipated for a lot of reasons over the centuries. Twenty centuries ago people looked forward to a coming Messiah. We celebrate that this century as Christmas. Our Messiah is come, and this holiday is to memorialize His birth.There are those who want to change the holiday because there a lot of other things to celebrate. It is true that there a lot of things to celebrate, but whether we celebrate it, or even whether we believe it, God sent us a Messiah once, and for all. He was sent for all of us. He doesn't need the celebration for Him to be real. We need the celebration, acknowledging that we understand He is real. 3:15 PM - Nov. 30, 2008 - comments {0} - post commentAnd thanks to the FatherAs we get ready to eat the turkeys I'm reminded that I've got a lot to be thankful for.I have a cousin and aunt who live far away. They've always treated me like I'm someone special. They love my children no matter how long I've had them, where they came from, or what their attitude is. They ask about as many of them by name every time we talk....no matter what. They love the Lord and share that love with my household. They take a lot of trouble to be part of our household. I thank God for them. As I write I have 30 seats arranged around 3 tables ready to receive food and drinks and love. We will lift our faces heavenward and thank God most of all, as He has blessed us with bounty and warmth, but, most of all, with salvation. I have a young friend who recently was caught embezzling, subesquently fired and turned over to the law. He said "well, it's not like I'm a bad person". Good for him. It is sad, even with the obvious he can't know what is true. For me, I know I am a bad person. Left to myself I am selfish and worthless (just ask my sisters). The thing I have most to be thankful for is that despite my innermost nature, the Lord loved me so much that He made it possible to be with him for eternity. He gave me, the most undeserving, a gift. I thank Him today for salvation. 11:55 AM - Nov. 27, 2008 - comments {0} - post commentMy girlfriendIt is appropriate to give thanks on this last day before the big day for my wife. She woke up this morning at her usual 6:30, allowing herself some time for prayer and reading with coffee and quiet. Then she woke up our 3 boys so we could get them to a visit with their mom an hour and a half from here. In the whole process she demonstrated her unique knack for making their "real" mom feel great, though her kids are in our care, and making sure the kids knew they had to give their mom a hug and a kiss.I met her in high school. I wanted to marry her the first time I met her. We've been on a lot of roads together, and I can truly say that if I were meeting her for the first time today I'd fstill want to marry her. It is true that the Lord has someone for each of us. I met Kate without knowing that factoid. She was the one who introduced me to the Lord in a personal way, though my heart had been prepared by others in my earlier life. My boys asked me what her job was. It was interesting to answer. She is the classic homemaker mom, juggling the trips to the grocery store with dropoffs and meals, gift buying and phonecalls, cards and greetings, advice and counseling, cleaning and managing, and, oh, loving me (real good!). I'm in the sitting room as I write this. She is across the room in the kitchen preparing dinner for tonight. While doing that she's got one of the turkeys for tomorrow ready to be cooked (we have a total of 30 for dinner), the phone in her ear, and is directly the movement of our children. A typical evening. Thanks Lord for Kate. 4:13 PM - Nov. 26, 2008 - comments {1} - post commentThat's my boy!Today's thanks go to God for my sons. Vive l'difference!When we met with the family to discuss the possibility of the current crop of boys moving into the house I pointed out that the real vote was over shifting the majority from girls to boys. They assented, but I don't think the kids realized the shift as much as Kate and I did. Now males outnumber females! God has seen fit to bless me with sons that are 22, 21, 18, 11, 9, and 5. The blessing of a son is different that that of a girl. It makes a father look inward, and has a burden of passing the seriousness of fatherhood on to the next generation. This job seems to get more difficult as our society has diminished the unique value of the father's role. My boys have all challenged our home. They are professionally dirty. They take pleasure in "gross", and the more female presence they detect, the more "gross" they feel the need to be. They don't like to learn, at least they don't like to learn if there is no pain involved. They break things (sometimes believing they are fixing it...). Underwear and socks are not respected - they often appear to be biology experiments. Even so, what a privilege to have the sons of mine. Each of them has given me a chance to influence the future. I can see a little of myself in them (some as little as possible). But I can be sure that I saw each of these boys come to me from the Lord, to raise and to cherish. I do cherish them. And thank the Lord for them. 6:32 PM - Nov. 25, 2008 - comments {2} - post commentThe girlsToday's thanks are for my daughters. I am blessed with a bunch of daughters, more than a man really deserves. I have one who is 35, 31, 2 29's, a 22, a 20, 2 16's, and a 15. They have given me grandchildren, and some pretty great sons-in-law.It isn't always easy. I don't always agree on the prom dress, the boy friend, the time to be home, the chore, the look, the attitude. One thing has always been easy for every one of them though, that is to love them. They are indeed that proof of God's blessing to me that these girls are from Him as a gift and a privilege. I cherish these girls and thank God for them. The honor I have to be their father is something I never deserved. I gladly pull the hair out of the bathtub drain (no I don't - I make them do it), gladly turn the light off (no I don't - I take out their light bulbs), or gladly show them for the 100th time how to rake leaves (no I don't - I call them "city girls")....OK....even if I do come off as a grouch sometimes, I am thankful for my daughters. 