life

the gum giver

Posted on by Grace Day

No, that is not a job description, but it does describe a work colleague of mine. He is a substitute teacher at the large, inner city public high school where I also work as a sub. This can be a tough job, a thankless job, a position the students don’t take seriously but they do take advantage of those in this role. My colleague, however, has found a solution or at least a gimmick to enhance his standing with the students even though he’s only a substitute teacher like me. His idea? He is the giver of gum goodness.

That’s right. My colleague has discovered that giving out free chewing gum to the students is indeed a very good gimmick – a gimmick full of goodwill fueled by the goodness of gum! Who knew? It’s a simple gesture but it works wonders. I’ve seen it work. He stands in the halls during passing periods and hands out gum to anyone who asks. Even the most rude and rebellious of students will approach him politely, hand outstretched, and usually remember to say thank you at the conclusion of the gum transaction.

The teenage years are turbulent times by definition. Many students walk around angry, anxious, or on edge, just waiting for their next explosive encounter. Enter the gum giver. Instead of telling students they are in violation of dress code, to take off their hat or to get to class (that’s someone else’s job anyway, someone way above our pay grade) he offers them a choice of gum flavors – a small gift, an act of kindness and goodwill inserted into an often contentious environment.

This giving of gum changes things for the better – one stick of gum at a time – one positive interaction at a time – his gimmick of giving gum goodness reaps a harvest of goodwill. And goodwill is a scarce and valuable commodity among the teenage population, let me tell you. (maybe among the population in general now that I think about it) The gum giver is building bridges between himself and the students, slowly, steadily – each gesture of kindness, each stick of gum, another piece of the bridge he is building every day. (although I’m sure some days the chasm seems too wide to be bridged by mere sticks of gum, no matter how many he gives away)

This is not something new for him. The gum giver has been doing this for years. Students seek him out during the school day – they go out of their way to find him. Of course, they are getting free gum, but they are also getting something more – a smile, a kind word – it’s possibly the most positive interaction of their day. I think my colleague is onto something wise and profound. Although, it’s also a good survival tactic. Teenagers can be formidable adversaries. I think the gum giver is smart to put into practice this strategy –

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” (Romans 12:20)

He is making a big difference with a seemingly small gesture – the giving of a single stick of gum. Living in a culture that is producing anxious, agitated, often angry individuals, what he does may seem insignificant and insufficient against such odds. BUT – we are told in Romans –

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21)

In this case, the goodness of gum is the method and I think it is working. As I said previously, he has been doing this gum giveaway thing for some years, which brings to mind these words in Galatians –

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” (Galatians 6:9-10)

I wonder if the gum giver ever grows weary? Perhaps, BUT – I have never seen the gum giver give up. And he never runs out of gum either! That’s a minor miracle considering every school day he hands out hundreds of sticks of gum, one at a time, all day long. (many students are repeat receivers of his gift of gum goodness in the same day) I hope his consistent kindness and generosity are contagious. We could each take a page from the gum giver’s play book and practice some small form of “gum giving” every day.

Whether it’s the giving of a smile (there are those who find that too costly or too much trouble) or the giving of a kind word or a listening ear – I am inspired by the gum giver to try and make a difference for good in the lives of those I come in contact with every day. (maybe candy bars?) Whatever it is, dear readers, we each have our own unique contribution for good that only we can make to the world. So let’s do whatever it is, one step at a time, one day at a time, one stick of gum at a time.

And the world will be the better for it – “overcome evil with good.”

sincerely, Grace Day

fun fact – the gum giver is also the person in the post – “moment of glory”

moment of glory

Posted on by Grace Day

His appearance on the court elicited wild applause. Then he scored – twice. The crowd cheered wildly both times. Definitely a moment of glory. What are you thinking at this point? NBA finals? NCAA championship game? High School basketball finals? The answer – none of the above. This scene did take place in a high school gym, but it wasn’t a championship game or even a regular season high school basketball game. It was a school pep rally held during the school day, featuring events for student entertainment such as a faculty/student basketball scrimmage. So who was receiving all this applause and recognition? Some celebrity basketball star? Let me tell you about him . . .

