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 studying wildflowers and then we bought a variety of cultivated flowers for the deck.

This week Babs and I attended the Vitamin Flintheart High School graduation.  We had a grandson graduating and his girlfriend, of sorts, was graduating also.

As usual, the people in the crowd were ushered to various sections in the football stadium based on last names.  We sat in the “D” through “G” section.  We found Morrie and Sadie near the front.  They were sitting next to some very familiar looking people.

Judge Farquharson held out his hand, “Welcome, Babs and Harold.  This is my wife, Elspeth.”  We were sitting near the divider with the next section.  We were sitting next to John and Elspeth Farquharson.  They had the entire MacDougall clan next to them: Angus, Missy, Menzie, Lauren, Sammie and Ailsa.  But just beyond the barrier were the Justices, Marguerite’s parents and siblings, and the Kildares.  Oddly, Madison was sitting with Mike Kildare.

There had been a tie for valedictorian when Kevin and Joseline Johnson graduated from Flintheart, and I think they could have known at the time that Blaise and Marguerite would tie this time.  They took all the same classes and had perfect scores for four years.  They both gave very good speeches.

To get through hundreds of diplomas, they did so in record time.  They divide everyone into groups of one hundred, alphabetically, handing out one diploma in each group at the same time, no lull while they walk across the stage.  There is a camera person for each group.  But first, the top ten are introduced and they get their diplomas on stage.

Samuel Farquharson was third in the top ten.  When he stood on stage, Sammie said, “Daddy’s wearing a dress.”

The judge said, “That’s a graduation gown.  I wear something like it at work.  Mine is a judge’s robe.  You should be proud of your Daddy.  If it weren’t for the two brainiacs, he would have been tops in his class.”

Sammie said, “I love my Daddy.  He teaches me lots of stuff.”

I asked, “Judge Farquharson, what is Samuel’s interests in college?”

John said, “It’s John among my friends.  I’m not wearing a robe.  Samuel is eclectic.  He is an accomplished artist.  He and Menzie are very good swing dancers.  I think he will get a degree in fine arts of some sort, but he is looking at pre-law, following in my footsteps.  I don’t know if he wants to set up a law practice or become a judge.  He’ll grow into wherever God leads him.”

Elspeth added, “So far, he’s a good father to these two children.  I think that’s what makes me the most proud.”

As for the ones we had familial interests, Mercedes Kildare was in the top twenty-five.  And Matthew Dykstra, my eldest grandchild, made the top 10%, which was roughly the top one hundred.  If Morrie had turned his life around a little earlier, who knows what Matt could have done.  It’s to Matt’s credit that the distractions did not ruin his scholastic standing altogether.

Missy came over with Ailsa.  “Harold, Babs, we were wondering if you could come to the graduation bash at Lily the Pink afterwards.”

Babs shrugged, “We were thinking of taking Matthew out to dinner.”

Missy smiled, “You could do that two days from now.  The prom is tomorrow night.  Mercy has already invited him.  We will be honoring a lot of high school graduates.  Then the college crowd is tomorrow for us.  Easter and Jemima are getting double degrees, two diplomas a piece.  Please, come, we may put you to work.”

I asked, “How so?”

Missy shrugged, “I think you might be a good person to give the new graduates good Christian advice.”

Babs scrunched her nose, “How did you know?  We have been looking up verses all week.”

Sadie laughed, “Mom, I think they know your reputation.”

Babs looked at me and she was beaming.  Nearly fifty years of doing the wrong things, and now people have a positive opinion of her.  She had a good reputation in Tracy.  As God promises, she is a new creation.  She thought of a verse and claimed it. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Mags Kildare came to our section and asked us if we would please come to Lily the Pink.  They introduced us to a couple from Africa.  Their last name was Lazarus.  With them was an elderly woman named Kingsley.

We turned to Morrie and Sadie and they had no problem with the change in plans.  They were thinking of a restaurant and a quiet evening of reflection, but that could wait.

Mags laughed, “I have been around Babs and Harold a few times.  I think they could have a little conversation, just by thinking about what concepts to pass along to the recent graduates.  That would be more than a quiet evening of reflection.”

Babs turned to me, “Is this a gauntlet slapped across our faces, or an opportunity to share the Gospel?”

I laughed, “Let’s take the challenge.”

The dinner went well.  Gwen Quinn, Thomas ver Waarloosd, Darrell and Sally Mae Driver all pitched in.

Rev. Joseph Jones led us in prayer.  And then Elroy Jetson set up microphones in front of Babs and me.

I asked, “Babs, we have been asked to talk about what these graduates should be thinking about.  For many who graduated today, they may be finished with formal education.  For some others, they are studying a trade.  But others are barely started on their education adventures.  But all are looking at the future.  C.S. Lewis said, ‘The Future…something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does whoever he is. (Screwtape Letters)’  Of course, that could be he or she.”

