A Visit With Baby Baby, OR, "She'll Be Wearing Paw Patrol When She Comes!"

My lovely bride, myself, and Child A spent a wonderful evening on Tuesday with our granddaughter (Child A's niece).  I have grown to love these nights with Baby Baby.  She has grown from an infant to toddler so quickly that my head is still spinning from that night she came first came into our lives.  I cannot believe she is nearly three years old!  I don't remember Child A and Child B growing up so fast! But it is true, our Baby Baby is not a baby anymore.  She is such a little chatterbox now, and certainly has a personality all her own.

Baby Baby (I know, she has a real name, but I still use my made-up name for her) is such a sweet little soul.  She is so musical now, singing all the little songs children sing, but now ad lib-ing her own version of such classics as "She'll Be Coming Around The Mountain" or "Jack and Jill." We never know what the lyrics will be.  For instance, a new verse to "She'll Be Coming" is "She'll be wearing Paw Patrol when she comes...she'll be wearing Paw Patrol when she comes..." She makes up her own words to "classic" children's tunes, but also makes up her own songs as well.  Now she also makes up dialogue between herself and as many as three or four dolls or animals at a time.  AND she still talks to me or sings during this intricate dialogue!

Perhaps the best blessing for me lately is that she has designated me as her official playmate when she visits us.  As soon as her little feet clear the front door, Baby Baby yells, " Poppee, play in my room?"  She is not asking if she can go play...no, she is demanding that I come to play WITH her.  One of the things she likes to do most is act out "There Were Five In The Bed."  This involves singing the song of the same name while Baby Baby, three designated dolls or stuff animals, and of course, Poppee, all lay in the bed and roll over.  Of course I cannot literally lay on her bed because it only supports seventy-five pounds, so I just lay with my head on the foot of the bed.  Then Baby Baby sings "They all rolled over and one fell out!"  At this point I roll off the bed and "bang" my head on the floor.  I am rewarded with Baby Baby's peals of laughter. 

Tuesday night I was held "captive" in Baby Baby's room for nearly an hour as she and I played different games, played catch, chased each other, and raised a general "ruckus" that kept my lovely bride on egg shells as she wondered which one of us would really "bang" our head on the floor, the wall, a corner of the dresser, etc.  In the end, no one was injured, but I was in need of an oxygen treatment.  But most of all I was blessed by the laughter and the sheer joy that child had as she played in her room with her Poppee. 

Then it all came to an end.  As happens more and more frequently now, Baby Baby announced that it was time to "get in the truck and go find MommyDaddy."  That child seems to sense now when the clock is about to strike "half past Eight."  I am pretty sure that as yet she cannot tell time, but she knows within five minutes when it is time to leave.  She begins saying her goodbyes to Child A and to Honey, gets into her shoes, and heads for the door.  She usually takes a choice toy and some crayons with her (not that the truck is not already loaded down with same) to occupy her hands while she sings, "Jack fell down...OUCH!!...and broke his crown.  And Jill came tumbling after."

I have to admit that taking her back to MommyDaddy is a sad task for me.  Oh, Baby Baby and I sing and talk all the way back to her parents, and it is truly a joyful and fun-filled time.  But then comes the really hard part, for me, anyway.  I have to give her a hug and tell her good-bye for the evening.  Sometimes it really tugs at the old heart-strings after such a great visit.  Imagine, her parents actually think THEY should get to spend time with her, too!  After all, she DOES live with them.  And within seconds of getting her inside the dojo, Baby Baby has hugged both her parents then raced off to play with the other kids who are waiting for their older siblings or parents to finish the mixed-martial arts classes.  She dismisses me with a hug and a kiss, and says, "See you later, Poppee!" then she is gone like a whirlwind.

The ride back home seems so much longer than the ride to the dojo, and no matter how loudly I play the radio, the silence of no granddaughter in the truck is so deafening.  Okay, I admit it...sometimes I am teary-eyed as I head east back toward Midland.  Just then I can see Baby Baby's sweet face and a happy thought crosses my mind...

"She'll be wearing Paw Patrol when she comes!  She'll be wearing Paw Patrol when she comes!"

May God bless you all...

And may we always be thankful for our children...





   

The Austin Bomber - Tragedy and "Headlines" Texas Does Not Need

Once again Texas is in the national news, and once again it is NOT in a positive vein.  Still feeling the stunning shock of the Sutherland Springs mass shooting just last fall, we are now hearing the news from Austin of the serial bomber who, since March 2, has killed two people, and seriously injured a total of four others, with the two injuries from a bomb that exploded last night.

