Zoom- in

 In life it’s easy to hit the surface of things- not facing them head on or zooming in too closely 

Why do we do that- why do we miss the opportunity to examine each moment like it was important or significant 

Yes it would take us stopping- like that rose thing

But wouldn’t it be awesome if we were capable of zooming in - let’s say not always but more often 

Wouldn’t it be fantastic to see the details we have missed- to have it make the impact it meant to have in our lives

And it wouldn’t be all pretty -some things could be quite disturbing- but the lessons we just might get on the first time around as we see clearer each difficulty and obstacle

What if we narrowed these things by a mute button- that alerted us to the important things we were and are missing by not focusing in enough 

If the zoom in button was on right now what would you notice like never before  

Yesterday

 I think in some of the past az  challenges I have used the letter Y to do a poem on yesterday- so I thought I would try once again 

If yesterday was my friend- I would invite it in- to stay a while and visit with me 

I would ask it questions that only yesterday could dare answer and I would listen intently for clues of the future 

If yesterday was my friend and came to see me I wouldn’t straighten up the house- I would open the door eagerly not trying to gather up all the clutter of the day

I would hope along with them and reminisce about the good old days and add a touch of comfort for the dark ones

If yesterday stayed too long I wouldn’t have the heart to ask it to leave- for where would it go

If yesterday was here with me now- I’d appreciate it like never before- I would hang on each syllable of time it represented- and perhaps we would yearn together 

Xylophone

 I know this is a go to word for letter X but bear with me for a moment- I plan to tie it into something 

The Lawrence Welk Show was one of my parents favorite shows- I tolerated it

Then fast forward to my youngest daughter and child- well  somehow or another she stumbled on to reruns of this musical show when she was just a small child- she adored it!!! Still airing on Saturday nights 

She especially loved the huge xylophone and the deep round sounds that came from it- she wondered why her own smaller version did not produce those gorgeous tones 

Fast forward a few more years and you will find her child- loving it just as much - even attempting to keep up on his own xylophone as he enjoys the show

I know it’s kinda strange and I still can’t say I appreciate it like they do but I watch with them 

Fast forward to the first Saturday night we went to watch the Lawrence Welk show after Frank died- only to realize we had missed it

Robyn went to look it up and we found that Miller’s PopPop had recorded it for him

Well done- Thy good and faithful servant

 When I went to pick out Frank’s grave marker I asked my children to come with me

We all suggested things concerning the appearance of his and one day my grave marker 

My oldest son had thought it would be fitting for their dad to have the biblical verse “well done thy good and faithful servant” - everyone agreed it was a perfect verse for him

Frank had been faithful- always tender hearted towards others- taking his leisure time to volunteer with disabled people or help with my aging parents or his family- including his special needs youngest grandson 

Frank was always willing to give whatever time he had to others - all the while still working full time up to his covid attack 

I don’t mean to or would I want to make him sound perfect 

Because that would be one of the things he would gladly tell you - his amazement at how God could use even him- as he often said 

He took joy in small things and learned to be more and more generous with his finances too

He laughed easily and loved big

He cried openly and unashamed-

His understanding of the Bible was clearly God given by the Holy Spirit 

Yes he most surely was a good and faithful servant 

But not like an unwilling servant but a chosen loving grateful servant- well done

Victory in Jesus

 Frank loved teaching his men’s Bible class on Sunday mornings- they used to meet in a side part of the church sanctuary but in recent years the class had moved to the educational building 

As most of the other Sunday school classes were near by- sounds of the class singing could easily be heard 

There would be several songs they would sing before class but there was this one song that was sung every week— “Victory in Jesus “

Frank could be heard way above the others but all sang it exuberantly 

It became like their mantra- even once our choir leader had them fill the choir loft and sing this rosing hymn

I never had paid much attention to this particular song but something about it had obviously spoken volumes to Frank 

I had our sweet friend and church pianist play a much quieter slower arrangement of this powerful hymn as Frank was carried out of his beloved church for the last time

Umbrella- the

 He held the umbrella above his warm head- the sun peeked through as he was barely able to steady it

The colors were striking to him and it almost seemed he was in a tent- like no one could see him

If it rained- would he hear the raindrops ping against it’s  taunt material 

Would a big breeze swish it’s metal sticks upside down- like he’d seen in a cartoon once

What a big boy he was- holding the huge shelter high above his head 

He would surely remember this day

Tales- that we tell

 As a young child I recall listening intently to the grownups talking about the past- things they did as children or just repeating tales passed down from generation to generation 

I still share with my kids - as much as I can- all the history and folklore I’ve heard- probably adding in some of my own take on the original stories- not on purpose but just because that’s what happens to the long line of story telling 

Once when Frank and I took my parents on a ride - we took them to where each had grown up- my mother was in the later days of Alzheimer’s- my father told as much as he could recall- while Robyn recorded him on a small tape recorder 

Do you know I have yet to listen to the tape

I’m planning to look for it and listen to it soon- I wish we had made more recordings 

Maybe I should write whatever I can recall now- wouldn’t it be something if I had audible stories from my long gone relatives- now their only memories are in glimpses of a feeling or a hidden thought just waiting to be brought back into our consciousness 

I hope my kids continue the tales- and that each generation has their own version of the stories and that they start lots of new tales to be told