Quote from the book A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, a changed Ebenezer Scrooge speaking, “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!”

Mr. Bentley's thanks everyone for reading his blog.

Today I pause to mark day number 5 since she left me. But, after all, who's counting anyway? It is Friday, July 19, 2019, and I am in preservation mode. Keep everything out of the ditches and whatever happens, don't let any of the plants die. I well remember how God sent a worm to chew up the vine the Prophet Jonah was resting under. (Jonah Chapter 4) Let's hope we don't get one of those around here. That is, unless and until she gets back. I think Mr. Bentley knows she is gone. He is pretty smart. The other afternoon he finally appreciated the fact that he was tired. He had played with several of the grandkids for quite a spell and was ready for a nap. He sometimes sleeps on the couch. Or, we've recently pulled up the blinds about a foot on the sliding glass door so he can see out, and, he likes to nap there as well. This day he decided he would prefer to get away from it all. He would run towards our room and then run back to me. He did that a couple of times before I caught on. He wanted inside our bedroom so he could retreat to his sleeping quarters, (his kennel). We have to keep the door closed because our little mountain goat dog will be up on the bed rearranging the pillows in a heartbeat. I opened the door for him and he trotted over to his kennel and went in and gave me that look that said, you can go now. You know what I am talking about. The 'I no longer require your services' look. I'm beginning to understand the upside of living a 'dog's life'.

Lord willing, we will be comprising our roles as Santa and Mrs. Claus, the summer version, at the end of next week. As I was looking back from July of 2007 I came across this one. I thought it to be a fairly decent piece of work. Enjoy.

Extra Work I've Never Regretted! ~ In the fall of 1966, I found myself at times working three different jobs. During the week each day I worked in hospital administration at the VA Hospital, in the evenings and on Saturdays I worked for a Gibson’s Discount Store, a forerunner of the Wal-Mart model, and when I could and they needed me I worked late nights for the hotel operations at the local US Air Force Base. Three jobs at the same time? Yeah, but at twenty years of age, it didn’t seem that taxing. One of the primary reasons I worked the extra jobs was to provide for our Christmas and buy gifts for others. I know different people have different traditions about celebrating Christmas. We always reverenced the Reason for the Season but enjoyed Santa and the gift-giving celebration as well. This was my tradition growing up. Growing up in a Baptist pastor’s home, my wife’s family were much more modest in their approach but she graciously adapted and adopted much of what I had practiced growing up. I know to some there’s a disconnect between honoring the Savior and doing the Santa thing as well. Each one needs to be convicted in their own heart regarding this issue and I never try to persuade anyone that my way is best.

I will never know how my Mom did what she did but somehow and in some way, she was able as a widow with six children to make Christmas a blow-out experience nearly every year. I’m talking about the wake up on Christmas morning with toys under the tree all ready to go for each and every child. Add to that the feasting, the fellowship, the love, warmth, and joy of the season and it was something we began to anticipate months before the actual celebration. By the time Christmas day arrived the Sears Christmas Catalog was nothing but shreds because it had been thumbed through and drooled on for months. I’ll never forget one Christmas I received a Canadian Mountie pistol set with the holster, shoulder strap, and long-barrelled revolver. With this set, I could be Sergeant Preston all day long and round up bandits and renegades to my heart’s content. However, my older brother and our first cousin convinced me that if I would put a firecracker in the barrel, it would make it very realistic. I did and once it exploded half of the barrel flew off and I cried for days because of my damaged favorite toy. I’m sure it was glued, taped, and tied back on but it was never the same again.

The Christmas of 1966 was memorable. I had put a number of items in layaway and then worked the extra hours to pay for it all. Our eldest had just turned one in October so you know he needed a full train set. He also needed a huge jumping horse which would put those out in front of Wal-Mart to shame. I can’t remember but I think it was several years later before he could even ride it by himself. I do remember well putting that sucker together. I was doing my best to go by the instructions which included some leather grommets that were supposed to cover the metal connecting ends. You were supposed to soak them and then sweat and slide them to their proper place. It turned out to be an all-night sweat the grommet program and I carried four blisters on each hand for the next two weeks. I was more excited, however, about a gift I had bought for my granddad. He loved to hunt and enjoyed his fried squirrel but it had gotten to where he could not see or hear that well and most of the time he came home empty-handed. And let me tell you, Granny Mac could deep fry that squirrel and put on a meal that was nothing short of wonderful. Therefore, I had purchased him a goose gun, a 12 gauge shotgun, bolt action, with a 36” barrel. I reasoned that with this long gun he would have more luck hitting a squirrel high up in the trees.

I’ll never forget him opening that shotgun. He looked at it and with that gleam in his eye said, “Well son, all I need is their name and address because when I get to their tree I’ll just reach up there and knock them down”. Do I remember any of the sleep I lost during my three job stint? Do I remember how really tired I was? Nope. Occasionally when I open my closet and see that shotgun leaning in the corner I can see the look on Paw Paw Mac’s face the day he got that gun. Now that’s a memory worth keeping! ~

Ah, the spirit of Christmas and a heart of giving. It's hard to improve on that. After all, that holiday is to celebrate God's Gift to us all, His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Okay. See you next time, and may God add His blessings as we continue our journey. Amen. ....More later.