Trolls and Tables

If there is one thing I can't stand, it's regret. It's hideous. Picture a troll, with pink hair and a gargoyle face, camping under a bridge and eating innocent goats. That is regret. The best way to avoid the troll is to avoid the bridge that harbors the troll, but if you are oblivious to the danger under the bridge, you will unknowingly attempt to cross it and get eaten- because as we all know, and in keeping with my little analogy, regret eats you up.

I had 4 precious months of TIME. Time to read, work, go out for coffee, camp out under the stars, study the catechism, stay active, visit my grandparents, visit my friends, and stay on top of my academic game. My time is almost up, and I wish I had done a lot more of everything. I definitely didn't read enough.

I realize that's a pretty pathetic list for such an extreme analogy, rather mild regrets, but they are regrets nonetheless. The thing about these regrets is that you can't do a thing to change the fact that you were just too lazy to 'get 'er done'. Time doesn't go backwards. How I've used my time was my call, a conscious decision, and now I have to live with it. Now I have to share my space with an ugly mutant with pink hair until I can figure out a way to get past him.... oh man.

On a different note, the minister this afternoon stated that allowing your child to partake of Lord's Supper would be like feeding your infant poison. He was quoting John Calvin. I know the URC is pro guarding the Lord's table, but let's think about this. Both sacraments are intended to be used by God's covenant children in an effort to draw together the body of believers in the name of Christ. Baptism is a sign of the washing away of our sins, and God's faithfulness to his children. The Lord's Supper is meant to be a reminder and celebration of Christ's death and resurrection- enabling us to have eternal life. I would like to know how the church is able to discern who can and cannot partake. Considering that the Lord's Supper has replaced the Old Testament celebration of the Passover, I am inclined to believe that similarly, it should be the job of the parents to educate and prepare their child for the table as was the custom in those days. My concern with the URC in this respect is that there is a danger of testing the genuity of one's faith by some sort of knowledge gage. We learn at home and church, take catechism classes, profess our faith, and thereby gain access to the Table. If this is the case, what did Christ mean when He said, " Let the little children come to me" and when the disciples tried to prevent it, He reprimanded them saying, " and do not hinder them!". Children are not stupid. They understand. They too are a part of the covenant kingdom! Oy.... sometimes I think we lose focus. To carry such reasoning to its full extent would most likely exclude a lot of people from communion. It just doesn't make sense. Maybe I'm a heretic. Maybe I should just go and fight that stupid troll.

Brothers

Mike, Matt, myself. The permanent seating arrangement at the back of the van because Megan gets car sick, Dave likes to sit by Megan, and of course mom gets shot gun. I don't know what it is about my two little gremlin brothers, but man, they make me laugh. They think they've mastered the Texan drawal, and so everything that comes out of their mouth sounds ridiculous. Example ( quoting something they heard on the radio)
"Tell your Unkie what you learned at that there fancy university"
"Pie a' square'
"Noo you duumb shit. Everyone knows that pie a' round. Cornbread a' square"
Then they will laugh hysterically- and say it all again- and by the 10th time, it does get pretty funny. ( I suppose it's something you have to hear for yourself, accent and all)

Last night we slept at Dave's house. There is one bed- and my parents got it.
Megan and I slept on the carpet upstairs, the boys shared one blanket downstairs, and then Mike took off and slept in the van. He is probobly roasting. I had the kind of sheet that is fitted to go around every corner of a mattress. My shoulders and feet did the job, creating a nice cacoon that was comfortable for 2 hour intervals. It was good night.

Well, I have to go pack. In a couple hours I'll be flying out of here.

We woke up at 5:30 am, we hit the road by 6, and we were stuck at the border until 11:30. Ew. I blame this completely on my brother. We are moving him to Texas, and at the same time making a nice family vacation out of the trip. Knowing it would probobly take us 25-30 hours to get there, the fact that we were still in CANADA 5 1/2 hours into the trip was not exactly comforting. Dave forgot to pay a certain bill, which had to be paid before he could get into the States, and so we all became miserable.


"There once was a man with the most remarkable ability to paint. He could capture beauty in a brushstroke, with a keen awareness of the detailed imagery all around him. Then he went blind. His family was poor, and once he got old, they put him in a home. The place was ratty, unkempt, and contemptible to any functioning artisan in terms of aesthetic beauty. Upon arriving, his family tried to apologize for his sub-par surroundings. The old man faced the nurses with a smile and said, ' It's beautiful.' When asked how he could say that without seeing a thing, he said, ' I've already arranged the whole thing in my mind. It's perfect.' "



Undoubtedly my dad told us this in the hope that we would draw a connection between our situation and the blind guy. Life is a mind game? hmm... I think the point was that if you can't change something, pre-arrange it in your mind to just relax and enjoy yourself. Life is too short to let the little things bother you. Point taken. My brothers can be fairly entertaining, and so I must admit- the time at the border wasn't all that bad.

After about 2 days, we made it to Texas. The week here is flying by, and so far it has been fantastic. The weather is hot, but bearable, and we still manage to play some pretty competitive volleyball, tennis, mini-put, and the classic "beat eachother up in the pool" game, which never seems to get old. We keep ourselves entertained- it really doesn't take much.
I'm coming home on Saturday, but the family will be here/ Tenessee for another week. It's always nice to get out and travel some more, but there is always something nice about coming home, even if it will be a bit lonely...

I'll miss you Dave- but Christmas isn't that far away!