I'll Let Her Tell The Story

Auctions provide the student of human nature with amazing insights to the inner workings of people's minds. One week ago last Saturday Cheryl had "inside" information concerning a local sale being held by the sons of an elderly lady of our community. Now in her octagenarian years she was an inveterate collector of all things collectible and many not. I agreed to accompany her and suggested that we ride our bicycles(my thought being that we couldn't possibly purchase anything if there was no way to transport it), silly me. It proceeded to rain(oh, the best time to be at an auction is when it rains 'cause everybody goes home and you can get boxes of things for a buck), she found a girlfriend with a van, I was dispatched to the house to get my car and 23 boxes of "stuff" later it's history. I assumed there must be treasure in her recent aquisitions and in the process of seeking it I found the print you see below. Dark brown at the edges in a frame at least as old as the lady who collected it was this picture of a girl driving a single horse buggy. She wasn't really very visible so I removed her from the frame and began processing the print with my computer tools. This was the first time I had attempted an undertaking such as this, and discovered that the same techniques that are applied to ancient manuscript studies apply to projects sucn as retrieving a lost image. It took about six hours and a proper amount of frustration, but there she was, "Yesterday's Lady," looking as close as I could get her to the manner in which she may have appeared originally. She's been sitting in a file waiting for the right time to be shared. How often I ponder, have I run across people much in the same state as she was when I found her? Those who are dirty, tattered, browned around the edges, wet on by the world and barely discernible to the eye(there must be a hundred or more ways to describe people that, at first glance appear to have little worth), and yet, beneath the surface of each there is another creation of God, replete with facets capable of dazzling the eye and inspiring the imagination. I guess the task, then, is one of searching out the image beneath the surface. We can love them the way they are, and leave them in the box, or we can enter in to discover how truly beautiful each one is, a unique creation to be admired for what they were, what they are, and what they will become when exposed to the light of God's love. Preacher.

From A Forgotten Box Of Framed Artwork She Emerged From Years Of Neglect. 

This is the first card I received on Father's Day, I send it out to share with you.  

I Just Had To Put These Out Here For You To See, In Case You Weren't Sure About The Color For The Hotrod. 

Dad Is There, On A Wing And A Prayer. We Can Learn Much From The Animal's Families. 

Less Celebrated But No Less Deserving

My personal, adorable darling, Cheryl, brought me a bouquet of one dozen yellow roses this morning! They bring a smile to my countenance inside and out. They're a beautiful shade of yellow(not that I am particularly fond of yellow)running toward a sort of sunshiny shade of banana. I've seen cars this color, and motorcycles, but I never have fully understood, other than it's a great color to use for lettering a bright green tractor, why people use this shade on vehicles. The roses literally jump off the counter shouting, "Look at us, we're bright and cheery, and you should be, too!" I will be in about 45 minutes and a couple more cups of deep, dark, liquid encouragement, coffee! I suppose, about now, mom's everywhere are getting the children ready for services to celebrate dad's special day. Mother's day is the second biggest day of the year for the giving of flowers, outsold in the retail realm only by Valentine's Day. Father's Day is more a type of "sleeper" when it comes to festive celebration, which is what a lot of dads(including me), would prefer to be doing this morning. If not for the advertising campaigns designed to spur yet another "sales" event, we might miss this one entirely on our male "holiday radar." I don't know the history of how we got a "special" day all for ourselves, but I have a hunch it was thought up by a sales exec with some greeting card company. If I sound cynical, please forgive me, I guess that it has to do with the world we are a part of. In my heart of hearts I really don't think the world cares what we celebrate as long as there is some reason to spur sales. That was the impression I got wandering the aisles of the new Super Wal Mart at midnight Friday. I don't often go there, but needed marshmallows and graham crackers to make smores. I ran into a young couple I married with their two week old baby boy. I got to hold him and congratulate both of the brand new parents. Now, there is the reason for celebrating this day, that glow of pride that comes with having brought a beautiful new life into the world, along with all of the responsibilities that accompany being, "DAD." Today in the churches across our country we will listen to sermons that celebrate the "Fatherhood of God," and that will be the main theme, followed by how our job as dads should be on a par with how God parents all of us. Most of them will carry the message to the people with elements that are earmarks of the social gospel which is so dominant these days, and that's okay, but if it leaves you with an emptiness, remember, how empty we are is in direct proportion to how filled we are willing to be! This is where the flowers enter in! Think of all of your children, and your father's children, and his father's children as the flowers grown in the garden of lives measured only in love that transcends all other emotions. I'm beginning to really like the yellow roses! Maybe that isn't such a bad color for a vehicle, like say a vintage hot rod, 1936 Ford, big v-8, fenders off, with a boom box big enough to rattle the neigbors windows built into the rumble seat area. Maybe with some flames extending down the doors, and lakers on the sides! Not a bad thought. I think I like it. Now, where did I put that new tie? Happy Father's Day......God bless, Preacher.

Sunday Has Arrived, Time To Head Out To Church With Your Precious Cargo!