Most of these other posts I've given a quick recap of the previous year's events that led up into the week-long glimpse of heaven found off a dirt road off a rolling highway in the Ozarks. If you've been reading this blog for a while, then you've got a pretty good idea of what life has been like. If you haven't, well - Why don't you? Haha.
If you wanted to read about previous camp experiences, then click on the "SGYC" tag on the right.
Just got back yesterday afternoon(Friday) about 5 p.m. as I'm beginning this post, I'm very tired. Hopefully I'll wake up soon.
Over and over, people had been asking if I was coming back as a counselor this next year. They asked me, and so I came. The kids from GBC got SUPER EXCITED about camp approaching, which I watched smiling from a distance. I didn't get a chance to pack until Sunday afternoon, with traveling everywhere, so I had to rush around and get that done before we left Monday morning. Also managed to upload pics from the YT reunion to Facebook and get a post whipped up about that. But anyway, I got everything packed up and then tried to go to sleep early, knowing I'd get next to none all week. Trouble was, I can't really go to sleep early. So I lay there thinking about stuff and praying, get to sleep just after one a.m., sleeping right through my 4 a.m. alarm and waking up at 5:15. (I'd set it as a rooster crowing, which was a bad idea. I'm used to that sound, so I didn't notice it.) Took a very quick shower, then left for Tulsa with Mom, Courtney and Trevor at six. Trevor was staying at a friend's house for the day, and Mom was one of the drivers.
Coming on five years since my first time there as camper, and with the reunion and everything, I'd gotten to thinking about how many new people had come into my life since then; all the events transpiring in that time. The fire. Youth Tour. T4G. Senior year of high school. Freshman year of college. So I did a quick check, you know, friendships change, new lessons I'd learned, how many people I'd known when I left that first day of camp - 44 of my 218 Facebook friends, over 160 new people.
So we were about to leave, I was finally getting excited about the trip. Trevor asked if I was excited. "Yeah, I am." "You don't seem like it. You aren't talking louder and faster or dancing for no reason or anything." On the inside, I was kind of hyper, Jessica, Amanda and Jon call those times "Amanda moments", it's been described like if a squirrel was on Red Bull.
We get to church, with a really large group going this year - we had fifteen people, the second-most of any church - we actually left right on time this year, pulling out of the parking lot at 7:18 a.m. Those on the trip were Josh, Suzanna, Eva, Kaitlin, Laura, Bennett, Paige, Callie, Courtney, Marie K. and Miriam; the rookies were Miriam's little sister Lydia, Bennett's cousins Caitlin and Erica, and Callie's friend Vivian.
It was a pretty good drive, raining most of the way. Stopped at a Casey's in Springfield for breakfast, a doughnut, Snickers and Monster. Some people took naps, waking up in time to play Word Association for half an hour until we got there at 11:03. We timed a joyful scream through our van as we pulled inside the gates; as soon as my feet hit the ground and we begin unloading/sorting the mountain of luggage somebody screams "WESLEY!!!!!!!!" and gives me a massive bear hug. Turned out it was Jed.
Dropped my stuff off in my far right cabin and went to the dining hall to visit with people. Saw Miss Kathy and met her husband Buddy, they were dropping the triplets off. Visited with Ash, she and her mom were dropping off Alexa before coming back for the dance. Caught up with Dylan U., good to see him again. Same with Taylor; Marshall about jumped out of his skin with surprise that I was there. Said hi to the Freelands, Underwoods and Heronimuses, met a few of the other counselors I didn't know, like Rachel and Grace.
Instead of being primary colors like most years before, this year's camp books were all in pastel colors: white, pink, lavender and mint green.
After a lunch of BBQ sandwiches, beans, coleslaw and peanut butter cookies, Tim gave the orientation speech (which I've pretty much memorized), his markers didn't want to write on the whiteboard while drawing a map.
Group sessions were next, and since A: counselors not teaching can listen to whichever group session they'd like, and B: the archery stuff needed to be set up right afterwards, I stayed in the dining hall and sat in on Ryan's group session lesson on rights to the Minor Prophets, the name of the 12/13-year-old group. many of them were very bored. Sigh...
As part of my job, I was supposed to make sure everyone knew their bunk assignments and nobody got lost like Josh and I did. Besides a listing of specific cabin assignments, there was also a page listing home church and age. Of the 76 campers signed up this year, 40 were 14 or younger. I was kind of reminded of a verse in Judges 2:10, "After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up; who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel." (NIV) It made for a clear distinction between those saved and those not, many things to pray for.
A tire went out on our van on the way home, Mom and Mrs. Mueller wobbled into a little gas station off the road and ate lunch while a friendly old Missouri man changed it. Good thing it wasn't worse than that.
After group session, it was sing/swim time, guys singing first. Ryan and Dylan and I hunted around for a good place to set the targets up, then had to go find the targets and haul them down near the basketball courts. After that, we had to tie on some bag-targets to the backs of the canvas-targets for stability; we used lots and lots of duct tape. Then the picnic table was needed for the bows to rest on, so we hunted that down, too. Tweaking of target positioning was necessary, as was gathering chunks of firewood to keep the targets from falling over. The bows had to be tested, so we needed to make sure they were in "good working order". It was fun. Although it is sort of a challenge to shoot a right-handed bow left-handed. (I tried shooting right, killing my forearm with the string.)
Sort of bummed that I missed a singing-time, but that's part of what being a counselor is. We're there to serve the kids, and it's a whole lot easier to for things to go right if the behind-the-scenes details are taken care of first. That's really pretty much all what I did this week, those behind-the-scenes stuff that doesn't make for very interesting stories. Things like tracking down a Bible as a temporary replacement for one lost, shuttling people back to the cabins or the shower.
I got about fifteen minutes of ping pong in before dinner, which was spaghetti and garlic bread, and then after pictures of theme night, Western Character, and the judging of the costume contest, won by Markie, it was time for my favorite part of the whole week. (I kept saying this over and over, my kids were laughing at me. But just about everything is my favorite part of the week!) That would be the square dance. Lining up for partners, I danced the Virginia Reel with Callie, then again lining up for the Dog Branch(which is the actual name of what I've been calling the "box-and-square") with Laura, and I was actually able to figure it out this time. Courtney saw me thinking about skipping a dance because I couldn't think of anyone to ask, so she captured me to do the Walls of Limerick with her. That's sort of like the Dog Branch, but easier. And then I began the Gay Gordon with Shari, and most everyone was able to understand it immediately. Another interesting and unusual, but good, fact was that all the guys wee dancing, so only a few girls had to dance together.
There were a lot of visitors this week. Ash and Austin came back for the dance, so did Ashton, the Wrights, the Minners, and Daniel. It was great to see them all again and get to talk for a bit.
Once that was done, a troop of merry, sweaty, thirsty and well-exercised people traveled down the gently twisting river-gravel path leading towards the tabernacle for the first general session of the week. The camp pastor this year was Jeff Pollard, from Pensacola, Florida. The topic this year was the Beatitudes, talking about how they aren't commands that we must follow, but rather they are descriptions of what a believer's life looks like. Jesus wasn't telling how to get into heaven; instead he was letting us know what those already in heaven are like. These blessed people have these qualities in their hearts. The word "blessing" comes from the Latin word "Beatus", which can mean "blessed, fortunate, or happy".
Matthew and Luke were very good writers. To begin his story, Matthew includes about six elements in the first four chapters that will lead into the Sermon on the Mount, those being 1, Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT prophecies, 2, Jesus is God and man, 3, Jesus announced and came to establish the kingdom of God, 4, He ushered in a new covenant, 5, Jesus corrects error-filled teaching, and 6, He describes the citizens of heaven.
Matthew 5:3 is the first Beatitude, which goes "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God". This verse is crucial for understanding the other Beatitudes, sort of the foundation of holy living.
What exactly does "poor in spirit" mean, though? It has some element of contrition, which leads to humility, but still, "poor in spirit"? Martyn Lloyd-Jones tried to define it like this: "The complete absence of pride and self-reliance." That seems pretty good. If we're self-sufficient, we don't need a Savior. Only by reaching our limit and still needing to press on do we draw nearer to God. We need to know the depths of our shame, the saved are those who pray "I can't do this alone. Help me, Lord."
This spiritual poverty is vital to leadership. Self-esteem, self-confidence, etc. are good in moderation at times, but know your depravity, cling to God's grace and His mercy. Cling to His promises as much as possible! Examples of this kind of spiritual meagerness could be Paul, or David in Psalm 51.
"Poor in spirit" is profound repentance, a shift of radical size in life. Righteousness is a world of perfect paradoxes, living in Chesterton's Fairyland. By spotting frailties and sins, low and weak places, we somehow attain peaks unreachable. God saves fools of every kind, we must find out by on our commune with God, "Am I crushed and broken enough?" Hearts ripped see their sinfulness, they change direction and strive to be a nearer reflection of God's image. Another thing we need to ask ourselves, "Are we trusting our own works, or solely Jesus?"
God saved liars, he saved thieves, he saved cheaters, he saved murderers, and everything else.
Keep going. Keep seeking. These trials and anguish mean we're on the right track.
After general session was over, it was time to round up everyone into the cabins. Everyone was there; so that was good. Mrs Boyer had given Jed and I some of the younger guys, to help "ensure the respect level", I think she said. It worked pretty well, they didn't cause too much trouble. Anyways, they were Duncan, Josh O., and then rookies Carlos, Jessie and Tim's nephew Michael. I told them the story about Josh and I getting lost, which they thought was really funny. Lights out was technically supposed to be at 10:15, but we finally turned them out just after 11. Nothing was broken, but we did have to listen to a conversation about zombies before telling them to get to sleep.
I woke up panicked Tuesday morning just before 6, thinking the counselor's meeting started then. Seeing nobody in the dining hall yet and Tim heading for the showers, I assumed it didn't start just yet, so I took a shower and then woke everybody up before going to the meeting. Went to check on lost belongings in the showers after that, so I was a couple minutes late for devotions. Breakfast was biscuits, gravy, eggs and bacon, which was swallowed up quickly, and then it was time for general session at nine.
Matthew 5:4 reads: "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
Hmm, okay...what? Those who mourn are blessed? Well, yes. These Beatitudes, character traits of Christians, line up with God's ideas, not our natural (sinful) human ideas, which is why they seem completely upside down at times and utterly foreign. All these Beatitudes are inward character traits that lead to exterior changes. We don't really enjoy sorrow that much, except in country songs. Grief is hard. Life isn't fair. And life is grief. We sin so much, and it's so offensive to God...not to mention just hard to deal with. Either our own sins or that of others', we should mourn over these.
There isn't anything wrong with being cheerful, I mean, we're commanded to be joyful many places in Scripture. But we need to be serious as well, not engaged in mindless chatter all the time. Jesus mourned for others' sins pretty often, but oddly(I hadn't noticed this before) it's never recorded anywhere that we ever see Him laugh.
If God makes us poor in spirit, showing us what we really look like, we never forget it, and we are heartbroken when we fail completely at living a holy life.
At ten it was time for AVC Tournament Challenge, Black and Blue competing in archery, Red and Green facing off on the volleyball court, and Yellow and White playing cabbage ball. I acted as scorekeeper, mainly, Ryan and Dylan pulling arrows and all of us offering some instruction at times.
Though it was a relatively injury-free week, Olivia O. gashed her head open on the light pole's breaker box, and her sister Sam went with her to the hospital. That meant Black, led by Jon, Brett and Bailey and called "BP", had only ten members, since they began with twelve. So we created a handicap system to offset the three-shooter difference. Black shot first, scoring a lot of 9's and 8's. Blue's turn came next, led by Jorgi, Marshall and Jacob, they shot more bulls-eyes, but also were a lot wilder as a team. A bunch of arrows lost fletchings or were bent, many repairs were made. When we tallied the scores, and adding in the handicap, figured by dividing Blue's total score by thirteen people, and then tacked that onto the Oil Slicks' score, Black earned one checkmark on the scoreboard with the 404-304 victory.
White, led by Josh, Drew and Duncan, outlasted Yellow(the "Team That Never Won Anything"), led by Shari, Matt and Bennett, in a battle of Grace Bible-Tulsa pitchers, Josh outdid Bennett 3-0. Red and Green's volleyball match went the full three-set distance, as Red, led by Andrew, Madelyn and Abbey, cruised to a 15-2 first-set win. The old style of scoring was used all week, where only the serving team can earn points. Green's Machine, with Colton, Alexa, Courtney and Forrest, rallied back to pound Red 15-4 in the second set. The third set was extremely close, swinging back and forth before Green emerged as the winner by a 15-13 score.
From there the teams went to BPG, Black and Yellow to the tabernacle for Bible trivia(renamed as "Bible Challenge" officially, but still called Bible trivia), Blue and Green played mini-golf, and Red and White dueled in ping pong. Tim had asked halfway through archery if I could help Janet C., Tom Henry and Robin with Bible trivia/Challenge, so I ran over to the tabernacle to work that as well. My main job was a judge of the quick draws, also keeping unofficial score and serving as timekeeper.
It was strange being on the other side of the table, but it was good. Though I did want to shout out some of the answers at times...hahaa. For basically every answer involving somebody in the New Testament, the question was "Was it Peter?" And underneath the "Animals" category, to the answer "My rider and I were thrown into the sea", somebody said "Um...was it Pharaoh?" And "This person was Elimilech's kinsman-redeemer who restored his lost inheritance" (basically, "I married Ruth"), I don't think anybody got this answer right all week. "Umm....Jesus?" Nope. "Moses?" Nope. Janet sort of rolled her eyes as we were all trying not to laugh. "Who married Ruth?!" Some girl in the back, "Ohhh...why couldn't you have said it that way in the first place?"
