August 14 – “Lock – in”

The time for waiting was past.  The time for return was upon them.  And now, as well, was the time for farewells.  And gratefulness to all who aided the poor band of displaced wanderers.  For throughout their extended stay, the Queen and her family had been doted upon by the comrades of her son, who had cared for them with deliveries of mass quantities of fruit and indeed entire meals.  Not to mention the play areas designed just for the young ones.  They appeared instantaneously and disappeared almost as quickly.  "Driven by the wind," they explained, and assured us that no witchery was involved, only obedience to the Great Master and love for the Queen and her family.   But the graciousness had not concluded.  The assistance had only just begun.  As the wagons were being prepared for the long journey of return, another pulled into place near the son's castle.  And such a wagon, of shiny blue and filled already with supplies of every ilk – not so much for a trip, but necessities for life in the devastated areas once called home.  "Nay!  Not 'once called'," insisted the Queen.  "Instead understand that the castle remains our home as long as we are on Great Island.  It may not look as it did before, but we must remember how it once was so that we may work toward making it what it will become."  Ah.  Such wisdom.  A powerful thought for a life as well as a castle, don't you think?   And so they departed, sadly leaving behind their beloved pets and the Queen Mother, herself, under the protection and care of those who had already so encompassed us with their love.  The road seemed longer than it truly was, for time and time again they struggled to create in their thoughts some image, some idea of what to expect.  And time and time again, the image escaped them, for there was no connection, no frame of reference, nothing that could compare with what they would find.   That'll take some revisiting.  I'll get to it.   Cailyn stayed over for a lock-in last night.  I used to call it a sleep-over, but so far she hasn't done all that much sleeping when she is over.  So I decided to stop expecting it.  She fell asleep on the floor next to me around 8:30 or so.  The Astros were still playing.  And winning.  After the game I picked her up and gently placed her in her bed.  Mom wanted to leave on every light in the house, but a quick text to Dad stopped that idea.  And so she slept.  But any who thought she was down for the night were gravely mistaken.  This was but the nap before the storm.     And the storm hit around midnight.  She cried out, confused and disoriented.  And how could I not go to her?  She was away from home.  Nothing looked familiar.  And when I arrived she held on tight.  I tried to return her to the bed, but she would only accept that end if I came with the deal.  She patted the bed and said, "Night.  Night."  So.  You try to resist such unfair temptation.  What grandparent would want to?  I took her into our master bedroom and sat her on the bed.  And thus began the lock-in.  She talked and bounced and laughed and patted and even lay down a time or two.  She fell asleep around 4:15 or so.  And so did I.  Around 5:00 I was awakened by a thunderous thud from her side of the bed.  Sure enough, she slid off the bed.  I scooped her up and hugged her close, but she didn't cry long.  I eased out of the bed after staying awake watching her for an hour and a half.  And there she stayed until around 8:30, when she bopped into the office with a grin and a deep-throated chuckle that said, "OK.  The world may begin now.  I'm here."  She attacked life as she always does and lived it to the fullest until Mommy and Daddy arrived to pick her up.    Thus endeth the lock-in.  Now I plan to read some.  Take a nap.  Maybe check out FaceBook.  Take a nap.  Go over the teaching for tomorrow.  Take a naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa   Want to know the life verse for those who truly enjoy lock-ins (The real kind.  With teenagers and activities and grumpy sponsors)?  It's Psalms 132:4 – "I will allow no sleep to my eyes, no slumber to my eyelids."   But  Jeremiah 31:26 says, "At this I awoke and looked around. My sleep had been pleasant to me."   Father, thank you for the precious time with Cailyn last night.  And with Zak and Caleb.  And yesterday with Jachin and Micah and Josiah.  Certainly my sleep – and lack of it – has been pleasant to me because of the blessings you have given me in those dear children.  Amen.

