Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Boilerplate

I’m Harold Dykstra.  I’m retired, but I go to food bank distributions all over Tracy and talk to people that need someone who will listen to their story.  My time is well spent.  A police lieutenant suggested that I write down the conversations that I had with an angel.  I did not know she was an angel at the time.  The angel, for a little over a year, indwelled a life-sized posable action figure my children bought me, so that I would not be perceived as travelling alone.  And in a way, she was training me for what I do while talking to the needy.  She probed my heart to find out what I believed and how I express love for others.  She changed my life.

In her leaving, she said someone would come.  I had thought that was Jesus, in His second coming, but a new Babs, a little older, the model for the posable action figure arrived.  While I had no desire to start over with romance, Morrie helped her move in, thinking she was the other Babs who had returned.

This Week’s Question

Last week, Babs quizzed me about my bachelor party.  I was tired when she questioned me, so she wrote the report.  So, don’t take everything at face value.

This week, Willie and Babs were doing some wedding planning.  They were in hushed tones, but I heard Willie mention Crispa and Parrots.  So, with me being of Dutch ancestry, I think Babs was planning some flowers using tulips with frilly edges.  But I don’t know if these flowers are for the wedding or the reception.  Since Pink Lady is providing the venue for free, a lot will already be decorated in Mardi Gras fashion, a lot of purple, gold, and green.  For flowers, green is easy.  Parrot tulips have spiked edges and are usually two-colored.  From a distance, the red and yellow varieties could look golden.  And purple tulips are available.

But I was starting to feel guilty for eavesdropping.  This was their part of the ceremony.  I just did as told.  Then, the honeymoon was supposed to be on my ticket, but it seems Amy G. Dala is providing the transportation for free.  We have to be gone for a week.  They have business meetings in Savannah, GA and in Jacksonville, FL.  But then Pink Lady wants my review of her newest venture, a honeymoon destination in Vidalia, GA.  So, I guess if I loved everything, my review will feature dramatically in their advertisements.

So, with my responsibilities pretty much planned and “paid for,” I was trying to work with some video clips that Mary Sheltie Jones had given me to inspire a new ad campaign for our feeding the homeless fund raising.

Finally, I overheard Babs ask Willie to stay while we do some impromptu Bible study.

They came in and I made sure I had a flurry of typing on the keyboard to pretend to be busy.

Babs asked, “Harold, what should our topic of discussion be tonight?”

I suggested, “Let’s look at references to flowers in the Bible.”

Willie huffed, “I told you we should have gone on to your apartment.  Babs, this man looks harmless, but you cannot trust him.”

I groaned, “Willie, that is your father you are talking about, and if I cannot be trusted, where did you learn all your dirty tricks?”

Willie grinned, “Simple, from Morrie, and Morrie had no problem making up rules as he went along, mostly he had one rule.  ‘Do the opposite Dad says.’  See, I developed my rebellion honestly.”

I shrugged, “Morrie is making up for it these days.  Give your brother a break.”

Willie laughed, “I am just saying that if I know how to do some naughty things, it came from him in his wanton days.  But that does not excuse you listening in on wedding plans.  You are supposed to be surprised.”

I snickered, “I only heard Crispa and Parrot, and I thought of tulips.”

Babs snickered, “Likely story, dear, but I will accept that.  What flower should we look at in the Bible?”

I groaned, “In honor of the Dutch and their bulb flowers, let’s look at Isaiah 35:1-2. ‘The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.’”

Willie smiled, “Of course, this is a beautiful prophecy about renewal and rebirth, but Dad will ruin it with science.”

I laughed, “Why did they use the crocus?  It is an early blooming flower.  It often bursts from the ground and the bloom fights through the snow to bloom.  Yet, the crocus is a rather tiny flower.  Then again, any flower mentioned in the Bible is more like a wildflower.  The cultivation and cross-breeding to get our large showy blooms of today happened after biblical times.”

Babs giggled, “So, the Rose of Sharon in Song of Songs 2:1 ‘I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.’ does not mean a rose like we see today?”

I smiled, “It’s not a rose.  It is more of a hibiscus, which these days is rather showy.  But some biblical scholars think they meant a tulip or crocus.  But all the verse really says is that the woman describes herself as a wildflower.  Note that the other option is a lily of the valley, not the modern lily.  And we have lily of the valley that still grows in woodland areas, a wildflower.”

Willie moaned, “What a bummer!  I always thought that the woman in Song of Songs was a knock out.  Gorgeous!”

I nodded, “But without saying so, Solomon is hinting that much of her beauty came from her humility.  The other descriptions in Song of Songs show her to be very beautiful, but beauty is fading. It’s that Proverbs 31 concept of a wife of noble character.  Character is better than outward beauty.  I find great character in each of you ladies, along with the outward beauty.”

Babs smiled and leaned over and kissed me.

Willie groaned, “Cut it out, you two.  I have to go home and fix something for supper, and I don’t know if I can after watching an episode of ‘As the Stomach churns.’”

Babs snickered, “I don’t think that was the name of the show, Willie.  But what about another metaphor using flowers?  The brevity of life is described in Psalm 103:15-16 as ‘The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.’ The flower in the field sounds like a wildflower, but it’s really hard to keep a flowering bush showy for a long period of time.”

Willie said, “What about ‘Mortals, born of woman, are of few days and full of trouble. They spring up like flowers and wither away; like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.’ (Job 14:1-2).”