He’s tall. Even at seventy years young, he still stands tall. I’m talking about a work colleague of mine, a fellow substitute teacher at the high school where I work. Based on this one fact, his height, you might surmise that he had been a star basketball player in his day. However, he had not played beyond his middle school years. He had never experienced moments of glory on the court, even though this is a common dream for many young men growing up in this culture that lives and breathes basketball. This dream, however, never became reality for my colleague. That is until last week’s pep rally.

We all want one – a moment of glory. We may even spend our lives pursuing things that we believe will lead us to our moment of glory only to find ourselves disappointed when our efforts don’t lead us to that magic moment of success, recognition and applause. Or perhaps our moment of glory comes early in life, leaving us wondering if that’s it or is there yet another moment of glory waiting somewhere for us in the future?

So how did this youthful dream become reality for my colleague and deliver to him his long awaited moment of glory on the court, years after his days on the basketball court had seemingly come to an end? Well, as I said, we work at a high school – a high school known for its history of basketball tradition. We were state champs last year and runner up in the final game of the state championships this year. We were state champs in 1955, 56 and 59 and in 2017. We take our basketball seriously. The students my colleague played against at this school pep rally were this year’s runners up to the state champs. And his teammates, our coaches and faculty, are younger, stronger and quicker players than my colleague.

And yet, he stepped onto the court to a hero’s welcome and scored two baskets! Against all odds my colleague experienced his moment of glory. And there’s a backstory to this story. My fellow sub almost didn’t make it to the gym at all. He was assigned to a classroom upstairs during the time this pep rally was taking place in the gym. (not all students could attend, some remained in the classrooms and teachers were needed to cover those classrooms) I was summoned to cover his classroom, but I couldn’t leave the classroom I was in until my replacement arrived.

The clock was ticking. The pep rally had started. I was stuck in my classroom waiting for someone to come so that I could go to his room and he could go to the gym. At least thirty minutes or more went by before I was able to get to his classroom. At that point he thought he had probably missed his opportunity to play, BUT – neither of us knew the order of events for today’s program. Perhaps the men’s basketball scrimmage was at the end of the rally’s scheduled events. I urged him to go to the gym quickly, holding out hope that he might still get to participate in today’s basketball game.

Why was his opportunity to participate so important to me? Earlier in the school day, during homeroom/club period, he had been the speaker who addressed the students in the classroom where I was. One of the things he shared with them was how he had participated in this event last year and that he was looking forward to doing so again later on in the day. He had actually scored one basket last year, he told the students, and I could tell that had meant a lot to him – a treasured memory for him – a moment of glory that he was no doubt hoping to repeat this year.

I wanted him to have that chance for another moment of glory on the court. That’s why it was important to me to get to his classroom and send him on to the gym. I didn’t know the outcome though, until I saw him after school. He was beaming! He told me he had made it to the gym in time to play and that he had scored not one, but two baskets! And received ample applause as well. I was so happy for him. I told him next year he would score three baskets. Always good to have something to look forward to, right?

In life, we never know when our “moment of glory” will come. But we dare not quit. If we quit, our moment of glory will never come. We have to keep on showing up. In Galatians we are told –

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

In this world, some of us experience more “moments of glory” than others. BUT – in God’s coming kingdom, we have many such moments to look forward to. Paul told Timothy,

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day – and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.” (2Timothy 4:7-8)

Receiving the crown of righteousness – that’s a “moment of glory” worth waiting for. You and I have lots of “moments of glory” ahead of us in heaven. Starting with this promise –

“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face.” (1Corinthians 13:12)

That is definitely going to be a treasured “moment of glory.” Hang in there, dear readers. Your “moment of glory” awaits!

sincerely, Grace Day

irony to the “mth” degree

Posted on by Grace Day

My last post was all about second chances, actually second, second chances to be specific. My days are filled with them. Some are obvious and others I am oblivious to, not realizing the grace I have been granted. However, I don’t want to take any of my second chances for granted or to be unaware that I have received yet another second chance. Being aware of all the different ways God grants me mercy every day, leads me to thankfulness. If I don’t realize the grace I’ve been granted, I fail to appreciate the magnitude (and the kindness) of God’s protection, provision and patience with me on a daily basis. My Heavenly Father’s patience is what allows me all these second chances. I want to remember to thank Him –

