February 14 – “A Valentine’s Day Eve to remember”

 

 

We got confused not once but twice by things Cailyn said yesterday.  Nathan called and asked if we could babysit while he and April just got out of the house for a while.  They went to a movie.  Sounds like a simple date, but every little step toward normalcy for April is huge to us right now. 

 

So.  Chris told me about an interesting request made of her by Cailyn.  They were sitting on the couch reading books.  At one point, as Cailyn slid down Chris' legs to the floor, she got that "aha moment" look in her eye.  She turned toward Chris and said, "Let's do the toilet, Nani."  Now that's an unusual request.  Did she have to go to the bathroom?  Is that some kind of new dance move?  Chris asked, "What is toilet?"  Apparently it wasn't something that a three-year-old could adequately explain, so Cailyn simply announced that "Andy did it."  Thankfully, she soon realized that Chris just didn't get that one, so she moved on to something else.  Chris didn't forget, though.  When Mommy and Daddy came to pick her up she asked about Andy and the toilet.  Seems they were at a friend's house and the guys would lift their legs into the air so the kids could crawl under the "toll road."  Of course.  "Toilet."  "Toll road."  Close enough.

 

At "nap time" Cailyn and I were in her room "resting."  We read some books, but that did little to calm her down.  She simply wasn't ready to crash, unlike her DadDad.  But I held out gamely.  Suddenly she sat up as if remembering something crucial.  She pushed the little doll-sized rocking cradle over by the bed and started singing to the baby doll.  I didn't recognize the song at all, but I picked out the words "My way," interspersed among "Daddy and Mommy and Cailyn and Nani and DadDad and MeeMaw."  The song, however incomprehensible, was incredibly sweet, and I was captivated.  Until she asked me to sing with her.  I tried "Rock a bye baby," but she quickly nixed it.  "No, DadDad.  Not that one.  Do the other song."  I wracked my brains for another possibility.  Did I mention that I was already quite ready to take a nap?  Not much of a flurry if ideas there.  So I just dove right in with my own rendition of "My way.  My way.  My way.  Nani and DadDad.  My way.  Mommy and Daddy.  My way.  MeeMaw.  May way."  She listened, obviously evaluating, for a time before she cut in with a gentle prodding, "And Cailyn, DadDad."  Of course.  I continued, "My way.  Cailyn.  My way.  My way.  My way."  I guess the baby finally went to sleep out of boredom.  Cailyn put her finger to her lips and told me to "Be berry quiet now." 

 

We finally ended the pretense of rest time when she asked me to dance with her.  How could I refuse?  First I picked her up and started turning in circles, but that was not what she wanted.  She wanted show me some of her own moves.  So we joined hands and twirled and pranced down the hall to some of that granddad-granddaughter music we both could hear somewhere in our heads.  We got "the Look" from Nani when we swept past, but we were by then so taken in our revelry that we barely noticed.  A Valentine's Day Eve to remember.

 

Isaiah 61:11 says, "For as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations."

 

Father, we could use some of that righteousness in our nation.  Maybe the praise will have to come up first.  Amen.

February 13 – “You’re not the only one”

 

 

I went to a meeting yesterday afternoon about the benefit the fire department family is planning for Nathan and April.  They have asked me to be in charge of the funds that come in to make sure it is "kept in the family."  Wow.  That's looking to be a big responsibility as this thing is coming together.  On the 25^th starting at 2:00 over at the Firemen's Union Hall on Heard's Lane (7400 block, I think) they have some amazing things set up to happen.  There's going to be a dunking booth, and both of the key mayoral candidates for Galveston have agreed to take a turn.  That should be fun to watch.  Nathan has even agreed to sit on the block for a while.  There's also going to be a mechanical bull available to ride and bouncy houses for the kids.  Sure hope the weather is nice.  Inside there will be a big silent auction.  I say big because I heard some of the things that have already been donated: a deep sea fishing trip, a stay at the Victorian, tutoring by a schoolteacher, a Texas Rangers autographed baseball (that one looks promising), a Ben Crenshaw autographed plaque, numerous gift baskets, artwork, baby quilts, and the list went on and on.  Tickets are now on sale for the food.  For $10 you can get either a fish or chicken dinner.  And that food was all donated as well. 

 

Nathan was at the meeting and he was almost in tears.  His only words were, "We are overwhelmed."  I was pretty much stunned by the sheer volume of it all.  It was the first time I had seen an expression of love like that that wasn't initiated by a church.  And speaking of church, I was proud of Seaside. They contributed several hundred dollars back when April was still in the hospital that they really needed right away.  The afternoon made me recall another Cailyn-ism.  One day at the dinner table Chris and I told her that we love her.  Expecting the politically correct answer, we waited for a "Love you too," or something similar.  Not so with Cailyn.  There is little that is typical with her.  Her response came back, "I love Mommy and Daddy and DadDad and Nani and April and Nathan."  You're not the only one that loves them, Cailyn.  You're not the only one.