Babs shrugged, “I don’t know, Harold.  C.S. Lewis also said, ‘… nearly all vices are rooted in the future. Gratitude looks to the past and love to the present; fear, avarice, lust, and ambition look ahead. (Screwtape Letters)’  So, maybe they should be thinking about right now.  The present.  After all, ‘The present is the point at which time touches eternity.’ (C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters)”

I smiled, “Yes, Babs, the present is where we are.  This day is filled with excitement and hope, but it is also filled with a bit of melancholy.  There will be people with whom they have been friends, but they may never see again.  Life moves on.  And I think that Pink Lady wanted a biblical message.  Screwtape can get rather strange at times.  ‘“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland’ (Isaiah 43:18-19).”

Babs sighed, “Rats!  I was wanting to end with that.”

I laughed, “We can repeat ourselves.  It’s a privilege that comes with age.”

Babs straightened and gave me a dirty look. “You may be old, Harold, but I am not there yet.”

I laughed even more, “Yet.  So, how about what Paul said, ‘Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 3:13-14).  Some people leave out that first sentence when they quote this, starting with ‘But one thing I know…’  But that first sentence is important in this case.  Do these youngsters have a diploma? Yes, they do.  But their focus now should be on pressing on toward the goal.  If we rest, thinking about our recent accomplishments, we become stagnant.  We should always be learning, always growing.  But the growing taller part may be over.  They need to focus on growing better rather than bigger.  ‘But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.’ (2 Peter 3:18).”

Babs said, “That’s important.  We all need to grow in grace and knowledge.  I am not old, but I am going to go old school.  ‘I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.’ (Ezekiel 36:25-27).  But I am concerned about what you said about not ever seeing some of their friends.  They should keep some connections.  ‘And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.’ (Hebrews 10:24-25).  But they must be careful in their choices of friends.”

I said, “I agree, and they need to be strong and courageous.  ‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”’ (Deuteronomy 31:6).  Of course, this is Moses giving a charge to Joshua.  These graduates are not going to conquer the Promised Land, but they will have difficulties in life.  While Joshua was told to be strong and courageous, Joshua said this to his army. ‘Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the Lord will do to all the enemies you are going to fight.”’ (Joshua 10:25).”

Babs asked, “But I can sense that some of these graduates are thinking to themselves.  They may be asking how do they know that they are on the right track.”

I smiled, “Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.’ (Matthew 6:33).  We often say to keep our eyes on Jesus.  That is biblical.  ‘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. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.’ (Hebrews 12:1-3).”

Babs added, “And above all, we trust God.  ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.’ (Proverbs 3:5-6).  Which leads us back where we started.  ‘“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland’ (Isaiah 43:18-19).”

Rev. Joseph Jones asked, “Can I borrow that?  If I ever get around to preaching a baccalaureate service, I would love to pattern it in the same fashion.”

Then, Pink stood up and thanked us for the wonderful Bible study and charge to the graduates.

She continued, “I have a gift bag for each of the graduates.  I cannot call it a SWAG bag as some things are gender specific, and some of the people here already have a scholarship fund from me.  For those that get a check in their bag, I am willing to establish and manage the fund to maximize growth if you do not need it for a while.  Umm. I see some confused faces.  SWAG means ‘Something We All Get.’  So, a few things are different.  The things in the bag are gifts from Amy G. Dala and myself, but added to that are giveaways from local businesses and store coupons and gift cards.”

She continued, “We will do this alphabetically.  Thomas and Catherine, TomCat to those here at Lily the Pink, will take your bag to you, but we want each of you to stand when I call your name and remain standing until your bag is delivered.  First is Brooke Baxter. Her parents are here, along with her brother Baldy. Brooke was in the top ten percent. Brooke is … For the record, all these graduates are going to T.R.U.S.T. She will be working on a career path of physical therapy with the thought of joining Naomi’s group in Kinesiological Psychology. Yes, Naomi, your advertising campaign and encouragement have paid off.

“Next is Matthew Dykstra.  He was in the top ten percent.  Matt is the son of Morrie and Sadie Dykstra, and grandson of Harold and Babs Dykstra.  He will be in business management, so in a few years if you have a money maker of an idea, Matt can handle the business side of things, but he might specialize.

“Next is a regular visitor.  Samuel Farquharson.  Samuel would have been valedictorian if it were not for two children that skipped grades in order to graduate this year,  They happened to quit skipping grades when they became Samuel’s classmates.  Samuel is taking pre-law, but he might also major in fine art.  He is a wonderful artist.  But I think he has a plan to follow in his father’s footsteps.”

Judge Farquharson arose, “And I would like to make an announcement.  Judge Trueblue and myself have finally come to an agreement with an established private law school.  They are opening a satellite campus here in Tracy.  Anyone taking pre-law here can stay here.”

Pink said, “That is great news!”

Dr. Roman Justice, Margie’s father, said, “And to add to that, we have worked with the seminary after Rev. Joseph completed his degree.  Since we were successful in completing his final credits to get his masters of divinity, we will have the same thing as with dual enrollment in high school.  You will take classes in the Philosophy and Theology classrooms here and occasionally, you will have online lectures from there.  There may be some logistics for certain classes.  So, you will get a seminary degree from there, but you will attend classes here.”

I saw Marika smiling and giving Luke a side hug.

Pink continued, “Marguerite ‘Margie’ Justice, co-valedictorian with Blaise, will work on a mechanical engineering degree, but she will also work on pre-law.  She wants to be a patent lawyer.”

