December 7 – “Morning”

Happy Birthday, Jay.  That's my older brother.  He was always the super smart guy who never really had to study, but wanted to.  He was also the guy who hated mornings when we were growing up.  Well, I'm not sure if it was so much that he hated mornings or that he hated my personal contribution to his mornings.     Hey, I can't help it.  I have always liked the mornings.  As a kid it meant there was a good chance I would get to play some baseball.  And barring that, as in the event of rain, I could at least spend some time rearranging my baseball cards.  And if that ever got done (hey, that's still not done) I could always find good old Jay and torment him a little bit.  That is until he exploded and screamed for Mom to make me shut up.     That was the key, I guess.  I loved to talk.  Or sing – badly.  Or make noises like trucks or trains or hurricanes or baseball umpires calling someone out, which usually resulted in an argument, which in turn usually led to a bench-clearing brawl.  It wasn't easy making all those sounds myself, either.  That's why sometimes I enlisted my little brother Stan to help.  Not that he totally realized what he was helping with, or even that he was helping at all.  Like I said, I just enjoyed the sound of voices in the air, even if it meant one of the voices was of a young child whining.  Ah, bliss.  Noise.    I don't think I had any particular psychological problem that caused me to fear silence.  Although both my brothers, and several friends, and a few total strangers, have accused me of being just a touch more than a little crazy at times.  I don't think those brotherly concerns have waned very much over the years, either.  I don't think they would call me the black sheep.  They just wonder if I am a sheep at all.  That's why they always told me I was adopted, I guess.     I still like morning, though for slightly different reasons.  The main one is: after I get started moving around – always a chore with the arthritis.  Usually takes about an hour – I just feel better in the morning.  I can get more work done between six and eleven in the morning that any other time.  Besides, by the early afternoon I get extremely tired and can't focus on much of anything.  If I can stop and rest for awhile I'm OK the rest of the day.  If there is no rest, there is not much fun.    So give me the morning any day.  Oh, and again, Have a nice EVENING Big Brother.   Revelation 22:16 says, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star."   Father, I for one sure do thank you for the mornings.  That means there is one more of your days that I can live and see what you are up to.  Amen.

December 6 – “Christmas Shopping”

OK.  On Christmas shopping.  I had an appointment in Houston today to have some blood drawn related to my rheumatoid arthritis medication.  So Chris and I decided that since we were headed into Texas anyway, it would be a good use of our time to do some Christmas shopping.  No, understand something here.  Chris has to be in a particular mood to do shopping of any kind, groceries included.  For her to suggest doing Christmas shopping a full two weeks before the big day was unheard of.  She wasn't giddy or anything, but she methodically made some phone calls to the daughters-in-law to get ideas for the grandkids and the sons.  She asked where I wanted to go, and obviously had some specific ideas in mind.   I was in awe.  We finished up at the doctor's office and headed straight to the big Target right across the street from Baybrook Mall.  At least we didn't have to go into the mall, although it was not at all crowded.  And inside Target we went right to the toy section and searched out the specific toys on her list.  I don't want to let the cat out of the bag about everything we got, but I will reveal one of the gifts at the close of the blog today.  I doubt any of the grandkids would see it anyway, but certain of their Daddys are well known for doing all they can to discover what is under the tree before Christmas morning.  So hang in there, boys.    It felt like we were in Target for hours.  Couldn't have been all that long, though.  And I was not at all bored.  It was fun pushing the red cart up and down the toy aisles and sampling the wares.  Eat your heart out.  I will admit that it was a little harder to stay focused in the clothing departments.  And looking at stuff for girls to wear was a stretch at best.  How would I know what looks good?  I didn't even know what color it was.  The book and movie section was by far my favorite in the whole store, though.  Especially when I was able to discreetly escape to another aisle when Chris was offered "help" by another customer.  They spent five minutes or so together looking at "just wonderful little children's books."     We intended to check out one more store before coming back to Galveston.  We decided to grab a McDonald's burger instead.  Chris had to be back in town around 6:30 to help Nathan "take care of Cailyn" while April was in class.  Actually Nathan has strep throat, so it wasn't all that hard to see which of Mommy's babies needed the most care.    I promised to reveal the identity of one – just one – of the presents we purchased today, and now is the time.  Someone put your fingers over Josiah's eyes.  We bought him some diapers.  Hah.  Kel thought I was really going to reveal some hidden knowledge.  Not a chance.  See you Christmas morning.  Or maybe we'll wait until that next Monday or Tuesday when Josh and his family arrive.   Psalms 81:1 says, "Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!"   Father, thanks for being the God of Kelley, too.  Amen.

