No thanks

Twelve people enjoyed it. One person said thank you. Perhaps I expect too much.

An answer to prayer?

I've been praying for D.'s housing situation for some weeks now. He needs to find housing in the Washington DC area for at least the next year, maybe two years. We don't know many people there, and we've been so busy with A. that we haven't yet put much effort into helping D. find anything. But we've started working on the problem today. I hung up the phone after talking to D. about the topic and found an email in my inbox. It was an invitation for D. apply for a spot in a residential Christian leadership training program intended for people with full time jobs in the the DC area. Lord, show him if this would be the way you want him to go.

35%

of the world's languages have one book of the Bible written in them.

That fact is brought to you from G., who came home at lunch today and said, "I might be the only person in the world who knows the answer to this question: what percentage of the world's languages have at least one book of the Bible written in them? Then he went on to say, "Well, in the next hour or so Ray will also look at the data and he will know that too."

How did you get that information? "I ran a query."

The next edition of the Ethnologue is due out soon.

The well-loved, love well

I can love because I am loved.
I can love you because God loves me.
I can forgive because I am forgiven.
I can forgive you because God has forgive me.

The story that never ends

Tonight we had Bible study again. Our group was a little smaller than usual because a few kids have had to leave Dallas. We have just two more weeks to go to finish the Gospel of John. I think next week we are going to have a cooperative pizza making party after the study.


After a couple hours of card games, the group decided to do some kind of cooperative storytelling. One person stared with a few sentences, then on to the next person to add a couple sentences, and so on. It was pretty funny to see the difference between the kinds of story elements the boys bring in (bows and arrows, blood) and the ones the girls bring in (conversation Valentine hearts). But really, I don't think this story is ever going to get to the "they lived happily ever after" part. It just keeps going and going.

Oh wait, it just turned one minute after midnight, and they did end up living happily ever after. Yay! I love happy endings.

Be careful what you say online

because it might catch up with you. Tonight I was browsing through a copy of Boston Magazine (we get a free subscription which I usually just toss), and found my son's name in it along with a quote he made on the Kennedy School of Government's electronic bulletin board.

I need a day off

I need a day or two with no one around to think. And maybe read a little. Or maybe I need someone to talk to.

Well, Mr. Blog, I guess I talk to you.

I have a couple questions for you: Is she boy-crazy, or just plain crazy?

Another question: If a chickadee is doing exactly as I could possibly wish, why am I so sad?

And another: Do my prayers do any good?

"Have a good life"

That's what G. said to A. as he hugged him in the security line at DFW today. I couldn't say anything because I was trying to not make a complete fool of myself while crying. He said, "I love you" then handed the security worker his computer and off he went.

I had to laugh the minute before that. When he took his bags to be screened, he must have set off some bells (maybe that trip to Afghanistan?). They opened his suitcase of books and removed ALL 42 of them (I counted) and leafed through EVERY one. They went through his other suitcase, a cool new rolling duffel bag that friends bought him, just as carefully. There were about 10 more books there and the guy said, "You sure like to read, don't you?" Finally, they let him go. Good thing we weren't in a hurry.

He didn't do a very good job of packing up his room, so that will be my project this coming week.

G. and I spent a moment in reflection this afternoon. We talked of how he has now really left the nest, this isn't just another short trip to another exotic place; this is the start of his career.

Lord, he is going to be in for a lot of changes, starting in less than 24 hours. Give him strength, help him to get off to a good start, help him to find some good friends. Give him wisdom beyond his years.

Empty Nest attack

Tonight my feelings really do relate to my blog's name. I'm starting to feel sad about A. leaving. I'm really starting to feel sad about him getting ready to leave.

Today he had a chat with one of our colleagues who lived in Ethiopia. A. came back from this chat overwhelmed and said, "What were they thinking?? I have no idea what I'm doing!"

This is some of the advice he was given:
--No respectable man shows his elbows. Wear only long-sleeved shirts. No matter what the weather.
--Have your leather shoes shined every day by one of the street shoeshine boys.
--If you learn Amharic, your street value will increase.
--Yes, there is malaria.
--If you can pronouce peoples' names properly, your street value will go up.
--Grow a beard.
--When you are asked to give someone's nephew a job, say you need to first check with your boss.
--When asked for a television, say the television might get broken when you tried to carry it over to them.

