November 29 – “Family Connections”

It took me pretty much all morning, but I made it to all the fire stations yesterday morning with my meager deliveries of fried turkey.  They all received it quite graciously, even those that already had quite a spread ready.  I started around 8:30 or 9 I think, and finally got back home just before noon.   That was after stopping by to pick up Cailyn.  She didn’t want to miss the big feast she has been talking about for weeks, and she ended up spending the night with us.  Her Mom and Dad were both sick.  Nathan officially had strep throat and dutifully made his trip to the doctor since he goes on shift today.  April was still recuperating from her episode the night before.  Nathan had plans for her to go to the clinic this morning.  We’ll see what that outcome is when she comes to get Cailyn. 

I was struck for some reason by the differences among the stations in how they were spending their well-deserved down time.  There were varying amounts of food at the different locations.  Smoked turkey.  Hams.  Casseroles.  Some had plans for families to join them for lunch.  One station was working on a big Barbeque lunch, preferring to save the traditional turkey and dressing for their home experience the next day.  Another had their own turkey fryer going.  They were providing turkeys for some folks at UTMB as well as for their lunch.  I thought my meager offering would get lost in the shuffle there, but one of the guys took what was going to be just a taste, and after his fourth or fifth return visit to the bag, he ended up getting scolded for eating too much.  I don’t remember what was playing on TV at the first station, but since I was noticing differences, I paid closer attention after that.  And it was different in every place.  One had the Thanksgiving Day parade going in its full glory.  At one two guys had appropriated the TV for a rousing game of Madden football.  At another all four guys were glued to the set watching Burn, a special where a video crew follows an actual fire department in Detroit.  They assured me that it would a better show to watch for reality than Chicago Fire.  “That a soap opera” was their summation of the Hollywood version.  One station was taking in a basketball game, and the final one had the James Bond movie Thunderball showing.  It was fascinating to realize that with all the widely varying difference between them, these guys could come together as one unit when the alarm sounds and work in tandem to get the job done.  Quite impressive.

Kel and his family were already at the house when we got back.  The kids started playing and went non-stop until they left last night, breaking only for a brief time to gather in the kitchen.  All of us held hands in a circle and prayed, thanking God for the feast, but of course also remembering poor old sick Uncle Nathan and Aunt April, and the absent Uncle Josh and Aunt Christi and Zak, Caleb, and Baby Luke.  And as we sat around the table, Chris asked each one what was one thing they were thankful for.  Amid the inevitable practicality that comes from any gathering of youngsters (Wii’s and toys and video games), a distinctive common element quickly became evident: Family.  After all, these holidays are all about family, whether they be through blood connection or through the extended, I’ve-got-your-back, my-life-is-in-your-hands, fire-fighter kind of bond.

Galatians 6:9-10 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

Father, thank you for my families.  What an incredible blessing you have given me in the three I am connected with: The connection by blood – my mom and wife and kids and grandkids.  The connection by the Spirit – your Church.  And the connection by service – the fire fighting community.  Amen.

November 28 – “Galveston Fire and Rescue Turkey Appreciation Day”

Well, we made it through turkey frying day with no fires or serious burns or trips to the emergency room.  That is, if you don’t include whatever it was that caused April to pass out last night.  Or should I say early this morning.  Nathan called at around 2:15 to say he was having trouble waking her up after she passed out on her way to get him some Tylenol.  Chris immediately headed over to their house.  April was awake and talking by the time she arrived, though.  We’ll have to watch her a bit closer than usual today.  After her close call in the hospital, we all still get a little jumpy whenever anything out of the ordinary happens with her.  She’s a special one.  And she is much-loved around the Vaughan clan.

So back to the turkeys.  I got the pots going by around 7:30, so they were ready for the first turkey in about 45 minutes or so.  Nathan and Cailyn got here to help, so I didn’t have to do much of the heavy lifting.  That combined with standing up all day is what really wears me down.   I still did the standing thing, though.  And I sure felt it by the time we went to bed last night.  I was plenty sore.  Not so bad this morning, though. 

