A bit more of me

Today's Link
Playing Down River

Saying for the Day
The first thing in the human personality that dissolves in alcohol is dignity. ~Author Unknown

Picture of the Day
Old Episcopal Choir Picture from Escanaba
Betty's Mother is first one in second row back.

It is time for me to share a bit of me with you. Usually I have a meme or something like that to work with. Last week I was interviewed. But today I want to tell you one fact about me and why it is so.
I don’t drink alcoholic drinks of any kind. Not beer, not wine, not whiskey , not any alcoholic drink. I never have.
Now I suppose you think this grows out of my religion but you would be wrong.
I made the decision never to drink when I was still an atheist.
My family had a plethora of problem drinkers to teach me.
I learned that when you were drunk you did stupid things.
I learned that when you were drunk you looked stupid.
I learned you had to pay money to do stupid things and look stupid.
One of my teachers was Tom. He was a boarder at my grandmother’s house. As a young man he got falling down drunk and fell across a railroad track. A train came and cut off one leg. But once he had a wooden leg he went back to drinking.
Another teacher was Fred who was also a boarder . He came into the family Christmas celebration , dead drunk, and knocked over the Christmas tree.
Lesson by lesson they taught me all about drinking.
I had uncles, a grandfather, and a father all of whom had trouble handling what they drank.
I had no desire to be like that. So I just decided never to start.
My classmates in high school had no such qualms. Some of them got drunk as often as possible.
We buried one of the popular ones five days before graduation. He had been drinking and he drove into a bridge.
I discovered in the UP young people did not look forward to “ social drinking” they looked forward to getting falling down drunk. That was fun. That took away your troubles. That I wanted to avoid.
As a Pastor I saw the damage excessive drinking did. I held the hand of a lady whose son was killed by a drunk driver. I counseled people whose lives were being pulled apart by drinking. I went with the sheriff to try and talk a drunk, who was shooting at people. into putting his gun down. By the time we got there he shot himself. I listened to the crying of the parents of a young man who died in a snowmobile accident that had excessive drinking as a cause. I visited young people in jail for vandalism who would never have done what they did if they were sober. I became a fifth step counselor in the 12 step program. I listened to all the terrible things people had done while drunk.
I experienced the intolerance that heavy drinkers have for people who don’t drink. I remember being at a bar waiting to go into a wedding reception when a fellow well on his way to being drunk and noticing I didn’t have a glass said “ What’s the matter Rev. drinken against your religion”.
To which I responded “ No! It’s against my intelligence”.
AS a Pastor I never condemned drinking as such. I knew people who had wine or beer with their meals and never drank to excess. I knew the history of prohibition and how it failed.
I saw my task as being a designated driver in life. To be there to pick up the pieces , to counsel, to cry , to help where I could. To set a different example of how to live a joyful life.
It’s possible I told you all this before. That’s how it is with us old people. We keep telling the same things over and over.

News from Pigeon Falls

The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal
It is Monday morning and Pigeon Falls is quiet.
Petrovich posted his demon Driblet to his website yesterday. He still doesn’t have the end for it. But it certainly doesn’t bode well for the town.
Pastor Joan is taking the day off and spending it with Oops. She feels bad that her finances are keeping her from getting Oops the kind of clothes she deserves. In the last few days she has learned a lot about Oops.
1. She loves Lego's
2. Despite not being able to talk she plays a wicked game of Scrabble . So she knows the words.
3. She and Herman have some kind of special bond.
4. She seems to have a lot of power.
5. Somehow she influenced the social worker.
6. She always seems to know when the dragons are flying over. She goes to the window to watch them.
7. She seems to be waiting for something or someone.
8. She loves chocolate bars and ice cream.
9. Sometimes when she says Oops she becomes invisible but you can still see her clothes. That’s eerie.
10 . Sometimes she is surrounded by a bright blue light.
Pastor Joan is certain she is not your ordinary child.

Wrap UP

Still another rough breathing day. I carried my little oxygen bottle around most of the day. Loaded this week's bible study to the St. Mark's website. Ran six copies for Betty to take to Bible study tomorrow. My sister called . I called Pastor Steve and told him of the nice comment he got on my blog yesterday. I spent the day catching up on things. I sent out the interview questions. I checked on our automobile insurance. I clerared up a lot of loose ends. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

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