August 13 – “Bewhiskered Blogger”

And the days passed and became weeks.  We all ached for home.  Yet we knew from our regular reports that the safety of the Queen Mother in particular demanded that she stay away.  Two weeks.  Then three.  How much longer could the Good Queen remain apart from her palace without knowing its condition, without some idea of what she could do.  For the Queen was never one to rest easily.  No, even on journeys away from the castle in the best of times, she concerned herself with the well-being of children and others before considering her own desires.  And so it had been there in the Fields of Mann.  Side by side with the young princesses she scrubbed and washed and cooked and served.  She held court in their stead when they had need to be away.  And she frolicked with the young ones when it was necessary for them to build a great, tall tower or indeed to tear one down or perhaps to slay the huge dragon threatening the tiny villages they had constructed.   But that time was coming to an end.  The messages from Great Island were more and more optimistic about return.  The displaced monarch and her entourage waited with bated breath for the final release, the final proclamation that would allow them to return to the land they loved.  But what did that look like now?  Was home still home?  Would it even be possible for them to stay there?  What supplies would they need?  For they were certain that the stores of food had long since been washed away or destroyed by the cruel combination of the Passage of Time and the voracious Muggy Offensive Lingering Disgustingness.   The time for waiting was past.  The time for return was upon them.  And now …   I guess now I'll talk a bit about my day.  I had a boatload of emails to wade through from the three days I was gone.  We are preparing for the big grand opening of our new building on the 22nd.  Sounds like it will be quite a party.  Worship service in the new building.  Food after church service.  Bouncy houses and playground for the kids.  Presentations and recognitions and thank you's and ribbon cuttings.  Invitations (consider this yours, whoever you are, O mystery reader of the Bewhiskered Blogger).  It's also mere days before school is scheduled to start.  That means hiring teachers (we still need one elementary) and enrolling students (we could sure use at least six or seven more in grades Pre-K through 9) and setting up classrooms and … that's enough.  Too much to talk about right now.   Just found out Cailyn is coming over to spend the night.  Nathan called from the pool to see if we could keep her. That means she'll probably be worn out when she gets here, unless she takes a nap first.  Either way, I hope she's up for an Astro's game.  That's where I plan to hang out here in a few hours.   Ephesians 1:3-4 says, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight."   Father, I do praise you and recognize you as Awesome Creator.  I can't help but think that you'd have to be to choose me to be holy and blameless in your sight.  Amen.

August 12 – “The flying corn husk”

