Yesterday was a beautiful day–cold, but beautiful. Blue sky, untouched white snow reflecting the sunlight. Very nice. I sat in my office and watched a huge red-tailed hawk cruise around.
Here’s a poem, “Shovelling Snow” by Harry Edward Mills, written around 1901:
And Don shared this lovely Dan Fogelberg piece with me:
More cold weather coming up, so I’ll be sitting by my window for the foreseeable future.
“Every bit we eat, and every drop we drink is mercy; every step we take, and every breath we draw, mercy. [These are] what we have reason to acknowledge with thankfulness to God’s praise.” (Matthew Henry, 1662-1713)
Tomorrow is the birthday of our precious Ida B! She will be three years old.
One of her favorite things to do with Mamu is listen to music on her phone. I hope her Mommy will play her this song, which I think she will like.
I hope she has super fun on her birthday, which might include doing the following: turning somersaults, petting a nice dog, eating candy, reading a book about Angus, watching football, singing along to her favorite Christian radio station…Can’t steal my joy (Woh oh oh oh, woh oh oh oh, woh oh ohoh)
Have a good weekend. I am going to do all the above mentioned activities, minus the somersaults.
Today we toast the great American dancer Ray Bolger who died on this day in 1987. He had a long and fruitful career, starting in vaudeville and on Broadway, and continuing in the movies. Here he is in TheGreat Ziegfeld (1936):
Woweee! Of course, everyone remembers him as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz (1939) and with good reason. He was amazing! Whenever he was asked if he had received any residuals from telecasts of The Wizard of Oz, Bolger would reply: “No, just immortality. I’ll settle for that.” His portrayal truly was immortal.
We’ll also toast Pitbull on his birthday (born 1984) today.
Everyone needs a little Pitbull at least once a year.
It got very cold indeed here in flyover country. From 78 degrees on Sunday it dropped over 50 degrees! (A 70 degree change if you count the wind chill!) Yikes. We missed a new record by one degree! (Set in 1911.) I’m feeling a little jealous of the twins down in Florida!
Well, anyway, I am starting to get back on my feet, getting some things done around the house. And that’s a good thing.
Today we toast country singer Suzy Bogguss on her birthday. She was born in 1956 and grew up in Aledo, Illinois. We always liked Suzy back in the day–what a voice–and we are happy that she is finally being inducted as the next new member of the Grand Ole Opry on January 16, 2026.
Way to go, Suzy!
And here’s a poem by James Crews, “Winter Morning”:
After a disorienting week of coughing at home, I finally made it back to church on Sunday. We had one service so it was the whole congregation together–very nice. I sat behind the pastor’s wife and their two children and she complimented me on my plaid Christmas pants. Quelle nice girl.
Our own Becka Marsh sang this version of Simeon’s Song during the offertory and I thought it was so lovely.
I played it a lot when I got home and I cried every time.
I also read The Three Godfathers, the short story by Peter B. Kyne on which John Ford’s 3 Godfathers (1948) is based (also the seven other versions). It seemed appropriate. The story ends with the remaining godfather stumbling into New Jerusalem with the baby as a woman sings
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, lift up your gates and sing,
Hosanna! Hosanna! Hosanna! to your King!
He hands the baby to the woman and the author questions, “Who knows? Perhaps in that moment the woman, too, like the Three Bad Men, beheld the King!”
How could I not then watch the movie? (I did, and I could not love it more.)
Meanwhile, following a mild Christmas and balmy temperatures during the week–not to mention some fiery sunsets–
–we were warned a fast moving line of severe storms would move through Sunday afternoon–always exciting and unwanted. But nothing much happened.
My eyes have seen My eyes have seen Joy beyond belief: I’ve seen the Messiah!
I am heading up to the prairie today to be with daughter #2 while there is a break in the weather. Pray for cleared roads and no precipitation! Pray that the baby comes in a timely manner and in the right way. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
And here’s a song I like:
Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your 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 living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP)
I have had a very busy week so far and yesterday was particularly aggravating. I had to go down to the monolithic and intimidating BJS medical center where parking is always an adventure. I had to wait for over an hour for my appointment which took 10 minutes. Zut alors! but c’est la vie. After that, I went to the Link Auction house, also in the CWE, and picked up some items I had won at last weekend’s auction. I could not fit it all in my car so I will have to go back today. (The boy had to come over to my house and help me get one large item out of my car!) Life is complicated.
