Extravaganza

When I was growing up, there was an annual festival at the Vichy Airport called Extravaganza.
It was run by George Carney and usually was held over a 4 day period in September. Many people set up stalls and sold arts and crafts and antiques and random stuff. There was tons of food and pagents and competitions and entertainment. There was a small town at the airport...had a blacksmith shop, jail, movie house, and the White House Hotel. The Hotel was a stage for a group of players who provided entertainment throughout the whole venue. They did western themed shows there, and also did gangster cops and robbers routines driving in old black period cars.

The troup was one big family - mother, grown up kids and their spouses and eventual children. I remember the stage shows, they always did a lip sync to "Baby Face" and one called the Buzz Saw to Ray Steven's "Along Came Jones".

My father took me every year and patiently watched the shows with me as many times as we could while there. That acting troup watched me grow up from a toddler to a 15 year old - and they always recognized my dad, the man with the beard. I have no idea who that family is or what they are doing these days, but they made a big impact on me growing up. If anyone knows who they are or if they have a website, I would love to know. I can't seem to find much info on the internet at all about the event, which is sad. I hope it gets archived and not forgotten.

I thought of this because my husband has been working in an amusement park show, "Spooktacular" for the past 12 years...doing the same type of work I loved watching so much as a child. This show has kids just like me who come every year to see it and enjoy the consistency. This type of structure is so important to show children how things can be the same and still change from year to year....a fun lesson in a performance show.

October

So, my life has been full of ups and downs lately. Illness in my extended family, my father and brother's dog coming to stay for a few weeks with us, Paul working in a very frustrating and stressful job, several big deadlines at work, several friends having babies and getting married (none doing both that I know of, though). I am tired and looking forward to having a night of relaxation tonight cuddling with Paul and watching a movie.

The last few services I have listened to (at different churches) have all had a common theme to them. They all deal with developing a relationship with God and functioning as the Body of Christ. It is not enough to say "Save me, God, I am a sinner" and then just go on living life as usual. We are called and compelled to communicate with God, read the Bible (his living word), and to live in communion with his people as one Body. I realize these sermons were for me - I have been on autopilot lately and wondering why I feel distant from God.

So, I started a devotional book last night and reading my Bible at home. I hope I can keep reading on a daily basis as a first step towards recentering my life on God. I realize I don't have a problem with God running my life, my problem is giving Paul and his life to God instead of me worrying about it. So, that is what I will strive for. I will have faith and seek God and strive to connect with a church family. And I will pray that God directs my path and also touches Paul's heart.

Communication is Key

So, I've decided that not all modern communication has brought about positive change. I don't like how having cell phones makes people expect instant communication. Paul and I went on vacation over the weekend and spent Saturday at the Chicago Six Flags. We left our cell phones in the car because we didn't want to carry them around or be bothered during the day - just have a day to ourselves. Well, at the end of the day (about 9:30) we went to the car and after settling in, checked messages. We had missed 7 calls from the same person & 3 messages all about the same issue. The person could not get a hold of us so called Paul's mom who took it upon herself to call and leave messages saying call that person back.

Really, we are not phone challenged - if we are not answering the phone, it is for a reason. Just call once and leave a message and we will get back to you at our convenience. Calling 7 times won't get us to check messages faster.

And then today Paul and I were IMing back and forth throughout the morning. Then one of my messages asking Paul something aparently didn't get to him and the rest of our conversation was snippy and misinformed. It took 15 minutes to get to where we understood what each other was saying, just because 1 little line of text was not read by him first. It made us both frustrated and grumpy just because one little thing didn't happen right.

Hermit Crabs

This is Sylvester, the hermit crab of a co-worker that I am pet-sitting while his family is on vacation. He's pretty low key. He stays inside his cave most of the afternoon, chillin'. I found him this morning digging holes by his food dish and getting sand in his water. And I'm told he likes carrots, so I put some in his dish....we'll see if he nibbles them.

I think I will find some other shells to put in his enclosure - I hear crabs like to have a few choices about what shell to wear. Must be one of the few fashion-conscious pets out there....well, that fashion is not thrust upon like dressing up your dog or cat.

Wine and the Spirit

So, I listened to Beth Moore on "Life Today" this morning. She was talking about Ephesians 5:18 "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit."

I had always heard this verse as a warning about alcohol consumption, but she was using it as a parable. Beth surmised that the author was using something people knew (the feeling of drunkenness from wine) to compare to something they didn't know (the feeling of being filled with the Holy Spirit). When people consume large quantities of alcohol, it changes how they feel things, their focus, and their boldness. The Holy Spirit does this too, but not in an "intoxicating" manner, it is by "infusion". The Holy Spirit is not toxic, but filling. I love being told things I had not thought of before - like this.

There is still warning against drunkenness in the Bible, though....this doesn't get you off the hook of being responsible. =) 1 Corinthians 10:23 "'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is beneficial. 'Everything is permissible'—but not everything is constructive."

Mothers

Paul & I have been watching the first three seasons of the new "Doctor Who". For Seasons 1 & 2, his side kick is Rose, and in season 3 he gets a new girl, Martha. I was struck after the last few episodes how much they emphasize the roles of the girls' mothers in their lives. I thought, "hmm, must be a British thing."

Then I thought about my life. When I was in college, I emailed my mother almost on a daily basis...sometimes 5 or 6 times a day. That coorespondence has slowed down a bit, but even now we IM at least once a week. Just this week, when I felt in crisis and was overwhelmed by a particular situation, the first thing I did was IM her, and we talked and I felt better.

I don't know what makes that bond so strong, but I'm glad it is there. I can count on my mother whenever I need her - I trust her opinions and advise, I know she loves me unconditionally. I hope I will have just as special a bond with my own children some day.

Offenses

My co-worker sent me this article today about a retirement home that when viewed from above, looks like a swastika. A Jewish activist complained, and now they are trying to figure out how to fix the building.

This just bugs me. Really, do you have nothing better to do than go find things that resemble symbols that happened to be used by a widely recognized bad organization and pester them? This symbol is not the sole property of the Nazi party, many world groups and religions have used it. Check out Wikipedia, they have lots of good info.

I would be outraged if this retirement home publicized their building shape, had planned it specifically, and only allowed Aryans to stay there. But really, it is a geometric shape that worked well for the architect. Quit reading stuff into every little detail. Find something more constructive to do with your time than finding bad things where they were not intended.

I like the quote by Abraham Lincoln: "When you look for the bad in mankind expecting to find it, you surely will."