December 5 – “Discoveries”

Cailyn made some discoveries last night and today.  She ended up spending the night with us because her Mom and Dad went to see The Battle of the Badges.  Galveston's fire department and police/sheriff's department squared off in a series of boxing matches for charity.  Sounded like they made a ton of money for the Boys and Girls Clubs.  Something like $27,000.    We brought Cailyn home with us after Jachin birthday party, and when we drove up she saw our outdoor Christmas decorations for the first time.  The lights were something to ooh and aah about, I guess, but that's not what caught her eye.  When I got her unbuckled and out of the car she went right up to our little lit up outdoor manger scene.  I was wondering what she would do.  It's a Precious Moments thing, so the Joseph and Mary figures are both children with those big old eyes.  She glanced at them briefly.  But she was all about the little Jesus baby in the manger.  She tried to pick him up, but couldn't get very far because it was connected to the light cord.  The whole time she kept repeating, "Baby.  Baby."  That's right, Cailyn.  That was one special little baby.   She went with us to church today and made her second discovery.  A baby doll in the nursery area.  Now she has a baby doll of her own – several in fact.  And that's just here at our house.  But there was something special about this one.  It had its very own sippy cup and its own tiny baby and the grandest thing of all … it had a baby bottle full of milk that disappeared when she "fed" it to the doll.  Amazing.  How do they do that anyway?  And then it refills when you turn it rightside up.    She was absolutely fascinated.  And she also noticed that the baby's eyes closed and opened up depending on its position.  She stared at that silly thing's face like she expected it to start talking to her any minute.  Glad it didn't.  That would have creeped me out.  Smells like a Christmas present to me.   She made one more discovery this afternoon.  Her Mom and dad were over and her Mom asked her if she had seen the train under the tree.  Apparently not, because when I turned it on she was transfixed.  She was kind of scared of it at first.  The thing is really loud.  But she finally came over and sat in my lap and turned it on and off a few times.  She would lean over and watch it disappear in one direction, then whip her head around to see if it would really show up on the other side of the circle.  And when it showed up she laughed that Cailyn laugh from her gut.  I love seeing the joy of discovery in a little child.   Psalms 66:1-2 says, "Shout with joy to God, all the earth!  Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious!"   Father, bring the joy of a child to all of our family, no matter how old we are … or feel.  Amen.

December 4 – “Got ‘em hitched”

We put up our outside Christmas lights yesterday.  We were thinking ahead last year.  They were each tagged to tell us where to put them.  The first ones we picked up said, "Start at plug and East."  Now that's very creative.  But where did we put the plug?  And we also discovered a tree and two of those deer shapes that Nathan and April bought back when they lived across the street from us.  They were packaged like transformers, though.  The heads were folded over into their bodies and their legs were tucked together so that they fit into a regular shaped box.  It was strange to look at.  Stranger to figure out how to put them together.   Jachin had his seventh birthday party today.  I missed the party part because I had to do a wedding in Spring, Texas.  That's about 73 miles away from Galveston.  The groom was just transferred out of state by his company, so they had to move the date of their wedding up.  He was a friend of a guy whose wedding I performed several years ago.  They were talking a few weeks ago and the groom lamented that since they changed their date, they were going to have to be married by a justice of the peace.  That's when my name came up.  He emailed me and we worked it out where I could do the wedding and still be back at the supper following Jachin's party.     The wedding was at the bride's Mom's house out in the country.  Lots of trees everywhere.  The ceremony was in the back yard. Under one of those arches.  Poinsettias were the bush of choice for decorations.  They wanted to do a unity candle, and had already bought one, but had no idea how to do it.  They had the center candle set up with two old red ones lit on the side.  I was figuring on how to explain the symbolism of that when I noticed the two smaller white ones that obviously came with the big one.  Same ribbon.  Same bow.  They were inside, flanking the television set in mismatched holders.  That was all I needed.  I gathered up the groom and the Moms and told them to just follow my lead during the service.  They did a great job, and everyone seemed to love the ceremony.  Either way, we got 'em hitched, as they say.   James 3:17 says, "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."   Father, walk with those two who got married today.  Marriage and moving.  Two of the biggest stressors on the planet.  All at once.  They need you.  Amen.

