FRIDAY FUNNY

Yesterday at supper Ivy suddenly asked me when exactly was the night of the Ghost of Midnight Chow(sic). Of course I replied, "WHAT???" It turns out that, several years ago, while bored, Evan concocted some sort of story about the Ghost of Midnight Chow and Ivy had thought it was a real holiday. Wanting to share his widespread following, I contacted Evan, who denied having spread the nasty rumor. After careful consideration, he researched his topic, and this is what he came up with (tongue firmly in cheek):


For Ivy,

The Ghost of Midnight Xioa arrives on the Eve of the Forenight of the Great Inquisitional Purge at precisely 11:59.

The Story of Midnight Xioa is very complicated. He was born in Madrid as Solomon Sanderson Piltdown to Jewish parents on May 5, 1460. He spent his early years working in the market, selling the olive oil that his grandparents sent from Greece. Now this olive oil was famous for working miracles. People would bake their food with it when they wished to cure an illness. The reason this olive oil worked miracles for those who had true faith was because the olive garden that Grandma and Grandpa Piltdown ran originated with a single olive from the bush which Jesus prayed by on the Mount of Olives. Solomon was a good worker, but he was often caught talking to the customers about the story of the olives more than actually selling them.

When he turned 12, his parents gave him money to visit his parents in Greece. On his way, after many months of travel, passing through what is now Albania, he stopped at the Ardennes Monastery. Here is a link to some pictures of the monastery http://www.galenfrysinger.com/berat_albania.htm. When he told Archimandrite (Abbot) Phonius about his journey, he became very quiet and began to weep. Confused, Solomon asked the holy man what was wrong. Phonius replied, "This story is yours, my son, but it is not over yet. The Lord has granted me, humble and unworthy as I am, a vision. In a dream, Saint Catherine the Great came to me and said, 'Phonius, you will meet a young man in three years time who will roam the earth until all time. He will herald the destruction of many souls. Pray for him.' Also, she told me that I would die within a week of meeting you."

Horrified, Solomon cried out, "But sir, I am still young, and I am seeking the true story of the Mountain. How can I bring destruction?"

"My son," the Archimandrite replied, "you do not bring destruction, but remembrance. It will be your eternal life to remind the world of the horrors that are to come. And of my death, I weep for joy. The Lord hath granted me to know the day of my death, so I can prepare myself for our meeting."

"But what is this great destruction I bring?" asked Solomon, his heart shaking.

"You do not bring it, but must remember it. Those who claim to serve the Lord will take the lives of others into their own hands, cursing themselves forever and destroying many lives. It is now time for Compline (evening prayer service--very beautiful), let us go into the chapel of St. Mary."

The Archimandrite died within the week, as predicted. Deeply moved by their conversation, Solomon stayed at the monastery and devoted his life to prayer, pleading with God to free him from his burden. After three years, he was sent into the far east to establish a mission in China. When he arrived in Kashgar, the far western edge of China, he was captured by a group of local militia. Taken to the city, he remained in prison for many months. However, this prison cell reminded him of his cell back at the monastery and only encouraged his prayers. Struck by his resilience after 10 months of bread, water, and a hard stone floor, the Chinese officials asked him, "What manner of man are you that you spend endless days without sleep, stay silent in the midst of torture, and always act as though you owed us something, even though you are our prisoner?"

Speaking in their own language, he said, "I have no mind nor no heart but to beg relief of myself. I cannot blame anyone for what they do when I am the greatest of sinners. That is all I have to say."

Struck by this, they gave him the name Xiao, released him, gave him a horse and food for many months of travel, then sent him on his way. Reluctantly, for he still wished to fulfill his original mission, he returned to Ardennes and thence went to Mount Athos. He spent one full year there, living isolated, very sorrowful and repentant, crying out constantly for God to order him in another way. One night, as he prayed, Saint Catherine appeared and spoke to him. "Solomon Xiao," she said, "you must go to Spain this day to undertake your work for the Lord." With great joy, he told his abbot the vision and began his journey back to his homeland.

