Christmas is here . . . . . (almost)

Well, yet another Christmas rolls around. Anticipation escalates exponentially now as family is preparing to travel and gift-giving is on the forefront of every one's mind. (Seriously? More like gift-GETTING.) As much as people want to take the high road, you KNOW that there is at least an equal quotient of GET as there is in GIVE. The old adage of "it is better to give than to receive" only goes so far in our society. The song, "Santa, Baby" speaks the true feeling of the Christmas we all know and love.

And yet, in my advancing years, I seem to recall a day when there was almost no gift-getting. We had nothing to speak of, and we had little to give. I could expect maybe a single gift under the tree. What I REALLY looked forward to was later. The cousins would rally at the family "reunion" and we would sled or have snowball fights or ice skate. The activity of the day revolved around which house we all gathered at, and depended on the natural resources of that spot. Now, you can say that because of my age, there is a slight encroachment of nostalgia leaking into the thought process. True enough. One of my favorites is gathering around in the kitchen to help make lefse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lefse). I'm not certain how we came to know and love lefse other than being in/near the community of Scandinavians who shared the "love". Working together on the lefse was as important as anything under the tree.

There is hope. The family Christmas this year is to focus on PRESENCE, not presents. Our gift to each other is simply to BE THERE. We will gather at a more central location for those who don't have much time for vacation. We will divide spasmodically over the period of 3 days and 4 nights in order to return for a superb meal of fried fish or chicken. There will be game playing and laughter. We will sit around the fireplace and drink coffee (Starbucks, of course) and plan for the future. We will laugh about gatherings and Christmas past. A jigsaw puzzle is a baseline requirement. There might be a tear or two because friends and family will miss this gathering, but we believe they won't care. Who notices about a tree and gifts when you are in the presence of the Greatest-Gift-Giver?

Snow or not, presents or not. Christmas this year will be a little different flavor than our family has experienced. May we be mindful of the reason there IS a Christmas and remember that it is true - it really "is more blessed to give than to receive".

Merry Christmas

Ode to a true friend

You hear about pets who out-live their usefulness. Really - cats may seem to have no real use, so maybe that's some kind of oxymoron to begin with. But lest you think this is becoming a "cat-bashing" post, read on.

Cheetah had a rather austere beginning; a simple farm-cat that was born to a simple farm-cat. Who knows where his career-path would have led, had our little band of curtain-climbers had not gone as a pack to select a birthday gift for our oldest - Nathaniel. I can still remember all of them clamoring through the strawberry patch behind Keith Drury's house to find the "nest". The mother cat was there, dutifully keeping watch over the flock . . . . . by daylight. After carefully inspecting each cat, Nathaniel finally settled on his choice - Cheetah. He cuddled him tightly while the others buzzed around like seagulls after your french fries. For some reason, Brenda had a weak moment and we ended up going home with Cheetah +2.

Cheetah was the most friendly, the most considerate of the 3 cats. And he has outlived both the other cats by a good many years. He was the cat Nathaniel trained after reading a book and worked for a couple weeks. One day, Cheetah came strolling through and Nathaniel - eager to show off his newly learned skill said, "Watch this . . . . . . . . Cheetah, ignore me!!" And we watched with wonder and amazement and Cheetah did exactly as he was instructed.

Brilliant cat.

Cheetah made the move from Indiana to Arizona, and then 11 years later, from Arizona to Virginia. None of the other cats got to fly in an airplane. I'm guessing he probably told them it was nothing to be envied. He was a reliable greeter of house guests - even those that don't particularly care for cats. That didn't bother him in the least. I guess he thought he was doing his part for feline-human relations.

Don't you think for a moment that Cheetah didn't have his faults. (1) He ALWAYS greeted you at the top of the stairs with a squawky-meow. (2) He would rub his cheek against you with his lip curled up - scratching you a little with his tooth. (3) He usually found his way to your lap if you let him, sharing the warmth. (4) He wouldn't take too much grief from the dog(s). He outlived two of them, three or four cats and a rabbit. (5) He didn't mind sharing my bed with me . . . . sometimes he would even move over.

