June 7 – “Anniversary Report”

Well, I guess we can chalk another year into the record books.  Of course it was a memorable day.  Every day with that woman (that would be my lovely wife) is memorable in one way or another. 

We started our special day out with an exchange of gifts.  She gave me a brand new pair of hedge trimmers.  Our last one got bent, I assume from me trying to clip something too thick and hard for its blades.  These look like a step up from those and just under the electrics.  Yes, I am pleased.  My gift to her was a carving I did.  About the only description I can give is that it is the first ever 3D Visual Verse style expression of sentiment.  I included a note to help with the explanation, of course.  You’ll have to ask her what it means, though.

We had several ideas to choose from as to how we would spend our day together.  We kind of boiled them all down to Moody Gardens new pyramid attractions or a movie.  Sorry, Pharaoh, Wonder Women wins that one.  That makes the second movie I have seen this week (one was just one of those TV filler flicks) where my study of Greek mythology for the sermon last week (Paul in Athens) came in really handy.  It’s hard to keep all those Greek gods straight.  Too many of them.

After the movie Nathan and Cailyn came by to see us.  He was delivering my new fire department uniform pants.  I haven’t decided if they fit right or not, but they are way better than the extremely tight ones I have been wearing.  I’m sure I can put up with them until I start to lose weight again (if I start to lose weight again).  Cailyn brought us a card she had made for our anniversary.  Great picture she drew inside entitled, “Fishing with your graddater.”  She knew the spelling was off, but she said she “just didn’t have enough room for the real word.”  The picture was of me and Chris and Cailyn at the water’s edge, hooks in the water.  Treble hooks.  That girl is a true fisherman. 

We went out to eat for a late lunch/early supper.  Chris said she would be happy with Whataburger or Sonic.  We finally settled on Shrimp and Stuff.  Can’t go wrong there.  Popcorn shrimp all around, thank you very much.

Last night Chris went to her ladies Bible study at the church.  I stayed home all by myself and watched the Astros on TV.  Well, I watched them after I snuck out and picked up a bunch of yellow roses.  She didn’t notice them right away, but she seemed to like them when she did.  Hey, roses are roses, right? 

She told me all about the first night of Bible study before we settled in to watch the rest of the game together.  Well, she didn’t make it through the whole thing.  She was kind of lucky, I guess.  The Astros’ closer gave up a game tying single in the bottom of the eighth and a game winning home run in the bottom of the ninth.  I quietly closed up the house and turned off most of the lights before waking her up and getting her into the bed.  She said this morning she doesn’t remember much of anything past the Astros being ahead 7-4, much less the, losing the game.

So … that was our 42^nd anniversary report.  It was a good day.  And now back to the real world … we have no land line, which means our internet is out.  Guess I’ll wait until after eight and make that call. 

Hebrews 12:15 says, “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled.”

Father, thank you for a really good day with my favorite wife … the one and only one that you gave me.  Amen.

June 6 – “Happy anniversary, Chris!”

Yep, today is our anniversary.  Forty-two years.  Not that anybody is counting.  But I heard somewhere that remembering the number is important.  Maybe not as important as remembering the day …

I spent my preparation for anniversary evening working.  I went up to the church and put up the new signs we ordered.  We replaced our handicapped parking sign that was falling apart.  Fortunately, all I had to do was adjust the binding straps on the pole a little bit.  We also got some signs that say “Drive Thru” with an arrow underneath.  They will designate one of the areas under the retreat center as a pass through lane.  Hopefully now it won’t get blocked by parked cars, and people will be able to get to our back parking area when the front lot is full.  Parking … great problem to have, I guess, but sometimes quite annoying.

After the signs were hung I joined Jim.  He was desperately trying to get a coat of primer on the handrail up the ramp to the retreat center.  We constantly strive to hold our own against the dreaded “Rust Attack” that is a constant threat here on the Island.  We got the entire first level of the ramp primed and ready for the coat of industrial black paint we have on hand.  There are still a few strips that we have to replace and weld in, but that is a skill we have to locate among our Seasiders. 

