I Don't Make This Stuff Up!

Before I handle today’s subject I want to wish a happy birthday to our baby boy, Rodney, who turns 37 today! God has been good to us and we are thankful as we observe his growth and development in his personal life, his spiritual life, and in leading his family, not to mention the joys of knowing his sweet wife, Mitzi, and our precious grandchildren, Kyleigh, Lexie, and Brady, (Bray-Bray). We had a huge combination family celebration and eatin’-meetin’ last Sunday to honor him and our 2nd eldest granddaughter, Brittany, who became a 17 year old last Thursday. She’s our eldest son’s second offspring and she’s a wonderful young lady and we know God has a great plan for her life. How blessed we are!

If you read my blog yesterday you might have thought I was exaggerating this idea of being able to identify with people literally all over the world. I wouldn’t blame anyone for thinking this, therefore, I determined to do a test and check out my own recollection of what I had written about. I took maybe forty-five minutes and slogged through some random hits on a variety of blogs across the world and I thought the results were pretty amazing.

This first photo is of a family in Madrid, Spain. Their blog is all about their family. There may be 200 or more photographs on their site and one thing is very clear, these folks love their family, and especially their grandchildren. My wife and I would no doubt have trouble communicating with these people unless they can speak English but having looked at their photos, we would have no trouble whatsoever in talking to them in the international language of love known as ‘grandparent-ese’.

Here’s a photo of a father and daughter from Japan. Notice the little girl is wearing a shirt with Florida on it. What you want to bet they, like so many winning sports figures, have been to Disney World? Next is a shot of a mother and daughter on a toboggan on a snowy hillside in Greece. Their blog is devoted to any and all things pertaining to this beautiful bundle of joy who is all bundled up to play in the snow.

I like this photo from France. The seven-year old girl standing by her friend had come to visit her because she was ill. The next shot is of some girls from Goshen Baptist Church in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Kids are pretty much the same the world over and it reminds us that they make lasting friendships and enjoy getting together and having a good time.

This is a Polish mom with a little one taking a nap. That’s where all babies feel comfortable as they not only snuggle but feel the love from the one who brought them into the world. These next two came from a Russian blog and I had to laugh at the goats. The shot is obviously staged but it brought a smile to me. The cars on the barge with the fellow on his cell phone could best describe someone who is already having a really bad day. Bad days are also a universal condition that all people have to deal with.

Please don’t tell me there are scrapbook fanatics in France! But, alas, I suppose there are and here’s one of the many examples of their work as displayed on their blog. Under the heading of a picture really is worth a thousand words, this next shot from Italy caught my attention. I'm not saying it would end up on my refrigerator but something about it appeals to me. It may not say anything to you but that’s because we all perceive stuff differently.

We may not be able to speak German but we can tell that no weapons are allowed at this airport near Berlin. The rooster is from a farm in Germany and it made me wonder if he sounds his morning alarm in a German version of cockle doodle do. Okay, I’m not quite that dense but I like the photo so I picked it out of several on a blog about this farm.

I told you I love the photos of children. Here’s one from Israel of a little one studying the TORAH. It is said that in ancient days most Jewish boys could recite the first five books of the Bible from memory. It was part of their training and wasn’t thought of as difficult or strange because it was embedded in their daily living. Finally, I love this one of Sadie. Sadie is the daughter of Brandi from Rigby, Idaho, a town of less than 4,000 people. Brandi says in her profile that she always wished growing up that her name could have been Michelle. The title of her blog is: ‘One day I’ll look back at this and laugh……’ She says that Sadie is committed to being an entertainer one day. Sadie gets up early to practice her performances and Brandi figures she will be ready for American Idol in 2023.

So there you have it. Forty-five minutes of random bouncing around on the worldwide super highway and you can see the results. Like I said yesterday, I not only see but feel a sincere connection to the common thread that binds us all together. Every day develops its own script. Maybe a sick friend, or a barge that tilts over on its side, or a wonderful day just to enjoy God’s creation and the family we love. Yet, at the same time I also know we all need to have a relationship with our Creator that comes from knowing His Son, and I do pray that all the folks in the photos I’ve shared have been introduced to Him! I had to complete this exercise so you wouldn’t think I was just pulling your leg. (According to Word Detective, there’s many ideas about the origin of this phrase including one involving the hanging of people but it goes on to state that "to pull one's leg" more likely referred to a thief's way of disorienting a victim. The criminal would simply trip victims before robbing them. Over time, the expression's meaning evolved. Today, of course, it's just another way of saying, "Hey, I was only kidding.”) Nothing like learning a factoid to help make your day. May God bless and please say a prayer for my mom who will be having a heart procedure this morning at 7 a.m. See you next time. …..More later.