I must have fallen asleep. One of those dreams where you are not sure if you are awake or asleep ;and where you don't want to wake up.
The Christmas tree shone with lights and decorations, stars with Jesus Name hung down from the branches and lights changed colour changing the room to a different mood.
"Come on sleepy" she said "how about a nice mug of hot chocolate and marshmallows -your favourite"
Thank you I replied and smiled at her. My wife
"Libby and Luke will be here soon,they travelled back from college just to spend Christmas with mum and dad."
I must have looked surprised.
"Your children" she said
"But er but"
"Too late now you can't send them back -shop won't take them." She took my hands "and you big brave hero were there at the births. Now come and help me in the kitchen if everybody wants to eat."
She left and returned with my hot chocolate .It tasted real and delicious. It was neither too hot nor too cold.
Libby and Luke I thought. "I wonder what they look like. When you do not remember having children you do wonder what they looked like even in dreams,if this was a dream. I dreamed my way through food preparation until it was done .
"No ....Stephs voice came to me -"you were going to put chocolate sauce in the potatoes."
I smiled "but I thought innovation was part of cooking, culinary adventures and all that."
The door bell played Dixie and I went to answer it .
Carrying three bags and a guitar was a young man of over six feet tall.
"Dad ,you not recognise me ?" His broad smile and wide blue eyes welcomed me."
"You've grown" I said trying to sound parental or fatherly.
He gave me a big hug -"Love ya dad ."
"Love you too Luke" I replied and then I thought 'how did I father such a fine boy'
"I'll go and look for Mom."
I watched him go and thought dreams were such good things.
The house was lovely, beautifully decorated it encapsulated love from the harsh world outside.
I thought I had better no interrupt mother and son .
In my day dreaming in my dream the door bell went again,
I opened the door
"Hello daddy."
It must be Libby . Her green eyes sparkled with joy and a lock of red hair worked its way down over her forehead .This was December and the other part of summer had arrived. Next thing I knew her arms were round my neck and I was getting just the best hug ever. Sometimes love doesn't need to speak words . How could I have fathered someone so beautiful .Yet what shone from Libby also came from the inside as well as the out .
"Come in Sweetheart Luke's here thanks for coming for Christmas."
As she walked past me I could scent the beauty of flowers and her laughter was like a stream running over stones.
Heaven must have given her a day off.
We ate and I could taste everything. We walked together. First with Luke and he told me how he was doing and I think with every word I would have been honoured to have a son like that not just in a dream.
Then Libby threw snowballs at me and each one that landed was like a kiss. "Remember me she said
I live in your heart and we will meet for real one day. It works two ways you are the only daddy I have and I am proud of you."
I could feel her hand,it was so real and warm.
"I never had a dream like this before. "I told her
"You never loved like you do now she replied " We walked on
"I wonder what kind of a father I would have made?"
The same kind of a daughter I would have made. When you get to heaven and you see a carroty haired angel step out lets go for a walk in the hills and you can tell me all the things you would have if you had been my real father.
I took her hand and my heart in my dream filled with such happiness.
When we got to the house I sat down and felt sleepy and the last thing I heard was Libby's voice
"I love you -don't forget me."
Then I was back home and I heard the voice of the wife I love- maybe we both agreed the best is yet to come
Tuesday 24 December 2013
Thursday 19 December 2013
Learning a new language
In just over a year we are going to visit the folks in Alabama and Texas .I have become conscious that I need to watch my spelling 'cause y'all spell things differently from us
The last letter in the English Alphabet is Zed to Brits and Zee to Americans -this is confusing
You have lines -these are punishment exercises we got at school for some misdemeanour to us. Imagine my surprise when I found they were what you waited in in a shop. We call these Queues and Brits are good at forming orderly queues. You have Gas we have petrol .I went into a petrol station in Alabama and asked to pay the petrol -the guy behind the counter looked at me as if I had Tamales growing out my ears .When I said Gas his face brightened with understanding. The station was BP (British Petroleum) I thought he would understand. I might as well have been up to the knees in Brandywine Creek .
You take tea cold -we take tea hot but at least we have in common that neither like warm tea .I now drink my tea as iced tea even in winter- my countrymen think I mad. "I like iced tea" I say and they say to me "but you are not in Texas now." I reply but I need to keep my hand in at iced tea drinking should I move back there,
You have funny cookies which we call biscuits .What y'all call biscuits we call scones. How on earth did ALUMINIUM (AL-U-MIN-IUM) become ALOOMINUM ? I doubt even if Ben Franklin could explain that . I walk on the pavement which you call side walk and I put things in the rear of my car which we call boot and you call trunk and the front of the car we call bonnet (as in Easter) you call it hood which to us is a gangster. The engine is in the gangster the luggage is in the trunk which itself can be luggage.
You have a Senate, which over here is the governing body of a university. You do have hot dogs and hamburgers . Now we too have these .We get ours in tins and jars and they are American because they have the "Stars and Stripes" on the jar or tin. We have Grits and Hershey's Chocolate Syrup and Fish and Chips.
