New Songs

We sang three new Zoe songs yesterday. I think that all three will become classics. My favorite was "O, The Blood". But the others were wonderful too. Intersperced with O, The Blood was Nearer, Still Nearer.

That song always causes an emotional rush and tears--I don't know why. Lelia Morris, the author wrote over 1,500 hymns, but preferred to be known as a simple housewife. In fact, she composed most of her songs in her head over the sewing machine.

O, God shelter me safe in your haven of rest.

High School Musical 2

We had a lot of fun last night watching the long awaited HS Musical 2. The girls had eaten up all the millions of commercials run by the Disney Channel and were very excited about seeing it. Parents and I hoped that Disney did not give in to the culture and make the movie too adult in content.

We were all pleased by the movie. Time's review today used that no-no Hollywood word "chaste", but gave it a rave review anyway. It seems to me if Hollywood would just cut out the nastiness, potty language and wierd sex then they might have a huge success for their movies, too. A recent Time article lamented the demise of the romantic movie and the fact that attendance is dropping for those. Well, who wants to see Harry marry Frank? Or a woman get Knocked Up on the first date? Not me--I'll take the chaste Disney version any time as I remember the days of Casablanca, Dr. Zhivago, You've Got Mail, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and whoever.

Long live "chasteness" and good clean fun.

The Last Word

The last word in the class I taught recently was a prayer for children. I thought that would be a fine way to end, since school was beginning soon. I used a prayer often found in the Children's Defense Fund material by Ina Hughes. Here's a sampling--it is rather long:

We pray for children
who bring us sticky kisses and fistfuls of dandelions,
who hug us in a hurry and forget their lunch money.

We pray for children
who never get dessert,
who have no safe blanket to drag behind them,
who watch their parents watch them die,
who can't find any bread to steal,
who don't have any rooms to clean up,
whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
and whose monsters are real.

You can find the complete prayer by googling Ina Hughes. There are several versions available. The line that really gets me except for the death one is those who don't have pictures on anybody's dresser. Wow!

And that dear readers is my bibliography on "Glimpsing God in Children's Literature." Of course, there are many others, but there was just not enough time to cover them all.

We must keep praying for children as they go through the school day--they are our hope and future. Pray for the teachers too--they are so important to the lives we live now and in the future.

One World

The last book I featured was Mem Fox's Whoever You Are, illustrated by Leslie Staub.

This beautifully illustrated picture book shows very graphically and poetically that God made us one all over the world. The recurring refrain is "whoever you are, wherever you are, all over the world." The pages that were especially pointed to me were the ones that said, "joys are the same, love is the same, pain is the same, blood is the same...." Several pictures contain Muslim children including a double-page spread of a Muslim school.

Each page is framed with gold, embedded with colored jewels. I suppose the going word is multiculturalism, but the content is something we all need to learn.

Inspiration from great lives

I believe that inspiration, courage, and determination comes from reading about great people who had those qualities. That is why I included biographies in my presentation "Glimpsing God in Children's Literature." There are many excellent books out there, but I chose one that had a special connection to Nashville, Wilma Unlimited, How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman by Kathleen Krull, illustrated by David Diaz. Wilma grew up in Clarksville, TN just down the road and attended Tennessee State University. Of course, she became famous because of her three gold medals won in the 1960 Olympics, but she also overcame poverty, race, gender bias and polio to do so. The book shows her taking her brace off and walking down the aisle of her church one Sunday morning "when the singing seemed to burst through the walls into the trees."



When Marian Sang by Pam Munoz Ryan, illustrated by Brian Selznick is about Marian Anderson who grew up poor in Philadelphia and singing contralto in the church choir. There were no black women singing opera in those days, but she overcame and with the help of Eleanor

Roosevelt became so well known that she achieved her dream.

This book is so beautiful, I can hardly describe it. Lyrics from old hymns are found throughout.



Another book connected with Nashville is Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia McKissick, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney. It is a memoir of McKissick's childhood days with her grandmother in the segregated South. Her "someplace special" is the Nashville Public Library which opened its doors to everyone in the early 50's without regard to race. (Bless those brave trustees) Throughout the book, 'Trisha Ann is reminded by

adults who help her get to that place that she "is somebody--a human being--no better and no worse than anyone else in the world."

Give Me Grace

This short "daybook of prayers" by Cynthia Rylant is charmingly illustrated by Rylant in vibrant folk paintings. I have given many copies of it for baby showers (along with Goodnight, Moon).

Here is Wednesday's: Wednesday make me
full of light.
Guide my heart both
day and night.
Give me gladness,
Give my grace.
Shine your love
upon my face.

I Am Your Child, God

This beautiful collection of prayers, collected by Marion Wright Edelman and illustrated by Brian Collier contains prayers for younger children, for older children, those for struggle and strength, for special occasions and traditional prayers. Edelman says in the preface that the prayers are "for children who need stronger inner anchors and spiritual grounding in our world in which ties to family, community and the sacred are becoming increasingly frayed."

It seems to me that several of the prayers in the younger children's section would be good for parents and children to learn in the time at night when prayers draw them together. Here is one:
"Thank you, Lord
Forgive me, Lord
Help me, Lord
Save me, Lord."

Edelman states that "these prayers are just a beginning of what I hope will become a lifelong conversation between children and God."

The traditional prayers containing several selections from the Psalms (praying through the psalms) The Lord's Prayer, and Assisi's Prayer For Peace.

Again, anothere beautiful book for children with a glimpse of God.

I Can Make a Difference

Another book I used in my presentation Sunday was Marion Wright Edelman's I Can Make a Difference, A Treasury to Inspire Our Children. It is fairly new, published in 2005. Written by the founder and head of the Children's Defense Fund and illustrated by Barry Moser, it is a gorgeous book.

Built on such principles as: I can make a difference by loving myself and others as God loves us ...by treating others respectfully and fairly...by being courageous...by caring and serving...by persevering and not giving up...by being grateful for the gift and wonders of life...by being compassionate and kind, etc., the book has for each principle, some quotations on the subject, a beautiful illustration fitting the topic, short stories from many cultures and excerpts from poetry on the topic.

I did the one on being grateful for the gift and wonders of life which is illustrated with a portrait of Albert Schweitzer and this quote from him, "The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything. He who has learned this knows what it means to live." With an excerpt from "Leaves of Grass" and a Zen story from Japan extolling the beauties of the moon, the chapter ends with the entire poem by James Weldon Johnson "The Creation." As I looked at this book, I could see at least two weeks' worth of morning announcements using the quotes and a few ideas.

Marion W. Edelman is one of my heros these days. Her CDF is a national voice for children NOT funded by the government. Other books she has written include a treasury of poetry for children entitled I Am Your Child, God. Illustrated by Brian Collier, it is another beautiful book. I will review that one tomorrow. Her other books are Guide My Feet and The Measure of Our Success. They are good books for teachers and parents on the rearing and teaching of children. Her memoir is Lanterns.

