Crazy Boys

Just thought I'd dedicate an old favorite to my son tonight...the hippest 80s dude of them all. (More to come about that.)
--Love you! Mama

Jesus' Mom

"Wake up!" she said,
"you dreaming fool,
don't throw your life away.
Because life's too short
and you're too smart
to want to hurt yourself that way.

And what's this talk
about the fellow man?
Look, it's catch as catch can,
understand?
You muscle and struggle
and get what you can
or you'll never get anywhere at all,
young man.

And what's this talk
about loving everybody
and trying to be a neighbor
and helping out your brother?

Oh, fine and dandy,
but you're getting a little carried away,"
is what she'd say.
She said, "I'm not saying
that love ain't fine,
but every little thing's
got it's place and time.

Now there's people out there
who want what's mine,
and they're going to try to take it away.
So save your love
for those who care,
and buy some clothes
and wash your hair.

Just relax
and don't you dare
start dreaming about saving the world."

And Jesus said, "Yes mom."

© David Wilcox, all rights reserved

My new blogging hobby

I've found a new hobby for my blog! Of course, because I list myself as a writer, editor, and information addict, it has something to do with that. Rarely a day passes when I don't get at least a snicker from something reported in our local paper, the Ft. Worth Startlegram. Oh, excuse me, I mean the Star Telegram! So, I've decided to share these little moments with you, my faithful readers. All three of you. It's not the content itself. It's the manner in which it is printed. For instance, in yesterday's paper (at least, I think it was yesterday...it's one of several piled in the reading room), I found the following. Names have been deleted to protect the parties involved--I think I may know some of them and don't want to directly embarrass anyone.

Two major oil spills have been identified in hurricane-battered southern Louisiana. Reuters and National Public Radio said Tuesday that the largest spill involves 68,0000 barrels from the (company name deleted) storage depot in Venice, La., a facility connected to the (name deleted) family of Fort Worth. A 10,000-barrel spill has been connected to...

Amazing, yet true. The paper has invented a new number format! How would you read that out loud? Any and all suggestions welcome in comments.

So, Heather and I have spent the last two days sorting and folding donated clothing in my living room. Well, actually, Heather's sorted and folded while I've fielded phone calls and emails about the donations and tried to do a little work for pay in between with little success. We finally found my floor again this afternoon around five. Tomorrow a few more items are to be delivered and then we are going to try to take some of the things to one family, and then at other points this weekend, deliver them to the others. It's kept me from dwelling on the news quite as much. Between laughing over the newspaper typos and putting t-shirts donated by church members that read "Sexy women eat free" and "House of Blues New Orleans French Quarter" in the "Or not" pile, I think I'm regaining my sense of humor at least a little bit.

How do you decide?

Aaahhhh!! Who do you help?!?! I know many of us are experiencing frustration because of this question! I was listening to KVIL on the radio this morning and feeling frustrated because they were doing a phone-a-thon for one family who had lost everything in the NO flooding and they were helping her to furnish the apartment she was able to get paid for two months. I think it's WONDERFUL that the radio station was doing this, don't get me wrong, but doesn't it just make you feel helpless for the other 50,000 or so families who are homeless in Texas now? Our church is helping two extended families (7-8 nuclear families, I believe) that we know of through work or church members. Again, I feel frustrated...the donations are coming in at a very steady trickle (I'm coordinating this, so am seeing it all). Some are blowing me away, like the lady who is giving a $300 Target gift certificate. We will be able to help these two families quite a bit, but it's scary to think about questions like "Are we helping the right families?", "Are we helping in the right way?", and for me, most of all, "Will the church be satisfied that I made the right decisions in how to do this?" I guess we just have to be obedient to God and give without worrying so much, and be assured that he will take care of those details somehow. If only I weren't such a people-pleaser, my life would be much calmer.

Katrina and Morrie

This has definitely been a week to consider life and it's vulnerability. First, there's Hurricane Katrina. I keep hearing everyone say it's like a train wreck...you can't help but stop and watch the news on television, listen to the radio, read the newspapers and blogs. It's horrifying. Kristen had a new little boy, Paul, in her class yesterday and today from New Orleans and there are 16 people staying in the house where he is, but he told her today that he likes his new school and new friends. :) Little moments of feeling good like that help. I have a feeling Texas is in for its share of change over the next few months with 75,000 refugees expected to settle here at least temporarily (25,000 in Dallas/Ft. Worth alone). I hope we can be gracious and generous as these people attempt to re-establish their lives. I fear tensions will rise, though, before it gets better. Many of these folks had nothing to begin with--now they have "less than nothing", if that's possible.

Tonight, Todd and I went to see the play Tuesdays with Morrie at the Circle Theatre. It is a great play. The actors were excellent, and it was yet another reminder to consider our blessings. Morrie is dying, and his former student visits him every Tuesday and Morrie teaches him lessons about life. One thing Morrie said was maybe a quote from a poet, I can't remember for sure. He said something like, "When you're taking, you're dying; when you're giving, you're living." This play was a tearjerker, but they were the good kind of tears.

In about six hours, it'll be 12 years since my own Hurricane Emilie came into the world. She was born the same weekend Hurricane Emily came through, and we had already picked her name. We were thankful that hurricane didn't do much damage or cause any deaths. Probably not too many babies named Katrina this week.