It was the first time we gathered with believers at the massive center for worship in the far off Fields of Mann.  Unsure.  Discouraged.  Depressed.  Hopeful.  Frightened.  Worried.  All were emotions we carried forth bravely on our shoulders, yet none braver than the Queen herself.  She stood proud and strong amidst the turmoil churning inside her, always just below the surface, but always, as well, firmly under control.  That is until the choristers burst into song.  A song about trust and hope and confidence in the One who cares and provides.  It proved to be just a bit too much.  As the song continued I wiped the fresh dampness from near my eyes and gazed at the face of my Queen.  And there on her cheek were tears. Silent tears.  Slowly falling.  Unrestrained, yet oh, so dignified.  I placed my hand in hers and together we silently resolved to face our uncertain future together under the watch of the One Who Rules Even Queens.   And that's enough of that memory byte.    I have discovered once again that there is a fine line between "I don't care" and "I'm OK with whatever God brings to pass, really."  I desperately want the second to be what's inside of me.  But I found it kind of depressing being the "other guy."  I really didn't belong in San Antonio with Josh and his family, especially with Chris not there.  I sure didn't fit in with Chris and her parents in Bay City.  Our house doesn't even feel like home right now.  We haven't been it long enough after the storm for one thing.  Making sure Mom gets cared for is another.  Which is really not about Mom at all.  I don't mind it.  She sure took me to enough baseball practices and games.  It's really about Chris not being here.  I just plain miss her.   I was is one such reverie on the way home from Bay City yesterday.  Whining to myself and to God about one thing or another.  Figured that was the safe place to do it.  As I began to refocus on my surroundings, I noticed an object floating gently through the sky.  Too close for a UFO.  Too big to be a fast flying ladybug.  And it floated so gently, so majestically.  Back and forth.  Side to side.  A sudden, but not so sudden dip.  Then a graceful swirl.  That's the word.  Graceful.  It was so calming.  Beautiful blue sky.  Swaying object looming larger and larger as it neared the windshield.  But I didn't even notice the rapidly diminishing distance.  I was fascinated by the object.  Now long and just slightly bent near the center.  A dip.  Now but a speck in the vastness of the sky.  A swirl.  Now long again, perhaps a bit longer than before.  Time seemed to stand still.  Nothing else mattered but the swaying of the object.  Cruise control is a wonderful invention.  The road was perfectly straight.  The car's alignment was right on target.  And the object was so … graceful.  Back and forth.  Closer.  Dip.  Closer.  Swirl.  Closer.  Closer.  Closer.  Splat.  And with the splat I was shaken from my trance and threw my hand in front of my face.  Of course one hand remained on the steering wheel.  Even let out a muffled cry, though who would have heard an unmuffled one?  Ah.  The One who set the mysterious object to flight in the first place.  The One who heard my whines and no doubt with a grin and a chuckle in a way only He can grin and chuckle, Father-God sent me – from the vast storehouse of his creation - a flying corn husk to meet me where I was – driving on a country road amid fields and fields of corn – and let me know that the important thing in life is not where I am or what I do or even who is or is not with me at the time.  The important thing above all else is that Father-God wants to be relating with me – all the time.  It wasn't a burning bush, and it wasn't nearly so dramatic as leading Israel out of Egypt.  But for me, for that exact moment in time, that flying corn husk showed me that God was riding right there beside me.  And just "sittin' in" with Him is way more important than fittin' in anywhere else.   Psalms 8:3-4 says, "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"   Father, thank you for sending me that flying corn husk.  Forgive me for needing to be swatted in the windshield in the first place.  Help me trust you.  Amen.

August 11 – “I stew you”

"Everything," the anguished young prince whispered, "is covered by that hungry, pitiless residual enemy that remained after The Flood to begin a destructive path of its own.  It's the dreaded Muggy Offensive Lingering Disgustingness."  Yes, virtually everything the queen owned was covered or at least touched by The Dread.  The simplest of clothing and the most regal of tables and dining chairs and fluffy pillows and irreplaceable pictures and precious little knick-knacks from royal travels and the beds handed down from queens of generations past and … "everything, dear Mother," finished the prince.  "Oh, and one other thing," he added apologetically.  "I have no place to store the items you deem worthy, so your choices must regrettably be few, and the size fairly small, for they must fit into my transport vehicle.  It is all I have."   Devastated by the shocking news, the queen could have responded in anger and lashed out at her dear son.  She could have responded in despondency and fallen into the depths and darkness of depression.  And she could have been shocked into simply doing and saying nothing.  But no.  Not this queen.  Indeed she felt the rage against the creeping Disgustingness.  Indeed she was deeply saddened at the loss of every practical tool for running a household efficiently, not to mention the collections of curios representing years of fondest memories.  But this queen – our Queen – took a deep breath, closed her weary blue eyes, and began to picture the castle and grounds as she remembered it.  And she slowly came to a heart wrenching conclusion.  "The paintings," she answered.  "Do what you can to rescue the paintings done by your grandfather, for they were high on the wall and will certainly fit in your space."  Simple.  Direct.  Focused.  In the face of turmoil and destruction.    Now don't misunderstand me.  Tears did come.  And often.  In fact I remember the first time they flowed, silently trickling down those royal cheeks.  It was …   OK.  I need a breather.  Someone asked me the other day if I was making this up as I went along.  Well, in this format, yes.  One of those loosely based on a true story things.   Chris texted me before I left San Antonio.  She told me to say hello to Zak and Caleb.  They just happened to be sitting at the table with me, so I delivered the message.  Christi asked Zak what message he wanted to send to Nani.  And his reply has become my new all time favorite tidbit of randomness.  "Nani, I stew you."  Me, too, Chris.  I think.   I stopped by Bay City on the way home and ended up having to rearrange furniture.  A hospital bed was being delivered.  That was a big step for Chris' Mom because she saw the as the final evidence of giving up.  They final convinced her to do it by agreeing to call it a day bed instead.  They were making all kinds of plans to decorate it to look like a couch.  And she issued a warning to anyone who dared call it a hospital bed.  They would get thumped.  Guess who was the first culprit?  No, not me.  Chris.  But she was standing too far away to get thumped.  But when she least expects it …   Psalms 51:15 says, "Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise."   Father, I know that one sounded a little different when the priest used to say it back at Grace Episcopal, but I was a kid then.  And I didn't even know it was from your word.  I have learned a lot since then.  Not done yet.  Amen.