The people of Austin, particularly of East Austin, are no doubt terrified by the recent string of bombings in that city, and who can blame them?   A strange box or package could show up on a person's porch at any time.  Some (I should say "most") of the news channels covering these events are putting a "racial" spin on this situation at this early juncture in the investigation, when in fact there is no information (at least information open to the public) that indicates the explosive devices are targeting Black persons.  In fact, the latest victims were both White men.

If these devices are all the work of one person, it would appear that the person is not only targeting specific individuals, but is now targeting random persons as well.  This person is a true terrorist, and most likely NOT of "Middle-Eastern descent."  Of course time will tell if this terrorist is targeting specific persons (who happen to be Black), Black residents of a SPECIFIC section of the city, or if he or she is targeting anyone in Austin, indiscriminantly. 

I hope the police can put the evidence together pretty quickly, because whatever the motive, the fact is that there is a person placing improvised explosives in locations where people are finding them, and this person has no compunction for making devices powerful enough to kill. The bomb-maker has sufficient knowledge to create an explosive device which he or she can safely transport, yet which will explode upon being moved or opened by anyone who finds the device. 

Even more frightening, the latest device (which exploded last night) was triggered by a "tripwire" that was strung from a box beside a fence to a bench on a public sidewalk.  The victims unfortunately detonated the device when they inadvertently pulled the tripwire.  In that instance, it appeared that the bomber's "target" was simply whoever tripped the detonator first.  It happened to have been two men, but it could have just as easily been a child or children running by, or riding by on a bicycle. 

Hopefully people in Austin, particularly East Austin, will not open strange boxes, packages, backpacks, suitcases, or any other containers that simply "appear" at their doorsteps.  Since the bomber has changed detonation and placement methods, he or she might also send "mail bombs" as well.  So it pays to not open larger pieces of mail if the package looks suspicious, especially if you know you did not order something, therefore you are not expecting a large envelope or other large postal delivery.  The infamous Unabomber, for instance, used mail bombs to exact a fearsome toll on some of his victims.

Remember, in light of the events in Austin, if you are not expecting a delivery (you did not order something), and you find some kind of strange package on your porch or at your door step one morning, do not move, kick, or pick up the package.  If the package has a name or an address and it is not YOUR name or address, there is NO REASON to open the package.  Remember, at least two of the detonations in Austin happened when people moved the packages, either to take them inside the home, or to deliver the package to the "right person."  Do not take a chance - DO NOT MOVE THE PACKAGE!!!  Get everyone out of the house (by a different exit if possible) and meet the police at a safe location.

By the way, other than receiving a package you are not expecting, how do you know if a package is "suspicious."  First, again if you are not expecting a package, you are probably NOT going to receive a legitimate package.  So any package you are not expecting is suspicous, especially if the package is waiting for you as soon as you go out your door.  Another red flag is handwritten addressing, rather than printed lettering. A very LARGE red flag is the fact that there is no return address on the box or object.  The same is true for mail.  Handwritten wording on an envelope, coupled with no return address, should cause you to be instantly alarmed.  CALL THE POLICE - DO NOT OPEN THE ENVELOPE OR PACKAGE.

By the way, when calling the police to report the suspicious package, DO NOT STAND NEAR THE OBJECT.  You should already have evacuated everyone from your house and moved them at least a couple of hundred yards away.  And especially...DO NOT USE YOUR CELL PHONE WHILE STANDING NEAR THE PACKAGE!!  The electronic feedback from the telephone could detonate the explosive.

I know, you must be saying ...Good Grief!...this happened in Austin!  I live a hundred miles away.  Yes, I know, you don't think this could happen in your neighborhood.  Unfortunately this, like any other crime, can happen anywhere at anytime.  So if you see a suspicious package, do the safe thing and call the police.  They are paid to handle this very thing, and they are able to call in explosives experts to do the dangerous work.  But what if it is just a package of clothes my sister sent and did not tell me about it?  I will be embarrassed if I call the police and it ISN'T a bomb.

Nonsense!  Call the police.  As I said above, the police will have experts, or will summon expert assistance.  And, trust me on this, the Bomb Squad are aching to get to "dress up," to deploy, and to practice their technique in attempting to determine whether or not the package is an explosive, and in either disarming the device, transporting it out of the area, or detonating it if there is no way to safely transport the object.

