Friday, March 25, 2011

My oh my, what a wonderful day!

Zippity doo dah, Zippity aye, My oh my what a wonderful day Plenty of sunshine coming my way, Zippity doo dah, Zippity aye. If you aren't able to put the tune to those words then I have a question for you. How have you been able to make it up to this very day, Friday, March 25, 2011? I forget sometimes that some of those who read my stuff may not have a clue about a little song written all the way back to the very year I was born, 1946. This is a rather famous nonsensical ditty from Walt Disney's "Song of the South". That little song actually won an academy award and you can find it from the movie on YouTube where nearly two million people have watched and listened to it. But most of you are likely familiar with it because for years it was a part of the Disney TV Show theme and it has also been used on many other shows. But, how in the world are you doing on this, for many, the end of the work week day? We are thanking God for a bit of good news from my brother where he has been up and walking a little. That's something he hasn't done since the first of the year. And, he seems to have a little better recollection. The folks in the hospital have said they are going to recommend him for the brain trauma treatment program at the same facility where Congresswoman Giffords is being treated. That would be huge if he could get into that program. However, he has been recommended before but the insurance company along with some of the doctors did not agree. We are being told the doctors this time are unanimous in their support. We ask you to pray that God will provide in this matter, whatever is His will, and whatever is best for Donald.

They say that capturing the attention of an audience when you are writing requires that you get started with an interesting character doing something interesting. That makes it pretty tough for me since I do write mostly about myself in terms of how I see the world and that kind of nixes the idea of an interesting character, and since I don't do too many interesting things, well, I suppose you can see why you get what you get when you tune in to this station or page, as it were. Of course life itself for each individual produces its own story line. When I started writing these blogs I used the line from Yogi Berra, "You can observe a lot just by watching." I suppose if I've had anything to contribute it is the observations I've made during my sojourn here on the planet. I believe I have been blessed to have been exposed to a life filled with tremendous variety, challenge, and a fair amount of drama as well. This doesn't make it very interesting to everyone because typically what we are drawn to and interested in will not be the same for us as the next fellow. Variety. That may well be the spice of life and given all the choices and experiences out there, surely each of us can find something to get our attention. One of the themes I have purposely pursued is the common need every person has, whether they recognize it or not. That would be the need to respond to the Creator by accepting His offer of salvation through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. That is the unity thread that I have attempted to weave in my daily dissertations. Bottom line, without coming to grips with this need, the rest, no matter how interesting, has no context except for the fleeting moment of this life.

The preceding paragraph came from somewhere. I've read it a couple of times and to tell the truth, I'm still trying to figure out what I was trying to say. But, it does have some appeal to me. Maybe it's the way the sentences fall out on the page, or the flow of disconnected thoughts, or the fact that I saw it walking by on the sidewalk of my mind and I reached out and grabbed it, and put it into today's edition. There are times when it turns out to be just what it is. Most people know that I am not an animal person. I have nothing against animals and I appreciate how special they are to those who have them in their homes. I peruse an online version of a German newspaper in English maybe three or four times a week. You may have heard about the sudden unexpected death of the famous polar bear named Knut. He was a star attraction at a zoo in Berlin. That polar bear has garnered more attention than the majority of people, even famous folks, when they pass on. It just seems to be a little much to me. I believe that God gave us the animal world and we should observe His guidelines in how we balance our interaction with it. But, obsessing over an animal does not meet that test, in my opinion. People leaving millions of dollars to their pet is not my idea of good stewardship. All our children have pets and that is okay with me but mounting an official state investigation into the death of a polar bear, which is what some are calling for, tells me there's something not only rotten in Denmark ( a reference to fish) but perhaps busted in Berlin. That story about Knut has a new wrinkle everyday and its still the most commented on, even with Japan, Libya, and all the other calamities in progress. The autopsy report which generated a new headline said it was a rare brain problem that took his life and there is now an ongoing raging debate about whether he should be stuffed for public viewing or not. Don't believe me? Do a Google search on Knut and see if it yields any results. (27,200,000 hits when I did it.) Context and balance does seem to be missing in all of this but that's the way I see it. You may see it differently and I am perfectly okay with that. Now I bid you farewell and send by best wishes for your Saturday and Lord's Day Sunday. May God bless one and all! Amen.              ......More later.

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