Anger

                                                                A Look at Anger

                                                  Not an exhaustive but a quick study

 

I saw a couple of ideas popped into my head (like they always do), and it was a podcast on how Jesus taught about anger. This reference is from the Sermon on the mount. Matthew 5;22 “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hellfire. But that crashed into another scripture, Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath. There is a lot to unpack there. I will unpack this first before I move forward from here.

            In Matthew, Jesus taught that being angry with one’s brother offers the danger of hellfire it goes on further to state to leave your gift at the altar, reconcile with your brother and then present the gift. There is much more there to study. The question of who is our brother comes to mind. I purposely skipped over a portion of the scripture. Starting at verse 22, “But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother (without a cause)shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in risk of hellfire. So, by the above statement, is there a cause for which anger is appropriate? The statement whosoever shall say to his brother Raca is defined as calling someone empty-headed, stupid, or an idiot. The same anger that will cause one to call someone a name is the same anger called upon to commit murder. We have numerous examples of name-calling that turn into murder. I have stated that human beings do not kill other human beings. People kill unflattering names that people are called, not a person. Because to invoke that level of hatred, the person in question is required to be dehumanized before killing them. Never in the history of ever has it been reported that the father of four was killed in a shootout with police. It is far likelier that the perpetrator, shooter, or escapee was killed. A person that throws around epithets like free candy is in grave danger.

            What then of the scripture that says to be angry and sin not. This indicates that anger is not the complete issue. If we are told not to sin while angry, it logically follows that there is a cause where anger is appropriate. I hate to admit this, but I used to have a terrible temper. During my service time, I received a stern reprimand about the issue more than once. I even went to anger counseling a couple of times. I now have an anger that is much slower to develop. Proverbs 15;1 states a soft answer turns away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. That still does not answer the question. How one can be angry and sin not. I believe anger and wrath are two different things (don’t quote me). Anger is the emotion, and wrath is the action. Actions are under our control. I could only use a few scripture references from the references that I read before starting this essay because that subject is well covered in the bible. Here are a few. Proverbs 14:29 “Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.”

     I have a story on this scripture that happened today. My middle grandson did not complete his tasks as assigned yesterday evening (I cook, they clean the kitchen); well, it wasn’t done. This young man has the tendency to complete a task poorly in the hope that someone will do it for him. My Chili was hot, but he had already caught the bus for school. I was ready to throw the book at him. I went to a doctor’s appointment and took the time to think about what I would say. I let him know that he will complete the task assigned daily, and I will inspect his work in the evening and let him know if he finished it successfully if (at a time of my choosing) I am satisfied, then the rotation of chores will resume. However, if he is less than successful, consequences will escalate until compliance is reached. That was the benefit of 3 hours going to and from the VA clinic in Columbus. My anger had faded. The key was time. That leads to the following scripture reference. Proverbs 16:32 “Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.” Proverbs 14;17 A man of quick temper acts foolishly, and a man of evil devices is hated.

            So, it is possible to be angry and sin not (because it says so), then I further take it to mean that time is the ice that cools the heat of anger. Don’t be quick to respond to an insult. That is more problematic in this age when the currency of likes. Clicks and views are so pervasive. We are being used daily by those in power, those that seek power, and the minions in between. I have an example during the last two summers (unpleasantness), 34+ people had met their demise at the hands of peaceful protestors. Over the previous 18 months or so, 9 people have met their end at the hands of law enforcement. But looking at the coverage, one would not believe it so. Someone somewhere is playing manipulative games with the emotions of 300 million-plus people for fun and profit. Romans 12:2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. The mind is the battlefield. It is where the fight is either won or lost.

 

 

 

                         The mind is the darkroom where negatives are developed.

 

            

Coffee Can save your bacon

                                                                               Coffee

Can save your bacon

There was a time when I was a knucklehead; I was not direct, I did not establish my don't ever do's. It was a time when I tried to appease. That lead to me appearing as soft needy, and weak. That also led to me being put into unflattering positions by people who would attempt to move me emotionally. (Details are for my Grandsons)

            Through all of this, I finally distilled all my wandering through trial and error to adopt this premise in seeking someone to spend one's life. BUY COFFEE. Substitute a nonalcoholic beverage of choice. The reasons are simple A. it is cheap. B, Since it's coffee and not an actual date, the other person will be responsible for their transportation to and from the venue. C is a time for you to ask questions, listen for the answers, and most importantly, assess the other individual's response and interaction to the environment around them. Note: this is not a date; it is an interview. This process is the first screening of an individual for the fundamental purpose of excluding (yes excluding) them from your life. This selection is more critical now than it ever has been. A cup of coffee has saved my bacon on more than one occasion. It has also been responsible for the direction of the life that I am living today.