Rest In Peace, Cheetah. Old age finally took over. I hope I can slip away with grace as you have, being a friend to all - even those that didn't like you.

CHEETAH

1993 - Sept 24, 2009

"We're Not In Kansas Any More"

Feeling pressured to write - it has been quite awhile since my last post, I don't promise any mind bending thoughts today.

I've used the title of this post often recently, mostly referring to circumstances surrounding my work. I've taken a new position recently and there have also been significant cuts of personnel and benefits due to the economy. At nearly every turn, I'm able to utter those words again and again.

(SIDE NOTE: I hope you know that those words were spoken by Dorothy in the Wizard of OZ when she was whisked from the cornfields of Kansas into the wonderfully mysterious and colorful land of OZ. Recently, I spoke to a teenager from Kansas who didn't recognize the phrase, hadn't seen the movie and didn't know anything ABOUT the movie. What is this world coming to?)

It occurs to me that having taken the leap into Financial Peace University there is a monumental chance that line can be appropriate once again. It could even be providential that we are "working the baby steps" right now, when we are. I've historically inserted the quote when things have changed - and now that I think of it, I always envisioned that change to be negative. I don't know if Dorothy was looking around, thinking that where she got dropped was a negative or positive, or just different. A little scary and uncertain, to be sure. The creators of the movie I think would imply that going from a "black and white" life to a full-blown Koda-Chrome colorful world was a significant and wonderful change. Even if she didn't recognize it right away.

To be sure, this change in our lives is going to be significant. I don't know if I sound like an Am-way salesman, but this endeavor we are embarking on comes up often in casual discussion, and I sell the concept like it was my job. The catch-phrases are also thrown in: "Gazelle-like-intensity", "Live today like no one else, so someday we can live and give like no one else", etc. We are actually plotting with our resources to be frugal just because it is fun to do so. We hope that we are not FORCED to do it in the future, but it is reassuring to know that we CAN if we HAVE to.

Thank you , Nate and Jon, for bringing these concepts to our attention. You have demonstrated to us the re-introduction of the word "NO". Paul said it in 1 Cor 6 - "Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial." My translation goes, "Just because I can, doesn't mean I should." Spending money (cash) now gives me cause for pause that I used to not have when simply swiping the plastic. And what a blessing when there is actually money left over at the end of the budget period. We used to look for ways to spend a little left-over if there was some. Not any more. What a concept.

If I have piqued your interest about these matters, look up http://www.daveramsey.com/ . If you have questions about where we are in the process, shoot me an e-mail. Blessings "Cash is king - Debt is dumb!!!"

Things that make you go, "hmmmm"

Years ago there was a late night host who had an interesting phrase. It probably wasn't original with him, but he rather made it famous. It was the afore-mentioned, "Things that make you go, hmmm." (number of m's is optional, maybe depending on how bizarre or stupid the thing is) I have actually adopted that phrase, including the gentle stroking of your jaw line downward toward your chin, using your thumb and fingers on each side. It might help to look thoughtful while you make the motion. Slowing down the action and phrase makes it sound like the item in question might be even more stupid.

Comedians have come up with some things that qualify, like: Why do you park on a driveway and drive on a parkway? (things that make you go, hmmm) Oxymorons land right in there: Army intelligence. (things that make you go, hmmm) Our own language has innocently joined in by its combining of descriptors: awfully good. (things that make you go hmmm)

