A day full of Thanksgiving! – Part Two

As we mentioned before, we realize how blessed we truly are, especially when it comes to family. But our Thanksgiving day actually started out with what we consider our extended family, our Epworth family. Some how, and I say some how because I think it occurred through several different relationships and conversations, but some how, the Epworth kids had the joy of celebrating Thanksgiving with the University of South Carolina Football Team. That’s right, the entire team came to Epworth and had lunch with the kids. I wish everyone could have experienced it. To see the kids all excited and to see the players, in a completely different light, having fun with the kids and with each other was really great. Every child received a USC hat and then with some help from the staff, the autographs began. I am sure the players’ fingers are sore after signing their name nearly 75 times. It was not like the kids were just excited about getting their signatures, but more than that the players were there to see them, spending time with them. In fact, the autographs continued long after the players left, as the kids were literally signing each other by the end of the event. Coach Spurrier came and talked to the kids. He made sure that he made his way around and tried to speak with nearly every single kid personally. He could have been doing a million different things on Thanksgiving, namely spending it with his family, but he didn’t. He took time to come and to give back, to be with some kids who for a variety of reasons could not or were not with their families on Thanksgiving. He told them that they needed to be their best. And not just the best football player or actress, but the best in all that they did. It was definitely a different way to spend part of Thanksgiving.

A day full of Thanksgiving! – Part One

Our Thanksgiving this year was so full, both literally and physically, that we have to divide it into two parts. The first thing and most important thing that we are thankful for is our family. We have been so fortunate and blessed in our life as a couple never to have to divide our time during Thanksgiving. With our families living so close to each other, about an hour drive, we have been able to have a huge gathering, with both of our families present. This year was different, only in that we meet at our house, instead of Augusta, as we have the previous three years. Megan cannot exactly be jumping in the car and driving to terribly far right now, for obvious reasons. So no, no baby yet.

But we are aware, that our holiday tradition of a joint family is very, very rare. Almost every couple we know has to divide their time between families in some way. But not us. We get to be different. Our families get together, and actually enjoy being together. We are SO THANKFUL for that. It’s kind of overwhelming. So tonight, we joined together to share a meal, wonderful conversation and a ton of laughter with both of our parents and all three of our siblings. Megan’s sister even brought her Nintendo Wii so that we could play games together. You should have seen our parents laughing together during a game of bowling, all in the comfort of our living room. The mom’s finished first and second by the way.

We are so thankful to be bringing a child into this wonderful world that we are so blessed to be living in. I cannot even imagine how much fun next Thanksgiving will be when Isaac is around one year old, running around like a crazy kid, being loved by both sets of grandparents, both aunts and an uncle. We thank God for the blessing of family and we thank our families for being so great. We love you!

Getting closer

Another day, another doctor's appointment. Megan is doing great. Doc says she is 3 cm and 80% effaced. If we need to explain either of those numbers to you, don't bother asking, just know that they are good. Doc says we should make it through Thanksgiving, but not much longer than that. Thanks for the prayers!

Life in Pictures

Here are some current pictures of where we are right now...baby's room and Megan.

No 'guts', no glory

With the countdown at a little over three weeks, we have begun to panic a little bit about getting the house ready for Isaac’s arrival. With Megan being gone, doing some extremely high-level church business, I have used the last two days to do some much needed work around the house. One of the things I have done involves our toilet upstairs. Because we are using cloth diapers (49 million diapers are thrown away A DAY in the United States), we have this handy dandy sprayer that connects to the water line that leads into the toilet. The idea is you spray the diaper off into the toilet, which is supposedly less messy. The verdict is still out about that. Anyways, to install the sprayer, I had to shut off the water and take out a part and then install another part. In the process, mainly because the toilet seems to be the original when the house was built sixty years ago, I managed to break off a key part. To a lesser man, a phone call to a plumber would have followed. But not me. Call it pride if you will, I was determined to do this on my own. After a trip to a store (which I will comment on in a second), I had to parts needed to change the ‘guts’ out in my toilet. After some blood and sweat, I did it. Now, I am not one to talk a big game about much and I am definitely not one of those macho guys, but there isn’t much more ‘manly’ than changing the ‘guts’ out in a toilet. Insert Tim Allen’s macho grunt from Home Improvement, HUH, HUH, HUH!

As I said, I had to go to a store to get the needed supplies. I went to one of those large home improvement chain stores. Needing a couple of other things, I wandered around that stupid store for about an hour, looking lost all the while. When I finally did suck it up and asked for help, my question about another home improvement issue, was met with the response, “Can I special order that for you?” When I said no, the lady curtly told me that I would have to find the department specialist, that she couldn’t help me. Nice, gotta love that. Sooner or later, I found what I was looking for without anyone’s help. When I got home, I had another problem. Instead of going back to the big store mentioned above, I decided to go down the street, to the local ‘mom and pop’ hardware store. I was greeted by the usual folks, both of which asked, “What can we do for you?” Now, normally that question intimidates me because I really don’t know what I need, just that I need help. But here, the question wasn’t intimidating at all. I simply explained my problem and they went about getting me exactly what I needed to fix it. A very inexpensive solution, I might add. A great lesson in life about the fact that bigger is seldom better and personal service goes a very long way.