 

Isaiah 61:10 says, "I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God.  For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels."

 

Father, the love you show through the people around us makes delighting in you so easy.  Amen.

February 12 – “Rainouts and rescues”

 

 

We woke up yesterday expecting to go to another of Jachin's flag football games.  We even arrived at the field right on time, a first for us this season.  However, there were no players on the field.  Fortunately, Kel and Christina and the boys were sitting in their car in the parking lot, so we sauntered over.  Alas, once again the game had been rained out.  Except it was a beautiful day.  Not a cloud in the sky.  It was a bit brisk, especially in the wind, but this was after all, football.  The problem was the large lake that had accumulated right in the middle of the field.  Can't argue with that one.  Although that would have been one fun football game to watch.  Kind of like the soccer practice we watched one time in Denver when it was snowing.  Funny stuff.

 

Since the game was history, we moved on to Chris list for the day.  First thing was a trip to the naked furniture store.  OK, it's actually bare furniture, but I like to call it like I see it.  Or don't see it, as the case may be.  She has been looking for a bookcase/curio cabinet to put her Precious Moments figurines on.  And I'm all for that.  They have been boxed up in a back closet since Christina wrapped them all up after Hurricane Ike.  We're not sure which ones made it through without getting broke, so it'll be good to take a peek.  And that will get rid of yet more boxes around here.  We saw some possibilities, and they will make pretty much whatever she wants.  I think she liked the one she saw over at the Amish furniture store better though.

 

I also got started on another of my garage projects.  I began cleaning up an old table that was in my grandmother's house for as far back as I can remember.  It was moved from there to Mom and Dad's back porch when she died.  I thought I would have to sand it, so I did a small area with the only scrap of sandpaper I could find.  I think it has two or three coats of paint on it, but that shouldn't be too hard to remove.  When the sandpaper gave out I decided to try out some of the super cleaner we got after Ike.  Amazingly, the table came out really clean.  I still need to sand before we paint it, because it's glossy paint.  And there is lots of rust on the metal legs, but it's not as bad as it could have been.  Here's why … my Dad painted everything – usually red.  Even his tools.  So his red paint protected the legs a lot.  I wish I had time to do more of this project stuff.  Maybe we'd get our garage cleaned out.

 

Forgot to mention that we went to Home Depot to look at lawn mowers and weed eaters.  Looks like we'll need to buy another one of each.  The weed eater has completely fallen apart.  It still turns, so I'll keep it for getting into hard to reach places, but it really hurts when one of those things smacks against your leg.  The lawn mower is another issue.  I guess it could probably be repaired.  A friend did that for us last season.  I'm sure not any good at small engine repair, though.  I think we may just get another one and give the old one to the guy in our church who runs a lawn care business.  I'm sure he can do something with it.

 

Speaking of church, time to get ready.  I start a class on archaeology today, and it's been a long time since I have waded through that material.

 

Isaiah 61:1-3 says, "The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion — to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.  They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor."

 

Father, please send that Spirit on me today.  And on Kel.  And Josh.  And Dennis.  And all the others who are preparing to speak for you later today.  And not just those who will do it from the pulpit, either.  Nathan, as he cares for his wife and daughter.  Chris, as she struggles to get Mom out of bed and to church.  Christina and Christi, as the work with the little ones.  April, as she heals.  Amen.

February 11 – “A Tiny Table”

 

 

It's cold outside.  Especially for Gilligan's Island.  It was 41 degrees with a wind chill of 32 when I woke up.  After my quiet time and a leisure reading of the newspaper it's now 40 degrees with a wild chill of 30.  That wouldn't be so bad, but we're supposed to go up north into Texas to see Jachin play a football game at nine o'clock.  Nothing like standing around in the freezing wind watching a football game.  That's yet another reason why baseball is superior … it's a summer sport. 

 

Last night I tried my hand at another of the projects in the garage.  This one was a little toy table we salvaged from Mom's house after Hurricane Ike.  It was actually part of a set along with two little chairs.  The chairs were fine.  The table legs broke off and it crashed to the ground.  Well, however much of a crash there can be when the object is about six inches tall.  The table was made by carving a peg end into some branches off of a tree and inserting them into drilled holes in a square piece of wood.  There was glue involved and some tiny finishing nails.  The problem came because the peg ends broke off, leaving the holes clogged with a wood and glue mixture that was nearly impossible to clean out.  The tiny nails blocked the drill I used, so I ended up having to scrape it out with a screwdriver and my carving knife.  Then I had to carve out another peg and figure out which holes matched up.  It was way more of an ordeal than I had hoped.  Chris asked at one point if it was turning into more than I had bargained for.  My first thought was, "The fact that I'm doing this at all is more than I bargained for.  I probably would have thrown it away along with the rest of the stuff.  But my lovely wife wanted to keep it, so here we are."  Nope.  Didn't say any of that.  Just mumbled something like, "Yep.  Sure is." 

