OK!....Sure!....Just don't tell Mommy. It will be our secret, alright? ...Anyway, what's wrong with chocolate chips for breakfast? Or Lunch? Or dinner? ...Oh, I see....Bacause you have all ready had ice cream? Well, that was just your snack...Not to worry...And, hey, look at those pretzels...There's another alternative if we want to add something healthy...

Glad my kids don't know anything about this.

Emmie....No!... Oh no, Emmie, we don't do that...We don't open the door while we are traveling down the I75...Now WHY didn't I think to autolock the doors before setting out?

A funny little memory that popped into my head a couple of days ago...Don't think I have written about it before...

I am ten years old and Mom has just bought a record player that comes with forty free records! It arrived in the mail and we have had such a good time listening to them all. My favorite is "Follow the Swallow" (back home)...

However, the real fun began when Laura bought one of her first ever records - The Bristol Stomp...

Kids in Bristol are sharp as a pistol when they do the Bristol stomp
Really something when they join in jumping when they do the Bristol stomp
Ohhhhhh oooooh.......

Laura can really dance

I can't

But if my big sister is doing it, I will too

So every noon hour I come home from school and head up to the bedroom I share with Liz. I put on the record, move the mat between the twin beds and

STOMP....STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!

It was a small house and our bedroom was right over the living room....

Bless their hearts, no one ever said a word...I come from a kind family.

And I never did learn to....STOMP!

High Blood Pressure and the Job

My blood pressure is very high - I'm sure much is to be attributed to The Job...Please pray that I will get it down, that it will do no harm....

I am reading through the gospel of John...In his high priestly prayer, he says, "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work you gave me to do...

It made me think again of "work" in the life of the Christian...As surely as Christ was given work to do, so are we..."For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."...

Why is it, that when we talk of "good works" - plural- we somehow divorce that from ordinary "work' - singular?....The "good works" given us to do are, primarily, our "work" done with a Christian attitude and Christian zeal...

In the biography I recently read of Jonathan Edwards, his wife, Sarah, said she had discovered that her work, done vigorously and joyfully, was as good as building her up spiritually as prayer...

I am so thankful that as we move into the new heavens and new earth, we will continue to be real people doing real work, though with the elements of toil and frustration taken away. I thank God that He is not super-spiritual!

Insomnia and the Job

OK...Eyes open and back erect...Wake Up!!!! I said, eyes open!...Me talking to me as I sit in front of the computer screen, Not too many calls and chats yet during daytime hours so lots of down time, but my eyes have to be on that screen almost all the time. When they do come in, there is no auditory notification. So...EYES OPEN....Besides, Joe might come in and wouldn't look good to be obviously semi-comatose...

Up, Barbara, up! Move around! Walk! But not too far! Eyes on the screen!

And the calls and chats begin....

Boyfriend problems and more boyfriend problems...Physical abuse. Sexual abuse. Foster homes. Stepfathers. Cutting. Suicide. Murder.

Think. Talk. Switch to the other program...No, not that one... Quick! You will lose the data! Make sure the feed doesn't time out...Are you writing the essential points down in case you lose them online?...Did you remember to recommend resources? Filled out that form properly? Can't! Lost the feed again!...Another chat! Help! How many can I do at once? We'll see...

I'm so tired...Work, brain, work!

And it seems it does, more-or-less...But I sure would like to know what the job would be like with a good night's sleep behind me.

While sitting at work, during the quiet times, I have read four small books on prevalent teen social/emotional issues by a group called "Mercy Ministries" They are simple, meant to be put in the hands of teens, but very much to the point and insightful...

Something big in the teen community now is "cutting" - where teens carve themselves up - especially girls, of course. Other major issues are eating disorders, abuse and addiction. As the author seeks to help young women understand spiritual concepts, she uses some good illustrations. One is the following:
Sin is a big, stone wall between you and your best friend. You can't talk through it..It was erected (in Adam) and by you stone by stone...

She talks of the "reaching out" of Philippians as being similar to a baby's reaching for something beyond its grasp, straining with all its might....I see this in both Cora and Will each time I see them - a good picture...

Vis a vis abuse, she talks of Christ's shame of the cross - that he bore our shame as well as our sin...She also talks of the "ungodly soul tie" formed between a perpetrator and his victim...

With eating disorders, she defines the driving force behind each one as:
Anorexia - being so busy counting calories etc., that you can't think about emotional issues
Bulimia-Purging emotion
Binge eating-externalizing, expressing inner chaos

She quotes a distraught young woman talking of her conversion"
I came to God in anger and defiance, throwing my trash can life at him and saying he could have it if he could do anything with it....It doesn't matter how you come to him, it matters THAT you come to him...

The author say, of course, how important it is that the women see themselves as new creatures, expressing it this way:
Paul was not a "recovering murderer", but a new creature; Peter was not a "recovering lier" but a new creature...

