The Sunday Funnies

We go to church with our daughter and her family, which includes our oldest 4 year old grandson Ryan. My husband and I sing on the praise team which sits on the first two rows with our microphones. The way we start off our tithes and offerings is that while we sing a song, our little ones come down to the front of the sanctuary to put their money into two large glass jars that sit on the first step up to the "stage" I guess you'd call it. Our grandson came down to the front to put both his and his sister's money in the jar. (She had a nosebleed, so she and mom were occupied.) He stopped next to me and smiled, then put his money in. He started to walk off and then realized he hadn't put his sister's money in. So he slowly went back and in front of the entire church put her money in the jar and then took out a TEN DOLLAR BILL! I looked back at my husband to signal him to grab Ryan, but just then his mom stepped up. He turned around and announced "Look what I got!!" Needless to say, it went back in the jar, and we were laughing so hard we couldn't sing! I guess no one ever thought to tell him you shouldn't "make change" from the collection!

Earth Day...

...and I was reminded of this. It's a favorite of mine and a reminder to look for His hand in everything I see.

The 18th of April

I don't suppose that kids learn this poem in school anymore. My daughter did, but she's 37 now and I know my granddaughters probably won't hear anything about it today in their classes. My father used to quote it from beginning to end as he did many poems. I would dearly love to hear his deep voice again reciting this poem, the beginning of Canterbury Tales or Lochinvar. At any rate since this is April 18th, here is Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Listen my children and you shall hear

Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,

On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;

Hardly a man is now alive

Who remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, “If the British march

By land or sea from the town to-night,

Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch

Of the North Church tower as a signal light,–

One if by land, and two if by sea;

And I on the opposite shore will be,

Ready to ride and spread the alarm

Through every Middlesex village and farm,

For the country folk to be up and to arm.”

Then he said “Good-night!” and with muffled oar

Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore,

Just as the moon rose over the bay,

Where swinging wide at her moorings lay

The Somerset, British man-of-war;

A phantom ship, with each mast and spar

Across the moon like a prison bar,

And a huge black hulk, that was magnified

By its own reflection in the tide.

Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street

Wanders and watches, with eager ears,

Till in the silence around him he hears

The muster of men at the barrack door,

The sound of arms, and the tramp of feet,

And the measured tread of the grenadiers,

Marching down to their boats on the shore.

Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church,

By the wooden stairs, with stealthy tread,

To the belfry chamber overhead,

And startled the pigeons from their perch

On the sombre rafters, that round him made

Masses and moving shapes of shade,–

By the trembling ladder, steep and tall,

To the highest window in the wall,

Where he paused to listen and look down

A moment on the roofs of the town

And the moonlight flowing over all.

Beneath, in the churchyard, lay the dead,

In their night encampment on the hill,

Wrapped in silence so deep and still

That he could hear, like a sentinel’s tread,

The watchful night-wind, as it went

Creeping along from tent to tent,

And seeming to whisper, “All is well!”

A moment only he feels the spell

Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread

Of the lonely belfry and the dead;

For suddenly all his thoughts are bent

On a shadowy something far away,

Where the river widens to meet the bay,–

A line of black that bends and floats

On the rising tide like a bridge of boats.

Meanwhile, impatient to mount and ride,

Booted and spurred, with a heavy stride

On the opposite shore walked Paul Revere.

Now he patted his horse’s side,

Now he gazed at the landscape far and near,

Then, impetuous, stamped the earth,

And turned and tightened his saddle girth;

But mostly he watched with eager search

The belfry tower of the Old North Church,

As it rose above the graves on the hill,

Lonely and spectral and sombre and still.

And lo! as he looks, on the belfry’s height

A glimmer, and then a gleam of light!

He springs to the saddle, the bridle he turns,

But lingers and gazes, till full on his sight

A second lamp in the belfry burns.

A hurry of hoofs in a village street,

A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,

And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark

Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;

That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,

The fate of a nation was riding that night;

And the spark struck out by that steed, in his flight,

Kindled the land into flame with its heat.

He has left the village and mounted the steep,

And beneath him, tranquil and broad and deep,

Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;

And under the alders that skirt its edge,

Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,

Is heard the tramp of his steed as he rides.