 

But as I carved I noticed a little strip of paper glued to the bottom of the table.  It was a note from Mom that explained the table's origins.  It read, "Made by Judge W.N. Stowe for his children & given to me in early 40's.  He was in his 80's then.  He & his wife lived at 1124 37^th & we lived at 3617 Avenue L."  Well, that changes things somewhat, don't you think?  Now it's no longer a random hunk of tree branches glued together to resemble a little table.  No.  Now it's a piece of history, made by a guy who was born around the time of the Civil War.  A guy who lived through the 1900 Storm.  A guy who sat in judgment over cases in Galveston.  Who was this mystery judge?  I googled him and found out that there is some kind of information on him in the Rosenberg Library rare documents room.  Not much else, though.  Maybe one day I'll trudge up there and just see if he made a name for himself in something other than children's furniture.  And maybe the glue will hold on that ornery little table.

 

Isaiah 60:19-20 says, "The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.  Your sun will never set again, and your moon will wane no more; the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your days of sorrow will end."

 

Father, thank you for Dads who care enough about their children to carve out little pieces of history just for them.  Amen.

February 10 – “The Grand Ball”

 

 

Yesterday was the day of the Grand Ball.  I should have expected it since this weekend begins Mardi Gras here in Galveston.  But this one had nothing to do with the parades and beads and floats on tap for the weekend.  In fact this one didn't take any outside preparation at all.  I didn't actually attend.  I just listened as it happened.  Cailyn and Chris were there, though.  It took place in our bedroom.  Sounded magnificent.  Wish I had been invited.  I might just have walked away from my computer for something like that.  I'm still holding out for the chance to dance with her at her wedding.  She told me the other day I could.

 

When the Grand Ball ended they started another game of some kind.  This one required a closet with the door closed, so I didn't hear as much from them about that one.  I did get a few scattered reports from Chris, though.  I know they took turns playing Angry Birds for a while.  Then Cailyn realized that it was actually quite dark, so she asked for a flashlight.  Chris indicated she didn't have one – I'm sure she checked her pockets first.  That didn't deter Cailyn, though.  She immediately remembered that good ol' DadDad had a flashlight ap on his cell phone.  So she excused herself with the command, "You wait right there, 'kay?  Don't move, 'kay?  Just stay right there."  Of course Chris modeled perfectly obedient behavior – always the teacher, you know.  I wondered what she was doing, though.  Shut in the dark closet all by herself, not at all sure that Cailyn would actually return.  Would she get side-tracked?  How long would Chris be able to stand in that small, dark, enclosed, full-of-coats-and vacuum cleaner, (did I mention small?) space?  This is the ultimate in claustrophobic wife of mine who has great difficulty succumbing to an MRI.  I considered delaying Cailyn for a minute or two to see if Chris would escape, but then I decided I really enjoy being married – and being alive – both of which would be in danger of ending had I caused even the slightest postponement.  So I turned over the iphone and she skipped merrily back to closeted confines.  I don't know how long they actually spent in the closet.  Cailyn did return later to ask for permission to use the actual flashlight that stays by my bedside.  That may have been a different game altogether, though.  Maybe they went back to the Ballroom and used it to light up the big disco ball for some retro-dancing.

 

Isaiah 60:18 says, "No longer will violence be heard in your land, nor ruin or destruction within your borders, but you will call your walls Salvation and your gates Praise."

 

Father, that will truly be a great day.  Amen.

February 9 – “A dream”

 

 

Cailyn was over for a few hours yesterday while Nathan went over to the fire station to see about when he would get back into the swing of things at work.  He has a big month-long certification class coming up in Houston that he doesn't want to miss.  And I think he might be getting just a little bit stir crazy.  April was taking a nap, so we got to hang out with Cailyn. 

 

Now Chris had received a gift in the mail right before she arrived.  It was two little Precious Moments tea sets from her really good friend Olivia.  Very tiny pieces.  Very fragile.  The kind that look like they will break if you look at them wrong.  Chris set them up high on a shelf to protect them from tiny hands.  And guess what was the first thing Cailyn noticed when she walked through the door?  Yep.  She grinned at me and pointed directly at the tea sets and asked, "What's that?"  I stayed out of that one.  Chris obligingly pulled them down and the two of them sat on the floor behind me and had one of those proverbial tea parties I have always heard little girls like to have.  Very strange. 