“Let them (me) give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds for men. Let them (me) sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with songs of joy.” (Psalm 107:21-22)

Now some second chances are more dramatic than others. The near miss in traffic or being spared power outages and property damages in last week’s intense storms, as I was, leads me to “give God thanks with a grateful heart” as the song says. Interestingly, I just experienced a very ironic “second chance” shortly after completing the previous post – “second, second chances.” You can’t make this stuff up.

A few hours after publishing the post, I closed a tab from my “mtothe5th” site on another computer and somehow the “second, second chances” post was deleted except for the first paragraph! I couldn’t believe it. One thousand plus words had just vanished! I was panicked. I checked and rechecked, but the post was now just one paragraph long. All that time and effort gone. Gone where? To the cloud? Had technology stolen the very personal sharing of my heart and life experience?

You should know the backstory on this, dear readers. Technology and I are not on the best of terms. We have a love/hate relationship. I can’t decide whether she is a friend or a foe. She has played the role of both in my life. Still, I often feel that technology hates me without reason. I don’t hate her, but I don’t trust her either. Technology is so fickle and unpredictable. Just when I think I’ve got her figured out, she goes and does something like this. She steals what I labored over for so long. My post had literally disappeared from my blog and from cyberspace. I couldn’t retrieve it no matter what keys I hit on the keyboard.

If technology had stashed my post in the cloud, I have no idea where this elusive cloud resides, nor do I have the keys to gain access to all that the cloud hoards within her mysterious vastness. I thought all was lost. Until I found a way to a second chance. It occurred to me that my post had already gone out a few hours prior and that there were those who would have received it via email. Would their emails have disappeared also? I called a friend to find out the answer to this very important question.

Enter my second chance! My friend had received the email and it did contain the full text of my vanished post. However, technology would not let her forward this email to me. I guess technology was not giving up my post without a fight. BUT – my friend was able to print out her email which contained the full text of my post. I gladly went to her home to pick it up! Now I had in my hands the concrete evidence of my day’s labor. I had not labored in vain!

I now had the opportunity to restore my vanished post to the blog. This was definitely a second chance for this post about, of all things, “second chances”. Hence the irony. The post about second chances that was stolen away from me (or I inadvertently hit some wrong key on the computer) was now returned to me, giving the post its second chance to be published. What remained was for me to retype it into the computer, which I gladly did. My “second, second chances” post was itself getting a second chance! The irony of this is not lost on me, probably because it is off the charts inescapable! And while I totally appreciate the humor in this particular second chance scenario, the initial panic I felt when I thought all was lost, is easily recalled.

My Heavenly Father continues to give me forgiveness and second chances, some are just more obvious or in this case, more ironic, than others. But hopefully each second chance gets my attention, causes me to give thanks and compels me to take advantage of the “do over” and do better. I keep thinking eventually I’ll get some of these repeat opportunities, some of these second chances, right. After all –

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are (I am) not consumed, for His compassions (mercies) never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)

“new every morning” – that’s the beauty, the hope and the promise of the second chances God gives to me – they are like His manna and His mercy – they are new every morning!

sincerely, Grace Day

pitfalls and potholes

Posted on by Grace Day

Currently my life is full of both – pitfalls and potholes. Both are plentiful and both are unavoidable. Both make navigating the road ahead of me difficult if not downright dangerous on a daily basis. Of course, this is the season for potholes in my city. The winter’s deep freeze is past, the spring thaw has arrived, the snow has vanished leaving behind the “big reveal” of roads now decorated with multitudes of potholes. It is definitely “driver beware” every time I get behind the wheel of my car these days.

Although I’m sure there are potholes all over the city, one of the worst stretches that I am aware of is on the road right outside my neighborhood. In order to get anywhere, this is the road I must travel, (usually multiple times a day) whether going right or left, in order to drive to work, church, grocery – basically anywhere I need to go, I must first pass through the pothole ridden road that leads to all things.