Glimpsing God in Children's Literature

"An abundant and growing body of evidence shows that stories have a unique capacity to transmit values, shape identity, move people to action, and preserve memory." Darryl Tippens in Pilgrim Heart

Darryl Tippins has for years found spiritual qualities in great stories and even edited a textbook containing such stories called Shadow and Light.

Taking off on this thought, Scott Owings devised a Sunday morning class at Otter this semester called "Spiritual Reading"
with the purpose being in reading not only the Bible, but other genres with God in mind. We have covered fiction, non-fiction, poetry, biography, prayers, journals, and last Sunday, children's literature.

Since some of you asked, I will use the next few days to talk about which books I used in the topic and perhaps give my readers some ideas about reading with God in mind in a somewhat unlikely genre like children's literature.

I began with Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are.
An unusual choice, you say. But look at the narrative:
Having been sent to bed without his supper for being a wild thing, Max goes to where the wild things are, has his rumpus with them, and then he begins to feel very lonely and wants to be"where someone loved him best of all".
So he returns home to find his supper waiting for him and it is
still hot.

When we have wandered on our wild flings, don't we long to go "where someone loves us best" (God), and when we return, we find forgiveness with our supper still warm.

I don't think for a minute that Sendak had a spiritual metaphor in mind with this old classic (now 40 years old). But remember we are reading it with God in mind. And parents can help their children see forgiveness not only from mommy and daddy, but also from God here.

More later.

School Ache

This time of year as I see the new school clothes and supplies
mounded at Target, I get a yen to return to teaching. It is not an overwhelming yen, you understand, just a little ache to return to the new beginnings teachers have. I even miss the teachers' meetings at the beginning of school!

I guess the old adage is true--once a teacher, always a teacher. I did get to teach our Sunday morning class yesterday on the topic of seeing God in children's literature. It was really fun to get the material together and to present it.

Now, let's see, what can I do next? Oh, by the way, I will be running quotations about education in the upper left of my blog this month. It is a new way to use all those quotations I have collected since 1979.

Why People Don't Read

Pamela Satran has compiled a fanciful list of why people don't read in the August Writer's Digest. Some she lists are:

1. Everytime I walk into a Barnes and Noble, I get so overwhelmed that I just buy a latte and leave.
2. I spend the money I used to spend on books on lattes.
3. Everytime I start reading, my cell phone rings.
4. I've developed an allergy to ink and paper.
5. My new nail extensions make it difficult to turn pages.
6. I read a book last year and didn't like it, so I don't want to waste my money again.
7. I find I can just claim to have read something and impress people that way, because they haven't read anything either, so they won't know if I am faking it.
8. I'm in a book group, but we find it's find its more fun to gossip than to discuss books.
9. My television has 606 channels, and I have only gotten through 47 of them.
10. I just don't want to, all right?

I suspect that some of these are closer to the truth, than funny for some of us.

Why don't you read?

Aging and "Breaths"

Several weeks ago, I had a conversation with Maddie about relatives. She and Ella are still trying to figure out how that works--How can their daddy be my son? etc.

She asked if I fed Brandon the "way Mommy fed Sam"? and then she quickly added, "Nonnie, where are your "breaths"?

Newton didn't need the apple to study gravity, all he had to do was to watch the human body aging--eyelids, throat "wattles",
"breaths", abdomen, etc.

Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 80th birthday--regarding body changes, she said there were many every day...like her breasts: "They seem to be in a race to see which one will reach my waist first."

The audience laughed until it cried. I cry when I watch gravity--not really--just so glad to still be here!

Thank you God for laughter.

Sunday Lunch at Nonnie's

The family came over for lunch today--we had the typical Texas fare of brisket, potato salad, cole slaw and red beans. I went to the Farmer's Market at the Factory yesterday and came back with canteloupe, banana peppers and heirloom tomatoes, so we had that too, along with a peach pie I picked up there. It was all so good, if I do say so myself. Martin's Barbeque Joint just down the road has brisket like we eat in Texas (not pork, beef). I will have to say their hot sauce is HOT, HOT, HOT. So glad I also got some mild sauce.

When I was young, we often went to my Granny Dobbins for Sunday lunch. The cousins usually came over from Anson and we played on "the gallery" (porch) while we waited to be called. As I remember, the kitchen was on the back of the house with the dining room just next door. We had the usual Sunday fare of either roast or fried chicken with gravy. My mom and aunt would contribute several dishes, and we always had a feast. I wish I could remember what we talked about, but I was not interested in that--just in how soon the cousins and I could go back to playing. My cousins were girls (Wanda and Linda), and I didn't get to play with girls much.

One of our favorite things to do was to explore the forbidden garage of my step-grandfather. I am sure it was forbidden because we might find something to hurt us, but forbidding it made it even more exciting to let ourselves in. We also went out to the chicken house to see if we could scare the chickens--also forbidden. Frightened chickens don't lay eggs as well, and the household depended on the eggs. Some of my scariest experiences surrounded gathering the eggs for Granny Dobbins. I was always afraid of being pecked or of seeing a chicken snake. I remember my grandmother had several glass white eggs that she put under some of her hens, but I forget what they were for.

Times have changed so much in the last 60 years that I think most kids believe that eggs originate in the yellow boxes in the grocery store. How sad.

Paper Dolls and Polly Pockets

I remember sitting in the living room floor carefully cutting out the paper doll's clothing with the little white tabs which were used to secure the dresses to the paper doll. I got a new paper doll set for my 10th birthday. I didn't have much patience then for the flimsy paper which more often fell off the paper doll than stayed on. But all the girls were ga-ga over paper dolls, and I was glad to have my own set.

My grandchildren now play with Polly Pockets which is their version of the paper doll. Polly is much easier to work with and much more chic. Easier to work with that is, if one has very small hands to secure the clothing to the doll. Polly has shoes that are so small a whole wardrobe of them would fit in a teaspoon. Yet, I have watched Maddie and Ella sit and apply the clothing very diligently. I guess they are learning what makes a good wardrobe and what colors go together. Polly has her own car--a convertible which matches her clothing and animals whose sweaters also match her. It all makes a lovely scene and brings lots of pretend time.

As I watch the girls play, I can imagine their own designer clothing being worn on a runway somewhere by a model skinny enough to fit under a door. Chanel and Dior, move over. Here comes the Polly Pockets-trained generation.

Reading at Wayne Reed

I spent the morning today reading at Wayne Reed Christian Child Care Center--an organization begun and supported by Otter Creek in the inner city of Nashville. It is an attempt to make a better life for the children of the projects, to keep them safe during the day, and to give them a better start in school. It is one of our best works.

