I have to write quickly while the dream remains in my head, is not replaced by the current terrible news on TV. I wish the earthquake was only a dream.
In my dream, I was in this house (which will make this dream quite unrealistic). When I woke up one morning, my brother-in-law, David, had pulled out the furniture from the walls and patched holes. He did not move the bed because I was in it, nice! He was looking in the game closet in my room for his tool boxes, where he told me he kept a kept a trashy romance novel he read as a 'guilty pleasure'.
Okay, so as I started to get up and move around, Timmy came into my room. (He was already gone before I moved to this house, you know). He needed a dry diaper, so he went to get one, plus some wipers, while I got dressed. I had clothes to wear, except no tops. Where were they??? I put one on that I found in the closet and it was skin tight, evidently not mine, but it did the trick.
In the meanwhile, I went down the hall toward voices, and it was Justin and his father re-arranging furniture in the guest room, trying to find room for Timmy's crib. (the dream changes forth and back from David to Roger.) Timmy was sitting in the hallway, in his highchair, and I was trying to find something to feed him.
Then, suddenly, we were back in my room, and I was horsing around with him, trying to wrestle him onto the bed for the diaper change. He got himself wedged under a drawer, which was pulled out, and was shivering. The wet diaper likely made him cold and I asked him if he wanted to get dressed. He was still a baby, or more a toddler, but apparently went to preschool. As I changed him, he told me about Tony, his friend at school, whom, he said, was "an acquired taste..." Wait! Is that a preschooler's description or an adult's?????
David was telling about signing football players and I asked if the strike was not going to happen. I was assured by the menfolk that a deal had been struck and the NFL was business as usual. What a wacky dream!!!!
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Now that I am awake, I will try to figure out where the dream came from----Justin was here, painting and patching on Tuesday. Where Timmy figures in does not matter, he is welcome anytime, looking just the way I remember him! Justin and I talked about straightening the closets, including the game closet. He also told me he has a 'guilty pleasure' watching "Jersey Shores" on TV (UGH!!!!) That must equal a trashy novel, which must be kept hidden....But, I am curious who Tony is and why he is an 'acquired taste'!!
This morning on Facebook I posted Psalm 121 in full, instead of only a verse or two, in reaction to the earthquake and its resulting devastation. Some of my friends from Victory had lived in Japan and I thought of them first when I heard this news, wondering about their friends and adopted 'family' still over there. I understand from the news reports that all the military folk are present and accounted for, in Japan, as well as the islands and Guam. One of the young men from church recently was stationed to Guam. David was evacuated to safety, grabbing his laptop, iPod, and cigarettes for the trip. At this writing, Hawaii, Alaska, and CA are waiting to see if the tsunamis will hit their coasts or not.
Ethel called a few minutes ago to get the news about Twila. She has no computer, no Internet access or interest, for that matter. The rest of the folks get an e-mail follow-up but hers has to come the old-fashioned way, telephone! Last week I told her I could write her a letter and mail it to let her know what's going on. Which reminds me---I got an e-mail from my Elder and the Council about the upcoming Listening Sunday, which is great. But then yesterday, I got a paper letter in the mail from church as well, about the same topic. My thoughts would be to snail mail to those who do not get e-mails or did not receive the hand-out on Sunday, which is why I sent Mike the attendance sheets after church. Duplication of services, as it were, just like the federal government.
Yesterday, of course, was Bible study at Victory, still reviewing human reason vs. the Scriptures in regard to baptism, reading various Christian theologians' words on the subject. The fastest hour of the week! Justin grabbed a service folder which were being assembled as we left and was sad to see that "In Christ Alone" is one of the hymns for Sunday. When he showed me the page printed out in the folder, Pastor Hoyer asked what we were looking at. I told him Justin was sad he was going to miss singing that new favorite hymn. Then I told Pastor how I sent it to Judy J. in MI for her brother's pending funeral.