Good little books...

May they bless the shattered young girls that call us night and day...


..

Last Friday we went to Maryanne's house and left for Victoria's wedding from there. As I came downstairs in my wedding finery, Emma said, "Mimi, you look like a beautiful princess"....Ha ha ha ha ha....How I love my grandchildren...Wrinkles, emerging jowls, jelly like consistency - and they love me just as I am...

On another note, I have been reading CS Lewis's sci-fi trilogy again. His understanding of Christian theology certainly has its problem areas. I think what I appreciate more than anything is his understanding of evil. I think because he moved in very elite Oxford-Cambridge circles, his knowledge of personal, conspiratorial, highly placed evil was up close and personal. I think he 'gets' the virtually demonic nature of evil people, especially the evil of those highly placed, like no one else. And he brings out the intersection of human and demonic evil so uniquely. I want to post on this topic on conspiracy soon, but have to wait for the time to do it properly.

My first week at Hopeline has come and gone. Sunday night I did just training. Monday I received many calls but most were dropped, disconnected for whatever reason - actually talked with just four people, and felt quite tense during and after. There is such a mix of technological and demanding interpersonal at one time. Yesterday was much better. and hope I continue to feel more and more that I know what i'm doing...I even handled a 'chat' call on my own!

Dad will be away in Atlanta the next couple of day, so I am here on my own again - but much to do...Calvert for prayer; Grace visiting, Alicia and her friend, Charessa for coffee tonight; church to clean; car to garage for new brakes; Jane Stewart for lunch; Aleris and Grandma perhaps tomorrow; Costco; trailer to clean up; I would love to get to Maryanne's....Whew!

Til next time!

We are at Maryanne's ready to go to Victoria's black-tie wedding and just hauled out Dad's beautiful Tommy Hilfiger(sp?) suit...It has a moth hole on the shoulder. What should we do?

We have considered putting a poppy on the shoulder and saying this is a traditional Canadian wedding custom...At the end of the wedding, as the couple leaves, we detach the poppy and throw it at the couple.

What do you think?

Adam

This is a letter Andrew received from a man, now forty, who many, many years ago - as a five-seven year old, or so, lived underneath us with his mom and brother in our first Toronto apartment. Andrew was then four? Tim a baby. He found Andrew on Facebook.

Dear Challies Family,

I have wanted to reconnect with you for many years now. While I, like most of us, have wanted to reconnect for the sake of sharing good memories, my purpose for reconnecting was renewed in the summer of 1996. That was the day I became a follower of Jesus Christ. So, quite simply I wanted to say:

Thank-you for your presence in my life! Perhaps I could have said it more poetically. Ray Bolyz in his song, "Thank You for Giving to the Lord", wrote earlier the words that elaborate on the feeling of my heart:

Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am a life that was changed.
Thank you for giving to the Lord,
I am so glad you gave.

You gave to the Lord simply by being present in our lives. You were present by participating in our lives while allowing us to participate in yours all the while demonstrating the presence of Christ.

Only now, through spiritual eyes can I fully appreciate your presence in my life. As well, John and Barbara, as a parent I now better appreciate the efforts you must have taken to raise a Christian family with God's help. I see now how the presence of Christ was demonstrated in so many ways. I would like to name a few:

Your lifestyle seemed refreshingly different from some of our other friends and family. I often remember walking into your apartment and sensing spaciousness and a sense that went beyond cleanliness - there was a strong fragrance of purity. This sense was reflected not only in the decor of your home, which was later matched in your house near Bayview, but was evident in how you conducted yourselves at home. The time spent at your home was time well spent. It was re-creational in the truest sense of the word.

A moment for Andrew: I so enjoyed spending time with him. Often we would hang out in his room listening to the song, "Leaving on a Jetplane" on his record player. I would often enjoy watching him draw countless circles and listen to his profound insights. He was a sage at an early age! Then came the train set and the entire bedroom was transformed into a miniature train station. John tenderly showed us how to play with the station.

Tenderness was part of your presence and personality. You demonstrated the fruit of the Spirit in many different situations. Two I can remember most clearly.

Once at the cottage you brought us to, Barbara, you allowed me the privilege of watering the forest lawn. You warned me NOT to spray anyone and I promised not to. Somehow, however, I missed my intended target and splashed water on you as you were sitting down. You reprimanded me gently. That was it. No yelling or punishment. I was impressed!

The second episode involved some punishment. For some reason, while talking with Andrew at the corner of Palmerston and Vermont, I had pushed Andrew off his trike and quickly ran home to avoid the consequences of leaving my friend behind on the ground. Minutes late, you appeared at our door asking to speak to my mother. You recounted what happened and you then suggested some appropriate punishments. I was quite impressed by the list and to this day I have never forgotten them. The list included" going to bed (with or without supper -I can't remember), doing some chores (or something like that) and most remarkable, having a bath! This was the most intriguing list of suggestions for a bad boy - all of them were beneficial yet served to get the point across. I felt remorseful but relieved at your response to my actions, Barbara.

