Be thou my battle shield

by chuckofish

Well, things are getting back to normal after our exciting travels/recovery. We even had a DAR meeting on Saturday. Madame Regent (daughter #1) asked me to step in and be the Chaplain for the meeting, which I enjoyed. I was praised for my extemporaneous grace before our meal, but as a former Episcopalian, it was hardly off-the-cuff.

Give us grateful hearts, O Father,

For all thy mercies

And make us mindful of the needs of others;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

We had a guest speaker from the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, who was very interesting. We were reminded, of course, by a former regent that it was our Cornelia Greene Chapter who gave the original beacon which tops the Arch and that two dauntless ladies from the chapter made a presentation up there back in 1974. Indeed, the ladies stood on a 5-foot flat section and were warned to stay in the middle as there was no railing! Everything went fine, except a helicopter from a local news station spotted Mrs. Schoetker’s orange pantsuit and reported all afternoon that there was a jumper on the Arch! (We have a photo to prove this.)

You gotta love it.

It is time to sponsor Wreaths Across America–a donation ensures the placement of a veteran’s Christmas wreath for one or more veterans laid to rest at participating national cemeteries. I sponsor wreaths for my father and for my father-in-law. Lest we forget. If you would like to sponsor a wreath(s) go here.

Our Sunday church service was outside on the lawn and it was a beautiful sunny morning. Just perfect. The boy and the twins joined me and helped me with my folding chairs. I noticed that there was a Tesla Cybertruck in the parking lot and when I pointed it out to the bud, he could hardly contain his excitement. At the end of the service all the little boys in the congregation swarmed the area where it was parked. I should have taken a picture! It was pretty funny. I never did find out to whom the truck belongs.

One little boy asked me if it was my truck and I said, No. He said, My grandpa has a Cybertruck Beast which is five times faster than the Cybertruck. “As fast as a cheetah!” Boys do not change. Thank God.

Meanwhile daughter #2, DN and the prairie girls went to a fall festival and went on a hayride!

Team Pink Shoes

And I am very proud of Mr. Smith who can now ride in the front seat like a big boy. (He prefers to sit in the driver’s lap and look out the window, but…the front seat is a big step up from the crate in the back.)

This article about how one Florida zoo got creative to keep its animals safe during both hurricanes was very interesting.

This article expresses what I have been thinking about lately: No little people, no little places. “Jesus commands Christians to seek consciously the lowest room. All of us—pastors, teachers, professional religious workers and nonprofessional included—are tempted to say, ‘I will take the larger place because it will give me more influence for Jesus Christ.’ … But according to the Scripture this is backwards: We should consciously take the lowest place unless the Lord himself extrudes us into a greater one.” (Remember Luke 14:10.)

Have a good week. Fight the good fight.

Be Thou my battle shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tow’r:
Raise Thou me heav’nward, O Pow’r of my pow’r.

    –Ancient Irish poem, translated by Mary E. Byrne, 1905, versified by Eleanor H. Hull, 1912