dual personalities

August 11, 2025

Abide with me

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Daughter #1 and I worked on the basement some more, keeping this…

…always in mind.

The sermon on Sunday was about Psalm 23, which we read, of course, at the OM’s funeral. The scripture reading was John 10:7-30, which includes: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” (Our pastor shared that with the OM on the night he died.) All the hymns were about the good shepherd and we sang On Jordan’s Stormy Bank I Stand, which is a favorite.

Never forget that God promises his presence no matter what our suffering is. His sheep are safe. My cup runneth over.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

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August 8, 2025

Infinite serenity

by chuckofish

Well, it’s Friday again. The summer is winding down…Daughter #2 and her family are in Michigan…

…and the boy and his family are in Oklahoma.

I am looking forward to a quiet weekend after a very busy week. Tonight daughter #1 and I are venturing out to a special lecture by Mark Meynell, a Church of England priest, who is speaking at my church. I’m not sure what to expect, but we’ll see.

O GOD MOST HIGH, MOST GLORIOUS,

The thought of thine infinite serenity
      cheers me,
For I am toiling and moiling, troubled
    and distressed,
  but thou art for ever at perfect peace.
Thy designs cause thee no fear or care
    of unfulfilment,
  they stand fast as the eternal hills.
Thy power knows no bond,
  thy goodness no stint.
Thou bringest order out of confusion,
  and my defeats are thy victories:
The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
I come to thee as a sinner with cares and sorrows,
  to leave every concern entirely to thee,
  every sin calling for Christ’s precious blood;
Revive deep spirituality in my heart;
Let me live near to the great Shepherd,
  hear his voice, know its tones, follow its calls.
Keep me from deception by causing me to abide
    in the truth,
  from harm by helping me to walk in the power
    of the Spirit.
Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities,
  burning into me by experience the things I know;
Let me never be ashamed of the truth of the gospel,
  that I may bear its reproach,
  vindicate it,
  see Jesus as its essence,
  know in it the power of the Spirit.
Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill;
  unbelief mars my confidence,
  sin makes me forget thee.
Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut
    at their roots;
Grant me to know that I truly live only
    when I live to thee,
  that all else is trifling.
Thy presence alone can make me holy, devout,
    strong and happy.
Abide in me, gracious God.

–The Valley of Vision

Have a good weekend! Go to church!

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August 7, 2025

Thursday reflections

by chuckofish

Today we remember John Mason Neale (1818-1866), Anglican hymn writer, who is remembered on the Anglican and Episcopal Church calendars today. He wrote some really good hymns, including one of my favorites, Jerusalem the Golden:

Jerusalem the golden!
With milk and honey blest;
Beneath your contemplation
Sink heart and voice opprest.
I know not, oh! I know not,
What joys await us there,
What radiancy of glory,
What bliss beyond compare.

This is an interesting article about the time a famous photographer came to St. Louis in the summer of 1926 and took pictures. St. Louis hasn’t changed all that much and neither has the weather.

Also this video about spiders from the John 10:10 Project is fascinating.

My grandchildren are all horrified by spiders, but I tell them that most of them are our friends and help keep down the insect population. Their webs are amazing!

In other news, I continue to check things off my to-do list, including selling the OM’s car. 🎉🎉🎉 This is a load off my heavily laden mind.

“Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” (Gen. 35:3)

Stop and reflect, our faith is strengthened by the difficult things God has brought us through. Trust God in the present as well as for the future. 

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August 5, 2025

All in a day’s work

by chuckofish

While other people were busy packing boxes and moving things around, Katie and I worked on a craft project, which I bought at Hobby Lobby. We were so proud of ourselves when we completed it! Katie is very crafty!

Meanwhile the two boys did so much work, toting that barge and lifting that bale…

At bedtime Katie said, “Daddy and Uncle Wheelah did so many things. How could two guys be SO strong?” Indeed. We are also working on the OM’s office and reorganizing the basement. Daughter #1 is incredibly decisive–throw it away!–which I appreciate.

Well, today the prairie girls head home and I get back to work on my to-do list. What are you up to?

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:17)

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August 4, 2025

Delighting in your will

by chuckofish

Well, how was your weekend? I crossed things off my to-do list and added yet more things. I drank a prodigious amount of wine with daughter #1 and ate dips. I made it to church where I recognized our corporate confession of sin from the BCP:

Most merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent,
for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.

Needless to say, I take this much more seriously than when I was an Episcopalian. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!

