Pure Joy - Rehoboth Beach, VA edition

There's just something about ice cream and the beach.

Lijahboy had his dream of braving the crashing waves of the Atlantic
and having an entire mint chocolate cone to himself. Messy boy.

But pure joy was best summed up by another little boy I saw
about 8 yrs old
Latino heritage
a little chubby
fighting against the sun to maintain his ice cream cone
unaware of the dribble
down his bare belly

and on his back left shoulderblade.

Pure joy.

How do I look?

Kennedy* is a lady who lives at a nursing home I visit. Wheelchair-bound and suffering from a host of ailments, I used to have a lot of trouble understanding her. I now understand about 80% of what she tells me. She shakes a lot and always has her neck crooked uncomfortably. If you saw her in a mall, you'd probably pretend that you didn't see her just to avoid the "oh, what should I say" or "what do I do." I found her in the hall the other day, but she had no hair. Apparently, she was always wearing a wig whenever I saw her. When I greeted her, she said something inaudible to me. As I bent down, I realized what she had said. "I don't want you to see me like this." I didn't even know what to say. I could have said, "Oh, you're always beautiful to me" or "you're just fine," but anyone who has ever had a surprise visit on a bad hair day can attest to the fact that any words are just a bunch of crap. You'll still feel dirty, nasty, stinky ... Adam and Eve had a thing about the way they looked after the fall. Thus the whole "naked" thing. They even hid. They didn't want God to see them like that. They felt dirty, nasty, stinky ... And yet, He always wants to see us. We're always beautiful to him. We're His kids. And, someday, in spite of our dirtiness, nastiness and stinkiness ... He'll want us to come home. And everyone looks great in heaven. *name changed for privacy

Simple Solutions

Due to an upcoming vacation on the road, we now have a car DVD system. I typically don't read instruction manuals, but I wanted to secure the straps properly. That's when I came across the "Troubleshooting" section: Problem - The player cannot play. Possible Cause - There may not be any discs in the DVD drive. Possible Solution - Put a disc into the DVD drive. Problem - There is no sound. Possible Cause - The speaker may not be turned on. Possible Solution - Turn on the speaker. Problem - The remote control does not work. Possible Cause - The batteries of remote control may be out of power or weak. Possible Solution - Replace the batteries. Alas, support for why I don't read these manuals. But it got me reflecting on those shaky, post-collegiate, lost-in-life, corn-gone-wrong days. I wish I could have seen this manual: Problem - I'm not feeling spiritually connected with God. Possible Cause - Not going to Church. Possible Solution - Go to Church. Problem - I'm indulging in bad habits that have me in a vicious cycle. Possible Cause - Too many negative "friend" influences. Possible Solution - Find good friend influences. Problem - I'm lost. Possible Cause - You're listening to the wrong sources. Possible Solution - Listen to the right Source. I have a feeling that when I'm old and bound in a wheelchair and dependent on others to eat, bathe and wipe my butt that I'll realize that life's solutions are really quite simple.

Melted

The last thing Luci said to me before she slept the other night: "Sweet dreams, daddy." I melted. Lijah loves to snuggle most with big sister. I melted again. My wife left a warm pot of stew for me after a long day at work. I almost picked up Burger King, but I'm sick of that garbage. And they don't serve rice. Melted thrice.

Sacred Time

A priest reminded me that time with my family is "sacred time." Just as the Church asks us to be "fully, actively and consciously" participating in the Mass, which usually comes to mind when thinking of "sacred time," so must I be fully, actively and consciously participating with my family. I doubt seriously that watching daddy's shows or surfing the net during my familial "sacred time" warrants such a title. Unless, of course, I'm trying to teach my kids how to be a sports fan. "...notice how in order to do anything worthwhile, [a donkey] has to allow itself to be ruled by the will of whoever is leading it. On its own the donkey would only ... make an ass of itself." - St. Josemaria Escriva, The Forge, no. 381