Tag Archives: Christianity

Otherwise

8 Apr

My Take

DiVoran Lite

Photo by Melodie Hendrix

Photo by Melodie Hendrix

 

Our son and daughter-in-law are empty nesters, so we all make an effort to get together with the grandchildren several times a year. Since our granddaughter and her young man are theater majors, a show is our favorite place to go. We have supper before or after of course.

Yesterday we parked four cars in the lot at the Bob Carr Auditorium in Orlando because we were heading out in different directions afterwards. We walked the mile to Church Street for supper in a bitterly cold wind. We knew it was going to be cold, but none of us believed it could ever be that cold. That’s the way we are in Florida, cold takes us by surprise. No one was truly dressed for it.

After supper at the restaurant, we decided to take the free bus back to the theater so we walked to a bus stop. We discussed other unsatisfactory options as we waited because it was just so cold. Our grandson and his young lady, our granddaughter and her young man huddled, and our son and his wife huddled with us. We asked the “kids” to come closer and they shuffled en masse without letting go of each other. We then had an eight-person huddle. A woman about my age came up shivering and we invited her in, so now we had four pair and a spare. She said she wasn’t a Snow Bird, she was from Seattle, so she was a Rain Bird. She said it sometimes seems colder in Florida than anywhere else.

The empty bus arrived and we all got on. At the next stop, a man who appeared to be homeless came on and stood up front near the driver. We thought we were supposed to get off there so we rose, but: “Next stop says the driver,” and we all sat down again. The homeless man turned to our son, the leader of the pack, and asked, “Are all of these yours?” Our son nodded. “You’re blessed,” said the man.

We all felt warm and close now, and glad that a stranger had recognized our bond. Say, maybe he wasn’t a homeless guy after all, maybe the lady traveling alone wasn’t a real “Rain Bird,” either. Perhaps they were both angels sent to remind us that our lives, “might have been,” as Jane Kenyon’s poem says, “Otherwise.” They could have been, you know.

Hebrews 13:2

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (ESV)v

Tags: , , , , , , ,

UNCLE JESS

7 Apr

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy

 I have a really quirky family.  And most of them I have enjoyed through the years – or stories about them.

 My Mother’s family is originally from Ireland, with a good old name of McBratney.  I don’t know a lot about the family history, but only some from my Great-grandfather on.  He was one of 11 children, eight of them male.  I know that they called themselves “The Boys” and got together occasionally.

1

 

About the time I was “aware” of life, there were only four “boys” left, my great-grandfather not being one of them.  I made a trip to Kansas once with my Aunt Jessie and Granny, and got to see them then.  However, my fondest memories are in 1958 when those four “boys” came to Albuquerque for a visit.  They were my Granny’s uncles, my Mother’s great-uncles, and so my great-great-uncles.  But they were fun and funny to be around.

 

2

 

While I enjoyed them all, I guess Uncle Jess was the one I remember the most.

 

3

 

And this story about him always delights me – and makes others laugh when I tell it.Back in 1958, one of the favorite things to do was to grill steaks on the outside grill.  Big, thick, juicy steaks – lots of fat to flavor the meat – special seasoning to give it just the right tenderness and flavor.  You remember, right?

4

 

Well, one of those times, after the meat had been cooked and all were seated at the table, Uncle Jess began to meticulously cut all the fat from off his steak….and then proceeded to EAT THE FAT!  My Mother exclaimed – “Uncle Jess!  The doctor told you not to eat the fat on your steaks!”  And he calmly replied, “No he didn’t.  He only told me to be sure and cut it off.”

 

5

 

 

As I said, he was a sweetheart!

 