Yes, he is in over his head. Lord, help him.

Oaf son

I am laughing now. 
 
D just came home from Organic Chemistry class.  Well, he didn't come straight home.  He came in and announced:  I've just been on a date.  But I didn't know it was a date until she gave me her phone number!  Oh, don't worry, mom.  She's my lab partner.  We've got good chemistry.

Pensive

I'm in a thinking mood right now. We went out to dinner this evening to meet up with a group of friends from our old (now-defunct) church. Most of them I see occasionally, but tonight there were a number of people there I hadn't seen in ages. When you don't see someone for a long stretch, then you do see them, it gives opportunity to reflect on the changes you see over the interval of time.

Some of the kids from my daughter's peer group were there. One with a two-year old, livewire of a son, cute as anything, but with no father. She was there with a guy from that same group, actually someone she had dated four years ago. Yes, I think they should get married.

Another interesting thing was to learn one of the married couples from this now-defunct church has decided to become Roman Catholic. I guess in some ways it isn't a big jump for them because he attended a Catholic HS many years ago, and in recent years they became Episcopalians (after the church went defunct). Being Episcopalian was fine until last summer when the Episcopalians decided to ordain gay clergy. I'm not sure what I think about this.

I'm also feeling a little sad because of A's pending departure.

Ears to hear

Tonight was the fourth meeting of our college Bible study group, fourth out of a planned eight. We had a good sized group, 14 or 15, with 4 more people coming for the game time after the study. Several of the regulars were absent, but five new people came.

I was disappointed because a couple people I had asked to come didn't. I mentioned that to Gary and he gave me some good advice: don't be sad about who doesn't come, but be happy for those who do because they will have ears to hear. Our lesson kind of fit with that paradox of the senses too: we talked about the blind who can see and those who think they can see are really blind (John 9). Jesus often talked in riddles, with figurative language or with double meanings. Not everyone who listened to his words actually heard them them.

Lord, give us ears to hear.

No internet??

Most of today our internet connection was down. It seems we can hardly live without it.

Spiderman

When D. got back from the theater he told me Spiderman uses the same quantum mechanics book as he did at Taylor.

Life can be short

I hardly knew him, though he had been at our house not so long ago. I just know if he were my child, I would be devastated. Lord, take care of that family. Help them to love you though they must be hurting so much. Glorify yourself--though from my point of view, you could have thought of a better way to do so. Sorry, I shouldn't be insolent. You know more than I do.

Medical school

D. applied to medical school yesterday. He finished the process by borrowing my credit card to pay for the application--almost $400! It is a joint application for all schools and will be followed up by shorter applications to specific schools. He is looking at Ph.D./M.D. programs, and not all medical schools have them.

We've been offered a free car by friends who are getting a new one. I wonder if D. could take it to D.C. for his job there in September? Funny thing, the car they are offering is only one year older than our newer car.

Conversations

Heard around our house today:

Setting--D. walking repeatedly back and forth from one end of the house to the other carrying a floppy disk.
Me: What are you doing?
D: File transfers.

Setting--I'm giving the last stir to the the stir-fry for dinner.
Me: D., put the rice in a bowl.
D.: I can't. I'm applying to medical school.

Setting--A. getting his Harvard transcript in the mail.
A.: Look missa! I'm a straight up B+ student. Yes!

Setting--Cleaning up the kitchen at 7pm, listening to my new "stereo" system (speakers from my computer strung into the living room)
R. Mom, turn your music down. I can't sleep!

Someone to talk to

I feel like I need someone to talk to.

People are talking to me, but that's not what I mean. I mean I need someone to talk to.

Lord, are you listening?

Gmail

I opened a gmail account tonight, just for the fun of it. If you are reading this message, send me an email to my new gmail account: linda.sim***@gmail.com I need to see if it works. (You know what to substitute for the asterisks.)

Horses and roller coasters

She: I just got off the roller coaster, but I want to get back on.
Me: Don't be too agressive.
She: If you fall off a horse, you need to get back on.
Me: But don't be too agressive.
She: Just someone to talk to.
Me: How can you have a DTR if there isn't any R?
Me: AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!