There was a knock at the door to the downstairs garage and laundry room. We said they could come in.  Tony and Joe Painter were followed by Mary Jo and Frank Lynn.

Babs said, “For people who are newly engaged, you are spending a lot of time together.”

Mary Jo said, “Since I work at the nursery at Lily the Pink, Frank will be well adjusted to that environment.  Joe loves playing with him, but coming to Tony’s house makes it look more familiar to him.  I think the highlight of each trip is playing with Sugar.”

Tony nodded, “Yeah, I picked up Mary Jo when I took Sugar to the vet.  He’ll send the bill, but Sugar is in fine shape.”

Joe said, “Pake Harold, are you doing a Bible study?  What is it about?”

I said, “”Flowers.  Luke 12:27 says, ‘“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.’  So, some translations say lilies instead of wildflowers, but then if those lilies are lilies of the valley, they are wildflowers.”

Mary Jo said, “But Lily the Pink uses waterlilies anyway, not flowers from a field, but doesn’t that verse talk about not worrying?  If God can clothe the lilies so beautifully, he should be able to clothe us.”

Tony asked, “Did you mention ‘For, before the harvest, when the blossom is gone and the flower becomes a ripening grape, he will cut off the shoots with pruning knives, and cut down and take away the spreading branches.’ (Isaiah 18:5)?”

I laughed, “That’s a good one, Tony.  We talked about how flowers wither quickly, and how the love interest of the king in Song of Songs considered her beauty to be like a wildflower.  And that the one reference to rose and the few to lily are mostly wildflower references.  We had not gotten to any flowers producing fruit.”

Babs asked, “But what about the tabernacle and temple furnishings?  Didn’t cups of things look like a flower?”

I nodded, “Lily is used for the model in cup of the Sea at Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 7:26).”

“What about the Tabernacle?” Babs asked.

“’Three cups shaped like almond flowers with buds and blossoms are to be on one branch, three on the next branch, and the same for all six branches extending from the lampstand.’ (Exodus 25:33).  So there we have almond blossoms.” I replied

Willie added, “And don’t forget Aaron’s staff that budded.  ‘The next day Moses entered the tent and saw that Aaron’s staff, which represented the tribe of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.’ (Numbers 17:8).”

Joe asked, “Dad, I have a walking stick at the house.  Can we get some almonds off it tomorrow?”

Tony smiled, “That was an Old Testament miracle, Joe.  Besides, I think your stick is oak.  All we would get would be acorns.”

Babs laughed, “Joe, if you like almonds, I will get you a can of them tomorrow.”

Tony said, “No, we have so many nuts that we haven’t cracked from his Christmas Stocking that we don’t know what to do with them all.”

Joe said, “I know! Crack and eat them.”

Tony said, “With that advice, we better go home and crack a few nuts.”

Babs got up and gave Tony a hug.  “Thanks for helping us out today, Tony.”

Tony said, “It was nothing.  I had the day off.  Finally, a day with no fresh snow.”

I groaned, “Not so loud.  It might come another storm in a couple of days.”

Tony said, “Great!  A couple of days off and then a lot of customers wanting their parking lots cleared.  That’s why we had fun today.  I had the money to do it thanks to all that snow recently.”

I groaned, “One person’s snowstorm is another person’s blessing.”

Then Joe said, “And Pink Lady selling that truck to Dad was the biggest blessing.”

Tony said, “Yeah, and she was my first customer.  Her parking lots are outside.  And the shipping and receiving area is huge.  Great unless there are trucks parked, waiting to unload or load.  Then, I have to maneuver around the empty spaces.  Amy G. Dala just has me salt the entrance and exits to her below ground lot.  But once the word got out, I am super busy every time it snows.”

Mary Jo smiled, “Let’s leave these nice people with a wedding to plan.”

Babs laughed, “We have done enough of that today, and I think the Bible Study is about done too.”

Tony and his crew left, and then Willie said her good-byes.

Babs scrunched her nose, “That just leaves us, Big Fella.  What’s for supper?”

I laughed, “I think I need some sugar.  I am fresh out of ideas.”

Babs said, “Harold, Sugar is downstairs.  How is that going to give you ideas?”

I put my arms around her and we kissed.

Babs pushed me away and said, “Twenty-five days and counting, Big Fella.  I don’t want you ruining it with any of your ‘ideas.’”

I smiled, “Babs, a few more kisses, and I might not be hungry for any supper.”

Babs snickered, “Okay, a few more kisses and then I fix us a pimento cheese sandwich.”

I nodded, “Deal!”

Credits

All these conversations remind me of my conversations with my wife.  We would talk about anything and everything.  And most of the time, it sounded like a discussion in a Sunday school class.

“As the Stomach churns” has probably been a joke referring to the soap opera, As the World Turns since the show aired in 1956 – last episode in 2010.

And I do not know what Santa brings you in your stocking, but I got very few candies when I was growing up, at least from Santa. There was an orange in the toe to make it open for things to go into the stocking and then it was a lot more nuts, unshelled, more than anything else, with maybe another orange at the heal and a third on top along with a candy cane or two. And a lot of Christmas morning was learning patience while someone else in the family used the nutcracker – for themselves. I had to crack and clean my own pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, etc. Brazil nuts were a pain, but they tasted good once you had them shelled.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.