Finally your love for us was obvious not only in how you livingly brought us into your home, shared the fruit of the Spirit with us, but also how I felt this love from your family, and could "read it between the lines" of our time together. This is harder to explain with any particular example, except I just felt your love for my family and me.

This was maybe the most important quality for my family and me. My mom, Cathy, was most of the time a single mom and while I had the opportunity to visit my dad on occasion, my younger brother, Damian, had a more difficult relationship with his dad, who left our home when he was about three.

I want to share more about the moments spent with your family and their impact on the present but I will leave that for another letter. I really wanted to share these words with you:

Thank you for your presence in my life!

Thank you for your presence in my life!

Thank you for your presence in my life!

Hallelujah!

Amen.

Love in Christ,

Adam



You know I am not passing this on to vaunt ourselves. I am way past that...I am just amazed at the wonder of a little boy who saw everything, "sensed" everything and stored it away until God activated it to convert him. A gift beyond words for me. I feel like I have found Nancy's son...

And, I think, Adam is a pastor. He is in Tim's fellowship group, I believe....

Boy, life is busy...How can it be so with just Dad and me in the house? Well, I guess I can figure that out...

One God to spend time with

One husband to care for

Two sons to stay in touch with

Three daughters to listen to

One daughter-in-law to chat with

Eleven grandchildren to love

Several friends to contact regularly

One Sunday School class to teach

Exercise in lieu of health care

One house to clean

One church to clean

One trailer park to organize

One budget to balance

Six blogs to read daily

Two political sites to read daily

One book to complete

And, God willing, twenty hours of work with Hopeline coming up soon

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One meaningful life, and I thank God for it!

Do you know I have hardly seen Dad for a month? I have been away, of course, and since I have been back he has mostly been in Atlanta doing various landscaping jobs there - staying with Maryanne overnight...Amazing how quickly the days and weeks come and go...Our friend, Johan, called Tuesday, as he is again in our part of the country, fundraising. He wanted to know whether he could stat overnight with us as he usually does. With Dad away, that didn't seem entirely appropriate, even for two oldies...So we visited a couple of hours, then I left to spend the night with Grace and Justin...

Wednesday morning I spent at my favorite task - trying to figure out whether a couple who have been good tenants are now putting us on when they say they need this week's rent deferred for a few days...sigh...Then back to Grace's for a trip to indulge in my other favorite activity - shopping at the mall...Horror!...But I have such a large number of gifts that need tending to -birthdays for Andrew and Justin, wedding presents for Victoria and Emily, baby gifts for Susanna, Linda, and Elizabeth,,.

Yesterday, Calvert came over so we could pray together, the Jerry came to collect our car and do some superficial body work on it. I ended up speaking with both of them at length, so my day went quickly...Then yesterday evening, Katherine and I got together for our latest round of hilarity...A good day, all in all.

Today I will clean the church, get my hair cut, then -perhaps-go to collect Anna and bring her back for the weekend...

Sunday, I will go into Hopeline with Dad and get the lay of the land there, possibly signing up to work...

Monday, if Anna comes, I will return her and visit the Helms - haven't seen them for almost a month...

Thursday, Dad and I hope to leave for NYC to see Littlest...

And life goes on...

More Odds and Ends

Before I left for Rick and Susanna's, I went to the second-hand book shop and picked up three books to take with me - to wile away the hours between flights. One was about Ross Perot's springing of hostages taken from his company in Iran WITH HIS OWN EXECUTIVES! Very interesting.. The second was the first in the Father Tim series of "Mitford" by Jan Karon. I don't normally read things like that, but is really a lovely series. She is a southern lady whose hero is an Anglican "priest". CS Lewis said that the trick to writing a Christian novel was not how we relate to God, but how He in turn relates to us...Karon doesn't really take this on, but that is a plus, I'm sure...They are lovely stories, written by a converted woman who weaves biblical thought, even texts, into her story...Unique!...Then, I bought "The Three Edwards", by THomas Costain....a dramatized, but accurate (I believe) history of the three Plantagenet kings of that name. I read it as a child, and remembered certain elements. Is interesting to read it again many years later and see what I think. Mom and Dad - especially Mom - certainly presented us with contentful reading. No wonder I love history!

On the flight back from NYC, there was a large family of immigrants from Ethiopia on board. ( The jet was a Boeing 767 - a wide-bodied, oh-so-comfortable one.) It was hilarious to see them trying to figure out where they belonged...They simply couldn't read their tickets and match them to their seats...Just milled around for a good half-hour trying to figure it out - like something from John Cleese. Having said this, I know absolutely, I would do no better, not as well, if I were challenged with a north-African situation...In any case, the woman and her toddler ended up sitting beside me. She spoke rudimentary English, telling me she was brought up Christian, but converted to Islam to marry. How tragic!