            Once there was a 5'11' redhead during my wandering (during said knucklehead period); I met this person asked her out for a coffee. I waved and stood up to introduce myself and asked her to have a seat. The usual back and forth took place, and then the point of the issue came into play. She said (and I listened) to the story of fight after fight men stalking her, restraining orders, and baby daddy issues. I asked a simple question. I am so sorry that those things happened to you; I would like to know whether you attract drama, are your drama, or are you just unlucky. Those things are dangerous to one's life and happiness. I had a good friend that I told to call me at about 25 or 30 minutes into the coffee to ask what was up. This tactic was to provide a means of escape if I needed one. And I needed one badly. The call came, and I answered. Yeah, man, I'm sorry about that. Where are you now, and do you need me. (The person on the other end said nothing) ok ill be right there. I'm having coffee with a friend, but I will be there in about 15 minutes. I paid the bill eight bucks and got the heck out of there.

            There was a time when I made the mistake of taking a person to dinner that was an expensive lesson. This person went on a rant about issues of race and how men would not step up to the challenge of being men and date people of the same racial makeup. The term "kings" was thrown into the mix. When I asked the question directly, I stated that my first choice was for peace instead of a person's ethnicity. It went off the rails. With an expletive-ridden rant on how I was a sucker for wishing for peace instead of someone with similar physical attributes. That cost about $65 bucks for that lesson instead of the 8 dollars in the 1^st example. We said our goodbyes, and that was mercifully over.  

            There was an instance where the person seemed perfectly fine until we got into a restaurant situation. The person was demanding, rude, condescending. That was to the restaurant staff. If this was the best she would act, I was not staying around for me to be the subject of her wrath. I excused myself to go to the bathroom, found the waitress, got my order to go, paid the bill, and for a generous tip, asked the waitress to tell the lady that I had left and will not be contacting her ever again. I gave her a note and the paid bill that said that very thing. That information was cheap at twice the price. I left that person I met at the restaurant who passed the first interview with flying colors.

            That was my life from 2006 until 2012 when I met someone at a weight watchers meeting (the place where middle-aged men met middle-aged females in a safe environment). I met the person that I would eventually marry earlier, but she never called, and that was Kool with me because, at the point in my life in 2010-2011, I was not looking to convince anyone,as I was only accepting volunteers. I was in a situation that I started in a weak moment that had continued off and on for about four years. I grew tired of what I was doing and needed to change that. So when the phone rang in 2011, I was surprised to get a call from her.  

            We went to coffee at a McDonald's. We talked about stuff for about 3 hours, refilled the coffee as needed, and then went separate ways. We talked about everything, work, education, politics, and what was going on in our lives. I thought that was great. At least I had found a human being that was worth having extended conversations with. One night I received a call from her stating that she was driving home and got a flat tire about a block from my home. Good thing I was home doing absolutely nothing of importance, so I went. (There was a time in 2006 when at the lowest point in my self-inflicted ordeal, I prayed in earnest for another chance to be a father. I pretty much jacked up the previous attempts at being a father and husband; I had just lost a good friend that died peacefully in her sleep just before I was going to ask her to be my girlfriend. We had been friends for over a year, were both living alone, and I was her "significant brother," having the platonic relationship taking a turn for the serious just a week earlier.

After her passing, I went into a deep depression. In the first example, she was the friend on the other end of the call. She was my best friend, and I was about to end the negative situation I was in just before she passed and ask her for a more serious relationship .) driving to the location, I approached the car's rear quarter. I saw the flat. It was one of four bald tires that were threadbare. This one was just the first one to give up the ghost. Then I saw something that would change my life a car seat. Looking inside, I saw a young man that looked up at me in a weird way, and I thought, who is this?   I got angry at this point, turned, and asked, you have your grandson riding in a car running on 4 Maypops (tires that may pop at any time)? She was taken aback by my statement and said I know I need to get tires, but I'm trying to save the money. I then asked whether you had enough money for two tires. Because I can get the other two, you can pay me back later, which she did (stop being nasty. I know who you are.)  That kid in the back seat was the person that became my grandson (currently sleeping across the hall) and was joined by two others in the years that followed. Those other stories are for another time.   The point is that the stakes in 2022 are too high to get locked in with a person that does not value you as a person or sees you as a free meal or worse. Those individuals must be found and excluded from your life asap so you can find that person worth spending the rest of your life. Don't tell me that isn't possible because I saw it firsthand with my niece, who found a great guy and now is a happy family with two twin boys. This family took me in at that lowest time in my life and cared for me for about 30-60 days until I found an apartment where the rest of this story started. They are my sister from another mister and my brother from another mother.   It can be harder to find that person instead of finding a person to associate oneself with.