Reading to two-year-olds is always tough, but having a fire drill before you begin to read is a double challenge. However, they liked the book and the gummy fish I gave them after reading Possum Magic. The next thirty minutes I read to the Pre-K kids and that went much smoother. They liked In the Small, Small Pond and had very pertinent comments about every page. I could tell they had been read to a lot, because the titles of other books kept coming up as the animals in the pond were discussed.

After it was over, I got a hug from each student--what a delight!

Endings

Have you ever finished a book and cried because it was over? Millions of readers did just that this weekend as Harry Potter came to an end. What a testament to the joys of reading! Thoreau said, "How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book." Many will look back on July, 2007 and remember the 7th Harry Potter book.

Rowling will remember it always too as she spends her fortune. Borders sold over a million and a half copies alone. I remember the furor when the first book came out and certain people wanted to ban it. Librarians and readers got up in arms and saved the books from would-be book Nazis. The books have themselves promoted an upsurge in reading (especially among boy readers) that the reading world has not seen since readers in the 1800's couldn't wait for the next chapter of the Dickens novels.

Although Harry is fantasy, I think this quote from Hemingway fits the series: "All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they really happened and after you finished reading, you will really feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ectasy, the remorse and the sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was. If you get so you can give that to people, then you are a writer."
Ernest Hemingway, 1934

Christian Music

This morning on the Brian Mason show, he highlighted the career of Keith Green who has been dead 25 years this week. As he played some of his music, I thought how much Christian music has changed from its beginnings with Green, Sandi Patty, 2nd Chapter of Acts, etc. Even Amy and Smitty have somewhat faded in recent times while all kinds of rock groups with strange names have hit the charts.

It is difficult for me to listen to Christian radio these days--too loud, unintelligible words, no singable melodies. Oh, well, Zoe will have a new cd in Sept., and I hear that Michael W. Smith will have a new Christmas cd this winter.

Blink of an eye

In our last stint with Anne Lamott, we discussed the chapter "The Blink of an Eye" in which she writes about how fast life goes. That is no new thought--the Bible is full of such reminders. But just that day, I kept the grandchildren, and I was hit again with the truth of it.

Sam came flying in with his beautiful hair combed, in a T shirt with an alligator that said "Chomp" and his little khaki shorts and I knew when I saw him that I was seeing Sam at 17--good-looking, preppy, going full-blast. And he is only two years old!

"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses
itself in the sunset." Last words of Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator

I Feel Rich When...

I feel rich when....

I go to the Brentwood Library book sale and buy 6 paperback mysteries for $3.00

I can afford to buy craft things to do for Maddie and Ella

I can afford to stop at Starbucks for a strawberries and creme

I hear the rain on the roof and know it is helping grow my peonies

I can go Publix on Monday and get two rolls of paper towels for 1 cent

I get into the movie on a senior discount

I get a Netflix movie in the mail and know that it only cost me $2.00 or less

Something I have had in my closet for a while still looks good

I drop off a big bag of stuff at Goodwill

I get the 10 cent discount at Kroger gas

I clip coupons out of the newspaper and USE them

I figure I am spending only 53 cents a day for the Tennessean

I can IM a friend in Abilene and not have to pay for a phone call

I feel rich when I look at all my other blessings from God and marvel.

Later Day Saints

Before I left Highland, I did not participate in the 39ers even though I was qualified by age. I just was not ready to lump myself in there.

Today I spent an enjoyable day with 9 other Later Day Saints from Otter, and I felt very comfortable. I don't know what happened in the interim....

We toured Belmont Mansion and then ate at the Standard down town. I do not know why someone has not written an historical novel about Adelecia Hayes Franklin Acklen Cheatham. Stories I have heard about her rival the heroine of Gone With the Wind.
She was married four times, always to the richest man around and, indeed at one time, she was the richest woman in Tennessee. Her gumption, grit and intelligence were well-known. Her mansion at Belmont mirrors some of her excesses and her collections. Well worth the $9.00 fee for the tour!

And we Later Day Saints enjoyed one another too. I can sit and listen all day to Mary Williams and Bernie Arnold tell stories.

Pastiche of riches

Yesterday was a day full of worship. The morning service was a grouping of hymns, Bible readings, prayers, a meditation and a video about riches. Tim was out of town.



The video was from Rob Bell--an up and coming young theologian for postmoderns. It was called simply "Riches". I appreciated his comments on our lifestyle as juxtaposed against our voiced commitments. One of the repeated ideas in the video is how much we put our lives into the hands of materialistic public relations hucksters.

During the service, Brandon allowed time for a meditation of our true riches. We were to take cards and list everything we could thank God for. Such a nice use of time in a worship service--quietness and time for thought.



Sunday evening we put ourselves in the capable leadership of Jeff Berry for an evening of wonderful worship.

Harry in the Afternoon

I spent the afternoon today with Harry Potter. One of the joys of the series is that one gets to revisit places one has grown to like and see the people who are there again. It is kinda like a family reunion.

I enjoyed this one more than the others because it seemed to have more human emotion. It is strange at first to see the "children" so grown up and handsome, but they do act adolescent in the movie, and that is fun to watch.

I regret that Maggie Smith was only a walk-on in this one--she only had about five lines. The additon of Mrs. Umbrage was delightful and well-played by the actress. Daniel Radcliff as Harry gets better and better as do Hermoine and Ron.

Looking forward to the next one.

Polly Pockets Diplomacy

None of the ambassadors to other countries or members of the UN have a leg up on my granddaughters in the field of diplomacy.

Maddie and Ella are currently enamored with little Polly Pockets and her endless array of tiny costumes: hats, skirts, sweaters, boots, purses, pants--most of them smaller than the end of an adult thumb.

Watching the girls bargain yesterday for bits and pieces of costume, it struck me that they were learning conflict resolution and diplomacy. Occasionally, one of them does go off in a huff or dissolve into tears, but generally they trade and deal until both are satisfied.

Maybe we need to send them to Washington.

For the Beauty of America

No matter what state you live in, if you can drive down the highway in the spring and enjoy wildflowers and a billboard-free vista, you have Claudia Alta Taylor to thank for that pleasure.

Ladybird Johnson beautified our country as no other person has in her quest to plant literally millions of wildflower seeds and trees. The Highway Beautification Act of 1965 was signed by her husband Lyndon Johnson and dedicated to her.

A strong woman, I think that only she could have understood and adored her strong and eccentric husband LBJ. They are two Texans who changed the country for the better. If only their legacies (hers in beautification and his in civil rights) could be emulated by another Texan in contemporary times.
Well done, Ladybird! Thank you for all the bluebonnets.

Techno Jitters

I am so far behind in meeting the challenges of new technology. I do not have an iPod, nor an iPhone, nor do I know how to download music on my computer, etc.



