Memory Lane

The human brain is more amazing than a computer. It can store all kinds of information for years until something triggers a memory and suddenly something comes back that you haven't thought about for years. That happened this morning when Leroy got out of bed and said, "Jonathan Wonathan Higgens McGee jumped out of bed in a one-two-three."

I remembered we had that book in the 50s or 60s and it was about a yellow cat with pointed purple ears, but that's all I could remember of it. Thanks to Google, here are the words.

"The strangest thing that ever could be," 

Said Jonathan Wonathan Higgens McGee, 

"Is a yellow cat with purple ears, 

A flouncy, pouncy kind of cat, 

With pointed, purple ears.  

But I'll never see that.
NOT A YELLOW CAT!" 

Yet there she was by his bouncy bed, 

Washing her paws and cocking her head, 

Drinking her tea from a silver cup,

Saying, "Jonathan Wonathan Higgens McGee, GET UP!"  

Jonathan Wonathan Higgens McGee 

Jumped out of bed in a one-two-three, 

Put on his coat and his tie and his spats,

"Said, "There's no such thing as yellow cats." 

Jonathan Wonathan shook his head. 

"Now the cat is gone and I'm glad," he said. 

"I'll never believe in a yellow cat." 

Something wiggled under his hat.
With claws

On its paws. 

Jonathan chased her around the room 

With a cane and a map and a prickly broom, 

Till his wife said "Stop!" 

And they all said "Stop!" 

We're pos-i-tive-ly certain that  

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A YELLOW CAT!"

This is the Little Golden book which now sells for about $18 on Ebay.

I wish I could find another book we had in the 50s. My younger brother loved it and we read it so often we all had it memorized. I can't repeat all of it but it begins with:

"When Jimmy was a puppy he was silky soft as down.

His Mama and his Papa were the proudest dogs in town.

It wasn't very long before he learned to run and play,

And chase the cats and chase the ducks, and chase the mice away. . ."

(I'm not sure about that last line.)

The story went on to say that Jimmy was unhappy because his ears were too long. He tried different things but nothing helped. His floppy ears were just too long.

"He soaked his ears in water, but they just got wet and wetter."

At last, one happy day Jimmy discovered he had grown up to fit his ears.

There's a poem that was in the Words of Cheer paper we got in church in the 60s I'd like to find. My mom had it taped to the cupboard door in the kitchen because it fit my younger brothers at that time.

"Boys screech and scream

To let off steam,

They laugh and sing

Till echoes ring.

They growl and roar

Behind the door,

They moan and mumble,

Groan and grumble,

They howl and hoot

Whistle and toot. . .

If there is more I can't remember it, but it ends with:

"But who would want boys 

Without their noise?"

Leroy remembers a book his grandma had. He remembers the cover but not the title or story. The cover had a goose and a monkey going down the river at a city similar to Manhattan. The monkey was in the boat and the goose was pulling the boat along by the monkey's tail. With not more than that to go on, I have no idea how to find the book.

Random Deeds of Kindness

In studying to teach the Sunday school lesson from Luke 14 for tomorrow, I was reminded how much I lack in the areas of compassion, humility, and hospitality. I am so busy doing the things I like and want to do that I often don't even see the needs of others around me. Jesus responded in compassion to the needy anytime and anywhere. The chance of damaging his reputation did not prevent him from responding to the needs around Him. 

One of the first days of this year I read somewhere about a person who makes an effort to do at least three kind deeds per month. I thought that is a great idea and decided to make that my goal for 2020. Everything we do should be with kindness, but I am going to try do three special or random deeds of kindness each month. Keeping that in mind might help make me more aware of the opportunities I have instead of being so blind. I did the third one for January today. Now I'm thinking about what I can do in February.

In one part of the lesson,  Jesus said we should not invite only our friends and relatives to our homes. We should invite the "poor, maimed, halt, and blind" who cannot return the favor. At first glance, that hits a low blow to our tradition of having our friends for Sunday dinner. When have you filled your table with the "poor, maimed, halt, and blind"? I came to the conclusion that to do this does not necessarily mean they have to be physically seated at our dining room table. If you  sponsor a family who gets a food parcel each month from CAM, they are eating from your table. You won't even know each other and they can never repay you. The point Jesus was trying to make is that we should not give to receive. Give to those who cannot repay you and you will get a reward that will last for eternity. 

New Stage of Life

 Life is a series of changes that usually are so small they are hardly noticeable. It's when we look back over a period of time that we see how much things have changed in a few years. 

Some people love change and trying new things. They change jobs, move to other places, or change churches. They thrive on new challenges. We are not that sort. Major changes are like jumping off a cliff and too risky. We find what we like and stick with it, but sometimes life forces us to make changes.This year is one of those times. 

In March it will be 47 years that Leroy has worked at Shank Door. It's time for him to retire but we knew it would not work for him to walk out one day and never go back. That would be too much of a big and sudden change.  So this year he shifted into semi-retirement and is working only three days per week. He's working in the middle of the week and has Mondays and Fridays off. Maybe a year of this schedule will help him ease into retirement slowly.

It's a change for me too. We started out as a household of two but that only lasted a year. Then the children started coming and the house was full and noisy. I felt like the hub of a wheel and the rest of the family were the spokes. I kept everything rolling while everybody else went around in all directions. Then the children started leaving and establishing their own homes. We have been back to a household of two now for eight and a half years. That was an adjustment, but I soon was used to being an empty nester. I was home alone all day and liked my quiet house. Now life is changing and I will be alone at home only three days per week.

At first this change scared me but now I'm looking forward to it. We will be able to spend more time and do more things together. It's nice to have an extra hand around when I need help with something. Retirement is not a ticket to sit on a chair and watch the world go by. We want to be productive as long as we have our health. I enjoyed every stage of life when I was in it and now we will enjoy this one too.