When I get to USA my first buy will be a Dictionary by Merrriam Webster. I do not know who he was but I guess he must have disliked the Brits intensely to make so many differences . I am working hard at adjusting to color instead of colour and many other things. I shall persevere but the trouble is "you can fool some of the people some of the time and all of the people some the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." or as John Paul Jones said when he was doing his memoirs
"I have not yet begun to write - remember he came from Scotland so there is hope for me yet.
The last letter in the English Alphabet is Zed to Brits and Zee to Americans -this is confusing
You have lines -these are punishment exercises we got at school for some misdemeanour to us. Imagine my surprise when I found they were what you waited in in a shop. We call these Queues and Brits are good at forming orderly queues. You have Gas we have petrol .I went into a petrol station in Alabama and asked to pay the petrol -the guy behind the counter looked at me as if I had Tamales growing out my ears .When I said Gas his face brightened with understanding. The station was BP (British Petroleum) I thought he would understand. I might as well have been up to the knees in Brandywine Creek .
You take tea cold -we take tea hot but at least we have in common that neither like warm tea .I now drink my tea as iced tea even in winter- my countrymen think I mad. "I like iced tea" I say and they say to me "but you are not in Texas now." I reply but I need to keep my hand in at iced tea drinking should I move back there,
You have funny cookies which we call biscuits .What y'all call biscuits we call scones. How on earth did ALUMINIUM (AL-U-MIN-IUM) become ALOOMINUM ? I doubt even if Ben Franklin could explain that . I walk on the pavement which you call side walk and I put things in the rear of my car which we call boot and you call trunk and the front of the car we call bonnet (as in Easter) you call it hood which to us is a gangster. The engine is in the gangster the luggage is in the trunk which itself can be luggage.
You have a Senate, which over here is the governing body of a university. You do have hot dogs and hamburgers . Now we too have these .We get ours in tins and jars and they are American because they have the "Stars and Stripes" on the jar or tin. We have Grits and Hershey's Chocolate Syrup and Fish and Chips.
When I get to USA my first buy will be a Dictionary by Merrriam Webster. I do not know who he was but I guess he must have disliked the Brits intensely to make so many differences . I am working hard at adjusting to color instead of colour and many other things. I shall persevere but the trouble is "you can fool some of the people some of the time and all of the people some the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time." or as John Paul Jones said when he was doing his memoirs
"I have not yet begun to write - remember he came from Scotland so there is hope for me yet.
Thursday 12 December 2013
I'm here
This has been a hard year for us and for many. Hurt loss pain and economic pressure while politicians seem to spend money like water. People go hungry and many suffered horrors like the Philippines. Terrorism stalks the land under the guise of peace and sometimes you feel like screaming "Is anybody listening ????"
Then at Christmas time we have the reminder that One did listen, that God did care because the angels came to announce "Luke 2v10 Behold I bring you news of great joy which shall be for all the people for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord .The Son of God is here -Immanuel -God with us. Knowing this and holding to this it is like Jesus saying "I'm here." When Luke my stepson died at 37, it was the reassurance that Jesus is with us that helped us in our tears and what my wife Luke's mother felt I cannot begin to guess, Jesus was saying 'I'm here' and something would happen that would lift us. Even in the midst of the stupid behaviour of politicians or the scare tactics of terror. Jesus says 'I'm here, peace be still" My God holds His people by love not by fear. I hope you hear his still small voice in your fear or worry or loss ."Peace I 'm here" and somehow He works as only Christ can .Broken hearts take time to mend and while others talk about methods of doing that, the Lord goes ahead and actually does something - sometimes you don't want words just a hug. All our hope centres on Jesus Christ but Christmas tells us "I'm here "and that light of the World that was born in the stable in Bethlehem has come into the darkness and not all the death ,terrorism, fear ,bullying or anything else will ever be able to put it out .Jsus says this Christmas
Don't be afraid I'M HERE ,trust me
Then at Christmas time we have the reminder that One did listen, that God did care because the angels came to announce "Luke 2v10 Behold I bring you news of great joy which shall be for all the people for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord .The Son of God is here -Immanuel -God with us. Knowing this and holding to this it is like Jesus saying "I'm here." When Luke my stepson died at 37, it was the reassurance that Jesus is with us that helped us in our tears and what my wife Luke's mother felt I cannot begin to guess, Jesus was saying 'I'm here' and something would happen that would lift us. Even in the midst of the stupid behaviour of politicians or the scare tactics of terror. Jesus says 'I'm here, peace be still" My God holds His people by love not by fear. I hope you hear his still small voice in your fear or worry or loss ."Peace I 'm here" and somehow He works as only Christ can .Broken hearts take time to mend and while others talk about methods of doing that, the Lord goes ahead and actually does something - sometimes you don't want words just a hug. All our hope centres on Jesus Christ but Christmas tells us "I'm here "and that light of the World that was born in the stable in Bethlehem has come into the darkness and not all the death ,terrorism, fear ,bullying or anything else will ever be able to put it out .Jsus says this Christmas
Don't be afraid I'M HERE ,trust me
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