 

After the tea party went on for a few minutes, Cailyn's eyes started noticeably drooping.  Nap time.  That meant I got to take a break from the work I was doing and read a few stories.  It didn't take her long to crash, though.  Me, too.  But I didn't stay out as long as she did, so I returned to the computer.  A few hours later when she woke up it became rapidly apparent that she had been dreaming.  Not a nightmare, mind you.  She called out for me like she usually does, but it was more of a dreamy, I-have-something-to-tell-you kind of a cry.  Sounded very interesting, so I headed back to her room. 

 

Sure enough, she had a story to tell.  She didn't preface it with the expected "I had a dream," though.  Instead she just started right in like it had just happened to her.  Much more exciting that way.

 

As her eyes focused sleepily on the princess book we had been reading before she drifted off, she announced, "I had a wedding, too.  At my wedding I was on the roof with Mommy and I was dancing and wearing a Cinderella dress with big sleeves 'cause it was brrr-y outside."  I tried to pry a few more details from her, but, hey, she's three years old.  That said it all as far as she was concerned.  Besides, she was already on to the next thing in life.  She wasn't sure what that next thing would be, but whatever it was, she was excited about it.  Wish I could consistently live with such a spirit of anticipation.

 

Ephesians 3:20-21 says, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

 

Father, help me to live as an anticipator of your inevitable invasions.  Amen.

 

February 8 – “Aliens and electrocutions”

 

 

Sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction.  Check out this texting interchange between me and Nicole.  Nicole, a friend of Nathan and April's, has been trying to set up a PayPal account so people can donate money online to help them out with expenses.  Let's just say it hasn't been the easiest thing in the world to accomplish.

 

Feb. 4, 2012  10:25 AM

Me: Hi Nicole!  The football game was canceled so when can we do the PayPal thing?

Nicole: Does this afternoon or evening work better for you?  I'm having my car worked on and hope to have it back by 1:30.  I'm flexible with whatever works for u … once I get my car back :)  Sorry for the delayed response I didn't even hear my phone ding.

Me: No problem!  I should be flexible this afternoon too.  Text me when you get your car out of bondage!

Nicole: Deal.

 

Feb. 4, 2012  2:48 PM

Nicole: I came home to a giant hole in my roof right in my closet.  Steve's in duty and I have no idea what to do.  My parents are on their way.  Could we get together tomorrow?  My apologies I just don't know what to do.  I'll be out of church around noon or maybe even this evening.  My entire closet … shoes, clothes, everything soaked and the roof uh just gone in what looks like a 1 ft diameter.

Me: Oh no!  Maybe it was a UFO or a meteorite or something exotic like that.  Hopefully you can at least get a tarp nailed over it like they did after Ike.  We get out of church around noon too.  Just text me and let me know.

Nicole: Thanks Kelley I'll check in this afternoon/evening if I'm able to.  Perhaps if you're free it could work but for sure tomorrow.  Again my apologies … first the car breaks then the house!  Trying to remain thankful that I even have a car and home … not really helping at the moment though :)

Me: Hang in there girl! 

 

Feb. 6, 2012  5:26 PM

Me: So did you capture the alien invader that crashed through your roof?

Nicole: I'm thinking whatever it is stayed in my house.  Yesterday I got electrocuted my ceiling caught fire I then proceeded to drop and break a glass, crushed a light bulb between my hands and 3 picture frames flew off the wall as I walked by and all 3 shattered.  Obviously the Lord has a message or something but I haven't a clue what it is!  I just figured I was better off turning off the phone in case I sent bad juju through the phone.  Lol  Are you free this evening?

Me: I'm not sure I want to be anywhere near you!  Lol  We are hanging out with April and Cailyn while Nathan hangs out at the blood drive.  Be home later on.

 

Feb. 6. 2012  8:05 PM

Me: Just got home

 

Feb. 6 2012  9:31 PM

Nicole: Sorry was at gym how about we talk on the phone tomorrow and I can get it done or u can come up to my office.  Actually Steve's on duty tomorrow and I pick up kids near u I could stop by then.  Whatever works best for you.  Apologies again I'm really not usually such a flake

Me: No apology needed.  You have a hole in your roof and an alien loose in your house!  We have to take my Mom to the doctor in Houston tomorrow.  Can I just text you when we get back and see where we are?

Nicole: Sounds good.

 

We did finally make contact and she got the link to PayPal set up.  It's now available on the TeamApril FaceBook page.  Good job, Nicole.

 

Isaiah 60:1 says, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you."

 

Father, that's a great wake up call.  Keep you glory rising.  Amen.