Navigating my pothole ridden road multiple times a day has become (and continues to be) a significant challenge which I am forced to incorporate into my daily routine. Practice does not seem to be making perfect, however. No matter how many times I travel this road daily, I still have yet to avoid all the potholes successfully. Some of them “get” me every time.

There are several reasons for this besides my lack of driving expertise. First of all, the potholes are multiplying on a daily basis. I must constantly adjust my game plan to avoid the known potholes and to incorporate the surprise new potholes into my updated driving strategy. It’s exhausting! Every day the obstacle course, that is the road, changes, always adding obstacles (potholes), never deleting – always becoming more challenging, never easier.

Potholes are a lot like life’s many pitfalls. Some are deeper than others, making them more dangerous and potentially more damaging to my car. Some potholes seem to grow deeper and wider by the day. Some potholes take me completely by surprise, perhaps because I took my eyes off the road to look at surrounding traffic for a moment or because I was going too fast to adjust to the unexpected pothole at the last minute. Some potholes are simply unavoidable, as are many of life’s pitfalls. The potholes are in my path and unless I move over into the lane for oncoming traffic, (also dangerous) I am forced to drive over the potholes or on the side of the road, which is also full of potholes.

By now, I have noticed that other drivers do go into the other lane if there is no oncoming traffic at the moment, which gives me the courage to follow suite and do the same. Otherwise, if this is not an option, traffic pretty much comes to a standstill in a few spots as cars attempt to navigate the numerous clustered potholes without blowing a tire or damaging their vehicle. It is an impossible obstacle course to navigate. I cannot keep all four of my tires pothole free simultaneously and still move forward. Like traversing a mine field, I hold my breath and proceed with caution.

Potholes on the roads I travel seem an apt metaphor for the pitfalls I encounter on my life’s journey. They are often deep, dangerous, unexpected and unavoidable. And they are more difficult to deal with in the dark. I can attempt to avoid the potholes on my street in the daylight because I can see them coming and make a plan. But in the dark, I am defenseless because I don’t see the potholes until it is too late to avoid them.

Light is essential in dealing with both potholes and life’s pitfalls. Therefore, one of my survival strategies is traveling in the light. But this is not always possible, because at some point each day, the sun will set and it will be dark. However, in my life’s journey I never have to travel in the dark, nor alone for that matter. Jesus said –

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12)

God’s light will certainly help me to avoid many pitfalls and potholes in this life. Light enables me to see them clearly and to go around them rather than falling into them. The psalmist said this about navigating the pitfalls and the potholes that I encounter every day.

“Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” (Psalm119:105)

I have God’s Living Word to show me the way safely around and through all life’s pitfalls and potholes, of which there is definitely no shortage! I wish my journey was easier, my road smoother. I find myself wondering why my street hasn’t been repaired yet. Why haven’t all these potholes been filled, making the street safer for us all? Miraculously, my Heavenly Father does do that for me and for you, too, dear readers. He’s been in the building better roads business for centuries. Consider what He says in Isaiah –

“This is what the Lord says to His anointed, . . . I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” (Isaiah 45:1-2)

Pretty dramatic – I’d be happy just to have the potholes filled. But there’s more –

“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16)

How comforting! How reassuring! Just what I long for – His presence with me, His light guiding me and the rough places now smooth! My Heavenly Father is with me, rescuing me daily from the pitfalls and the potholes that are a part of my daily life, an inescapable part of this life. BUT – He is also busy preparing something better – I just need to hang on!

“Comfort, comfort My people, says your God. . . . Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:1 & 4-5)

no more pitfalls, no more potholes

sincerely, Grace Day

it was the sunflowers

Posted on by Grace Day

I suspected the sunflowers from the very beginning, and in the end, it turned out to be true, my suspicions proved to be correct – it had been the sunflowers all along. Now sunflowers probably seem like they should be the least likely suspects when any type of wrongdoing or crime occurs. After all, they are so cheerful. They don’t seem capable of deceit or malice of any kind. At least that’s what I’ve always thought, until now. I believed sunflowers to be a trustworthy flower.