Yesterday's paper was full of the implications for our beloved music industry ( a 13 billion dollar business in Nashville alone). The implications were not good. Everyone is losing money and stands to lose more money until they, the govt. and the consumers can figure out what to do about the illegal downloading of music. I have only one thing to say--it is illegal and it is stealing, unless you pay for it.



On a related topic, Dr. John Kemeny of Dartmouth Univ.
said several years ago that there were two areas he did not believe any computer would ever be able to accomplish: the areas of creativity and value judgments. I hope that is true--these two areas belong to humanity. It can be said, however, that humanity has not been too good at using either one lately.

If we were more creative, surely we could find some way out of this horrible war, and if we were using value judgments as God would have them, we would get out today. I don't know--maybe the computer would be better at both of those. Science fiction tells us no.

Encounter with God

In another lecture class, John Mark Hicks took off on his new book in saying that worship is not about what we do for God or do for each other in community, but rather is about an encounter with God. He comes there to commune, conform us to his image, and to consecrate us to God's mission.

As we commune, he is drinking with us and we should be experiencing his presence as a community. So a lot more is going on than just eating little bits of crackers and drinking a drop of Welchs.

This idea of the presence of God in the assembly has always been viewed somewhat skeptically by my fellowship, as has God being beside us every day in real presence. I think we have not gotten over our quarrel with the charismatics and their very real beliefs that God speaks to us on this earth as well as through the Bible.

I think it is time to let go of all of that and relax in the knowledge that God continues to talk to us where ever we are--does He speak in a distinct voice? Not to me. To me, He speaks through what the Quakers call a "nudge in the mind"--it is very real and unmistakable. He is not there to whisk us from Satan's grasp, but to say to us, " What are you doing in God's name?" He is whispering "I love you, even though I know what you just did." He is shouting, "Nothing you can ever DO will make me love you less than I do right now." His voice is the nudge that sends me to Wayne Reed to read; his voice is the nudge that sends me to take food to a family that needs it; his voice is the nudge that makes me stop reading his word for information and ask, "What is it saying to me, Judy Thomas?" His voice is the urge to call someone on the phone...to send an encouraging e-mail....to seek out someone at church who looks lonely....to greet visitors as the door....to make donations to the Nashville Rescue Mission.... to teach class, when it so much easier just to go to class....ah yes, all those nudges....

Devoted Disciples

Listening to Randy Harris is one of my favorite things. One day last week he spoke about how people would look if they were true devoted disciples of Christ:

1. They would be people of peace--peace inside, peace with others and peacemakers in the world. We must also teach our children to be peacemakers.

2. They are fearless--willing to take risks. They are more interested in being faithful than in being safe. They have learned that when they walk out on a limb, God will be there. In the comfortable middle, we really rely only on our own resources.

3. They are deliciously joyful--joy which comes from knowing that God loves them unconditionally just the way they are. (how often we need that affirmation and encouragement--although I have heard it a 100 times, I still teared up when Randy said that). He went on to say that God loves us "relentlessly".

4. True devotees of Jesus are humble people. We need to lighten up and get rid of our pompous know-it-all attitude.

5. They know that God is love. And thus, they need to be a people of love.

6. They are people who take holiness seriously--get better at being good and being separate. Separate from the values of our world. Materialists are not taking holiness seriously.

Randy also said that according to a poll by David Olsen the actual number of American people who are in church is today about 17.8%. When our grandchildren grow up, the number will probably be only 10%. I can see our grandchildren being converted by missionaries from Africa or China.

Have you grown any spiritually in the last 20 years? I think we all have a lot of work to do, so that this secular world does not completely overpower us.

More About Lipscomb

Being on the Lipscomb campus this week was a nice respite from daily duties.

The campus is under a large amount of construction, but parking was easy and the buildings I was in were very comfortable and welcoming. The new Ezell Center is a wonderful facility--Wow!

They are working on the their bookstore and cafeteria, redoing Collins Auditorium to make a world-class place for their music and drama depts. and building an apartment complex similar to University Park at ACU.

I must say that my impression of Lipscomb has changed significantly since I have moved to Nashville. It is making a name for itself in the community as wells as serving its students better.

I am always glad to see educational institutions advance.

Lipscomb Lectures

I spent most of the past week at the Lipscomb Lectures a.k.a.
Summer Celebration.

Two things struck me:

First, how small it was in comparison with the ACU lectures; hence, fewer choices for listening.

Two, the quality of the selections was excellent for the most part. I got to hear Randy Harris who is one of my favorite motivators and Rhonda Lowry for whom I have the greatest respect as a presenter and God's woman.

Jerry Rushford's presentation on the pioneers who braved the Oregon trail to go to the Northwest was astounding.
Full of old letters and journals, funny stories, and great faith. It made me think about my passion for trying to persuade folks to write their spiritual autobiographies--they not only later inspire family, but perhaps a whole lectureship. What a treasure we have in those who have gone before us--if we only knew them.
Thanks to Jerry, thousands in the Northwest are learning about their forefathers and foremothers.

Happy Birthday, Maddie

I can't believe Maddie is 6 today. See Brandon's blog for pictures of this beautiful girl. Her birth was such an exciting gift. I couldn't wait to get to Nashville to hold her--now I can hold her any time. What a blessing!

I think Maddie and I share a special feeling--that may be the way it is with first grandchildren. I am totally unprejudiced when it comes to reciting her many gifts besides her beauty. I do think she is going to be in the arts some way, as she has that predilection.....When she asks me to draw something, I am at a total loss, but she always compliments me on whatever I have drawn. The last time I babysat at night, we were looking at the book Tails which has a beautiful picture of a peacock in full regalia. I later came back to the room, and she had drawn a gorgeous replication of the picture on the Etch-A-Sketch. I wish it had been on paper--I would like to have kept it. She seems to have a gift for the piano (again another area in which I do not shine). She played me a few bars of "Ode to Joy" which she just picked out by ear by herself. She is thoughtful in an abstract way that most 6-year-olds are not. I look forward to her development.

She is my princess.

Freedom is not free.

I love history--I think John C. Stevens at ACU is to blame for my love. What a wonderful teacher of the things that matter about our country!

Jesus said to "Render to Caesar the things which are Caesar's." What shall we render to our country? I think loyalty,gratitude and respect are in order. There is no other country in the world where people yearn to go as they yearn to come to America. There is no other country in the world which gives so generously to others who need help.

I remember learning about the debate over the Marshall Plan after WWII--shall we help those who fought us rebuild? We did and built a European Union. While we may lag a bit at times today, we are still helping other countries survive.

Is America a Christian nation? No, I believe America is a nation full of Christians ready to pour that cup of cold water all over the world. I think the attempt to identify nations religiously misses the whole point-- that while we individually love our country, we are also trying constantly to "render what is due to God." It is fortuitous when the two renderings can come together.

