Impromptu Blessings

October 9, 2016 Son Nathan wanted to treat his wife to an overnight, just the two of them. Their blessing each other turns out to be a blessing for us also, as we get to host Abi, Izzi, and Jo, along with Izzi's friend Natalie for the night. All are tucked in after the girls' requisite episode of Monk, and it's time for us all to turn in for the night. Linda and I are blessed and very grateful to live within walking distance of our grandkids (our kids, too, btw). We get to be the recipients of these occasional visits, both planned and spontaneous. It is a treat many grandparents don't get, and one of which we have an abundance.

Applesauce and Rabbit Holes

October 8, 2016 "A good woman is hard to find." So said the writer of the Proverbs. He was right, don't you know, and more than forty six years ago, I found one of the best. This morning after breakfast, we headed to the rainy soccer field to watch grandson Ian play. This, from a woman who abhors camping because if it rains, "everything feels damp and icky." We hauled home another bushel of apples which will soon be transformed into her family-famous applesauce. I think that will be the end of the canning, which when packed into the old cabinet that my grandfather made years ago, looks almost too nice to eat. A wedding reception this afternoon followed by little Gemma staying overnight rounded out the evening with a rousing game of Peter Rabbit, a variation of Chutes and Ladders. How a woman who can tough out the rain, can up a storm, and be the epitome of grace at a wedding reception can four times in a single game end up sliding down the same rabbit hole is beyond me. She's certainly a good woman, but I wouldn't advise placing any bets on her gamesmanship.

To the Third and Fourth Generation

October 7, 2016 Were you to inquire as to my favorite genre of music, my answer would be both quick and unequivocal: Baroque and Big Band. In each there is an intricacy and lushness to the sound that I find particularly pleasing, but aside from the internet and recordings, the opportunity to hear either is pretty limited. So when my Kieran Hanlon, my bass teacher told me Wednesday about a Benny Goodman tribute by the Buffalo Philharmonic, I was immediately interested. What he didn't tell me is that he was to be the bass soloist. Last night, I called and ordered tickets for this morning's 10:30 performance. Linda doesn't like concerts like this; she prefers background music to whatever project she has going at the time, so I asked our daughter if she would like to accompany me. Jessie being a music lover like myself, quickly responded in the affirmative. The concert this morning was all I could have hoped for. The musicianship was stellar, and watching Kieran work his magic on the instrument of my choice gave me particular pleasure. Even better, at intermission, Jessie texted her husband Todd, and when the concert was over, she ordered tickets for tomorrow night's performance for the two of them and their two oldest children. Ian takes guitar lessons, while Eliza has just started with clarinet in addition to her piano lessons. Bennie Goodman's music will raise the bar for her as she sees and hears the possibilities inherent in her instrument. Seeing your own love for music passed on to the next generation is only eclipsed by seeing it in your grandkids. In 2 Timothy 2, St. Paul instructs his young protege to instruct "faithful men who will teach others." Paul was keenly interested in seeing his faith passed on, not just to the next generation, but to the third and fourth as well. In my family, my love for music can be directly traced from my grandmother to my father, to me, my children, and now my grandchildren. Even better, that same lineage holds for our faith in Christ. My prayer is that it may continue to be passed on to at least as many generations to come as in generations past.

Busy

October 5, 2016 Sunday we had breakfast together at our son Matthew's house before attending worship together. When we got home from church, I had to eat early so I could attend the Keryx team meeting that took up the afternoon. I no sooner got home from that than it was time to head back to church to teach bass. All that time, Linda was home alone. On Monday, after breakfast together, Linda headed to her swim class while I went to Erie to see a friend in the hospital there, getting back just in time to eat and head to men's and women's Bible studies. Yesterday, we had breakfast together before she left for exercise class while Harry and I worked together to clean up the mess left by the fellow who dug our new water line. In the evening, she had a Wrap board meeting while I went to a swim meet. Today, Linda had breakfast with her friends Beth and Sue, while I grabbed a quick bite before heading to town to visit a friend in the nursing home and another just home from the hospital. Linda went to her piano lesson then to the library to sort books for their annual book sale. We both arrived back home about the same time, with just enough time to have a quick lunch together before I had to leave for band rehearsal. Supper together, then back to Fredonia for the bass society. Tomorrow, I'm home, but Linda will be gone to exercise class then lunch with her sisters. In the evening, one of us will pick up granddaughters from school while the other attends Ian's soccer game. Tonight, we were both feeling pretty disconnected. At times, it seems like we are two unrelated individuals who just happen to live in the same house. When it gets like that, we both feel tentative; not that we question our loyalty or commitment to each other-we are sure of our love, but like a couple of logs that were burning brightly while touching each other, when we get separated by the craziness of our schedules, the glow begins to fade. So this evening we talked, reassuring each other of our love, wondering how we can make the necessary adjustments. Our life together has been this way from the beginning. I've often felt like we were on a merry-go-round that kept picking up speed till we go flying off. Slowing it down is at times pretty difficult, but we know that if we don't do it, whichever one of us got thrown off last won't be able to climb back on. And climb back on, we must. We Americans tend to think that not only is bigger better, faster is, too. It's not. It's just faster, and the pace can be fatal to intimacy. So we talk. And we figure out how to redeem those smaller snippets of time for those days and weeks when life's merry-go-round gets to spinning, we're found standing side by side so the centrifugal force is driving us together instead of pulling us apart.

