Chris
was helping in the nursery at church yesterday.
She had, among others, a two-year-old and a three-year-old … boys. Both strong-willed, alpha male children. And both struggling for dominance in this new
domain. It apparently made for some
rather physical altercations. Now, Chris
has been dealing with children of all ages for many years now. Hey, watch it. No need to get personal. We’ve been married somewhat shy of half a
century, and yes, she has been dealing with me and no, she hasn’t been
particularly successful at getting me to grow up. But with other people’s kiddos, she is a
charmer to be sure. So these two little
fellas decided to test the waters. A
kick here, a punch there, a shove as you walk by – all the typical little boy
expressions of “love thy neighbor.”
After one such exchange, Chris spoke to the offender, calling him by
name to make sure she had his attention, and then adding that time-honored
epithet, “Use your words, not your hands.”
Briefly puzzled, the youngster thought for a moment or two, then replied
in his absolute best singing voice, “A-B-C-D-E-F-G …” That, my friends, is one of the best replies
to an adult admonition that I have ever heard.
You, my young friend, are eternally in my Hall of Fame.
We
took a road trip after church. Well into
Texas. We attended a reception for some
good friends Kenny and Lauren, who were just commissioned to be missionaries to
Alaska. On the way we kind of took turns
noticing things. What Chris saw – The Leftovers
Antique Store. What I saw – A big ol’ chicken
statue standing outside the Rancho Ba-something or other. What Chris saw – Lavender field tours. What I saw – The Texas Cotton Gin
Museum. What Chris saw – The Round Top Antique
Vintage Craft Fair. What I saw – The Old
Burton Road Repair Shop. What Chris saw –
The Saddlehorn Winery. What I saw – “Are we there yet? I’m tired.
I’m hungry. I got go potty. Are we there yet? Why?”
What I saw – The Wendish Museum (What
in the world is a Wendish?). What I
saw – The World Headquarters of First National Bank … of Giddings, Texas. What I saw – The Sherwood Forest Faire. What I saw – Old Potato Road. What I saw – The sign: “This ain’t no museum. This junk’s
for sale.” What I saw – The Elgin
Hogeye Festival (Not at all sure what
they do there, but I think it might be the source of the derogative, “in a pig’s
eye”). What I saw – The Annual
ChooChoo Fest in Coupland, Texas. What I
saw – In the town that is the home of the High School Hutto Hippos, with monstrous
hippos painted on their city water tower, and a smaller than life-size hippo
statue very near the football stadium, a simple street name that caught my eye …
Legends of Hutto Drive. I can only
imagine who might live on that street …
And
you wonder how our vacations can be so … so … entertaining.
2
Peter 3:18 says, “But grow in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and
forever! Amen.”
Father,
be with Kenny and Lauren and their kids as they begin their journey to
Alaska. Keep them all healthy on the
trip. Amen.
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