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

God’s Creation Carries On

6 Apr

A Few Thoughts

Patricia Franklin

I’m sitting here in my backyard on Holy Saturday morning recalling the shocking events of Good Friday. I imagine what was going through the minds of Jesus’ followers…  the let down, the unbelief, the grief and pain.  After suffering through the crucifixion and death of their Saviour, the followers of Jesus are devastated and confused, as are all of us. Is there any hope?  What lies in the future? What are they to do?
The sun is shining brightly today. Nature is still intact. My yard is showing signs of new life as the grass is beginning to green up and a few plants are peeking through the brown earth.  I listen to the sounds of the birds. While the doves are still mourning and proclaiming the loss of the Lord, the robins, red finches, blue jays and sparrows are loudly singing joyously… in anticipation of what is coming.  There is a cacophony of song, along with the staccato of the woodpecker chiming in with the chorus. The birds are totally focused on serving their Creator in the only way they know how.  Do they, in some strange way, instinctively understand and anticipate the resurrection and its significance? 
Then suddenly it is quiet, as they all go back to their silent vigil of waiting… only the mourning sound of the doves continues.  All at once a little red finch lights on a branch close by. He begins quietly chirping, as though speaking to me and explaining that everything will be ok. Then a song sparrow chimes in. Together they are proclaiming to me and to the world that there is hope! In spite of all that has happened, God’s Creation carries on.

Tags: , , , , , ,

When Do We Grow Old

5 Apr

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

I  woke up in the morning,
mind refreshed and full of hope.
There is so much I want to do-
all within my scope.

My mind is willing, my mind alert-
I’ll spring right out of bed.
My mind is saying, “Go girl!”
but my back says, “Whoa”, instead.

Ego! Yes, ego is the culprit
in this aging game we play.
I don’t mind saying , “I’m 78,”
But, getting old???”No way!”

Tags: , , , ,

Our Trip to Italy-Part 5

3 Apr

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Bill

Wednesday DiVoran woke up with a bad cold, so she stayed at the apartment to rest while I checked out the bus and train routes into Venice from Mogliano Veneto.  I lucked out and met an Italian student on the bus who spoke enough English to help me with the transfer from the bus to the right train to get me into the Venice train station, and then which train and bus to catch to get back to the Mogliano Veneto station.

1

I had a snack at a small caffe on the Grand Canal and then checked out some of the smaller shops, staying close to the canal, as it is easy to get lost in the tangle of narrow streets and waterways in Venice.  I bought DiVoran a small glass aquarium in hopes that it would cheer her up some.  The trip back to the apartment was uneventful, and we ate roast pig leftovers, with artichokes and fresh Italian bread that evening at the apartment.

2

On Thursday, Divoran was still not feeling up to par, so she stayed at the apartment again, and I went to work with Marcia so I could see where she worked and to get a tour of the new Disney cruise ship “Wonder” in its final stages of completion.  The Wonder was built at the celebrated Fincantieri shipyards, displaces 83,000 tons, is 964 feet long and 106 feet wide, and features 11 massive decks which can accommodate 2700 passengers along with 960 cast and crew members.  I’m always amazed at how these giant ships are put together one piece at a time.

3

Then at 4:00 in the afternoon, Marcia took me to the dentist.  The morning before, at breakfast, I broke one of my top front crowns in half, and it looked terrible, and had sharp edges.  Just by chance we had met the lady, Marcia’s dentist friend, at the pig roast a few nights before, and now she had made arrangements for me to get my crown repaired.  Some people might like to call this a coincidence, but think it’s just another example of how God is watching over us, were ever we find ourselves in this world.

Well, Marcia got lost looking for the dentist office, but the dentist stayed open to wait for us.  She did a great repair job on my crown, and then wouldn’t take any pay for the work, no matter how hard I tried.  Just try to find that kind of hospitality anywhere in the U.S.

Friday, DiVoran and I tested my bus/train memory to get into Venice for some shopping, a quick lunch, and then rode the train back to Mogliano Veneto.  That wore DiVoran out, so that night, I went with Marcia, Stephano, Roberta and five Disney cast members to the Di Marcone Ristorante (a special family owned restaurant) for a grilled chicken dinner.  They are only open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and only cater to large groups.  You have to reserve your table and they expect you to stay the entire evening.  The food and the company were great, but we were there from 8:00 PM until after 12:00 Midnight

4

The next day we drove with Marcia and Erika to Verona, to see the sights of that famous city, where it is alleged the balcony is, on which Juliet stood when Romeo wooed her from the courtyard below, in Shakespere’s famous play of the early 1500’s.  For a few Lira, lovers can write their names on the wall under that famous balcony, and of course we did.

5

One of the most interesting things we saw in Verona was all the trash dumpsters on the streets were painted by the local school children and are very bright and cheery.  It really brightened up the streets and some of them even made us laugh.