 

I was a Smoker (for one day in 1972)

      I WAS A SMOKER

       For one day in 1972

       Eugene Oliver Crawford died in 1976. He was 67 years old; as of the writing of this essay, I am 67 years old. My father suffered at least three heart attacks finally succumbed to a simultaneous heart attack and stroke. The interesting I absolutely knew the instant that dad left this life. I awoke from a sound sleep with the thought Dad had just died. The day I found the time of death to be the exact time I awakened.

        In 1972 I was sitting at 1366 East 59^th street Los Angeles California smoking a Newport. I was 17, my dad walked out on the porch and saw me smoking and asked, "What you doin BOY!" It was too late to attempt to hide the smoke from my dad. So, he continued. "Smoking ok smoking what son and asked for the smoke. At that point, he had stopped smoking for a couple of years. Looking down at the smoke, he laughed and said," Newport's, that kind of junk is that, if you are going to sit on the porch like a man, then you need to smoke a man's cigarette." Newport's? he said in disgust, shaking his head. 

            Well, son, let's take a walk to the corner to get a man's cigarette. No son, we are here to introduce you to a cigarette for men, and he grabbed a carton of Lucky Strikes. I was kind of excited because I would have my first official man's cigarette. We walked and talked to the liquor store on the corner where he stopped me from buying a carton (yes, a carton) of Newport's. Walking home, he still made me proud of becoming a man; what we would do together as men were beaming inside as my father was the most important person in my life. Before that, he bought me my first trombone, encouraged me to pursue music, and joined the LAPD Jr Band, then the Velvet Knights Drum and Bugle corps. When accepted to Cal State University Fullerton, Dad took a second job to pay for my room and board. (More on that later.)

            Lighting up, I did not know what was coming next, but I was about to find out. After inhaling the first drag, I knew something was wrong. I started coughing and felt suddenly ill trying to put the cigarette down. My dad said, "Not so fast, young man.. You wanted to be a man, so here you go" having the first cigarette behind me, he lit the second and handed it to me. SMOKE! Young man. So, I smoked the second cigarette. By the time I had finished the third cigarette, I was visibly ill. I was sick; if I could see myself, I would have had a greenish hue. I left to hurl in the flower bed at the front of the house. I walked back not to a man excited to have his first cigarette with his eldest son; I saw the stern taskmaster; he was not happy. He laid into me about his heart attacks and that I was going down a path that would not be good for me and never to pick up a cigarette again. He came down hard on me. he asked, who told you this was ok, who told you this was a good thing, is this what you are spending your money from part-time jobs? (I was at that time a Dishwasher at LAX working for HOST international at one of the many airport restaurants)

            Dad laid it on me heavily and told me to go back to my room. He had the phrase he said when I messed up badly and paid a physical price for my foolishness. "I would whip your ass until I gave out in mine, but you are suffering much better than you would if I beat your azz" He then turned on a dime and held me and said Well, son, we know better now, don't we. Taking the Lucky strikes next door and gives them to his father-in-law Bill. What's this? My grandfather asked, and dad said Oh, Manny bought them for you; he saw the partially opened pack, and I saw dad and my grandfather have a moment. Grandfather smiled at my dad and then me and said, "That's real thoughtful of you, boy" Shook Dad's hand smiled, took the carton, and went back into the house that was next door. Lesson learned. It should be noted that every time I receive a physical examination, I vividly remember this day and answer yes, but it was for one day in the summer of 1972.