Driving home from the CWE, I avoided the highway since it had been jammed up going down to the city, so I was once again shocked to see the devastation from the May 16 tornado in Forest Park. All the big trees are just gone from Lindell Blvd and all the way down Wydown in Clayton. Many of the mansions still have boarded up windows and tarps on the roofs. Mother Nature can sure be rough. But she helps us keep our perspective.
And then, last night, I had a Kirkwood Historical Society board meeting, so I was out after dark! Good grief, Charlie Brown!
I will stop grousing now in order to remind you that today is the birthday of Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov, the Russian composer, born in 1859. He was a student of Rimsky-Korsakov, whose influence was quite strong. I remember this selection from records we listened to in my childhood:
Enjoy!
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. –I Peter 5:6-7
(The photo at the top is of a scene typical of the arrangements I find when the wee laddie has visited my house. He came with his Dad yesterday.)
The other day I mentioned the story of Billy Graham going to see the dying Steve McQueen and that truly is a great story. But the even better part of all that was how the flight instructor over time converted the questioning Steve into a “born again” Christian. I know quite a few people like that flight instructor now–“ordinary” men who take Mark 16:15 very seriously in their daily lives. One such guy is Bill who was an executive at some big engineering firm. He is a piano-tuner now (in retirement) and he evangelizes quietly everywhere he goes, just talking to people. He is not ashamed of the Gospel. No sir. He sees it as his duty to spread the Word.
The Billy Grahams of this world are wonderful, but it is the Bills among us who do the real work where the rubber meets the actual road.
And here’s a song for Monday–the great Mark Knopfler singing the great Bob Dylan:
Oh, a false clock tries to tick out my time To disgrace, distract and bother me And the dirt of gossip blows into my face And the dust of rumors covers me
[Chorus] But if the arrow is straight and the point is slick It can pierce through dust no matter how thick So I’ll make my stand and remain as I am And bid farewell and not give a damn
(Meanwhile we made it to the prairie–where it has turned cold and even snowy!–and we went to church where daughter #2 and the girls became members along with a dozen others.)
We are surrounded by God’s benefits. The best use of these benefits is an unceasing expression of gratitude. –John Calvin
Daughter #2 sent this pic of her street in response to my post yesterday about not much color yet in my flyover neck of the woods. The prairie is ablaze!
Here are two articles about growing older which I found to be very interesting. “This is a plea for aging Christians not to follow millions of your peers in making a tragic mistake: leaving the place, and especially the local church, where you have built up years, if not decades, of relational capital.” In other words, Boomers need to stay put. Retirement ought not be exclusively about playing golf and collecting seashells. “For decades, you’ve been amassing wisdom and experience and patience and perspective. Now, on the other side of a career, you’re finally free to share those riches with others. There are younger men and women in the throes of their early careers, new fathers and mothers insecure in their parenting, teens eager to grow up but unsure how — all in desperate need of your rooted presence.” I think of 80-something John who goes out to lunch with my son and mentors him on his spiritual walk. I think of Allan who keeps the furnace going and the grass cut at the church he has attended his whole life. I think of all the old ladies in my bible study group who pray without ceasing for us all.
(This meme never gets old.)
And in this one Carl Trueman talks about assisted suicide and the disturbing modern vision of what it means to be human. “We might even say that it represents a dehumanized and absurd view of what it means to be human. Our dependence upon others, and our obligations towards them, are what define us. The richest experiences in life arise in those contexts where we are not isolated individuals or lonely egos wandering aimlessly through this world. Love, friendship, kindnesses done, and kindnesses received are not inconveniences but elements of the very fabric of life.”
Go to church! Make some new friends. Share what you know. Learn about Jesus. His arms are open.
And this is for anyone who might need to hear it again:
dual personalities 