But that all changed with tonight’s unexpected mystery drama. It started as an ordinary errand – me running into Meijer to pick up just a few things before heading home. It ended with me at the self-checkout scanner, discovering that I no longer had my credit card in my hand. Ok, that requires some explanation.

I entered the store, car keys and credit card in hand. Normally those two items are in a pocket of whatever I’m wearing at the moment, but my attire was void of pockets and it was just a quick stop, not major grocery shopping. I made my rounds quickly and was headed for self-checkout. At this point I passed the flower/plant area located right across from the checkout and seeing a large selection of beautiful sunflowers there, I decided to treat myself to some sunflowers to brighten my kitchen and keep me company. (sunflowers are supposed to be good company, being known as a friendly flower and all)

So I began pulling out different bunches of sunflowers from the black buckets of water that held them, so as to better compare the blooms and decide which bouquet I wanted to take home. My decision finally made after some brief agonizing over which was the prettiest, the freshest, of all the bunches of sunflowers, I proceeded to the checkout line. There I relaxed, pleased with my impulse purchase, as well as with the speed with which I had navigated my way through the large store, successfully selecting all the items on my list, thereby completing my task. I could cross it off my to-do list. However, my relaxed and self-satisfied state of being was abruptly cut short.

Imagine my shock when I wheeled my cart up to the scanner and discovered only my car keys in my left hand, no credit card! I could not check out. I needed to backtrack, to retrace my steps in order to see where I had dropped my card. Of course, the sunflowers were my first stop, but I did not find my card there. So next I went to produce, specifically the strawberries. There I had had a brief conversation with a stranger, a fellow shopper. We lamented together the lower quality and the higher price of the strawberries currently, as they are not really “in season” anymore.

She and her husband were still in this area as I sped through, and she became aware of my situation. She was very kind and concerned, looking with me in the area where we had stood and talked. Then I was off to continue my reverse route in the store. Not finding my card, I began to worry that it would fall into unscrupulous hands who would then use it to purchase all kinds of things that I could in no way afford. I thought of the melting ice cream in my shopping cart. (priorities?) I thought about checking with the store to see if a good Samaritan had perhaps found my card and turned it in.

Then I came to my senses and made a plan. Leaving my cart at the checkout place in the care of an attendant, I went to my car to get my phone and a different credit card. I called to report my card lost and put a “lock” on it. Then I got back in an even longer line to check out. After checking out, I couldn’t give up the feeling that my card was still somewhere in the store, as yet undiscovered. So I decided to take one last tour of the store in search of my lost card.

This time my search was calmer because my card was already “locked”, no one could use it. I definitely got my steps in as I walked again everywhere I had been previously. You can cover a lot of ground in big stores like Meijer. I’ll never know my step count because I don’t have one of those devices, but I’m guessing it would have been an impressive number if a count were kept. So I’ll count extra steps as an extra blessing for the day.

Then, because my eyes were on the ground, I found a penny! Somehow that’s always a big deal to me. Don’t ask me why, must be a childhood thing. Also, I ran into the kind lady and her husband again, as they were still in the store. I thanked her and assured her that things were taken care of even though I was still searching. This time I went in the order in which I had shopped, instead of the reverse order, which means my very last stop of my very last search, was – you guessed it – the sunflowers.

I scanned the floor and the tables on which the black buckets of water filled with the bouquets of fresh flowers sat. I had looked into the two buckets holding the sunflowers previously, but this time I stuck my hand down into the water among the stalks of the sunflowers. Nothing in the first bucket, BUT – in the second bucket as I felt around, reaching all the way to the bottom of the bucket, I felt it! My credit card! I was right all along. It had slipped out of my hand when I was pulling out sunflowers to examine before deciding which ones I wanted to buy. This was the last thing I did before entering the checkout line.

