You would think that such a small place would not have room for so many things, but it's amazing what you can get layered and wedged in the mind when you have to. Sometimes there are things in there that one wishes were not in there, nonetheless they are there and must be dealt with.
I was thinking about the Palm Sunday service at the fairgrounds yesterday. I saw some folks I had not seen in awhile; a cousin and someone from my old church youth group in the 70's. That was good. The band was good and would have been much better if the acoustics of the building had been more amenable. It may have been where we were sitting, but it was difficult to understand the words to the music and also the speakers that followed. The band was Vineyard from Manhattan, KS. Even with the poor acoustics, I liked their sound. I will have to see what recordings they have available.
The speaker seemed to be both gifted and talented but I do not remember his name. Sorry. He talked about fear, using examples from the Old Testament and the New. His point was that if you actually start doing what it is you are supposed to be doing, the fear subsides and everything becomes an adventure. That's what I got from what he said. Some may disagree.
The service was billed by some as ecumenical since we had 6 area churches involved in the service. Let me say that it was NOT ecumenical. It was more like a family reunion. We all sprang from the same church roots. Had we invited churches of a different stripe than our own, I might concede ecumenicism, but such was not the case. We also had to leave right after communion because my roommate was getting antsy. He was unable to take it all in for a number of reasons, i.e. hearing and Alzheimer's.
Speaking of my roommate, Dad was up and about when I rose from my slumber this morning. He had already taken his remote controls out to the Toyota along with his clock. I found his shoe horn and the lawnmower key in the computer room. The cable box was nested in a decorative bowl beneath some pine cones...yes, he disconnected the cable box to his TV. He is so weird these days. Saturday afternoon he told me he was going home. We were both home so I'm not sure where he was going.
I think it all has to do with Mom. He mentioned how she disappeared and how he has felt lost since that time. This may also be why he hides all his coffee table items. Mom used to get on him about how he kept the table next to his lazyboy. There is an odd selection of things there, but he does use most of them. Mom used to refer to his area in the sunroom as the "sty" or the "boar's nest". I'm sure all this is in the back of his mind somewhere amongst the clutter of 80 years.
Speaking of that, Dad will be 80 years old on April 18. My uncle texted me and said we should have a birthday party of sorts...a celebration, a open house. He thought, though, that I should be the one to do it. He was going to help in some yet unprescribed way, but there should be a party.
He seemed to be saying, "here's something I want to do for my brother, but I need you to do it". He has not talked to me since Christmas and when he texts, this is what he talks about. He has not seen his brother since then either.
There is blood relation and there is family. Sometimes there is a difference.
I am still giving consideration to the idea, but issuing demands is not a good way to motivate me. I am inclined not to do this because I do not believe Dad will either appreciate or remember it. I am also not sure who would show up. Many friends from the dairy are passed. The family is spread out. Also, I do not think anyone in the family fully appreciates Dad's current state of mind. The people that are regularly in his life know these things, but those that see him 3 times a year do not.
Since I did not have to teach Sunday, I got some other stuff done that has been eating away at my mind. The taxes are done for both of us. I put on a new shower head which resulted in multiple complaints from the father. Please keep in mind that I replaced it because of multiple complaints. My life is an unappreciated wonder.
I am hoping to get out in the yard soon. I would have done so yesterday, but it was too cold for me. I am not as tough as I used to be. Maybe this weekend. It's Easter weekend and again, I will not be teaching. Study takes some time and when you don't have to do it, it adds time. I suppose it will snow or something though. We will see. Today is nice and it is supposed to be 70 degrees tomorrow.
Off to work now. Thanks for listening. I wonder what my life would be like if I had real problems (;^))...later
No comments:
Post a Comment