It was twelve by the village clock

When he crossed the bridge into Medford town.

He heard the crowing of the cock,

And the barking of the farmer’s dog,

And felt the damp of the river fog,

That rises after the sun goes down.

It was one by the village clock,

When he galloped into Lexington.

He saw the gilded weathercock

Swim in the moonlight as he passed,

And the meeting-house windows, black and bare,

Gaze at him with a spectral glare,

As if they already stood aghast

At the bloody work they would look upon.

It was two by the village clock,

When he came to the bridge in Concord town.

He heard the bleating of the flock,

And the twitter of birds among the trees,

And felt the breath of the morning breeze

Blowing over the meadow brown.

And one was safe and asleep in his bed

Who at the bridge would be first to fall,

Who that day would be lying dead,

Pierced by a British musket ball.

You know the rest. In the books you have read

How the British Regulars fired and fled,—

How the farmers gave them ball for ball,

From behind each fence and farmyard wall,

Chasing the redcoats down the lane,

Then crossing the fields to emerge again

Under the trees at the turn of the road,

And only pausing to fire and load.

So through the night rode Paul Revere;

And so through the night went his cry of alarm

To every Middlesex village and farm,—

A cry of defiance, and not of fear,

A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,

And a word that shall echo for evermore!

For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,

Through all our history, to the last,

In the hour of darkness and peril and need,

The people will waken and listen to hear

The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,

And the midnight message of Paul Revere.

Monday

We had a good Easter Sunday-a little quieter than usual. We only had two easter egg hunters this year as only our three oldest grands came out. The two younger boys and their parents stayed home as they are running a very hectic schedule during the week. They travel an hour each way for Dad to work at university, Mom to attend university and they boys to day school. Weekends are their only time to relax and enjoy each other, so I don't blame them a bit for wanting to stay home. (As long as I get pictures of their Easter!)

We had pulled pork sandwiches and pinto beans. Daughter made a loaded potato casserole that was delicious and our almost 11 year old granddaughter made a cake. It was a white cake, with Coco Lopez coconut milk poured over the top (after poking holes in the cake) and frosted with Cool Whip. She did a great job! Then she and her grandpop hid eggs for the two younger kids.

Today, it's cool and grey. Currently we are having a thunderstorm and badly needed downpour-almost an inch and a half so far! Very relaxing and husband is currently napping while we listen to the rain. A lovely weekend and Monday!

He Is Risen!

Wishing you a blessed Resurrection Sunday!

It's Only Friday

It’s Friday

Jesus is praying
Peter’s a sleeping
Judas is betraying
But Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
Pilate’s struggling
The council is conspiring
The crowd is vilifying
They don’t even know
That Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The disciples are running
Like sheep without a shepherd
Mary’s crying
Peter is denying
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s a comin’

It’s Friday
The Romans beat my Jesus
They robe him in scarlet
They crown him with thorns
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
See Jesus walking to Calvary
His blood dripping
His body stumbling
And his spirit’s burdened
But you see, it’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The world’s winning
People are sinning
And evil’s grinning

It’s Friday
The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands
To the cross
They nail my Savior’s feet
To the cross
And then they raise him up
Next to criminals

It’s Friday
But let me tell you something
Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
The disciples are questioning
What has happened to their King
And the Pharisees are celebrating
That their scheming
Has been achieved
But they don’t know
It’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
He’s hanging on the cross
Feeling forsaken by his Father
Left alone and dying
Can nobody save him?

Ooooh
It’s Friday
But Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
The earth trembles
The sky grows dark
My King yields his spirit
It’s Friday
Hope is lost
Death has won
Sin has conquered
and Satan’s just a laughin’
It’s Friday
Jesus is buried
A soldier stands guard
And a rock is rolled into place
But it’s Friday
It is only Friday
Sunday is a comin’!

Happy Sunday!

We spent this weekend visiting with our son, daughter-in-law and our two youngest grandsons as well as some dear friends of ours. They live within 40 minutes of each other and we were all able to get together on Saturday night. We had an old fashioned gospel singing. We grew up singing gospel music and our children did too. Our friends invited some of their family and a wonderful time was had by all!