Taste and see

Ever since Vespers on Wednesday night, I have been thinking about how sense-deprived the worship was in my fellowship as I was growing up. The theme at Vespers was
"The sense of taste." Matt Hearn did a wonderful job of turning our thinking to that topic, and of making us hungry.

Neither was our worship physical in any way. In my early years in our fellowship, we did sit down after standing (but we only stood up for singing). We did not rise for the reading of the Bible.

We did bow our heads for prayer( a very few knelt--mostly old men). There were no prayer rails on our pews--we didn't even know what they were.

We did partake of communion every Sunday--but it was profane to even get close to thinking that the bread Became Christ's body and the wine his blood. And oh, yes the "wine" was always Welch's grape juice and the bread was always a flat, tasteless cracker.

There were no candles even though "light" is heavily featured as a metaphor in the Bible.

There was no incense. Rather than spices, our church smelled of well-oiled pews and floors and musty songbooks and Bibles.

The only "art" in the auditorium was the "painting" over the baptistry. Rarely was it art in any of the churches in our fellowship. There were certainly no crosses nor icons.

So worship and its surroundings were very plain, unadorned and sense-deprived.

However, things are looking up in some of the churches in our fellowship. We do now stand for the reading of the sacred Word. We clap and move to praise songs. And in churches which have Vespers and Taize services, one sees candles. On Power Point, all kinds of "real" art and icons can be shown.

In our aforementioned Vespers service last week, one of the stations was a table of fruit and cheese and crackers for good communal sharing--and wine in the partaking of communion.We have also experimented with the dipping of bread into wine for partaking.

Thankfully, we are beginning to realize that the worship of God is a wholistic experience encompassing the mind, the body, and the senses.

Rucker funeral

I am so glad I chose to attend Ruth's funeral today. I learned a lot about Ruth and John and their family, about the Otter Creek Kindergarten, and watched four women (strong women like Ruth) conduct the service. Bernie Arnold sang as Ruth had asked her to do many years ago. Pat Ward detailed Ruth's association with OC Kindergarten telling several good stories. Sandy Collins did a wonderful eulogy (again with wonderful warm stories, and Carolyn Maddox told about her family's long time friendship with the Ruckers.

One of Carolyn's stories was about the time Ruth broke the "pants in worship (for women) code. Remember those days when only men could wear pants to church? Even if it was 10 degrees below and the wind was blowing! So glad those days are past.

Otter has been especially blessed to have several strong women who have smoothed the path to the 21st century. Ruth Rucker was one of them.

Freedom Writers

I went to the movie Freedom Writers this weekend and enjoyed it--all teachers and parents should see it. Watch out for the bad language--ghetto kids do not normally say "O, my goodness gracious."

Those of who have been teachers know it would have taken longer in real life than in the movie to turn rebellious, potty-mouthed street kids into compassionate, responsible, heart-stopping readers and writers--but the message is still there: It can be done. The movie is based on a true story.

This movie should be invigorating for sales of Anne Frank and Durango Street by Bonham. The teacher in the movie used both books to great affect in the movie. They are both good books, and I am sure are still being used by teachers strong in the building of humanity's best traits. The students in the movie had never heard of the Holocaust. Their eyes were opened by the Diary of Anne Frank. They were so moved that they raised money to bring the woman who hid Frank to their school for a day of sharing.

The teacher fought administrative no's, collegial envy, and an unsupportive husband to bring her charges around. There were so many scenes in the movie when I wanted to say "Amen!" And, unlike real life sometimes, the happy ending of the story made my heart swell at the idea that a good teacher can change eternity. As Christa McAuliff said, "I touch the future. I teach."

The students actually had the journals they wrote published in a book called The Freedom Writers' Diary.

Go see it, but don't take the young ones.

Sam's Birthday

Today would have been my husband's 74th birthday had he lived. He was born on a Friday the 13th of January in 1933. We would have celebrated it with a meal out with friends or family--so typical of our celebrations when he was alive. He shared the same day with the son of Kaye Price Hawkins (Shane) and we often celebrated together. Another little twist, Kaye's daughter (Hainey) and Brandon were born one day apart at the same hospital in Abilene. And again, we often celebrated those days together--mostly at Steak and Ale in Abilene.

If he had lived, I wonder:

Would he have been gray or bald? Many of the Thomas men did bald early. But Sam showed no sign of it when he died.

Would we have moved to Nashville? Probably--I don't think he could have stood that many miles between him and his grandchildren and son.

Would he have taken to retirement? I think so, because he was always what we called a "piddler"--he could always find something he enjoyed doing, especially outside.

