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February 26, 2008

Graphic by MamaBear

Clouds

Soundless giants of the air,
Drifting slowly everywhere,
Softly flowing, gentle flight,
Unseen shadows in the night.

Summer skies of azure blue,
Often hold a cloud or two.
Snowbank castles looking down,
At the lowlifes on the ground.

In Winter skies they do convene,
To cover up our muddy scene.
Some ugliness just has to go,
So then they cover it with snow.

Grazing sheep of soundless tread,
Passing slowly overhead,
Our miasmas upward creep,
To make these gentle creatures weep.

NicknamedBob . . . . December 29, 2004

February 26, 2008

Making Restitution

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READ: Luke 19:1-9

He shall make restitution for his trespass in full. —Numbers 5:7

During the compilation of the Oxford English Dictionary, managing editor James Murray received thousands of definitions from Dr. William Chester Minor. They were always sent in by mail and never brought in personally. Murray was curious about this brilliant man, so he went to visit him. He was shocked to find that Minor was incarcerated in an asylum for the criminally insane.

Years earlier, while in a delusional state, Minor had shot an innocent man whom he thought had been tormenting him. Later he was filled with remorse and began sending money to support the widow and her family. Minor was imprisoned for the rest of his life but he found practical ways of easing the pain of his victims and contributing to society through his work on the dictionary.

When the dishonest tax collector Zacchaeus heard Jesus’ message of grace, he chose to return more than what he had extorted from others. “Look, Lord, . . . if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold” (Luke 19:8). The gospel of grace stirred Zacchaeus to help those he had harmed.

Have you wronged someone? What steps will you take to help make things right?

Forgive me, Lord, for all my sins,
The many wrongs that I have done;
And show me how to make things right
Before the setting of the sun. —Bosch

Making restitution reveals genuine repentance.

Bible in One Year: Numbers 1–3; Proverbs 20:11-20

Good morning, Amy and FRiends.

Looks like we might be having a spring-like day in store for us. The trees are blooming their heads off here, although my flowering pear always lags behind and blooms much later. My lilac should be blooming in a week or so. I will take pictures of it for Amy's Place. Who doesn't like lilacs? :-)

It's a pretty time of year in our valley and at Amy's Place.

Nothing

Apropos of nothing, I have nothing to say,
Nothing comes to mind about this word today.
“What are you thinking?” He was asked, “Nothing.” He replied.
And thus invented zero. Nothing new for numbers is implied.

I’ve been collecting lots of it. It isn’t hard to find,
And if you take a portion no one ever seems to mind.
Somewhere inside in my pocket there is a good supply.
And sometimes when I shed a tear there’s nothing in my eye.

In my refridgerator, there’s even more to see,
Of dietary nothingness, in great variety.
I have low-calory, and zero carbohydrate,
And even empty bottles in a partly filled milk-crate.

The emptiness is rampant in the furnishings in here,
This small apartment seems so drab that nothing gives it cheer.
Nothing should convince you that I always wear a frown,
I wouldn’t want to let you think that nothing gets me down.

Nothing like a friendship to disrupt your daily thought,
And nothing of emotion comes to make you more distraught.
Nothing for companionship to while away the hours,
And nothing in the vase that I have set aside for flowers.

Nothing on the telly, and nothing here to read,
Nothing can distract me, so imagination’s freed.
Relaxing here this evening, and trying to unwind,
Just sitting here so quietly with nothing on my mind.

NicknamedBob . . . . . . . . . . August 27, 2004

This link was sent to me in an email, Dirt Roads by Paul Harvey:
http://famguardian.org/Subjects/FamilyIssues/Articles/DirtRoads/DirtRoads.htm

Sorry I have not been here. Between emailing an out-of-town friend, emailing my siblings about problems of our aging parents, & work, I have no time for FReeping. I appreciate any and all prayers during this time. Dad was hospitalized for his thyroid & malnutrition in Sept ‘07, he survived. He had been dividing his time between his girlfriend, who is my age & is an hour & 1/2 away, & his house up here about 20-30 by highway from my house. During the last 4 years while I was working 2 jobs to catch up on my debts, his girlfriend talked him into mortgaging his house to buy her a farm. The way the deed is written it will go to her when he dies & he has made NO provisions for his death other than putting the names of my brother & I on his 2 houses. His life ins. bene’s weren’t even up to date. It has been a maddening mess that we are still working on. Dad is still alive, but I don’t think he’s doing well mentally.

Please pass on this info to anyone who remembers me &/or who might pray for us. Thank you.

PAL