The sunflowers were harboring, actually hiding my credit card all this time. But they did proffer a peace offering of sorts. When I pulled my credit card out of the water, a packet of that stuff you put in the water to keep your flowers fresh longer, came out with it! The sunflowers I had purchased, didn’t have one of those packets attached, so perhaps this was their attempt at appeasement, their apology for pick pocketing my credit card? (and for melting my ice cream, for causing me stress, panic and worry)

As I write this, the guilty sunflowers have been cut down to size and are sitting in a ball jar on my kitchen table. They certainly are a cheerful, friendly flower but I don’t know if I can ever look at them the same way again. We’ll see how I feel about them in the morning. Right now they remind me of the short-lived panic I experienced when I realized I had lost my credit card. How easily my peace and composure were shattered – until I came to my senses and realized there were readily available solutions to this problem. I was not in danger, no one was hurt.

It was a minor, unexpected inconvenience – a mystery that was rather quickly solved. My Heavenly Father is with me in the deep hurts and tough circumstances of this life. But He also cares about my mundane mystery of the missing credit card – He provided the kindness of a stranger, a penny, extra steps and that stuff for the water to help keep my guilty sunflowers living and lovely longer. (although, if I had not decided last minute to buy sunflowers, none of this would have happened – maybe there’s something to be said for sticking to one’s list with no deviation? – no, what fun would that be?)

I sure was filled with all kinds of worry and panic though, when I first realized my credit card was no longer in my hand but somewhere in the very large, very full of people store. In fact, I was surprised at how quickly I became fearful and anxious. And in this life, there is always something, usually many things, that can make you and me fearful and anxious. But our Heavenly Father does not want us to live full of fear and worry. Jesus told us this –

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-34)

The sunflowers sitting on my kitchen table are God’s “lilies of the field”, clothed in perfect splendor. When I look at my sunflowers, instead of remembering my temporarily misplaced credit card and my accompanying panic and worry – I will enjoy their cheerful beauty and the peace their presence brings me because they proclaim God’s infinite care for all of His creation, including me. God takes care of them. He is taking care of me day by day.

It was the sunflowers who hid my credit card – it is the sunflowers who shout God’s goodness and glory from my kitchen table –

sincerely, Grace Day

HOAs – necessary foe or unwanted friend?

Posted on by Grace Day

The current sermon series at my church these past five weeks has been – “Weeds in my garden.” I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about the subject matter from this title. So is it simply coincidence or is it God’s sense of humor that during this time of weekly sermons about “weeds” I received a very official letter from my HOA about “weeds in my garden.” (well, more accurately, weeds in my yard)

Actually, all their letters are quite formal and official, always very grave and intimidating. There are no friendly or casual letters from my HOA, they don’t exist. HOAs don’t write to you just to let you know that they like what you’ve done with the place, or that they’ve noticed your new trim or bushes or whatever and just wanted to let you know how much they like it. They don’t write to tell you they’re glad you moved in, or to ask what they can do for you.

No, they only write when the circumstances are dire because you are in violation of some aspect of the covenant that you as a homeowner have with the HOA. There are many areas covered in this covenant, creating the possibility of receiving numerous foreboding letters detailing one’s dereliction in detail and outlining the required course of action one must now embark upon in a timely manner in order to avoid further such delightful correspondence from the HOA.

Just exactly what and how dire was my most recent dereliction? (yes, there have been other letters in the past) Well, in the words of the aforementioned thoroughly formal and foreboding correspondence – “Your turf contains excessive weed growth and is in need of treatment. . . . Compliance issue should be resolved within 15 days from the date of this letter.” Now they did sign my letter “Warm regards,” so I suppose that counts for something, right? They could have signed it “cool regards” or “cold regards” or “hostile regards” or even “no regards” – the last being the worst insult of all by virtue of the fact they extend to me no regards at all.

So this letter alerted me to my dire situation and impending doom – I had “turf containing excessive weed growth.” Translation – there are (actually were) a few dandelions in my yard. Apparently, dandelions on the premises is a dealbreaker, a violation of the sacred HOA covenant. My last lawn treatment must not have killed them all, hence the very formal and foreboding correspondence which I received.