August 10 – “A Night with DadDad”

For nigh unto three weeks after The Storm those brave Protectors who stayed behind worked tirelessly day after day, night after night, trudging from the simplest of houses to the grandest of castles to mercantile establishments, yea even to the piles of rubble that now dotted the landscape of Great Island.  Their task was a simple one.  Seek out survivors and rescue them or discover those who had not been so lucky, and deliver them to the appropriate venue.  It was not a happy task, but oh, so necessary.  Message after message arrived from the youngest prince imploring his mother, and the entire clan to remain at safe harbor for "at least one more day."  In fact the emergency governing body who had remained on Great Island through The Storm issued a decree banning reentry for any who were not directly involved with the rescue or cleanup effort.  It was difficult.  For all of us had questions.  What about those in our care?  Dear friends?  Beloved neighbors?  When would we be allowed back in?    And what of our lands, our castle?  Was it habitable?  Was it even standing?  Word from a friend on the Enforcer team indicated that it was indeed standing, but a nearby tree had split asunder and crashed against the walls.  When the young prince was finally able to reach the site, he affirmed the Enforcer's report and added one of his own.  "What, dear Mother, of your precious belongings, would you like for me to save?  Sadly, it cannot be much," he explained.  And then, no doubt filled with further agony, he added, "and it must be those things that were located just above your eye level, for … everything was … everything is …"   Well, it was time for me to earn my keep today.  Josh and Christi went out and good ol' DadDad kept the boys at the hotel.  All by himself.  Without Nani.  Well, without Nani in person.  Believe me, she got about a hundred texts.  Started harmless enough.  They left us in the lobby eating some Chick-fil-a stuff.  That came to an end when the boys realized Mommy had handed me a bag of cookies.  So w each had a cookie or two, then adjourned to their room.  It didn't take long for Zak to figure out that DadDad thought jumping from bed to bed was pretty cool if you could do enough to get style points.  Course that meant Caleb had some ideas, too.  He particularly enjoyed landing in the huge pile of pillows.  I did get a picture or two of Zak.  When he realized what I was doing he said, "You better not show that picture to my Mommy.  Then she'll know I was jumping."  OK.  That was my first clue that they might have received other communications from their parents.  Oh, well.  Too late.  The rest of the night was kind of a blur.  It went something like this: Juice break.  Caleb answered the hotel phone, "Hello.  Hello."  It didn't ring.  More jumping.  "Let's go swimming, DadDad."  "Wait, let's see what's on the TV."  Little League World Series play has begin.  Texas East is up by 9 over Colorado.  Caleb has the built-in video game remote.  Channel changes when he pushes a button.  Great fun.  Zak jealous.  He just pushes buttons at the TV.  DadDad turns it off with the remote.  "Let's take a walk."  Strap Caleb in stroller.  Outside.  Back inside.  Back outside.  Up the elevator to the top - 6th floor.  Look out the windows.  Down to the first.  "Again, DadDad."  Back to the 5th floor.  Down to the first.  Back to the 6th.  Walk around on the 6th.  Back to the bottom. Walk around the bottom.  Watch the elevator go up and down.  Walk has now lasted ten minutes.  Into DadDad's room.  There's the movie.  Stuart Little 3.  Watch for at least five minutes.  Back to their room.  Caleb starts fussing.  Zak starts jumping.  Jumping entertains Caleb and he stops crying.  "Go Zak."  Astroboy takes on Ironman in a competition of superstrength.  Astroboy loses miserably.  Guess who was Astroboy.  Caleb opens and closes all the drawers.  Caleb finds the remote and walks around pointing and shooting at everything.  Suddenly everything gets very quiet.  Boys playing with cars.  Mommy texts to see if all is OK.  Of course.  She would call now.  Not long after Caleb brings me the three clean towels.  One at a time.  So I build a tower.  He admires my work for a second or two, then takes them back to the shelf.  One at a time.  Caleb returns with the unopened roll of toilet paper.  The outer paper cover falls off, so he throws that in the trash can.  Zak sees what's happening so he unrolls the paper across the length of the floor.  A few times.  Then he starts decorating the room for a superhero party.  Toilet paper everywhere.  Caleb breaks through one of his streamers.  DadDad senses an impending crisis, so he begins to step in.  Zak says, "It's all right DadDad."  And starts again.  Happens twice.  Zak decides that it's time for a toilet paper fight.  We throw toilet paper at each other for awhile.  Caleb watches in amusement.  Then Caleb realizes that there is a mess on the floor so he picks up all the paper.  All of it.  Every scrap.  And shoves it into the trash can.  Then he returns to opening and closing drawers.  Until he closes his fingers into one.  The crying has begun.  And it's dark outside, so Mommy and Daddy are bound to be coming soon.  We turn the lights out and Zak explores the room in the dark while Caleb and I watch in amazement.  Finally he announces, "It's OK.  I can see everything."  Caleb decides he needs a snack.  Light on.  Movie back on for picnic.  Picnic ends all crawl into same chair to watch movie.  Mommy and Daddy finally get home.  Zak runs into the wall and bumps his head.  Not on my watch.  Whew!   Ephesians 5:19-20 says, "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."   Father, fill my heart with your music.  I keep hearing other tunes.  Amen.