I have been home for two days now, but havent' yet seen Dad. He has been working in Atlanta and should be back in a couple of hours...We will have to figure out when to go and see our new little granddaughter! THANK-YOU FOR HER, RICK AND SUSANNA!!!

Our friend, Cora, from Florence days, married Everett Koop today on Philadelphia. She is 69, and he is 93!...It was put on Tenth Presbyterian's webcam, so was able to see some of it live...Cora was just as excited as any first-time bride...Long, white dress, flower girls, etc...And now she has a family as long as life lasts, I imagine. The little children in the wedding were doubtless Koop's great-grandchildren. They will grow up never having known any other great-Grandma...I'm sure Koop himself will not be around for too many years, but God has, indeed, placed her in a family. Isn't that beautiful?

We will have a quiet Sunday tomorrow with ANdrew in Oakville and Grace and Justin with Maryanne...

I took Micah out for a couple of hours yesterday so that Susanna could have time alone with Ellie. We hit the closest park where he met up with a little friend from church - a special treat for him. We had lunch in a little coffee shop then headed home. After dinner, Susanna and I did some sorting of nameless bags and boxes in the basement and carved out a nice little niche for the baby's cradle. I bleached some clothes for her then headed to bed.

Today I will leave for JFK around noon.. I fly to Atlanta at 4:20, then to Chattanooga at 9:40. It will be a long day but I am fortified with a good book I bought before leaving home. I hope to have another stimulating seat mate on the first leg of the journey. God has amply answered those prayers on my last couple of trips!

So good-bye to Brooklyn for a few weeks. And hello once more to our "Little House on the Railroad Tracks"!

The beginning of another day in Brooklyn,...The kids are up and ready to go. So am I - almost...They are certainly little livewires...

God gave me another interesting seatmate on my way here, from Memphis - An immigrant from the Ukraine whose mom is orthodox and dad Jewish. He has attended a charismatic church for some time, but also hangs around with the Orthodox (Jews) in his part of town. He says they talk of rebuilding the temple. I asked whether this was fantasy or an actual determination. He said the latter - interesting....As with most Russians, he was pleasantly philosophical...

One of the first things Susanna and I did upon Mom-arrival was to buy a new vacuum - her old one is useless....Micah had mixed feelings about the noise it makes, wanting me to assure him that God would protect us from it...

Alicia came for the weekend, which was lovely. On our way to the market with the kids on Saturday, we bumped into Toni - hope to see her when Dad and I return after the baby is born....Yesterday, Sharon came into town so we could go out to lunch together. What a stimulating and interesting visit we had -as always...She has begun a group called "Just Listening", which she presents all over the country - a means of listening to especially poorer people without the lenses of a person's ow cultural values...We discussed spiritual issues of course, as they are what we both are most interested in..She reminded me of a time at the cottage - years ago- when one of you girls told one of her girls that she had a black heart. Needless to say, this was discussed by the family and the kids were told just to sort it out together...which you always did! In any case, I said to her, "Sharon, the Protestant response to that comment would be...."But don't take it personally..." We laughed and laughed. Amazing that we have such a good relationship with so much honesty and differences we honestly articulate.

Tom came for dinner and told us of his ongoing writing on his novel - sound quite unique...But must go as a little boy wants to watch the Wiggles...

To my seatmate, returning from Tim and Aileen's:

Hi, my name is Barbara, what is yours?

My name is Lemy.

Are you from Toronto?

Yes, I came here sixteen years ago from China. I came to study and never went back.

From mainland China?

Yes.

So you grew up under Communism? And atheism?

Yes.

Did you know anything as a child about the Chinese church or Christianity?

We studied other religions in school. I remember learning about...the man they talk about in the Christian book...What's his name? Let me think...Jesus...

What is it like for your family, living in a Christian society?

Many Chinese people start going to church. My mother-in-law goes every week.

Why is that?

I think they have never thought about things enough. They easily believe in religion. (He is a scientist)And it is a good way to meet people.

A man I admire said that Communism is, in ways, a Christian heresy. For instance, it theoretically treats man as valuable, valuable enough that he should be delivered from mistreatment. Why should he be valuable if he has not been given value from outside himself, from a creator? Why else could he be considered more important than an animal or any other living thing? His value is borrowed from Christianity... Also in Communism, there is deliverance from slavery through the shed blood of the bourgeoisie, the oppressors. In Christianity, we are delivered from spiritual oppression through the blood of Christ, through his death for us...

And we continue to talk...

How I love to see who sits next to me on a plane...

To be continued!

