Preview (opens in a new tab)Saturday, November 18, 2023
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Which apple should I eat?
Late last night, falling asleep after a long birthday, I ate an apple. An “Envy” apple. That apple, tasty as it was, really belonged in a fairy tale, poisoned by a wicked queen and eaten by Snow White. It was deep red, it tasted just a little different, as envy tastes different from admiration. It was crunchy, and eating just half of it took a long time.
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?
When peaceful stillness encompassed everything and the night in its swift course was half spent, your all-powerful world bounded from heaven’s royal throne into the doomed land, bearing the sharp sword of your inexorable degree.
The wicked jealous queen will die, falling off a cliff. Snow White, however, does not entirely die. Lying in a glass coffin, she waits, no longer breathing, for the prince. The prince kisses her and her eyes open, and Snow White’s second life begins.
In Grimm’s fairy tale, Snow White is only seven, not 14 as Walt Disney envisioned her. She is the same age as Miles. At Quality Seafood Market’s restaurant last night, Miles couldn’t get enough fried okra, pilfering it from three other plates. When Margaret asked his Japanese grandmother Obachan if she knew how a turkey gobble sounded, Miles stepped in and gobbled to his heart’s content. Loudly, too. I cannot imitate the sound in words, but it did sound a lot like this.
They ranged about like horses, and bounded about like lambs, praising you, O Lord, their deliverer.
I ordered a dozen raw oysters on the half shell, a bargain one dollar apiece. Miles and Jasper both wanted to me to try all the hot stuff on them, but they did not offer to take a chance with eating one themselves.
“Put one in each cheek, and then eat both of them at once,” Miles smiled at me. “And use that hot sauce too!” How could I resist? As Margaret’s sister Kay said later, “What else could you want?”
Remember the marvels the Lord has done. Sing to him, sing his praise, proclaim all his wondrous deeds.
They boys were very excited to get to the birthday presents, after Margaret’s German chocolate cake. Why would they care about whatever new sweaters I got this year? But it was not sweaters, it was toys! centered on a camping theme – camping in the living room anyway. They helped me open everything, especially a 180 piece “Build a Fort” set and a boxful of 70 pieces of camping gear, all plastic, all ready for action next week at our house during their fall break.
Pretty fun birthday, since everybody got involved. That’s the secret I’ll hang onto – let the kiddos have another birthday themselves along with me. Pick out some possible gifts together, and make sure they know what’s coming, so they have to keep the secret until they are just about to burst!
Margaret hid one of the boxes in their toy closet and gave them a single hint about where to find it. Jasper’s eyes got big, he tore off to the closet, and carried it back to the table. It weighed as much as he did.
“I’m strong!” he shouted.
And he is.
(Wisdom 18, Psalm 105, 2 Thessalonians 2, Luke 18)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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