dual personalities

Tag: gratitude

June 14, 2021

“Let the world deride or pity/I will glory in thy name”*

by chuckofish

It was so nice to worship in a full church on Sunday where everyone lustily sang the hymns (mask-free) and listened to the 45 minute sermon. Hallelujah!

In other news, daughter #1 came home on Thursday in order to attend my flyover university retirement event along with the OM and the boy. Because of COVID, events such as this are now limited to 30 people, must be held outside and food cannot be served. Let the festivities begin. There was a giant TV screen set up in the courtyard so a 30-minute video could be shown celebrating moi. However the sun was shining and so the video was unviewable. Everyone huddled under the spindly trees in order to catch a breeze in the humid 95-degree swelter and there was no water served. They gave me a cut crystal vase engraved with “Twenty Years”…

and I couldn’t help thinking of this:

Afterwards we went home and ate lunch and that was nice. The boy and the OM went back to work and daughter #1 and I headed to Club Taco to sit outside and drink Margaritas. It was still very hot though so after awhile we went home and sat in the air conditioning. Ah, summer in St. Louis.

On Friday I had to work (and will continue to do so for the next two weeks.) The boy and his family came over for pizza on Friday night for a frolic before they headed to Florida early on Saturday morning. They made it after an 18-hour drive (held up in Atlanta traffic I guess).

Jealous!

Daughter #1 and I went to an open house at Mudd’s Grove (1859) where our local historical society is housed. We ran into several acquaintances and we had actual conversations with them. It was kind of weird, I must say. No masks!

We went out to lunch (!) and to an estate sale and had what we used to think was just a normal Saturday. Delightful.

While we were out, the OM went to the hardware store and bought a pressure washer. Remember when I joked about that last year? Well, we have one now and, after church on Sunday, we washed our front walk and porch. I have to say, it was pretty fun.

Now I have another busy week. I will pray that I bring glory to God, in word, thought and deed. I will thank God that his mercies are new to me each morning and that his grace is sufficient for all situations I may encounter.

*John Newton (1779)

4 Comments
April 28, 2021

The scent of water

by chuckofish

Who didn’t get the memo? JK, there was no memo, which is even funnier.

Today I am standing in for daughter #1, who drove all over Missouri yesterday, after driving us around all weekend. I know she was exhausted when she finally rolled into Jeff City late yesterday afternoon, having made a side-trip to Springfield (to film a video) on the way home.

I too went back to work (in my upstairs office at home) and tried to get my mind off everyone leaving by concentrating on other things. Likewise daughter #2 is recovering from her trip home with her bright-eyed and very energetic baby. Life barrels on.

“Jean was visited by one of her rare moments of happiness, one of those moments when the goodness of God was so real to her that it was like taste and scent; the rough strong taste of honey in the comb and the scent of water. Her thoughts of God had a homeliness that at times seemed shocking, in spite of their power, which could rescue her from terror or evil with an ease that astonished her.”

― Elizabeth Goudge, The Scent of Water 

This article by John Piper about angels interested me. “So, all angels serve the good of all Christians all the time. They are agents, as it were, of Romans 8:28, making everything work together for good under God’s providence.” As a matter of fact, I call on angels every day, especially when my children are driving around the state and flying on planes. Does that surprise you?

Willie Nelson will celebrate his eighty-eighth birthday tomorrow. Here is one of my favorite recordings of his, a duet with Emmylou Harris from 1990.

Have a great Wednesday. I thank God that his mercies are new to me every morning and that his grace is sufficient for all situations that I may encounter. Peace to you.

4 Comments
April 6, 2021

Nothing else but miracles

by chuckofish

The day after

I had a busy day at work on Monday–four Zoom meetings! So I don’t have a whole lot to share today. Meanwhile the grass is getting greener and the leaf blowers and lawn mowers are back with a vengeance.

Yesterday was Nebraska Day and this article was very interesting about classic movie stars who were born in Nebraska. It is a very impressive list–especially compared to Missouri. But, hey, we have Scott Bakula.

This article makes some good points. “Remote, virtual, disembodied fellowship simply isn’t enough.” We are all getting too comfortable with not seeing people.

We’ll “tip our hats an’ raise our glass of cold, cold beer” to the late, great Merle Haggard (1937–2016) on his the birthday today. (April 6 is also the day he died.) And I like this rendition of one of my favorites, Mama Tried, by Reina del Cid and Toni Lindgren:

When the California State University, Bakersfield, awarded Haggard the honorary degree of Doctor of Fine Arts in 2013, Haggard stepped to the podium and said, “Thank you. It’s nice to be noticed.” Classic Hag.

So enjoy your Tuesday and channel some positive Walt Whitman attitude.

Why, who makes much of a miracle?
As to me I know of nothing else but miracles,
Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan,
Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky,
Or wade with naked feet along the beach just in the edge of the water,
Or stand under trees in the woods,
Or talk by day with any one I love, or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love,
Or sit at table at dinner with the rest,
Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car,
Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive of a summer forenoon,
Or animals feeding in the fields,
Or birds, or the wonderfulness of insects in the air,
Or the wonderfulness of the sundown, or of stars shining so quiet and bright,
Or the exquisite delicate thin curve of the new moon in spring;
These with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles,
The whole referring, yet each distinct and in its place.