The year he arrived, 1478, Pope Sextus IV had given his permission to Ferdinand and Isabella to begin the Inquisition. Unlike previous Inquisitions, this was entirely under the royal authority and was not supervised by the Pope. Particularly close to Solomon's heart, the Inquisition pursued converts from Judaism to Christianity and Greeks in Siciliy and Italy. As he had recently arrived in Spain from Greece, he was immediately arrested and brought before the jury of clergy who would decide his case. The day before his trial, he was placed on a rack for the first four hours of the day, hung by his big toes for the next four, dragged behind a horse for the next four, then the process was repeated. Yet, when he arrived in court, his face seemed to be shining and he stood erect before them.

The high judge arose and, with a stern face spoke, "You are accused of high blasphemy against God and the Holy See. You are a Jew, a heretic, and the highest of sinners. You shall be sentenced to die if you cannot defend yourself against these accusations. What have you to say?"

Solomon Xiao crossed himself three times, bowing low to the floor with each sign, prayed the Lord's Prayer, and began, "By birth I am a Jew; I do not deny it. One cannot affect the nature of his birth, nor would I wish it if I could. I stand in the land of my birth and will not deny my heritage. I am accused of Heresy, against which I cannot argue. I do not know the arguments of Theologians. I cannot read. I cannot defend myself academically, but can look only into my own heart. Thus, I turn to the third accusation: I am accused of being the worst of sinners. My friend, I thank you for your depth of insight. For many years I have prayed unto the Lord and cried out, 'I am the sinner of sinners, Lord hear my prayer and strip me of my pride and lies,' and now I see that he has answered my prayer, for I stand bare and unhidden before you and the world. In these things, if I deserve to die, let it be so. I ask only one favor, forgive me and pray to God for my soul."

Five minutes passed, and passed again before the judge could speak. Gathering himself, he turned to the audience and jury. "As you can see," he said softly, "this man is humble. He does not speak highly of himself and has no pride. He is more like unto our Saviour than any in this room in this. Yet, he does not deny the accusations. According to the law and Holy order, we must purge every heretic in this land." Turning to Xiao, he spoke thus, "My brother, any sins that I commit against you, forgive me all. I act upon the order of divinity and not of my own making. A final time I must ask--I must beg--will you renounce your former life and turn to God?"

Xiao hung his head and did not answer. In sadness and with tears of sorrow, the priest-judge asked for a sword. Walking to Xiao, he said, "I myself will do this act, and take the sin upon myself, that no other may bear it. Forgive me." Then he plunged the sword through himself and Xiao in one stroke, then fell to the ground next to him. Xiao, though pierced through the heart, looked upon the body of the judge, began weeping, then slowly walked out the door. One minute later, the clock struck midnight.

Though he was assumed dead, Xiao appeared the following year to two young girls in the city who had been in the crowd. They describe the occurrence in their joint writing, The Appearance at Midnight of Solomon Xiao: "Sitting upon the curb, eating the leavings of wealthy men, we turned and saw the man of the year before. He sat on the walk between us, weeping. We asked him what he was and why he was here, he spoke thus, 'I am sent to instruct you in the way of remembrance. You must strive to open the way of safety for those who are pursued by evil.' He then arose and walked into the air" (49). This first sighting of Midnight Xiao was not the last. Each year, upon the night of his death, precisely at 11:59, he appears to two young girls to remind them of the Inquisition and direct them how to act. If the children show no memory of the past at all, he provides horrific images of torture and sin from the Inquisition and begs them to remember. His visits last no more than one minute, but are remembered for life.

Let us all remember the death of Midnight Xiao and those sinned against in those sad times.

-Evan Chastain
.

Just a note, in case you are out of the loop. Savannah has had to give up on going to SCAD this spring due to a major financial mixup at her undergraduate school that has her taking out a personal loan with plans to work ninety miles an hour through the summer to pay it off. It has a been a heartbreaking month or so. She will also likely lose her medical insurance over this(not a student...), so that is another factor. Please pray that we WILL KNOW what God has for her here. It is so hard to lose your dream and not know why.

