Saturday, April 27, 2013

A Right Of Passage or That Kid's Got An Arm

                Third in a line of girls, I was forced to give up my position as the baby of the family when my brother was born.  You could tell my Dad was anxiously waiting to teach him about all things male, but growing up with three older sisters wasn’t setting the stage for his rough and tumble future. We all loved holding him and feeding him and he made a great addition to our pretend families when we played house.
 I think all that nurturing was beginning to worry Dad because one day he announced that it was about time for him to be completely done with bottle feeding.  He was a toddler by that time and was only getting an occasional bottle but as a milestone it suddenly became very important.  My brother did not take to the idea and what could have been a war of wills was turned into a unique Right of passage designed by my Dad.  We lived on the banks of the Fox River and we were all called to assemble down by the water’s edge one Sunday afternoon.  My brother came, bottle in hand with my mom and dad.  Dad announced that my brother was now a big boy and big boys did not drink from bottles so he was going to throw his last bottle into the river.  My Dad held his hand to steady him and after a little encouragement my brother threw the bottle into the water.  Cheers all around and that was that as we all marched back up the bank to Sunday dinner.
When I think about all the times in my life that I had to let go of the past before I could take the next step toward a new beginning I picture my Dad steadying my brother and making him feel strong and capable.  I know my Heavenly Father is always there for me, steadying me and loving me through the letting go if I walk hand in hand with Him.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

For Boston

What do you write when there are no words
When you long for the sorrow in your heart to be heard

What do you say to those in pain
When only their broken hearts remain

Will they hear that the hope they’ve lost is not far
If they fall into Your loving arms

Or will bitterness and hate increase
The power of this evil deed

In helplessness I’m on my knees
Only You can meet their needs

Please take my prayer to Your heart
And with all others offered, start

To heal and comfort, protect and keep
Them close to You in perfect peace

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

How Cold Was It

When I am tempted to complain about cold weather I always remember just how cold it can get. On one trip to South Dakota, a few days before Thanksgiving, bitter cold, and sub-zero temperatures had settled in.  I lived in Colorado at the time so it was a short flight on a small jet.  Despite the cold and snow everyone on board was in a holiday mood and the flight was smooth.
                We landed on schedule and as we got up to leave the pilot’s voice came over the intercom.  He thanked us for flying on behalf of the airline and asked for our patience because there would be a slight delay before we could get off the plane.  Everyone settled down again and waited.  It was snowing and blowing outside so we couldn’t see anything but the lights of the terminal windows.  We had taxied in and the plane was right outside the gate so we didn’t understand the delay.  About 20 minutes later the pilot once again asked for our cooperation, explaining that due to the bitter cold, de-icing would be required for our safety.  Most of us had heard of de-icing a plane before a flight but it seemed strange to do it after.
                There were only two more announcements during the hour and half we sat on the plane. Each time the pilot tried to sound encouraging but sounded more and more as though he was talking through clenched teeth. The holiday moods were fading and the less patient were getting ornery.  No one had cell phones back then so the only information we had, came from the pilots short statements.  Finally the doors were opened and we were hit with a blast of icy wind and snow as we made our way down the metal stairs and into the terminal.  Our equally frustrated friends and family explained that it wasn’t the plane they had to de-ice it was the stairs that we had just walked down.  They couldn’t be rolled up to the plane because they were frozen to the ground under several inches of solid ice.  When the normal de-icing chemicals had not freed them, they went to plan B – blow torches and sledge hammers.  We couldn’t complain about that kind of effort and we were truly thankful to everyone who braved the storm to free us.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

The Keys to My Future

The courtship’s been slow but so enticing
The possibilities are so exciting

My life without you has been good so far
Why should I move to where you are

The promises you make are great ones
I’m longing to know if you’ll make or break them

At your best my needs you meet
At your worst you lie to me

When I’m ready to go you’re always down
When I hesitate you’re always around

I can’t hold back the hands of time
I fear that I’ll be left behind
  
All the wheels are set in motion
But you still don’t have my full devotion

Cause when my future plans were set
They didn’t include you Internet