He's Too Young For Me

Following the theme of yesterday's post, I want to share an excerpted version of the sweetest email I got today:

Dear Family & Friends,

Do any of you still remember me?? This past year I've not written many letters and no group letter. My excuses are poor vision, faulty memory and general slowing down in all areas of my life, But I still enjoy a good laugh, a happy greeting, and my meals. Many people my age (101) just quit eating but my appetite is A.1.

I praise the Lord that I've missed going to church only 3 times this year and I have a little ministry on Sundays. Our pastor prints out his Sunday sermons and I deliver 25 of them to members who can't get to church.

Some of you have been told by others about my Gentleman Friend. Well, I'm not afraid to tell you abut my John S. He's been coming to visit me almost every day. He loves to read to me and I like to be read to. We both have macular degeneration, but his is worse than mine. We love to walk outdoors and we do it often, but not this week when temps ran 100-106 degrees. Tonight John was reading a book which had some unusual words neither of us know. (John has a great vocabulary) so I had a Webster's College dictionary on my lap and looked them up. We enjoy learning together and laughing a lot. He even says he likes my sense of humor.

Well, I could fill this whole page about John. But he's only 93, so there will be no marriage. We do enjoy each other and haven't had one quarrel yet.

Overheard:

I was trying very hard in yesterday's email not to say "you made your bed, now sleep in it" or turn it into a rant about standards
compliance. I used my delete key a lot :-)

True Love

Be wise enough not to wear yourself out trying to get rich. 23:4

Today I talked Rachel into going to the pool with me. When we got there, we found a family she babysits for was there.

Cute little boy, jumping up and down: "Miss Rachel is here! Miss Rachel is here!"
Rachel: "Aw, Mom, it is so nice to be loved. Even if it is a three year old's love."
Me: "Three year old love is the best kind--completely unconditional."

Overheard:

Did you get new carpet?
No, I vacuumed.

A Visit to the Dallas Police Station

Be generous and share your food with the poor. You will be blessed for it. 22:9

Yesterday I took the day off work (not being hard to do since both my bosses were out of town) and went downtown Dallas to do an errand for Andrew. The Dallas Police Records building is on our side of downtown, so it wasn't hard to get to, and amazingly, no line to stand in either. I was able to secure Andrew's letter of good behavior, which he needs to apply for residency in Honduras, with only a few minutes of fast talking to explain why it wasn't possible to have the request letter notarized. After they agreed and started to process the thing, the lady asked me who Andrew worked for and I proceeded to explain about Samaritan's Purse. Then she went on to say that she thought she should take up a donation for missionaries, at which time I, never wanting to miss an opportunity to secure more supporters, told her who I worked for :-) Then she asked me for a business card, which, naturally, I didn't have. But I wrote down the company URL on a post-it note with my name.

Anyway, this vintage police car was inside the building, and the entry way was studded with bronze mosaics about the history of the Dallas police.


Overheard:

You don't know what something is until you know what it is not.

The Trouble I've Seen

Be kind and honest and you will live a long life; others will respect you and treat you fairly. 21:23

Well, it was close, but not quite enough--the Dallas Mavericks lose the Finals.

Would you like to hear the special music Gary played for offertory last Sunday at church? (This song may sound appropriate for the Mavericks, but that is just a coincidence.) If so, click here. The song is 4 minutes long. And if anyone out there knows how to make that song go into my iTunes player, please tell me how (now it starts up with Quicktime and doesn't let me put it into iTunes as far as I can tell).

Gary arranged this song in honor of colleagues who were going through a big struggle at the time--the mom in this family had been stuck by a needle during her job as a nurse. The person she was trying to medicate was drunk, boisterous, and both HIV and Hepatitis C positive. I think 6 months have passed and she is thus far not infected, for which we thank God.
Overheard:

The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

Happy Father's Day

Some friendshops do not last, but some friends are more loyal tht brothers. 18:24

Gary observed that the Mother's Day sermon was about the virtures of mothers and the Father's Day sermon was about the vices of fathers. In other words, the pastor reviewed the sad statistics and results of absent and abusive fathers, statistics provided by the US Census bureau (not by a right-wing Christian group).

The proportion of children living with just one parent rose from 9 percent in 1960 to 28 percent in 1996. Currently, 57.7 percent of all black children, 31.8 percent of all Hispanic children, and 20.9 percent of all white children are living in single-parent homes.

--Source: Saluter, Arlen F. Marital Status and Living Arrangements: March 1994., US Bureau of the Census, Current Population Report. p28-484. Washington, DC: GPO, 1996. US Bureau of the Census. Statistical Abstract of the United States 1997, Washington, DC: GPO, 1997.

My kids are blessed to have a good father.

Overheard:

Fathers are not optional accessories for children - they are an essential part to raising the next generation.