After our exciting Wednesday evening with the fire, Thursday and Friday passed without much happening. I had been hoping to get outside and do some work in the yard on Friday but it was cloudy and gray and very windy and just not very pleasant to be out in. So we sat around the house all day, all three of us since Adam had Thursday and Friday off from school.
Saturday turned out bright and sunny with temps around 65. I decided to work in the yard for a bit even though it was still a bit on the breezy side. I got the weed-eater out of the shed to look and see if I could do anything with it. It works okay as far as I know but the fuel line is dry-rotted and snapped off. I wanted to see if I could figure out how to replace it but I couldn’t really tell much. I knew I would be seeing my brother Brad, who knows a lot more than I do about fixing things, on Sunday so I decided to wait and ask him about it.
So I put the weed-eater away and got out the rake and went to work on the area that had been our vegetable garden two years ago, but last year was nothing at all. We had been piling downed branches there and an awful lot of leaves had gathered there as well. I started raking and filled up my 50 gallon bucket 5 or 6 times with leaves and branches and various trash. It was too windy to burn so I dumped it all in a big pile near the incinerator where it would be ready to go on the next calm day.
And then Sunday was Easter! After a really nice service at our church in Kearney we gathered at my sister’s house as we usually do for Easter. Mom was there, Brad and his family, Bobbi and Mike’s family of course including all four kids, Mike’s step-daughter Courtney and her two little girls Hannah and Samantha, and the three of us. Mike and Bobbi had prepared a couple of delicious hams along with cheesy potatoes, corn, strawberries, rolls, wheat bread from Bobbi’s bread-machine, deviled eggs, and Brad brought his famous pasta salad. It was a really excellent meal and I had two plates full, which I hardly ever do anymore.
Before dinner I was asking Mike about planting potatoes. Mike knows just about everything about agriculture and gave me some good tips on potatoes. All you have to do is cut up some potatoes and plant them, making sure that each piece has an eye on it. He said that it’s not a bad idea to let the pieces dry for a day or two before planting them to avoid rot but also said that he has put them straight in the ground before and had good results. Store-bought potatoes may not work as well because they are often sprayed with an inhibitor to keep the eyes from sprouting right away, but the potatoes I had were direct from a grower; they had donated some to Mom’s church for a fund raiser and Mom had given us some. After all of Mike’s good information and advice, I felt I was ready to try some.
During dinner I also asked Brad about the weed-eater. Without him being able to look at it, it was naturally difficult to make a diagnosis but said I should check if the fuel line has a nipple on the outside of the fuel tank, something I hadn’t thought to check, or if it’s inside the tank. So that’s my next step on that “project”.
After dinner, the kids had their annual Easter egg hunt. The youngest of the kids is now 14 with the oldest being in their 20’s but they are all good sports about it. Oh, except for Courtney’s two little girls who are still small, that made it more fun. They hunted their eggs and generally had a good time.
After that, we sat around and chatted for a while, which I always enjoy, and then it was time to go home. It was a very fun day and I was still stuffed with food and felt very content.
Matthew 17:22-23 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed. ESV
Luke 24:1-3 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ESV
Showing posts with label easter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label easter. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Inspirations - The Empty Egg
This is an Easter story. What? Easter? Okay, I’m perfectly aware that Easter has already come and gone this year, but I only just remembered this story today. The way I see it, if God wanted me to post this at Easter time, He would have reminded me at Easter time. For His own mysterious reasons, He waited until the end of May, and who am I to argue?
Several years ago, the pastor of the church Joni an I were attending told this story in his Easter sunrise service. Pastor Wells was not an impassioned speaker, but I have to hand it to him, in this one moment he shone, and it has remained with me ever since. Here is the story of the empty egg.
Little Philip Ross had been born with Downs Syndrome, and a whole host of medical issues. The doctors concurred that he would probably not survive his infancy. Philip surprised them all by living into his eighth year.
In that final, memorable year of his life, Philip was a member of the kindergarten Sunday school class at his church. Being older, bigger, and just plain different, he always had a hard time connecting with the other children in his class, but all those differences were wiped away on Easter Sunday.
The week before Easter, the teacher of Philip’s class gave the children a homework assignment. She handed each boy and girl a plastic Easter egg, the kind that usually hold chocolates and other sweets. She told the class to put something in their egg that represented new life, and bring it back to show the class on Easter Sunday. At the end of class that day the children murmured excitedly to each other about what they might put in their eggs.
Easter Sunday arrived, bright and clear and beautiful. The children filed into their classroom that morning, each one holding their plastic egg. The teacher asked her students to bring their eggs to the front of the room and lay them on her desk so she could open each one and show the class, instead of having the children open the eggs themselves. She did this because of Philip. She was afraid that Philip would not understand the assignment and would put something silly in his egg. She didn’t want him to be embarrassed in front of the other children.
