Guess Who Came to Dinner

The story goes that years, years ago God paid a visit to 3601 Hill Avenue, my childhood home.  Of course, when God knocks, you open the door even if it is dinner time--which it was.  

Our table had two extra leaves added to accommodate the family of seven.  What was one more chair?  Dad went in to full-blown salesman mode, shook his hand, invited Him in.  There was no need for introductions.  God obviously knew us, and thanks to Mom and Dad, we children all knew Him. Here's the rest of the story......and for convenience, all of God's words will be in bold red print.

 God cut to the chase as He historically did in the Old Testament.

"Look, you know I love this family.  A lot.  In fact, I've grown pretty darn (yes, He used that word) fond of you.  I can't say that about everybody I create."

 I got it.  He loved everyone, but some people sure made it hard for Him to like.  

"I am here today because I have some good news and some bad news.  Which do you want first?"  He looked at my mother, which I thought was such a chivalrous thing to do.  

Mom acknowledged that she would prefer the bad news first.  I guess she thought we might as well get it over with and end on a good note, sort of like dessert, which on this night was Mom's chocolate cake with White Mountain Frosting--that divinity-like white icing made with egg whites, sugar, Karo syrup, and vanilla was a Sullivan favorite.

"Since I am a list-kind-of-guy, as you know from the Ten Commandments, here is the negative I need to share with you today:

1.    Green stamps will become obsolete.

2.    Tom Landry will be fired someday.

3.    You got some pain headed your way.

4.    It's not the kind of pain that will go away easily.

5.    Hearts are going to be broken.

6.    Those broken hearts will heal but with significant scar tissue.

7.    There will be financial, marital, and spiritual missteps for all of you.

8.    This house will not be your home twenty years from now.

9.    Some friends will be critical, will judge, and will abandon you.

10.  You are going to cry yourself to sleep many a night."

Suddenly, we all lost our appetites.  Even for that chocolate cake.  I noticed Sabrina in the high chair was raising her little baby eyebrows.  God really knew how to ruin a good dinner.

But, He had this incredible eye contact that seemed to bring a peace about the depressing forecast our family had just been issued.  And what came next was one of the GMOAT (greatest moments of all time).  God's tone changed, and the lilt in his voice when sharing the good news was one that would echo for decades.  There is The Good News, of course.   This night, however, was our good news, divinely delivered. 

"This," God smiled, "is really why I came tonight. I wanted you to know about the events I just mentioned, but let me leave you with, shall we say, dessert:

1.  Online shopping will make life so much easier.

2.  The Cowboys will win five Super Bowls before the year 2000.

3.  You are going to be gifted with a delightful sense of humor, except you (He looked directly at my dad). You'll do ok, Guy,  but satire really won't be your thing, and that's too bad because it is one of my favorite gifts to humans.

4.  That collective sense of humor will not only help you through some dark days, it will be a source of family bonding.  

5.  All five of you children will have hearts of gold.  You will share, you will show compassion, you will be there for those who have similar struggles.  You will love each other all the days of your lives.  

6.  All of you will see your faith grow.  This growth will manifest itself in seven different ways, but the common denominator is that you will do justice, and will love kindness, and will walk humbly with your God.  Direct quote in Micah, if you recall.

7.  For every mistake you make, you will find grace and tender mercies. 

8.  Each of you will make homes for yourselves and those you love.  You will have your own children, and Guy and Lillie, you will see all of your grandchildren born healthy and you will also live to see them graduate and get married and have children of their own.  Your minds will stay sharp even when your bodies age.

9.  New friends will be made and some of these will be life-long treasures.  You'll also have the gift of reconnecting with childhood friends through this thing that I'll call Facebook--that's for another day...too complicated to explain right now.

10.  For every tear you cry, I promise that you will laugh and make others laugh twofold."

Scotty looked at me.  I looked at Sara.  Sara looked at Shane.  Shane looked at Baby Sabrina, who was still not quite grasping the gravity of the situation.  Mom and Dad seemed to sense the magnitude of the moment.  Wistfulness, I think, is what I saw in their eyes after God finished.  They seemed to know far better than we children did what was to come.  