11:31 PM - Nov. 24, 2008 - comments {1} - post commentThanks for DadSo today's thanks, appropriately, will go for my father. Appropriate because today is Sunday, the day we worship our Heavenly Father. While I am thankful for Him, today it is for my earthly father.He and I have had more conversations this year than we had in probably the 53 years prior. He's retired, and I am working on being retired. Actually, I started workijng on being retired the summer I was 14 when I worked my first time with him. When I was growing up I never knew whether we were rich or poor. My father made sure of that. We had dinner together as a family every night, and there was always food there. Knowing now what I know, we were by no means rich, but my father never made that our issue. Our house was warm, we had clothes, and we had stuff under the tree for Christmas. We had those things because my father made it happen. I thank the Lord for him. I thank the Lord this year for the time we get together now. It's a good time for thanksgiving. 2:21 PM - Nov. 23, 2008 - comments {0} - post commentThanksWe are about to enter that holiday season. You know the one. The time that is rich in days off from school and work. Children titter together over what they want for Christmas. Moms are busy making guest lists and figuring out who-is-making-what for the many feasts. Dads are often seen reassembling the things from last year's decorations, replacing light bulbs, putting the stuff on the outside of the house, etc.We get our annual complaints, you kow the ones. "It's not even Thanksgiving and already the Christmas stuff os out" "It's all so commercialized" "Don't take the Christ out of Christmas" "How many wightwatchers points are in stuffing". (That last one is new for me) I think we should start this week with a long pondered list of what to be thankful for. Not the usual stuff, the easy marks, but some of the deeper things that could be so easily overlooked or taken for granted. I think that's what I'll do. Read tomorrow for the first one. By the way - who remembers where they were on Nov 22, 1963? 6:28 PM - Nov. 22, 2008 - comments {0} - post commentEveryone say "Beeezzz"So today I put the bees to bed for the winter. I had fed them their winter ration of medicated sugar syrup a week or so ago. They took all of that, and even though I had made their feeders drown proof (the feeders are a box that is filled with the sugar syrup liquid - they often drown...), even so many more than I expected managed to find a way to drown. A friend told me long ago that there are "dumb" colonies and smart colonies, and the dumb ones will drown no matter what you do. It is true. I had 2 colonies with not a single drowned bee, 2 with hundreds, and the other three in between.Anyway, I checked their honey supplies and supplemented where it looked thin. The warm weather right now is making them eat their winter stores faster than they should since they go out to fly with no replacement sources of nectar available. The key right now is a good sized population of bees in each hive The bigger the population, the more they are able to stay warm in the freezing temperatures. All 7 colonies look survivable, some look outstanding and a couple look just satisfactory. In a week or so I will put sugar candy on their hives for a little extra energy. The advantage of the candy is that it doesn't matter the temperature and when I make it I can mix in some fortifying foods. Bees will eat any form of sugar you can provide. I managed the whole process with only one bee seeming angry. She got some pleasure out of annoying me. The others understood that I was the good guy, giving them honey and sweet stuff. I guess that one never heard "don't sting the hand that feeds you". 6:14 PM - Nov. 14, 2008 - comments {0} - post commentFaster than a speeding bullet...I spent part of the day today resurrecting some bicycles from a pile of old bikes my kids abandoned a year or so ago. We had a recent addition of 3 new boys to our home, brothers ages 6, 9, and 11.They got off the school bus and bolted for the well-worn-but-freshly-oiled-and-aired row of bikes. There was one for each of them, sized and ready to go. They raced to the street, and before long the street was alive with the shrieks and screams of boys seeing how fast they could careen down our hills. I'm sure the neighbors noticed there'd been a quantum leap in the energy level...good noise...happy innocence. Those old bikes might last long enough to be "their's" while I see how much we'll need new ones. Hard to say what we'll do for new ones...or if we'll need them. Seeing their glea made the nasty job of bringing them back to life all worthwhile. Of course now they'll be scattered all over the yard instead of the nice tidy pile covered in weeds as they had been... 8:48 PM - Nov. 10, 2008 - comments {0} - post comment
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Purrpiss
Werds frum varrius ponderins en wunderin HomeUser Profile Archives Recent Entries - Be nice - A backyard Jordan - Who's yer daddy? - Donor - Its like He was looking... My Other Blog Some Other Blogs
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