Class began and Miss Miller quieted her students. Then she picked up an egg at random and opened it. Inside was a small flower. She held up the flower to the class and said, "Flowers that bloom in the spring represent new life. Good job!"
She picked up another egg and opened it. Inside was a blade of grass. “Yes, grass turns green and begins to grow again after being dormant all winter. Well done!”
Opening the next egg, Miss Miller, along with the entire class, gasped in surprise as a live butterfly flew out of it. After calming her racing heart, she said "My goodness! Yes, caterpillars go into their cocoons for a while, and come out as butterflies. That certainly represents new life.”
She opened a fourth egg, only to find it was empty. She knew in an instant that this had to be Philip's egg and, just as she had feared, he hadn't understood the assignment. Her heart went out to the boy and she was embarrassed for him. After a moment of speechlessness, she calmly put the egg aside and took up another one.
Much to her chagrin, Miss Miller saw Philip's hand go up. For a split-second she froze, not knowing what to do. She didn’t want Philip to look like a fool in front of the class. She had decided to pretend not to notice him, for his own good, and go on with the lesson when Philip spoke up.
“Miss Miller?” he said in his slow, thick-tongued voice.
She hesitated for a moment, but could see no way around it now. "Yes Philip?" she said, dreading what he might say next.
“Miss Miller,” he said, “you didn’t explain about my egg.”
“But Philip,” she said as gently as she could, “your egg is empty.” She sent up a quick prayer that the other children would not laugh at the poor boy.
“Yeah.” Philip said with a beautific smile on his face. “It’s empty just like Jesus’s tomb.”
Time seemed to stop for Miss Miller as the tears welled in her eyes. The other children did not laugh at Philip.
Later that year, Philip’s condition finally caught up with him and he died. At his funeral, the mourners puzzled over the brightly colored, plastic Easter eggs carefully laid upon his coffin, all empty.
I have no idea if this is a true story or not, but does it really matter? Pastor Wells read those last two words with fiery voice and glistening eye, and it was the only time I ever heard him speak with such passion. Thank you for that Pastor Wells.
Luke 24:1-5 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?
Several years ago, the pastor of the church Joni an I were attending told this story in his Easter sunrise service. Pastor Wells was not an impassioned speaker, but I have to hand it to him, in this one moment he shone, and it has remained with me ever since. Here is the story of the empty egg.
Little Philip Ross had been born with Downs Syndrome, and a whole host of medical issues. The doctors concurred that he would probably not survive his infancy. Philip surprised them all by living into his eighth year.
In that final, memorable year of his life, Philip was a member of the kindergarten Sunday school class at his church. Being older, bigger, and just plain different, he always had a hard time connecting with the other children in his class, but all those differences were wiped away on Easter Sunday.
The week before Easter, the teacher of Philip’s class gave the children a homework assignment. She handed each boy and girl a plastic Easter egg, the kind that usually hold chocolates and other sweets. She told the class to put something in their egg that represented new life, and bring it back to show the class on Easter Sunday. At the end of class that day the children murmured excitedly to each other about what they might put in their eggs.
Easter Sunday arrived, bright and clear and beautiful. The children filed into their classroom that morning, each one holding their plastic egg. The teacher asked her students to bring their eggs to the front of the room and lay them on her desk so she could open each one and show the class, instead of having the children open the eggs themselves. She did this because of Philip. She was afraid that Philip would not understand the assignment and would put something silly in his egg. She didn’t want him to be embarrassed in front of the other children.
Class began and Miss Miller quieted her students. Then she picked up an egg at random and opened it. Inside was a small flower. She held up the flower to the class and said, "Flowers that bloom in the spring represent new life. Good job!"
She picked up another egg and opened it. Inside was a blade of grass. “Yes, grass turns green and begins to grow again after being dormant all winter. Well done!”
Opening the next egg, Miss Miller, along with the entire class, gasped in surprise as a live butterfly flew out of it. After calming her racing heart, she said "My goodness! Yes, caterpillars go into their cocoons for a while, and come out as butterflies. That certainly represents new life.”
She opened a fourth egg, only to find it was empty. She knew in an instant that this had to be Philip's egg and, just as she had feared, he hadn't understood the assignment. Her heart went out to the boy and she was embarrassed for him. After a moment of speechlessness, she calmly put the egg aside and took up another one.
Much to her chagrin, Miss Miller saw Philip's hand go up. For a split-second she froze, not knowing what to do. She didn’t want Philip to look like a fool in front of the class. She had decided to pretend not to notice him, for his own good, and go on with the lesson when Philip spoke up.
“Miss Miller?” he said in his slow, thick-tongued voice.
She hesitated for a moment, but could see no way around it now. "Yes Philip?" she said, dreading what he might say next.