6

—–To Be Continued—–

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Mother Said

1 Apr

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Photo by Melodie Hendrix

Photo by Melodie Hendrix

This week I wrote the wrong day in my journal. Wait, before you get in a tizzy, think about what Mother would have said. “You’ll never know the difference a hundred years from now.” You’re right, Mother, I thought and went on with what I was doing.

Like most mothers, mine had an abundance of things to say. Sometimes she was joking, or I hoped she was, as when she would say, “Now don’t be afraid of the storm, if lightning strikes you, you’ll never know the difference.” I must say, I have no fear of lightning, so she must have been on the right track. Afraid someone might kidnap you? Here’s what Mother would say: “Don’t worry, the minute they get you under a street light they’ll bring you right back.” Want to run away to Grandmother’s house, but wonder how you’re going to get the fifty miles down the mountain by yourself when you’re only a kid? Mother’s suggestion: “Here’s a nickel, don’t spend it all in one place.”

How about if your dress has a small spot on it and you’re ready to go out the door? “They’ll never know the difference on a galloping horse.”

Mother had some nice saying, too. She learned them from Auntie Elvira her first Sunday school teacher, who was my first Sunday school teacher too. When my brother and I fought the word was, “Be ye kind, one to another, tender, loving, forgiving each other.” Okay, Mom, I’ll try. If I wanted to say something bad about someone who had hurt my feelings she’d caution, “Ask yourself: is it kind, is it true, and do I have to tell it.” At least one of those is going to have a no, so forget it.

Ephesians 6:1 Children obey your parents for this is right.

 

1a

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Our Cruise to Mexico-Part 4

31 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

 Judy Wills

Judy

Our last port of call was Key West.  Fred had been there on one of his Air Force business trips, but it was new to me.  I knew there were a lot of bars there, and that was of no interest to me.  But I also knew there was a lot of history there, and was eager to see the sights. We docked at a good time, but for some reason, they wouldn’t let us off the ship for two hours!  There were people in boats below us yelling for us to “come on down!”  And we wished we could.

And so, when we finally were able to disembark, everything BUT the bars was closed!  We had no opportunity to see Hemingway’s house,

 1

 

 

2

or the lighthouse and keeper’s house,

 

3

 

4

 

or the Key West Museum of Art and History

5

– or just about anything else.  We were quite disappointed.  But it was still daylight enough to see the outsides of the buildings and bronze plaques annotating the sites.

We were able to see the southern most house in the U.S.,

 

6a

 

and the southern most point in the continental U.S.,

 

7and other things.  We saw the Mile Marker 0 (Zero) sign for U.S. 1.  That was important to Fred and me, since we had seen the other end of it when we lived in northern Maine.

 

8

 

There was a “street party” going on that lasted past the sundown, which was fun and interesting.  We wandered our way through that, and around some shops, then watched the sun sink slowly behind the horizon.  Our last glimpse was of a tall ship, which was really pretty against the setting sun.

 

9

Back to the ship and head for Charleston and home.

We had always been delighted and amused while on board cruises, to find the “towel animals” that the crew put together – and on our bed each night.  Most were fairly recognizable – some required some imagination.  But it was fun to see what animal was going to greet us as we returned to our stateroom each evening.  What do you think?

10

 

 

11

 

 

 

12

 

 

13

 

 

 

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Counting One’s Interests

29 Mar

From the Heart

Louise Gibson

“One should never count the years–one should count one’s interests. I have kept young
trying never to lose my childhood sense of wonderment. I am glad I still have a vivid curiosity
about the world I live in.”

Helen Keller, 1880-1968
Blind and Deaf American Writer and Scholar

The writer of that beautiful philosophy
expressed my sentiments so eloquently-
But I humbly acknowledge my advantage-
I can hear! And I can see!

But did she hear more clearly than I?
And did she see through the Master’s eye?
Oh, how blessed to have the Master’s touch-
to live to serve- to give so much.

May I never take for granted
the blessings of each day-
A kind word, a noble deed,
encouragement along the way.

 

Tags: , , , ,

Our Trip to Italy-Part 4

28 Mar

A Slice of Life
Bill Lites

Bill

 We had a wonderful lunch experience at the Caffé Pedrocchi.  DiVoran had “Toast” which was a grilled cheese and ham sandwich and hot chocolate with whipped cream on top, while Marcia, Erika and I had pizza, hot tea and coffee.  It was all Yummy!  After lunch, we checked out the many shops around the Prato della valle where Erika bought a copy of Taming of the Shrew in English and DiVoran bought some Italian puzzles for Billy and Renie.

