Drop It

I just watched a fairly horrendous event of TV, which was also witnessed, in person, by several hundred by-standers. However, I don't think anyone really saw what was happening. To a person, they were all recording the activity, on their phones and other electronic devices. Stuff like this happens all of the time. Pictures and videos are great, but who, these days, can actually say, "I saw that. I was there. I remember when...." We are all so busy waving our phones around, trying to get the best angle, that we truly can't experience anything. Let alone be of any help!

"Dad, did you see my homerun?" "No, son, but I got a video of it." "Honey, look at the baby. She's taking her first step." "Hold it. I'll get my phone."

Riots happen. People get mugged and killed. Who intervenes? Nobody. Home runs are hit and races are won. Who sees these events? Nobody. We are all to busy trying to get a picture or video on our phones. 

What ever happened to the "live" experience, in today's world? Can you actually tell anyone your thoughts, feelings or concerns, when that "recorded" event occurred? Trust me. Life is passing us by, folks. Memories, not videos, are precious. Our memories of sights, sounds and even smells, will be in our thoughts, long after the photos are erased or lost.

Dear Lord. We are thankful for technology. It is a wonderous thing. But, it doesn't compare to Your Love and the Grace, that we have been freely given. We praise Your Holy Name.

 

Merry Christmas

 The Hallmark Channel, on our cable TV, is celebrating "Christmas in July", by airing, almost every day in July, at least one of their many Christmas Movies. Good on them. Being a fan of "feel good movies, that always end with a kiss", I've been joyfully watching these movies.....including two, I saw last night.

Yes, all Hallmark movies are predictable. I've written about them before. But, Christmas in July? Well, think about it. Talk about great marketing! People watching Christmas Movies in July, will start thinking about ordering holiday cards AND all of those movies are also great advertisements for Hallmark's artificial Christmas Trees and Wreaths. Every one of those movies feature gorgeously decorated trees........all made by Hallmark. Hundreds of folks are ordering Balsam Hill greenery, as I write this blog. Then, there are the ornaments. Dozens of new ones every year, and because many of them are dated, they are collectible and expensive.

Your local Hallmark store is awaiting your visit. Get your credit cards ready. Donald Hall would be proud. Kansas City is appreciative of your business.

Dear God. Thank you for our many blessings. We love to celebrate Your Birth. I sincerely hope our preparations make You smile. We praise Your Holy Name.

How could we have missed that?

 A TV commercial, airing currently, features a couple bemoaning the fact that they were not aware that their new home was at the end of an airport runway. They admit that they "missed" that fact, as a plane roars past their picture window. It's very funny. However, it reminded me our similar experience.

Nearly 50 years ago, we purchased a house, located on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River. Perched at one of the highest elevations in Kansas City, we enjoy our spectacular view of the city's skyline. Our yard is huge. Wildlife (fox, groundhog, wild turkey and deer) often visit our property. The neighborhood is safe and our children walked to their grade school, just down the street. It's been a terrific place to live.

However, shortly after we moved in (1978), we were surprised when a twin engine aircraft crashed into our neighbors house! Trapped in her home, our neighbor had to escape from her burning house. No one on the ground was injured, but the three folks in the plane were killed. Similar to the commercial, noted above, it never dawned on us, that our new home was located just a couple of hundred feet off the flight path for the Municipal Airport. 

I guess we could have moved, but we didn't. I took heart in the thought that airplanes rarely crash in the same spot, twice. And, all these years later, we haven't had another air-related incident. We have even enjoyed front row seats, on our deck, for several air shows originating from the airport. We've had eye level views of every type of aircraft imaginable. I've even waved at a President or two, as Air Force One slowed down for a landing. 

Dear God. Life is full of surprises. Our faith in You and Your everlasting love gives us joy.  

And, furthermore...........................

 A couple of months back, I wrote a post about things in my life that were causing me confusion. I wrote a list. Here are several additions to my original list:

• Why do I think of Alfred E. Newman ("What me worry?" Mad Magazine, circa 1960), every time I see Dr. Anthony Fauci?
• Why does the price of a can of green beans double, when the salt is removed? Check this out the next time you visit the supermarket. Take something away....and it costs more? Ridiculous!
• Whatever happened to highway entrance ramp signs? Specifically, the ones that said YIELD.
• What ever happened to REGULAR products? I have been trying to buy some regular grits, and I have actually checked 6 different stores. Maybe it's because I live North of the Mason-Dixon Line. Or perhaps, most folks do not have time to cook and everyone is in a hurry, because all the packages, I have found, are labeled Instant or Quick. No one sells regular grits in Kansas City!

