Tribute and Aspiration

My ninety-six year old grandfather is ailing. He is the patriarch of our family, my only surviving grandparent and one of the most magnificent men I have ever met. He is a Jesus follower, poet, nature lover, gardener, carpenter, brother, father, grandfather, great-grandfather. Reams could be written and not scratch the surface in describing this deep man. Mr. Rogers carried the following quote in his wallet as a reminder of what kind of man he wanted to be. My grandfather embodies this. Without any further comment:

He has achieved success who has lived well, laughed often and loved much, who has enjoyed the trust of pure women, the respect of intelligent men and the love of little children, who has filled his niche and accomplished his task, who has left the world better than he found it, whether by an improved poppy, a perfect poem or a rescued soul, who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty or failed to express it, who has always looked for the best in others and given them the best he had, whose life was an inspiration, whose memory a benediction. ~ Bessie Anderson Stanley

True Greatness

Remember Mr. Rogers? That friendly, soft-spoken, cardigan-buttoning, Keds-wearing guy on PBS? Sadly, they don't air Mr. Rogers Neighborhood on our local PBS station anymore. He is probably too tame for the tastes of today's kids (and even I was never a big fan of the puppet portion in the Land of Make-Believe). Whatever you think of the show, you must appreciate the man. In a day when we see the moral failings of public figures every night on the news, vulgarity everywhere (everywhere!) and even commercials that make you cringe if you're watching them with your six year old, you have to admire someone who states their values and then lives them out with integrity. Since his death, his widow has compiled and published some of his quotes and sayings. Whenever I see these little gems come across the circulation desk, I check them out and often find myself faithfully copying them in the Flotsam Jetsam Journal. (You'll see lots of them!)

While I was thinking about the heroic sacrifices and courageous deeds of our military yesterday, (even though Memorial Day is not actually until Friday -- so I am not late, I am early!) I remembered a Mr. Rogers quote about American history. In answer to the question, "What is the greatest event in American history?" he replied:

"I can't say. However, I suspect that like so many "great" events, it was something very simple and very quiet with little or no fanfare (such as someone forgiving someone else for a deep hurt that eventually changed the course of history). The really important "great" things are never center stage of life's dramas; they're always "in the wings." That's why it's so essential for us to be mindful of the humble and the deep, rather than the flashy and the superficial."

The humble and the deep. In a culture steeped in and obsessed with the flashy and the superficial, we need to be on the lookout for something different and it seems increasingly hard to find. Well, maybe not. For the sacrifices made, for answering when duty called, for standing on the wall so that I could lie safely in my bed, for staring death in the face and sometimes meeting him, for being afraid but saddling up anyway, thank you men and women of the armed forces. Thank you. The "little" things you do each day, add up to greatness.

Let's Dance!

Quiz Time : What do these titles have in common?

Chant by the Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos
Exactly what it sounds like except instead of being as cool as you think it will be, it's more creepy. Like the soundtrack to a haunted castle.

Big Band Music of the War Years
The soundtrack for my life if I would have been born a few decades earlier.

Deep Forest by Deep Forest
C'mon you've got to remember this techno classic where somebody got the brilliant idea to combine traditional African Bushman chants with classic early 90's techno beats.

Diana Princess of Wales: The BBC recording of the funeral service
Yup. There is a CD of Princess Diana's funeral. And I have listened to it. More than once. And sung along.

Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Awesome for a kick butt workout routine!

Ray of Light by Madonna
Actually a good album despite the fact that I am not a big fan of people with fake British accents.

Legend by Bob Marley & The Wailers
Totally reminds me of living in the Caribbean and is great for chillin' in the backyard while the grill is going.

Big Calm by Morcheeba
Also reminds me of Cayman because I first heard these guys at a little beachfront restaurant called the Blue Parrot with my friend G. Totally mellow.

S&M by Metallica
Metallica teams up with the San Francisco Symphony. No, seriously . . .

77 by The Seventy-sevens
An alternative Christian band that we thought was all crazy and rebellious because they had a song called "Naked" about being bare before God. When Jesus freaks go bad. . . .

These are all CDs in my schizophrenic collection. (I also have more "normal" titles.) With the advent of MP3 players, or in my case, the hot new technology of AM talk radio, I bet there are a lot of folks out there who haven't tucked into that old CD stash for a long time. I would also venture to guess, knowing who many of you are, there are some pretty crazy titles in those dusty collections of yours. (ARF, you probably have a cassette of One Bad Pig or remember The Violet Burning? And KMC, do you have any Stryper left hanging around? Yellow & Black Attack!) Well, dig them out, pop them in and crank up the volume! I want my own kids to think of me every time they hear U2 or Casting Crowns since to this day, I can't hear Peter, Paul & Mary or the Beatles without thinking of my dad or Jim Croce, James Taylor or Cat Stevens without thinking of my mom.

So in the spirit of some good old fashioned nostalgia (which is probably a really redundant phrase!) and in the interest of just getting the blood pumping a little more than usual, we popped in The Beatles One album (27 #1 songs) on Monday night and boogied! In a universal phenomenon among people three feet tall who are not self-conscious, we were grooving to the music and throwing our hands in the air like we just didn't care. Bug especially went totally nuts and would slam into the back of our couch so hard that the rebound would send him flying off the couch and onto the floor. We were just dying of laughter. It was the ZamFam Tumbling Troupe, Beatles mosh pit all in one.