Daughter #2 arrived avec famille on Sunday afternoon and soon DN will be taking apart our twin beds which have been used by sisters in my family since the 1930s…

…and will grace the bedroom of a fourth generation shortly.

I mean, isn’t that great? DN and the boy will set up a full size bed later today in the bedroom where the twin beds were, so we will end up par for the course. They will then load up a rented truck with the twin beds (and more stuff) and DN will drive it back to Illinois on Tuesday. I am very happy that they are taking things!

Life is good. Carry on.

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August 1, 2025

Oh beautiful for spacious skies

by chuckofish

Well, I made it to Mahomet and home again!

I do love that northern part of the drive through cornfield after cornfield. I have learned with age to appreciate it. Flat and monotonous it may be to some, but it represents the very heartland of our great country, the fruited plain, to me.

Now August is here! When I left St. Louis on Tuesday it was 95 degrees, but now, following some rain, it is 20 degrees cooler and the forecast for the weekend is lovely. I hope we can fit in some driveway sittin’!

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July 28, 2025

They’ll be no quittin’ along the way

by chuckofish

How was your weekend? Mine was pretty quiet despite Mr. Smith visiting. I had dinner with the boy and his family on Friday (pizza night) and that was delightful. I went to one estate sale on Saturday but it was a depressing one–a beautiful old house that had fallen to wrack and ruin, a real Miss Havisham experience. Daughter #1 came by on her way home from Indiana to pick up Mr. Smith and we enjoyed Happy Hour and dinner together.

You may recall that Saturday was the National Day of the Cowboy, one of my favorite days–“recognizing the contributions of cowboys and cowgirls to American culture and heritage.”

I did not celebrate until Sunday when I watched Red River (1948) which is my traditional choice. John Wayne, Montgomery Clift and a slew of great cowboys–the best. “We’re goung to Missouri with 10,000 head…”

The boy dropped the twins off at church with me on Sunday so that he could open his store. They were as good as gold and earned an A+ for their behavior. In fact, the wee bud announced “A+!” at the end of the service. As usual, as we arrived and sat in our pew, I thought it seemed like there weren’t many people. But as soon as the first hymn began, I looked around and the church was full of congregants and their voices rang out. When will I learn that Presbyterians do not arrive early! We sang great hymns and heard a very good sermon on Psalm 21. I left refreshed and restored.

Today I am getting ready to drive up to visit daughter #2 and her prairie family for a few days. I am also babysitting for the twins tonight while their parents go out to celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary.

Bon anniversaire, you guys! L’chaim!

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July 25, 2025

Hanging in there

by chuckofish

If you can believe it, it’s a Friday once again! Daughter #1 is going to Indiana for work, so I will be hanging tonight with my houseguest, Mr. Smith, probably binge-re-watching Only Murders In the Building together.

It is a little warm for a canine heating pad, but I’m not complaining. (Thank goodness for good ol’ American air conditioning.)

Yes, we are in the middle of a “heat wave” here in flyover country. Par for the course in July.

So keep cool as best you can, watch an old movie, pet a nice dog, and hang in there.

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July 23, 2025

Our separate journeys converge

by chuckofish

Today we remember American author Eudora Welty, who died on this day in 2001.

“It is our inward journey that leads us through time – forward or back, seldom in a straight line, most often spiraling. Each of us is moving, changing, with respect to others. As we discover, we remember; remembering, we discover; and most intensely do we experience this when our separate journeys converge. Our living experience at those meeting points is one of the charged dramatic fields of fiction. ”

–One Writer’s Beginnings

Today is also the anniversary of the death of Ulysses Grant in 1885. Let’s all take a moment to remember our 18th president. His funeral in New York City demonstrated the great love and admiration the country felt for their former president and Civil War hero. He was respected not only by comrades in arms but also by former enemies. Marching as pallbearers beside the Union generals William Tecumseh Sherman and Philip Sheridan were two Confederate generals, Joe Johnston and Simon Buckner.

On the home front, the Prairie Girls are very into art…

According to Katie, “Ida mostly draws abstracts.”

And this is a good take on Scottie Scheffler’s “secret”.

Have a great day!

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July 21, 2025

Trust

by chuckofish

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
8 They collapse and fall,
    but we rise and stand upright.

–Psalm 20:7-8

In church yesterday the sermon was on Psalm 20 and the hymns, appropriately, focused on trusting Jesus. We sang, among others, ‘Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus (Louisa M.R. Stead, 1882). When I was looking for a video, I found this great rendition by Alan Jackson:

How great is that?

And Scottie Scheffler won the British Open! Praise the Lord!

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