December 3 – “Turn it to zero”

The refrigerator repairman from Sears came this afternoon to fix the icemaker.  Again.  It has already been replaced with a brand new one just a few weeks ago.  Actually he was supposed to be here yesterday morning.  Never showed up.  I called this morning and they assured me he would be here this afternoon.  The lovely customer service representative on the phones didn't have much of a vocabulary.  I asked if there was a way to register a complaint since we had to sit around all day yesterday and wait.  She repeated, "The system says that the tech will be there between one and five p.m. on December 3rd."  It didn't matter what I said to her, the answer was always the same, "The system says that the tech will be there between one and five p.m. on December 3rd."  Chris wanted me to speak to the lady's supervisor, but I don't think she would have been able to do that unless the system told her to.    The tech finally called and said he was on his way.  Then he made an unusual request.  He asked me if the icemaker was in the door or in the fridge itself.  I opened the door and said it was in the fridge.  Then he asked me to take the bucket that collects the ice out.  No problem.  Then he said to turn the refrigerator off.  I asked him to repeat that.  He said, "On the control panel turn the temperature to zero.  Nothing will spoil or anything.  It will just warm up the inside and make the mechanism easier to take out."  I asked him again, just to verify what he said, "You want me to turn the temperature control to zero?"  He assured me that's what he wanted.  I didn't do that.   See, it seems to me that if you turn the temperature control knob down in an appliance designed to keep things cold, then the appliance will make every effort to get the inside of the refrigerator down to the new temperature, which will be even colder that before.  In fact, to put the control of the fridge on zero would make it the same as the freezer.  Zero degrees farenheit.  I did find a little on-off switch on the actual icemaker unit.  That I turned to off.    Wonder how many people would act out of their confusion and just do what the guy told them to do?  Make sure that what someone tells you is true.  Verify the command.  But to do that you need a reliable source of authority.  Kind of like before doing something stupid, check to see if it meshes with Scripture.   2 Tim 3:14-17 says, "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."   Father, Thank you for giving us a rule book we can count on.  Amen.

December 2 – “Jake”