We ended up frying twelve of the birds.  I think that’s a new record, too.  I can only remember doing ten before this year.  There is a reason for the madness, though.  We usually freeze the meat from at least five or six of them and use it throughout the year for any recipe that calls for chicken.  Fried turkey and dumplings.  Fried turkey enchilada pie.  Fried turkey and shrimp gumbo.  Fried turkey pot pie.  Fried turkey sandwiches.  Fried turkey and vegetables soup.  You name it.  Fried turkey is quite effective.  We also usually send one turkey home with each of the boys.  That only comes to eight or nine, though.  So what about the other three or four this year?  The answer to that will be my morning this morning.  It’s also what I was talking about in the blog title today.  I appreciate all the turkeys who work as fire fighters.  No, wait.  That's not it.  I’m planning to divide up some of the fried turkeys six ways and take it to the fire stations here in Galveston.  We have always sent one to wherever Nathan is working, but he is actually off this year for the first time since he’s been working for Galveston Fire and Rescue.  It’s also my first year as chaplain, so I thought I’d make a quick run to each station before everybody starts arriving here for lunch.  It won’t be much, but maybe each of the guys on duty can get a sandwich out of it.  Gotta make sure these guys know we appreciate them being the ones to run toward burning buildings so we can run away.  Be safe, Galveston fire fighters.  Happy Thanksgiving.

Daniel 3:24-27 says:

Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, "Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?"

They replied, "Certainly, O king."

He said, "Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."

Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!"

So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

Father, as you watched over those three Hebrews in that blazing furnace by walking with them, so walk with our firefighters as they enter the flames voluntarily.  Grant them safety.  And be with their families as they are separated on yet another holiday.  Amen.

November 27 – “Satsumas and ‘Merikins”

I played the farmer the other day and did some harvesting.  Our Satsuma orange tree in the back yard had about three dozen of them hanging on for dear life.  It was getting cold, so with Chris’ approval I picked them all and brought them into the house.  A week or so ago Mom’s friend Betty brought us some that she had picked from her tree.  They were fairly small, about the same size as the ones you get in the grocery store, and they tasted really good.  Ours are about twice that size.  In the realm of satsumas, they are apparently an anomaly.  Only problem is, I can’t say they have a good taste.  Can’t say they taste bad, either.  Maybe it’s just me, but I can’t taste anything.  It’s like drinking a glass of water in a restaurant when they have dropped a lemon slice in the glass without squeezing it.  There is a faint citrus-y after taste, but just not much of anything going down.  Oh, there are a few that have been fine, and I hope the ones that Christina and April took were some of the good ones.  Otherwise, sorry, girls.

I’m kind of rushed for time this morning.  I started the fires for frying turkeys today, and the grease actually got too hot.  Never a good sign.  The temperature died down fairly quickly, though.  I guess the combination of a cold turkey being dropped in and the thirty-seven degree weather outside had something to do with that.  Gotta keep an eye on them, though.  My fire watch fireman isn’t here yet.  Nathan and Cailyn are coming over.  He’s going to help me with turkeys and she’s going to help Chris bake some pies for tomorrow’s lunch.  Something about a feast that she’s been learning in school.  Pilgrims.  She wants to be a Pilgrim girl when she grows up.  Indians.  Well, she has been very careful to refer to them as Native Americans.  She brought home a little tepee they made, and I asked her if that’s what the Indians lived in.  I was soundly corrected.  “Not Indians, DadDad.  They were Native ‘Merikins.”  Of course. 

Well, I’m off to check the Native ‘Merikin turkeys.  Where’s my coat?  It’s cold out there.

Psalms 119:32 says, “I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.”

Father, thank you for the free heart you gave to me.  Help me to give it away just as freely.  Amen.

November 26 – “Turkeys, Who, and New Words”

I went to WalMart yet again yesterday for what I think will be the last of the turkeys for our frying frenzy tomorrow.  I learned that the earlier you buy turkeys, the better your chances of getting one the size that you want.  Our fryers can only hold up to a fifteen pounder.  Yesterday they were restocking all the turkey bins and not a single one was under nineteen pounds.  In fact most of them were over twenty-two pounds.  I guess they figure large families will wait until the last minute.  Or maybe they plan it this way to make a few extra dollars off of the procrastinators.  Either way, it wasn’t looking good for that final turkey until I happened to walk by the poultry section where they have all the chicken parts.  And there, right in the very middle of the chickens, was a tiny section filled with turkeys.  Not Butterball, mind you, but they were just the right size.  I selected a fourteen pounder and called it good for the day.  Or for the season, I suppose.  I picked up the other things on Chris’ last minute list without too much trouble.  Except for the tiny bottle of nutmeg.  That took me and another husband to locate. 

