by Greg | Jan 22, 2014 | Blog Posts
We bought a TV. There, I said it. I have confessed our indulgence. We are conspicuous consumers just like everyone else. For the first six or so months of our marriage we did not even own a television. Amy’s grandmother gave us her old set, complete with knobs that changed all thirteen channels! Back then we did not have cable, just an antenna on the roof. I discovered that if I climbed up on the roof and carefully turned the antenna I could pick up most of the channels on the knob. That television was old when it was given to us and it lasted for ten or more years. Lightening finally took it out, which brought joy to my life. Finally we can buy a television with a remote control! We bought this current one not because we wanted the latest model, but, quite frankly, our old set was getting smaller and smaller. Actually, our eyes are getting weaker and weaker. For the last year or so we would take turns getting up from the sofa and walk to the set in order to read the score of the ball game or the scroll announcing weather alerts. I argued that we did not need a bigger TV, we just needed “his and hers” binoculars. “It would be like going to the opera,” I said. Amy reminded me that she hates the opera. So last week we upgraded from a 30 inch screen to a 40 inch one! We discovered with our new television that a lot has changed over the years in regards to television technology. For starters,...
by Greg | Dec 11, 2013 | Blog Posts
Have you ever retrieved mistletoe from treetops? There really is only one way – a twelve-gauge shotgun. I know this sounds a bit drastic, but take my word for it the stuff grows in out of the way spots on a tree. First you find an oak tree whose branches are marked with the distinctive green clumps of mistletoe. Next you take careful aim, squeeze the trigger and – BLAM – you have mistletoe showering down on the ground. Today school rules prohibit public displays of affection but when I was in middle school mistletoe was the perfect tool for soliciting affection from cute 7th graders. On any given day during the Christmas season I could be seen boarding the school bus with feed sacks full of mistletoe. I wonder why we don’t use mistletoe in the Hanging of the Green service? Along with the draping of garlands, lighting of the Chrismon tree and hanging of wreaths we could post mistletoe above all the doorways of the sanctuary. Think of the implications – every time you entered the house of worship you stood a reasonable chance of getting pecked on the cheek (of course Gloria Patrick does this anytime of year with or without mistletoe). Before you think I am too off the wall turn to your Bibles. In several of Paul’s letters he exhorted the believers to greet one another with a “Holy Kiss” (Romans 16:16; I Corinthians 16:20; II Corinthians 13:12; I Thessalonians 5:26). Perhaps a kiss to someone outside the family is just too much for some of us to take in, but I dare say...
by Greg | Dec 5, 2013 | Blog Posts
For the fourth year in a row we have taken a group of High School juniors and seniors on a backpacking trip. Many of the youth have never been camping, let alone backpacking, and so this is a time of new experiences and a shared journey. And what a journey it was. While the trip itself was a rather brief three day event, we tried to pack a lot in the experience. We ambled uneventfully by way of a caravan of cars to Franklin, NC, headed twelve miles west and pitched tents in the shadow of Standing Indian Mountain. Nightfall was upon us and with it came colder temperatures. Some of the guys voluntarily built a fire while the rest of us were looking for nice spots to set up a small village of tents. Each was responsible for their own meal, which by the evidence of the detritus of wrappers seemed to be ramen noodles and beef jerky. That night as the tents were zipped up and folks were nestled deep in their sleeping bags I glanced at the thermometer and it was 33 degrees. “Not bad,” I thought. The next morning it was 21 degrees and some of the water bottles of the youth were frozen. The irony is that was the nice part of the day. I guess I am exaggerating…a little. While we did not cover many miles up the mountain and along the Appalachian Trail, we found beautiful spots along the way for viewing, resting, exploring and eventually for sleeping. Our final night was a bit warmer – upper thirties – which gave everyone...
by Greg | Oct 30, 2013 | Blog Posts
This past weekend I found a couple of hours to do something I have been putting off since we moved to Augusta – clean out the garage! Well, in particular, what I did was clean out a couple of filing cabinets that were taking up space in the garage. They were stuffed to capacity and it was high time I did something about it. I created two piles: one was a box that would be sealed and stored in the attic and the other was a box that would be taken out to the fire pit for a proper cremation. This turned out to be a lot harder than I thought. Things like old bank statements and tax returns are relatively easy to deal with – box it up and send it up (to the attic). Most of the other stuff, however, distracted me to the point of near indecision. There was the appraisal for Amy’s wedding band (kept it); annuity statements (burned them); and a handful of church directory pictures for 20 years ago (Amy thinks I burned them, but I secretly re-filed them!). One file was marked “bills” and that proved to be most amusing. I kept the bill from the hospital and doctor when Clark was born 21 years ago. Insurance did not cover that delivery and I guess I kept the bill with the secret hope that the insurance industry would feel sorry of us and reimburse us for expenses. I am still waiting for the check. I decided to hang on to that bill – you can never be too certain. Other items quickly...
by Greg | Oct 23, 2013 | Blog Posts
A few nights ago I was leaving the church rather late – about 8:30pm or so. It had been a long day, I was tired, and I was ready to get home and stare blankly at the television and think of nothing for a few minutes before heading to bed and starting all over again the next day. On the way home my appetite directed me to a convenient drive-thru to carbo-load so that I could have the fortitude to make it home! Placing my order I reached for my wallet in anticipation of the bill. It was there I discovered… …my wallet was gone. Actually it is not a wallet. It is really just a glorified money clip, thin on money, but thick with cards, slips of paper, maybe a photo or two. At that point I simply assumed I left the wallet at home. Perhaps, I thought, in my haste to leave that morning I just forgot it. Maybe I absentmindedly placed it with the coffee beans or in the refrigerator (I have done stranger things). When I got home (hungry and not a hamburger in sight) I could not find my wallet anywhere. Not in the car, not in the fridge, not on the counter where I usually keep it. The wallet was not at home. The next day I discovered it was not in my office either. It was then I began to mentally retrace my steps wondering where I could have left my wallet. “When was the last time I needed, I used my wallet? Just how long had my wallet gone missing and...
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