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 was disoriented during a power outage.

This week Babs was taking care of me.  I had a sinus infection.

Babs tapped me on the arm and asked, “Harold, are you awake?”

I said, “I am now!  Why did you awaken me?”

Babs said, “Harold, I have been talking to the ladies, and they say that the nurses in the hospital always wake you up to see if you were sleeping.  I thought that was the right way to do it.”

I sighed, “I have heard that about hospital nurses, but everyone that talks about it does not like it.”

Babs laughed.  “Okay, Grumpy.  But take your medicine, and then you can go back to sleep.”

I sighed, “No Babs, you have awakened me.  I am now up.  Can you give me my laptop, Sweetie?  I at least need to check my email.  If I don’t, the inbox becomes overwhelming.”

Babs said, “Harold, I am so glad you are up to such a task.  I cannot be sending you off to a strange land like the people of the Northern tribes tried to do with the people of Judah.  When their sin was exposed, they let their captives go. ‘The men designated by name took the prisoners, and from the plunder they clothed all who were naked. They provided them with clothes and sandals, food and drink, and healing balm. All those who were weak they put on donkeys. So they took them back to their fellow Israelites at Jericho, the City of Palms, and returned to Samaria.’ (2 Chronicles 28:15)”

I shrugged, “Babs, how does a prophet telling the Northern tribes that they were not without sin, so they should not take the people of Judah as slaves, relate to me having a sinus infection?”

Babs groaned, “Harold, I looked up healing balm and that’s what I found.  But you will need to be on your way tomorrow.  We have a food bank distribution.  Since you are weak, I may put you on a donkey.  See, that part of the verse fits, sort of.”

I sighed, “Babs, it is only Thursday.”

Babs giggled, “Harold, it’s Friday.  You missed a day in there somewhere.  Don’t worry.  You have taken all your medicines.”

I stared at the ceiling, “Tuesday seemed to be an awfully long day.  Wait!  Are you wearing a naughty nurse costume?”

Babs groaned, “Harold, I wore it yesterday, too.  You are just now noticing.  The spark has left our relationship.  I might have to trade you in on two thirty-year-olds.”

I shrugged, “I am sure you could trade me in, but do you want to?  After all, you dressed up as a nurse just for me.  Who was the first nurse in the Bible?”

Babs said, “Harold, I am ready for that one.  There is a reference to mothers nursing their young, but then ‘So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men.’ (Genesis 24:59)?  Maybe she had been Rebekah’s wetnurse at one time, but she stayed with Rebekah for a long time.  She may have outlived Rebekah.  It is odd that the burials of the wives of the patriarchs is mentioned, except Rebekah.  Yet, the burial of Rebekah’s nurse is mentioned.  Maybe that is because the nurse was like a mother to Jacob, and God remembers faithful servants.  Her name was Deborah.”

I asked, “Not the prophetess Deborah?”

Babs asked, “Duh, Harold, they were generations apart, but Deborah lived long enough to help Jacob with his children.  ‘Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died and was buried under the oak outside Bethel. So it was named Allon Bakuth.’ (Genesis 35:8).  You were thinking of the judge, Deborah.  ‘Now Deborah, a prophet, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading Israel at that time.’ (Judges 4:4).  And then in Deborah’s song: ‘Villagers in Israel would not fight; they held back until I, Deborah, arose, until I arose, a mother in Israel.’ Judges (5:7).  I tell you, Harold, you get a little head cold, and you cannot think.  There are a lot of people in the Bible that have the same name.  There was more than one Judas in the Twelve disciples.”

I said, “Yes, Judas Thaddeus, son of James, and Judas Iscariot.  But I have a sinus infection, not a head cold.”

Babs crawled into bed, and we snuggled.  “Harold, you want to know something?  I have never worn this nurse uniform for this long.  Someone always found a way of getting me out of it.”

I sighed, “Please, Babs, I have a headache.”

Babs huffed and got out of bed, “That is the excuse women use.  You have to come up with something else, Mister!”

I asked, “Is there any other nurses in the Bible?”

