Prairie View

Tuesday, December 25, 2018

Tidbits on Christmas Day 2018

This is a perfect blogging opportunity, and I'm not sure what to blog about.  The problem is not a scarcity of material, but rather a surfeit.  Having spent lots of time with my extended family tends to have that effect.

Last Saturday after Smitty's funeral, while we were at Dominoes in Sterling for pizza, I executed one of the more dramatic moves of my life when I crashed on the concrete sidewalk in front of the building.  Clare was with me, so she saw it all go down, and apparently two people from inside the building saw it too.  They came rushing out to see if I was alright.  I thought I was, so I went on to the restroom where I had been headed.  I did feel incredibly lucky that my three-point landing didn't result in more damage.  Slight road rash on my hands, and a very tender area on my left knee was really all I noted.  Not until Thursday did I figure out that I should probably see my chiropractor, and it was a good thing I got an appointment before noon on Friday because he closed then till Wednesday of the following week.  My taciturn chiropractor observed that my alignment was "off by a mile."  Small wonder. 

I now have an opinion about sidewalk and entrance design that I never had before.  At this place, the outside door landing was cut out of the sidewalk on both sides of the doorway.  The door opened against a step up onto the sidewalks that accessed the restroom entrances.  When I exited from the inside, after the door closed and got out of my way,  I didn't see that step, and tripped over it.  While falling forward, I had the sense that there was a tremendous amount of preventive action going on that probably would end disastrously anyway.  It did, but not before I took several very fast steps forward in a mostly horizontal position.  I think Clare must have helped me up since I'm not much good at getting up unassisted.  She was kind enough not to mention what a spectacle I must have presented.

"Did you blog about it?" Brenda asked me yesterday after I told the above story.

"No." 

"You should."  So I did.

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Yesterday's paper reported on a lawsuit filed against a local personal injury lawyer--by his mother, through a Wichita attorney.  She had fallen while visiting her son, and had broken bones in at least three places.   She asked for $75,000.  I suppose some of us who heard the story were tempted with  schadenfreude, but I think we're probably too ignorant to know how little pain actually will result from this--except for the mother who no doubt suffered from the injuries. 

Our family and others in our church have been on the receiving end of legal action taken by this attorney, for what has often seemed like dubious reasons and frivolous claims.

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My nephew, Bryant, is home from Sattler College in Boston.  It's the first year of operation for the school, and, to lure people in, tuition was free this year.  Bryant loves being there, for the good learning opportunities it provides.  Since Harvard is close by, some subjects will be covered by either hiring teachers from there to teach classes at Sattler, or providing the means for Sattler students to attend classes at Harvard.  This school is unabashedly Anabaptist. and is perhaps distinctive among such schools for its emphasis on seeking to effect change in society outside of political involvement.

Bryant's mother had told us about his "darling little goatee" several weeks ago, so we weren't shocked by his appearance although it's as fiery red as his hair.

I'm not sure whether Bryant has declared a major, but he has a lot of interest in math.  I think this is ironic, since he has also distinguished himself in both athletics and piano performance--as a homeschooled high school student.  That combination of interests and abilities might not be as rare as it seems, but I think it's remarkable.

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My brother Myron had a stent placed last Thursday in the main artery that goes to the left lower extremities.  It was needed because of an aneurysm that was discovered recently.  The procedure was done without a major abdominal incision, so he was sufficiently recovered to join our family Christmas gathering yesterday. 

Myron explained that the stent looks like a tube, and functions like a culvert, with the ends of it extending past the balloon in the artery wall.  The culvert hooks into the artery wall and creates a way for blood flow to take place without stressing the weakened artery wall.  A break (rupture of the artery) usually results swiftly in death because of the great volume of "pressurized" flow in that area.

Myron would not appear to have any of the risk factors for circulatory system problems.  He has always been physically active, and is not overweight. 

My father had a similar diagnosis in his later years, but his aneurysm disappeared without surgery--after he had asked for and received anointing.  Nevertheless, I believe that it had recurred and actually ruptured right before he had a car accident which he did not survive.  I'm basing that conclusion on what the first responders observed about his upper body skin color (purple--not white or pink), minimal bleeding from injuries, and the experience of a nurse who lost a patient to that condition.  The autopsy was inconclusive.

I'm really happy that Myron's problem could be corrected, especially with a minimally invasive method.

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On January 10 I plan to begin a series of classes that will last until May, with one all-day class every week or two till then.  The kickoff event is an overnight retreat.  It will be a very different kind of activity than simply returning to teaching the second semester of the school term as I have done for many years.  This class requires an approved application and a hefty admission fee.  I understand that the class is mostly "lab work."  That is, most of the time will be spent in group problem solving.  I'm particularly keen on learning more about operating effectively in the absence of positional authority--a term I've learned from Shane.

Shane has taken the class and told me I should do so too.  I was not interested initially, but after scolding myself a bit for momentarily veering aside from my lifelong modus operandi (seizing learning opportunities even if I'm not sure exactly how they might be useful), I reconsidered, and gave Shane permission to set things in motion where it required initiative on his part as a class graduate. 