“Miss Miller,” he said, “you didn’t explain about my egg.”
“But Philip,” she said as gently as she could, “your egg is empty.” She sent up a quick prayer that the other children would not laugh at the poor boy.
“Yeah.” Philip said with a beautific smile on his face. “It’s empty just like Jesus’s tomb.”
Time seemed to stop for Miss Miller as the tears welled in her eyes. The other children did not laugh at Philip.
Later that year, Philip’s condition finally caught up with him and he died. At his funeral, the mourners puzzled over the brightly colored, plastic Easter eggs carefully laid upon his coffin, all empty.
I have no idea if this is a true story or not, but does it really matter? Pastor Wells read those last two words with fiery voice and glistening eye, and it was the only time I ever heard him speak with such passion. Thank you for that Pastor Wells.
Luke 24:1-5 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Journal - Easter and Stuff
Well, I’m in kind of a writing slump again. I’ve had a few things to write about, but I just haven't been in the mood. So I'm forcing myself again. In the past, I’ve forced myself to write when I didn't feel like it and it sort of opened a floodgate and all kinds of things came pouring out, so we'll see what happens.
Last Saturday we went to Mom’s for lunch. Brenna had spent Friday night at her house and Saturday morning they made cookies. The cookies were for Brenna’s birthday which is today, April 8th. Happy 13th Brenna! My daughter is a teenager. That feels pretty weird. Brenna told me she has a violin recital on the 24th so I’ll have to be sure and get the exact time and place so I don’t miss that.
On Sunday we went to Bobbi and Mike’s for Easter dinner. Mom was there and also Brad and his family, everyone except Daniel who is Brad's oldest. He had to work I think. We had a good time and the kids had their Easter egg hunt, even though two of them are in college now.
Basketball season is all over with now. The men’s championship game was on Monday, Duke just barely beat Butler, only winning by two points. The women's final game was on Tuesday. Uconn won as expected, but Stanford really gave them a tough game. Stanford actually led for a majority of the game and Uconn only won by six points. There is quite a history between those two teams. The last time Uconn lost a game was back in 2008 when they lost to Stanford. Stanford only lost two games this year, both times to Uconn including the championship game. That was an exciting game but I wish the Huskers had been playing.
Last week, DJ, Brad’s daughter, had emailed me and asked if I would bring my saxophone to Bobbi’s house on Easter and play for everyone. She didn’t get to come to our Christmas party last year when I played for the family. She plays the sax now at college. I told her instead of playing on Easter Joni and I would have everyone over sometime this summer and I would play then. Then I found out she’s going on an internship to Connecticut and will be gone all summer. I told her she’d just have to wait until next Christmas then. I already let it slip about playing this summer, though, so I doubt if Mom will let me out of it now. I need to start practicing again. I started using slightly heavier reeds and I was surprised how tired my lip and jaw get. The heavier reeds will give more control over the tone though once I get used to them.
Okay, that’s it for now. see you next time.
Matthew 28:1-6 1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Last Saturday we went to Mom’s for lunch. Brenna had spent Friday night at her house and Saturday morning they made cookies. The cookies were for Brenna’s birthday which is today, April 8th. Happy 13th Brenna! My daughter is a teenager. That feels pretty weird. Brenna told me she has a violin recital on the 24th so I’ll have to be sure and get the exact time and place so I don’t miss that.
On Sunday we went to Bobbi and Mike’s for Easter dinner. Mom was there and also Brad and his family, everyone except Daniel who is Brad's oldest. He had to work I think. We had a good time and the kids had their Easter egg hunt, even though two of them are in college now.
Basketball season is all over with now. The men’s championship game was on Monday, Duke just barely beat Butler, only winning by two points. The women's final game was on Tuesday. Uconn won as expected, but Stanford really gave them a tough game. Stanford actually led for a majority of the game and Uconn only won by six points. There is quite a history between those two teams. The last time Uconn lost a game was back in 2008 when they lost to Stanford. Stanford only lost two games this year, both times to Uconn including the championship game. That was an exciting game but I wish the Huskers had been playing.
Last week, DJ, Brad’s daughter, had emailed me and asked if I would bring my saxophone to Bobbi’s house on Easter and play for everyone. She didn’t get to come to our Christmas party last year when I played for the family. She plays the sax now at college. I told her instead of playing on Easter Joni and I would have everyone over sometime this summer and I would play then. Then I found out she’s going on an internship to Connecticut and will be gone all summer. I told her she’d just have to wait until next Christmas then. I already let it slip about playing this summer, though, so I doubt if Mom will let me out of it now. I need to start practicing again. I started using slightly heavier reeds and I was surprised how tired my lip and jaw get. The heavier reeds will give more control over the tone though once I get used to them.
Okay, that’s it for now. see you next time.
Matthew 28:1-6 1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
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