I will try to write more tomorrow about my time away, but for now just want to pass on something my cousin Jill sent...an "In Memorium" ...

With all the sadness and trauma in the world at this moment in time, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week. Larry Laprise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey", died peacefully at age 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into his coffin. They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started...

Our President

Our intellectual giant in the White House says that the health care bill, if passed, will lower employers' contributions by....3000%! Then they can give their employees's raises! Do the math....I can't!...But I do know that premiums can't be lowered more than 100%...I have long heard that the prime weakness of liberals is that they know nothing about economics or business...Oh my!

I feel like I am going to write a big test. That same old feeling. Do I know everything? If not, do I really know anything? Man, I hate this situation.

All the way down to the courthouse, I rehearse what I am going to say to the judge. In the summer of 2007, we sold our home unexpectedly quickly..We didn't know what to do. Our real estate agent said she had a friend with a second home. In the home was an apartment he would be glad to rent to us...etc.etc...We gave him a check for $1000 as a damage deposit. It was put into his company's operating account, not their escrow account. The company has since closed and the check cashed and spent...We have asked Bert repeatedly to pay us back and he won't...According to statutes ---and ---he should have to take responsibility for our loss even though he was not directly responsible for the misappropriation...And according to statutes----and--- we should not have to pay him even for the slight damages to his property...

I go over and over my statement, my legal case. How much will this judge know about real estate law? Let me read the statutes again. Do I understand this one completely? Another call to the lawyer-friend who is prepping us....Help! What? For sure?

I am early, of course, so I sit in the car and eat my sandwich, rehearsing and rehearsing...Time to go in and track down the proper courtroom...Chat with this person and then with that person...Hey, what are they all doing here? You mean they all have one o'clock appointments, too? So this will be a "public", communal setting? Great! Now I am more nervous than ever.

There is Bert. He again tries to justify his behavior. I nod politely, but don't encourage the excuses. He looks older, stressed. Guess life has not been kind to real estate agents...

Time to go in. All rise . court is in session...Judge Zimmerman dismisses many cases which have been settled by mediation since they were filed...And we are the first ones actually called up to testify.

The judge, by typical procedure, will ask me to make my statement first, then Bert will get to respond. I have to be ready to rebut his justifications for not paying us...here we go...

But the judge just reads my initial deposition out loud. He turns to Bert and ask, Did you take her damage deposit for $1000?....Yes, Sir....Have you returned it? ....No, Sir...Then you have to give it back to her...Turning to me, Here is your judgment against him,...And Bert begins to speak, to share with the judge all the reasons he is not really responsible for the payment....Un-huh....Un-huh...All right. Here is your judgment. Case closed - within sixty seconds!

Now, that is my kind of judge! Quick justice, and I did not have to defend myself at all. He did it for me! How wonderful to see Bert's self-justifications utterly disregarded...

A taste of that final tribunal where all is made well...

And thanks to the Mediator who will be there for me!

Hi, Terry...Here to get the rent.

Hi. I haven't cashed my check yet. I will go to the store and do that.

Great. We will be down at the new trailer, working on it. You can just bring the money down there. And, Terry, could you please clean up around here? We will have rats getting into things if you don't.

Yes. Sorry. The kids took the dog off his leash and he got into the garbage.

OK. Well, we will see you later.

Oh hi...Come on in, Terry. Yeah, that's fine, I have five dollars change. Tell me, how is Tiffany? Is she coping alright with the loss of her son? (six years old, handicapped, had been living with his father's mother)

She just isn't the same anymore.

Is she depressed?

No, not really. She just isn't the same. She really won't talk about it, but - if she does - I just try to listen. That is the second child she has lost, you know. She also had a stillborn baby.

I am so sorry! How old is she?

Twenty-seven or twenty-eight.

Noone expects that at that age, do they?...Did you take your little girls to the funeral?

Yes. It was awful. They didn't understand. They went to the front and wouldn't leave their brother. And Tiffany's family just fought with the father's family. They never got along.

That is too bad. What was your family like, Terry?

I saw my Dad a couple of times. I grew up in a group home.

Oh? where was your mom?

She kept getting locked up...

That's hard! I'll bet you and Tiffany are really committed to giving your girls two parents, huh?
Have you ever thought of becoming part of a church to help with raising your girls? We have five kids, and I don't know how we would have done it if we hadn't had biblical answers and wisdom to help us. I always told my kids, and I now tell my grandchildren - that they need God inside them - someone stronger than that "bad guy" in there- to control their sin.

I used to go to the Baptist church when I was young. We would like to have the girls in Sunday School. But I am used to working night shift and we just don't get up on time. when you came to collect the rent this morning, we were just getting up.

I'll bet there are bus ministries that would come and collect them.

Yes, but they are so young, I wouldn't do that yet.

I can see that. Well, listen, I think it is time to have a walk-through of your trailer. Can I come in a couple of hours to do that?...Alright. See you later.