Would he have enjoyed getting older? Yes, his mind was always young. However, if aging brought poor health, he would have hated that. He was always very active physically.

Would we have traveled much if he had lived? Yes, I think so, because he loved traveling--and with all the Civil War history around here, he would have been so interested in visiting every battlefield and old plantation home.

What would his hobbies have been in retirement? I don't know--he always had so many interests--from collecting fossils to growing vegetables, from family history to researching cataclysmic events. One of the lessons he enjoyed teaching was on the volcano Krakatoa.

What would he have done with the internet? I believe he would have loved it and used it to its utmost capabilities. He got in on the earliest use of computers in Abilene schools and was so caught up and amazed by the wonders of them.

What would he have thought about the changes in the church he loves? He would have clung to his conservative frame of mind until he could be showed a broader way by someone he respected. He revered David Lipscomb, Barton W. Stone and the early leaders of the church...and respected their courage in the Restoration Movement.

I do wish he could have known Sheryl, Maddie, Ella and Sam--what joys they would have been to him. And to see his son become a respected worship leader and pioneer in the church he loved would have been heaven to him

Workiing on ladies' retreat

I hve been working on some material for the ladies'retreat I am leading in Abilene Feb 23-24 on Telling Your Story. It is fun to look back at all that material again and to find new nuggets to use.

It was not fun to find that I have lost my copy of Ann Lamott's Traveling Mercies which I use extensively and have all marked up and highlighted, etc. Why, oh why do I lose things? It is becoming the bain of my life. I went to Borders today and, of course, they do not have a copy--guess I will just have to Amazon it and wait a few days for it to come. Boo!!!!

Anyone else my age find that losing things is recurrent at our age?

Fun weekend

Ella's birthday was a blast. It was fun to see the kids stuff their bears, put a heart inside (after kissing it), and then naming their bear for the birth certificate.

Ella looked so cute in her pink boots. I think she liked the baby doll too. We all went to see Charlotte's Web after the party--it was fun and done well. Since there was a narrator, some of E. B. White's excellent writing got into the movie. I did miss Paul Rand as Templeton--he was the best.

Finally rounding up Christmas decorations. I had to go buy another box today--what came out will not all go back in. Why is that? Did the decorations multiply while I was not looking? Virgin birth on the Christmas Tree?

Also got my yearly newsletter out in time to say Happy New Year. One resolution is to buy cards in November and have them addressed before December.

Baby dolls

Today is Ella's birthday. Ella's personality makes me smile--she is warm, loving, sometimes very aggressive and extremely funny! I think she is beautiful and looks the most like Sheryl. In fact, Sheryl has pictures of her at the same age, and the resemblance is eerie. What delightful girl God made in you Ella--please keep the winsome personality and sense of humor--I won't be around to see you as an adult, but I know you will be a God follower and an entertainment to all.

Ella asked me for a baby doll for her birthday, so today I took off for Toys r Us.
I discovered there are dolls for every occasion--dolls who sneeze, wet (Remember when there was only Betsy Wetsy?), giggle, talk, pray, magnetically hold the passy, even go to the potty (No, I did not get that one). The one I got does a few things--but most surprisingly of all, there with it was a box with 5 changes of clothes. There is nothing the girls enjoy more than taking off and putting clothes on their dolls. I think she will like this one. Her party is Saturday.

Thank you God for your gift of precious Ella. She is a blessing to all of us.

New Year's Day

We had a good start to the New Year. The family was orginally scheduled to come to my house, but considering what a late New Year's Eve they all had, I took the food to them: Ben Barnes' Blackeye Pea Soup, turnip greens, cornbread, and apple pie with Blue Bell Ice Cream. I thought it was feast myself. The soup dates back to a second grade teacher at Austin Elem. Debbie Vines 1985. It is one of my favorite soup recipes...still thanking you, Debbie.

I spent the day cutting out paper dolls for Ella, playing Maddie's new video game with her, and clowning around with Sam--can't beat that! We ended the day by watching Elf--how funny it is and profound at the same time. Oh, yes, we also put puzzles together. One that I got for Maddie for Christmas which was rated for 5-7 year olds took Brandon and me a long time to finish! Puzzles are a long time tradition for the Thomases. We used to have a card table set up in our living room holding the current puzzle. (That was before Brandon). Sam loved to decoupage the puzzle when we were done. Some were very nice--works of art.

Happy, happy new year everybody!

Babysitting joy

I got to keep the girls today--what a joy!