The group now staying in the retreat center is a music camp.  The kids stay all week and work toward a final concert on Friday night.  Seasiders were invited to the concert as well.  I had to walk through the room where they were gathering for their evening worship time.  I was greeted with whoops and hollers when the camp director introduced me as the host pastor.  I’m not sure I looked like anything more than a creepy old janitor at the time, but I really appreciated the gesture.  I think we are going to go to the concert Friday night at 5:30.  Hey, come on out.  It’s open to the public.

Song of Solomon 4:1 says, “How beautiful you are, my darling, how beautiful you are!  Your eyes are like doves behind your veil; your hair is like a flock of goats that have descended from Mount Gilead.”

(OK, OK.  Not exactly the imagery I would have selected, Chris, but Solomon was a pretty smart guy …)

Father, be with those youngsters as they prepare for their big concert.  Give them a great week.  And thank you for at least the 42^nd time for that amazing wife you blessed me with.  Amen.  

June 5 – “that stuff”

We had a really good day at church yesterday.  In spite of all the rain we had over forty people attending.  A lady approached me during the praise time to say she wanted to join us as a Seaside member.  She was already a believer, so we took care of welcoming her after the service.  Once folks started leaving, I was blessed with a haircut from our resident hair stylist.  She cuts hair after church, and whatever you would pay at the salon, you donate to the church.  Love her creative ministry.  I’ll probably say that after every haircut.  And finally, after the cut, Linda, the brand new Seasider, invited a group of us to join her at Nate’s, the West End’s local restaurant.  It was a great way to spend time with friends and get to know each other a little better.  We did decide that a round table would have been more effective at encouraging conversation, though. 

After Nate’s we stopped by WalMart to pick up a small gift for Noa and Josiah.  They were finally having their birthday party.  About a month after the fact.  On two different occasions one or the other of them came up sick the day of the scheduled event.  Both made it just fine this time.  The weather had been really bad all morning, so what was intended to be a nature-themed park party became an inside the house, circle games kind of event.  I don’t think any of the kids minded, though.  They all seemed to have fun.  And cupcakes.  And ice cream.  There was that, too.  The older boys joined me and one of the other Dads in watching the Astros game on TV (No sound, of course.  Didn’t want to interrupt the partying).  Everything went pretty well, until someone checked the local radar.  A massive thunderstorm was moving towards us, threatening to dump boatload of the wet stuff any second.  With two outs in the bottom of the ninth.  The exodus was immediate, and we joined in.  Being caught once in that stuff (a while back at a baseball game) was more than enough for Chris. 

And “that stuff” was really ominous.  We worried that a tornado was struggling to escape from within the dark, jumbled mass of rolling black clouds.  I took a few pictures.  I was going to go up on our deck when we got home and take another one, but though better of it, since the rain was already falling when we arrived.  Hard to get photographic evidence of something you are in the middle of.  The rain continued off and on all night, and it greeted me again when I woke up this morning.  Sigh.  I really hoped hurricane season would hold off yet another year.  But we are watching a spot that formed in the Gulf.  Welcome to our Tropical Island Paradise. 

Hebrews 12:14 says, “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”

Father, we do ask for protection again this year from the worst of the stormy weather.  Amen.

June 4 – “Twister”

Chris and I went on an Art Walk date last night.  Well, I guess you could officially call it that.  We walked around the entire Galveston downtown corridor.  At least two and a half miles.  Probably a lot more.  Probably more like seventeen or eighteen.  And we did stop in one particular gallery to see the work of a guy who has attended Seaside.  We’re hoping it was the right one.  Actually it was the only one we could find with art by a guy named John.  His work was pretty good, too.  He does realism, so everything was recognizable.  He likes cars, too.  Great details. 

At one point in our stroll we came across Tower One, the big ladder truck from station one.  It was extending the ladder to unfurl an American flag for a celebration of some kind.  Always impressive to see Galveston Fire Department at their finest.  Nice job there, Jesse and Brad.