Hi, Terry. Hey, it looks great out here. Thanks so much for cleaning it so well...Hi, Tiffany. May I come in?...It looks wonderful....Tiffany, I'm so sorry to hear about your little son...

....Her eyes well up....Here is a picture of him...

What a sweet boy!

When he was born he had white-blond hair. But it got dark like mine.

Tears...And I give her a hug...

But they are lost. Terry is lost. Tiffany is lost. Elizabeth and Tuesday are lost. And I am just a landlord. In a few weeks they will likely be out of our lives forever.

Surreal.

One Two Three

Do you guys remember this poem I used to read to you?

It was an old, old, old old lady
And a boy that was half-past three;
And the way that they played together
Was beautiful to see.

She couldn't go romping and jumping
And the boy no more could he;
For he was a thin little fellow
With a thin, little twisted knee.

The sat in the yellow sunlight,
Out under the maple tree;
And the game they played I'll tell to you,
Just as it was told to me.

It was hide-and-go-seek they were playing,
Though you'd never have known it to be-
With an old, old old, old lady
And a boy with a twisted knee.

The boy would bend his face down
On his little sound right knee,
And he guessed where she was hiding
In guesses one, two, three.

"You are in the china closet!"
He would laugh and cry with glee-
It wasn't the china closet,
But he still had two and three.

"You are up in Papa's big bedroom,
In the chest with the queer old key!"
And she said, "You are warm and warmer;
But you're not quite right," said she.

"It can't be the little cupboard
Where Mama's things used to be-
So it must be in the clothespress,Gran'ma!"
And he found her with his three.

Then she covered her face with her fingers,
That were wrinkled, and white, and wee,
And she guessed where the boy was hiding,
With a One and a Two and a Three.

And they never had stirred from their places
Right under the maple tree-
This old, old, old, old lady,
And the boy with the little lame knee-
This dear, dear, dear old lady,
And the boy who was half-past three.

Yes, Susanna, Calvert did indeed call me his elderly neighbor-ha ha ha ha ha - but he assures me that, in his country, this is a compliment...

Maryanne and the children stayed overnight as they are on winter break this week, and she was feeling rundown with ongoing cold and lack of sleep. Anna kept asking me to explain other religions to her. When I told her about Islam's virtual worship of Mohammad, she asked, "Did Mohammad die"...Yes, Anna..."Well, he's dead! Who would worship a dead man?" Out of the mouths of children...We have a LIVING Savior!

My cousin Jill sends me hilarious forwards. One this week was about why the author doesn't clean...This reason and that reason... and it ends with "Remember, a woman with a clean house has a broken computer." Does that hit close to home, girls?

Bill and Joanna Wieske are traveling through from Florida so are going to spend a couple of days in Chattanooga. They want to take us out to dinner tomorrow but - unfortunately - Dad will not be able to make it. He has an estimate to give for a fairly large job down in Atlanta...However, will be great to see them...Then Tuesday-Wednesday, Sally will be in Atlanta so will go to her hotel overnight for a visit. Lots to look forward to.

What did you all think of the Olympic opening ceremonies? I heard they were artistically good, but very much devoted to native spirituality - you know, what built Canada and made it a great nation...And then "Hallelujah", Cohen's song of praise to men, is it not? What a finale! Makes me glad that fourth pillar stayed down. Puts the "powerful" god-man Olympic ideal in its place.

Have just been reading again about Absalom's rebellion against David. Amazing that God Himself overrules Ahitophel's wise advice to capture and kill just David and to not engage in a general war where many would die...Instead, Hushai's advice to fight a war was followed - and 20,000 men die, including Absalom...One man traded off for 20,000...Who but God could ever make a decision like that?

It is a beautiful, sunny day here so will go out for a walk and clean my devastated house...

Calvert gave Dad and me a book on prayer by EM Bounds for Christmas. He opens with the following illustration, probably written in the late 1800's:

A dear friend of mine who was quite a lover of the chase, told me the following story: "Rising early one morning," he said, "I heard the baying of a score of deerhounds in pursuit of their quarry. Looking away to a broad, open field in front of me, I saw a young fawn making its way across, and giving signs, moreover, that its race was well nigh run. Reaching the rails of the enclosure, it leaped over and crouched within ten feet from where I stood. A moment later, two of the hounds came over, when the fawn ran in my direction and pushed its head between my legs. I lifted the little thing to my breast, and, swinging round and round, fought off the dogs. I felt, just then, that all the dogs of the west could not, and should not capture that fawn after its weakness had appealed to my strength." So it is, when human helplessness appeals to Almighty God. Well do I remember when the hounds of sin were after my soul, until at last, I ran into the arms of Almighty God.

A charming illustration, is it not?