Now I'm trying to decide which old CD to try next. U2 is always a safe bet with me. Though I probably won't be slipping in the Princess Diana funeral CD. . . .

The Faith

I'll be honest. Even though I am generally in the midst of reading several books at any given time, I rarely read Christian non-fiction and only occasionally read Christian fiction. In the non-fiction department, I enjoy getting teaching through the radio or directly from my own study of the Bible. With fiction, I am often disappointed with the quality of the writing or the level of preachiness that I find cloying, annoying or fake. (There are some exceptions, that I will write about sometime, because there are a couple of current Christian fiction writers who rank up there with some of the greatest authors from any genre.) So it is unusual, but not unheard of, that I am finding one of my current reads so life-altering. I would go so far as to say that wherever you may be on your own spiritual journey whether skeptic, seeker, new believer or longtime Christ follower, you should read The Faith by Charles Colson.

The subtitle of the book pretty much sums it up: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It and Why it Matters. For those unfamiliar with Christianity, Colson presents a succinct overview starting with the basic premise that God Is. He then presents the centuries of thought and evidences through the ages of the existence of God. Each chapter is in a similar format, a tenant of the faith followed by evidence in an engaging and highly readable style.

Unfamiliar with Christianity? How can anyone be unfamiliar with Christianity in America? Well, I would humbly posit that not only are most Americans woefully ignorant of what true biblical Christianity is and is not, but so are many Christians. We see the words “Christian” and worse, “evangelical,” bandied about in the realms of media, politics and academia where their meanings are misappropriated, misused, mischaracterized and ultimately misunderstood by believers and unbelievers alike.

The Faith presents a very clear picture of what Jesus taught and what true belief looks like. I can't think of any better way of describing this book and what its mission is than to quote a story directly from the book jacket (Hey, these people are professionals who write this stuff—how can I hope to improve upon it!?)

“Moments before a tormented man took the lives of five young Amish schoolgirls in Nickel Mines, PA on the morning of October 5, 2006, two of the girls, Marian and Barbie Fisher, asked to be sacrificed so that the others could be saved. The killer did not spare the sisters; instead he attempted to murder Marian, Barbie and all eight of their female classmates. Five survived. And in the days after the tragedy, as the world watched in numbed silence, the parents of those girls and the entire Amish community did something seemingly incomprehensible. They forgave the killer and supported his family with their prayers and their financial resources. While their response shocked many, those parents and that community were actually practicing the love that every Christian ought to practice. They were living what they believe.”

And that's why Christians should also read this book. We need to be living what we believe in such a manner that we are so radically different from the natural order of things that people are shocked. We should be “seemingly incomprehensible” because what our Savior did was so incomprehensible and sacrificial and radical. Let that be said of me.

Five Down, a Lifetime More to Go

Happy Anniversary to us! Saturday was our anniversary -- whew, we've made it another year! Five years already and it only feels like five minutes . . . . . underwater. (Just kidding! And credit where credit is due -- I stole that from my sister-in-law's dad!) Actually, we both feel like this is going to be our best year yet. We have plans and dreams and most importantly, each other. And that's enough of that -- I don't do mushy too well.

I'll just sign off with this little observation I wrote on 17 May 2003 after our outdoor ceremony was everything I hoped it would be. The day seemed like God's stamp of approval after a long road that wasn't very straight or smooth. “ . . . an azure dome spread out above us with trees as columns holding it up, their branches stretching like arms to the heavens; the sighing winds and rustling leaves praising God more sweetly than any chorus.”

I am no poet, but I am thankful.

Oh, and Big Brown won the Preakness! Woo-hoo.

Stupid Parent Tricks

The two most useless words in the English language: “Stop crying” -- rendered even more useless when coupled with “right now.”

My other favorite is “Why did you do that?” Ummmm, I think the answer is “Because I am 18 months old.” Of course, this is also the answer to the question, “ Why aren't you answering me?”

Did you feel that? The earth just shifted a little on its axis. Dear, sweet Bug (I call him “dear” and “sweet” to remind myself that these are adjectives that perhaps one day will again describe my son) went on a learning binge today. Thomas the Tank Engine Activity Table makes a great stool – especially when you want to use it to climb up to door knob height, enter your sleeping sister's room and hit her in the head with a singing Barney toy. (Thanks, Aunt G!) Bug also finally figured out how to escape from his crib. This is bad enough in a normal household where small children do not sleep in laundry/storage/pet supply rooms. It is disastrous in our situation where an escape can mean naughty, I mean adventure-minded, little boys can find all kinds of trouble, I mean adventures, to get into.

Well, I must skedaddle so that I can denude the room of anything remotely resembling fun, interest or danger to my little man. When I am done, I am hoping the room looks like one of those rubber-padded rooms in psych wards, although I doubt anything in my house could ever resemble anything so . . . sterile.

Dreamin'

To thee I'll return, overburdened with care;
The heart's dearest solace will smile on me there;
No more from that cottage again will I roam;
Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home.

-- John Howard Payne from "Home Sweet Home"

Somedays we get discouraged about our little house, but it is HOME. Mustard Seed House has its own name, but if we ever move, this poem inspires me to name our next house Traveler's Rest, with the hope that there will be some traveling that requires some resting from! . . . And if I ever have a sailboat, she will be christened Wanderer. . . . And if I ever buy my dream car, it will be a Mini -- British Union Jacked to the max! I can dream, can't I?

Actually, I will settle for having all of my shoes be the slip-on (or OFF!) variety. Shoes are right up there with the French . . . .