I have been invited to or have helped to plan a great many birthday parties in the past two years. I am not including, in those parties, events for my spouse of 50 years, my 4 adult children, their spouses, nor my 9 grandchildren. Those family events occur for all of us.
I am talking about the 10 or 12 birthday parties that I have been asked to attend and helped to plan for nonagenarians.
Because of where I choose to work, I know a lot of folks over the age of ninety, and
every one of them is special. They make themselves special because of their attitude. When folks get to be ninety, they stop worrying about how old they are and start celebrating their "old age." It's a freeing sort of thing. When you turn ninety, you are proud to announce your age. It is a marvelous attitude of achievement.
By golly, if you live to be ninety years old (and older), you deserve to be proud of your age.
I love the baby pictures that often accompany the invitations I love to look at those pictures and I try to see the seniors that I have come to know and love. I love the attention the 90 year-olds get from their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. I appreciate the admiration they get from their friends and acquaintances. It's a grand time.
I hope we all live to be ninety.
Great God: Thank you for life. Thank you for growing old. Thank you for loving friends and family. When life gets tough, we know that you are there for us.
We praise your Holy Name.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Dot Com Grandmas!
I'm here to tell you that the age of technology has finally reached as far as it possibly can go. Yesterday, I led a Mission Study for United Methodist Women, in a very small town, in
a very remote part of rural Missouri. Around 40 women were in attendance.
Now, as you can imagine, United Methodist Women are generally not Spring Chickens. We have all, and of course I am including myself, "got some age" on us. To put it another way, we've all been around the block a couple dozen times, at least.
Picture this....the discussion is centered around the liberators of Latin American Countries and I asked some of the ladies how and why the town of Bolivar (we say Bawl-Liver, here in Mi-zoo-rah)was so named.
No one seemed to know, until one of the "seasoned" UMW ladies voluntarily picked up her phone, went to the Internet, looked it up and gave us the answer.
Later in the day, I asked for a volunteer to read a few Bible verses. So, yet another lady tapped her finger to her phone a few times, and proceeded to read the verses. It appeared, from the sound of tapping, that quite a few ladies had one Bible translation or another on their phones. Who knew?
Well, move over members of the I Phone generation, Grandma has a brand new bag!
Great God: It seems that we can use modern technology to get closer to you. In our eagerness to be technologically savvy, let us never forget that this knowledge and the ability to use it, originally comes from you.
We praise your power and genius.
Amen.
a very remote part of rural Missouri. Around 40 women were in attendance.
Now, as you can imagine, United Methodist Women are generally not Spring Chickens. We have all, and of course I am including myself, "got some age" on us. To put it another way, we've all been around the block a couple dozen times, at least.
Picture this....the discussion is centered around the liberators of Latin American Countries and I asked some of the ladies how and why the town of Bolivar (we say Bawl-Liver, here in Mi-zoo-rah)was so named.
No one seemed to know, until one of the "seasoned" UMW ladies voluntarily picked up her phone, went to the Internet, looked it up and gave us the answer.
Later in the day, I asked for a volunteer to read a few Bible verses. So, yet another lady tapped her finger to her phone a few times, and proceeded to read the verses. It appeared, from the sound of tapping, that quite a few ladies had one Bible translation or another on their phones. Who knew?
Well, move over members of the I Phone generation, Grandma has a brand new bag!
Great God: It seems that we can use modern technology to get closer to you. In our eagerness to be technologically savvy, let us never forget that this knowledge and the ability to use it, originally comes from you.
We praise your power and genius.
Amen.
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Old Stuff
It has been a few years since our town had a big Air Show. When we do have one, and this year we did, they are often held at the Downtown Municipal Airport. This venerable old airfield lies on one of the jutting out pieces of land, next to the river that separates Kansas from Missouri. The Downtown Airport hasn't been used for commercial air travel for over thirty years, since the newest Municipal Airport was built. That newest version of airport is twenty minutes north of the old one and on the outskirts of the city.
The Downtown Airport had a great history. Howard Hughes, of TWA, had his headquarters there. President Harry S Truman flew in and out of our Downtown Airport, on his trips home to Independence. JFK flew there on some campaign trips. The Beatles landed there when they flew in to play at the KC Athletics Stadium.
Alas, our old airport, was too small for modern planes. It was and continues to be "water bound" on two sides. The tarmac was as big as it could get.