God opted out of the dessert.  He needed to get back because matters were always pressing for Him. I wondered to myself if He made visits like this to other families.  I just know that on that night He played the Creator card really well because, out of all the people in the world, He had made us feel as if we were His only children.  

******************** 

Maybe writing about this fictional scenario stems from the recent time spent with Mom. With Dad. She's 86; he is 89.  Sharp minds.  All in all, in good health with typical aging issues.  

Many of the things listed above did come to pass, both the bad and the good.  Our parents are no longer married, and only one of us siblings is still married to a first spouse. The generational consequences of those failures appear from time to time.  

But love remains--it has sustained us.

We now witness our parents' twilight, and this aging process has reminded me of the good news He shared in my imaginative story.

We are also grateful for the comforting shade that a younger Mom and Dad provided years ago in the safe haven that was 3601 Hill Avenue, but we are just as grateful for the imagery of longevity as difficult as it is at times to observe:  a slower walk, a wrinkled hand, a stooped shoulder--beautiful reminders that they are still with us.  

Just as a gnarled old tree finds itself tangled from the elements, our family's path still emerges upward, all because we remain rooted in love.

Your Homework for This Summer

     I admit to eating at McDonald's twice this week.  No, it wasn't the healthiest of choices. Yes, it is true that this was not in my best dietary interest.  But, both days I was fed something I needed: crumbs from a dose of life.

                                                                 ******

     One sat on the curb of the fast food parking lot while a female figure messed with something in the car (a vehicle that was probably never new).  The little boy was smiling and waving at passers-by.  He was unkempt, but that was not what drew my attention to him.  It was the deliberate eye contact, the broad smile, and that unsolicited wave.....the open-palm addressed just to me as I drove past.

     The other one was being carried on the hip of a person in a hurry.  A mad hurry, it appeared.  She was returning to a vehicle to get more money from the passenger-side occupant, that much I could tell. The toddler was oblivious, I hope, to the turmoil that was all over her face.  Who has to go back to the car to get more money for a Happy Meal?  Or, was she aggravated that she had to babysit someone's kid who was working inside?  A grandmother?  An aunt?  A friend? Maybe late for her shift?  Many scenarios crossed my mind out of concern and worry, not judgment.

                                                                 ******

     These two little fellows may be beloved and cherished with every breath they take.  Their daily routines might mirror my granddaughter's or the children I teach.  God, I pray that is the case.  It is now summer, and so many children are home without a constant in their lives.  Say what we want to about the drudgery of the classroom, routine helps children, which is exactly why educators must see themselves as more than teachers. Sometimes the routine we provide is the only structure they will receive. And our routine must be borne more of love than of duty or obligation.  

     So when the summer break comes--which both teachers and children most definitely need--my heart still grieves some.  Children often no longer get lost in books to help them cope or retreat or to encourage them to use their imaginations.  For many, summer is not the swimming hole or fishing or VBS or vacations but a steady diet of seeing and hearing more than they should on some media device or, even worse, inside their home's four walls.

     Of course, my parents worried about too much television and not enough reading.  Their parents worried about whether or not a crop would make.  Each generation has encountered challenges.  But more and more, I worry for the children who return to us August-May who do not know the beauty of a routine that involves love.  For those children so fortunate, I am grateful to their families who have taught that love is the most important language they will ever learn.

                                                                  ******

So here's your summer assignment:

Say prayers for our June-July-August children, especially those who are marginalized.  

Pray for our children's safety, for recuperative rest from 9.5 months of school, and for love to surround them (sweet love and tough love).
Do not judge the parent(s) out late at night with  children shopping for groceries.  They may have just been paid.  They may have just left work.  They may just like to shop late.

Think positive thoughts for tired parents who are barely making ends meet.

Under any circumstance, think really positive thoughts for parents of small and school-age children.

Consider the cares of families with children who have 24/7 special needs.  

Send a postcard to a child in order to inspire him or her to travel some day.

Speak the language of love with kindness and with firmness when needed.

And above all, smile and wave back--it is the healthiest thing on the menu, for all of us.

AIN'T OVER YET

AIN'T OVER YET

Click on the link above to watch a short musical slide show.   It is lacking a few more photos of all the UIL academic students who make up the weekend fun that is our world from September-May, but it will give you an idea of who we are and what we do in Speech, Debate, and Academic UIL events.  

