Yesterday my neighbors saw something that makes me very angry. It made them very angry as well. We live in a rural area; there is a fair amount of traffic, but not so much that you don't notice it. The neighbors were outside visiting when a dark van with tinted windows drove slowly by and turned into a private cotton field across the road. A middle-aged woman was driving and she quickly rolled down the window and attempted to throw a cat out the window. The cat jumped back in, but she was determined to dump that cat and threw it out the window. When she saw the neighbors had noticed, she got out of the van and tried to act innocent. One neighbor refused to talk to her and went inside his house. The other listened to her excuses disbelievingly. Doesn't that just burn your britches?! How can people be so cruel and irresponsible? What makes them think we want their cat- I have 2 that someone dumped out already! Man, if I had seen that I would given that lady a piece of my mind! You know what I was doing when the neighbors saw this disgraceful act? I was dumping my cat out our black van's window! I had loaded the garbage into the van to take to the dump- we don't have sanitation services here- and unknown to me the cat jumped into the van. As I was pulling out the drive, the cat made itself known. I decided rather than to go back I would just let Tiger ride along with me. He is a sweet, cuddly cat and the company would be pleasant. Evidently, Tiger doesn't like to ride in the car. He began racing madly around the van, jumping into the garbage and searching for a way out. I began to drive more slowly, thinking that if I went all the way to the dump, Tiger would jump out of the van never to be seen again. So I pulled into the cotton field behind our barn to let Tiger out. He was so unnerved by the experience he refused to go out the window and I had to take a couple tries at throwing him out. Instead of running through the field back to the barn, he ran across the road and through the neighbors side field. I could hear them yelling about the woman dumping a cat out and how awful she is. So I walked over to explain; the one neighbor refused to talk to me and went in his house. The other listened to my explanation and smiled knowingly and placatingly. I was distressed that they should think such a thing and went in search of my lost cat. Tiger came home this morning and I apologized to him for the misunderstanding. I will be more careful when taking the garbage out next time. But I will also be more careful before jumping to conclusions next time, as well. What we see is sometimes not what we are seeing.

I am unsure of the purpose of this blog site. About a month ago now, I felt compelled to begin writing a web page. Sometimes I get these impulses and then they disappear as quickly as they come. Sometimes the nagging just won't go away. At those times I try to follow through, thinking that it may be a higher calling than my own inner desires. The previous post was also on my mind at the same time. I know it didn't come across well, but it is Christ's humanness that intrigues me so much. To me, Jesus is Lord of Heaven and earth. He loves me as much as he did any of his disciples 2000 years ago. He cheers for me and he laughs at me. He gets frustrated with me, but he never gives up on me. And for my part, I do the best I can for him. So I see Christ in all I do and wonder how the human side of him would react to things. God in human form is a very big idea to wrap yourself around, but also extremely comforting. I suppose as time goes on, it will become clearer what I am to write about...how this is to play out. I think several issues will come up again and again just because of who I am. Parenting, educating, blessings, all come to mind quickly. Maybe my thought meanderings will help me discover why I felt the need for a web page and then I can move in that direction. Maybe nothing will come of it. Perhaps patience will come up a lot, too!

"Do this in remembrance of me." I have seen it engraved into altars all of my life. I have heard it read many Sundays of my life. I expect to hear it. I understand it. It is common; it is rote; it is habit. But what did Jesus's disciples think each time they remembered him? Did they remember the way he spoke their name or the way he looked at them? The way his eyes crinkled when he laughed. The time he blessed their child. His favorite practical joke. His quiet days when he was obviously somewhere far away. The love he had for others. The dog he fed along the way to Mary's house. The last days with him, quiet, sorrowful, tired. The resurrection time of surprise, joy, fear, terror, relief. Great all-encompassing love. What do I remember? The forgiveness before the sin? The undeserved sacrifice? A personal friendship. The gift of a family. The humor he uses to teach me. The seemingly insignificant events he shows me. The quiet times of reflection when he speaks to me. Surprise, joy, fear, terror, relief. Great all-encompassing love.