Babs groaned, “There are a lot of references to mothers nursing their young, but when Athaliah took over Judah… ‘When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes, who were about to be murdered. She put him and his nurse in a bedroom to hide him from Athaliah; so he was not killed. He remained hidden with his nurse at the temple of the Lord for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.’ (2 Kings 11:1-3).  She was probably a wetnurse, but she stayed by his side until he was anointed king of Judah.  So, she took care of the future king.  But you, you are not a future king, Harold.  But I made that vow of sickness and death.  Just don’t die on me.”

I laughed, “It’s only a head cold as you call it.  I hope I am better tomorrow, but I feel a lot better with you here by my side.”

Babs got back into bed with me.  She unbuttoned a couple of buttons on her nurse costume.  Then, the doorbell rang.

Babs hopped out of bed quickly and ran to the door.  Obviously, she had to do that.  I was sick.

It was Sadie, Matt, and Maddie.  Maddie said, “Wow!  I want to be just like Grabbabs when I grow up.”

Matt said, “I told Mercy that Grabbabs was the best grandmother in town.  The French maid costume and now the nurse costume.  Both in the process of coming off.  This is great!”

Sadie said, “Grabbabs, you have… umm… a couple of buttons undone.  It brings an entirely new meaning to nursing.  I am guessing Pake is feeling better.”

Babs fumbled to button up.  “Nothing was really showing.  Not really.  And if you read through the Bible, practically every verse that mentions nurse or nursing is about nursing a child, so it is not a new meaning for nursing.  ‘And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”’ (Genesis 21:7).  All the way to Jesus telling the women of Jerusalem not to weep for Him, but to weep for themselves. ‘For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’’ (Luke 23:29).  That should be on my tombstone.  The womb that never bore and breasts that never nursed.  Really, the word ‘nursing’ has a later reference.  ‘Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.’ (1 Thessalonians 2:7b-8).  And Pake is not better.  I unbuttoned a couple of buttons, and he said he had a headache.”

Sadie said, “That’s why I am here.  I have chicken soup.  And the whole thing about headaches is the woman’s excuse.”

Babs groaned, “We already discussed the headache thing, and I tried chicken soup last night.  He had seconds.  He has been taking his medicine.  Does your chicken soup have a secret ingredient that I do not know about?”

Sadie said, “An old family secret, and it works best after he already has some chicken soup in the system.  This will make him right as rain.”

Maddie said, “Mom, you need to loosen up.  Babs is so cool!”

Sadie said, “Someone has to show you how to be prim and proper, Madison.”

Babs snickered, “Sadie, if you promise to only loosen up with Morrie, I will teach you how to loosen up, if you teach me your secret family recipe for chicken soup.”

Sadie said, “Deal, but where would I start?”

Babs smiled, “Do you still have the naughty lingerie from the wedding party swag bag?”

Sadie nodded, “But I cannot wear such racy stuff.  I have to think of the children.”

Babs said, “Have them go to bed and then you change.  But come over Monday after the children leave for school and we’ll have our first lesson.”

Sadie hesitated, “I’m not sure, but, okay, I will be here.  But I can’t vamp around with Pake watching.”

Babs huffed, “We will go upstairs.  He has not been up there since I moved into the master bedroom.”

They got to the bedroom door.  Babs said, “I hope you are tucked in.  We are coming in with Sadie’s chicken soup.”

I growled, “Throw it out!”

Sadie groaned, “Pake, you love my soup.”

I shrugged, “Sure, and it works.  But if I get better by tomorrow morning, will my darling wife put the nurse uniform on again?  I am enjoying the attention.”

Babs frowned, “Harold, the uniform will be in the wash.  So, I might have to come into the room with nothing on at all.”

I said, “Okay, under those conditions, I will have a big bowl of Sadie’s soup.  Maybe two.  I want to feel right if you keep your end of the bargain.”

Maddie asked, “Grabbabs, can I come along with Mom to those lessons?”

Babs smiled, “No, Maddie, but when the right time comes along, I want your Mom to teach you.  That means she has to master the skill of loosening up before you find the right boy at the right time.”

Maddie laughed, “Mike is nice, but I know what you mean.  I want to be ready, but only at the right time.”

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.

And chicken soup has ingredients that aid in recovery from cold and flu symptoms.  There are anti-inflammatories.  It helps to clear the sinus passages.  The soup hydrates.  And there are amino acids that help with digestion.  The medicine may be necessary, but the soup puts you back on your feet quicker.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.