Saturday, March 23, 2013

March 23 – “Babe”

I made my first hospital visit yesterday as Galveston Fire Department chaplain.  Appreciated the hospital accepting that title and allowing me access to the fire fighter in the intensive care unit. 

Since I was out and about I made a trip into Texas to do some things there.  Chris had an errand for me to Hobby Lobby.  I made the long run into Houston to pick up my Celebrex prescription.  I also got to swing by the new Sam’s that moved across the freeway from its original location in Texas City.  Pretty big place.  Of course the things we always have to get for the church are located at the far back corner of the store from the front door.  Ah, well.  I needed the exercise.

Then in the afternoon Cailyn and I went over to WalMart to do the grocery shopping.  Always a treat to have a beautiful girl with me for such a chore.  Especially when she is as observant as she was yesterday.  As we walked down one aisle we saw an older lady with white hair in the indomitable afro style.  Cailyn looked at her carefully, and just we she passed us Cailyn declared, “That lady has spikey hair.”  Apparently spikey hair is a pretty unusual thing in her life, because she then exploded into laughter.  Thankfully, so did Spikey Hair Lady.  A few aisles later two young men were stocking the lower shelves from their knees.  One had quite long hair that was fitted into a carefully constructed braid that ran down past the middle of his back.  Cailyn took that one in in an instant and the giggles returned.  She was obviously trying to hold back, so I asked her what was up.  She again exploded in laughter, just loud enough to capture the attention of the Braided Boy.  She pointed at him and giggled, “DadDad, that boy has long hair.  Girls have long hair.”  And to his credit Braided Boy joined in the joke, as did his companion.  I’m afraid he may not have heard the last of that one.  Miss Observant wasn’t through yet.  Another aisle brought some more employees, these with obvious ties somewhat South of the border.  They were having an animated discussion about, well, I don’t know what it was about since they were taking too fast for me to catch many of the words and apply my vast grasp of high school Spanish.  Cailyn heard them, too, of course.  This time she was a bit more pensive before that look of realization spread with the grin across her face.  She made her declaration in a conspiratorial, albeit rather loud, whisper this time, in the true spirit of “eureka, I have found it.”  Her words, though, were a bit different.  “DadDad, did you hear those men?  They were talking Chinese.”  That time the chuckle that burst forth came from my lips.  And fortunately I don’t think the Chinese Fellows heard us at all.  Her comments on life weren’t restricted to the other shoppers, though.  I received one good zinger myself.  She was doing her best to try out the glitter glue, so I calmly said, “Set the glue down and let’s go on to our next thing, Babe.”  She complied with my request, but in her best muttering-just-loud-enough-for-me-to-hear voice she said, “I don’t like that word.  It’s for grownups.”  I took that to mean she was reserving the use of “Babe” for her future husband only.  I’ll try to remember and honor that … Babe.

Psalms 73:28 says, “But as for me, it is good to be near God.  I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.”

Father, thank you for the delightful honesty of a child.  Amen.

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