Barbara? This is Deborah...Rod has had several heart attacks this week and he's in the hospital. Please pray for him. Please pray for him. He wasn't well for several days but he wouldn't go to the hospital. Finally he did. The doctors have said he has no damage to his heart, but has to have a triple bypass. He is so scared! Anyway, I don't have access to his bank account, so is it all right if I pay the rent next week?

Of course, Deborah....I'll call again in a couple of days to see how Rod is doing. Give him our love...I will.

Hi, Deborah. How is Rod?...Well, did you know he's an alcoholic?....Yes...The doctors have said they can't operate until they do an ultrasound of his liver. They have to check that and, as well, make sure he is completely detoxed, so we are not sure when they will operate...

Now, what a wonderful thing that could be for Rod...to be forced to leave his excessive drinking...He is smart and responsible in so many ways...What a life changer if all goes well and he remains sober for the sake of his health...

OK Deborah. We will continue to pray.

Dad and I stop by on our way back from Tim's yesterday to pick up the rent...Hi, Barbara. Here's your rent. Guess what happened today? Rod got saved! His kids' pastor went to visit him and he was saved! You know all his kids go to church, teach Sunday School, and sing in gospel groups, right?....Yes. Well he didn't have a chance did he, Darlene, with them praying so for him?...Exactly. This heart business could be the best thing that ever happened to him. He says he is not missing the beer at all. It will change our lives.

And may it, Deborah.

Heredity is calling, calling, claiming me - it was inevitable, I suppose....Grace put a simple little crossword book in my Christmas stocking -easy, quick variety - and in no time - it was done...And so I picked up another - somewhat more complex and demanding and - it is half done. I spend hours each week struggling, puzzling over: "Ragu competitor", "Broom Hilda, eg.", "More than a tee hee", and so on...The trivial and ridiculous...But then it gets more interesting,,,there are themed clues: "Cynics Snort #1, "Cynic's Snort #2" and so on up to #5..."What has a horn and charges?" (answer: a taxi)...Really clever things that challenge your way of thinking through a problem, understanding a word. Is it noun, verb, which of a variety of meanings are they intending here etc.? ...Really fun as I break into the puzzle world and see the possibilities for more and more interesting challenges. But I will have to be careful of my time. Good for the brain, good to wile away spare time - but could become a compulsion...Though probably not. Don't think I have the discipline to be a compulsive...Takes too much single-mindedness and I am, by nature, a generalist...In any case, a great distraction of the time being!

I did it! With the moral support of a friend, I did it...I chose a store from the many - Greenlife - picked my way through the many, many options, and chose- a brand, then picked from the many, many options - a color, and purchased - hair dye!

I went to sweet Julia and she applied it, cut it and told me it looks wonderful. What more can one woman offer another?

Thanks Julia!

Eyes That See Not

We all know how wondrous it was that Jesus made the blind eyes see. I think it is equally miraculous that He made -and continues to make- the seeing eyes blind. Remember Brother Andrew's actions as he crossed the borders of Communist eastern European countries with a car full of Bibles? He would barely hide them at times. Sometimes he would leave them exposed as a seal on his deepest conviction - that God would have to take charge of His own word. And they would routinely get through customs after praying, "Lord, you made the blind eyes see. Now make the seeing eyes blind."...

I have been reading Wylie's history of the Covenanters during the era of the Stewart kings. How they were persecuted, hounded, murdered - by tens of thousands by those "tragic Stewarts"...(!!!)...Rome and the Catholic establishment in England had taken over all almost all instruments of church and state - one of the blackest periods in English history...But what they didn't see what that many of the old English families had gone to Holland, begging William of Orange, a great Protestant leader, to come and claim the throne, liberating the country. And in spite of the comprehensive spy structures of the Roman church, his preparations were not discovered until it was too late to adequately respond...And God sent "Protestant" winds and weather conditions as another contribution to William's success in the Glorious Revolution of 1688.

So many instances of this in history...Who can contend with God?

Dad is at Maryanne's for a couple of nights while he completes a landscaping job. It is ten o'clock at night and I have just tucked myself in bed with a good book. The doors are all locked. The outside light is on for maximum exposure of anyone who might try to enter the house. This neighborhood is not the kind of strong, middle-class one I am used to, and I am aware of that.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Someone is at the door...What? Who? Is it Calvert? Does he want to share something that has happened to him today? What in the world? Should I answer it....Bang! Bang! Bang! I get up, thinking, thinking. Do I answer or not? I approach the door...Bell rings...Bang! Bang!...Who is it, I shout? Woman answers...IT is....Can't catch the name...What is it?....And there come words I can't understand. Bang! Bang!

Do I answer? What if there is some man with her? And the peephole is uselessly high. I can't see through...In spite of my fears, I unlock the door. Sheerly objectively, I know this is a bedraggled neighborhood but not really a dangerous one...