WE are getting over the flu now, but Liberty is having a rough time of it. She is just so weak, and clingy. The rest of us are alternately coughing and/or sniffling, uttering those great LOUD sneezes that REQUIRE a tissue. Can you believe that Beth Moore cited a study where it is a fact, that people who are less stressed produce less mucus, so that yes, people who are not as friendly, ARE snottier! Isn't that hysterical?

Wordless WEdnesday

My parents, sitting in the floor, doing puzzles.

SO, I have this two year old sort of half potty training. Strangely, he is MUCH more aware of his urges In PUBLIC! What do you do with your child when they start hollering in the middle of the grocery store," I need to go potty really badly!" Correct grammar usage and all. People look at you oddly while you mutter to yourself, "We've already been three times in the last 20 minutes, how can you possibly have to go again?" The wailing only gets louder if I don't take him. But really, juggling the groceries, the baby and manuvering(what is up with this word? I have the strongest urge to spell it British manouvre) in a bathroom stall is a little much, don't you think?

My camera keeps saying "unable to use card". Any ideas? I was asked to participate in the oddest meme(to me). You are to take pix of your house, one room at a time(privacy issues addressed) and tell how you would decorate it if you had the time and money. I am completely clueless as to how or even why to do this. But please feel free to join in if you like.

No Orange Julius. I know you were all worried about that. No goofy golf either. Liberty had a fever all night and all day and later in the afternoon began throwing up. So, we went nowhere. But, Mike went out and got some shrimp and rolls and a movie(which got left in the cart in the parking lot and diappeared before he could get back.) I made some absolutely fantastic cupcakes and icing from a recipe I got at Jennifer's bog at Gathering grace. If I knew how to link you, I would do it. ( Jennifer explained this to me, let me know if it works)I asked Ben if he knew how and he said yes, but did not help me.

I happened upon a couple of blogs yesterday that were VERY anti-valentine. It seems some people develop unreal expectations from each other,etc. I had really never thought of it that way. Personally, I received a fondue fountain that is, of course, for everyone in the family. I say, good. This notion of having to buy a perfect and romantic present or have a romantic evening IS unrealistic. It is really only a special day for us because of our personal change in relationship. I have always liked hearts, so everything looks cute to me.

What do you think?


I will be busy today as now Grant has the fever. Hope he does not throw up!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today is the anniversary of our first date. We went out after working at the grill in the student building. Since it was so late, there wasn't much to do. We got an Orange Julius and played putt-putt golf in freezing weather.

To be honest, I did not even like Orange Julius drinks and I hate cold weather. Also, I prefer goofy golf. But, it was so much fun just to be ourselves. We worked together and had several mutual friends, but had never thought of each other in any other way.

We like to celebrate by playing miniature golf if the weather permits, but we have never gotten an Orange Julius again. Maybe this year..................

This is what we call our song. I'm not sure how we picked it or why. Enjoy.

Hula hooping

Ivy playing soccer(in orange)

Papa Jimmy and Liberty first thing in the morning! His birthday was yesterday, happy birthday, Dad!

Ivy in Mamaw's tub(!) with her cousins Reggie, MacKenzie and Savannah(yes, my sister named her daughter the same name!)

Anna, Jeanette, Trinity and Savannah watch Ivy's soccer game

Nanny Lucy and Grant

Trinity and her cousin Justin braving lemons!

I wish I had remembered to take a good picture of Evan when I saw him. He just turned 21. He and Liz will be going SNOWBOARDING for his birthday. He is so surprised and excited.