The likelyhood of someone sending an explosive device to you, or placing such on your property, is slim to nearly none...BUT...those were the same odds for the victims of the Austin bomber, until he sent each of these persons a bomb.  So don't let the odds lull you into a false sense of security.  If you ever find such a package on your property or in your mail, don't decide that "oh, that's stupid...who would send me a bomb?  And the police will laugh at me if it is not a real bomb."  No one had ever sent a bomb to any of the Austin victims...until he did!

Again - List of RED FLAGS
1. A package mysteriously appears on your porch and you are not expecting it.
2. There is either no name or address on the package, or there is no RETURN information.
3. You receive a large mail item that has no return address.
4. You find ANY package, container, box, large envelope, etc., on your property.

Don't move, touch, kick the object, and don't use your cell phone near the object.  Get everyone (including yourself) out of your house and away from the object.  ONLY THEN would you call the police.

As for the bomb that was detonated via a trip wire, we can only be vigilant to a degree.  That method of detonation is so unusual in the United States that I can't really offer a red flag warning here.  The level of awareness needed to be watching for a tripwire 24/7 is unrealistic for most of us, and is unnecessary 99.9 percent of the time.

Stay safe and vigilant. 

May God bless all of you, and may God speed the capture of this new terrorist.

The Good Shepherd And A "Right" Day's Wage

Today the preacher based his sermon on a parable found in Matthew 22:1-16.  This parable is sometimes called "The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard."  The gist of the parable is that a landowner, or house master in some versions, who represents Jesus, the Good Shepherd, needs workers to harvest his grapes, that is to work in the vineyards.  Early one morning the landowner went to the village market place to hire day workers.  He found a group of men standing around, and after negotiating a little while, agreed to hire the men at the rate of one "denarius" for a day of labor.

Three hour later the landowner went to the market place again to find more workers.  Here is where I noticed something for the first time in all the years I have been reading this parable.  The landowner (Jesus) did not tell these new workers that he would pay them a denarius for their labor, but would pay them "whatever is right."  I have to admit that I have always thought the landowner promised the new workers a denarius even though their work day would be three hours shorter than that of the original workers.

Three more time the landowner returned to the market place and hired more workers.  By the time the landowner had hired the last group of workers, these last workers would only be able to work about one hour before the Hebrew "work day" was over.  And notice, too, that the landowner did not even talk about how much he would pay these workers (Matt. 20:7).

Now when it was time to pay the workers at the end of the day, the landowner called his steward and told him to assemble the workers and pay them, starting with the last workers hired.  This seems unusual, but the Good Shepherd has told us that when it is time for us to collect our heavenly reward,  "the first shall be last, and the last shall be first." See Matthew 19:30, Matthew 20:16, Mark 10:31, and Luke 13:30.

Having assembled all the workers, the steward paid the men who were hired last a denarius.  The men who had worked the full day were looking on and saw this, so they said to themselves that they would probably be paid more since they had worked much longer.  Not surprisingly these men were very angry when the steward paid them only one denarius!  They began grumbling among themselves until the landowner eventually confronted them.

The landowner asked the original workers why they were upset, after all, they had agreed to work the full day for one denarius, and the landowner had paid them in full.  Further, the landowner asked them if it was lawful for him to distribute his own money as he saw fit.  It WAS his money.  If he wanted to pay the other workers a denarius, was that not his own affair?  This situation is sort of reminiscent of the older brother's reaction when his younger brother, the "Prodigal Son" (Luke 15:11 and following verses) received a new robe, a golden ring, and a feast a la the "fatted calf."

The ways of the Good Shepherd are not our ways.  It does not seem fair, from a human standpoint, that the workers who worked only one hour or only three hours made the same wage as the workers who had worked a full twelve hours, the Hebrew workday.  But the Good Shepherd seeks workers (you and me) ceaselessly, just as the landowner continued seeking workers as long as the harvest was still on the vines. When a person becomes a Christian, whether early in his physical life, or later on in his years, the Good Shepherd will give us, as a reward, "what is right."

I, for one, am so glad that the Good Shepherd will grant me the same reward as someone who worked longer and harder than I did.  You see, the point is that no matter whether we "work" for the Good Shepherd a long time, or for not quite as long, the Good Shepherd will give us "what is right."  It is not that we have earned the reward, because nothing you or I can do will ever "earn" the reward, nor do you or I "deserve" a heavenly home.  It is the Good Shepherd's desire that we all come to Him, whether sooner or later, and He will grant us that home with Him.  That is why He died for us all.