We also found the original Doctor Who series from 1963 on Netflix.  We ended up watching all of season 1.  It was all one episode with those continued next time cliff hangers in each one.  Actually funny stuff.  Some things were strange, though, having watched some of the newer series.  This guy had a granddaughter.  I thought he was an alien.  I like the younger doctor better.  Plus there are much better graphics now.  The tiny little cardboard Tardis scene was hilarious.  Now, the preview for the next episode that begins season two was revealing.  Daleks.  Even in 1964.  And they are fighting with Winston Churchill to win World War II.  What is this world coming to?

Let me end with two of Cailyn’s best made up words lately.  She found some stickers with American flags on them, and asked Chris if she knew what they were.  Being the canny Grandmother that she is, Chris responded with a question of her own, and Cailyn answered, “Oh, Nani.  It’s the “Knighted States America.”  And there you go.  With one turn of the phrase, all U.S. citizens have been recognized by the queen of England.  I for one am proud to serve.  The other Cailyn word happened this morning before I took her to school.  She found a small bottle of something on my desk and asked me what it was.  Ever striving to be the helpful DadDad, I replied, “It’s some of that stuff you put on your hands to kill germs.”  She shook her sadly, looked at me with just a trace of pity in her eyes, and noted, “DadDad, don’t you know?  It’s called “Handsitizer.”  Ah.  Of course it is. 

Psalms 119:30 says, “I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.”

Father, again I marvel at the creativity you place in the minds of little ones.  Amen.

November 25 – “Commitment takes risk”

Yesterday’s Kids’ Sermon was a taste test.  I had portions of five different foods scooped into small containers and numbered.  The five children present each picked a number and then had to agree to taste whatever was in their numbered dish.  They all assured me they were “good tasters,” and their Moms assured me they weren’t allergic to anything, so we continued on.  The chocolate pudding was a definite winner.  Kiara had that one and returned her container with a distinctive ring around her mouth.  The vanilla pudding guy, Adrien, I think, made short work of his as well.  But neither of them put it away quite like William.  He had a portion of apple pie filling that disappeared in a heartbeat.  The pumpkin pie filling went fairly quickly as well, but Matt thought it might be carrots.  The only one who didn’t finish his “snack” was the one with the sweet potatoes.  Andrew said he did like sweet potatoes, but I guess the fact that the consistency was something like, well, baby food had something to do with his restraint.  Fortunately, some folks brought in donuts while we were talking so I encouraged his Dad to let him have one of those big chocolate-filled ones as a reward.

They were all great sports, though, and the point of the lesson was Jesus’ explanation to his detractors that the reason they didn’t understand his teachings was because they refused to “taste it.”  But he didn’t just mean give it a try and if it works you’ll know it’s true.  It was a lot more than that.  He said they had to buy into the doctrine enough that they risked placing their whole trust in God.  Commitment does take risk. 

I was pretty beat by the time I got home from church, so I dozed through much of the Texans football game.  This has not been a good weekend for Texas teams all the way around.  Aggies.  Baylor.  Texans.  At least the Cowboys managed to pull one out. 

John 7:17 says, “If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.”

Father, thank you for making a relationship with you worth “tasting.”  Amen.

November 24 – “A stirring in the chilly night”

We had a bit of a scare last night.  Around three a.m. Chris suddenly jumped up and literally ran from our bedroom.  Groggily, I opened my eyes and realized there were lights on all over the house.  That could mean only one thing.  Mom was up and had been up for a while.  Now she is a fall risk, so we don’t leave her on her own at any time of day.  You can understand Chris’ sense of urgency, then.  I finally gathered my own wits about me and started to get up to help out, but I heard that calm assurance in Chris’ voice as she gently directed Mom back toward her room.  Once she got her settled and returned to bed she told me that not only were the lights on all over the house, but she had found Mom at the front door, sweater on, with the door open.  In fact, that’s what actually woke her up: she heard the front door opening.  Now I don’t think she would have gone outside.  Mom is not one for being in the cold anywhere, any time.  But Chris was a bit shaken up by the whole experience.  Usually we can hear Mom when she gets out of bed.  It’s pretty creaky by design.  Maybe that was her first stop, spraying some WD-40 on the springs.  Either that or the heater may have been on at just the right moment to drown out the squeaking.  I guess we are in the market for one of those baby monitors as a second line of audio-defense.  We could put it under her bed to amplify the creaks. 

