Tuesday, February 21, 2017

February 21 – “Luke’s alien encounter”

Speaking of out-of-the-blue alien encounters, Luke experienced one yesterday.  Not at all what he expected, but it was indeed quite entertaining for the rest of us.  Here’s how it all began …

We sat down at the table to enjoy a piece of Josh’s middle-child, left-over, half-birthday cake.  At least that’s how he described it.  And sure enough, when Christi removed the cover, there before our eyes was … half of a cake.  It even had three or four candles on it, already used at least once, of course.  He told us not to be concerned.  He was used to these left-overs kind of celebrations ... as the middle child.  That’s my boy.  We sang the birthday song for him.  Sounded a little discordant at first, but then I realized that Josh’s own middle child club representative, Caleb, was belting out the song - in perfect Spanish.  Quite impressive, I might add.  Especially for a middle child.  That’s my boy.

When it came time for Josh to open our present … he had to wait.  Luke had to go to the bathroom.  The Caleb had to take a quick shower.  Poor Josh.  Poor, poor, middle child – forced once again into the background while other things took precedence.  We did finally get back to him.  I think it was Christi who finally remembered him.  So we all gathered once again around the table, and we handed Josh his gift bag.  It was actually an old shopping bag with some brown paper stuffed inside to hide the gift, but I’m sure it was good enough – for a middle child and all.  Luke was standing right next to him as the paper began to be displaced.  And finally the contents edged out of the bag.  It was a life-sized doll of Yoda.  Of course by life-sized, I mean Yoda sized, which made it just about as tall as Luke.  As the creature’s head cleared the top of the bag, Josh twisted his wrist so that the strange being appeared to be looking right into the eyes of Luke.  And the young one with no idea of his Jedi potential was … well … taken aback.  Literally.  His eyes widened to saucers.  He involuntarily backed about three paces away.  He trusted his Dad to protect him, but who would protect his Dad against such an abomination as this?  As Yoda levitated fully out of the bag, Luke slowly, tentatively approached.  What was this monster-in-a-shopping-bag being so frivolously released into his dining room?  Would it harm his new baby sister?  Or worse, would it be allowed into the family?  That would put him … in the dreaded middle.  It’s not often that one so young faces such a disturbing dilemma. 

It took time and a few pictures of his little sister staring down the interloper, but Luke overcame his initial concerns.  The Yoda creature was fully accepted into the fold.  This morning I saw the two of them sitting on the couch together.  Well, fairly near to each other.  I asked Luke who that was next to him, and he responded … well … non-verbally.  He slid off the couch, walked over in front of the wizened old master, and punched him in the stomach.  Yup.  Yoda’s here now.  He’s been punched in.  He’s a Vaughan.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 says, “But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.”


Father, thank you for opportunities to welcome new creatures into the family.  Amen.

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