            Four moments are indelible memories of my dad. The first was him giving me a popsicle that I dropped into the sand and encouraging me to wash under the faucet. It was a banana popsicle twin pop. I was about 3 or 4 after he saw me crying; he pulled the other half of the popsicle and told me to be careful this time. The second was him on the porch seeing me chased by three boys and running to the house. I was about nine years old. He stood by the door, not letting me in "what is this?" these boys want to fight, and mom told me under no circumstances should I get into fights, so I ran. Unmoving sad said, "if you run now, you will run for the rest of your life, and I don't appreciate that, so go out there and handle your problem. I said, dad Ill get in trouble!!! Then he gave me another one of his sayings, "Son, if you ain't in trouble with me, you ain't in trouble.

I walked outside the gate, looking to hurt someone. I felt like someone had turned loose. I beat all three boys, and I did not know my dad was standing near me as I felled the last person I was about to deliver the final blow, but my arm hung suspended in mid-air may dad had me by the wrist and said, "that's enough Boy" The third was when I moved into the dorms at CSUF, my dad was beaming. This was the same man that dropped out in the 8^th grade to work on his dad's farm. The man that taught himself to be a welder served in the 92nd division with the 3^rd Army in WWII, whose son was going to California State University Fullerton. The moment was almost missed when I saw him walking back to the car when the man I never saw openly wept seeing his son going to college. And the last memory was my dad in his Deacon blue suit looking at me getting married just a few months before he died.  

            It is a significant reason I am where I am today (literally) in Plain City, Ohio, being Papi for three boys requiring adult supervision. The eldest and I are communicating at a non-verbal level, approaching telepathic thought, and the others are getting there.   Most men I see in sports say hi, mom. Not me, it will always be Hi DAD. I will remember you always. When he became old, this child did not depart from your teaching; it just took a long detour to get here.

 

 

           

             

 

            

Husbands love your wives

 

This scripture is a commandment given to men in Ephesians 5:25. Which reads: Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself up for it. Some versions state" and gave his life for it." I have looked for a commandment for wives to love their husbands, but I have not found that reference yet. It does state that wives should be subject to their husbands, but there is a clue that I have found in verse 33. "Nevertheless, do ye also severally love each one his wife even as himself, and let the wife see that she fears her husband." The keyword in this passage is "see." In the Mariam Webster dictionary, one of the definitions of see is to perceive or become aware of, recognize or examine. I take this to be undeniably evident to the wife so that she can feel it is proper to fear, not meaning dread, fright, horror, or terror, but to revere one's husband. We men act more on logic and reason as opposed to feelings. (or should) feelings are not the area in which we are at our best. The scope of feelings is the realm where the female of the human species is more adept in operating. I know on several occasions that my espoused had pointed out something she noticed in the realm of feelings that have turned out to be accurate. Watching her do homework with the 7-year-old daily is a task that I am ill-suited to perform; however, it is right in the middle of her skillset.

 I retired to take care of her as she sometimes requires assistance with an ongoing chronic condition. I am becoming intimately aware of Ephesians 5:25, what did I give up? I was an IT guy for 19 years and could have continued in that career for a few more years, but I consider what I am doing now to be a calling, a duty to my family. Recently, I have prepared meals and been a mentor to the young men who have shown me gratitude for what I do daily. It is something that I have taken great pride in doing well. I do whatever is necessary.

A verse earlier tells wives to be subject to their husbands, as we are subject to Christ. That seems to be the opposite of the message of 21-century life. There is a secret in that passage, the thought that a husband and wife are a 100% functional unit. Nevertheless, to love each one his wife even as himself; let the wife see that she fears (respect, revers) her husband to take care of her and the family, which sometimes gets challenging. Having spent 39 years in the service of the United States, I have seen outstanding leaders, and I have seen leaders that were not worth the title. However, the ones that I remember and are inspired are the ones that I would follow no matter what.

            It is incumbent on us to be that leader that a person would willingly follow: this is a challenging situation as the dynamic is the same. Being a successful leader is a heavy responsibility and should not be taken lightly. We are all human, and we all have faults. The only perfect person was taken on trumped-up charges and crucified. There is a reason that the commandment is placed upon men and not women. Because being a loving leader is not in our nature. We want to be the dominant one in charge and let the chips fall where they may. Men are the ones that are given the duty to provide and protect, however being entities of free will, it does not turn out as intended. However, it does not negate the principle   It the nature of women to love and nurture. Telling a woman to love is somewhat redundant, as it is in the DNA of females to nurture and protect. One looks at nature to know that it is true. All manner of dangerous beasts is loving and kind to their own. All others need to keep their distance. By being that cohesive unit accountable to each other, we have the best vehicle for raising well-adjusted children. It has and does work with a less than optimal home situation. I'm not saying that is not the case. I am confident that the data backs up my contention that an intact nuclear family works better than the cases where an intact nuclear family is not present. I asked earlier, what did I give up? Proverbs 18:16 says, "A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men." I have talents (gifts) that my experience has granted me. I can develop those talents and skills for the benefit of my family, giving me greater satisfaction than the career that I "gave up." I am working on one of those gifts at this very moment. Ok, I hope this was a good representation of the 04:30 wake-up call to inspire me. 

