The Scene of Chaotic Happiness

Krista and I had second graders Josceline, Alexa, and Keely in Parable Playhouse at Sunday school yesterday and the play we're reading – really, it's an adaptation of an adaptation of a radio drama written by Lois Miyasaka of Grace UCC in O'Fallon, Missouri – for Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead gave me today's title. It sounds so Chinese to my ears, anyway. The oldest continuous civilization in human history, and all I could think of just then is its pithiness? Oy vey.

Sunday afternoon after church – oh, I went up for the children's sermon despite my wife looking at me like I'm nuts because Pastor Jon from Metigoshe Ministries DID say this was for the “young at heart” so I found a loophole! – we had lunch at home and then brought Jeffrey to his fourth week of soccer clinic at Jim Hill Middle School. Martha, Sarah, and me all got to watch him for the first time there, and while he got into the game, he seems more interested in basketball.

The clinic was held in the school gym, and if Jeffrey hadn't been called over to start one of the five hours we're paying forty bucks for, he'd have probably kept making baskets the whole time! But it was great to go, and despite myself I will say I had a good time with the kids myself while Martha and Mary were at the new movie Safe Haven (one of its main actors is fellow Minot native Josh Duhamel). Means she got to go to TWO movies this weekend though!

But I will say the kids enjoyed Minot Public Library where we went though. Jeffrey checked out one book and Sarah and I both checked out three, and they're both getting to be excellent readers! Saturday we got to see Oz The Great and Powerful on its second day, and I will say I was impressed – not quite going to become a cult classic yet (of course, The Wizard of Oz that's its sequel took thirty years to become as iconic as it is) but it fills in quite a few gaps if you had thought of them.

And on that subject, I just got an awesome review of my latest published novel, Refugees from the Emerald City and I am glad to share that with you as I close out today's missive:

http://reviews.nickwale.org/2013/03/11/exclusive-refugees-from-the-emerald-city-by-david-alvin/

Have an awesome day! David