This reminded me of one of Megan’s favorite songs by David Wilcox called East Asheville Hardware. Check it out sometimes. It’s great. Here are the lyrics:

An angel appeared in a holy vision
Stood by my bedside in shivering light
Spoke my name Told me my mission
I could not believe I was hearing him right
Because he said, 'Go, my son, go...

Always go to East Asheville Hardware
Before you go to Lowe's

He said, "Go to East Asheville Hardware
Before you go to Lowe's

You'll help to keep them open
I'm worried they might close
From the stiff competition
From the national conglomerate
With the full page ad
in the color section of the Sunday paper supplement
and stacks of plastic swimming pools
and seven brands of power tools
and rows and rows of registers
all having nice days

But no, you go, he said to me with light around his face
He said, You go first to that age-old place
To that old wooden door that you have to close behind you
To the wide-board wooden floor worn down soft

To the real thing
Good advice, quality at a fair price
And know that they know how deep the frost goes here.

Sure there's stuff you'll have to find at Paty's, Lowe's or Sears

But go to East Asheville Hardware
Go to East Asheville Hardware
Before it disappears.

Letter to my unborn son

Dear Isaac,
You are being born into a crazy world, my son. Last night was historic, for many different reasons. The most obvious is the fact that our country has stepped out of its own shadows and elected it first African-American president. Many thought they would never see this day, both white and black alike. But it has come. And it is only the beginning. Our country, our world as we know it, is consumed with very divisive feelings. Everyone seems to have their own opinion about things, and very few are scared to share them. Our country is engaged in two wars, Iraq and Afghanistan. We seem to be at war with the economic structure and ways in which to preserve the environment as well. We are at war with each other over other issues, like abortion and gay marriage, hot-button ‘moral’ issues as they are called. There are strong arms on both sides of these battles. But there are many of us who find ourselves in the middle of all these struggles. It seems that we in the middle have had enough of the tension, being pulled back and forth between the right and the left, and have finally found our voice. Whites and blacks, young and old, came out in record numbers yesterday and declared in a loud voice, “Things have to change”. This will not be easy and it will not be overnight. The change we seek does not reside in the policies and practices of one man or one party. Instead, they are the very ideals of all people, all created in the image of God, coming together for the future of this nation and our world. The Psalmist warns, “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal souls, who cannot save.” God alone saves. So we put our trust and our hope in God, praying that whatever may come from this time, above all else we know that God is still in control. Never before have I personally felt as hopeful to see change coming than I am today. With God’s help, God’s people, in many different shapes, sizes, colors and creeds, are moving out of the long-forgotten center and onto center stage. I promise to do all I can to work with others to improve this world, living the life demonstrated by my Savior, Jesus Christ, loving God, my neighbor and all creation, so that you will never have to live in fear, so you can live the life that God intends for you to live, no matter what that looks like. While the world is crazy, it is the world that God created, the world that above all else God still rules. May you see the joy of your future, exactly how God intends it to be. You are truly blessed, my son, welcome to this world. Love, Dad.

I'm just not that important!

Two nights ago, as I was getting ready to get in bed, I realized that I had left my phone downstairs. I was faced with a choice. Either I could run down and get it and return it to its night-time location, on the nightstand next to my bed in case there is ever an emergency, plugged in so that it charges for the next day. Or I could just leave it and get it on my way out the next morning. Deep inside of me, I had this fear. This would be the one night that I didn’t have it and someone would call, needing me in the middle of the night and I wouldn’t be there to hear it ring. I bring this up, as sort of a confession and cleansing, as well as a plea to others. I think I am way more important than I really am, as if the world hinges on my availability and my ability to pick up the phone at a moment’s notice. I am not that important. Things are not that important.

I say this, because this brings up a larger issue. I am tired of hearing phones ring in meetings, gathering and especially in worship services. Now, let me preface this next statement by saying, we all make mistakes and forget to turn our phones off. I’ve done it, once or twice. Everyone has done it a time or two. I can forgive that. But what gets my goat is the fact that people constantly come into meetings, gatherings, even worship services and do not turn their phones off or put them on silence/vibrate. And if that is not enough, when the phone rings, they fail to immediately silence it. Normally what happens is the phone rings, they don’t realize it is their phone. Then when the shock wears off, they pull it out and look at it, trying to figure out who is calling. Then they answer it, while running out of the room, trying not to be rude. Oops. The damage has already been done. Why run out? You’ve already distracted everyone around. Listen, in all seriousness, if we as people are intelligent enough to own a phone, we better know how to operate it, meaning turn the ringer off immediately when it rings, or better yet, put it on silence or vibrate to begin with. If one does not know how to do that, then maybe one would be better served not owning a phone at all. Besides, are things ever really that important? I say this, and for the next five weeks I will be a slave to my phone, especially when my wife calls, for obvious reasons. But that is different. The day to day routine of life is never really as important as we think it is. When we go to meet with people, let’s do something revolutionary and actually meet with them, in a real, relational sort of way. Let’s put the noise of the rest of our lives aside and be fully present with them, giving them our undivided attention. Let’s make them as important as God intended them to be. Remember that whole, “Love God and your neighbor” thing? It has to start somewhere, right?

By the way, two nights ago, I ran downstairs and got my phone. Like I said, this is more of a confession than anything else. Maybe next time, I’ll just go to bed, realizing that the world will continue to turn, no matter where my phone is located. I’m just not that important.