A Friend Like a Brother

October 4, 2016 "There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother." So says Proverbs 18:24. The phone rang while Linda and I were eating breakfast this morning. It was my friend Harry, asking if I were busy this morning. Only he wasn't asking a favor; he was offering one. Forty five minutes later he showed up at our door, having driven his tractor the five miles from his home just to help me clean up the mess left in our front yard from putting in the new water line. It's a good thing he came; my tractor with its smaller turf tires wasn't able to do the job. I almost got stuck in the gooey clay more than once, but Harry's tractor with its bigger tires and field tread pushed the gravel and clay around with ease. A couple hours' work, and we were done. Together we made short work of what would have taken me most of the day by myself. A good friend is a rare gift. One who volunteers to give up his entire morning, drives half an hour and works for two more receiving nothing more than a cup of coffee and a thank you is priceless.

Do the Right Thing

October 3, 2016 "Just do the right thing." I couldn't tell you how often I heard that growing up, or how many times I heard Linda say the same thing to our kids. It must be a woman thing. I can almost see my mother telling me that even if something better comes along, you keep your first commitment." It was a paraphrase of Psalm 15:4 where God praises the one who "swears to his own hurt, and changes not." It wasn't overly busy today; just a trip to Erie to visit a friend in the hospital, then writing some Keryx letters. But when it came time for men's group tonight, I didn't really want to go. Staying home was tempting, but I had to show up for band rehearsal, so there was no reason to not stay for group. I'm glad I did. The study was about how we often opt for short term satisfaction and forego long term rewards. The study was about Jacob and Esau, how Esau traded away his inheritance for a bowl of stew. He chose short term satisfaction, trading his much more valuable inheritance just to fill his belly. One would think that as we get older that temptation would have little power. If we've paid any attention at all to life, by the time you get to be my age, you should know the value of patience, of not sacrificing a better future for an immediate pleasure. But even old guys like myself can benefit from the occasional reminder. I got that tonight, and am grateful for these men who study, work, and pray together, supporting one another through the various challenges of life. I had almost sacrificed a greater blessing for the easier and more convenient pleasure of staying home and finishing my letters. It would have been a mistake, one which I not only avoided, but in the process I re-learned a great lesson: "Just do the right thing."

It's Possible

October 2, 2016 Sometimes it's good to know what is possible even if we ourselves shall never attain to it. I happened upon a video of Lev Weksler playing "The Flight of the Bumblebee" by Rimsky-Korsakov. On the double bass. With himself. I would not have believed it possible for that piece to be played on such a large instrument, but he does it, with a precision and tonal richness that demonstrates potential that I will never attain. The important thing though, is that it is possible. Jesus lived life fully in the power of the Holy Spirit, enduring tests and temptations just as we face, yet without sin. And he did it as an ordinary human being, having surrendered his divine prerogatives when he was born of the virgin. He demonstrated to us that holiness is possible, even if all mankind falls short of it. The possibility of holiness has ben proven. I will never even come close to becoming a virtuoso on the double bass, but I've seen what is possible, and by it am encouraged to keep practicing. I don't expect to achieve any significant proficiency, but I do expect to get better than I am now. The only perfection I expect to achieve in life is that which I have by virtue of Christ's perfection being credited to my account (the old Biblical phrase for this is that his righteousness is "imputed" to me). But although in my humanity I cannot hope to reach what some call sinless perfection, I know it's possible, so I'll keep practicing. I know I won't get it perfect, but I can be better than I am now.