I had prayed about this, of course, and still felt quite unsure about the wisdom of undertaking something so very far beyond my safe and happy routines.  Hiromi thought it would be fine for me to to do so, but he stopped short of telling me what I should do.  I finally settled the matter in my mind by acknowledging the Lord's ability to direct through circumstances, and so every step in the application process became a fleece.  Since I'm retired, I wasn't sure that I was a good candidate for the class.  Also, I needed scholarship funds to pay the tuition, and I had no reason to expect that I would be awarded a scholarship.  I stated up front (in answer to a question) that I would not be able to take the class without a scholarship.

Long story short, my application was approved and I got a full scholarship.  So now you know how I became part of the Leadership Reno County Class of 2019. If you think about it, I'd love to have you pray about this venture. 

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Grant and Clare and their family have gone to Washington state where they will stay for the next number of weeks--probably till early February.  Grant will work for his father-in-law for a while.  We're taking care of their dog and Clare's sister is taking care of their house.  They drove--something I'm sure involved some challenges with a 2-year-old and a 4-year-old.  The trip probably took about 30 hours. 

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Walter and Frieda's wedding is planned for this Saturday.  I will help with food preparation.  With an interesting menu and good people to work with, this should be fun. 

Cousin Marland and his wife, who lived near our oldest son overseas, plan to come for the wedding.  They will overlap only briefly with Joel and Hilda, who will soon leave here for FB in PA for winter term.  After that they plan to return to Kansas for several more weeks before returning to their home in Asia.

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We had some rain and snow on Saturday night.  More rain is predicted from tonight through Thursday.  It's not quite cold enough for snow.

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In our family group, some of the topics we discussed yesterday have continued to churn inside my head since then, but I don't yet have anything coherent to say as a result.  I do consider it a privilege though to have such wise and experienced family members to learn from and laugh with. 

We're still working at figuring out congregational identity and structure, mission board policy, best practices in gardening and farming, cautions about Christian leaders whose lives we can't observe personally, educational systems for Christian families, affordable and resource-wise building methods, how to reach out to strangers who need friends and other support, how to relieve foot and back pain, etc.  A surfeit, as I said earlier.

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On Jan. 3, the Coffee Corner will open at the 5th and Adams intersection on the NE corner.  Plans are to be open from 7:00 to 10:00 M-F, at least through the coldest months of 2019.  The goal is to provide a pleasant atmosphere and a cup of coffee to any who need a place to be at that time of the morning or who simply wish to interact with others who are there. 

Noel Lodge is only a few blocks away, and some who stay there may especially be happy for what is offered at the Coffee Corner.  It will be staffed by volunteers. 

Marvin and Lois and Arthur and Lillian have taken a lot of initiative in making this happen.

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Tristan inadvertently and instantly got a body piercing recently while trying to tighten a tension-loaded ping pong table net.  The opposite end came unmoored and a sharp little wire part pierced his "schniffly"  (what's the right English word?).  Upper lip isn't quite right, but almost.  There was a laceration on his gums on the inside of the little puncture visible on his skin.  His parents agonized for a bit about whether he needed medical care, and then Shane remembered that some people pay to have such things done for ornamentation purposes, and he thought it would likely heal just fine without emergency room treatment and expense.  Eating comfortably was a bit of a challenge at first, but it didn't seem to hurt him much otherwise. 

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We gave Tristan an egg basket kit for Christmas, along with my promise to help him craft the basket.  Years ago, several of my boys learned how make egg baskets as part of a 4H project activity taught by Melanie Graber.  I learned alongside them, and know now how perfect the design is for gathering eggs and carrying them without having the eggs roll around and bump into each other, risking cracking them. 

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On the day of the winter solstice, we had the last nature walk of 2018.  Our activities involved things like marking the location of the outer margin of the shadow cast on the north side of the house, and the length of our own shadows.  We hope to note how this changes as the seasons change.

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Tonya is home from Ghana for about six months.  Her parental family plans to gather at Cottonwood for several days next week.

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Nelson and Hannah recently made an unwelcome discovery.  It turns out that their moisture-wicking mattress was indeed doing its job, but not having the mattress and its foundation on a slatted bed frame resulted in that moisture collecting on the floor underneath.  When they discovered it, the mattress got a trip outside for airing out and drying out, while the floor underneath hopefully did the same.

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My Aunt Ruth (Mrs. Jesse Beachy) from Virginia is fading fast from cancer.  She is probably in her upper eighties.

On Sunday was the funeral of my cousin Mary Sue's husband.  They lived near Kalona, IA.  Their four sons (ages 15-21) still lived at home.  He died suddenly in an accident while he was cutting firewood. 

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At Christmas, our family is certainly not alone in especially missing family members who are no longer present with us.  Our comfort and joy is mixed with lament for other reasons also.

One of the new insights for me this year was thinking about others for whom the same thing was true at Jesus' first advent.  Think about the injustice the Jews suffered under Roman oppression.  About the ruthless murder of babies undertaken by Herod, who felt threatened by a baby born to be a king.  About Joseph and Mary having to travel at the most inconvenient time possible--and then having to flee for refuge in Egypt--until Herod's rampage was over.  Lament was certainly reasonable. 

If Hope and Light and Salvation had not come in the form of Jesus, lament is still the only thing that would be reasonable.  As it is, the comfort and joy are present in us, even while we acknowledge the reality of pain and loss. 

Emmanuel (God with us)!








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