I knew that Evan always felt like the black sheep or something, but always went out of my way to make sure he was included. When He became engaged, he asked to look through old pictures, and suddenly said(out loud), "huh, there are lots of pictures of me!" and later, "I am not smiling in any of these pictures." ( I wanted to cry) The pictures he was not smiling in were taken in his teens, when, yes, he WAS largely grumpy. It was one of those things that I had hoped would not happen, since you know, we were homeschooling and all. I actually forced him to accompany us on many field trips. I hope he is glad now.
I even bought him a Calvin and Hobbes book even though I kept catching him reading them instead of doing his schoolwork. Did I mention I bought the spanish version? He was in Spanish one and I thought it would inspire him. He was SO excited when the books came and there was one for him, a Calvin and Hobbes we did not have! He literally grabbed it and ran to his room. Five minutes later we heard the loud groan! I was in stitches!
When Evan approached his ninth birthday, I racked my brain for what to do as as some kind of theme. I really love doing these for birthdays. At that time, he loved detective stories and rocks! I just did not know what to do. Finally, I came up with a team scavenger hunt. I made up clues(rhyming of course!) and hid them or gave them to the participating neighbors. I also passed out the food for the party, which the kids had to ask for and then bring back to the house. All was in place, and then.............it snowed! We decided that we would carry on, since living in England had taught us never to cancel our plans because of the weather. What a memory!
Evan is an intellectual and a philosopher. He likes to debate EVERYTHING. And with the certainty of the young, he KNOWS whereof he speaks :). He loves to read, and holds strong opinions. He has spent the last 18 months or so deciding exactly where he stands in his faith. HE and his wife are now in classes to join the orthodox church. I was able to attend a service with him. To the unitiated, it was a little intimidating. I knew there would be ceremony, but not so much audience participation. Fortunately, there was a playbook to follow. Kind of like extended responsive reading, but sung/chanted. The words were beautiful,but the service seemed long. I am still not really clear on the topics of saints and the icons, but the people we met were so warm and friendly.
Funnily enough, I discovered that the other children have long assumed that I actually preferred Evan's company because they think we are so much alike! I guess his theories
are busted! I DO like that he ENJOYS scrabble and other word games, where all the others refuse to even play with me!
Here's wishing you a happy birthday on your trip, Evan!

A couple of weekends ago I ran off to visit my family, primarily my grandmother
(the cute one in green in the center). Michael had work and school and Benjamin had signed up for a retreat, so they were not able to go with me. My parents are in this picture, my nephew Reggie, and the couple you never get to see, Evan and Liz!
Nanny Lucy was 90 this past August and had never met Liberty. The younger kids visited with cousins and got to learn Rummi-kub(HOW do YOU pronounce this word? There was hot debate on the way home about this topic.) Savannah took me to the chinese sub shop and I visited Evan's church. Also, I got to bowl on his Wii, something I haven't done since I developed carpal tunnel syndrome a while back. I mean of course, that I haven't bowled in years, It was my first time ever to use a Wii. I usually HATE video games. And hate in this instance is a mild word. But I actually enjoyed playing sports on his Wii.
I hope to write Evan a birthday blog this week. As his birthday was last Sunday, I am WAY behind the power curve. I just have not had the time or energy to sit down at the computer and think about composing anything. Happy Late birthday Evan!
I also got to visit with a DEAR friend who WON'T let me post her picture. believe me, I understand. If you think I am kidding, check out my facebook where there are over 30 pictures of me that are TERRIBLE. and , again, I mean that mildly. Thanks to Ann Margaret who was willing to drive WAY out of her way just to be my friend. I am SO blessed.

I seem to have less and less time, even though I backed our rising time to 6 AM! I am starting to doubt my teaching ability-------again! Or is it my methods? Why are all my children different? Some learn this way, some that. Only 2 like me!
These are rhetorical statements, of course, I KNOW all children are different, it can just be very frustrating. I have gotten away from lesson plans, and have little time to write them anyway with a new baby, and it is costing me time during school. I really think I might switch to Sonlight if I had the money, mostly for the lesson plans and great books! I am also frustrated with Ben. He has just got the winter blues and gotten lazy about schoolwork. If he was at home, I could get around this, switch up the topics, or have a unit study, but it is messing up his grades! Not a fun post, sorry!

Jennifer sent me a great Japanese potty chair! No more misses on the floor, AND Grant is really motivated. You get the great friend award, Jennifer! We laughed about the random snacks included in the box, and Ben tried to read them in Japanese, but was only successful with one.

We tried to make potato(whole wheat) bread and Fumi and chef salad last night. What with starting late, making too few mashed potatoes and having to run to the grocery store to get ingredients, we did not sit down to eat until 7:15! And the bread did not finish until after 8! People were grouchy from starvation and several frustrated from poor help, or lack thereof!