Who we are includes the following who will make the trip to Austin and the University of Texas this week for the State Academic meet:

--four students whose parents I taught

--three seniors with one more shot

--five first-timers who are ready for the late-night ice cream runs

--six old timers, including some State medalists, who know which ice cream is best

--a principal who was in the first class I sponsored way back in 1981

--a tired old lady who wishes she still had the energy she did 36 years ago

These experiences, however, never grow old.

Good luck Dylan, Hayley, Maddie, Thomas, Ben, Jeramy, Kami, Katie, Madi, Riley, and Trent

What Could Have Been.....

Dear Barack and Donald, 

On the eve of the Inauguration, my imagination is really toying with the idea of what it would have been like to have coached you guys as Cross-Ex Debate partners on my high school team.  

(cue:  music and wavy, blurred images to take us back to the halls of BHS where a skinny kid with an Afro and a tall, white blonde guy remain after school in Room 119 for debate practice.  One is reading and researching while the other is practicing speeches.  They toss around ideas, question what is the best strategy to use in their upcoming weekend debate tournament in Bangs, Texas:   a counterplan? maybe a kritik or two?  stock issues?  The discussion gets really interesting when they cannot agree on the affirmative arguments concerning China's global economic impact).

I knew from the moment I watched you in the Sixth Grade that you had "it."  The impish maverick in me also knew it would be interesting to pair you as partners.  You would complement each other because your demeanors were rather polar opposite.

Barry--I would have called you Barry, I'm sure--you had proven your intellect with classroom discussions on books you absorbed. Your reading list was impressive, young man.  Methodical, deliberate with words, and even-keeled (remember how you ignored all of that name calling?). Yep, easy to see you in the role of Second AFF and Second NEG speaker because you would respond to attacks, line by line, with your mind. You listened well to others and considered viewpoints in your typical judicious way (I'll never forget that time you calmed down a classmate named Joe for getting too excited about the cafeteria doing away with deep fried corn dogs).  Your integrity in a round would have insured that you and your partner would have been respected by your opponents and your judges. To be honest though, I would have coached you to show more emotion from time to time to really affect the debate.  You appeared to some as disinterested or aloof; as a debater, animated responses from time to time would have rocked it.   You were just too cautious.  Knowing when to take chances could make the difference on a ballot.

Donald, easy to tell that talking and arguing were second nature. As your teacher, I acknowledge that it was refreshing to see your passion and your questioning when it came to the way things had "always been done."  You simply had no fear, or at least you wanted me to believe that.  (I sometimes thought you might have been masking some insecurities because your dad was pretty demanding of you). Regardless, you channeled your high energy for persuading others to follow your ways, as was evidenced when you got the fence built around the practice field in order to keep wild boars from wandering on to it at night and ruining the turf.   My main coaching instruction for you would have been to see you use your power for positive change.   As effective as your showmanship was, I like to hope that debate would have nurtured some empathy by forcing you to  truthfully examine  other points of view. Sometimes you just relied too much on tunnel vision, hearsay, and emotion. Perspective is the real power.   Your affirmative or negative rebuttals would have been hugely impressive by combining your confidence with some point/counterpoint arguments supported by facts.

Trump-Obama. Power team. State Champs.  National Champs.  

No doubt you two would have gone your separate ways in college, probably moved on to important roles in public service or business.  But CX Debate would have forever connected you because you worked on common ground with uncommon talents to defend your views.

***********************

Writing let's me go anywhere with anything.  This was my fantasy after an election season that lasted far too long.  That's for another blog, I guess, but here's a preview:  I say ten weeks tops when it comes to campaigning.  Start September 1. Vote the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November as always and call it good.

Still, here we are just a few hours from what we have been doing for over ten score years.  Let's do this.  Citizenship is hard work, and you had best prepare to work diligently every election cycle because the truth should be an eternal flame, not a flickering candle.

To my President Barack Obama and my President Donald Trump, a resolution that we all must affirm:  that the United States Government should peacefully transfer power tomorrow at noon, ET, and that this moment should signal a continuation of democracy in a country that has been and forever shall be free and great only when its citizens keep watch.