It is my belief that the song America the Beautiful comes close to being a hymn about our country. We should everyday ask God to shed His grace on us and to crown our good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea. Let's drop all this drivel about immigration and welcome those yearning to come here as our forefathers and foremothers were welcomed. That is brotherhood. It is also brotherhood to help those immigrants who need help learning the language, rather than denigrate them because they don't know it. It is brotherhood to welcome them into our churches as we welcome all those who look like us--what a travesty when some are turned away because they do not talk like us or look like us. It is my belief that one of the lectures we will get in heaven is about unity and the things we have done to prevent it.

So, God bless the U. S. A. and thank you for the land in which I was born.

Things

I have a little plaque in my bathroom which says, "The best things are not things." And that is so true--the intangibles are what really make life full and rich. For me recently, some of these things are:

Meeting someone new and discovering that we have mutual friends and love them

A call from #1 son just to talk


Watching movies we both like with a new friend


Attending Sunday classes and finding one that really speaks to my soul


Noting Sheryl holding Sam and seeing that their hair is absolutely the same raspberry-honey blonde color



Anticipating the new Zoe recording



Hearing that wonderful "bulfroggy" cicada sound of a southern night



Having long-legged Maddie curl up in my lap for a few "I love you's"

Learning how to make an Orange Julius at home


As Melodie Beattie wrote, "Each moment in time we have it all, even if we think we don't."

Do You Own Your Stuff, or Does It Own You?

"We are constantly seeking more, only to discover that more is never enough."

I read a phrase the other day "The Theology of Enough". Claiborne uses it too in Irresistible Revolution.

I am convinced that simplicity is not about deprivation. It is about knowing when enough is enough. Knowing that is not easy--it takes some solitude and thought to sort out.

I began by asking what are my favorite things? One of the first answers, of course, was books. So I decided to begin to rid myself of some of my books. So far, I have divested myself of 83 books through Amazon. I have donated others to the Brentwood Library book sale, and given some to Good Will. I discovered that most used book stores will not take books in which there is underlining. I can't read a book with underlining the things that stand out to me. I am beginning to see space at the end of my bookshelves now.

In addition, I try to go through my closet each season and give away those clothes I have not worn in the season which just ended. And to give away (to Good Will and the church clothing drive) duplicate items--
who needs 5 red blouses anyway?

I am not writing this to toot my own horn, but to remind myself that things can begin to own me and begin to take too much of my time managing them

Simplicity

"Simplicity is an acquired taste. Mankind, left free, instinctively complicates life." Katharine Gerould

Did you know that simplicity is a spiritual discipline? Richard Foster says so in Celebration of Discipline. It is a discipline that would bear study in this consumer culture. It is certainly one that Christians should seek as they strive to bring others to Jesus who lived most simply and taught many lessons on the virtues of simplicity. While reading The Irresistible Revolution, I remembered Foster's chapter and went back to it.

Here are his "ten controlling principles for the outward expression of simplicity: (comments following them are mine)

1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status. Do you really need a new iPhone?

2. Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you. Do I really need that book?

3. Develop a habit of giving things away. My goal is if I buy something
(say a new blouse) that means I give one away--or two, or three....

4. Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry.
iPhone again

5. Learn to enjoy things without owning them. Public libraries are the best bargains.

6. Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation. "Behold, consider the lilies of the field...."

7. Look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes.
Does that mean credit cards?

8. Obey Jesus' instructions about plain, honest speech. Honesty and integrity do simplify your life.

9. Reject anything that will breed the oppression of others. Try to be in the know about what products are made by exploiting others. That is hard to do, but often such stories are in the news.

10. Shun whatever would distract you from your main goal. "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness."

The old Shaker hymn says, "It's a gift to be simple,
It's a gift to be free,
It's a gift to come down where we ought to
be....."

Irresistible Revolution

I was prepared not to like Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne.Prepared to dismiss him as another pie-in-the-sky hippie who, after his parents sacrificed to rear him and give him a college education, decided to "give it all up" to live in a commune and eschew the American way of life.

I am about halfway through the book, and I must admit that what he says is making a lot of sense. For example, he asks, when did the church stop living Christianity and just start studying it? And he says we can end poverty (the early church did), while we are fond of quoting " the poor will be with you always." His organization The Simple Way has been fined for giving away food because they did not have a food distribution license. He calls himself "an ordinary radical." He is not espousing a doctrine, but rather a way of life in which the main idea is
following Jesus.

He does not issue a clarion call for us to selling everything we have and give it to the poor, but rather to live more simply and give our changed lives to helping those who need us.

Today what struck me was that Zacchaeaus sold only half of what he had, with it paid back four times what he owed, and then began to "redefine" his career.

Now my next question to myself is how can I live more simply and redefine my retirement?

Lessons from Nature

The gargantuan tree lies in splintered wreckage just off Concord Road. Seemingly invincible in life, it could not withstand the surprising bolt of hot white lightning which cut the sky on a rainy day last week.

Each time I pass it, my language arts mind (trained to look for symbols) wonders if God is sending me a lesson. My huge independent streak is often challenged by the redolent lessons of nature set before me by a loving God.

Important books

In 1985, Jonathan Yardley published in American Heritage Magazine ( a great publication!) a list of the ten books that have shaped the American character. Here are the ten:



1. Walden by Thoreau (1854)

2. Leaves of Grass by Whitman (1855)

3. Ragged Dick or Street Life in New York by Horatio Alger (1867)

4. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Twain (1884)

5. The Boston Cooking School Cookbook by Fannie Farmer (1896)

6. The Theory of the Leisure Class by Thorsteomn Veblen (1899)

7. The Souls of Black Folks by W. E. B. Du Bois (1903)

8. In Our Time by Hemingway (1925)

9. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie (1936)

10. The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care by Dr. Spock
(1946)



There are some on the list I would quibble with. For instance, the Hemingway choice--why not one of his more famous titles?

I would have added :

Silent Spring by Rachel Carson (1962)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939) (on his runner-up list)

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger (1961) (also a runner-up)

The Significance of the Frontier in American History by Frederick Jackson Turner (1893) (also a runner-up)

Dear readers, what books would you have added? Maybe some later books?

Mighty Verbs

I have been reading in the Psalms for the past few weeks--such a wonderful exercise of growth. Reading about Israel in Ps. 106 who "exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull which eats grass, and who were bent on rebellion, I went on to read in Ps. 107 about the rescues of God toward this grumbling nation: Notice the verbs throughout: he redeemed, gathered, delivered, led, satisfies, fills the hungry, saves, brought them out of darkness, broke away their chains, breaks down gates of bronze, cuts through bars of iron, saves, rescued them from the grave, stilled the storm, guided them, blessed them, lifted the needy, increased their families........