I was caught in my own peve a day or two ago. I fell short of the now popular, "blah-blah-blah", but utilized an older version of the same meaning. It was, "Etc." I used it in an e-mail, and when I wrote it , I knew perfectly well what I meant. The recipient apparently was not on the same mind wave-length that I was, and needed further clarification. As I began filling in the holes, it became clear to me just how much I took for granted with my first transmission. So, I described as best I could to the co-worker what I needed. I ended the e-mail with the admission that I had succumbed to the existing torrent of non-descript language that has taken us over. Use of words like "deal-io", and "thingy" are nearly as prolific as the words "like" and phrase "I was all" or "she was all". Doesn't anyone SAY anything anymore? I have counted upwards of 12-14 uses of "like" in one sentence used as filler - there was no implication of anything being similar to anything else in the entire conversation. The co-worker replied that she would "get the "thingy" taken care of right away." Good to see she hasn't lost her sense of humor.

Our Student Pastor this Sunday quoted Bill Hybels as saying that we - humans are built to operated at around 65 mph. Unfortunately, most of us function at around 75 mph. God speaks at 25 mph. I would like to believe that God also speaks in complete sentences with coherent thought, unlike what our language has become. The old joke goes that in a discussion about what version of the Biblical Text is most authentic, one fellow was promoting King James Version while another was advocating that some of the newer versions are more accurate. Sticking to his guns, the King James proponent finally had nothing to fall back on except this; "Jesus quoted in King James, so it's good enough for me!"

I'm convinced that as I become older, I'm beginning to clutch to some values that used to be less important to me, and clearly are not very important to MOST of the younger generation. I hope I've not reached the stage of being crotchety, but know this. WORDS HAVE MEANING. Let's slow down and recapture some of the meaning and beauty of our language. One of my favorite lines from the movie, My Fair Lady comes from Professor Higgins. "You'll get much further with the Lord if you learn not to offend his ears." (not good theology, but I appreciate his thought.)

My Style

WHAT A RELIEF !!!!!

I was so-o-o happy to find out what I am. Solomon said, "when ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise." Bliss was my state until it came to my attention that there are different kinds of bloggers, chatty and newsy. You wonder how anything good can be assigned to a word that ends in -y. If those are the only choices available, even without knowing exactly what they are, I might be best served by getting out while the getting is good. I just started a blog and now I'm being stuffed into a category that has a label that is either chatty or newsy.

My sister and brother-in-law were visiting and we were catching up on what's going on. I advised them that I have joined the world of blogging. Their kids have blogs and they were excited to tell me about them. I read one . . . pretty funny stuff. Then came the question . . . . what are you - chatty or newsy?

Gulp - how do you choose between those two? It's like someone asking if you would prefer to have all the hairs of you head and face plucked out one-by-one, or perhaps have your fingernails pulled out with pliers? (Neither one very attractive, if you ask me . . . . ) So, before I had the courage to get clarification, my mind went off on a gymnastic episode that provided no pleasant visual images. Then I got the labels: Chatty is apparently one who goes on about nothing in particular; newsy is a person who provides information about friends and family. Much like the Christmas letter that catches you up on who did what (only in smaller bites).

Yikes - what if I'm neither? I certainly am not "newsy". I haven't written the first thing about what's going on (except my job). And I would like to think that my rambling musings carry more weight than anything that could be labeled "chatty". But then the ray of hope burst through - the defining shot of relief that would be like being called to the principal's office, thinking you MUST have committed some infraction, sweating-up the fake leather furniture in the waiting area (not like I KNOW what that would be like) but finding out you are not going to jail, but getting some kind of award.

All that time I never knew there was a 3rd option for my writing style. Yes - the 90 seconds of terror that grabbed my heart was obliterated with one word - "cross-over". THAT MUST BE ME !!! Just the right combination of both horrible-sounding words that creates a beautiful tapestry of mind-expanding verbiage to capture the interest of all who dare gaze upon it. This discovery gave me hope to go on (go on blogging, that is). So be warned. Since I now can define myself as a "cross-over", this opens wide a world of blogging possibilities. To quote Forest Gump: "Life is like a box of chocolates . . . . you just never know what you are gonna get." . . . . . and so it goes.

