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 worried.

This week Babs was in the kitchen.

I said, “What are you fixing?”

Babs said, “I am experimenting with a breakfast casserole recipe.  You can eat it, and if you die, I’ll throw that recipe out.  But if it works, we can bring one like it to Sunday school.”

I sighed, “You know, Babs, we were doing good with me doing the cooking.”

Babs smiled.  “Harold, I do not want to be a stereotypical housewife.  No, wait! … maybe.  But you are good at a lot of stuff.  Morrie wanted to hire me as your caregiver, but you have practice.  You should be my caregiver.  What am I doing here cooking a casserole? I do not even know how to spell casserole.  I never went to college.  You did that too.”

I laughed, “Okay Babs, if you want to cook, I will let you cook.  In the description of a wife of noble character, ‘She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.’ (Proverbs 31:12-15).  We have already discussed that we are not growing flax in the backyard.  And we do not need to go to the fancy grocery store across town, we can get our food locally.  You know that that description is an acrostic.”

She said, “Yes, I know, and if they had more letters in the alphabet, they would have had that wife doing all kinds of stuff.  But you said something.  Doing no harm?  ‘Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.’ (2 Corinthians 7:2).  See, I used my noodle, and remembered a verse right out of my head.”

I shrugged, “Babs, I use my phone and a search engine, a couple of them.  You did great, but did you use noodles in the casserole?  You are supposed to use tater tots.”

Babs said, “Hmm. I don’t remember.  Hmm. You know I used tater tots.  I am not that stupid.  Besides, if the brain between my ears fails me, I have the other two.”

I asked, “And how are they going to cook a casserole if the one between your ears fails?”

Babs took off her apron.  She untied her top at the neck, and it fell to either side.  Then she giggled, “Come here, big boy, I am sure you can use a spatula.”

I said, “Mommie!  I surrender.”

Babs tied the drawstrings back and got covered.  Then, she sighed, “I have been studying.  ‘Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.’ (Titus 2:3-5).  I do not want to drink much wine.  That would be bad.  So, I drink Lily the Pink cider instead, the hard stuff.  That way I do not get addicted to much wine.  But then, I am a young wife, but am I an older woman?  I am so glad you aren’t two or three husbands and we have no children.  I think I can keep up with that one.  If I can keep my hands off my husband, I might be self-controlled, but we might have to work on that ‘pure’ thing.  But in all of that, it does not say cook!”

I shrugged, “That is where the subject yourself comes in, that is if I did not like to cook.  You stopped before you got to the submit part.  ‘Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.’ (1 Peter 3:1-2).  So, I think you are going to have to work on that purity thing.”

Babs untied the drawstring again and her top slid to either side. “What was that about purity?”

I said, “Mommie!  I surrender.”

Babs leaned in and kissed me.  “Wait until I take the bra off!  But getting naked and quoting Scripture do not sound like a good combination.”

I said, “Babs, the Bible was written before women got a good education.  They were expected to do more around the house, but Proverbs 31 sounds like a superhero.  Do some of those things, the ones you are really good at.  If you want to learn how to spin flax and make linen, fine, but like you said, I have had many years of doing all the chores around the house.  I am just as retired as you are.”

Babs gasped, “Harold, you are not half as retired as I am.  I heard you talked to B.B. the other day.  You want a video library of FHAT success stories.  Clyde and Barry became Amish.  They’re married.  And they have jobs and they will soon have houses.  The ground is thawing and a lot of things have been fabricated.  Doing a house on stilts is new for the construction crew.  And I hear that Bonnie is already expecting.  And there are several in town that are now attending church regularly.  First-Third has men and women showers in the church basement, and a laundry room.  So, they come in early and are looking good by the second service.  A lot of people in the pews have no idea they are homeless.  And a few have moved into apartments underneath the FHAT monster kitchen.  They even help Thomas with the cooking and he is trying to get them jobs at local restaurants.  And there you are, creating a video documentation of all that stuff.  All I do is cook a casserole and play with the drawstring on my wrap.”

I asked, “I have never seen you wear that thing.  Why did you wear it today?”

Babs huffed, “No particular reason.  It’s not like I was cooking something that might smell yummy and then you would check the food out and at some point, you could check me out.  It’s nothing like that.”

I said, “Babs, I am so glad you are not trying to be a distraction.  ‘Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.’ (Proverbs 4:25-27).”

Babs said in a sexy, breathy voice, “Harold, the love of my life.  Do you want to have me untie the drawstring again so that you can see that there is nothing evil under my wrap?”

I said, “No, dear.  That is not necessary.  You are wearing a bra and a T-shirt that says, “Mommie! I surrender.”

Babs laughed, “I wanted to test your ability to read under stressful conditions.”  And she kissed me.

I laughed, “But I want to set my eyes on Jesus.  ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.’ (Hebrews 12:1-2).”

Babs reached for her drawstrings, and her wrap was about to fall to the sides, “Harold, are you sure?”

I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her.  “Babs, what you are offering is a wonderful gift.  I have enjoyed the game, but I honestly want to think about Jesus and His kingdom right now.”

Babs smiled, “And I agree with you, Sweetie, but I think we need to have a little fun, too.  Regardless of the fun, our focus should be on Jesus and his kingdom. ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ (Matthew 6:33).”

A bell chimed, and Babs spun to the oven door.  She retrieved a delicious breakfast casserole.  I had two huge pieces and gave her a thumbs up on us bringing this to church for the Sunday school class.

Later that afternoon, after the high schoolers were home. Babs was talking to Maddie.  Babs sighed, “It worked like a charm.  He read, ‘Mommie!  I surrender.’ Out loud, every time.  The next T-shirt has a few more words, and the font is smaller.  The third T-shirt has more words and an even smaller font.  And then when he is conditioned to be squinting and concentrating on what he needs to read, I’ll pull the string and there won’t be anything underneath.”  A few seconds later, “Yeah, I thought you would like that.  But all of this is married fun.”  And a few seconds later, “Maddie, do not worry about looking like my body type when you get older.  That is one reason why marriage needs to wait.  You will be the best you that you can be.  That is the important thing.  We live for Jesus, first and foremost. ‘For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.’ (Romans 14:17-18).”  And after a few more seconds, “I agree, Maddie.  You may not get that peace and joy unless you get your homework done.  I love you, Maddie.  You are one smart cookie.  Goodnight.”

Okay, my eavesdropping was fruitful.  I knew what was coming.  And I was going to enjoy every minute of it.

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.

My wife and I agreed on one thing, young girls cannot get too huffy with the boys that stare at their upper frontals when they wear T-shirts with small printing right where they do not want the boys looking.  There are mixed signals there.  They want the boys to look just to have the excuse to get “offended” by the stares.

And my wife was often playful in the early BC years – Before Children.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.