This was by far the most dominant one team had ever been; Black started out with a 3,400-600 lead, finishing the first round ahead 6,500-1,700. Yellow members were talking so much that their players in front couldn't hear the answers, they usually had the wrong question. Black's lead ballooned out to 18,800-4-500 by Final Jeopardy, both sides were wrong, and so Black had two checkmarks after the 18,799-2 blowout. That set a new record for highest-ever margin of victory.
Red won 15 games to White's 11, and Green won golf over Black. Ryan and I hurriedly tallied the archery scores just before lunch, which was burgers and fries.
Rest time had been shortened from fifty minutes down to twenty-five, because more time was needed in the mornings for Tournament Challenge, so lunch was pushed back half an hour, and that accounted for the drop in time. Tim probably wished it was longer; he tried to take a nap while me and Jed kept watch in our cabin. They didn't really do anything bad; just were running all around and hopping from bunk to bunk, looking out windows at what was happening outside.
Just about every year, there's a special guest speaker. Trevor one year, telling about his work in Indonesia; or a Wyoming cowboy named Justin serving as a missionary to Eskimos in Alaska, or Trevor and Braxton reporting on a recent short-term mission trip.
This time the speaker was supposed to talk about Baptist history. And he did talk about Baptist history, for about three sentences. All the rest was meaningless numbers and ramblings about pioneers that settled Kansas City and damning Presbyterians and Catholics instantly to hell for not believing in immersion baptism. It was like a really bad college class on a day you didn't have to be there and learned absolutely nothing, I very nearly fell asleep. Everyone was extremely uncomfortable. It was just so bizarre, you come to expect such good and godly teaching, and then...that? I guess he was an instructor of something or other at Southwest Baptist, feel sorry for the students enrolled in his class. It was horrible.
Sing/swim time was next, most of the guys galloped into the dining hall to play ping pong, while maybe five guys actually swam. Played ping pong with Jon and Grayson, then watched other games and Matt and Caleb astounding people with card tricks. There were only three tables this year, one was missing. It gave more room to play, though.
Jed was leading the singing this year, he was perfect for the job, really in his element. Made me wish I knew more about the technical side of music, though. The guys' singing was okay, the girls always sound much better.
The best dinner of the week was devoured; chicken strips, mashed potatoes, gravy and rolls, while the Worst/First things were being decided. With so many arrows being broken, archery was taken off the list of events, quickly replaced by ping pong. Yellow chose Red in cabbage ball, Blue then picked White in volleyball, which left Green and Black, the top two teams, playing each other in table tennis.
While volleyball was actually Janet P. and Grace's territory, most of the rest of us other counselors not needed for other sports wandered down there. I counted eleven of us halfway through the game, out of seventeen total. Robin had a good explanation: "Counselors love volleyball!" Steve Long, the former director before Tim, came with his wife Angie to hear the preaching, arriving early to watch their daughter's volleyball game. I was volunteered by somebody to keep score, so I dug out my notebook and found a pen, a purple Pilot G2.
Jacob began the game serving, notching two aces before Josh forced a sideout. Jacob returned the favor immediately; Abbi got two quick aces as Blue's lead stretched to 11-0. Duncan finally got White on the board, and Drew got an ace. White managed a rally, getting to 6-11 before Jacob caused a sideout. Kaitlin aced a serve, Jacob scored another point, and netballs by Emily and Autumn gave Blue the 15-5 set win.
The second game began with White serving on the opposite side, Carlos hit a ball into the net and then Jackson scored an ace, giving White a 2-0 lead. There were then six failed serves in a row before Blue scored a point, they got another a few minutes later with Jorgi's ace. Autumn stroked three aces in a row, then Josh added two nice plays, leading to a 9-2 White advantage. The set ended with net balls by Marshall and Emily, Josh earned a point on a great rally, and Duncan, Josh and Jackson all had aces to knot it at one set apiece after the 15-3 White win.
The last game was pretty much owned by Blue, shooting to an 8-0 edge on the aid of three aces, two net balls, a doublehit, grounder and cannon deep return. Five points were then played without a score, White cut the damage to 3-9, and then Jacob finished out the match with four aces, as Blue won 15-5, 3-15, 15-4. Green topped Black 14-10, Alexa winning the girls' championship after beating her cousin Allyson and Courtney's falling to Jon. Red was down 4-2 to Yellow in cabbage ball before erupting for eight runs, winning 10-4, good buddy. Over and out on this section.
General session's sermon came from Matthew 5:5. (Got to love expositional preaching! One of its' many benefits is you always know where the text the message is from will be.) "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth."
The Beatitudes work sort of like stairsteps, building one on top of another, they make Christ's disciples radically different. Radical comes from the Latin word "radix", which means root. There's a foundational change in believers' lives, we ought to be radically different from the world, since we're living from a different principle. Through God's grace, we become poor in spirit, which by extension leads us to mourning over sins committed.
Meekness isn't generally one of those well-loved qualities to the world. Strength rules! Quiet, unassuming people don't usually make history, though they will reign in the coming kingdom. Our culture pretty much worships coolness, and meekness is pretty far away from that. It's visible through our dealings with people and things in life, the Beatitudes get harder to do the farther we read.
Nobody quite knows what "meekness" really means, and it took a while before the congregation got close to the true meaning of "radical". Modern associations with "meek" include timidity, unassertive, and weak. The dictionary definition is "To be not overly impressed with one's self-importance." Biblically, it's a humble submission of heart from an accurate assessment of our heart.
It doesn't struggle with God, instead submits to Him, figuring He knows better how things should work than we do. It's a kind of power, not a weakness. There are many examples of this in the Bible; Abraham dividing the land with Lot, Joseph in prison and later when he forgives his brothers, David in the cave with Saul, or Stephen as he was being stoned. Moses and Paul, too.
Meekness is a supernatural gift, unattainable by works. If it's there, it means we're alive in Christ, drawing closer towards Him. It is in God's people, maybe a little, maybe a lot, but it's there. It's a spiritual pulse, waging war with our need for control in life's events. We cultivate it by humbly submitting to God. If we really get this, most people in the world won't like us too well. But that's okay, it should be expected and accepted.
We got into a discussion of several random topics while munching candy in the cabin that night, getting to bed about 11:30. One of the subjects came up because Jessie was curious about where different races came from.
The title of this post comes from the Chris Rice song of the same title, it seemed like the only song reference that remotely made any kind of sense lyrically to the experience going from camper to counselor. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9kpsKwotjE
I guess that Steven Curtis Chapman song "Do Everything" might work better, lyrically, I mean. So I guess I'll change the title, but I'll keep both links on here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVTeIMursb8
Adam shot a highlight video and most of the talent share, then spliced it together. If you have some time, check it the video.
Other interesting quotes:
(In our cabin during rest time)
Jessie - "Why are you just standing there?"
Me - "Because....uh..."
Josh O. - "Because it's his job, to make sure we don't get into trouble or anything."
Jessie - "Do you guys get paid for being counselors?"
Me - "Nope! It's just a volunteer thing."
Jessie - "I don't understand that. Why would you spend your time doing something if you aren't getting paid for it?"
Josh O. - "I want to be a counselor when I get old enough, like you."
(Walking down to the tabernacle for general session, during a debate on whether driving 160+ on the highway was stupid or not)
Joe - "C'mon, man! Where's your sense of adventure?
Me - "I don't think I have one."
Joe - "That explains a lot..."
Jed, thoughtfully - "I don't know...personally, kind of. You sort of are in a way. It's just...cautious, mixed with...a curiosity."
Somebody, I think Robin, had a good idea and told Tim, who told us about it in the Wednesday morning counselor's meeting. Almost everyone immediately loved the idea, but we kept it a surprise for the campers for a bit longer.
After devotions and the best breakfast of the week, pancakes and sausage, it was time for general session, from Matthew 5:6, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they will be filled." First, Christians become poor in spirit, which leads to mourning over sin, and that produces meekness, which drive a hungering and thirst for righteousness, for holiness.
Jesus was the prophet to come that Moses talked about, proclaiming the need for repentance, and the Beatitudes help us understand what that repentance is, gives a description of the character of believers. We earnestly want holiness, seeking it with a devourous hunger.
Hunger is a powerful natural force; it shifts our perspectives quickly. As Christians strive to become more like Jesus, continually getting closer to His image, God brings us closer to Him and gives us these things, for it pleases Him. "Blessed are..." read these verses. If you a whatever it describes, then you are blessed, and will be more perfectly blessed in days to come.
In AVC Wednesday, Green and White competed in an archery shoot, Black and Yellow tangled in volleyball under the shadow of the trees, and Red and Blue took to the ampitheatre's cabbage ball diamond. White was down one member, who couldn't make it as the last minute, so they got some extra bonus points with the handicap figured in. They shot in the mid-range of the target for most of the first round, improving far better in the second, 8's and 9's replacing the 5's and 7's. Green had four bulls-eyes, including a shot on the "spider" in the exact center, made by Colton, and most of their first-round shots landed inside the red. More of the same in the second round; four more bulls-eyes, but in the end, the Machine would have fared better if they shot a touch more poorly. Their total score divided by thirteen members equaled an average of 36; so with that tacked on White ended up taking it 491-469.
Black "destroyed" Yellow in volleyball, according to Bennett, and Blue topped Red 9-6.
Green, White and Wesley all then went straight to the tabernacle for Bible Challenge, it was a strange game. Very low-scoring, back and forth, through one round the score was tied at 2,900-all. Entering Final Jeopardy, White held an 8,500-5,900 lead, I'm not sure what happened next, we were running late and I was trying to give time updates. Somehow Green ended up winning, score unknown.
Red beat Black in mini-golf, and Blue won in ping pong 15-8 over Yellow.
Lunch was delicious, taco salad and brownies. With Yellow winless, and with no chance at even being competitive in the hunt for the TC title, Tim revealed Robin's idea that the rest of us so enthusiastically shared. Yellow would have first pick in the team they wanted to play, also first pick of all three sports, or, for the first time in history, they also had the option of playing the Counselors in volleyball, earning at least one automatic point just for playing if they lost, and if they won they would get three points. Stunned silence filled the dining hall for half an instant, then everyone exploded, debating the merits of this unexpected offer. We counselors were pleading for the chance to play, the other teams thought it was a great idea. Yellow wasn't so sure. They began talking about it, taking their time.
Meanwhile the afternoon passed uneventfully, the guys stayed in their bunks at rest time, I practiced for the talent share, keeping my strings muted so Tim could actually get a nap. I really wanted to listen to Brother Larry's group sessions, but I just wasn't comfortable with going inside the girls' dorm. So I listened to Curtis' teaching to the little kids, I think it was on marriage. Singing went all right, and then during swim time I played a doubles game of ping pong with Forrest against Jon and Michael. We won the first, they won the next two. I led dinner tonight; that was an interesting experience. Couldn't think of very good questions, after about four or five I lamely announced "If you're hungry, go inside!" It was the nasty ham, potatoes, green beans, rolls and peach cobbler. Not hungry at all, with butterflies about the talent share, I ate a cup of cobbler and dashed down to the tabernacle to signal last-minute practice was open.
The talent share went well, there were lots of violins; four different people played them. The highlights, besides the obvious stuff like Mrs. Boyer sitting prettily, Tim juggling or the Henrys doing their magic trick, were Grace's travelogue, using about eight perfect accents flawlessly taking us from the Deep South to Boston and all across Europe, the Underwoods' puppet show, and the Cute Quartet, a choir made up of Suzanna, Kaitlin, Laura and Callie. Jon borrowed Abby Lee to lead off, he did well. Time ran out before Courtney and I could go, but that was okay. There's always next year, if I come.
The sermon was from Matthew 5:7: "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy." Wednesday night always has a different feel, a special atmosphere. Merciful people are in God's blessing; but what is mercy? One definition given was "Being concerned about other people in their need". It's an emotion expressed in others' affliction, and then the action resulting from that. It engages us in other people's misery. It goes from God to us, and show then it should continue human-to-human. There's at least two kinds of mercy found in the Bible - 1, Kindness to the poor or those in need, Proverbs 4:21, for example. This is like after a fire, tornado, moving, things like that. 2, Showing forgiveness to those who sin against us, like in Psalm 51, or the Parable of the Servants.
Mercy springs from God's love to us in our misery, and merciful people take on others' troubles gladly, even if they already have things weighing them down. They help solve other people's problems, getting involved in their situation, trying to make it easier. Mothers are a good example of this. Illustrations of mercy abound; Psalms 118 or 136. God sees, knows and understands our afflictions, and He'll carry us through. He brings us out of our bondage, delivering us. The Good Samaritan was quite merciful, the religious people ignored the beat-up guy, but the Samaritan aided the Jew. He took care of him, paid for his bills. Those shown mercy will in turn be merciful.
Jesus, over and over, was merciful. The cross was the ultimate expression of God's mercy. The Puritans had a saying; "All our sorrows as Christians is the closest we'll get to hell, and the world's joys the nearest they'll get to heaven." Sobering thought. A huge danger in the church, however, is to be "sermonproofed" inside our Christian bubbles, the most dangerous state in human existence, where we hear these truths over and over, never actually coming to know Christ through them.
There was a lengthy Q-and-A session afterwards, dealing mainly with when-to-confess-sin-to-a-friend and Are-movies-with-Jesus-okay? Pastor Pollard's opinion was that it wasn't, he gave some good examples supporting this idea, including the second commandment. I've never really felt comfortable with them, either, but couldn't exactly say why.
There was apparently some serious matter going on when we were all dismissed at 10:40, so Jed and I rounded up our kids and got them quieted down, waiting for Tim to get back. Jed launched us into a devotional-type thing on Psalm 130, and then I talked a bit about Isaiah 43:1-3. We all got to bed around 11:30 and fell asleep about midnight.
