Wednesday, July 27, 2011

duct tape or duster

Before I really get to the gist of what I want to write about today, I want to tell you about a little incident that I think is so funny.  But it won't be funny if I don't tell you this first--bear with me please--


My daughter-in-law, Dree, loves duct tape.  She is a duct tape freak.  She does everything with duct tape.  When she and my son were getting married, they were on a very low budget.  She is very innovative in her thinking and decided to give all of their groomsmen a roll of duct tape--what better cheap gift, huh?  Everybody sooner or later needs duct tape.  So not only were they able to do something meaningful, thoughtful and helpful for those close to them but they did it very frugally.

So hopefully you get the gist of how important duct tape is to her--only now, it is even more important to her because she has nostalgic memories of it--get the picture??

Okay on to this:

It was the year 2000. My fifth granddaughter's, Ashton's, birth was IMMINENT--and I am not joking--

Ashton's mom and dad (the couple described above) had gone to great lengths to make her birth memorable. They brought along special music to play that they had spent months choosing and recording. They had numerous scriptures taped all around the birthing room that they had so meticulously printed out by hand.

There were special blankets and toys and even her own "Lovey" with her name embroidered on it--If ever a room was prepared with love for a new birth, this was it.

 Everything seemed to be in order--the mother to be was there, the soon to be father (my son was there), the doctor, nurses, the mother of the mother and the mother of the father, (me).  We were all there and the baby was coming--

 I don't know why but right before the birth they started discussing whether they brought everything or not (mind you the birth was imminent, imminent I say--did I mention that the baby was just about to be born) and all of a sudden Dree cries out, "Honey, we forgot the duct tape."

My son immediately responded with, "Oh no, what if the baby falls apart."  We all had a good laugh which lessened the anxiety of the moment.

So I tell you all that to tell you this.

My husband and I went to dinner with my brother tonight.  He was telling us about a friend of his (a friend of over fifty years whose father had taken him--my brother--fishing one time long, long ago--didn't hardly know my brother--just wanted to do something nice for him).

The friend's father died last week--he was ninety five years old-- and my brother went to his funeral.  He said the parking lot was full, the building overflowing--something you don't often see at a ninety five year old's funeral--most of their peers have passed and usually attendees are few and far between.

But to get to the point of this story--The family had the old man's Bible laying out on a table and it was duct-taped together.

What a life!  What a testimony!

Do we need duct tape or dusters for our Bibles?

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. II Timothy 2:15