Lord, will you throw a few of these verbs toward our nation which is bent on destroying the good inherent in its past. Bless us as we bow down to a big box full of flickering images, as we arrogantly peddle our "better" way of life to other countries, as we forget your blessings of the past, as we try to remake others in our image, as we gather things and make them more important than you. as we forget, as we forget....

Wedding metaphors

It is not surprising that wedding metaphors abound in the Bible. It is the
closest relationship we humans have outside of parenthood.....the bride and groom truly become one flesh...it is an organic relationship in which one cannot hurt the other without hurting oneself. This organism feeds on mutual love, care and communication as do all organisms which thrive.

I have often wondered why we welcome into our homes-- via TV-- sex in all its various perversions and never blink an eye; yet, we avoid both reading and studying Song of Solomon. What lovelier passages could we speak to our beloveds than those contained in the sanctioned book of the Bible canon?

The only church I know of which did include it in the Sunday School curriculum was Minter Lane in Abilene several years ago. I was not there at the time, so I don't know how it was received, but I applaud the effort to bring a little romance into Sunday morning.

Kevin and Kim's wedding yesterday was very sweet. I especially liked their taking the time and courage to write and say their own vows to one another rather than go with the old love and obey thing. May the words of the vows reenter their thoughts as the inevitable trials come.

The Wonder of Imagination

I got to keep Sam a little while yesterday. Watching him play was so wonderful.

He had a Fisher-Price safari set that Brandon played with. The jeep, trailer and animals are far superior to any such toys today. They will probably last to see Sam's children.

Sam was taking the animals on a ride in the sky--they were flying, yes, flying tiger, giraffe, and lion. Every now and then, he would take one out of the air, land it and say "Hello!" Of course the animals had to eat with him, and they enjoyed his chicken nuggets. Later in the day, we were at a Thai restaurant, and I watched him say, "ready, set....and then he would baptize his plastic horse over and over in his water glass. I just wish I knew what was going on in his imagination. May he never let play become mundane.

Thanks Sam for a lovely day.

The Communal Grace of Laughter

Henry Ward Beecher said, "Mirth is God's medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it." There is so much good feeling when a group laughs together. We feel closer, having found a common theme to smile about.

Our class on Wed. nights is enjoying laughing at Anne Lamott's (Grace Eventually). Who can remain stonefaced when she writes about "neckular deterioriation" or your neck being "the thighs of the head"? Or about the Marmee in Little Women "who cuddled endlessly and kept her weight down". Or after an eating binge, "It's hard to be a spiritual being when you're burping apple fritters and cheetos." Or teaching kids in Sunday school "who had the attention span of squirrel monkeys".

Yes, as an old Yiddish proverbs says, "What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul." We all need it, and it's better when it happens communally.

Nashville History

I just finished going on an historical tour of Nashville with tour guide extraordinaire Linda Giddens. Marge Roeder won the tour at a recent auction at Otter and invited several of us to accompany her.

After visiting the Bicentennial Mall, I made the statement that Tennessee is even prouder of her history than Texas. I can't believe I said that--but you would just have to see the Mall to understand--especially the history wall and the carillon center, plus the huge Tennessee map with all the cities, town, villages, lakes, interstates, etc. We were all blown away by the careful planning and intense interest in preservation of history.

We couldn't believe all the condos, lofts, townhouses, etc. going up downtown--and the prices being asked.

Linda is such a good storyteller. My favorite one was about Tom Ryman, the founder of the Ryman Auditorium and his conversion from tough, riverboat owner to churchgoer.

It is a cool, rainy day here--a perfect day for a tour. Thanks to Linda and Marge for a wonderful day!

Escaping Our Past

In this week's Nashville Scene Jeff Woods writes an article entitled "Christers at the Gate" about two people running for office in Nashville who are members of the Church of Christ. He recounts the horrors that might occur should they win. The article ends by saying, "Let us all pray for deliverance."

Besides calling my fellowship a "quirky collection of rigid fundamentalists", he goes on to attribute attitudes long ago softened by grace. There may still be some of us who believe that we are the only ones going to heaven, but the majority of us have long left that idea as we have gained a better understanding of the Way. We also celebrate Christmas, often have Christmas trees in the sanctuary, and do no longer believe that the piano is the devil's instrument (see what I mean about his diatribe?).
In fact, many of our congregations have instrumental services.

So I think I will go ahead and vote for Buck Dozier, whom I understand has many qualities of leadership. If Carolyn Baldwin Tucker is opposed to funding for the arts in Nashville (but who can believe what Woods says?) then I will not vote for her.

Oh, Father, when we will ever escape from the mistakes of the past? Fill us with your grace so that we can graciously bless those who continue to malign us.

Singing in the auditorium

I know my Sam would have loved following Zoe and attending their concerts, as I did this weekend.

The principal of a school never gets his/her work done while there is still anyone left in the school building. Someone is always coming by for advice, chatting and chilling. So my Sam would spend almost every Saturday morning at school finishing up the week. Most of those Saturdays he would take Brandon with him--how boring for a little tyke, you might say.

No, Sam would set up the mike and a radio on the school auditorium stage and let Brandon "perform" all morning. Sam had the intercom in the office on so he could hear him. Frequently janitors and teachers who were working in the building would come by to listen.

Thus, Brandon has always been comfortable in front of a mike and on a stage. One more gift of his father.

Laughter

As Father's Day approaches, I think more and more of my Sam. He was a wonderful father, although he had no role model for fatherhood. His father was caught in the chaos of alcoholism for most of Sam's growing up. When he was sober, he was kind and sweet; but when he was drinking, he enjoyed abuse(physical and verbal) and thought nothing of letting the neighbors know how dysfunctional the family was by doing all sorts of crass things outside the house, yelling, screaming, cursing. One of the favorite activities of Sam and his siblings was finding their father's stash of liquor and hiding it in bushes around the house where he could not find it.

Sam, on the other hand, somehow developed a model for fatherhood that has been copied by his son. He loved playing with Brandon (actually, I think that Sam never grew up inside), he abhorred abuse of any kind, and reveled in the accomplishments of his son. Yes, I would say that he passed down very good models. I pray that Brandon's Sam will carry on the new tradition.

Holding hands

There are some very unobstrusive, common things which help make life grand.

I remember when Brandon was a child holding his hand to help him navigate a curb, climb stairs or get into a car. We held hands going across dangerous streets and when he needed a calming while trying to go to sleep. It was good for him and very nice for me.

These days, Brandon is holding my hand to help me do some of the same things: navigating a curb, climbing stairs or a hill, and getting into or out of a car or a van. While I don't need help on streets or going to bed, I am sure he would help me with that too.