The last full day dawned and was about the same as the others, with the counselor's meeting, devotions and breakfast, bringing us to general session on Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
None of us really have a pure heart. Our culture is basically immune to purity, way oversexed. It's the air we breathe. Purity is a cleanness, free of all dirt. Say you're cleaning the barn and raking all the manure and rotting hay out, when you're done, you want a shower and scrub all that filth off as fast as possible, right? That's the way we ought to be towards sin.
Biblically understood, the "heart" is the core, the mind, the soul. The world preaches all the time through TV and movies and catchy pop songs "Follow Your Heart!!!" Eh....that's not really such a good idea. It's like, the last thing in the world to trust. So fight it! This is why we need discernment.
The second Worst/First led off the Tournament Challenge schedule, and much to everyone's extreme disappointment, Yellow chose Red in volleyball. However, two counselors could play for their team, which ended up being Taylor and Mary.
Red got a 4-0 head start, Mary helped chip the lead down to tie at 4-up and take the lead, Caleb retook the lead 6-5 with a pair of aces. After five failed points Marie scored an ace, and Valley's tip led to Yellow being down 7-8. The score was tied again at 9, bur then Caleb had a couple more aces and Madelyn closed out the set, Red 15-9.
Switching sides, three errors and two Taylor aces led to Yellow's 5-0 lead, Red rallied to get four points their next possession. Through several Red errors, Yellow's advantage increased to 10-4, Markie trimmed it to 6-10, seven scoreless possessions later Yellow scored again, getting to game point, Grayson's serve not only reached over the net, but nobody got it, tying it at one game each.
With time rapidly running out, and only twenty minutes left to play the deciding set, it was rushed. That was reflected in the play, too; careless mistakes and miscues abounded. The older players and counselors pulled out a win, though, so the final score was Yellow 9-15, 15-4, 9-6.
Blue beat White in cabbage ball, Karah breaking several fingers, and Green edged Black 13-12 in table tennis.
They then immediately played each other again, Black triumphing ten games to eight. White beat Yellow on the golf course, and Red and Blue tested their Scriptural knowledge. It began as a pretty close match, Blue leading 3,200-2,300 through one round. They increased that lead to 12,700-4,900 by Final Jeopardy, we were again running late. Blue answered right, Red wrong, so Blue won 13,700-1.
Lunch was tough-to-chew-with-braces pizza, rest time went okay. I sat in on the 15-year-olds lesson from Tim on nakedness in Scripture, it was a little awkward. To fill up the long pause at the end, he told his testimony and talked about his ordeal several years ago with the tumor.
Singing time was miserable for everyone, I guess the girls were acting up, and then they made the guys nervous and rowdy during our time, nobody was really listening to Jed, I wished I could evaporate into the floor. Since I couldn't do that, I ended up separating troublemakers and admonishing whisperers.
Dinner was eaten; tough roast beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, and rolls, then the final Tournament Challenge events of the week. Green and Black had an extremely high-scoring cabbage ball game, Black won for the second year in a row 18-11, Red and Yellow shot archery. Both teams had twelve shooters, so it was a very close matchup. They each had archers of every skill level, we had visitors halfway through, as Miss Kathy, Buddy, Ryan's wife Mandy and kids all showed up to cheer them on. Madelyn helped me tally the scores, and when we'd finished our math, Red had won 449-447. Yes, that's right. By TWO POINTS. Despite losing the first game to White, and in a 2-7 hole in the second, Blue rallied to win the match, and also the TC title with six points.
Tim's parents also came to visit, as did Ash.
The text was Matthew 5:9, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." I began notes for this sermon in red ink, but that reminded me of too much of mistakes in grammar, so I switched to blue, that I could pay more attention to what was being said.
Being poor in spirit is transferred to us through the Holy Spirit, and that poverty leads to mourning over sin, which in turn creates meekness. In meekness, we thirst for righteousness. The righteous never rest in their pursuit of holiness, and by tasting God's mercy we become merciful. These are the outward signs of inward change, they strive to be pure in heart.
This verse doesn't say "Blessed are the peaceful", or "Blessed are the peacekeeping", or "Blessed are the peace-lovers, man". It says "Blessed are the peacemakers." Sooo....what is peace, exactly, and how do we make it?
One of those things with several broad meaninigs, often it could be the "absence of strife." Could be "absence of war." Not so much a lack of war as lack of disturbance to God's people's well-being. Meaning, well, anything that's troubling us, seen in Psalm 29:11 and many other places. We can live at peace whenever God decides to bless us with it. There isn't often peace on earth because when the Fall occurred, strife entered. That's pretty much what all sin is, strife with God. World history was altered forever with the four words "And so he ate."
In the New Testament, the term "peace" means more "state of harmony", in Greek a "cessation of war", but it was often used to describe spiritually the same as in Hebrew. Jesus was a peacemaker. Over and over, you see "peace be with you" in the New Testament.
Partial peace already exists in those described by the previous verses talked upon. All too often, preachers omit teaching the holiness of God, only talking about his love. We have peace with God, and we should want to tell others! God bestows his favor on those who actively seek to spread his peace throughout the world. So we should do all we can to promote it. Everywhere.
Four desires ought to be in our hearts: That our hearts, our homes, our church and our worlds would be places of peace. So preach! Tell others! Cultivate it everywhere!
Another lengthy Q-and-A session followed, dealng mostly with the Is-this-thing-over-here-allowed? kinds of topics, mostly TV and music. Pastor Pollard was of the opinion that unless it portrayed the Bible accurately in everything, it wasn't a good idea. Thus his(and mine) dislike of Christian music in general - It's bad theology. He also thought this applied to even non-Gospel stories in the Bible, thus putting VeggieTales on the "Don't Watch" list. Many of us disagreed with him on that point.
Though it didn't begin until 11, it was time for that bittersweet celebration known as "book-signing time". Some people skipped it and went almost immediately to bed, others stayed up late playing ping pong, signing messages, talking and snapping pictures. I signed books and then talked with Dylan and Grace until 1:40, when we finally ran the last holdouts off to the cabins. Fell asleep at two, waking up after a nightmare that Trevor was run over at six.
Morning routine was followed, packing up to leave in a few hours, then the wonderful cinnamon rolls, which, while not quite as good as usual, still were tasty. The final message of the week was Matthew 5:10, "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
These opening statements were completely jaw-dropping to Jewish thinking. Poor in spirit? Mourning? Meek? Hungry for righteousness? Merciful? Pure in heart? Peacemaking? And for all that, we get persecuted? Really? Yes. God's ways aren't our own, and as part of that, He blesses those persecuted for righteousness' sake. Line by line, we'll be radically different than the world, and they'll dislike us for reminding them of their sins.
The kingdom of God doesn't make sense to natural ideas. We really need to avoid being obnoxious when preaching or witnessing, there's a definite line that's overstepping it. So just be careful. And Christianity isn't the same thing as conservatism, we should know the difference.
This persecution will come because we're living with Christ, like the disciples. Just as Eve had children, so did Satan(demons, possibly?) , and they've been at all-out war ever since. Jesus prayed for Peter to be able to endure tribulation, in order to encourage others once on the other side.
Nobody will ever quite suffer persecution quite like Jesus; because no one else is anywhere near as holy. It comes with living like Christ did, exposing the world's sin. Not always about the religion of Christianity itself, though that sometimes happens. It's an exclamation point, an acid test of the other Beatitudes. The closer we get to Christ, the rougher things might get. And that's a good thing. We have to prepare for it by studying Jesus' life and teaching in the Bible, finding out how He handled life and the things in it. We must remember that this holy anguish is a blessing. The worst that can happen is we might die, right? And then we'll be with Christ. And our suffering will always end at some point; the world's won't.
So be ready, and stay strong.
Just as general session was wrapping up, it began raining. Like, a pouring, drenching rain. And I pretty much spent the next two hours constantly in the middle of it. We had to take the archery stuff down, so I began untying the duct-tape supports and hauling firewood, Madelyn helped. Ryan and Dylan loaded up the picnic table and dropped the targets back to their shed. Then I went to the showers and checked to make sure they were clean; they were, very much so. Dropping into the cabin for a bit to oversee packing, then hauling luggage to the cars. Had to hug everyone goodbye, then it was time to load our stuff and get going. We were actually some of the last people to leave, just after noon. Mrs. Mueller and Mrs. Pickard had driven up to bring us back, a MASSIVE thunderstorm had gone straight up I-44 on their way up. Like, so bad they had to pull off the road for a while. Thankfully, they got there, and we sorta solved the Tetris puzzle of cramming our stuff back in, and then we hit the road. Josh, Bennett, Laura and I rode with Mrs. Pickard, chewing over the sermons and week's events until we ate at a Five Guys in Springfield. We needed to fill up on gas, so I raced inside and bought two Monsters(It's a tradition. And sometimes, a way to honor the memory of folks long gone.) The rest of the trip we were pretty much insulting each other nonstop, it was wonderful. Got to Tulsa just after 5 p.m, and we all pretty much crashed for the entire weekend.
Things were different this year. The campers were different; no inanimate objects were broken. Running shorts are to be banned immediately. An official change to the visiting rules will be enacted after a sufferer of "campsickness" was kicked out for harassing people. So it had its problems, definitely. But it was a blessing to be able to serve the kids, work alongside the other counselors.
Please pray for those who attended that don't know the Lord, that He would use this time to bring them to Himself at some point. Also for the believers, that they were encouraged and strengthened by the fellowship and teaching, that we'll stay strong over whatever comes this next year.
CAMP BOOK SIGNINGS -
"Wesley, it was a blessing to see you again and have you help us. Thank you. May God bless you going forward. Larry W Dean Luke 17:10"
"Wesley, I'm really glad you got to come back this year as a counselor. I'll be praying for you in your upcoming years at school. Josh Ferguson"
"Wesley, i am so happy your a counselor! It's my last year so thanks for help making it fun! Love ya dude! you make a swell dance partner. - Shari Hickey"
"Wesley, I enjoyed being a counselor w/you. Such an inspiration and joy for me. Taylor Proverbs 22:12"
"It was so awesome that you could "reincarnate" as a couselour! Great seeing you! Hope you had a blessed week. - Paige"
(Hunter Bebout's signature)
"Wesley - It was great having you as a counslor and I hope to see you next year. Brett"
"Wesley, thanks so much for showing me how to shoot a bow like Legolas! It was so cool! - Amber Matlock"
"Dude, it was awesome having you as a counsoler here! I hope to one day join you in that responsibility. Also, as you may see, I now much more prefer pencil to ink. ;) - Joe"
"Wesley, I was so glad to hear you were coming as a counselor! Thanks for the great help with archery! Keep focused on the mark! Ryan Philippians 1:9-10"
"Wesley, Great meeting you! Thanks for being such a good, scorekeeping, happy volley ball buddy. :) Grace Discher"
"Wesley, It's kinda weird with you being a counselor now! Have fun at college! God bless man! A Ashe"
"Grayson Henry See ya next year!"
"Wesley, it was great to see you again this year! So glad you got to be a counselor :) Sad you didn't sing in the talent show :( Stay sweet! - Jorgi"
"I hope that you had a great year at camp and that I am so proud to call you my friend. In Christ, Jed"
"You are the best and coolest counselor! :) - Carlos Flores"
"Wes, you made a great councelor! Thanks for putting up with the silliness of me/all my friends. :) See ya Sunday! Laura"
"Wesley, It was great to meet you this year! May God continue to bless you as you continue to walk with Him! - Rachel -"
"Wesley, it was such a blessing to serve with you as a councelor here at camp. I hope you were as encouraged by the message as I was. In Christ Alone, Mary Freeland"
"Hey Wes! Love ya, hope you learned a lot. - Courtney"
"I get stuck every year. I'm so so glad you came back to camp. You are the face I see when I think of Beth-Eden. Thank you for being kind. I don't know where you are with the Lord, but I hope you get closer. Pray the same for me. - <3 Madelyn D."
"Markie Discher. It was nice meeting you. I hope you'll be back next year!"
"Wesley! I'm so glad you got to come back as a counselor this year! I hope you enjoyed it and learned a lot. - Suzanna"
"Tim Nehrbass. Thks for serving!"
"Dear Wesley, Thank you for all your help and your willingness to serve the Lord, by serving the young people. Remember, the "pure in heart will see God". In Christ, Janet"
"So glad you were a counselor this year! Hope to see you next year! Matthew"
"Thank you so much for your service. your a great counselor, and a wonderful christian example. Jacob"
"Had a great time w/you!!! Andrew B."
"I was so surprised to see you back this year as a counselor, but I think you did a perfect job and hope you keep coming back. - Marshall D."
(Jonathan Kobb's signature)
"Colton! - Stay cool!"
"You were a great counselor! Abbey :)"
"Bro, you always be one of mah fav counselors! Maybe one day counsel together? Haha! Maybe? Jon Lange"
"I'm so glad you came as a couselor this year! Kaitlin G."
"Wesley, I'm so glad you got to come as a counselor. Thanks for being the statistic man for sports. - Bennett"
"Wesley...first time as a counselor! Where does the time go?!? I remember the first year as a camper! Whoa! You are one special, godly young man and I sure do love you in the Lord! Be blessed...Love, Your Cabin Mom, Terry :)"
"Wesley! I can't tell you how great it was to be a counselor with you this year. Your hard work and diligence are a testimony to your walk with Christ. - Dylan"
"Wesley! It was great seeing you! Hope you had a great time and enjoyed being a counselor! :) Hannah Landry"
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Youth Tour Reunion
Okay, well, you know how I am....if I see something interesting happening, I'm going to watch it, with the intent of at least thinking about writing something about it. Because I'm a storyteller; I'm always searching for stories.
