Life, Love, Lowake and Looking Back
I just had a full weekend. Actually, it has a few hours left so maybe such a statement is premature. I had planned on whisking my bride away for our 12th (I can't believe it either) anniversary for a weekend at the North Ranch. Sadly however, a friend in our small group, Brady Nichols, lost his Dad on Thursday after a fight with cancer. I just assumed we would try for another weekend because we definitely wanted to attend the funeral to show our support and help the family honor his life.
Friday, after work I helped some friends move some things to their new house. I am convinced that moving and childbirth are somewhat alike. They're not alike in a Steven Wright kind of way- wherein he states he was reading a diary he kept as a baby and it said, "DAY ONE: Still tired from the move." No, I think they are alike in that if you truly remembered what either process was like, you would never seek to go through it again. But, people see a new house or a baby (a new person if you want to stretch the comparison) and they think, " I want that more than I want an accurate recollection of what that involves." This concept, network TV and the fact that Ted Kennedy is an elected official are main columns in my platform that states, "People are stupid." (As a side note, this is a temporary residence for these people until they decide whether to build or buy another house so they may step over the line separating stupid and insane.) After that, I went on home (with a seriously bad back-shhh) a little disappointed that I wasn't leaving for our weekend. Nevertheless, as I lay in the floor on my back, my bride was encouraging and suggested we might be able to go the next night. As for Friday night, I missed the visitation with Brady's family staying instead on my back.
The funeral service was well done (in spite of the fact I pulled the singers together) and the cemetery was a beautiful slice of the Abilene area that I never knew existed. We are keeping the family of Larry Nichols in our prayers in the wake of all that has come their way.
Another friend was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. My response to this has been mixed (see previous blog) partly because I have already lost my mother and my sister to the very same disease. I really do feel positive about this, but I think my heart goes out to Gina more for the worry and fear than it does for the actual cancer at this point. I am not exactly sure why that is. Maybe it's because that is the element that actually robs your heart and soul whereas the disease merely robs your body. Then again, aren't we blessed to have a salve for that injury as well in the form of our assurance through Christ? That God; He thinks of everything!
Saturday afternoon I had a pleasant surprise. After the funeral I found out that Kendra had made other arrangements for the kids and we did go out to the ranch after all. It was awesome! There is something very cool about:
1) Having the love of my life next to me in a hot tub while 2) We watch approaching thunderstorms light up the night with amazing pictures of spectacular cloud formations while 3) Foxes and turkeys and other wildlife are calling out to the surrounding nature and 4) I have no cell phone. From the geographical height of the ranch house, it seemed like we were actually looking down at the storms. Of course, Kendra was every bit as spectacular and I am not sorry for saying it. We had some very valuable time together and I realize how blessed I was to become her husband twelve years ago today.
This morning we slept late and then went to eat at "The Shed." The Shed was a big deal 10-15 years ago and people came from miles around to eat there. It was kind of like the Lowake Steakhouse in Lowake, TX was back in the oil-boom days. Both are in little shacks on farms in the middle of nowhere. The Lowake steakhouse even had its own landing strip whereupon wealthy Texas oilmen would fly private planes (even jets) to Lowake just for their legendary steaks. Sadly, recent visits to both have proven that it's hard to go back to those glory days. Don't get me wrong, The Shed was still great, but just not like I remember it ten years ago.
Anyway, tonight we forced our kids to sit and watch our wedding video with us. Of course, Addie was a little perturbed because she doesn't remember the event and thinks she missed something. (TEACHING MOMENT! "Kids, you do not have kids until after you get married. You don't get married until you are 30.") It is so crazy to look at us being so ignorant but being so blessed- at least that's how I feel about it. Even when the minister actually said "If you're ready take hands and repeat these vows," we did not bat an eye and marched right into the fire. I hope my kids are as blessed in their marriages as I have been in mine even if I have not modeled the best image of a husband.
Collectively though, I have been blessed by a great cloud of witnesses. Watching the video, I saw old photographs of my mom, I watched my sister's scatter-brained method of wedding coordination, I saw Kendra's dad march her down that aisle willingly only to literally tackle me at the reception; each of these people no longer here to offer suggestions but guiding us nonetheless through the examples they left. I also saw pictures and heard the voices of old friends we are still blessed to see on occasion. I know they were all cheering us on that day and wishing us well. But especially I think of Christ continually calling His bride, the church, to reconcile itself to Him. All of these witnesses provided, in some way, the impetus that led us to that point twelve years ago and through all the years since. Keep rooting for us and if you don't mind, we'll do the same for you, and all the more as we see the day approaching.