1

We discovered that the famous University of Padua was built around 1190 AD, and had the first operating theater in history.   I’m sure it was very primitive and unsanitary with all the doctors and spectators watching and asking questions as the doctor tried to operate

2

And, it is said that Padua was the setting for Shakespeare famous play “The Taming of the Shrew” which it is believed he wrote sometime between 1590 and 1594.  We strolled around the beautiful Prato della Vallethe central square, which is lined with 78 statues of famous Italian citizens from over the centuries.

1a

That evening, we went to a pig roast hosted by Marcia’s friends Stephano and Roberta, at their horse ranch.  The occasion was a surprise birthday party for David, one of Marcia’s co-workers.  The party was held in a large dining hall above the tack room, where their family and friends met every Sunday for their meals.  The matriarch, Maria, had done all the cooking and had it laid out with the whole small pig as the center piece.  The food was wonderful and was served with five different types of wine and two different desserts, plus Grapa.

4

I met Roberta’s 67-year-old uncle Lorenzo who, after he found out I was a motorcycle rider, took me down to the garage and showed me his 1952 single cylinder 500cc Moto Guzzi motorcycle that was in mint condition.  He told me that he and about 20 of his friends go riding every weekend, weather permitting.  They all ride vintage Moto Guzzi motorcycles of one model or another, and love them.

5

On Monday, DiVoran rested while I walked into Mogliano Veneto to the farmer’s market and bought fresh bread and artichokes.  The farmers market had every vegetable you could imagine, and the fresh fish stalls had every kind of fish and shellfish including lots of squid and eels (live and dead).

6

That evening we had a 5-course dinner with five of Marcia’s cast members  at the Hotel Vicenza in Mestre.  This time there were only 3 kinds of wine and 2 kinds of dessert plus Sconti.  We found out that the Italians really enjoy their food and eat very slowly-this meal lasted from 7:00 to 11:00 PM.

7

On Tuesday, Marcia took the day off and we drove to the little mountain town of Asolo, at the foot of the Italian Alps.  We walked up and down the streets of the town checking out the little shops.

8

The Hotel Villa Cipriani was the most beautifully decorated and picturesque place I have ever seen.  We had lunch at a very nice little Ristorante there in Aslol, and then went to Treviso to see some of the sights of this beautiful walled city.  Marcia, Erika and DiVoran cooked their version of an Italian dinner that evening and we ate in the apartment.

9

—–To Be Continued—–

Tags: , , , , ,

Enjoy the Differences

25 Mar

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Photo by Melodie Hendrix

Photo by Melodie Hendrix

The other day Bill and I were in the kitchen cooking breakfast, and he told me about a dream he had. He was working with my dad, something he did whenever the folks came from California for a visit or we went there. Dad loved to putter and fix things. Bill wanted to hang out with him, so they did projects that mother and I came up with for them.

Bill is an engineer; Dad was a man of many trades, race jockey, welder, gas company manager, large equipment fixer in a tomato factory, meat cutter, restaurant owner, pilot, and, most important, fisherman. Ah well, you get the picture; he could do many things.

Bill can do anything, too, or so it seems to me. He was mostly a mechanical engineer with the Space program, specializing in ordnance.

So anyhow, the dream was about Bill and Dad working together. In the dream, Bill was frustrated as he always was when he worked alongside Dad. Dad put his tools down just any old where and couldn’t’ find them the next time he needed them. He drilled big holes with gusto when Bill thought smaller, more sedate holes would have given a closer tolerance and worked better. Dad’s been home in heaven a while now, and we laughed at the silly dream until I started to cry. I hardly ever cry so it felt good.

I finally figured out why I was crying. I could see Dad and Bill in the driveway working on something. I could have walked out there, joined them, and got a lot of joy seeing the two of them together and being amused by the differences in work styles. If it were now, I wouldn’t need to try to make one like the other or change them. Now that I’m older, can see how unique each person is. I can accept them and enjoy the differences. It makes life a lot more fun and less stressful, too.

Psalm 139:13

1

 

Tags: , , ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →