Including Several Explanations And A Few Apologies

My first apology? I plumb forgot -- bet you thought I didn't know the context of "plumb" there either, in the sense of "plain" or "just [adverb form]"! -- to say that Jeffrey is entering the Pinewood Derby with his Cub Scout troop again this year, and with all due respect to my brother-in-law Allan, this time we're getting professional help! Saturday between Breakfast with the Boys and our Shaklee open house I brought my son over to North Country Woodworks, owned and operated by Larry Schafer from our church for over two decades now -- he called me a few days ago and asked if we wanted help building his car! I'm not turning that down since my knowledge of woodworking is about nonexistent ... any skill I had in that field faded after high school!

Note to self: call Larry's assistant Dave today to check on progress -- the Derby's Tuesday, and I think we're guaranteed that this year the wheels will not fall off as his gloss red apple car runs down the track!  Sunday morning I got to field test the play I'd written for the Sunday school lesson regarding the conversion of Saul (Paul from the New Testament); alas, the eleven third and fourth graders we had were either just getting to church or just getting out of first service which "ran over" ... I don't want to complain about that, but there's only so much I can do in the forty-five minutes I get, and when kids especially want to find everything else to talk about and focus on but the task at hand we can't get all of what we're there to do done.

And one kid's comment (not to my face, but I expected to hear this from a parent before I'd hear from one of the kids) that this was a bad play made me bite my tongue. We didn't get to DO the entire play because everybody wanted to muck up with the animal puppets rather than the human ones, and some kids are JUST getting breakfast or some other sugar high as they arrive. And when the adult shepherds some of whom stay with their class, some of whom don't aren't there or our communion assistants aren't there ... well, we just have to make do with what we have. Does it sound mean of me to say that after about a month off Sunday school I didn't expect miracles? But I would think "stage left" and "stage right" is not something I have to review Sunday after Sunday.

God forgive me, this rant could go on for several more paragraphs. And as I'm trying to recall the incidents of the last several days other than the motions of paper route, school drop-off, nap (I get to do that, and I will if I'm tired!), ready for work, Beethoven alarm -- seriously, Beethoven's Fur Elise plays from my cell phone at 10:20 every weekday morning, pick up supplies for workday, go to office for eight hours, close up, drop off supplies, go home for dinner, brush floss fluoride (our nightly BFF) pray bed for the kids, time with Martha, bed. Of course every day isn't exactly the same like this, but the older I truly thought I wouldn't be -- for many reasons -- the more I like to be where and who I am. The potential's there to grow, but it doesn't require me to be an utter jerk to do it.

Looking back at this, I REALLY must cut down on my adverbs.

See you soon, David