To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle,
Every cubic inch of space is a miracle,
Every square yard of the surface of the earth is spread with the same,
Every foot of the interior swarms with the same.

To me the sea is a continual miracle,
The fishes that swim—the rocks—the motion of the waves—the
        ships with men in them,
What stranger miracles are there?

–Walt Whitman

4 Comments
March 22, 2021

One insular Tahiti

by chuckofish

Spring is here and the Florida Room is open for business. I worked all day on Saturday, taking everything out of the room, cleaning it, cleaning everything, moving it all back. Then I moved all the plants in. Phew, was I tired when I finally finished.

I deserved some refreshment afterwards.

My friend Carla came over on Sunday for an inaugural SP21 visit to the Florida Room and we gabbed away, catching up–sans masks. All these little steps seem like a bigger deal these days, don’t you think?

The wee babes came over after that and frolicked outside. Running down the hill,

playing velcro catch,

driving the Cooper,

drawing the solar system on the driveway,

and so on. All the fun stuff. Pappy barbecued a feast of hamburgers and hotdogs. We had ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

And I have to say, after a work week full of rain and dark skies, there is nothing like sitting in a folding chair on the driveway in the sunshine watching the wee babes frolic.

Consider the subtleness of the sea; how its most dreaded creatures glide under water, unapparent for the most part, and treacherously hidden beneath the loveliest tints of azure. Consider also the devilish brilliance and beauty of many of its most remorseless tribes, as the dainty embellished shape of many species of sharks. Consider, once more, the universal cannibalism of the sea; all whose creatures prey upon each other, carrying on eternal war since the world began.

Consider all this; and then turn to the green, gentle, and most docile earth; consider them both, the sea and the land; and do you not find a strange analogy to something in yourself? For as this appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by all the horrors of the half-known life. God keep thee! Push not off from that isle, thou canst never return!”

Herman Melville, Moby-Dick
6 Comments
March 12, 2021

“Must be getting early, clocks are running late”*

by chuckofish

Daylight Savings time starts on Sunday. The days will start to be longer and that’s okay with me.

I finished reading The Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder last week and I really enjoyed it. It’s been a long time since I’ve read any fiction of substance where interesting characters express interesting thoughts.

“I have long noticed that people who talk to those closest to them only about what they eat, what they wear, the money they make, the trip they will or will not take next week—such people are of two sorts. They either have no inner life, or their inner life is painful to them, is beset with regret or fear.”

I started to re-read The Bridge of San Luis Rey and I’m also reading a biography of R.C. Sproul.

This article about The Pilgrim’s Progress was interesting. I remember it was a favorite of the boy when he was a child. I think it is true that while “the Christian allegory is inescapable and unmissable for adults, for younger readers Bunyan’s book can read like an exciting fantastical adventure featuring more than its fair share of peril, drama, and creative invention.”

“When Theodore Roosevelt died, the Secretary of his class at Harvard, in sending classmates a notice of his passing, added this quotation from ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’: ‘My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles who now will be my rewarder.'” (FDR)

It may be time to re-read this classic as well.

I didn’t watch any movies on my lenten list this week, but I will this weekend. I did watch Go For Broke! (1951), which I had never seen. It is the real-life story of the 442nd, which was composed of Americans born of Japanese parents, many of whom were in internment camps back in the U.S. Fighting in the European theater during WWII, this unit became the most heavily decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the U.S. Army, as well as one of the units with the highest casualty rates.

It starred Van Johnson who was nearly a foot taller than most of his co-stars, which seemed kind of racist, but was probably just illustrative of the truth. It wasn’t the best war movie ever, but I enjoyed it and I learned something. The screenplay by Robert Pirosh was nominated for an Academy Award in 1951. Back then they knew how to make different characters knowable and distinctive in a very short time and this film was very effective in doing that.

In other news, yesterday afternoon I finally got my PowerPort removed and that is a great relief. It’ll leave a scar, but Yay.

It has been raining and it is supposed to rain off and on all weekend. We will endeavor to have a good weekend anyway!

*Grateful Dead, Touch of Grey

5 Comments
December 28, 2020

Count it all joy*

by chuckofish

Our little family group had a joyful Christmas with lots of baby holding…

…good food…

…and drink…

…presents…

and more baby holding…

and lots of sitting around talking which is the best of all.

We are recovering today and feeling sad and weepy because our precious angel and her darling Mommy and Daddy are driving home to far away Maryland. But you’ve got to take the bitter with the sweet. We are grateful they were able to visit and we look forward to our next get-together.

Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. 4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

*James 1:2
3 Comments
December 14, 2020

Laissez le bon temps rouler

by chuckofish

Well, I was a bad Mamu and forgot to mention that the wee babes turned four on Friday. They didn’t notice this oversight as they celebrated for two days (see above). I was a bit preoccupied with anticipating the arrival of baby Katie and her parents on Friday.