Relatability

                                                                       Relatability

 

There are times in my local congregation that I feel this sense of distance. It would be because I am an introvert, but I do not believe so. In my congregation, a few groups of people differ in perspective. We have a diverse congregation: people from the Philippines, Indonesia, several countries in Africa, and various places in the United States, but that is not it. The difference is how we came to be in the same place spiritually. We have multi-generational Christians who can trace their backgrounds to a great grandparent (or farther back) in the faith. We have those who have taken that experience gone through bible school and ministry. It seems on the surface that the experience they had in coming to Christ differs from some of us that took longer and a more circuitous journey to realize that the life that we were living was not working and to make a change.

            Not to say anything negative about anyone’s experience, that is not the case. We all have things that make us unique that contribute to the body of Christ. At different stages of development, we each have a unique perspective on what it means to have gotten as far as we have to this point in time. That is how the church grows by relating our experiences to those in our circle of influence because of the understanding of what it takes to get into that position; however, others may not relate in the same way that I have. 

            I come from an IT background, the land of the one and zero. There are people that I know that at various times and the end of the proverbial rope and were four pounds of pressure from making a permanent solution to a temporary situation, but at that last minute, something occurred to take another chance or ask for another chance to make things different. People in these situations have something to offer those in similar situations because they have been there. We all have friends and family members that are reachable by us that others cannot reach. We have people that we shared ribs, salad, and even a beer in the past that we can relate to that no one else can. There are those of us who have seen horrible things from the cities we grew up in and on the battlefield in life and often literal battlefields that need to have someone who understands what it is like to be in those locations and situations. In relating an experience that I have had, I saw a glazed-over look as if the person in the church (and elder) had no understanding of the point that I was going to make concerning thought that my unique experience led me to. That thought was an IF-THEN statement and nesting statements in programming and how life operates.

            It is necessary to explain this concept. Life is a series of decisions that lead to an outcome that is variable based on the decision made. When a person gets cut off in traffic, it creates a decision point. Based on the decision made could lead to a variable outcome. One could ignore it, get angry, laugh it off, go into road rage, or anything in between. To ignore could lead to nothing in general, or getting angry could lead to bad decision making, and increased risk of an accident or road rage could lead to a dead-end of that line of existence. The almighty knows the outcome of every possible permutation and awaits how we will respond or not respond as in the final analysis; the choice is always ours.

            Some of our old friends are good friends, but for some reason, either a move promotion or some other factor has separated us from each other. The thought of going back occurs, but that ship has sailed, that particular timeline has closed, and there is no going back. One can try; however it is not the same because we are not the same time, location or situation has changed the pieces on the board so that the previous life cannot be reproduced. Those relationships offer lines of relatability to friends that, in essence, remain in that former timeline.

            The pull of the memories and people of a former life sometimes have a definite draw on the emotions. It should be understood recovering from a weekend bender with one’s besties is not the most profitable way to rekindle old friendships and old times. We should embrace the family that we have grown to love establishing bonds that move forward instead of returning to our friends where that danger exists. 

            There is a danger that exists in the opposite direction. Some in the church have no idea what it is like to go through the obstacles we have. The lack of a common frame of reference is a problem for some people that may not know what a person has overcome or is presently overcoming. We must extend grace to each other, bridging the gap between the worlds we have come from to the world where we are moving to focus on the goal. The understanding that Christ suffered the way we all suffer up to and including death. He did that to relate to us. We who have had experiences should know that experience was not just for us but for those we will relate to in our conduct in the world.  

             When I was at that crossroads, I asked for something that took six years to appear, and when it did appear, I knew what that was. I asked for it directly at my lowest point in life. It became my life’s mission to accomplish. I live every day knowing that every word that I say makes me accountable to that promise, and it was tough at first but is much easier now. Being a mentor is one of the most rewarding things that I do. I know what it is, my calling. 