PS - I would have considered myself a writing Andy Rooney. Finding a weird twist in common things and making observations about them. I'm sorry I can't replicate his verbal parallel with written text. Oh well . . .

Ask for help

Hey there . . . .
Yesterday I accepted a new job. It really isn't all that new. I've been trying to GET this job for the last 2-1/2 years. There's an old saying, "Be careful what you ask for . . . . you may get it." So now it is time to step up to the plate. My big chance.

I'm realizing now that since I will have other people reporting to me, there's a likelihood that they won't like some of my decisions. They don't even have to be poor decisions, just that if it isn't what THEY would have done, I will hear about it. I guess I don't have to win any popularity contest, and since I know that up front, I think it will somehow go better.

I know I will have supportive people I can go to if things get difficult. I've been teaching people for years that it's OK to ask for help. But we all know the classroom answer. Anyone can ask you: "so, what do you do when you don't know what to do?" And your answer: "Ask for help." Sure - but how many of us DO that? Check with just about anyone who gets their tail in a wringer, and you will find that they probably didn't ask anyone for help. Or they asked the wrong sources.

I once had a group of kids climbing a rock wall. One of the girls got stuck near the top and was finding it difficult to proceed. The "supportive" crew of friends on the ground was giving her all kinds of advice - none of which was working. They sounded like a bunch of baby birds who begin chirping wildly when the parent arrives with food. If you have ever rock-climbed and would have heard some of the suggestions she was getting you would have been rolling on the ground. But she tried them all. I was (as her belayer) observing quietly while she struggled. When she wore herself out and just sat in her harness dangling I asked her if maybe she was getting some bad advice from her friends. And it wasn't that they didn't mean well. They really wanted her to make it. Some of them had even just been there. Still, the things they were saying to be helpful weren't so helpful. After she got a hint or two from someone who had seen HUNDREDS climb the wall and work through that spot, she scampered onto the top. Never mind that after she spent all her energy she was forced to rest.

Yes - a new job provides new opportunities for success and/or failure. "Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest." Exodus 34:21 NIV
Maybe asking for help is a little like resting. It is taking a departure from the idea that you can and should do it all. But it also matters WHO you ask.

It's a Start

I take my first baby-steps into the world of on-line, in touch, face-to-face, electronic wizardry that is so common today that most would say, "ITS ABOUT TIME!!! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?!?!" I was reminiscing a short while back about my introduction to computers. Indiana Wesleyan (then Marion College) had entered the age of high-tech with a stand-alone computer that had - get this- a floppy drive. And mind you, this was a whopping 800k of blazing removable memory. My computer class had us programming in BASIC language on this wonder of wonders. And why wouldn't it be? If you wanted to use the previous year's method, you could. Punch cards.

Oh how far we've come. And it brings me to my point. Who isn't plugged in to FaceBook or LinkedIn or something of that ilk? (I hope I can mention their names without ending up in the electronic hoosegow.) I have been resistant to partake of the fruits of the "connectivity", partly because you never know who's looking and who might sneak in the back door. (Computers have back doors too, you know. I don't really know where the back door is, and if I found it, I'm not sure I'd know how to lock it.) Maybe that's why the fear to get "in" with everyone else.

There are some funny play on words, like "safe fax" and "safe text" that have made their way across the the electronic mass-media. That's because someone got themselves in trouble using the new technology indiscriminately. Trying really hard not to do that. I have slid into the world of texting (unlimited texting is the plan required for serious business - thanks, Verizon). But I resist the landslide of FaceBook. Maybe with time, and after the world doesn't collapse as a result of this blog-thing, I'll look into it.

I'm sure I'll have more serious and life-changing thoughts later. But here's a quote you can make yourself feel better with right now:

"We are all stupid - just in different areas." (Mark Twain) You could infer from that, that we are also all SMART, just in different areas. I wish it were true . . . . . .