August 9 – “A Blow”

But, alas, it was not to be.  For The Storm proved too strong, too cunning, too overwhelming for the castle defense and the meager forces left behind to hold back.  The wind indeed ravaged some.  But alas, it was the waters of the flood surging ahead of The Storm that recognized the renowned Great Wall that had arisen years before following an earlier, most devastating attack and crept around behind that mighty defender. bursting through from behind.  The entire Great Island was dealt a crippling blow.  Only those lands nearest the Great Wall were spared the wrath of the Flood, though many even there were touched by the winds and torrents of The Storm, itself.   The lands and castle of the Queen were, sadly, no exception.  It took days for official word to reach the queen and her court in the far away lands of safety.  And the word that arrived was a bitter blow to the heart of the Queen, for all of her lands and those surrounding, had been blanketed – not with a pristine layer of peaceful, pure white snow like that of the rare Christmas Eve Mini-blizzard several years ago – no.  Instead the covering was deep and dark and salty and foul-smelling.  The raging waters had finally subsided, but it left in its cruel wake devastation, ruin, and the beginnings of a danger some would say grew to be even greater than the storm itself.    The hungry, pitiless residual enemy that remained to begin a destructive path of its own?   I'll figure something out.  Maybe tomorrow.  I left Bay City around one o'clock today to drive down (or is it up?  Maybe over?) to San Antonio.  Chris was going to try to come, but she really needed to stick close to her Mom.  When I left Bay City I thought I had a route picked out that would get me there with little fanfare and maybe some scenery.  On the way out of town I called Chris to tell her I missed her.  She asked about my route, so I told her best I could remember.  Actually I had stopped at WalMart and bought one of those Texas map books.  Anyway, when she heard my plans she immediately … well, had some of her own.   She said my way would take way too long.  She even asked her sister who has driven the route several times, and she, of course, agreed with Chris.  I attempted a feeble rebuttal, because I had no idea one way or the other.  Guess which way I went?    Her way turned out to be kind of fun, though.  One stretch in particular caught my attention.  The speed limit was 70, and most of the landscape looked the same.  Gigantic farm implements that surely must have secretly been transformers dotted the landscape.  I drove through Danevang and right on into New Taiton.  What happened to the old one?  As I approached the next town the speed limit dropped from 70 to 55.  And I entered Nada.  Spanish word for Nothing, if I'm not mistaken.  There was something there, though.  Ned's Place to be exact.  That's about all.  Back to 70.  The next town obviously had to do better than Nothing, so in Garwood the speed limit dropped to 45 so you wouldn't miss the hunting club.  Out of Garwood and back to 70.  Just as I was chuckling at the one-ups-man-ship, I came to a stop sign in the middle of nowhere.  And there to the right in beautiful downtown Altair was … The Blue Goose Restaurant.  I think they received the benefits of Garwood's hunting club.  I didn't feel very hungry.  I finally made it to interstate 10 and got into San Antonio with no problems.  Maybe I'll try that other way on the way home.   Philippians 2:8-11 says, "8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!  9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."   Father, Jesus, you are Lord to the glory – all the glory.  Amen

