Tuesday's Entry For March 25, 2013

[Hey, YOU don't have a catchy title every day either! – David]

July 29, 2000 ...

I'm not Richard the Second, I could not “sit upon the ground/And tell sad stories of the death of kings!” (III.ii.163-4) The second day of our church's yard sale brought me twenty-five books, lunch, and not a penny in expenses. Though for the record, I did offer to pay. Really, I've had a lot of fun and learned that I've got to live life and not just watch it pass me by.

What the Bishop of Carlisle said afterward though [in the 1595ish William Shakespeare play Richard II], and I'm reading now, it's the greatest answer I've read to so many failures' and failings' excuses of “I'm only human” bears repeating, if not enshrining:

My lord, wise men ne'er sit and wail their woes,

But presently prevent the ways to wail.

To fear the foe, since fear oppresseth strength,

Gives, in your weakness, strength unto your foe,

And so your follies fight against yourself.

Fear, and be slain – no worse can come to fight;

And fight and die is death destroying Death,

Where fearing dying pays Death servile breath.

Richard II, III.ii.186-94

[That's Act Three, Scene Two, Lines 186 to 194 for the uninitiated amongst us.]

Never mind the blood of patriots or tyrants or martyrs, it's action that must prevail!

So here's my action, to pray for who I promise: Dee and Eloise with their tumors, for any healing and growth (personally) from them; Diwata in Miami, for a friend and an encourager, Robert and Sandy, back together and renewing their wedding vows; Dondray and Nicole taking them today; Kimmie1022 in Raleigh/Durham and her children Danielle and Ethan, for a church home and friendly acquaintances. AMEN.

Our missiles utterly destroyed the enemy.
You look quite well for a man who's been utterly destroyed, Mr. Spock.
– Ekosian newscaster and Kirk, on the missile attack on the USS Enterprise in the original Star Trek episode “Patterns of Force” (the one with the society modeled after the Nazis, also the only episode that told us what USS stood for – United Space Ship)

This weekend …

First, I included my written journal entry – titled “Ah … New Acquisitions!” – from 7/29/00 above because I wanted to show that, contrary to the belief (perhaps even the desire) of some of the Beelsonite Believers, the world did NOT end the day before on July 28. I bought the Jane Yolen & Bruce Coville 1998 young reader novel Armageddon Summer (ISBN 0152017674) that tells from alternating teenagers' Marina and Jed's points-of-view the story of a group of believers whose reverend claims a revelation from God that only 144 people are going to be saved from God's wrath on the world below them, and it's time to retreat to a high mountain. Marina's the true Believer and Jed only goes along to keep an eye on his dad who is; and as Doomsday approaches, the realities of life and paranoia kick in for everybody.

Now for something a little less depressing. Saturday morning I was able to bring Sarah and Jeffrey with me to Breakfast with the Boys' semiannual invitation for their wives (I can't go regularly there anymore for the same reason I couldn't bring Martha; she's working at McDonald's by the mall Friday night, Saturday morning and afternoon, and now Monday night too) where we had crepes with fruit – had to explain those to the kids as very thin pancakes – fried onions, bacon, sausage, juice, and coffee. They all ate pretty well and we even got to sit with two other couples. Because we are one of the few families that shows up to more things with young children, we usually end up with a table by ourselves. I've got this great shot of Sarah bowed in prayer at the table as Pastor Gerald's giving the closing prayer … I'm touched that the kids are learning SOMETHING about faith from us. And this Wednesday she's in class to prepare for her first communion …

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, and the choir had assembled and performed its Easter cantata very well (one of the songs “He Prayed Alone” Martha told me she almost couldn't get through without crying), and we had to crack up at Sunday school! Krista and I had nine sixth graders in Parable Playhouse where we read the story of Jesus raising Lazarus out of the Scripture and then performed the adapted radio broadcast I've been using as a script. Dalyce, Christian, and several others in there get a little crazy with the puppets – Christian started out as the anchorman who was leading into the story and then a moose (got a lot of animal puppets) ate the anchorman and had his part instead! We also had our friend Tara visit our church along with her kids Triniti and Isaiah and the former's sleepover friend Kayla, for I had invited them a few days before when we were planning a meeting at Minot's Bagel Stop –

correction, as of today the Bagel Stop is Broadway Bean & Bagel Co. – where Martha and I got to introduce the people there to the BURST Club exercises, a series of warm up, twenty-second alternating work/rest/work/rest exercises, and cool down taking about twenty minutes out of five days a week. (DO THE WARM UPS FIRST, your body will thank you!)

http://www.burstclub.com/

And now let's go make something happen! David