The highlight was a new show they put on--it was Away in a Manger tinged with a Sanders'Family Christmas. At one point, Ella was singing Away in a Manger, cradling a baby doll, while Maddie was holding a stuffed star pillow over her head and alternately signing ala June Sanders the words to the song.

I am so glad I am here to experience these times. Thank you, Lord.

Good movie

I saw a very good movie today; Dreamgirls. It brought back some of my growing up music. Based on the Broadway play of the same title, I think it will win many awards come award season.

And Jennifer Hudson!!!How is it that she did not win American Idol? She was on before I started watching the addictive show. Her solo in the middle of Dreamgirls is magnificent and heart-stopping.


I love it when a movie is good. So seldom these days.

Another Christmas come and gone

I hate it when good things come to an end. Why does that always happen? I guess to make room for more good things.

We had a wonderful Christmas although the day was gray, rainy and gloomy, we made up for it in fun.

The gifts (Santa and otherwise) were properly oohed and aahed over, the meal was delicious, and by 4:00 p. m. I was ready to come home and admire my treasures.

The girls and Sam seemed to love the car I gave them--I hope it gives them many hours of pleasure. Christmas without children would not be Christmas. They add so much to the dimension of longing and impatience. Maddie just couldn't wait to open presents on Christmas Eve. She was practically dancing with anticipation. She opened hers very quickly and was disappointed when the opening came to an end. Ella opened hers very deliberately, looking at each item, making it work, etc. Sam just kind of floated through the whole melee playing with paper.

What a day. Loved it. Thank you God for all those fine blessings brought to us by your son and for all the wonderful ones shared by family.

Bikes and skates

Christmases past:

The Christmas I was ten, we spent Christmas Day with my Aunt Jean and Uncle Bud in Abilene. They lived just south of Mrs. Baird's Bread at the top of a little hill.
Not only was the smell of the baking bread wonderful, but the hill provided the perfect place to ride the bike I got that Christmas.

I remember the day well--it was very cold, and I could see my breath as I raced down the hill on my new blue bike. My dad and Uncle Bud were running behind me, shouting, "Pedal, pedal." And then they were shouting"Break, Break." Then I fell the first of many times off my bike. It was exhilarating to know that I was free to ride and roam--about the same feeling when I learned to drive a car.

Another memorable gift was the first pair of skates we each got one Christmas. At that time we were living across from the old Elementary School in Hamlin. The heavy metal skates came with keys, of course--to be used to tighten the skates so they would fit our shoes. We wore the keys around our necks on a cord. There were sidewalks which ran from one corner to the other of our block. Again a perfect place to learn. And I fell many times as we scratched along those broken sidewalks--one had to be very cautious of the cracks where one pour of concrete met another. Stangely enough, many of the kids on the block got skates that year and we raced for hours.

I was trying to tell the girls this week what we got in our stockings--little gifts like quarters, candy canes, oranges and apples and nuts--pecans,walnuts, almonds, Brazilian nuts (but we didn't call them by their proper name), etc. We spent many happy hours on the porch with a hammer breaking open the nuts and eating the luscious meat.

Two more days!

Countdown to Christmas

I kept the girls yesterday--we had a lot of fun playing with the Fisher Price manger scene I had bought several years ago. The girls seem to have a wonderful understanding of all the events of the Holy Night.

I like this poem by Madeleine L'Engle about Advent:

Born Once

Born once.
That's enough.
Jesus was born once,
for us.
That's enough. That's love.
Love is once for all
for all of us.
Jesus will come
He who was once born.
He will come when he will
Love is once for all
For all. That's enough.

from Miracle on 10th Street

Three more days.

Christmases past

One of the things we enjoyed as a family before Sam died was to make candy and deliver the tins to all our friends and neighbors. Sam loved making candy--he made fudge; I made soft peanut candy; and Sam's mother made divinity. Then we stacked them in tins and made our route.

It was also fun to see what Sam brought home the day school was out--he was especially loved by his school community and usually brought home two big boxes full of candy, cakes, small gifts, etc. One year he brought home a beautiful frosted bundt pound cake given him by the PTO president. We decided to save it and carried it to Aunt Ruby's for Christmas lunch. We cut into the cake and discovered that it was made out of cornbread! She was getting back at him for who knows what he did to her. Always up to hijinks that man.

Miss those times.

Only four more days.

Christmas countdown

I love everything Christmas; however, there are some things farther down the list than others.

Wrapping is not my forte--place my packages beside BST and Sheryl's and one can immediately see why. I finished wrapping last night with a big sigh--paper and ribbons and bags seem to cost more this year and are thinner, stringyier (sp) and less usable. However, all of them do make the tree festive.