There is a tall, thin black woman, reeking of smoke and substances unknown. She is talking a mile a minute. As you all know, I can not understand people with any accent, and she has a very strong inner-city one...I gather she claims to need gas money to get her babies home from her friend's house...An old story, possible true - we are aware through the trailer park of how many people live so close to nothing - but probably not. So what do I do?

Is your husband the minister? My friend used to go to this church. She is the one who told me to come here and ask for help. So do I see this as a matter of Christian witness? DO I see this as a matter of personal safety? This woman has come into my house and is probably high on something. If she is truly in need, will I touch her through giving and meeting that need? If she is simply manipulative, will I anger her through saying no? Will that have repercussions for me with her friends?

So I go into the kitchen, haul out my purse while she waits at the front door, and give her five dollars. She thanks me profusely and leaves. For where? I don't know because I can't see her through the peephole...I imagine right back to her friend's house with a contribution for something I don't want to know about...

And I go back to bed and right to sleep...

Father, give me a heart and a plan to share hope with these debauched, lost souls...Please make it meaningful for me to be in such a neighborhood...And keep me safe as I do it.

A rainy day here but I must get out and do things I haven't accomplished yet this week...banking, post office, shopping. I'm sure I will feel better for the change of locale...Every few weeks I go through the grand decision making as to whether or not I will will have my hair dyed professionally...That time has come again. My roots are a couple of inches long and I can't hide them any longer, even with my magic crayon...Julia has offered to come over and cut my hair, help me dye it - so must make a decision today...It would be SO much easier to just let it be - salt and pepper....What to do? What to do? You young'uns don't know how easy you have it...

Little Cora is coming for a sleepover tonight, then will head to Maryanne's on Sunday evening for a couple of days...

Busy and wonderful! God is good.

I seem to have caught a cold from little ones. I get them so seldom, I am always amazed how horrid colds make me feel...SO easy to expect more of others in a similar situation. Love the words I have often quoted..."It is so easy to be stoical about others' suffering!"

More Odds and Ends

A woman at Dad's work reported the results of a study she read about recently: Centenarians were studied to see what common lifestyle choices they might have made. Of the various hypotheses the researchers dealt with, only one indeed proved to be universal....What was it?....Can you guess?...They all flossed their teeth!

Emma to Mimi: I a big girl now, Mimi. Look, my hairs is all big!

Anna to her mommy, on hearing Will cry: Mommy, the crying baby of doom!...
Mommy to Anna: Are we a dramatic family?

We rented our orphan trailer today to a couple wanting to move immediately. They say their last trailer had water running down the walls and the landlord would not fix anything...I assess them to the best of my very limited ability...They drive up in a nice SUV, borrowed from Mama. ( Their car's engine block was damaged by the same extreme cold that cost us a couple of plumbing repairs.) He has longish, stringy hair, dirtyish t-shirt, but well-enough spoken. She has acne-type eruptions on her face. Meth? Could be....I check their reference with last landlord and she speaks well of them - always paid the rent, not destructive, would rent to them again... So today I arrange to meet them again to pick up their first week's rent and damage deposit...Their little girls are with them...Little waifs by appearance, indeed, though their parents seem gentle enough with them...I notice, as with almost all the little ones who come through, that their speech, and probably general development, is delayed...How will this rental situation go? Time will tell. Certainly, people who have looked much more socially acceptable have proven irresponsible...We will see!

Rick and Susanna gave Dad Gap jeans for Christmas. They didn't fit, so went to the outlet mall today and got...two pairs of jeans, one pair of khakis, one long-sleeved shirt,(all for Dad) and a birthday gift for someone with the money - 26 cents left over! Thanks, Guys!

BEAUTIFUL springish day here today...

I was reading in the Bible this morning about the Jews, after the ark was returned to them by the Philistines, wanting it taken elsewhere. God's holiness was too dangerous...The Philistines didn't want the ark of the Presence; the Jews didn't want it...There are so many places in Scripture where men order God away...The One CS Lewis says is not a "tame lion"...Remember Lewis's observation that it is ridiculous of sinful men to blame God for not taking all to Heaven. There is nothing sinners would want less than eternal up-closeness to that One they despise!

Four women aged fifty to sixty, and two aged twenty to thirty - sitting around a table for four hours talking, laughing, eating and praying...Good friends, all. How I love Christian fellowship!

In this cold weather I have been thinking of the poem by EJ Pratt that I memorized as a child:

The frost moved up the windowpane against the sun's advance
In line and pattern weaving there scenes of great romance...

And thinking how wondrous it is that God would make even frozen water vapor beautiful.

And today I opened our bathroom blind up - which I rarely do as we then lose all privacy...And there it was...

Beautiful fern patterns, surrounded by starry designs all over the lower part of the window.

How does God do that? What do the atheists say? Amazing!