As we left church, I asked Justin if he wanted to have lunch, since we had not had lunch together since the day before. (We had met my friend, Robin C., at Koko's. Robin and Justin had worked together for our company so knew each other fairly well.) Justin said he would like to have lunch (it is a formality for me to ask him) and then asked if he could turn on the tap one more time (does that sound just like him???) I gave him a very sad face, of course, and asked him what he wanted now. It seems he cannot locate the dress shirt I got him last year for his grandpa's funeral so asked for a new shirt to wear for their buddy's wedding this weekend. With the obligatory eye-roll and exasperated sigh, I said I would get him a shirt. He has to look nice, it's a reflection on his mama!!!
We rode together to St. Johns Town Center Mall, going first to Old Navy, where he wanted to get a vest and shirt combo. (I am a sucker!) Sadly, this is not the season for sweater vests, or any other kind it seems, so we went to Dillard to check. Fortunately, we did eventually find a button-front navy blue vest and a couple shirts to mix and match with it, which will also work well with his sport coat. Love the sales at Dillard! The wedding is at Disney, complete with carriage ride for the bride and groom, with the reception being at the Grande Floridian Hotel. He has to look nice. The other guys will be in tuxedoes, and I offered to rent him one, too, if he wanted!
For lunch we chose Libretto's Italian where he had a spinach calzone, and I had a regular one. He took half of mine home with him as I have two more meals of Koko's in my fridge to eat yet.
Justin sure wishes I was a fan of "American Idol" but that does not stop him from telling me all about it. He tries to sell me on it but I am so stubborn, refusing to succomb to the 'cakes and circuses' of American Idol...
Justin also borrowed my big camera for the wedding which I took along for him yesterday, plus his insurance card. He is all set for his big weekend. Last night he asked me if he could come by to get one of our long-term passes for Epcot. Sure! I asked him to stop at Winn Dixie to get me some raspberry sherbet and he was going to do that. In my fridge is a partially consumed mint chocolate chip ice cream, which I bought last month some time when shopping with Justin. It seems to be sort of gritty feeling in my mouth, as though it has melted and refrozen. He told me it tasted fine on Tuesday when he had a spoonful of it...rascal!
So, anyway, he called back in a few minutes to say his plans had since changed and would not need the pass to Epcot. But he still would have come over to get me sherbet. No, that would not be necessary, I am fine without it, but wasn't that nice? The guys have some time between their tuxedo fittings and the rehearsal today, thinking they would go to Epcot for a few hours. He said, "We aren't sure what we are going to do. It stinks to be in Orlando with no money...." Like they didn't know this wedding was coming up? Or, to spend less on the bachelor party activities and save the money for this weekend instead.
They went bowling last weekend, out to dinner, to a beer place that serves fruit flavored beers in tiny glasses (reminds me of a "Happy Days" episode!), and also to an ice bar. The entire tavern is made of ice, I guess. This would not be on my list of things to do. He told me about two of the groom's cousins, groomsmen, who got up for Mass on Sunday morning. Justin told me, "I like them. They are like adults!", though the same approximate ages as the guys. That's a pretty telling remark!
Oh, another place they went was called "Howlin' at the Wind" which is dueling pianos and a sing-along venue. He said I would probably love going there. So, all that fun and activity last week used up their money for this week. The good news was that one of Justin's friends who is in the wedding, with a degree in civil engineering, finally got a job in Jacksonville. He will be working with my friend, Ricky, who is a draftsman. On his way to becoming an adult as well! This young man and his mom and grandma joined us for Easter dinner last year.
Besides writing this posting I am watching the news from Japan and the destruction. I hope and pray that the coastline of the US is braced for the tsunami heading their way. Makes me wonder what we would do here, on this side of the country if a tsunami was aimed for Jacksonville. Am I up high enough? Would the supports of the building hold? How far inland would the waves wash and would the river rise? I cannot recall any tsunamis forming when Haiti had its earthquake. Is that a Pacific Ocean thing or just not a Gulf of Mexico thing? Hmmmm.......
There was so much more I wanted to write about today but the earthquake replaced it. Forget the madness in Madison and the craziness of Charlie Sheen---the Lord has once again grabbed our attention and said, "Be still! and know that I am God!"