August 8 – “The Storm … One”

Happy, that is, until The Storm.    So powerful was the threat of the approaching tempest that the queen ordered all who were in any way connected to her realm to evacuate to safer grounds in the far away Field of Mann.  The eldest of the queen's three sons had but recently established a residence of his own upon the Greater Island.  His loving helpmate joined him with their two young sons, and they had indeed begun to carve out a quest to become advisors for the Master among the Healers in Training at the renowned Unique Training for Misery Betterment facility.  They agreed to follow the queen in the evacuation.  So, young ones, animals, and even my own dear mother agreed to leave her aging castle and join in the exodus, racing against the time when the massive onslaught of nature would occur.   Now, the second of the queen's sons was questing in the area of the Field of Mann, and had obtained lands and a castle of his own.  His chosen fair maiden stood proudly at his side, and together they had a son and a burgeoning flock of disciples upon whom they entrusted hard-earned knowledge of the Master and to whom they gave guidance in the trials of life.  They most graciously opened their castle and lands to the displaced crowds, for family, you see, is a very strong tie, indeed.   Only the youngest son of the queen remained behind.  This youngest , the baby of the clan.  Ah, but certainly valiant in his own right.  Known even as a young one for taking risks and finding ways to place himself in danger, he had found a personal quest to match his inner urge for adventure.  He had become a Protector, one who stands in the face of danger in the place of others who must flee.  No, he was not an Enforcer, though the Greater Island did indeed have an Enforcer Cluster.  Instead he had joined ranks with the Watchers, those who scan the realm for sign of calamity, be it fire or injury, and rush to the scene to render what aid they can.  The Watchers, and indeed all of the Protectors, had been enlisted to stay behind and seek to protect the realm as much as possible during the storm.  It was with a truly heavy heart that the good Queen left her son and her lands behind.  But all of us were certain that the days would only be few until we were once again at home in the joyful Land of the Sycamore on the Isle of Galveston.   But, alas, it was not to be …   OK.  This could get addictive.  It's kind of fun, but doesn't really fit as a blog entry I don't guess.  Oh, well, we'll see what tomorrow may bring.   Today I head for Bay City after church.  Chris' sister and the niece who lived with us for awhile are visiting from Virginia.  It will be good to see them again.  Chris' Mom has several more places on her swollen leg that are seeping fluid.  That can't be good, but she seems to be in fairly good spirits.   Tomorrow I head for San Antonio.  I'll be playing nanny for Josh and Christi.  I'm keeping the boys while they go to a meeting there.  It was going to be a quick getaway for Chris and I both, but she is not going to leave her Mom overnight.  At this point there just isn't anyone else who can handle the level of care that has become necessary.  But that's OK.  She's getting some valuable time that she would never have otherwise. And I told her yesterday that we would have other San Antonio's.  She's in the right place.   Psalms 95:3-5 says, "For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.  4 In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.  5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land."   Father, this verse just about covers it.  Depths, mountain peaks, sea, dry land.  Wow.  Amen.