Misc. Pics

Found several pictures on my phone, some of which have just been sitting there for quite awhile. These are random and in no particular order:

The drama team at a local church last night.

One of our choral groups at the Fine Arts Festival. I didn't get a pic. of the choric speaking groups.

Christmas morning - No power at our house, so Andrew and I had to go in to the daycare to use the oven there to bake his "hazelnut yeast rolls," which he had made the night before and had risen all night. And yours truly didn't properly un-set the alarm, so the maintenance man got a call from the security system and had to come check it out on Christmas morning. I felt really bad about that.

Our large choir singing at the Fine Arts Festival. Our new choir director - a first year teacher - took a couple of ribbons and had a group to make the final showcase, which speaks very well of her.

Mike donated a deer skull to ML's art department. Here it is being used as a model for drawing students. According to her, this is much nicer than the one they were using.

A Lasting Legacy

I went to a funeral today for a man who personified "true religion."

He was known for volunteering at a number of mission outreaches since his retirement about five years ago. However, that's not his lasting legacy. When he was in his late 50s, he and his wife adopted her niece and nephew, who were in a neglectful situation, and reared these two children as his own. Late 50s is not a time of life when many men are willing to take on a four year old and a seven year old. For sixteen years he poured his life and his resources into those two children. The grown girl is married to a youth pastor. The young man is in college. Last night in the receiving line the young man glanced at the casket and said to me "I shouldn't be here now. I should be a statistic." He is full of gratitude.

As the man's wife also told me last night, "That's two starfish that made it back."

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While walking along a beach, an elderly gentleman saw someone in the distance leaning down, picking something up and throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, picking up starfish one by one and tossing each one gently back into the water.

He came closer still and called out, "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

The old man smiled, and said, "I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?"

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the elderly observer commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the back into the ocean past the breaking waves and said, "It made a difference for that one."

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This story has been circulated around the web in many versions, usually with no mention of author. It is said to be paraphrased from "The Star Thrower" by Loren Eiseley, 1907 - 1977.

Away from Home and Sick as a Dog

Just found out that my boy is sick with the stomach flu - in North Carolina, staying in the home of a pastor where they had a service, while the rest of the team goes on to their next service tonight. (They will pick him up tomorrow.) Uncle Steve has called to talk with him and get him some medicine, and the lady of the house assured me she is taking care of him and is happy to do so. So I am grateful that he has help, but feel so bad that he feels so bad. It's hard enough to have the stomach flu - it's even worse to have it in somebody else's house. Poor boy.

Feeding the Birds

I punched holes in the bottom of a disposable metal pie plate, wedged it into one of the crepe myrtle trees outside the kitchen window, and filled it with black oil sunflower seeds. Then I scattered seed all over the ground. So now that area is filled with juncos, titmice, chickadees, cardinals, and an occasional pair of finches. I have to refill the plate daily.

Being able to feed the birds again is the one, and only, advantage of not having Kitty around any more.

I've wondered - How do the birds sense that Ginger is not a threat, when Kitty was? (Two or three times a year we'd find feathers all over the garage, or worse, a partially-eaten gift at the back door.) Ginger can nap not five feet from the tree, and yet they seem oblivious to her.

Interesting Choice

The other night I found out that a former student has made a life-changing decision. He was quite the independent when he was here - "Rebel" is probably a better term. Not disciplined, kicking against the regulations, causing problems in many ways. From what I understand, things did not change much when he left here.

Anyway, he has made the decision - to go into the army.

He's not the first former student of a "kick against the pricks" nature to do so. I was talking with my friend about this, and we agreed it's an interesting phenomenon, that young people who do not like rules, or who come from homes where there are not many rules, make the choice on their own to submit to the authority of the army or other armed forces.

Seeing Family - Touring the South

Andrew was in Charleston yesterday and his aunt and uncle came to see the drama team in a church there last night. Earlier, three aunts came to see him & the team during his first presentation here in town; another aunt and uncle (actually great-aunt & uncle - from my side of the family) went to see him in FL; he is going to call another aunt tomorrow in Beaufort, and some more local aunts may come to see the program when he's back in town later this month. AND he got to stay with his grandparents in AL and another aunt and uncle came to his service there. It's nice how many family members, from both sides of his family, he is able to connect with on this tour. When he first heard that the tour would be in the south, he was a little disappointed, only because he was hoping to see some part of the country he wasn't familiar with. Now he's seeing some of the benefit of touring this region.

Deal on a Coat

ML is home for the weekend and therefore can get the coat that I got back from the cleaners today. Last Saturday I got it at a yard sale - it's an Anne Klein wool jacket, brown, and it cost $1. She and I were both happy with that deal!

My Piano Friend

I have been thinking much about my friend "Miss Joanna" today. She was the pianist at our church for many years, retiring about two years ago, and she and I have had many good times together over the past nineteen years, practicing piano duets, and sometimes piano quartets with two others. I have learned much from her as she is a wonderful pianist, especially for impromptu things. There is no one who has mastered more beautifully the art of improvisational playing. And she is always very flexible - always willing to accommodate others whenever possible. Most of all, she has a wonderfully humble spirit about her talent and accomplishments, and always deflects praise to others or to the Lord.

Yesterday her husband passed away. It was not unexpected; he has been sick for a long time. She was a devoted wife who took great care of him. I know she has probably been mentally prepared for this, and knows he is in a better place; however, it is still a very hard thing. And, even though she is older than I am, she is my friend, and she is on my heart today.

Unexpected Half-Day

What is it about an unexpected half-day off of school that makes it seem like an entire vacation? We're in the midst of bad weather - snow, sleet, rain combination - not terrible, but bad enough that school was dismissed a little before noon. So I've been home all afternoon - basically four hours longer than normal - and it has been wonderful!