While we do not always hold hands, Babe, I hold you in my heart every minute of every day.

Trivial Pursuit

I just spent 30 minutes watching some of America's Got Talent??? I do believe a thousand question marks would not be enough to question this ridiculous show.

If the demise of network television is imminent, reality shows like this one are why. And advertisements for more reality shows this summer are not promising--looks like I will get to read more books.


___________________________

Just learned today that Kayci and Josh Ross have had a new baby boy--Truitt. Congratulations!!! You will be wonderful parents to this precious bundle--he is a very blessed boy.

Back to Orlando

I went along for the ride as Zoe conducted a "Closer" conference at the Metro Church this past weekend. This is the church I visited 3 years ago to lead a woman's retreat on writing a spiritual autobiography.

It was so good to see those ladies again and to find that some of them are writing down their stories as I urged them to do. The new Metro building is spectacular! In a former grocery store, the church has remodeled it to accomodate a 900 seat sanctuary, a "Holy Grounds" coffeeshop and bookstore, a "Bistro" kitchen where meals are served 6 days a week, spacious classrooms and offices, a great gym for the youth with stadium seating, and a very comfortable atmosphere of welcome. It looks very nice on the outside with a huge parking lot and something most churches need badly--a loading dock.

This 18-year-old church is making real strides in the community. They recently merged with a 250 member Christian Church and are finding that a great blessing for both.

The ladies seem to be very active in reaching to all ages. This summer they have a series going on marriage and other concerns. Sunday morning Linda Werner of Legacy Principles spoke.

An additional blessing came in seeing folks from Abilene: Mike
Cope, Jack, Jill and Matt Maxwell and Sally Gary. What a blessing to see them. Also Alyse Hipes' (a member at Metro with her husband Kevin) mother was visiting. Edwina (Smart) Conaway has been a friend since college days. We had a great time visiting and telling who had heard about other members of that college time. Alyse's daughter Savannah was baptized Sunday morning adding a cherry on top of the luscious weekend.

I also got to see and be around Brandon, Sheryl and the rest of Zoe which I can't get enough of here.

What a joy! Thank you God for the worship, the sharing of John York on Sunday and the hospitality of the Metro people.

Unique Otter

As Doris and I conducted our reading discussion group last night at Otter, I had the thought that such an occasion would not happen at many churches in my fellowship.

This class will meet each Wed. night through the summer and discuss one book per month. We begin with Anne Lamott's Grace (Eventually), continue in July with Lauren Winner's Mudhouse Sabbath, and end in August with Eugene Peterson's Eat This Book.

Last night was so fun. We began with an introduction to spiritual reading and why one should bother reading such books. Several of those who attended suggested some books I had not heard of and which sounded worthy of going to Amazon. That bodes well for the class.

I do pray that we will all learn more about our Father and his consistent loving presence as we share books this summer.

Otter is unique in this way and in others: Not many churches I know have a female Jewish professor come and lecture on Matthew, nor have a gathering room where people can be seen drinking coffee before and after services (one of my favorite pictures of community), nor do other churches offer courses in spiritual formation during the regular Sunday School or courses in art, music, and creativity such as the one that just ended.

God has blessed Otter with so many gifts and talents--May we use them to his glory.

Lloyd Alexander

Lloyd Alexander, a famous author of young adult books died last month. He wrote the Black Cauldron and The Prydain Chronicles. One of the chronicles The High King received the Newbery Award in 1968. He had the ability to create unforgettable character names like The Pig Keeper and Fflewddur Fflam. Enchanted kingdoms, broken harps, and magical legends flowed through all his books.

I feel a special affinity for him. When I received the Siddy Jo Johnson Award (year's best children's librarian) from the Texas Library Assn. , Alexander was the main speaker at that luncheon, and I got to sit next to him and chat. A very small man--he looked like an elf out of one of his books. But he was very cordial and easy to talk to. He told me that he had never had a writing course, but learned to write as he did from reading the great literature of the world as a child.

In these days of children's books about every subject from pooping to pottying, I wonder how many of them ever get to read from the world's great literature? We once had a program in elementary schools called Junior Great Books which pushed the reading of great literature, but I think the adult leaders tired of the program and it no longer exists. Fortunately Harry Potter has reawakened the interest in lore and legend--maybe that will help if well-meaning adults don't get the books cast out of the schools.

Thankfully there was a victory over that last week in Cedarville, AK. I heard the mother who was overruled by the court say that she didn't know what her next move was, but she was praying about it.

I don't think the God who values imagination and thinking will answer in the way she hopes.

Fear and trust

David Rubio spoke again yesterday about fear. It is interesting in my life that fear and trust have coexisted in a kind of dance--one switching with the other as the lead depending on the challenge of the day.

Hearing all those fire and brimstone sermons growing up in which the preachers seemed to have special insights into heaven and hell scared me and if I think about them today, they still scare me. I have spent the last half of my life reveling in grace, however, and enjoying that feeling of trust and confidence that God loves me and wants the best for me in a love that cannot be rivaled.

I do not want to join the camp of many who seem to believe that everyone who believes will be saved, but I am not far from it--trying not to be judgemental and trying harder to give each soul the benefit of their doubt and ignorance. There is still that passage about the narrow gate that waggles itself in the back of my brain.

As one grows older, we get rather innured to the idea that sin is no longer a part of our lives--we are the wise, the sages who are looked up to and sought out for spiritual wisdom. It is a nice benefit of growing old; but, I don't feel worthy of those accolades because that temptation to sin beckons all ages. I am holding on to those glorious verses which sing of the love of God and trying to become wise.

Drat those hellfire and brimstone images!

Funerals

Brandon has gone to Midland to be with Stephen at the funeral of his nephew Connor tomorrow. Maddie and I were talking about where he was and Maddie said about the funeral, "You know that place where people go out in boxes to the place where the flowers are..." Out of the mouths of babes...." to the place where the flowers are".

Dear Father,

Bless the Bailey and Brown families tonight at the greeting and tomorrow at the funeral until they go out to where the flowers are and lay Connor in his final resting place. But, of course, he is in heaven with Jesus. Thank you God. Please, please bless Hutton and Bailey and enable them to grow through this trauma to spiritual adults who know
that this life is not all there is to your creation.

Jesus as a Boy

I have always thought it odd that the Bible does not contain any stories about the late childhood of Jesus. I wish we knew more about how he got along with his classmates in the synagogue, about when he really knew about his dual personality, about some of the things he did as a physical boy--did he climb trees, skip rocks in the river, play chase, eat his vegetables? What were his first words? What did he build in the carpenter's shop? How was his relationship with Joseph? and his siblings? What teaching opportunities these tales would have provided!

Always with the questions! Would it have spoiled some great eternal plan to give us a little more information?

