Bowling Addiction

Saying for the day-One is made wise, yea wiser, through the experience of dusky sorrow more than from the experience of ethereal joy. Old Elfen saying.

It is time for another elf tale.

Once upon a time, about five years or so ago, there were a couple of people who were very much in love. Jim fell in love with Beverly in the second grade and had been in love ever since. They went together all through High School. They were the couple that you saw kissing in the hallway just before they went into class> They were hopelessly, totally, terribly in love.

So right After graduation and despite the objections of their parents they were married.

Then Jim went to college and Beverly worked to put him through. He graduated , with honors, \with a degree in accounting.

They moved back to the hometown an went to live in Jim’s grandmother’s old house. Beverly brought the place to life. She was a great cook and a creative housekeeper. Jim se t up an office in the house and began doing accounting for local businesses and tax work in season.

As time went on they had two children. They made great parents. Jim was there to help with all the little things like diaper changes. They poured out their love on the children. It was like paradise.

But then it happened. A friend invited Beverly to go bowling. Jim said go ahead you need a night out. She did and discovered she loved bowling. She joined a local league and that took her out of the house one night a week. But that was ok . It gave Jim time to be alone with the kids.

But then she joined another league and was gone two night a week. Soon she was bowling every night and on the weekends. But Jim thought this will pass.

But then she started going to tournaments out of town. It was now obvious she was bowling addicted. Bowling was more important than her husbhand or her children. She just had to bowl.

So Jim became Mother and Father to the children. He became the housekeeper, the cook, and the one who made the money she needed to bowl.

One day in the middle of winter he used his snow blower to clean out his driveway and because he was a good man he did his neighbor’s driveway as well. He knew the poor old lady who lived there couldn’t do it herself and really didn’t have the money to hire somebody.

When he had finished and was coming back into his garage he suddenly noticed a short man in a green suit with curly shoes standing next to him.

“I’m an elf “, the man said. “And because you have been so kind I want to give you a wish.”

Now Jim’s mother had told him tales of elves and their wishes and how they always backfired so he told the elf “ Thank you! But I have to decline.I am afraid of you wish”.

The elf said “ I understand. So I am willing to give you three wishes. If something goes wrong with the first you can fix it with the second.

Jim thought about that and then decided to accept the offer.

He wished with his first wish that Beverly would stop bowling and stay home with her family.

“As you have asked. So shall it be” the elf said.

The next day Beverly screamed when she put her feet on the floor. The pain was so great . She screamed again when she went to move her arm. Jim helped her up and drove her to the clinic. There the doctor made the usual tests.

“She has the worst arthritis I have ever seen” the doctor said. He gave them some pills for the pain. But they didn’t help much.

Poor Jim he had his wife home but because he loved her he hurt as much as she did. Life was no longer paradise.

Of course he has the other two wishes but those are another elf tale.

#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. There was a larger than usual crowd at Last Lutheran last night. People have heard about Pastor Joan’s Lenten series and have come to see for themselves.

Last night she dressed like an old woman. She walked like an old woman. She said :

"I am the prophetess, Anna,

I have lived in this temple night and day since the death of my husband.

I have been waiting for the Messiah. You see God promised me I would not die until I saw the Messiah. God promised me.

Of course there are those who think I’m crazy.

“Look at the crazy old lady” they say “ She hears God. She waits for a Messiah.”

But I pay no attention to them. Sometimes God gives me a Word. I share it with people. That’s why they call me a prophetess. Sometimes I speak for God.

The Priests who think they own God wish I would go away.

But I think they are afraid of me. Afraid of an eighty four year old lady. They are afraid I might really speak for God.

But none of that is important now.

Yesterday he came, the Messiah. His mother carried him in to be dedicated. To the priests he was just another kid but I knew he was the Messiah. So did Simeon. You should have heard him. It was beautiful.

This Jesus He is the Messiah. I can tell that for sure. He is your Messiah. Don’t make the mistake of the priests and fail to see Him."

The people who were at the service said it was almost as if they were back at the temple. The coffee afterward was good too.

******

Today's Link-Just Jump in- No Spring here either.

A hard breathing day. The oxygen was slightly below the normal range this morning.I was on the little oxygen bottle off and on all day today. In the morning I tried to learn more about html and the embedding of video on a website but I still don't really begin to understand it. In the afternoon I read. Now I need a breathing treatment.

GBYA