Daughter #2 and famille arrived right on schedule Friday night after a 15 hour car trip.

(Daughter #1 thoughtfully captured this moment of me jumping up and down as they arrived in embarrassing mom fashion.)

Darling Katiebelle, who has led a very sheltered life thus far, adapted to our chaotic household immediately and made herself right at home.

Anyway, all is well in Whoville.

Literally a foot in mouth moment.

Plus the twins came down off their sugar high and we had another tiny pod party at our house on Sunday and they met their new cousin.

Let the good times roll.

3 Comments
November 27, 2020

We lift our hearts to God on high

by chuckofish

Now that the daylight fills the sky,
we lift our hearts to God on high,
that, he, in all we do or say,
would keep us free from harm this day:

Our hearts and lips may he restrain;
keep us from causing others pain,
that we may see and serve his son,
and grow in love for everyone.

From evil may he guard our eyes,
our ears from empty praise and lies;
from selfishness our hearts release,
that we may serve, and know his peace.

–John Mason Neale
#4 The Episcopal Hymnal 1982

I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving.

It was just the three of us (the OM, daughter #1 and I), but it was a nice day spent leisurely getting ready for our dinner and listening to nostalgic show tunes on 50-year-old LPs. Who doesn’t like to sing along with John Raitt?

And now we have a lovely day off. We have a lot to do now, getting out all the Christmas decorations and preparing for the visit of daughter #2 avec petite famille in a few weeks. We also will celebrate the boy’s thirty-something birthday this weekend!

He hasn’t changed much over the years, certainly not in the way he perceives himself (see above self portrait). 😉

We love him dearly and he makes us proud every day.

Sunday is also the first Sunday of Advent–not that anyone is really paying much attention to such things these days. I plan to do what I did last advent, which, if you recall, was read one chapter of Luke each night starting on December 1. On Christmas Eve I will have read the entire account of Jesus’s life and been reminded who and why we celebrate.

Almighty God, give us grace that we may cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which thy Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

BCP, Collect for first Sunday in Adent

Happy long weekend. Keep doing your best.

2 Comments
November 23, 2020

“Before the fiddlers have fled”*

by chuckofish

Well, it was a quiet weekend all around. It was gray and cold and rainy–the kind of weather when you feel justified in staying home and reading a Mitford book in bed. I also tidied up in anticipation of the Thanksgiving holiday. I wrapped some Christmas presents and also some birthday presents for upcoming family anniversaires. The boy stopped by to pick up some cookies I made for the wee babes.

It was a good weekend, if a quiet and uneventful one.

I have shared a lot of quotes about thankfulness over the years, but I have to say, I really like these words from straight-talkin’ John MacArthur:

“Don’t complain when you’re in bad circumstances; cultivate a heart of thankfulness instead. If you’re not a thankful person, it’s because you think you deserve better circumstances than those you currently have. But if you got what you deserved, you’d be in hell. That goes for all of us. So be thankful for whatever God gives you. That will take all the sourness out of your life.”

Now I am ready for my two-and-half-day work week. Let’s face the music and dance.

*Irving Berlin

4 Comments
November 17, 2020

A jot more’n I’d be crying

by chuckofish

The end of the year is fast approaching. Indeed the Christmas Cactus started blooming a few weeks ago.

I have a lot on my work ‘to do’ list to accomplish in order to take some needed time off at the end of the year. This is stressful, as are most things these days. We are also hoping for a holiday visit from daughter #2, DN and the darling babe, but who knows?

But it is good to note amid all this unending stress that today we celebrate World Prematurity Day and our own miracle twins who were born at 27 weeks.

Lottie’s hand is the size of her mother’s fingertip!

Even though they weighed only 1.5 pounds each when they were born, they were ‘real’ babies who fought for life. Through perseverance and lots of love…

…and with the help of great doctors and nurses…

…they grew into the remarkable nutballs we know today.

They’ll turn four in less than a month! We are so thankful for them.

As we approach Thanksgiving–whatever Thanksgiving will be this year–we must keep in mind how much we have to be thankful for and to whom we are thankful.

“Thee asked me where I’d been and how I’d fared. I’ve been quite a step…and fared mighty well the whole ways. If a man’d fared any better’n me it’d unsettled his mind. I’ve had two eyes and seen sights so pretty there’s no words to duplicate them. I’ve drunk the wine of astonishment…standing still, gazing. I’ve had two feet and no better land anywhere to walk on. Green plush grass in spring, and leaves like a carpet in fall. I’ve smelled white clover in daytime and quenched my thirst with live spring-water. I’ve earned my bread in the sweat of my brow, and still do, hard-scrabble like any other man, but making out. I’ve had for wife the one woman I’d choose, and been free to lift my voice to God. Though mighty backward, I reckon, in making out what He’s had to say to me. I’ve fared so well…that a jot more’n I’d be crying.”

Jessamyn West, The Friendly Persuasion
5 Comments