We used the old shift trick yesterday.  I went by myself to the Moody Church craft fair.  My goal was to check out the used book sale they always have.  Not that I particularly need any more books.  But it is always a plus to save some and keep them from being trashed.  I picked up a copy of Screwtape Letters, always a classic.  I also got a Bible study guide on Romans.  And I may or may not have found a Christmas present possibility or two.  I did get a few children’s books.  One of them I read last night.  The Time Garden.  Kind of an odd tale about some children who can rub bits of wild thyme together in their hands and travel in time.  Get it?  Time … Thyme.  Funny in places.  Unexpectedly gruesome in one spot.  Not sure what his target age-group was, but I would say ten or twelve.  Definitely had an English flair to it, but I think it was first published in Canada. 

Our evening was spent huddled on the couch watching college football.  Yes, we saw A&M lose.  Somewhere in there Chris lit up our only fireplace log leftover from years past, so our fireplace or Franklin Stove or whatever that thing is called, was a hub of warmth against the chilly, wet, nasty stuff going on outside.  We even saw much of the Baylor loss before we went on to bed.  Sad day for Texas sports, indeed.

Zechariah 14:6-9 says, “On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost.  It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime — a day known to the Lord. When evening comes, there will be light.  On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.  The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name.

Father, thank you for waking us up when you did.  And thanks for watching over Mom.  It is comforting to remember that she is already in your care.  Amen.

November 23 – “Chief Wisko”

On Thursday I was invited to be at the Galveston City Council meeting where interim Fire Chief Mike Wisko’s appointment as permanent chief by the city manager was slated to be confirmed by the council.  He follows retired Chief Jeff Smith after having served as assistant chief. 

The crowd was amazing.  There were over fifty people in attendance just for the confirmation, so they placed it at the very beginning of the session.  I was sure glad they did, too.  As it turned out, the meeting itself lasted for nine hours.  Quite a marathon.  Several engine crews came in uniform.  Mike’s family was all there including his Dad, Willie Wisko, an ex-fire chief here in Galveston.  Fire Chiefs and representatives from departments in Beaumont, Freeport, Bryan, and Santa Fe were all there.  The Bryan Chief spoke to the council, thanking them for the assistance given them by the Galveston Fire Department after several of their fire fighters were transferred to UTMB and stayed in the burn unit for months.  The Galveston department adopted the men and their families, taking care of whatever needs came up during that time, including lodging and transportation.  The affirmation vote by council was unanimous.  Quite a feat, if you have any knowledge of Galveston city politics. 

After the confirmation we went back to the fire office, where Chief Smith asked me to gather the folks together and let Mike’s Dad speak.  Everyone cooperated fully, and it was good to see that Dad getting the chance to brag on his boy.  I decided to become an emcee of sorts, and gave anyone the chance to add their words of encouragement as well.  Jeff then proclaimed that he was proud as well, but the most impressive thing he added was a reference to scripture – how special it was for a son to be honoring his father and mother.  Chief Wisko’s aunt had a story to tell about the antics of the older Chief Wisko, and several others spoke kind words.  It was quite an emotional experience for the new chief.  I did get a chance to pray for him after the good words and ask for God’s blessings on him.

After that we headed over to Rudy and Paco’s restaurant for lunch.  My first time being there.  I had some very good fried shrimp.  Two of the guys near me had the meatloaf sandwich.  Never saw one like it.  Thick slab of meat with mashed potatoes on top and a big pile of onion rings on top of that.  Had to have one of those really long toothpicks to hold it in place.  I may have to pay that place a return visit.  I sat near two retired chiefs, so I was quite entertained with some good stories during the meal.  Some brought goose chills and others resulted in boisterous laughter.  It was a good time of celebration, and I was honored to be a part of it.  Congratulations, Chief Wisko.

Psalms 119:25 says, “Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.”

Father, walk with Chief Wisko as he carries out his duties.  And protect all of those under his charge.  Amen.