On the upside, while waiting for the bread to rise, we held a hoola hoop(or is it hula hoop) contest. Savannah has always been great at this activity(sport) and recently learned that it is fantastic for ab workouts. Anna has been a rising star, so we thought it would be fun to see how she held out. First we let other siblings attempt the overthrow. Grant and Ben were about equal in timing. Trinity was only slightly worse than Joel. Even Ivy only survived 42 seconds. Lo and behold, if Jeanette did not turn out to have a hidden talent for hula hooping! She barely moves when it whips around her. In fact, it turns out she can chicken dance while keeping the hoop moving! We stopped the contest after 20 minutes, as it was getting quite dark! Poor Anna-Laura did not get to compete at all, but knows her head is on the chopping block.
(In case you are wondering, Michael and I did not compete, though I DID try DDR this weekend, and my dance pad was squirrelly and quit midway through my song.)

We have been really busy lately. Last weekend I went up to visit my parents, son and daughter-in-law, and my 90 year old grandmother. I also got to visit briefly with my brother and sister and their children(respectively of course, not together.) It was a LONG exhausting trip, but I am glad we went. How do you interact with your grandmother when you know you may or may not see her come summer? It seemed like a lot of pressure to perform, yet a fine line so that dignity can be retained.
In my family it is considered taboo to talk about an actual problem(or any sort of sadness). The thing to do is to ignore it or dance around the topic. I have worked for years to get past this one. Only to find that perhaps the children did not need to know QUiTE everything. You know I am speaking tongue-in-cheek, I suppose. Again, A fine line to walk. I always feel like a bull in a china shop(I always hated this phrase) when it come to delicate issues or elegant things. I feel like I am loud and blundering, clumsy and chaotic. Which is why it cracks me up when people say I am gentle and patient!
How does laundry pile up when you are not even at home? I got so backed up last week with housework and trying(and failing) to get back on track in school. Two soccer games did not help. I DO have a schedule, but seemed totally unable to follow it. Savannah put us all on a more healthy LIFESTYLE, NOT DIET. That was REALLY expensive at the grocery store. Then, come to find out, this was actually a short week for us, and not the best to buy so many groceries. It was that whole "behind the power curve" feeling.
I have been pondering about how to improve my schedule, school and housework; and feeling vastly overwhelmed. I wanted to put up the picture of all of us with my family, so maybe I will pull it off Savannah's camera later this week. Today is soccer game day, again.

Isn't She Cute?

Cutest Baby Contest! UPDATE-vote as often as possible! WE are not actually hoping to win at this point, it seems some people are voting ALL day long, not something I expect anyone to do. I guess it is a much fiercer competition than I previuosly suspected. We tried all morning to get her into 50th place,but even with two computers we could not do it.
Savannah entered a picture of Liberty in the local paper for a contest. The winner is determined by votes. YOU can cast your vote here:
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/bestbaby/gallery/?page=30
The pictures MAY move around, so , if you do not see the above picture, type in her name.

After you click on "vote for this baby" you will go to a new page. You must scroll down and identify cat pictures to actually place your vote. It explains why on the site.

Just FYI, the winner gets gift certificates to local businesses for baby stuff.
The votes can be cast MANY TIMES every day from January 15 (at noon CST)through until the 31st. (Picture by Savannah.)

Also, I posted several pictures on my facebook and asked people to help me pick a new profile picture. Most of them are awful and hilarious. Feel free to vote there, also.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36948&l=d7023&id=725730929
Have fun!

I am busy with sick kids. Liberty turned out to have a really bad cold AND a double ear infection. Grant caught it and his is "croupy." Now Joel came down with it. Ivy says her throat is sore. Michael has had what we could call a "sour stomach" for over a week. I am thankful that I have not gotten sick(yet). Keep us in your prayers. Look for a special announcement requiring participation either later this evening or tomorrow!

For Savannah's birthday dinner, I made home made chicken nuggets, shells and cheese and spinach salad with strawberries, almonds and homemade dressing. Even with the kids helping, it took 2 hours. We had some discussions about presentation. Which is kind of funny since I took years to learn this.

