"Love Means . . . "

In the 70's movie LOVE STORY (#9 on the lost of all time romantic movies) pretty Ali MacGraw tells even prettier Ryan O'Neil that love means never having to say your sorry.  Half way through the movie O'Neil's character finds out from a doctor that MacGraw's character has an incurable disease but he doesn't tell her because graduating 3rd from Harvard Law School he learned never to give a direct answer.  She suspects something is a foot when O'Neil cries every time MacGraw calls him "Preppy" and never recovers from her bad luck, bad writing and bad acting.  Later on Carol Burnett and Harvey Korman parody the movie with one of my favorite lines ever, which goes something like - "Love means never having to say your sorry (cough, cough)."

Saturday morning I get up and ask Jackie if she had a good night sleep.  She tells me that she has a terrible sore throat.and that I better load up on vitamin C.  We ride to work together and soon my first customer arrives.  "How are you doing today Julian?" I ask.  "Not so good.  I have a teweble cold." he mumbles.  After a half an hour drive with my window down and purposely not engaging in any unnecessary conversation with Julian my next person arrives.  Dylan has thick glasses, a really bad greased down hair cut, is barely audible and his mouth is constantly open.  I think perhaps this guy is mentally challenged and don't converse with him either but realize half way through our drive that this is just another sick dude breathing through his mouth who happens to have a bad hair cut.

Well, right now I'm felling good.  I've taken another 1000 whatever of vitamin C this morning and have been praying for protection from nasty germs.  This should be a good week (cough, cough). 

This Will Be Written For The Generation To Come

From Psalm 102 we read:

You, O Lord, abide forever,
and Your name to all generations. (v 12)

This will be written for the generation to come,
that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord.

For He looked down from His holy height;
from heaven the Lord gazed upon the earth,
To hear the groaning of the prisoner,
To set free those who were doomed to death,

That men may tell of the name of the Lord (vs 18-21)


This psalm reminds me that I am more than a cog in the wheel of time, spinning out my days with no purpose.  One day I met the Master and His Spirit formed in me a desire to honor, serve and praise Him.  He is good!  He is trustworthy.  He has not disappointed.

It also reminds me that my life is not my own.  I find myself as the psalmist did with shortening days in a world filled with prisoners, sick and in self centered misery, who are condemned to spend eternity apart from the loving Lord.  Although I can only do what I can do I am charged with proclaiming to this generation the mercies of the Lord with the hope that many more will be able to join in the chorus of praise to their Savior.

And I am charged as well to remind this world the old saying that God has no grandchildren.  I proclaim to my children and others what the Lord has done and is doing in my life.  They must have their own God stories to proclaim, to family, to friends and to the next generation.  We change, but the Lord does not.  One day all generations of the redeemed with join together to worship and praise Him.

Of old you founded the earth,
And the heavens are the work of your hands.
Even they will perish,
but You endure;
And all of them will wear out like a garment;
Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed.

But You are the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.
The children of Your servants will continue,
And their descendants will be established before You.  (vs 25-28)      

On Gretel's Path

 

After my Aunt Ann and Uncle Dale retired they created a beautiful formal garden patterned after ideas they gathered over many years of travel in Europe.  Memories from my visits include drinking homemade lemonade and eating scones with family while sitting underneath the shade of a grape arbor on a wonderful summer day.  Gardens take a lot of work - A LOT.  Like 8 hours a day work.  This was their love and passion.

When Ann passed,  Dale continued the work for awhile and hired someone to help but time moves on as it always does and eventually Dale left for even a better garden.  Recently one of their daughters and her husband retired and they moved into the house with the garden.  Everyone asks; "Oh, are you going to tend the garden?" as if that was something sane people would do.  Last I knew Gretel and Bill were quite skeptical about doing it.

Today on Face Book Gretel posts the above picture with the caption; "Walkway uncovered this week".  I can only imagine that at night they were hearing the Beasty's (from my poem below) low moans; "I'm hungry.  I'm hungry."

On Gretel's Path

When the Beasty was young

parents took Gret aside

showed her the beauty

mixed knowledge and pride

said if you are careful

our Beasty to ride

she'll love you and serve you,

but Gret's parents lied

Seems Beasty was hungry

but always well fed

so thousands adored her

from doorway to shed

they'd pet from stone benches

she'd follow where led

Gret thought it was tame

it was hungry instead

One day parents left

to never return

and Beasty stayed still

missing love that was earned

then let out a roar

for appetite spurned

the Beasty was wild

and not our concern

years later I heard

Gret looked for that beast

gathered plump juicy tasties

and set out a feast

found doorway and shed

on a path made her peace

such a beautiful creature -

WATCH YOUR BACK AT LEAST