You will be relieved to know, dear readers, that I called my lawn treatment provider in a very timely manner and scheduled an unscheduled additional treatment aimed at correcting this breach of my covenant with the HOA. I must confess, the letter did cause me a moment or two of PTSD, though. You see, last year about this time I received a similar letter from my HOA, also sent with the same “warm regards”, informing me that my grass was over four inches high and therefore in violation of HOA guidelines, or more accurately, HOA regulations.

This caused me to picture some anonymous, masked, hooded individual down on hands and knees in the dark of night, measuring my grass with a ruler. Or was this just an estimate of grass growth from a drive by observation? It seemed awfully precise, hence my visual of a ruler being used in the determination of whether or not an infraction or a breach of covenant had indeed occurred. So you can understand how this current letter caused me to experience a flashback to last year’s letter.

It does give one the feeling of being watched and not only of being watched but of being judged. In addition, this letter also caused me confusion because my neighbors, who had substantially more dandelions adorning their yard at the time I received said letter, did not receive such a letter. This could lead me to feelings of paranoia and anxiety as I anticipate future letters and feel unduly singled out. But perspective is everything. Perhaps the HOA is really my friend. After all, they are doing this for my own good and for the good of the community. I will be glad they “encouraged” me to keep up my property when I wish to sell my home and property values are good because they have held all of us accountable to the covenant we agreed to in the first place.

If I think of them as my foe, then they are a necessary foe, forcing me to be better, to hold myself to a higher standard. If I think of them as my friend, what they have to say may at times be unwanted input, something I don’t want to hear (a letter I don’t want to receive) but it is for my ultimate good and benefit. I can think of them as a friend who has my best interests at heart. They are looking out for me and when they see me going wrong or doing wrong (or in violation of our friend agreement in any way) they let me know via vaguely threatening legal letters. And in the end, I will be the better for it.

Parents discipline their children (though I doubt they send them formal and foreboding letters – they do it face to face). Likewise, I read in Hebrews –

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son. . . . For what son is not disciplined by his father? . . . Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in His holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” (Hebrews 12:5-11)

and in Proverbs I read this –

“My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline and do not resent His rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.” (Proverbs 3:11-12)

Could it be my HOA loves me? Does my HOA delight in me? Were those very legal letters I’ve been getting actually love letters from my HOA? Who knew? Perhaps their regards really were “warm” after all, now that I realize they just have my best interests at heart. My HOA just wants my home property to be all that it can be.

From now on I will think of my HOA as benevolently watching over me, just like my Heavenly Father. And I know my Heavenly Father’s intentions towards me are always good because He is good and because He says so. I have His word on the matter.

” ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” (Jeremiah 29:11)

hopefully my HOA feels the same way about me!?

sincerely, Grace Day

how did we do it?

Posted on by Grace Day

How did we bring a whole country into being without the aid of cell phones or the internet or of telephones of any kind at all? None of those things existed at the time our country came into being, because they hadn’t been invented yet. Yes, I’m still thinking about the recent cell phone outage and how it affected people I know. Mostly, this event got me to thinking more about life before cell phones, which got me to wondering how we ever accomplished anything, let alone all that we did, in a pre-cell phone era. And for that matter, how did we survive at all before the invention of the telephone? Yet we humans did survive, we thrived actually.

Sonnets were written and symphonies composed, cathedrals and castles were built, masterpieces were painted and great novels were penned, plays were performed and the stars were studied in hopes of persuading them to give up their long held secrets. Teaching was done in person. Aristotle had his pupils as did Plato and Socrates. This format of studying under a particular teacher in person for a significant length of time was a way for knowledge to be passed on and expanded. Jesus, Himself, used this method. He had twelve disciples plus a few others that followed Him as He traveled, and He taught them many things as they journeyed with Him.

Education was personal. Knowledge was passed on person to person. Today we “google” things that we want to know. We don’t have to have a conversation nor a debate about various theories or hypotheses or the important issues of the day when we “interact” with Google rather than engaging with a real in-person human being. Google doesn’t talk back. And if it did, we could just click to another screen or shut our device down. (is this akin to walking away/stomping off and slamming the door in real people interactions?) Could it be that’s why we prefer Google to human interaction? No drama. We control the “conversation?” – if you could consider “Googling” to be a conversation in the first place?