Grace

                                                                         Grace

It what is missing

I have thought long and hard about this. I came upon a situation where grace was nonexistent. I came across a situation where I was faced with what I perceived as self-righteous indignation and sloganeering instead of talking to me directly about a slight that I would have immediately apologized for and not ever repeated. After that event, I was torn because I had several options laid out in my mind. It was made complex as it was one of the people I love the most on planet earth. My traditional motifs Operandi is to immediately cut the person off, fade into the background, and ghost them entirely, as I have done many times in my life. I have done this without hesitation, with the only variable being the time I allowed myself to calm down. I have done this to lovers, close friends, and family members. For an unforgiven action in the 1980s, I would not speak to my younger brother for approximately 15 years. This situation was the disposition of my parent's home that went back to the bank for a minor loan that my brother took on the house in the 1990s. I was contacted too late to make the late payments, and the place was lost. The incident that caused my virtual disappearance was how the money was used. I'll say it was a legal issue that eventually led to my brother's incarceration. We repaired our relationship shortly before his death in 2002. This situation is more complicated because, after a terrible car accident in 1987, I was left a widower with a small child. That child remains the light of my life, and regardless of where she presently is, I remain proud of what she has become. I did not do her any favors with my subsequent choices afterward, leaving her in the care of a woman that mentally abused her. I just stood there, not knowing what to do. I did this more than once. Even then, she was the voice of reason that led to the ending of my downward spiral. Her words to me that afternoon years later I remember as if it was yesterday. "Dad, if you keep going the way you are going, the only person that will love you in your old age is me" I knew that was true as I was running roughshod through the population in a revenge vendetta. I was being unkind and out only for myself. All that changed when I met my current spouse. I have asked for another chance to be a dad, and I found that chance with her grandson. He was in a car seat in the back of her car when I came to assist with a flat tire. That was 12 years ago, and I now have three grandsons that call me Papi from that one daughter. That leads me to the day most recently when I jest offended her sensibilities, which led to a monologue that stated her feelings about what I said and tied it together with the malaise that is prevalent in the social dialogue of today. My first thought was to think, Ok, if that's how I will be this political adversary, so be it, I will love you always, but I don't have to be around that kind of rhetoric if I do not want to. You have made it to adulthood. You have talent, and drive; my presence in your life is no longer necessary for you. I'll miss you, but I understand. That was my first thought. Giving it a couple of days, it settled into I will never speak to her in that way again. I will keep it formal and avoid any topic of conversation that will lead to complicated feelings. I was guilty of the same thing that I was holding over the heads of others; I was not giving grace. Grace is a unique thing. It cannot be demanded, for it is a gift provided without any expectation of return. So, it's only my place to give grace, which I am doing now in retrospect. If I receive grace, it is not my issue; it is my issue to provide grace. That is what I have agonized over the last couple of days. Having to sidestep my pride, quash my anger and recognize that this person I love is worthy of that love and more. She is why I can write an essay about personal grace coming from a place where I continue to receive abundant amounts just to be stingy with it when it was my turn to give it. I am ashamed and will pray to receive forgiveness for my shortsightedness. 

Grandson conversations

                                                       Grandson conversations.

 

Today's talk was interesting. It took place in the drive up to drop my grandson at school.

"Papi, how do you know you are about to run out of gas?" "Well, son, there is a part on the dashboard that shows me that." At that point, the line had stopped for the busses to leave the parking lot, so I had about a minute. Putting the car in park, I let him get in the front seat, as we were no longer on the road, but in the school's parking lot. It was just in time as the line started to move again. I asked my grandson to look at the dashboard at the next stop. "What do you see? He said he sees E and F with a line this pointing to E. what do they mean? Grandson answered F means it is full, and what does E mean? Pausing a few seconds, he says EXPLODE; no son, it means something else, so if you have a glass of water and the water is to the top of the glass to the point of it spilling, is what? He said it is full; ok then if you throw it away at that point, I took My cup of hot tea and pretended to throw it out, seeing that I had already finished. I asked then, what about now? He paused and thought once again. So, I said would it be empty? YEA empty, the grandson replied. It also has a light that indicates that it is very low, and it is possible to run out of gas within a few miles. He understood then. He is looking for a complex answer and not choosing the easy ones, but that is a guess. My wife showed me the note on his report card where he struggles with using a singing voice instead of just shouting. (I so want to see that) Well, I might not teach the world to sing; however, one seven-year will discuss that with me shortly.