We had an unexpected overnight guest last night.  As we were getting into the car to go to youth group at Seaside, our dogs were barking like crazy in the back yard.  Chris paused at her open door, gazed around the neighbor's yard for a few seconds, and said, "Oh.  There's the cat.  That's what they are barking at."  Quite an astute observation.  And probably the right motivation for the racket.  But that's not what really got her attention.  Right about then she felt something very small brush past her leg and over her foot.  To her credit she didn't completely lose it.  She didn't really see it clearly, but she saw enough to know it was very small and had fur.  That could be a myriad of beasts, but when she told me, my first thought was a big rat.   I closed my door and scanned the ground.  There it was.  No.  Gone.  No.  There it is again.  Coming right at me.  And I saw the creature clearly in the light from the bulb on the front porch.  Speaking in my best "Come here, Little one, but don't bite me" voice, I squatted down to attempt a catch.  And it came right to me.  It was a huge hairy rat after all.  It was a little Yorkshire Terrier, a Yorky.    He was obviously well-groomed, and my first thought was, "Hey.  It doesn't stink."  I guess that shows the depth of my concern at that point.  We decided to drive around and see if anyone was out looking for him.  Failing that, we took him to the animal clinic on 61st street.  That was marked on his tag.  Of course they were closed.  We called the phone number, and it said not to leave a message, but of it was an emergency we could call another clinic.  Not an emergency.  The little squirt would just have to stay with us overnight, and we would call the vet clinic in the morning.   We took him with us to youth group.  He wasn't too much of a distraction.  We have little dogs show up off and on all the time anyway.  The problem was we didn't have a leash with us, so I didn't want to just let him run around outside.  I finally found an old cable lying around from Gigamo Electronics.  Great name.  The cable was just the right size, so I tied it to his collar and let him roam around outside for awhile before we came home.  He was a popular guy with the ladies.  They were thinking up names for him.  I heard Zak and Sam.  I told them his name was Maher-shal-al-hashbaz.     He did very well with our dogs.  He and Fritz played in the back yard until after ten o'clock.  And he learned the dog door quickly as well.  He seemed to be fitting in with little difficulty.  Until we turned out the lights and went to bed.  We hadn't been in bed but about ten minutes when Chris said, "Our little friend in outside the door."  I didn't hear anything, but I sure didn't want him roaming the house all night, marking territory and tearing things up.  So I got up and went on a hunt.  I walked around the hall first, and didn't see anything.  So I turned on the light in the office, and there he was.  But when I approached him, he disappeared again.  I went in and verified with Chris that he was indeed out.  Then the hunt began in earnest.  I walked around turning on lights.  I didn't want to wake up Mom, so I didn't call out to him.  What would I call him, anyway?  Don't think he would respond to Maher-shal-al-hashbaz.  I got to the den and turned a light on there.  Then I just stood behind the couch waiting.  Wasn't long before the little stinker pranced happily out from under the Christmas tree.  I called him, "Hey you," and he came right over and jumped up on the couch.  I gathered him up and returned him to the dog bed and reinforced the barricade once again.     Thinking that was that, I went back to bed.  But that wasn't that as far as he was concerned.  Off and on for the entire night he barked.  I was surprised Heidi didn't get upset and tell him off.  It was a long night.  I'm glad we have had some practice staying up late with grandkids.     As soon as the vet opened we called.  Interestingly, she said she had just hung up with a guy who lost his Yorkey last night.  She said, You must have Jake."  Sure enough the numbers on his rabies tag were matched up.  She took our phone number and gave it to the Human in charge of the dog.  Not long after Jeff called and thanked us for rescuing his little friend.  Really enjoyed meeting Jeff, too.  He lives right down the street from us.  We have met him a time or two before, but it was great to have another touch point in developing a relationship with him.                                                                                                                        So we grabbed Jake and set off on the adventure's end.  Jeff was glad to have his friend back.      Hebrews 13:1-2 says, "Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."   Father, thank you for our little visitor last night.  Watch over his human, too.  Amen.

December 1 – “Wednesday Club Invasion”

This morning I began preparations for the Christmas services at church.  I already began the Advent series on Sunday mornings, so at least the general topic for each day is pretty well covered.  And I still have some time to craft the Christmas Eve service.  That's one of my favorites, because we have done all kinds of creative things over the years, which also means I have to get extra creative to come up with a new Christmas story.  One of the fun things I try to do at least every other year is write a story that somehow relates to Christmas.  Then while I am crafting the story, I try to carve something for Chris that relates to it.  Then when I read the story – usually at the Christmas Eve service – she tries to guess what her carving might be.  Sometimes it's easy.  I like doing animals.  And one year I did a manger with a little Jesus baby in it.    Chris told me today that she wants to read one of the stories to her Wednesday Club gathering that meets at our house this afternoon.  That meant an intensive search of computer backup files, because I already knew the originals were wiped out by Hurricane Ike.  I found all but one of them.  I was especially disappointed to remember that one of the stories was actually illustrated.  Probably the only time I ever drew anything worth keeping.  Sad.   Going through all those backup files gave me an opportunity to run across my files of Christmas trivia and activities.  We also have a home group Christmas party coming up, so I have to put together a quiz that will stump them.  More research coming.    Amos 4:13 says, "He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth — the Lord God Almighty is his name."   Father, grant that those ladies who came over today will be happy.  Especially the two who are over ninety-five years old.  Wow.  Amen.