Archive for the ‘Commentary’ Category

Today I began scouting out hiding places for the annual Easter egg hunt we hold at our home. I plan this carefully. My objective is to find hiding places that have never been used before. Evidently, my memory is becoming severely degraded. I put a little red flag in each new place I think will make a unique hiding place for this year. I poked a flag in four rotten eggs left from last year.

How could I forget a place where I stuck a flag and hid an egg only a year ago? Here is the worst part. I put out 30 flags, then I go to get the eggs. In the span of time it takes to go inside the house, get the eggs and begin placing them, I usually forget where at least five of the flags are. Just a few more years and I will be able to hide my own Easter eggs. Every egg will be a surprise!

When the starting gun goes off at the beginning of the hunt, (yes, we do have a shotgun start) the children immediately dash for the places they found eggs hidden the previous year. They have memories like elephants.

I finally bought a GPS. I fought the idea because I already had a wife. Didn’t need a GPS.  Diane was my GPS. “Turn left in 500 ft – Stay on this road for three miles – Stop! – We’re here!”

Diane was always right and she didn’t need batteries. I travel alone now and I’m not very good at getting to my destination.  On several occasions I’ve found myself in the middle of a corn field, fifty miles from where I wanted to be.  So I bought a GPS.  Named it Lulu.  Lulu has my destination locked in her memory and shows me the perfect way to get there. It’s kind of nice. Lulu doesn’t make me stop to go to the bathroom, she never asks me what I am thinking and she too is always right. But sometimes I deliberately, or by accident, turn right when Lulu says left…or left when she says right.  In those moments Lulu gently instructs me to make a U turn and get back on track.  More often she simply says “recalculating.” Then she comes up with a whole new perfect plan for me. A new beginning from my current position. How cool is that! The destination remains the same… the journey getting there has been adjusted taking into account my diversion.

On Valentines day we gave each of our grandchildren little notebooks to be used as journals. We also gave them brief instructions on how to use them.  The older children immediately sat down and began recording their thoughts for the day.  Since my youngest granddaughter, four year old Jadyn, cannot yet write, I was worried that she might feel left out.  My fears were put to rest when she sat down, took out her pencil, and whispered as she began to write, “Dear diarrhea!” The entire house erupted in laughter, including the uncontrollable giggles of Jadyn.  But when the laughter dies, I hope that each of my grandchildren experience the many benefits of keeping a regular journal.

Here are just a few of those benefits:

After watching the news over the past several days,  I turned to my wife Diane last night and said, “The world is watching the church in action.” Thousands of believers who were themselves suffering personal loss are serving the poor in Haiti.  Many have been there for years making a difference even before the earthquake struck. The efforts of these who are God’s feet on the ground can’t be hidden. You couldn’t miss the faces of hundreds of college students and high school groups from churches across America who were in Haiti before the disaster with a mission to help the beautiful people of this impoverished country.  Hundreds if not thousands of them are among those who perished.

Okay, be forewarned! This is not for the delicate or faint of heart. Yesterday, I ran 8 miles.  That’s farther than I have ever run before. The sun was shining for the first time in over a week.  And it was warm!  A few days before I had biked 20 miles in 30 degree weather and almost froze to death.  My left ear broke off when I removed my helmet. But today temperatures were in the high fifties.  Two deer stood at no more than 10 yards and watched with big eyes and long lashes.  I could almost hear them whispering, “That guy only has one ear.”