But I digress. I am lamenting the loss of certain things like land lines, love letters via snail mail and phone booths. I mean, where is Superman going to execute his quick-change magical transformation if no phone booths are available? Consider that somehow, with hard work, sacrifice, with the courage of exploration and of standing up to tyranny from overseas, with hand written documents (the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution) and in person meetings – a new nation emerged without the aid of cell phones, or of any phones for that matter, or of the internet; none of which existed at the time.

Stores operated, businesses prospered, scholars were educated, crops were grown, goods were transported, things got done, productive lives were lived – all before the advent of the cell phone and the internet. How did we do it? Now I can’t imagine life without the convenience of instant connectivity to a world wider than the one in which I physically reside. But most of human history has been lived pre cell phone and pre internet. Most of my life has been lived pre these things as well. How did I do it?

How did I learn? How did I write a research paper? Does anyone remember card catalogs and libraries full of actual books you can hold in your hands? Remember having to look up by hand and consult multiple sources to support your hypothesis before you could write your paper? Remember typewriters and carbon copies? Remember waiting on your camera’s film to be developed? Newspapers, books, my school assignments – they could all be held in my hands. These are tangible things.

Now assignments are submitted electronically. I sure hope “the cloud” keeps everything I give it safe and secure. I can’t really visit “the cloud.” It’s an intangible being? idea? I liked being able to hold my finished paper in my hands, the weight of it assuring me of its worth. I would make back up copies – that was security. Now if the internet goes down, where is my access to all the information it keeps secure until such time as I might need such information? Do I trust the internet to tell me “the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”

How did we do it? How did we do life before the internet and cell phones? How did I find my way in this world? Remember maps and atlases and verbal directions? Somehow we all got to where we were going, including sporting events, concerts etc. without cell phones. How did we do it? How did we survive and thrive before modern technology?

Human history is a rich and riveting tale of successes and failures, of invention and innovation, of cowardice and of courage, of doubt and of faith, of deceit and of truth, of greed and of generosity, of hate and of love, of evil and of good – all waging war in every human heart and in every human society simultaneously. The battle continues to this day. Although things may seem drastically different in today’s cultures which have the advantage of cell phones and of internet access, much remains the same because human nature hasn’t changed. There truly is “nothing new under the sun” as King Solomon said so long ago.

How did we do it? How did people build the pyramids or the Colosseum or the Acropolis? How did Magellan sail around the world. He certainly had no modern technology to guide him. How did the pilgrims sail the ocean and settle an unknown land without the aid of any of our modern devices? The pioneers had no cars, only covered wagons to carry them and their possessions into new territories. Still, they undertook the journey from the comfort of the known to the uncertainty of the unknown and new communities were created as a country full of the promise of freedom continued its formation.

How did we do it? Like the seasons on our calendars, our individual lives have seasons, just as human history has seasons. Because human nature doesn’t change, we seem to repeat those seasons, repeating the mistakes of our predecessors rather than learning from them. Consequently, we see history repeating itself, proving Solomon right when he said, “There is nothing new under the sun.”

How did we do it? How are we surviving as a human race today? Generations from now, they may be asking the same question about us – how did we do all that we are doing now, the good, the bad and the ugly, during this time in human history without whatever new inventions will be commonplace by then? How did we survive? Only by God’s great grace and infinite mercy alone, it seems to me. And that has been true for every generation since Adam and Eve first inhabited that oh so perfect garden.

God is sovereign over all things, including the affairs of men. That truth is very comforting in such an uncertain world. In Daniel we read this –

“Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are His. He changes times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” (Daniel 2:20-21)

As I look back over human history and wonder how people survived all that they did (the holocaust for example) or how they accomplished all that they did without the modern conveniences and technology of today, I am reminded of these words in Ecclesiastes –

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8)

that pretty much says it all – and we know that – “He (God) has made everything beautiful in its time.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)

sincerely, Grace Day