Little things

Thank you God for these little things that lift my heart:

Sunshine with no smoke in the air
Ella's singing her original songs
Sam's laugh
Maddie's drawings
A Starbuck's latte with whipped cream on top

And that's only today!

Hesitant Joy

In these past few days, it has been difficult to feel the abundant joy promised by God. The Bailey/Brown tragedy has been weighing heavily, along with all the other hurts in the world--the war, the starving children everywhere, more and more people I know getting cancer, etc.

But I try to maintain what Anne Lamott calls a" frayed consignment store faith" which in its wan and pale passion manages to bring a new dawn with new insights each day.

Thank you God for the little things you bring each day to help my heart recover.

Grace (Now)

I would ask my readers today to pray for the family of Stephen Bailey, one of Brandon's best friends, who lost a beloved nephew Connor yesterday in a car wreck. His sister Bailey was also injured and is suffering.

As friends not only of Stephen, but of his parents, I have heard stories of these children (Bailey, Connor, and Hutton)for many years. They are from a wonderful family and are exceptionally bright and talented. Bailey is scheduled to come to ACU next year; Connor was in high school; and Hutton middle school. I grieved for them in my sleep last night, and my heart is heavy today for the path before them.

Please Father God grant your grace (now) to all of them.

Grace (Eventually)

I am going back over the book Grace (Eventually)by Ann Lamott. It is a very funny and provocative book about her take on grace. Her title intrigues me and almost seems blasphemous. But today as David Rubio spoke on two stories in Mark 6, I had an epiphany. The woman with the issue of blood and Jairus's daughter both had to wait for grace--but it came eventually. The woman had to wait 12 years, and the daughter had to wait until Christ finished the woman's healing. Both stories have happy endings as grace comes when God awards it.

Aren't we all in our culture where we want and expect instant gratification too impatient to wait for grace? The old saying, "I want patience, and I want it now!" applies. I want grace, and I want it now!

Of course there are examples of instanteous healings, but more about those who waited--the lepers, the blind man at the pool, Peter's mother-in-law, the demoniac. God could have stepped in the instant they began to feel bad, but He didn't. They had to wait like us sometimes, as Lamott says, and while we wait, we "clog, and slog, and scrootch."

Sometimes we don't know when grace comes. Lamott says that she wishes that "delicate silver bells would ring to announce grace's arrival."
Me too. It is more often in hindsight that we see grace.

One thing is sure for me--Grace does come eventually, and God is consistent and constant in His blessing.

Book Trivia

I love trivia and Jeopardy. Here are some epitaphs of famous writers:

"Steel true. Blade straight." Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

"Quoth the raven, Nevermore." Edgar Allen Poe

"The final condensation" Dewitt Wallace, founder of Readers' Digest

"Free at last, free at last, Thank God Almighty, we are free at last."
Martin Luther King

"I had a lover's quarrel with the world." Robert Frost

Going to the Post Office

About once a week I go to the Post Office in Nolensville, an historic little berg south of me. Nolensville is a town (unlike Brentwood) where women don't step out of their Jags wearing Gucci and carrying Coach. It is a town where people look like me in Land's End shirts and pants and theraputic shoes.There old farm tractors still hold up traffic on the surrounding rural roads. Children can be seen at recess in the schoolyard. The city hall is in a strip mall. The local Sonic is the town meeting place.

But things are changing--is that a Jag at the Post Office?

Just around the corner

Just around the corner from my house, an ancient farmhouse sits forlorn like a lumpy old woman with her slip showing sitting at a bus stop. It is being razed to make way for a new development of condos.

It was a house that saw oilcloth on the table and cornbread browning in the oven. There the addition of running water and an indoor bathroom was cause for great celebration. Model T cars once lined the yard for turkey and dressing on holidays. The wire fence around the yard is lined with daffodils every spring, planted decades ago by a young farmwife wanting to escape the hot kitchen.

The shiny condos that replace it will never see cornbread or oilcloth. They will more than likely have a seldom used "extra" bathroom. The Hondas and Hummers that will sit out front will leave at 6:30 in the morning and return home at 6:30 in the afternoon--too late to plant daffodils.

Some call it progress--I call it travesty--especially if they cut down the forest behind my house.

Summer

The delicious early days of summer are finally here. Those days when the morning is cool and airy and the afternoons are bearable leading into evenings when sitting outside is a must in the cool night air.

I am not a summer person. I hate hot weather. I hate to sweat. I hate those high summer air-conditioning bills. I suppose I could refuse to run the air conditioning--but I refuse to be hot in my own house.

Summer takes on a different face when one is retired. I can no longer look forward to weeks without school and the blessed relief of staying home.

Now the long summer days stretch before me to be filled with family and grandchildren. I look forward to accompanying them to the pool and cooking in the back yard. Still a nice thought.

Welcome, summer.

Miss Potter

Doris Colvett and I finally found a good movie yesterday. The critic called it an oddball movie! If he meant that a movie without sex and violence and full of beautiful scenery is oddball, we have come to a pretty pass in our entertainment. Miss Potter is the life story of Beatrix Potter, the creator of Peter Rabbit. Right away, you see why I liked it.

A gorgeous, old-fashioned movie set around 1902, this story of a lonely single woman who upturns the children's book industry single-handedly and falls in love with her publisher is so good!!!I give it 5 stars. Set mostly in the Lake Country and the Isle of Man of England, the scenery is absolutely heavenly. Miss Potter's creation of Peter and subsequent characters is fascinating. The movie has not received much publicity and was showing only at our art theater The Belcourt here in Nashville. I am so sorry the general population will not even have the opportunity to see the movie.

Peter Rabbit is still the best-selling children's book of all time--more copies than even the Bible.

If it comes to your area, support good movies by taking your friends to see it. It is worth the money and time, believe me. I plan to buy the DVD so I can enjoy it again.

The Ascension

Wednesday night at Vespers we talked about the Ascension of Jesus. I don't remember hearing a sermon on that topic, but to read the Acts account and see the beautiful old art depicting the ascension with angels meeting Jesus and the disciples looking at the men in white (wonder why there were two?) was stirring. Jesus was busy those 40 days between the resurrection and the ascension. Luke says in Acts he presented himself alive to the apostles "in many different settings' ( Message) over that time. I have already written about his cooking breakfast on the beach--but as one reads the accounts, many of the appearances have to do with eating and sharing food.

What a sight it must have been to see Him leave and a shock to see two men in white in his place. Wonder if they had wings? Wonder why they were in white? So many questions, but what a grand occasion!

The Message says that after the sighting, they went back to an upper room and agreed that they "were in this for good." The group included the women who had been following Jesus, Mary his mother and Jesus's brothers. I am sure they had no idea what glories were coming next--Just as we,while continuing in prayer as they did ,have no idea either.

Ain't life in Christ grand!