Our primary focus, other than each other of course, and maybe an occasional check in with the Astros, was on a different kind of art than the painty kind.  We started and ended our journey at the Peanut Butter Warehouse.  That’s where our church praise team was performing a vast array of music styles from just about every genre.  And they were really good, too.  Nice job, Jim and Dale and special guest fiddler for the first time in performance with the team, Corey.  Folsom Prison Blues.  Beatles stuff.  Even my personal favorite, The Twist.  I couldn’t help but join in on that one.  No, I didn’t sing.  The next best thing, though.  I danced.  Twisted like crazy.  I wasn’t alone, either.  All over the building I could see people spontaneously bursting into that wild and crazy gyration.  And then when Chris and I left (Hey, I had to get home and come up with a sermon), they broke into the song again, so I can honestly say I was dragged twisting out of the building by my wife.  Ah.  It’s been a long time since I last embarrassed a date.  Brings back memories. 

Hebrews 12:12-13 says, “Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.”

Father, thank you for date nights.  Fun stuff.  Amen.  

June 3 – “The Playground Equipment Caper”

We began the hands-on research phase of our quest to purchase some new playground equipment for the church.  That, of course, required our special consultant and team member Cailyn.  She was with us for a few hours yesterday, so it was the perfect opportunity to check out the company just up the freeway in League City. 

Now this was our first foray into the hands-on research phase, so we had to remember that our discoveries here were not necessarily final decisions.  There are other companies.  But this particular company was Texan owned and operated.  That was certainly a plus.  And the close location of their showroom was also in their favor. And our consultant dove right into her task when we arrived.  She tried out the monkey bars (her favorite) and the trapeze bar.  She climbed the rope/climbing wall.  She rested in the covered gazebo.  About the only thing she didn’t do was try out the slide.  But how different could a slide be, anyway? 

Meanwhile Chris and I got the lowdown on prices and styles and changes.  That’s when we were hit with “the news.”  As soon as I mentioned that it was for the church, so there would be no tax, the salesman changed his entire approach.  He went from “my grandparents that are buying systems tend to like these features” to “Oh.  Well, IF the  owners agree to sell you a set after investigating your property using satellite photos, then you would have to buy this institutional set over here.”  It was basically the same set-up, but the wood was much thicker, with stronger bolts.  It would have been my first choice anyway, but I didn’t know there was such stringent requirements that the owners would have to call a board meeting to decide whether we passed muster before they would approve the sale.  And then there was the matter of material on the ground beneath the structure.  Before they would approve the sale we would have to create a “playground footing” that provided a six foot perimeter completely surrounding the structure, bordered with “architectural material” (read here, landscape timbers or railroad ties) that rises to a height of nine inches.  Then that area would have to be filled to a height of nine inches with playground mulch.  Only then would they agree to install the equipment.  And, again, all of this was also contingent upon whether the owners liked what they saw when they investigated the church property.  Whew.  Talk about covering their bases up front.  We did finally get an actual price from the guy.  Including the monkey bars and wooden roof (as opposed to canvas) we requested, as well as a $199 installation fee, the cost of the equipment itself came to $4386.  No idea how much the mulch filled “footing” would be.  So … I figure if we do the work ourselves, we can probably cover the cost of the mulch and landscape timbers.  As far as the actual equipment goes?  I foresee more pancake breakfasts in our future.

Hebrews 12:11 says, “All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.”

Father, give us wisdom and patience to get this playground thing done right.  Amen.

June 2 – “Welcome to Hurricane Season”

So … June 1 – the first day of hurricane season here on Galveston Island.  And what should appear just off our coast?  Not a full-blown hurricane, but a clear low-pressure system, a rain-maker that, given a few more weeks of hot weather and/or a faster approach of the cyclone remnants racing across Mexico from the Pacific Ocean, could have become something to really worry about.  The season is definitely upon us.  Waco … I hope our hotel room is prepared to receive guests at a moment’s notice.  Or at least some open floor space.  We can live with that.