Margie said, “I spoke to a patent lawyer in New York City recently, and he had no concern for people in Tracy who might have a great idea for an invention.  I just felt we could do better with someone in Tracy.”

I had heard from Pink in confidence that Margie was with her parents on a trip during Spring Break to NYC.  She is officially Blaise’s girlfriend, nothing more, but the lawyer knew that she worked with Blaise, with her name on a few of the patents.  He was very interested in the female paralegal sitting next to him and not interested in a teenager that had no legal standing, just an employee.  But Margie’s point was valid, unlike his father, grandfather, and great grandfather, the young lawyer was unable to keep up with the invention disclosure forms (IDF) that Blaise and Margie were submitting.  That would have never happened to Hortense Tesla.  At least the inert lawyer did not violate the secrecy of Design by Tensie being run by two teenagers.

Pink continued, “Mercedes ‘Mercy’ Kildare is next.  Top twenty-five.  She wants to be a nurse or therapist.  She will have some time before the curriculum diverges to decide.  I am sure that she will take a few meteorological courses to stay with the Turtle-eers.

“Todd Kingsley is next.  He was in the top ten.  He wants to be a mechanical engineer.  He lives with his grandmother in Pawnee Heights.  His parents were unable to attend.  We have a few young men in the room that proudly call themselves the Turtle grease monkeys.  Todd may be one of a few vying for that job in another year.

“Marika Lazarus is next.  She was in the top ten percent.  She is also from Pawnee Heights.  Her parents are here.  She will pursue two majors.  She wants to take theology with the thought of going to the seminary, and now she knows she can stay here.  She also wants a degree in foreign languages.  She might become a missionary, but her goal is to translate the Bible into Marka-Dafing.  She has a scholarship to play volleyball at the university, and no, I forbid her to team with Zuzka for our beach volleyball league here in the Crystal Mountain.  A combined height of nearly 13 feet is ridiculous.

“Patty McCormick, who is Todd Kingsley’s girlfriend, is next, another top ten percent.  Her mother is here.  She is pursuing a degree in creative writing.

“Anna Voss, another top ten percent.  Her parents are here.  Like Patty, she wants a degree in creative writing.

“Susana Pequeño, who is not graduating until summer school, is next.  Her parents are here.  I no this is presumptuous, but I have no problem with advancing the graduation gift.  She would be a leading candidate for valedictorian next year if she waited.  But when you take Marika, Patty, Anna, and Susana together, you get the Forlorn Four.  I think B.B. has an announcement.”

B.B. stood with difficulty.  She was near full term.  “I have a note from the Tracy Daily newspaper that comes out three times each week.  They would like to talk to the Forlorn Four.  If you can hold off on your idea to write a graphic novel, they love the idea of being a champion against cyber bullying.  If you could modify the artwork, change a few frames to make it workable as a Sunday comic strip, they will pay you for a Sunday comic strip, full color, every week starting in January.  They will want some examples ahead of time to use as advertisement.  Of course, using a local group of artists with the theme of stamping out cyber bullies, they hope to boost subscriptions, but they will pay well.  And if other markets like it, you could become syndicated and go nationwide.  Now that three of you are out of school for the summer, you can start working on it.  They would like for you to call them next week to set up an appointment.  Do not throw anything away that you have already done since the book deal could also be in the works.”

The girls were in shock.  It would be a lot of work, but they would be getting paid.  They had enough story line written for a few months of the comic strip if they decided to go that way.  The problem was that the hardest part to redo was the artwork and she had to go to summer school.

Pink tapped her glass.  I have one more. “Blaise Yeggs, co-valedictorian is the last of those here.  He is my nephew.  His parents are here.  And he is enrolled as a mechanical engineer.  He loves tinkering in the lab that is here.  He skipped a few grades, so he and Margie are just friends for the moment.  But he wants to build a better mousetrap or something along those lines.”

That is it.  Enjoy the rest of your time here.  We will have music for dancing later.

Matthew and Mercy grabbed our hands and took us through the Crystal Mountain to the Turtle Bay.  Easter Yeggs demonstrated the shields and skirts.

It was a wonderful party, but it also connected Matthew with a lot of quality friends.  And if Blaise Yeggs designs something someday, he’ll have Margie as his patent attorney, and he might need Matthew to run the business side of things.  Maybe not, but connections help.

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.

This added a few arcs together to acknowledge the graduations.

Babs and Harold do not know that Hortense Tesla was “Design by Tensie”, and with Blaise, Sophie, and Margie working under Aunt Hortense’s tutelage, Blaise had several patents pending.  But they need to keep it secret that Blaise is the half-owner of Design by Tensie.  They are thinking that when Blaise turns 25 in roughly ten years, they can make an announcement.  They would identify the late Hortense Tesla as “Tensie” for seven decades, and the new owners would have been doing the designs for the last fifteen years.  Note: Sophie thinks outside the box, making suggestions, often stupid suggestions, to get Blaise unstuck.  Besides, Sophie is charged with making the gadget look pretty.  Who wants an ugly gadget, even if it is functional and efficient?

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.