Our home sits on a bluff above the river and because we sit up high, we can watch the Air Show from our back deck. Today, yesterday and the day before, we have been able to view the Blue Angel Fighter Jets zoom back and forth over our heads. The noise has been deafening, but we have loved the thrill of the show.
It's great to see the old Downtown Airport come alive, once again.
Dear Lord: Could it be that well-meaning Christians are becoming obsolete. I know so many people who do the right things and work so hard, and yet nothing seems to come their way.
Help us all to keep positive and hold fast to our Faith and our belief system.
We know you are great and all powerful. Show us how to keep on keeping on. Amen
P.S. City Government is pushing to build another airport, soon.
The Downtown Airport had a great history. Howard Hughes, of TWA, had his headquarters there. President Harry S Truman flew in and out of our Downtown Airport, on his trips home to Independence. JFK flew there on some campaign trips. The Beatles landed there when they flew in to play at the KC Athletics Stadium.
Alas, our old airport, was too small for modern planes. It was and continues to be "water bound" on two sides. The tarmac was as big as it could get.
Our home sits on a bluff above the river and because we sit up high, we can watch the Air Show from our back deck. Today, yesterday and the day before, we have been able to view the Blue Angel Fighter Jets zoom back and forth over our heads. The noise has been deafening, but we have loved the thrill of the show.
It's great to see the old Downtown Airport come alive, once again.
Dear Lord: Could it be that well-meaning Christians are becoming obsolete. I know so many people who do the right things and work so hard, and yet nothing seems to come their way.
Help us all to keep positive and hold fast to our Faith and our belief system.
We know you are great and all powerful. Show us how to keep on keeping on. Amen
P.S. City Government is pushing to build another airport, soon.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
Name your Poison!
Let's set the record straight. I am not a guy. I have never been a guy. I will never be a guy. Why then does almost everyone under the age of forty keep referring to any group of men and women, that I happen to be a part of, as "you guys"?
I resent being called a guy, and I am beginning to feel like I am the only woman out there who is outraged and offended. Where are the feminists in this country? Come on ladies, come out from under the glass ceiling that you are constantly whining about. Where are you when we need you? You used to get really angry at the use of "gender" language. You got upset when "man" was used to mean "people". Why aren't you upset about "you guys"?
Let me cite an example. Last week, a young man addressed a group of us, at work. His message was good. It was well prepared and full of important and interesting information. He was, for the most part, well spoken (although, I would have chosen to spit our my gum. before I took the podium), and well intentioned.
But, he kept referring to those of us in his audience as "you guys".
"You guys" should be confined to the locker room. "You guys" smacks of testosterone and stinky socks. "You guys" is boy talk. It is not adult language.
I hereby offer a new choice of words for naming a group of mixed gender folk. Try "Ladies and Gentlemen." It worked for Middle Schoolers, years ago. They used to say, when I would address them in that manner, "Nobody ever calls us that." I would reply, " Well, that's what I choose to call you, and I expect you to behave as such!"
Nine out of ten times it worked.
Good God: I recognize the power of your name. Bless us and allow us to glorify your name. You know who we are and whose we are. Amen.
I resent being called a guy, and I am beginning to feel like I am the only woman out there who is outraged and offended. Where are the feminists in this country? Come on ladies, come out from under the glass ceiling that you are constantly whining about. Where are you when we need you? You used to get really angry at the use of "gender" language. You got upset when "man" was used to mean "people". Why aren't you upset about "you guys"?
Let me cite an example. Last week, a young man addressed a group of us, at work. His message was good. It was well prepared and full of important and interesting information. He was, for the most part, well spoken (although, I would have chosen to spit our my gum. before I took the podium), and well intentioned.
But, he kept referring to those of us in his audience as "you guys".
"You guys" should be confined to the locker room. "You guys" smacks of testosterone and stinky socks. "You guys" is boy talk. It is not adult language.
I hereby offer a new choice of words for naming a group of mixed gender folk. Try "Ladies and Gentlemen." It worked for Middle Schoolers, years ago. They used to say, when I would address them in that manner, "Nobody ever calls us that." I would reply, " Well, that's what I choose to call you, and I expect you to behave as such!"
Nine out of ten times it worked.
Good God: I recognize the power of your name. Bless us and allow us to glorify your name. You know who we are and whose we are. Amen.
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