Fun with Magnus, Molly, & Beanie Babies and the Rise of "Wickel Wickel" - Yo, Dawg
Sunday, November 20, 2005
(7:55am) Saturday had been a mix of frustrations, but it included more blessings and things for which to be grateful (including the frustrations), for they taught and instructed. Saturday held a short morning, for naturally OLeif and Collette were both tired from the previous evenings’ activities, and they slept in till after nine. Rose had thoroughly enjoyed herself at the paint ball court (despite the fact that she was the only girl there, and one of the few wearing fatigues), and went off with Annamaria, Lollipop, and Collie Hart, along with Mom, Mrs. South, and Collette, to see “Pride & Prejudice” at the movies in Des Peres, while OLeif saw “Walk the Line.”
That evening, there was pizza at the house, and then off to The Grind for another hopping bash of “Flint River” (the newly named band of Curly, Wally, & Izzy). Carrie and Elizabeth even dropped by briefly, and Carrie made the embarrassing decision to ask Magnus a regrettable question, of which she later wished she had not asked. But the others thought it was rather funny, and thus the evening proceeded and ended with OLeif dropping off Magnus and Molly (both of whom were playing with beanie babies on the ride home):
“You’re not being how Jesus would want you to be. Huh? Huh? Punk?” Molly thrust the pink flamingo towards the lizard, who was already on the attack.
“This is fairyland. Jesus doesn’t care about fairyland,” The Lizard cut back.
“Jesus hates fairyland.”
“You’re being boring.”
After Molly left the car, Magnus was silent for a time. “We need to structure that better for the next time,” he almost sighed. “No plot.”
He left the K-Swiss shoe box of beanie babies (which OLeif had discovered unharmed in the dumpster), for the the next ride home with Molly.
Sunday was a rather quiet day – cold and cloudy. Curly, Sr.’s brother had just arrived home from Iraq and gave a short presentation following the worship service of his and his fellow soldier’s stay and of the war. He said plainly that CNN inaccurately portrayed (in fact, outright portrayed the opposite) the war and the Iraqi people, who in actuality were overjoyed to have the American’s help, and were learning to stand on their own two feet.
“I do believe,” he said, “that America is in greater peril today than it ever has been before, not even during the Civil War, because these terrorists hate us, just hate us. There is no mercy.”
It saddened Collette to hear such things, as she thought about the persecuted church in the Middle East, and of the ease of her own Christian life in the Midwest. What opposite lives, and yet they were her brothers and sisters in Christ. She continued to pray for the persecuted church every morning, running through the various continents every week.
Meanwhile, there was a hot steaming lasagna at the Silverspoon’s for lunch.
“Wickel, wickel,” Wally called out at one point, for no reason in particular, at the kitchen table.
“Oh,” Collette laughed to herself, “Rose has indeed started something.”
Then she read the entirety of Longefellow’s “The Courtship of Miles Standish” while wrapped in a blanket by the fire. She had lately taken a particular liking to Colonial history and wished to begin collecting the Puritan authors, including the famed John Owen. She as well, enjoyed picturing the “Pride and Prejudice” era, and would think about such things from time to time. Her reading was followed by Theodore and OLeif returning with “Bewitched” for a viewing downstairs, after Denae had fallen asleep in the other room – everyone seemed partially tired.
And soon it was back to the house for Carrie to open her gifts over ice cream pizza and new “Tales from Avonlea.” She was pleased with them, although just having accidentally dropped her hazardous chemicals chemistry class. She received a funny card from Linnea, accompanied with a package of hot chocolate, and a card from Frances. There was a fantastic fabric print – must have been ancient – intricately carved, from India. An amazing find by Rose, yet another piece of history, from the antique mall. There was also a package of mini pitas and a hummus quartet, a package of long-tapered black candles, a Johnny Cash sticker (from Hot Topic), and a set of Chinese bells from the Amish novelty shop.
Monday, Collette wrapped herself in a lovely white sweater with a tapered collar (courtesy of Carrie who had just cleaned out her closet and sent most all of it to Rose, Collette, and Goodwill). She also draped a soft scarf knitted by Great Aunt Patsy in dark violet, mossy browns, and turquoise blue, and a pair of bronze earrings (also from Carrie), of leaves and frogs. During the course of the quiet morning, OLeif called her at work, and explained that the owner of the company had happened to learn that a great hole had worn into the back of his steel-toed shoe, and he immediately handed over a one hundred dollar bill and told him to have some nice shoes by the next morning. Collette wondered if it should be taken as charity, but OLeif explained that he was just doing a good turn, so to speak.
Another interesting tidbit was finding out that Evangeline Lily (the actress who played the lead female in “Lost”) had originally planned to obtain her college degree and become a missionary; she had already done mission work in the Philippines, living in a grass hut. It was encouraging to hear such a thing.
Collette had often heard over the course of the past month or more – an advertisement for the Royal Treasure Tombs of Ancient Sumer, which was visiting the Art Museum downtown. It always began with a stirring ancient drone, where Collette could just picture herself standing on the windblown hills outside its ancient city. Lapis Lazuli, Carnelian, Gold, and Silver, and bowls of Alabaster… It reminded Collette of several articles she had read that afternoon in “byFaith,” commenting on entertainment and the classics. She was thankful, she found, that even those images of by-gone pagan eras and civilizations disturbed her, to think of lost souls… she was still grateful for the creativity God had allowed them, to touch the rest of the world, and still be used to His glory.
She also heard once again from the Lincoln family in Hungary, written by Clifford Lincoln:
“The Lord treated us to beautiful weather during October. Lucy and I attended leadership meetings and a Church Planter Training Institute in England at the historic Foreign Missions Club and the Wycliffe Center with more than 100 church planters from across Europe and its surrounds. There were a host of excellent speakers and teachers. We came away with a deep appreciation for God’s work in other parts of the world and were encouraged for the work that remains ahead of us. The time there with the wise and experienced helped me crystallize some of my own thoughts for leading the Budapest city team in seeing a cluster of churches planted here.
“While Lucy and I were gone, my mom came from Colorado to look after Patty, Thomas, and Felix. She introduced them to some American culture—banana cream pie. She and Felix did the daily shopping and walking-the-dog routine in our village center, so everyone recognizes them now.”
It was so encouraging to hear such accounts – of the Church working all across the globe.