Went to the 50 Year Oklahoma Youth Tour Reunion yesterday in Oklahoma City, naturally scribbling notes on my program, thinking about possibly writing a story on it and seeing if Oklahoma Living magazine would run it. Well, Lorene saw me jotting keywords down and asked if I would write a blog post about the experience for all of our people who couldn't come, so they'd get an idea of what it was like.
So, there's the explanation for the reason behind this post.
Youth Tour began, or at least the idea of it, in a 1957 Lyndon B. Johnson speech, he was talking about how young people needed to see up-close how the government worked, for the ordinary, hard-working, rural-area youth a chance to witness all the country's wonderful history firsthand. It took several years to get organized and everything, but in 1964 twelve states sent students on the inaugural "Youth Tour". Oklahoma was one of those twelve states on that ten-day trip to Washington, D.C., taking about 36 high school juniors. And from that year to this, thousands of kids have gotten to be a part of the experience of a lifetime.
Not just anyone gets to go; for the first thing. The national Youth Tour is organized by the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, each state-level cooperative organization sends a group made up of specially-chosen high school juniors from their member co-ops. The exact nomination process varies from co-op to co-op, but it can involve anything from an essay or a letter to a Senator up to a fifty-question test, speech competition and in-depth interview. So it's the best of the best, it's not just any group of randomly-chosen group of teenagers sent across the country on an all-expenses-paid trip. It's really amazing, when you stop and think about it. Not just how powerful it is for those involved; but the fact that co-ops, which are not run for profit,, but for the betterment of the community, will yearly invest in students and their futures.
I was a part of the 72 students in 2011 to go on the trip, and it was amazing. We had an amazing time, met a ton of great people; made crazy memories, got to see wonderful things that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise.
Well, we got back, and senior year was finished, all the terrifying-ness of it, we had each other's backs, knew what that chaos was like. Same thing with freshman year of college. From Day 1, though, we knew we "HAD" to have a reunion. And actually, several halfhearted attempts were thrown out there, they just never quite worked out. Anyway, this year marked the 50th anniversary, and so Spike Mama the director thought it would be a fantastic plan to have an all-alumni reunion. (Cue everyone involved getting super excited.)
The day finally came yesterday, and so from all over the state (and country) former YT were on their way back to where it all started; OKC. It was held at a Sheraton Hotel; fancy place. There was a big conference room set up with tables organized by year, so from all over the years people reconnected with those from their trips. Photos from across the decades were on display, as were Youth Tour T-shirts.
There weren't that many from our year, which was a bit disappointing to all of us assembled. But anyway, it was awesome to get to see Allison, Amanda A., Caleb, Danielle, Jose, Juliana and Lorene again. Between the eight of us, we represented five different colleges attended.
Spike Mama began the event with a short introductory speech, recognizing several people like Rodney and Joe, our bus drivers; a former Miss Oklahoma, and the former lieutenant governor. She told a couple entertaining stories, such as the 2001 group gave her the "Spike Mama" nickname, two of those kids ended up getting married. Another guy from that year, who was supposed to tell his version of one of the most entertaining YT stories, that of "The Big-Ass Knife", couldn't make it at the last minute. (And that really is the title...) Spike Mama, known to some people who don't her very well as Jennifer, actually ended up meeting her husband Ben because of YT.
The first speaker was the previous CEO of the state-level co-op, who was instrumental in growing it from a possible threat of extinction into an institution. He relayed much of the history of the trip; how he became involved with co-ops and YT, and just the inspirational qualities of the trip. It was really good. I know maybe doesn't sound that exciting, but it was very good.
After him came the first Democratic female Lt. Gov. in state history; she'd gone as a chaperone in 1999. She had only been to D.C. as a high school junior once before; so she could see all the monuments and memorials and things with a kid's eyes, all that history is just awe-inspiring that one encounters. We've stood where George Washington used to live. We saw the Lincoln Memorial. A ton of the stuff from Night at the Museum? We've actually seen those things. She shared a quote from Franklin Roosevelt, originator of the Rural Electrical Association, the father of co-ops, sort of. The quote went like this: "We cannot prepare the future for our children, but we can prepare children for the future." That's pretty much the guiding principle behind Youth Tour.
Next in line to give a speech was a boy from 2003 now working in politics, he shared a couple of the moments that stood out the most to him, meeting Hilary Clinton, for one. That was quite the experience for a small-town Republican farm boy, he laughed. The cooperatives are an example of politics really working, doing something good; the REA literally changed millions of lives by introducing electricity to the country. You can learn so many life lessons from YT, it's amazing.
A girl from 2006 that later went on to become Miss Oklahoma came next, some of her first words were that it was "an incredible experience". Her brother had gone before her, and he loved it. Then she got to go two years later, one of the memories she shared was climbing the White House fence(not encouraged, by the way.) The speech contest later proved to be important for her later on. And this talk was given with a broken wrist from a horseback mishap last week and while the lights were flickering on and off.
A girl from 2012 sang a few songs after that, she was all right. She began with something by Elvis, then an old cowboy song with yodeling. Then she picked up a guitar and performed a song she'd written after visiting the Pentagon, inspired by the events of 9/11, before ending with "God Bless the USA".
An awesome video was then watched, pictures from then stretching up into now, with snatches of music fitting that time period. That was really neat.
Group pictures by co-op came next, all the assembled people who came broke up into whichever cooperative they'd gone on the trip with.
For the next two hours, we ate snacks and mingled at the reception.
We took a lot of pictures; it'd been several years since we'd seen each other. And of course we had to compare notes on colleges, get caught up on majors, that sort of thing. And there was lots of laughter, from memories of stories and random hysterical comments. And there were photobooths to take more pictures in, it was a good time.
*Examples of funny statements - (Lorene explaining that she was working a summer job as a counselor at a camp for people with special-needs north of Dallas) Jose - Oh, well of course I know where Dallas is. So if it's near Denton, yeah, I know where it'd be. Actually, I'll be driving through there next week on the way to Mexico."
Somebody - "Why you goin' to Mexico?"
Jose - "Visiting family for about a month."
Lorene - "....Are you Mexican????" (Hysterical laughter from all of us)
The Rest of Us - "His name is Jose..."
Or this, talking about majors: "Clay's going to UCO, isn't he?"
"Yep, that's right."
(To Juliana at the same time) "What major?"
"Fashion Merchandising."
"'Fashion Merchandising'? Really? I mean...."
Juliana - "No...not Clay! ME! He's studying...something else. Nursing, I think."
"Yeah, nursing, that's right."
"Okay...I was thinking...."
And later, Juliana was answering a question on how she liked her school in Ohio: "Well, it's all right, except for being cold. And windy. And cold."
Mom and Amy were at the zoo, seeing elephants and rhinos. Zoos are neat places.
It was a good time.
Went to the 50 Year Oklahoma Youth Tour Reunion yesterday in Oklahoma City, naturally scribbling notes on my program, thinking about possibly writing a story on it and seeing if Oklahoma Living magazine would run it. Well, Lorene saw me jotting keywords down and asked if I would write a blog post about the experience for all of our people who couldn't come, so they'd get an idea of what it was like.
So, there's the explanation for the reason behind this post.
Youth Tour began, or at least the idea of it, in a 1957 Lyndon B. Johnson speech, he was talking about how young people needed to see up-close how the government worked, for the ordinary, hard-working, rural-area youth a chance to witness all the country's wonderful history firsthand. It took several years to get organized and everything, but in 1964 twelve states sent students on the inaugural "Youth Tour". Oklahoma was one of those twelve states on that ten-day trip to Washington, D.C., taking about 36 high school juniors. And from that year to this, thousands of kids have gotten to be a part of the experience of a lifetime.
Not just anyone gets to go; for the first thing. The national Youth Tour is organized by the National Rural Electric Cooperatives Association, each state-level cooperative organization sends a group made up of specially-chosen high school juniors from their member co-ops. The exact nomination process varies from co-op to co-op, but it can involve anything from an essay or a letter to a Senator up to a fifty-question test, speech competition and in-depth interview. So it's the best of the best, it's not just any group of randomly-chosen group of teenagers sent across the country on an all-expenses-paid trip. It's really amazing, when you stop and think about it. Not just how powerful it is for those involved; but the fact that co-ops, which are not run for profit,, but for the betterment of the community, will yearly invest in students and their futures.
I was a part of the 72 students in 2011 to go on the trip, and it was amazing. We had an amazing time, met a ton of great people; made crazy memories, got to see wonderful things that I wouldn't have been able to otherwise.
Well, we got back, and senior year was finished, all the terrifying-ness of it, we had each other's backs, knew what that chaos was like. Same thing with freshman year of college. From Day 1, though, we knew we "HAD" to have a reunion. And actually, several halfhearted attempts were thrown out there, they just never quite worked out. Anyway, this year marked the 50th anniversary, and so Spike Mama the director thought it would be a fantastic plan to have an all-alumni reunion. (Cue everyone involved getting super excited.)
The day finally came yesterday, and so from all over the state (and country) former YT were on their way back to where it all started; OKC. It was held at a Sheraton Hotel; fancy place. There was a big conference room set up with tables organized by year, so from all over the years people reconnected with those from their trips. Photos from across the decades were on display, as were Youth Tour T-shirts.
There weren't that many from our year, which was a bit disappointing to all of us assembled. But anyway, it was awesome to get to see Allison, Amanda A., Caleb, Danielle, Jose, Juliana and Lorene again. Between the eight of us, we represented five different colleges attended.
Spike Mama began the event with a short introductory speech, recognizing several people like Rodney and Joe, our bus drivers; a former Miss Oklahoma, and the former lieutenant governor. She told a couple entertaining stories, such as the 2001 group gave her the "Spike Mama" nickname, two of those kids ended up getting married. Another guy from that year, who was supposed to tell his version of one of the most entertaining YT stories, that of "The Big-Ass Knife", couldn't make it at the last minute. (And that really is the title...) Spike Mama, known to some people who don't her very well as Jennifer, actually ended up meeting her husband Ben because of YT.
The first speaker was the previous CEO of the state-level co-op, who was instrumental in growing it from a possible threat of extinction into an institution. He relayed much of the history of the trip; how he became involved with co-ops and YT, and just the inspirational qualities of the trip. It was really good. I know maybe doesn't sound that exciting, but it was very good.
After him came the first Democratic female Lt. Gov. in state history; she'd gone as a chaperone in 1999. She had only been to D.C. as a high school junior once before; so she could see all the monuments and memorials and things with a kid's eyes, all that history is just awe-inspiring that one encounters. We've stood where George Washington used to live. We saw the Lincoln Memorial. A ton of the stuff from Night at the Museum? We've actually seen those things. She shared a quote from Franklin Roosevelt, originator of the Rural Electrical Association, the father of co-ops, sort of. The quote went like this: "We cannot prepare the future for our children, but we can prepare children for the future." That's pretty much the guiding principle behind Youth Tour.
Next in line to give a speech was a boy from 2003 now working in politics, he shared a couple of the moments that stood out the most to him, meeting Hilary Clinton, for one. That was quite the experience for a small-town Republican farm boy, he laughed. The cooperatives are an example of politics really working, doing something good; the REA literally changed millions of lives by introducing electricity to the country. You can learn so many life lessons from YT, it's amazing.
A girl from 2006 that later went on to become Miss Oklahoma came next, some of her first words were that it was "an incredible experience". Her brother had gone before her, and he loved it. Then she got to go two years later, one of the memories she shared was climbing the White House fence(not encouraged, by the way.) The speech contest later proved to be important for her later on. And this talk was given with a broken wrist from a horseback mishap last week and while the lights were flickering on and off.
A girl from 2012 sang a few songs after that, she was all right. She began with something by Elvis, then an old cowboy song with yodeling. Then she picked up a guitar and performed a song she'd written after visiting the Pentagon, inspired by the events of 9/11, before ending with "God Bless the USA".
An awesome video was then watched, pictures from then stretching up into now, with snatches of music fitting that time period. That was really neat.
Group pictures by co-op came next, all the assembled people who came broke up into whichever cooperative they'd gone on the trip with.
For the next two hours, we ate snacks and mingled at the reception.
We took a lot of pictures; it'd been several years since we'd seen each other. And of course we had to compare notes on colleges, get caught up on majors, that sort of thing. And there was lots of laughter, from memories of stories and random hysterical comments. And there were photobooths to take more pictures in, it was a good time.
*Examples of funny statements - (Lorene explaining that she was working a summer job as a counselor at a camp for people with special-needs north of Dallas) Jose - Oh, well of course I know where Dallas is. So if it's near Denton, yeah, I know where it'd be. Actually, I'll be driving through there next week on the way to Mexico."
Somebody - "Why you goin' to Mexico?"
Jose - "Visiting family for about a month."
Lorene - "....Are you Mexican????" (Hysterical laughter from all of us)
The Rest of Us - "His name is Jose..."
Or this, talking about majors: "Clay's going to UCO, isn't he?"
"Yep, that's right."
(To Juliana at the same time) "What major?"
"Fashion Merchandising."
"'Fashion Merchandising'? Really? I mean...."
Juliana - "No...not Clay! ME! He's studying...something else. Nursing, I think."
"Yeah, nursing, that's right."
"Okay...I was thinking...."
And later, Juliana was answering a question on how she liked her school in Ohio: "Well, it's all right, except for being cold. And windy. And cold."
Mom and Amy were at the zoo, seeing elephants and rhinos. Zoos are neat places.
It was a good time.