Friday, after work I helped some friends move some things to their new house. I am convinced that moving and childbirth are somewhat alike. They're not alike in a Steven Wright kind of way- wherein he states he was reading a diary he kept as a baby and it said, "DAY ONE: Still tired from the move." No, I think they are alike in that if you truly remembered what either process was like, you would never seek to go through it again. But, people see a new house or a baby (a new person if you want to stretch the comparison) and they think, " I want that more than I want an accurate recollection of what that involves." This concept, network TV and the fact that Ted Kennedy is an elected official are main columns in my platform that states, "People are stupid." (As a side note, this is a temporary residence for these people until they decide whether to build or buy another house so they may step over the line separating stupid and insane.) After that, I went on home (with a seriously bad back-shhh) a little disappointed that I wasn't leaving for our weekend. Nevertheless, as I lay in the floor on my back, my bride was encouraging and suggested we might be able to go the next night. As for Friday night, I missed the visitation with Brady's family staying instead on my back.
The funeral service was well done (in spite of the fact I pulled the singers together) and the cemetery was a beautiful slice of the Abilene area that I never knew existed. We are keeping the family of Larry Nichols in our prayers in the wake of all that has come their way.
Another friend was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. My response to this has been mixed (see previous blog) partly because I have already lost my mother and my sister to the very same disease. I really do feel positive about this, but I think my heart goes out to Gina more for the worry and fear than it does for the actual cancer at this point. I am not exactly sure why that is. Maybe it's because that is the element that actually robs your heart and soul whereas the disease merely robs your body. Then again, aren't we blessed to have a salve for that injury as well in the form of our assurance through Christ? That God; He thinks of everything!
Saturday afternoon I had a pleasant surprise. After the funeral I found out that Kendra had made other arrangements for the kids and we did go out to the ranch after all. It was awesome! There is something very cool about:
1) Having the love of my life next to me in a hot tub while 2) We watch approaching thunderstorms light up the night with amazing pictures of spectacular cloud formations while 3) Foxes and turkeys and other wildlife are calling out to the surrounding nature and 4) I have no cell phone. From the geographical height of the ranch house, it seemed like we were actually looking down at the storms. Of course, Kendra was every bit as spectacular and I am not sorry for saying it. We had some very valuable time together and I realize how blessed I was to become her husband twelve years ago today.
This morning we slept late and then went to eat at "The Shed." The Shed was a big deal 10-15 years ago and people came from miles around to eat there. It was kind of like the Lowake Steakhouse in Lowake, TX was back in the oil-boom days. Both are in little shacks on farms in the middle of nowhere. The Lowake steakhouse even had its own landing strip whereupon wealthy Texas oilmen would fly private planes (even jets) to Lowake just for their legendary steaks. Sadly, recent visits to both have proven that it's hard to go back to those glory days. Don't get me wrong, The Shed was still great, but just not like I remember it ten years ago.
Anyway, tonight we forced our kids to sit and watch our wedding video with us. Of course, Addie was a little perturbed because she doesn't remember the event and thinks she missed something. (TEACHING MOMENT! "Kids, you do not have kids until after you get married. You don't get married until you are 30.") It is so crazy to look at us being so ignorant but being so blessed- at least that's how I feel about it. Even when the minister actually said "If you're ready take hands and repeat these vows," we did not bat an eye and marched right into the fire. I hope my kids are as blessed in their marriages as I have been in mine even if I have not modeled the best image of a husband.
Collectively though, I have been blessed by a great cloud of witnesses. Watching the video, I saw old photographs of my mom, I watched my sister's scatter-brained method of wedding coordination, I saw Kendra's dad march her down that aisle willingly only to literally tackle me at the reception; each of these people no longer here to offer suggestions but guiding us nonetheless through the examples they left. I also saw pictures and heard the voices of old friends we are still blessed to see on occasion. I know they were all cheering us on that day and wishing us well. But especially I think of Christ continually calling His bride, the church, to reconcile itself to Him. All of these witnesses provided, in some way, the impetus that led us to that point twelve years ago and through all the years since. Keep rooting for us and if you don't mind, we'll do the same for you, and all the more as we see the day approaching.
4 Comments:
Val, isn't this blog thing fun? It was really neat to get a glimpse into your life in this entry. And I appreciate your comment in mine. Sarah
Val, isn't this blog thing fun? It was really neat to get a glimpse into your life in this entry. And I appreciate your comment in mine. Sarah
Val- Tell Kendra...I mean Mrs. Durrington...that I am THRILLED about being her student teacher! Second grade was my first choice, and I am so excited about being with her! Yay!
Happy Anniversary, bud. I love the way you talk about Kendra. You're a good man.
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