I have those "Millers" books sold by Timberdoodle. They are about a Mennonite family and the everyday lessons the kids learn. They are charming, but sometimes preachy and occaisionaly off base. In one of them, the mom is out of town and the oldest daughter makes dinner, She can't figure out what the problem is with her meal. She thought it was made right, but it just doesn't seem to taste right. It turns out they have white plates and she made fish, mashed potatoes and cauliflower. Isn't that hysterical?

I made up the recipe for the chicken nuggets while in Japan, though usually I MUST have a recipe to cook with. I am a HUGE Chik-Fil-A fan, and of course, it is not available overseas, so I tinkered around to come up with a reasonable facsimile. I learned to make my own velveeta and cheese, and someone's mom made the salad and dressing for a potluck and kindly mailed it to me. It has poppyseeds, and is a vinagrette.

I ONLY fry these and okra, so I try not to feel guilty about serving these. They disappear quickly, too. Joel arranged the food and took the pictures, I hope you are not hungry while you are reading this. I'll make them for you if you come to visit!

***************By popular demand*************************

ok, the recipe goes something like this(more or less):

2 cups flour(plain)

1 cup sugar

with more than about 2 pounds of chicken, just adjust so that the ratio remains 2:1

then I add garlic salt, maybe a tablespoon?season salt, same, sea salt, tsp, some pepper. Last time I added mesquite flavor, just about a half a tsp. It was great. The seasonings are up to you, I think I usually use Lawry's season salt, but I have used steakhouse seasoning, though it was not my favorite. I may have added paprika...

I put it in a gallon size ziplock and add cut up white meat chicken. Then I shake it up. I fry in a fry daddy, but you could probably use a cast iron skillet. I fry it til golden brown.

I tried shaking in a bowl, but it did not work the same. Also, it cannot be done ahead of time or the chicken gets gooey with the breading and then it has a different texture. Fresh(read thawed) chicken works better than frozen.

Happy 22nd Birthday Savannah!!!

I cannot believe I became a mother 22 years ago today! I had NO idea what I was in for. She came in the middle of the night. I was amazed that a new human being had appeared. BAck in the day, they took the babies away to bathe them, etc. We could not stand for her to go alone, so Michael followed them and pressed his face against the nursery glass until they broke protocol and invited him in to bathe her himself. The nurse took it upon herself to come tell me she had never seen such a doting first time dad.

From then until now we have done so much together. Even now I amazed at the way she can see order in chaos, and beauty in the simple things. She is gifted musically( I cannot stay on my own notes), she is artistic and crafty(I have not the patience), and can organize anything. Needless to say, She did not learn much of this from me.

We are in fervent prayer for her future right now. She has finished her college requirements to graduate, but now what? She is in the process of applying for graduate school at Savannah college of Art and Design, but is not sure she will be accepted. And if she is, how will she pay for it? Should she go for the spring quarter or wait to begin in the summer(or fall)? In the meantime, she applied at the local paper, but they have not called her. Out of nowhere, I got a mass email from Nancy Campbell(publisher of "Above Rubies") saying she was desparate for help from a few young ladies who had finished their schooling. Is it a word from God? It does not pay, so even if she does that and then goes to grad school, shouldn't she just stay here and work as a waitress at Golden corral to raise living expenses? OR would it look better on a resume to have interned at a magazine? But then she would be away from us and leave again to go off to school. If she waits and does not help, but works at the restaurant, what happens if she does not get accepted? Michael says we should offer to pay her the money she would make so she can go(!). Hmm.

Having just come off her amazing trip to Australia, nothing can compare. I love that I can trust her to do what I would do with her brothers and sisters. Even going back to what I did with her, things I have gotten out of the habit of doing, like singing nursery rhymes with the kids. This morning we were all stumped for half an hour singing the end of a nursery rhyme, even scrambling around looking for a book of nursery rhymes before I rembered that the first line was "Sing a song of sixpence!" We had the rest already, isn't that silly?

I love that she is encouraging ME to look for a Beth Moore Bible study we can do together, and that she shows up for Bible study each morning with the other schoolage and younger siblings even though she really is not required to that. She is a prayer warrior and remembers the little details that are so important.