Friday, July 19, 2013
(Trying to Be) Standing on the Promises
People have been asking "How you doing?" I guess I'm doing about as well as can be expected. Trying to preach to myself as much as I can, staying pretty busy.
Sunday was one of those times when you really don't want to be around people, but you need to because those are the times you need the fellowship and reminders the most. There was a bunch of people offering sympathy, like Mrs. Pickard.
By Monday I had some hymns running through my head, trying to remind myself of the truths of the theology in the lyrics. Also was trying to remember some of those verses of God's promises scattered throughout the Bible, the only ones I could come up with were Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (NIV) and Isaiah 43:1-3, "But now, this is what the Lord says - he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you: I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (NIV)
Went to the Bible study Wednesday night, we were listening to a David Platt sermon on how to weave the Gospel into our everyday conversations. He was talking about how God's always working in our lives, that the reason people drop into our lives is so we can minister to them. Had those early DC Talk songs "Nu Thang" and "He Works" running through my head all the rest of the sermon.
All the kids were barely staying from bursting at the seams with excitement about camp coming so close. I'll be helping Ryan with archery, Dylan U. will be, too. Taylor and Jed are also going to be counselors for the first time. They're all good guys, it should be good to be able to serve with them.
Been running all over creation, it seems like, the last few days. Wednesday to Tulsa, then yesterday from Tulsa to get my new glasses to Westville to visit Nano to Porter to get a kitten, then back to Porter to help Dad with something later today, Oklahoma City on Saturday for the reunion, back to Tulsa for church on Sunday, then southwest Missouri Monday morning.
Sunday was one of those times when you really don't want to be around people, but you need to because those are the times you need the fellowship and reminders the most. There was a bunch of people offering sympathy, like Mrs. Pickard.
By Monday I had some hymns running through my head, trying to remind myself of the truths of the theology in the lyrics. Also was trying to remember some of those verses of God's promises scattered throughout the Bible, the only ones I could come up with were Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." (NIV) and Isaiah 43:1-3, "But now, this is what the Lord says - he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: 'Fear not, for I have redeemed you: I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord you God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." (NIV)
Went to the Bible study Wednesday night, we were listening to a David Platt sermon on how to weave the Gospel into our everyday conversations. He was talking about how God's always working in our lives, that the reason people drop into our lives is so we can minister to them. Had those early DC Talk songs "Nu Thang" and "He Works" running through my head all the rest of the sermon.
All the kids were barely staying from bursting at the seams with excitement about camp coming so close. I'll be helping Ryan with archery, Dylan U. will be, too. Taylor and Jed are also going to be counselors for the first time. They're all good guys, it should be good to be able to serve with them.
Been running all over creation, it seems like, the last few days. Wednesday to Tulsa, then yesterday from Tulsa to get my new glasses to Westville to visit Nano to Porter to get a kitten, then back to Porter to help Dad with something later today, Oklahoma City on Saturday for the reunion, back to Tulsa for church on Sunday, then southwest Missouri Monday morning.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
The Story of Jenny, the hound dog
I wrote this when I was thirteen. I can't remember if it was for school or just something I thought needed to be said, but, anyway. Spelling and everything is left intact.
"She just showed up one day, just out of the blue. She was awfuly skinny and she sure looked awfuly tall, but she really wasn't any taller than Sport. She just looked taller than she was 'cause she was so skinny. Mom was the first one to see her.
"One day I was getting the mail,and on my way back down the driveway,there was a huge dog standing right in the middle of the driveway! I was scared! Some big dogs, like Achilles,are enormous, but they're pretty friendly. Others, like Bear (or Sport) seem like they could rip you to pieces. And I wasn't sure which kind this dog was so I went in the house real quick.
"Anyway she was friendly. So we fed her, and talked to her aand when Dad said it was okay to pet her, we did that too. So she decided that she liked it here, with all the nice people and cats that didn't hiss at you and the other dogs who are friendly when they know you and the porch that's just right for taking naps on it.
"So since she was sofriendly, we decided to give her a name.Dad said he thought Beulah would be a good name, but nobody else liked it. Eventally, we decided to call her Jenny. Everybody liked that.
"Since Jenny was the new dog, and a girl, all the other dogs came to see her. Achilles and Chico came over once, Roscoe came a couple times and there was this big black dog that came too. buthecomes in later.
"One Saturday, we decided to go garage saling. Dad had seen a sign for one that morning so we went to it. IT was a pretty good one. We got a basketball book and a gameboy case and a sherriff badge (a REAL one) and a scooter and a little knife and a racing helmet and a pink digital camera and a fort! That fort's big! So we went home to get the trailer and came back to get it. .It hung over the end of the trailer. To get it in the backyard, we had to drive the van backwards through the gate. So, since the gate was open, Jenny decided to come in and see what the backyard was like. So, she did. she came out when Mom and Dad were done.
"I guess Jenny thought that the backyard was a neat place,soshe decided to see what normal life was like in there. We don't know how she got in, but she probably jumped. So when I went to feed the dogs, there was Jenny, just standing there, just like she'd always been there. She like it, till I put the food bowls down. She went over to eat some food without asking Sport if that was okay. And since he's gotta be in charge, Sport had to show her that that wasn't the smartest thing to do. He told her to stop, and she said that she was hungry and she didn't have to stop even if he was the alpha dog. Well, Sport didn't like that at all.Then they had a dogfight, and I mean they had a dogfight. They were on their back legs and everything. Sport won. So then Jenny decided that she did NOT like the backyard ,so she got out. Maybe she jumped again. I don't know. But, she got out somehow.
"A little after that,, Cricket had an adventure with the dogs. Would you like to hear it? Oky,I'll tell you. You see, since Jenny was friendly, Cricket, since she was only like two months old, thought that all dogs were friendly to cats. Either that, or she wasn't paying attention. Anyway, she walked in the backyard. That's one the most dumb things a cat can do. Daisy almost got killed doing that, Milo would've if he'd fell why he was teasing the dogs, and his sister that looked like Tulip did get killed by the dogs. When we noticed I ran for Mom and screamed "Cat, cat! Cat in the backyard! Cat in the backyard!" So Mom came running downstairs and she ran outside and got Cricket and wiped off the blood and dog drool. She stayed inside for a while, then Mom put her back out. And that's Cricket's adventure with the dogs.
"Like I said before, Roscoe and a bunch of other dogs came over. Well, now its time to tell you about that big black dog. He had a collar on, but I don't think it had a nametag on it. He was real big, and very black, and his eyes were sort of yellowish. And he looked VERY tough! Looked sort of wolfish. But he just seemed kind of protective, like he'd only hurt us if we tried to hurt Jenny. Which we wouldn't, of course. But he didn't know that.Since he looked kind of like a wolf, I called him Lobo sometimes, which means wolf in some other language. Just was like anywhere Jenny went, he went too. And if she was taking a nap and somebody came outside he'd look around to see if everything was all right. And she was being petted, he'd check to see if she was okay. It was kind of weird, but kind of neat too. Dad said if he stayed, he'd send them both to the poud. So we were sort of hoping he'd go away cause we all liked Jenny! He wasn't there that one day, maybe if he was Jenny wouldn't have done it if she did do it. You'll find out what she maybe did next.
"Well, it was afternoon sometime and Mom was listening to the radio like she always does when she's cleaning or doing dishes or something. And they had one of those be say the 8th caller and win something kind of contests. So Mom called in and she was the first caller so she won tickets to that Weekend to Remember deal that FamilyLife has. So while she was talking to the lady on the other side somebody knocked. I guess it was Dakota. After he left a policeman came and told Mom that that Jenny'd been accused of biting somebody so she had to be arrested. The only time Jenny had ever acted mean was when she was eating and the cats came too close. And that's not mean! So he left to get a police car and Mr. Ferrera came over. So Mom talked to him for a while and I guess Devin was feeding Charlie the night before and he said Jenny was with Chico and those other dogs that have a bad reputation around here and she bit him. Now she did go around with them a couple times I think. But Jenny biting somebody? I mean, Jenny's Jenny. Why would she want to bite anybody? I don't think she did but she might've. Just goes to show you that if you hang around with the wrong dogs you're gonna get into trouble even if you didn't do anything. So the police car came and she got put in the back just like a real prisoner and the lights were turned on and everything. The whole thing probably lasted half an hour.
"The night after that Mom went outside to pet cats after we'd all fell asleep. Mom said Lobo came and he looked real sad, like "Where'd she go?" And he put his head down in her hand, Just like Sunny does when she wants to be petted. So Mom petted him for a while. It was really sad sounding when Mom told me about it.
"Well, that's Jenny's story. I told just about everything, except maybe that Jenny and Sport chased cats just for a workout. She was a good dog. I miss her and there's a hole in the the driveway, just like Milo's or Buzz's or Cadillac's or Daisy's or Dot's holes on the porch, or Meowie's hole in the house, or Shadow's hole in the backyard. It's a funny thing about those holes. They never quite get filled. But I guess that's just life. I mean, when people or animals you like die, you'll miss 'em. But youcan remember all the good things that happened. And that makes you feel a little better, even though it makes you a little sad at the same time. Like I said, Jenny was a good dog, and I hope you enjoyed her story."
"She just showed up one day, just out of the blue. She was awfuly skinny and she sure looked awfuly tall, but she really wasn't any taller than Sport. She just looked taller than she was 'cause she was so skinny. Mom was the first one to see her.
"One day I was getting the mail,and on my way back down the driveway,there was a huge dog standing right in the middle of the driveway! I was scared! Some big dogs, like Achilles,are enormous, but they're pretty friendly. Others, like Bear (or Sport) seem like they could rip you to pieces. And I wasn't sure which kind this dog was so I went in the house real quick.
"Anyway she was friendly. So we fed her, and talked to her aand when Dad said it was okay to pet her, we did that too. So she decided that she liked it here, with all the nice people and cats that didn't hiss at you and the other dogs who are friendly when they know you and the porch that's just right for taking naps on it.
"So since she was sofriendly, we decided to give her a name.Dad said he thought Beulah would be a good name, but nobody else liked it. Eventally, we decided to call her Jenny. Everybody liked that.
"Since Jenny was the new dog, and a girl, all the other dogs came to see her. Achilles and Chico came over once, Roscoe came a couple times and there was this big black dog that came too. buthecomes in later.
"One Saturday, we decided to go garage saling. Dad had seen a sign for one that morning so we went to it. IT was a pretty good one. We got a basketball book and a gameboy case and a sherriff badge (a REAL one) and a scooter and a little knife and a racing helmet and a pink digital camera and a fort! That fort's big! So we went home to get the trailer and came back to get it. .It hung over the end of the trailer. To get it in the backyard, we had to drive the van backwards through the gate. So, since the gate was open, Jenny decided to come in and see what the backyard was like. So, she did. she came out when Mom and Dad were done.
"I guess Jenny thought that the backyard was a neat place,soshe decided to see what normal life was like in there. We don't know how she got in, but she probably jumped. So when I went to feed the dogs, there was Jenny, just standing there, just like she'd always been there. She like it, till I put the food bowls down. She went over to eat some food without asking Sport if that was okay. And since he's gotta be in charge, Sport had to show her that that wasn't the smartest thing to do. He told her to stop, and she said that she was hungry and she didn't have to stop even if he was the alpha dog. Well, Sport didn't like that at all.Then they had a dogfight, and I mean they had a dogfight. They were on their back legs and everything. Sport won. So then Jenny decided that she did NOT like the backyard ,so she got out. Maybe she jumped again. I don't know. But, she got out somehow.
"A little after that,, Cricket had an adventure with the dogs. Would you like to hear it? Oky,I'll tell you. You see, since Jenny was friendly, Cricket, since she was only like two months old, thought that all dogs were friendly to cats. Either that, or she wasn't paying attention. Anyway, she walked in the backyard. That's one the most dumb things a cat can do. Daisy almost got killed doing that, Milo would've if he'd fell why he was teasing the dogs, and his sister that looked like Tulip did get killed by the dogs. When we noticed I ran for Mom and screamed "Cat, cat! Cat in the backyard! Cat in the backyard!" So Mom came running downstairs and she ran outside and got Cricket and wiped off the blood and dog drool. She stayed inside for a while, then Mom put her back out. And that's Cricket's adventure with the dogs.
"Like I said before, Roscoe and a bunch of other dogs came over. Well, now its time to tell you about that big black dog. He had a collar on, but I don't think it had a nametag on it. He was real big, and very black, and his eyes were sort of yellowish. And he looked VERY tough! Looked sort of wolfish. But he just seemed kind of protective, like he'd only hurt us if we tried to hurt Jenny. Which we wouldn't, of course. But he didn't know that.Since he looked kind of like a wolf, I called him Lobo sometimes, which means wolf in some other language. Just was like anywhere Jenny went, he went too. And if she was taking a nap and somebody came outside he'd look around to see if everything was all right. And she was being petted, he'd check to see if she was okay. It was kind of weird, but kind of neat too. Dad said if he stayed, he'd send them both to the poud. So we were sort of hoping he'd go away cause we all liked Jenny! He wasn't there that one day, maybe if he was Jenny wouldn't have done it if she did do it. You'll find out what she maybe did next.
"Well, it was afternoon sometime and Mom was listening to the radio like she always does when she's cleaning or doing dishes or something. And they had one of those be say the 8th caller and win something kind of contests. So Mom called in and she was the first caller so she won tickets to that Weekend to Remember deal that FamilyLife has. So while she was talking to the lady on the other side somebody knocked. I guess it was Dakota. After he left a policeman came and told Mom that that Jenny'd been accused of biting somebody so she had to be arrested. The only time Jenny had ever acted mean was when she was eating and the cats came too close. And that's not mean! So he left to get a police car and Mr. Ferrera came over. So Mom talked to him for a while and I guess Devin was feeding Charlie the night before and he said Jenny was with Chico and those other dogs that have a bad reputation around here and she bit him. Now she did go around with them a couple times I think. But Jenny biting somebody? I mean, Jenny's Jenny. Why would she want to bite anybody? I don't think she did but she might've. Just goes to show you that if you hang around with the wrong dogs you're gonna get into trouble even if you didn't do anything. So the police car came and she got put in the back just like a real prisoner and the lights were turned on and everything. The whole thing probably lasted half an hour.