We did have a day of rain yesterday.  Lots of it, in fact, as the system rolled across from the Gulf.  Not thunderstorms, though.  Just a steady, all-day, off-and-on rain.  We picked up Cailyn from school.  She had an early release for the last day.  Dad was on shift and Mom had a class in League City to attend, so we drew the winning hand.  Since it was her last day, and since she came out with a few very special awards, we wanted to do something special for her.  Oh, the awards?  She received the Principal’s Award for making straight A’s all year.  She also received an award for having top grades in behavior all year.  Straight A’a and E’s.  That’s worth an acknowledgment, don’t you agree?

We let her choose.  Anyplace she wanted to go for lunch we would take her and treat her to whatever she wanted to order.  How’s that for an offer?  I could feel my wallet getting lighter and lighter as I contemplated where she might pick.  Gaido’s?  Nah, Probably safe on that one.  Salsa’s?  Now, that one was a strong contender.  Shrimp n Stuff?  Hey, a guy could hope, right?  Whatever she chose, we were prepared to grant her a great big, grandparently “Yes.” 

Drumroll here … and she chose … Whataburger.  Yep.  She wanted some chicken strips with their white gravy to dunk them in.  Nothing fancy for that youngster.  Gotta love that girl.  She received another surprise, too.  Her Mom finished her class and was able to meet us at Whataburger for the celebration.  Hurricane preview and family gala.  Welcome to June in Galveston.

Hebrews 12:10 says, “For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.”

Father, thank you for the rain.  Thank you as well for the non-hurricane event.  And thank you for Cailyn’s great school accomplishments.  Amen.

June 1 – “You had five …?”

I have a new favorite baseball player name.  No idea how to pronounce it, because the sound was turned off on the TV.  Here it is … Austin (good Texan first name) Bibens-Dirkx.  Yep, that’s it.  I looked at it twice on the back of his uniform.  Welcome to America, Mr. B.

Speaking of baseball, we went to Jachin’s last game of the season last night.  They played one of the Galveston teams here in town, so we didn’t have to drive into Texas.  The game didn’t turn out so well for the Hitchcock boys, but kudos to them all for a good season.  They even played through a brief rain.  Guess it’s time for the proverbial cry to begin … Wait until next year.

While at the game I had a conversation with Noa.  Here is part of it for your enjoyment pleasure.

Noa: “Hey, DadDad, I was here once before.”

Me (Foolishly assuming she meant the last time Jachin had a game on this field): “Oh, you have been here?”

Noa: “Yes, Silly.  My kids were here with me.”

Me: “Wait.  You had kids?  How many did you have?”

Noa (Holding up fingers): “Five.”

Me: “You had five kids?”

Noa: “Yes, but, well, only three or two of them were playing baseball on the team.”

Me: “Ah.  And what were the others doing?”

Noa: “One was playing soccer.  And one was playing softball.  That’s because she was a girl.”

Me: “Ah.  And girls play softball.  I get it.”

Noa: “And her name was Cailyn.”

Me (Just nodded at that one.  Of course, her older girl cousin is named Cailyn, and she plays softball)

Noa (continuing): “And Cailyn was very angry.”

Me: “What?  Why was Cailyn so mad?”

Noa (Gingerly placing her fingers to her lower lip): “Well, you see, one of her brothers was playing rock tackle with her and he threw a rock at her and he hit her right in the mouth with a rock.”

Me: “Oh, no.  Did she have to go to the doctor, or was she all right?”

Noa (Dropping her head and looking particularly sad): “Hospital.  She had to go to the hospital.”

With that, the story abruptly ended.  She danced merrily on her way to the next thing, playing on her Mom’s iPhone and jabbering to her other grandmother.  I certainly hope the docs were able to take care of young Cailyn’s mouth.  Gotta love the life and times of a three year old little girl.  So dramatic one moment and so carefree the next. 

Hebrews 12:7 says, “It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline?”

Father, thank you for Noa and her crazy imagination.  Be with Jachin and his teammates as they start getting ready for next year.  Amen.