I had a little car accident yesterday--I hit a Ford F150 truck that I did not see coming around a curve at Pettus Road. It was the same color as the day--grey--but fortunately I did stop at the stop sign and was traveling slowly. I hit his back bumper with my front left. Guess which one had more damage? I discovered that my car is made out of cardboard--He had no damage--just a smudge on the dust. My bumper has a chunk out and all lights are damaged. But I am ok. And the policeman did not see fit to give me a ticket.

Trouble is, I missed Ella's program--the pictures are so cute. Sorry baby, I will catch it next year.

Only 5 more days.

A visit from the Sanders Family

The Sanders family visited Otter Creek again last night. They are staying through Sunday night.

It was so good to see these funny, quirky characters again. As usual, Laura and Brandon stole the show, but everyone else was excellent. The band, directed by Bobbie Colvert was magnificent and the crowd evidently enjoyed the play.

I love seeing my boy act and sing. Whatever the performance, Wylie band half-time shows, speech contests, Sing-Song, Homecoming musicals at ACU, plays at Wylie, Sam and I always attended every performance. We almost knew the lines by heart.

Brandon looked very different sans hair and love spot. It is easy to tell where his hair will be in the next 20 years. The costumes were truly period (World II) costumes. Mama Sanders had on an especially ugly gray dress and hat.

The show is a welcome respite from the stress and fatigue of the season. Hope you readers in the Nashville area can come. Get there early (it starts at 7:00) especially on Sunday night which will probably be the biggest crowd.

A wonderful Tennessee Christmas

I love Christmas in this town! There are so many things to take advantage of.

Sunday night our small group went to Franklin to the end of the Dickens of a Christmas celebration. It ia annual affair when they close off the town square, have booths and people dressed in Victorian period costumes roaming around. There was Fagin, two bobbies (policemen), an old woman in a store window tatting, booths featuring sugar plums (very good) roasted almonds and other delights. A very nice petting zoo attracted the children. I have never seen fluffier sheep...It reminded me a lot of the Art Festival at Perini Ranch in Abilene.

I want to go next year on Saturday so I can take advantage of all the things in the stores and booths.

As the evening ended, everyone on the square was given candles and we strode a couple of blocks to the First Methodist Church for a Town Sing. Beautiful church and lovely music. The music minister had the children present sing Away in a Manger--so sweet.

Wednesday our group is going to YES (Youth Encouragement Services) to help with their Christmas store.

And there are two stations in town who are playing continuous Christmas music. I am SOOOOO in the Christmas mood.

Happy preparations.

Shopping during Advent

We received this prayer at Vespers last night. I think it is worth passing on:

Dear God,

As I look through my gift shopping list, I hold up to you each person listed on it. Slowly, one by one, I ask that the fire of your abundant love burn within each of them. I pray that the gift I find for each person will bring joy into that life.

But, help me to keep a balance this season, Lord. Let me keep my buying in perspective, not to spend more than I need to or can afford. Let me not give in to the pressures of this world and not equate love with money spent. Let me always remember the many, many people who have so much less in material things. Help me to buy wisely, so that my choices will not burden those in other countries who are so deeply affected by this country's economy.

And finally, loving God, help me to find time in the frantic moments of each day to become centered on you. Walking through a store, riding on the bus, hurrying down a street: let each of these times be moments when I can remember your incredible love for me and rejoice in it. Amen

I hope you can make this your prayer too.

p. s. Thanks to all who stopped and helped Brandon and Ella this morning. I am so thankful no one was injured.

Wonder

I can't believe it has been almost a week since I blogged. I have been busy putting up Christmas.

The girls were over here Sunday as we pulled out the tree and the ornaments. It was fun to see their sparkling eyes and hear their exclamations as the ornaments were unwrapped.

Someone has said that you know you are getting old when you have lost all your marvels. I don't plan for that to ever happen to me. H. G. Wells said shortly before his death that his soul was no longer moved by the sight of the stars in the sky.

I still marvel at the stars in the sky and the Creator behind them. And I marvel at the wonders wrought during this season of the year.

Wonder

I can't believe it has been almost a week since I blogged. I have been busy putting up Christmas.

The girls were over here Sunday as we pulled out the tree and the ornaments. It was fun to see their sparkling eyes and hear their exclamations as the ornaments were unwrapped.

Someone has said that you know you are getting old when you have lost all your marvels. I don't plan for that to ever happen to me. H. G. Wells said shortly before his death that his soul was no longer moved by the sight of the stars in the sky.

I still marvel at the stars in the sky and the Creator behind them. And I marvel at the wonders wrought during this season of the year.