"The night after that Mom went outside to pet cats after we'd all fell asleep. Mom said Lobo came and he looked real sad, like "Where'd she go?" And he put his head down in her hand, Just like Sunny does when she wants to be petted. So Mom petted him for a while. It was really sad sounding when Mom told me about it.
"Well, that's Jenny's story. I told just about everything, except maybe that Jenny and Sport chased cats just for a workout. She was a good dog. I miss her and there's a hole in the the driveway, just like Milo's or Buzz's or Cadillac's or Daisy's or Dot's holes on the porch, or Meowie's hole in the house, or Shadow's hole in the backyard. It's a funny thing about those holes. They never quite get filled. But I guess that's just life. I mean, when people or animals you like die, you'll miss 'em. But youcan remember all the good things that happened. And that makes you feel a little better, even though it makes you a little sad at the same time. Like I said, Jenny was a good dog, and I hope you enjoyed her story."
Friday, July 12, 2013
Sunny's Autobyographee
Before she started writing fictional gossip columns, she wrote an autobiography while still a puppy. Before I wrote sports for newspapers, I helped. Spelling errors intact, unfortunately can't replicate the heavily-impressed pencil lead onto the paper. I was about nine or so when I wrote this.
"Hi, I'm Sunny. I've got an older brother named Sport. My friends say that I'm really hyper. Those silly humans call us the Dog Culb. (I wonder why they say that?) Anyways, here's my story.
"I was born in a place called Westville, I think. My guy's dad went shopping and that's when He saw me. And so he went back to the place he came from and took my guy's mom to the store. They went back to the place they came from and asked my guy's Grand ma if it was okay to get me (you see, I'm half begle, and my guy wanted a begle ever since he saw some movie called Inspecter Gaget. Wried.) They got me.
"They took me to the place they lived and I met my new friends I love Morris!
"There's my story! Hope you liked it!
"Sunny
"P.S. Sport's auto is coming soon!"
(I never actually got around to writing an autobiography for Sport. He always seemed to business-like to take time to dictate things that nobody wanted to read.)
"Hi, I'm Sunny. I've got an older brother named Sport. My friends say that I'm really hyper. Those silly humans call us the Dog Culb. (I wonder why they say that?) Anyways, here's my story.
"I was born in a place called Westville, I think. My guy's dad went shopping and that's when He saw me. And so he went back to the place he came from and took my guy's mom to the store. They went back to the place they came from and asked my guy's Grand ma if it was okay to get me (you see, I'm half begle, and my guy wanted a begle ever since he saw some movie called Inspecter Gaget. Wried.) They got me.
"They took me to the place they lived and I met my new friends I love Morris!
"There's my story! Hope you liked it!
"Sunny
"P.S. Sport's auto is coming soon!"
(I never actually got around to writing an autobiography for Sport. He always seemed to business-like to take time to dictate things that nobody wanted to read.)
Sunny
You know the previous post? The one right below this one you're reading now, about how awful a week, and so far the month of July, has been?
It hasn't gotten better. At all.
My dog Sunny died yesterday afternoon(Thursday).
So I stood on the back porch in the pouring rain thinking back over the memories of our lives and all the lessons she helped me find out, wondering "Now what?"
I mean, what do you do when you lose someone you've known since you were nine, talked you through hard times, deaths of family members, offered advice when needed, listened to whatever's going on... Without a dog to listen, what do you do in times like that? How do you cope? Who do you talk to?
This story begins somewhere in late May of 2002, we're all gathered at the town house in Westville to celebrate mine and my aunt's birthdays. Mom goes running to Harps for something or other, milk, maybe, and as soon as she gets back grabs Dad and shoots back out of the driveway. When they come back, they go find Mimi and hold a whispered conversation. After we open the presents, somebody says we need to come outside. So we go through the kitchen into the garage and - right there, in a little box with a newspaper carpet - was a puppy! A little, fuzzy, cute-looking, honey-colored beagle puppy!
Well, half beagle. The other half was Lhasa Apso. (I've NEVER been able to spell that.) That still remains one of the strangest pedigrees I've ever heard of.
I've always liked small-to-medium-sized dogs, probably because I'm kind of a smaller-sized person. And Wishbone was a Jack Russell, and who doesn't want a Wishbone of their own? (Or a Buddy, for that matter?) But, anyway, I loved beagles especially, after seeing Inspector Gadget after the first garage sale we had in Morris, I sort of fell in love with Penny's beagle Brain. And Sport, well, he was good, but he was big. And he was more of Mom's dog more than anyone else's.
So there were these puppies at Harps, about eight weeks old, that were half beagle and half Lhasa Apso. The only Lhasa Apsos I knew were Taz and Ty Rae next door, who were always yapping whenever I'd play ball in the backyard. Anyway, Mom and Dad picked out the most beagle-ish-looking one for me.
I decided to name her Sunshine, calling her Sunny most of the time. I was one of the happiest boys in the world, first a basketball goal for my eighth birthday, and then a puppy for my ninth.
She was a mischievous puppy. Always digging holes and escaping the yard, then trotting triumphantly around the neighborhood. If I could fit my sneaker into a hole in the chain-link fence, she could and did escape from there. A place where an armadillo punched a gap through gave me particular trouble. So I'm very good at plugging holes in fences now with whatever's handy; rocks, sticks, cement blocks, overturned wagons, etc. Other than that, she joined the neighborhood's Dog Club quickly and fit in seamlessly. She also developed her camouflaging abilities, hiding in plain sight in the dead grass. She was very good at that.
Her name didn't really match her personality; she was always a little gloomy, complaining or worrying about something. Like owner like pet, maybe? Very rarely was she "happy", but contented, more or less, and when things were well, her joyfullness was something to see, radiating a warm glow of happiness out to reach whoever was nearby.
The next year we got Shadow, a large ball of fun-loving energy, the half Lab/half Airedale was the only dog I've ever successfully taught how to play fetch. He became second-in-rank pretty quickly, just because of his size, and so Sunny settled resignedly into the role of the pack's omega dog.
Well, we moved across the county to Beggs about a year and a half later, and the next summer she had her first litter of puppies on the day of Ronald Reagan's funeral. There were nine of them, all given weather-related names: Avalanche, Cloudy, Eclipse, Hailey, Hurricane, Sunset, Thunderbolt, Windy and Pawprint. Courtney named Pawprint, because he had a large black paw-mark on the side of his white coat. He only lived about three days, before we could name the rest. Three puppies were stillborn, so they remain nameless.
I was freaking out, so was Sunny, it was STRESSFUL!
Cloudy, Eclipse and Pawprint were black-and-white, Cloudy fit his name well, he was sorta dull and drab. Eclipse was sweet, but otherwise pretty average, too. Thunderbolt and Hurricane were solid brown, the color of a slightly-melted Hershey's on a sunny day. Thunderbolt, named after the famous TV star in 101 Dalmatians, was very much a rough-and-tumble kind of guy, a leader, very bossy. Hurricane was one of the runts, he was kind of timid, and he got picked on often. The siblings he got along with best were Hailey and Windy. They were Shadow's; with his mostly-black-with-brown-trim coloring. Hailey was the smallest of any of them, even Hurricane was bigger, but she was spunky. She'd always be willing to play or fight with anybody, and got into lots of arguments with Sunset. She got her name from Hailey's Comet, which I think I was studying about then. Windy was one of the largest puppies, and by far the most lethargic. She just never did anything, and she smelled terrible. I think she had some kind of disability(yes, I think dogs can have special needs). Avalanche was certainly overshadowed by his twin, he was always second-best at most games. Sunset was the oldest, and so she had all those qualities that go with it. She was tops at everything or near it, skilled not only at her Playing Games classes and nosing her way to the front of the food line, but also other important subjects such as Listening to People, Cuddling and Looking Cute. She even did decently well in Intro to Fetch. And she and Avalanche had that classic beagle calico coat, splotches of light and dark brown on a white base coat.
My favorites of this litter were Sunset and Hailey, it was incredibly hard to see them leave. Of course Sunset was the first pup chosen, and then Hurricane and Avalanche. Hailey was close behind them to finding her Mys, and so we took the rest to Wal-Mart one day, in order to find homes for them. It was hot that day. The rest found homes, Windy getting chosen last. Except for Eclipse. She was one of the pups in the running to stay, her main rivals for this honor were Sunset, Avalanche and Hailey. And then when they were chosen by other people, she was picked to stay and grow up as the fourth member of the dog pack.
Several years went by, and it was time for Sunny to have another litter, this bunch was born near my birthday. This time their names were delayed by the fact that Dad and I were in Kansas City. We'd already used a weather theme; and flowers were reserved for cats; as was Pixar characters. So we went with candy. These puppies were Fastbreak, Hershey, Kit Kat, Snickers, M&M, Milky Way, Overload, Payday, Rolo, Snickers and Twix. They were tolerated grumpily by Sport, Shadow was sort of an uncle to the ones that weren't his. Klipsey, a young teenager by now, was the ditzy babysitter most of the time. "Mom, I'll watch the kids if you'll give me a raise on my food allowance!"
Fastbreak, Milky Way and Overload were all solid brown like Hurricane and Thunderbolt were, the calicoed pups were Kit Kat, Snickers, Payday and Twix, and Shadow's were Hershey, M&M and Rolo.
Most of them weren't as full-of-personality as the first litter, and it wasn't as easy to tell them all apart. Rolo was fat, like the candy, and stationary. Fastbreak was named after the then-new Reese's Fastbreak bar, Overload was a Reese's-like candy found only at QuikTrip with cookies set on top of the peanut butter cups.
Kit Kat and Snickers were the top dogs, I guess, taking the roles passed to them by Avalanche and Sunset. I had this dream once, just after they'd all been taken, that I'm coming around the house headed for the barn, and Snickers is leading this charge of puppies towards me. And then I could suddenly see out of my right eye. Always sort of wished that dream really happened.
And besides being a sort-of-grouchy mother, Sunny was a very good listener. Whether it was moving, or trying to cope with deaths or whatever, she was always there to help things get straightened out.
This grief....it's like when Mimi died. Grandmothers are wonderful people, and their love is only matched by dogs'. You can talk about just about anything with them. And the hurt in the empty space once they go, it never fully heals. And not just when Mimi died, either. Dado, too. And to a definitely lesser extent, Nina, Grandma Bates or Grandma Joy.
Not even just people, animals' deaths sting, too. When the puppies were gone, Shadow was shot, Klipsey run over, Sport died, Jenny arrested, Pepper's owner was found, the disappearances of Ann, Dan and Georgie.
The long list of wonderful cats, each special in their own way. Meowie, Princess, Daisy, Minnie, Creek, Cricket, Firefly, Buzz, Milo, Dodge, Cadillac, Tulip, Dot, Lady, Liesel, Brigitta, Duchess, Skittles, Benjy, Maggie, Meg, the others I can't quite remember.
Dixie the paint horse sold at the auction, the deaths of Rocky and Swiftdust the guinea pigs, Libby the goat hanging herself. Stormy, Lucy, Lizzie and Patty the goats moving.
Dealing with the remodeling, all that chaos; or talking about the frustrations of finding a place in the church, in the youth group, with the homeschool group, problems about girls, things going on in friends' lives needing prayer, she'd listen. Life is confusing, and a good dog can do wonders. It's also hard, and they help cheer us up, remind us that they still love us, even if things aren't going right.
When Trevor or Amy was on the way or being born, or we were considering adopting that Russian girl with spina bifida, or those times of deep loneliness, when friends were scarce and the younger kids were all doing something together, wondering what life would be like if the baby between Courtney and I had lived, always thought of it as a sister named Lindsay. She would've been about a year younger than me.
Helping with when I was working on a new story and some point wasn't resolving itself right, or the plot suddenly ran dead, or which characters could be introduced to make the story better. Pondering the amazing work of Pixar, or the people behind Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies. Jan Karon's beautifully-done town of Mitford, the characters found in the Anne of Green Gables series, The Princess Bride, Charlotte's Web, The Book of Virtues, going through the Chronicles of Narnia for the zillionth time.
With the choir, and then drama, all the musicals and plays, that were really pointless by themselves, but incredibly important at the time and key in my growing up.
When I was drowning in red tape, trying to attempt to learn to drive, what life could be if that was possible, how much easier in some ways it would be. As one example, that's sort of why I haven't really been in a relationship but that once. I could get an actual job anyplace when things were slow at the paper, go hang out with friends any time. Things like that. All the mess of trying to figure out what I wanted to study in college, the forms that needed filling out ASAP, applying to a few colleges, the endless questioning of well-meaning people, figuring out which college to attend, the agony of life this past year in a spiritually vacant bubble.
All the weird injuries; my breaking a finger playing basketball or a toe running into a cardboard box, Dad falling off a ladder and hurting his ribs, or the roof and tearing up his shoulder, Caleb and Trevor splitting their heads open on furniture.
I was scared to death just before heading to camp, and nervous about Youth Tour, unsure about graduation, petrified of college. Sunny helped calm me down, told me I'd get through them.
She was lying there by my feet providing comfort and encouragement when typing or writing an article, hiding under my bed when there were storms or Mom was going to get her in trouble for something. She didn't completely understand my wanting to learn to play guitar, but was there to say something good all the times when I wanted to fire Abby Lee into the wall and give up.