So, I continue to be confused. Life is a mystery.

Dear Lord. Keep an eye on Your poor children. We struggle when we try to make sense of our lives.

Remind us that you are in charge and it is useless for us to worry. We praise Your Holy Name.

June Bugs

Today,  I did a little bit of research on Father's Day. The honoring of Father's goes back for centuries. Originally it was celebrated on March 19th, St. Joseph's Feast Day. Most countries, in this modern era, allot to Dad, a single Sunday in June, 

When our boys were young, most families with little ones, spent the day at Worlds of Fun (Kansas City's take on Disneyland). We never did that. The last place my husband wanted to be, was the amusement park on a 100 degree day, with hundreds of screaming youngsters, all but four of them, not his! He often spent His Day, directing a Church Choir, mowing the lawn, or grilling, for the family, on the deck. (Not really "taking it easy", but the rest of the family, appreciated his efforts.) 

Fathers take a lot of grief these days. They get blamed for crime....... because they are absent from the home. They get ridiculed and verbally abused..........because they are clueless, in Sit Coms and TV ads. Dads are even known for their terrible jokes! As a society, we seem to be pretty harsh, in our treatment of Fathers. 

Most of us have been fortunate to have had good fathers. My dad worked the night shift, to provide a nice home for his family. He was very handy with tools, but he could also fashion a reasonable Pony Tail hairdo, for his youngest daughter. He cooked lunch for us every day. One of his specialties was scrambled eggs and Bologna. He was far from perfect. I joke that I was seven or eight, before I realized that my name was not Domkop. But, there was even an element of love in that odd endearment. 

All Dads are remarkable, in one way or another. Their stories are different and their parenting styles are unique. Let's celebrate our Fathers and Substitute Fathers, every day. Don't focus on their short-comings and faults, but on the many things we have learned from them. 

Great and Holy Father. We are blessed. We remember You and Your Son. Happy Father's Day.

Questions????????

 There was a time when the email, that I received, was of some importance. Filling my inbox, were notifications of meetings, newsy notes from my friends and an occasional posting from my Dentist or the car repair place. I took the time to read them and type out answers, as promptly as possible. These days, I seem to get nothing but meaningless ads. Why?

Every morning, I delete 20 to 30 purchase requests. Now, I know that if you surf the Net, for new underwear or a product to clean your kitchen floor, you will most likely get advertisements for those items for weeks. They will continue to pop-up, even after you have decided what to buy and the merchandise has been delivered to your door. But, most of the items, for which I get unsolicited ads, I have never heard of or even thought about. How and why does that happen?

The Internet has become, for me at least, a waste of my time and effort. Except for use as a phone directory or encyclopedia, I mainly use our desktop for genealogical research and to play word games. Oh, I am not planning on jumping off-line anytime soon. I will continue checking my email every day, scrolling though Facebook, looking for "Jokes from George" and hoping for some classmate news. However, because I will be dodging the unwanted ads, I'll be grumbling the whole time.

Computers are important and prominent in our modern lives. I just wish that we could program them for more constructive purposes.

Dear God. Technology is a wonderful gift. Remind us to use it wisely. Remind us that communicating with our most important resource, You, doesn't require a password. 

Look at that!

 As the old saying goes, "April showers bring May flowers." And, starting tomorrow..."June will be busting out all over." Our yard has its usual annual flower bounty, giving color to the yard. Peonies and iris, planted years ago by the previous owners of our home, pop up like clockwork, every Spring. 

This year, thanks to our one and only daughter, we have a new addition to the flora abunda. When Amy and grandson Alex were visiting in March, they planted some seeds in our naked patio pots and several bare flower beds. Now that Spring has sprung, we have surprise flowers, in lots of unexpected places.

One of the varieties that has started to blossom, is scientifically named Centaurea Cyanus. But, we have always called them Bachelor Buttons. As a child, I remember them growing wild in the alley, beside our house. The spindly blue flowers were considered to be weeds. No one actually planted them. They just came up, faithfully, in the same place every year. And, I liked them.

Come to think of it, aren't unexpected blessings some of the best things life has to offer. Think about it. Don't you just love a surprise phone call from a old friend, or an unexpected visit from a grandchild? 

Surprises are treasures which we should give abundantly....just like Bachelor Buttons.

Great and generous Lord. We are blessed. Remind us to take time to be spontaneous.