I love that she does not mind(much) looking very similar to how I looked 20+ years ago. Even looking YEARS younger than her age, much like I did(do? haha). I must say I think it is funny that she does not want her hair braided still because I apparently traumatized her by "practicing" on her so many times when she was little.

I love how she always insists on being healthy, but does not go overboard and turn vegan or something. It is a good reminder to include veggies and fruit. I am pretty good about it, but she is more attentive as to how often we have fresh stuff, etc.

I love how she volunteers to take the kids to do fun things, and thinks of ways to make things fun, like when she held "space night" for them when she was in high school and it included specialized food, several games, role playing and moonwalking, as well as looking at the moon through a telescope. BTW, she also videotaped the whole thing, so though we missed it because we were out on a date, we got to see it. Even our date was orchestrated, at the restaurant, the piano player had been given sheet music to play just for us, and the hostess brought out a floral arrangement she had delivered earlier.

I would go on, but there is getting to be fierce competition for this computer, and I want to include a picture!

Happy Birthday, Savannah, I love you!

Wordless Wednesday!

I decided to skip out on afternoon classes yesterday and enjoy 70 degrees in January. As we were walking down the beach, this plane suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Look how close it got to us! FYI, today is hotter!

more pix on facebook

I may have mentioned that I love Rich Mullins' music. Years ago I bought a sort of biography about him. One section has stayed with me and sprung to mind on the beach last week. Rich was asked about his lyrics and he said he thought that a line in his song "Boy like me/Man like you" was particularly funny. The line that goes" Did you ever make angels in the winter snow?" Because, of course, Jesus DID make the angels AND the winter snow! He thought that was hilarious. As Trinity made "sand angels" down the beach, I smiled to myself thinking about this.

Here are all the lyrics to that song:

Boy Like Me / Man Like You
Rich Mullins and Beaker

Matthew 2:21-23, Luke 2:39-52Colossians 1:9-14, Colossians 2:6-10

You was a baby like I was once

You was cryin' in the early mornin'

You was born in a stable Lord

Reid Memorial is where I was born

They wrapped You in swaddling clothes

Me they dressed in baby blue

But I was twelve years old in the meeting house

Listening to the old men pray

And I was tryin' hard to figure out

What it was that they was tryin' to say

There You were in the temple

They said You weren't old enough

To know the things You knew

Well, did You grow up hungry?

Did You grow up fast?

Did the little girls giggle when You walked past?

Did You wonder what it was that made them laugh?

And did they tell You stories 'bout the saints of old?

Stories about their faith?

They say stories like that make a boy grow bold

Stories like that make a man walk straight

And You was a boy like I was once

But was You a boy like me

Well, I grew up around Indiana

You grew up around Galilee

And if I ever really do grow up Lord I want to grow up and be just like You

Well, did You wrestle with a dog and lick his nose?

Did You play beneath the spray of a water hose?

Did You ever make angels in the winter snow?

And did they tell You stories 'bout the saints of old?

Stories about their faith?

They say stories like that make a boy grow bold

Stories like that make a man walk straight

Did You ever get scared playing hide and seek?

Did You try not to cry when You scraped Your knee?

Did You ever skip a rock across a quiet creek?

And did they tell You stories 'bout the saints of old?

Stories about their faith?

They say stories like that make a boy grow bold

Stories like that make a man walk straight

And I really may just grow up and be like You someday

For New Year's Day, we went back to the beach to make our "sandman".  Poor Mike Wade was too sick to play.  It was colder than last year, but still, a lot of fun!

We have a computer up, but it does not have the software loaded to be able to upload pictures. I am hoping Savannah will put some up on her facebook. I will be able to move them here.

This morning was one of those that begs for a memory snapshot. It started slow, Trinity woke me up, but then waited 'til I called her back. She played with the baby while I got ready. Later, as people drifted in for cereal, there was an impromptu gathering. All of a sudden, Savannah was playing the "can-can" on the piano, while Ben and Grant and Trinity danced with a large candy cane. I was feeding Liberty her cereal. Anna had just appeared and remarked, "Breakfast AND a show!"

Enjoy the mental picture!