She took up chronicling local events for her weekly gossip column in the Fenceville Weekly News, of course, I had to help her type, since dogs don't have thumbs, but she dictated. It was also good practice for me.
So...I'm still not doing too well. And all too soon I have to go back to (shudders) college. Without Sunny as backup, or Skeet. Copper understands college a little better than they did, but they knew me so well. Things seem messy and complicated already, before all this, now - What on Earth am I supposed to do now, Lord? What could I possibly be learning? How can I go on to face whatever's coming? God seems kind of far away right now, His promises I'm having trouble clinging to. That sounds horrible to say, but...animals are usually easier to get along with than people. And grief is hard, when it's someone you love.
I know she was just a dog. But, at the same time, you have to realize: She was a dog, and everything that goes with that. She was my dog. There's only one or two dogs who ever are tasked with that crucial task of raising a boy. One of the quotes from The Little Rascals that's always stuck with me, besides the all the obvious lines, is when Stymie tells Alfalfa, "All I know is, you only make a once-in-a-lifetime buddy, once in a lifetime."
Amanda messaged me late last night, kind of a "bearing one another's burdens" sort of thing. That was good. Ravi, too, and Steven and Jamie and Shelly and several other people also expressed their condolences. It isn't much, but at the same time, it means everything. Kind of like after the fire, or with Mrs. Boyer's card, or a volleyball game being played when needed. One of those evidences of God's mercy and faithfulness when otherwise it's very dark.
Things will, very slowly, begin to get better at some point. Eventually the ache will be tucked away, the gushing wound mostly stitched shut. But that time isn't here just yet.
Love you, Sunny. Miss you so, so much.
It hasn't gotten better. At all.
My dog Sunny died yesterday afternoon(Thursday).
So I stood on the back porch in the pouring rain thinking back over the memories of our lives and all the lessons she helped me find out, wondering "Now what?"
I mean, what do you do when you lose someone you've known since you were nine, talked you through hard times, deaths of family members, offered advice when needed, listened to whatever's going on... Without a dog to listen, what do you do in times like that? How do you cope? Who do you talk to?
This story begins somewhere in late May of 2002, we're all gathered at the town house in Westville to celebrate mine and my aunt's birthdays. Mom goes running to Harps for something or other, milk, maybe, and as soon as she gets back grabs Dad and shoots back out of the driveway. When they come back, they go find Mimi and hold a whispered conversation. After we open the presents, somebody says we need to come outside. So we go through the kitchen into the garage and - right there, in a little box with a newspaper carpet - was a puppy! A little, fuzzy, cute-looking, honey-colored beagle puppy!
Well, half beagle. The other half was Lhasa Apso. (I've NEVER been able to spell that.) That still remains one of the strangest pedigrees I've ever heard of.
I've always liked small-to-medium-sized dogs, probably because I'm kind of a smaller-sized person. And Wishbone was a Jack Russell, and who doesn't want a Wishbone of their own? (Or a Buddy, for that matter?) But, anyway, I loved beagles especially, after seeing Inspector Gadget after the first garage sale we had in Morris, I sort of fell in love with Penny's beagle Brain. And Sport, well, he was good, but he was big. And he was more of Mom's dog more than anyone else's.
So there were these puppies at Harps, about eight weeks old, that were half beagle and half Lhasa Apso. The only Lhasa Apsos I knew were Taz and Ty Rae next door, who were always yapping whenever I'd play ball in the backyard. Anyway, Mom and Dad picked out the most beagle-ish-looking one for me.
I decided to name her Sunshine, calling her Sunny most of the time. I was one of the happiest boys in the world, first a basketball goal for my eighth birthday, and then a puppy for my ninth.
She was a mischievous puppy. Always digging holes and escaping the yard, then trotting triumphantly around the neighborhood. If I could fit my sneaker into a hole in the chain-link fence, she could and did escape from there. A place where an armadillo punched a gap through gave me particular trouble. So I'm very good at plugging holes in fences now with whatever's handy; rocks, sticks, cement blocks, overturned wagons, etc. Other than that, she joined the neighborhood's Dog Club quickly and fit in seamlessly. She also developed her camouflaging abilities, hiding in plain sight in the dead grass. She was very good at that.
Her name didn't really match her personality; she was always a little gloomy, complaining or worrying about something. Like owner like pet, maybe? Very rarely was she "happy", but contented, more or less, and when things were well, her joyfullness was something to see, radiating a warm glow of happiness out to reach whoever was nearby.
The next year we got Shadow, a large ball of fun-loving energy, the half Lab/half Airedale was the only dog I've ever successfully taught how to play fetch. He became second-in-rank pretty quickly, just because of his size, and so Sunny settled resignedly into the role of the pack's omega dog.
Well, we moved across the county to Beggs about a year and a half later, and the next summer she had her first litter of puppies on the day of Ronald Reagan's funeral. There were nine of them, all given weather-related names: Avalanche, Cloudy, Eclipse, Hailey, Hurricane, Sunset, Thunderbolt, Windy and Pawprint. Courtney named Pawprint, because he had a large black paw-mark on the side of his white coat. He only lived about three days, before we could name the rest. Three puppies were stillborn, so they remain nameless.
I was freaking out, so was Sunny, it was STRESSFUL!
Cloudy, Eclipse and Pawprint were black-and-white, Cloudy fit his name well, he was sorta dull and drab. Eclipse was sweet, but otherwise pretty average, too. Thunderbolt and Hurricane were solid brown, the color of a slightly-melted Hershey's on a sunny day. Thunderbolt, named after the famous TV star in 101 Dalmatians, was very much a rough-and-tumble kind of guy, a leader, very bossy. Hurricane was one of the runts, he was kind of timid, and he got picked on often. The siblings he got along with best were Hailey and Windy. They were Shadow's; with his mostly-black-with-brown-trim coloring. Hailey was the smallest of any of them, even Hurricane was bigger, but she was spunky. She'd always be willing to play or fight with anybody, and got into lots of arguments with Sunset. She got her name from Hailey's Comet, which I think I was studying about then. Windy was one of the largest puppies, and by far the most lethargic. She just never did anything, and she smelled terrible. I think she had some kind of disability(yes, I think dogs can have special needs). Avalanche was certainly overshadowed by his twin, he was always second-best at most games. Sunset was the oldest, and so she had all those qualities that go with it. She was tops at everything or near it, skilled not only at her Playing Games classes and nosing her way to the front of the food line, but also other important subjects such as Listening to People, Cuddling and Looking Cute. She even did decently well in Intro to Fetch. And she and Avalanche had that classic beagle calico coat, splotches of light and dark brown on a white base coat.
My favorites of this litter were Sunset and Hailey, it was incredibly hard to see them leave. Of course Sunset was the first pup chosen, and then Hurricane and Avalanche. Hailey was close behind them to finding her Mys, and so we took the rest to Wal-Mart one day, in order to find homes for them. It was hot that day. The rest found homes, Windy getting chosen last. Except for Eclipse. She was one of the pups in the running to stay, her main rivals for this honor were Sunset, Avalanche and Hailey. And then when they were chosen by other people, she was picked to stay and grow up as the fourth member of the dog pack.
Several years went by, and it was time for Sunny to have another litter, this bunch was born near my birthday. This time their names were delayed by the fact that Dad and I were in Kansas City. We'd already used a weather theme; and flowers were reserved for cats; as was Pixar characters. So we went with candy. These puppies were Fastbreak, Hershey, Kit Kat, Snickers, M&M, Milky Way, Overload, Payday, Rolo, Snickers and Twix. They were tolerated grumpily by Sport, Shadow was sort of an uncle to the ones that weren't his. Klipsey, a young teenager by now, was the ditzy babysitter most of the time. "Mom, I'll watch the kids if you'll give me a raise on my food allowance!"
Fastbreak, Milky Way and Overload were all solid brown like Hurricane and Thunderbolt were, the calicoed pups were Kit Kat, Snickers, Payday and Twix, and Shadow's were Hershey, M&M and Rolo.
Most of them weren't as full-of-personality as the first litter, and it wasn't as easy to tell them all apart. Rolo was fat, like the candy, and stationary. Fastbreak was named after the then-new Reese's Fastbreak bar, Overload was a Reese's-like candy found only at QuikTrip with cookies set on top of the peanut butter cups.
Kit Kat and Snickers were the top dogs, I guess, taking the roles passed to them by Avalanche and Sunset. I had this dream once, just after they'd all been taken, that I'm coming around the house headed for the barn, and Snickers is leading this charge of puppies towards me. And then I could suddenly see out of my right eye. Always sort of wished that dream really happened.
And besides being a sort-of-grouchy mother, Sunny was a very good listener. Whether it was moving, or trying to cope with deaths or whatever, she was always there to help things get straightened out.
This grief....it's like when Mimi died. Grandmothers are wonderful people, and their love is only matched by dogs'. You can talk about just about anything with them. And the hurt in the empty space once they go, it never fully heals. And not just when Mimi died, either. Dado, too. And to a definitely lesser extent, Nina, Grandma Bates or Grandma Joy.
Not even just people, animals' deaths sting, too. When the puppies were gone, Shadow was shot, Klipsey run over, Sport died, Jenny arrested, Pepper's owner was found, the disappearances of Ann, Dan and Georgie.
The long list of wonderful cats, each special in their own way. Meowie, Princess, Daisy, Minnie, Creek, Cricket, Firefly, Buzz, Milo, Dodge, Cadillac, Tulip, Dot, Lady, Liesel, Brigitta, Duchess, Skittles, Benjy, Maggie, Meg, the others I can't quite remember.
Dixie the paint horse sold at the auction, the deaths of Rocky and Swiftdust the guinea pigs, Libby the goat hanging herself. Stormy, Lucy, Lizzie and Patty the goats moving.
Dealing with the remodeling, all that chaos; or talking about the frustrations of finding a place in the church, in the youth group, with the homeschool group, problems about girls, things going on in friends' lives needing prayer, she'd listen. Life is confusing, and a good dog can do wonders. It's also hard, and they help cheer us up, remind us that they still love us, even if things aren't going right.
When Trevor or Amy was on the way or being born, or we were considering adopting that Russian girl with spina bifida, or those times of deep loneliness, when friends were scarce and the younger kids were all doing something together, wondering what life would be like if the baby between Courtney and I had lived, always thought of it as a sister named Lindsay. She would've been about a year younger than me.
Helping with when I was working on a new story and some point wasn't resolving itself right, or the plot suddenly ran dead, or which characters could be introduced to make the story better. Pondering the amazing work of Pixar, or the people behind Sam Raimi's Spider-Man movies. Jan Karon's beautifully-done town of Mitford, the characters found in the Anne of Green Gables series, The Princess Bride, Charlotte's Web, The Book of Virtues, going through the Chronicles of Narnia for the zillionth time.
With the choir, and then drama, all the musicals and plays, that were really pointless by themselves, but incredibly important at the time and key in my growing up.
When I was drowning in red tape, trying to attempt to learn to drive, what life could be if that was possible, how much easier in some ways it would be. As one example, that's sort of why I haven't really been in a relationship but that once. I could get an actual job anyplace when things were slow at the paper, go hang out with friends any time. Things like that. All the mess of trying to figure out what I wanted to study in college, the forms that needed filling out ASAP, applying to a few colleges, the endless questioning of well-meaning people, figuring out which college to attend, the agony of life this past year in a spiritually vacant bubble.
All the weird injuries; my breaking a finger playing basketball or a toe running into a cardboard box, Dad falling off a ladder and hurting his ribs, or the roof and tearing up his shoulder, Caleb and Trevor splitting their heads open on furniture.
I was scared to death just before heading to camp, and nervous about Youth Tour, unsure about graduation, petrified of college. Sunny helped calm me down, told me I'd get through them.
She was lying there by my feet providing comfort and encouragement when typing or writing an article, hiding under my bed when there were storms or Mom was going to get her in trouble for something. She didn't completely understand my wanting to learn to play guitar, but was there to say something good all the times when I wanted to fire Abby Lee into the wall and give up.
She took up chronicling local events for her weekly gossip column in the Fenceville Weekly News, of course, I had to help her type, since dogs don't have thumbs, but she dictated. It was also good practice for me.
So...I'm still not doing too well. And all too soon I have to go back to (shudders) college. Without Sunny as backup, or Skeet. Copper understands college a little better than they did, but they knew me so well. Things seem messy and complicated already, before all this, now - What on Earth am I supposed to do now, Lord? What could I possibly be learning? How can I go on to face whatever's coming? God seems kind of far away right now, His promises I'm having trouble clinging to. That sounds horrible to say, but...animals are usually easier to get along with than people. And grief is hard, when it's someone you love.
I know she was just a dog. But, at the same time, you have to realize: She was a dog, and everything that goes with that. She was my dog. There's only one or two dogs who ever are tasked with that crucial task of raising a boy. One of the quotes from The Little Rascals that's always stuck with me, besides the all the obvious lines, is when Stymie tells Alfalfa, "All I know is, you only make a once-in-a-lifetime buddy, once in a lifetime."
Amanda messaged me late last night, kind of a "bearing one another's burdens" sort of thing. That was good. Ravi, too, and Steven and Jamie and Shelly and several other people also expressed their condolences. It isn't much, but at the same time, it means everything. Kind of like after the fire, or with Mrs. Boyer's card, or a volleyball game being played when needed. One of those evidences of God's mercy and faithfulness when otherwise it's very dark.
Things will, very slowly, begin to get better at some point. Eventually the ache will be tucked away, the gushing wound mostly stitched shut. But that time isn't here just yet.
Love you, Sunny. Miss you so, so much.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
A Rough Week
This hasn't been a very good week.
We're all kind of run-down and worn-out, for no good reason. There's been lots of doctor appointments and things like that recently, which are very tiring. It's very hot outside. A random hen died for no reason on a nest of eggs. There was the Fourth of July last Thursday. And I'm out of shampoo.
One of our two cats, Meg, went missing Wednesday or Thursday. We didn't think much of it, other than "That's strange. But, you know, she's a cat, and cats do those sort of things once in a while." She came back about Friday, limping. Probably bolted from the fireworks, trying to hide, and then got run over by a car on the highway. Then she willed herself back to the barn, where she died a slow and painful death.
I know it's part of life, and she was only a cat. And I didn't even know her that well. But still, she was a cat, and a good mouser, and everyone else loved her very, very much. It's hard.
The church picnic was Sunday night, it's held about once or twice a summer. Lots of sitting on blankets and lawn chairs and talking about nearly every subject imaginable. And eating good food. I kind of floated from group to group, listening here, watching a little kid there, that sort of thing. There was this soccer game that got going late in the evening, kids and teens and adults all mixed together, I was taking a turn at goalie. A corner kick came in from the left side, the ball was juggled around. It bounced wildly off one lady's foot, straight into my face. She didn't mean to hit me, obviously; and the ball didn't go through the net, but I think I'm gonna have a good-sized black eye in a couple days. A small scratch showed up just above my left eye.
Monday morning we're going about the morning chores when Mom rushed back into the house. "Skeet is dead!" We stare blankly. He was just lying there on the ground, just like he was asleep and didn't wake up. You don't expect a healthy three-year-old dog to just suddenly die out of the blue....
It hurts. A lot.
He wasn't the smartest dog ever or anything, specially not for being equal parts border collie and Australian Shepherd, but he was good. A little excitable maybe, but friendly. And very, very kind to Amy.
It's very hard.
And so now Sunny is all alone in the backyard, with a body growing frailer and more tick-ridden by the day. Her right eye is blind, her hearing starting to slip. Joints are stiffer than they used to be. But there are still memories intact, for both me and her. But she's lonesome. And we all ache, so much.
We're all kind of run-down and worn-out, for no good reason. There's been lots of doctor appointments and things like that recently, which are very tiring. It's very hot outside. A random hen died for no reason on a nest of eggs. There was the Fourth of July last Thursday. And I'm out of shampoo.
One of our two cats, Meg, went missing Wednesday or Thursday. We didn't think much of it, other than "That's strange. But, you know, she's a cat, and cats do those sort of things once in a while." She came back about Friday, limping. Probably bolted from the fireworks, trying to hide, and then got run over by a car on the highway. Then she willed herself back to the barn, where she died a slow and painful death.
I know it's part of life, and she was only a cat. And I didn't even know her that well. But still, she was a cat, and a good mouser, and everyone else loved her very, very much. It's hard.
The church picnic was Sunday night, it's held about once or twice a summer. Lots of sitting on blankets and lawn chairs and talking about nearly every subject imaginable. And eating good food. I kind of floated from group to group, listening here, watching a little kid there, that sort of thing. There was this soccer game that got going late in the evening, kids and teens and adults all mixed together, I was taking a turn at goalie. A corner kick came in from the left side, the ball was juggled around. It bounced wildly off one lady's foot, straight into my face. She didn't mean to hit me, obviously; and the ball didn't go through the net, but I think I'm gonna have a good-sized black eye in a couple days. A small scratch showed up just above my left eye.
Monday morning we're going about the morning chores when Mom rushed back into the house. "Skeet is dead!" We stare blankly. He was just lying there on the ground, just like he was asleep and didn't wake up. You don't expect a healthy three-year-old dog to just suddenly die out of the blue....
It hurts. A lot.
He wasn't the smartest dog ever or anything, specially not for being equal parts border collie and Australian Shepherd, but he was good. A little excitable maybe, but friendly. And very, very kind to Amy.
It's very hard.
And so now Sunny is all alone in the backyard, with a body growing frailer and more tick-ridden by the day. Her right eye is blind, her hearing starting to slip. Joints are stiffer than they used to be. But there are still memories intact, for both me and her. But she's lonesome. And we all ache, so much.
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Stupid Things I've Said
This is a list of when my grasp of spoken English sometimes hits incredibly inept levels...
(While talking to Amanda, September 2012) "I wonder what people would do if I started howlin' at the moon..."
(Needing a book from campus library to write a research paper, January 2013) "Umm...are you allowed to check out books in this library?"
(I was cleaning the house, searching for a dustpan, fall 2011?) "Where is that....you know....the, uh...that sweepercatcher thing?"
(Playing Settlers of Catan with Courtney and Caleb, trying to think of the word 'forest', March 2013) "Nope, no wood here. At least, not for trading - I need all the wood I have in my lumberfields to use for building plans."
(Talking of differences between American and English punctuation, June 2013) "...Like the way they use "s" where we'd put a "z", in say, "recognize". Or "insight". Wait....that's not...never mind."
(In the midst of a power struggle with a particularly stubborn container, in a motivational-type speech to myself, July 2013) "I am smarter than a box of cookies!"
(While talking to Amanda, September 2012) "I wonder what people would do if I started howlin' at the moon..."
(Needing a book from campus library to write a research paper, January 2013) "Umm...are you allowed to check out books in this library?"
(I was cleaning the house, searching for a dustpan, fall 2011?) "Where is that....you know....the, uh...that sweepercatcher thing?"
(Playing Settlers of Catan with Courtney and Caleb, trying to think of the word 'forest', March 2013) "Nope, no wood here. At least, not for trading - I need all the wood I have in my lumberfields to use for building plans."
(Talking of differences between American and English punctuation, June 2013) "...Like the way they use "s" where we'd put a "z", in say, "recognize". Or "insight". Wait....that's not...never mind."
(In the midst of a power struggle with a particularly stubborn container, in a motivational-type speech to myself, July 2013) "I am smarter than a box of cookies!"
Friday, July 5, 2013
You Are What You Like
So, a while back I heard of this site called www.youarewhatyoulike.com. It's one of those personality testers, except it attempts to compile your personality through what you've liked on Facebook. Not sure how accurate it is, but it's interesting. These are the answers I got.
"Conservative and traditional, rather than liberal and artistic" - This trait refers to the extent you prefer novelty versus convention. Based on what you like, you dislike needless complexity, and prefer the familiar to the unusual. You might say that you are conservative and value practical outcomes over flighty imagination."
"Calm and relaxed, as opposed to stressed" - This trait refers to the way you cope with, and respond to, the demands of life. Your likes suggest you are calm and emotionally stable. You come across to others as someone who is rarely bothered by things, and when they do the feeling does not persist for very long."
"Well organized, versus spontaneous and flexible" - This trait refers to the extent which you prefer an organized, or flexible, approach in life. From what you like, you are someone who avoids forseeable trouble through purposeful planning, and you achieve success through persistence. From your responses it appears that you are reliable and prepared for the challenges of life."
"Outgoing, friendly and active, rather than reserved and shy" - This trait refers to the extent that you enjoy company, and seek excitement and stimulation. From your likes, you are energetic and active. You enjoy and actively seek out social occasions, and you especially enjoy talking with a big group of people."
"Warm, trusting and cooperative, rather than assertive and competitive." - This trait refers to the way you express your opinions and manage relationships. People who like the same things as you do are easy to get along with. Your likes suggest that you generally think people are honest and decent, and others would say that you are considerate and friendly."
It also says that a few of the pages most indicative of my profile are Hoosiers, Justin Moore, Eskimo Joe's and SportsCenter.
The first section seems about right. I like things I know, and don't enjoy things with needless complications(algebra, anything mechanical...) Conservative yes, probably, I'm not sure on that last sentence.
The second section....HAHAHAHAHA!!!! I guess that's good if I come across to other people that way, though. This is a little hard to judge yourself on.
The third section seems just about right-on. I try to be reliable, and hopefully that means I'm prepared for whatever comes along.
The fourth section....Hmm. I don't know..
The fifth section seems all right, I guess. People who like common things are easier to get along with usually, but that isn't always true. And I'm not very assertive. Not really on the "believing people are typically honest and decent" part, but it's always good to hope that they are. I hope people would say I'm friendly.
Seems like on a lot of these personality test deals, I end up almost right in the middle between a lot of categories. Is it possible to be calm and stressed simultaneously? Organized but occasionally want to be spontaneous? Outgoing and shy? Equal parts competition and cooperation?
"Conservative and traditional, rather than liberal and artistic" - This trait refers to the extent you prefer novelty versus convention. Based on what you like, you dislike needless complexity, and prefer the familiar to the unusual. You might say that you are conservative and value practical outcomes over flighty imagination."
"Calm and relaxed, as opposed to stressed" - This trait refers to the way you cope with, and respond to, the demands of life. Your likes suggest you are calm and emotionally stable. You come across to others as someone who is rarely bothered by things, and when they do the feeling does not persist for very long."
"Well organized, versus spontaneous and flexible" - This trait refers to the extent which you prefer an organized, or flexible, approach in life. From what you like, you are someone who avoids forseeable trouble through purposeful planning, and you achieve success through persistence. From your responses it appears that you are reliable and prepared for the challenges of life."
"Outgoing, friendly and active, rather than reserved and shy" - This trait refers to the extent that you enjoy company, and seek excitement and stimulation. From your likes, you are energetic and active. You enjoy and actively seek out social occasions, and you especially enjoy talking with a big group of people."
"Warm, trusting and cooperative, rather than assertive and competitive." - This trait refers to the way you express your opinions and manage relationships. People who like the same things as you do are easy to get along with. Your likes suggest that you generally think people are honest and decent, and others would say that you are considerate and friendly."
It also says that a few of the pages most indicative of my profile are Hoosiers, Justin Moore, Eskimo Joe's and SportsCenter.
The first section seems about right. I like things I know, and don't enjoy things with needless complications(algebra, anything mechanical...) Conservative yes, probably, I'm not sure on that last sentence.
The second section....HAHAHAHAHA!!!! I guess that's good if I come across to other people that way, though. This is a little hard to judge yourself on.
The third section seems just about right-on. I try to be reliable, and hopefully that means I'm prepared for whatever comes along.
The fourth section....Hmm. I don't know..
The fifth section seems all right, I guess. People who like common things are easier to get along with usually, but that isn't always true. And I'm not very assertive. Not really on the "believing people are typically honest and decent" part, but it's always good to hope that they are. I hope people would say I'm friendly.
Seems like on a lot of these personality test deals, I end up almost right in the middle between a lot of categories. Is it possible to be calm and stressed simultaneously? Organized but occasionally want to be spontaneous? Outgoing and shy? Equal parts competition and cooperation?
Thursday, July 4, 2013
A Rant Against Fireworks
It's the Fourth of July. That means picnics for some people. For others heading to the river. Entering a team in the softball tournament for others. A day off work for nearly everyone. And almost everybody is shooting off FIREWORKS.
Fireworks are VERY BAD THINGS. They make extremely loud noises out of nowhere. They exist for no useful purpose, their only aim in life is to shoot flames through the air. They're messy. They're dangerous. They scare animals. And they smoke.
It's probably because of my eyesight, but those gigantic rocket-type ones, that go "whoosh" and make a massive ball that arcs downward, they always look like they're going to attack me. Cause they shoot, like, straight down, almost, and it's just....it's scary.
And the smoke....UGH. That is horrible, the fastest way to turn me from an ordinary human being into a mass of stressed-out cells with high anxiety. And the loud noises, in Ross, EVERY NOISE was loud and unexpected. And I didn't ever really feel safe anywhere there on campus. And with my eyesight not being that great, I generally use my ears or nose to find whatever I'm searching for more than my eyes. When something loud happens unexpectedly nearby, that probably isn't good. And so your "Danger" sense kicks in.
Caleb and Trevor are doing the Army-man Tank Battle of the Driveway later today, they were the only ones who really wanted to get fireworks. The small ground stuff is almost worse than the big night rockets, because it smokes more, and makes actual flames. (!!!!)
So, like I said, fireworks are very bad things. And as a line from a play my friends Annette and JB wrote a while back goes, "Doing bad things leads to more bad things, and bad things are simply bad." So anyways, if anyone needs me today, I'm gonna be hiding under a blanket reading a book.
Fireworks are VERY BAD THINGS. They make extremely loud noises out of nowhere. They exist for no useful purpose, their only aim in life is to shoot flames through the air. They're messy. They're dangerous. They scare animals. And they smoke.
It's probably because of my eyesight, but those gigantic rocket-type ones, that go "whoosh" and make a massive ball that arcs downward, they always look like they're going to attack me. Cause they shoot, like, straight down, almost, and it's just....it's scary.
And the smoke....UGH. That is horrible, the fastest way to turn me from an ordinary human being into a mass of stressed-out cells with high anxiety. And the loud noises, in Ross, EVERY NOISE was loud and unexpected. And I didn't ever really feel safe anywhere there on campus. And with my eyesight not being that great, I generally use my ears or nose to find whatever I'm searching for more than my eyes. When something loud happens unexpectedly nearby, that probably isn't good. And so your "Danger" sense kicks in.
Caleb and Trevor are doing the Army-man Tank Battle of the Driveway later today, they were the only ones who really wanted to get fireworks. The small ground stuff is almost worse than the big night rockets, because it smokes more, and makes actual flames. (!!!!)
So, like I said, fireworks are very bad things. And as a line from a play my friends Annette and JB wrote a while back goes, "Doing bad things leads to more bad things, and bad things are simply bad." So anyways, if anyone needs me today, I'm gonna be hiding under a blanket reading a book.
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