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

One day last week, Babs lost her most time-consuming job, babysitting Janella.  Janella cried when Jayke went to Kindergarten at Lily the Pink.  And Janella was invited to go there for preschool.

This week Babs and I were roasting on the deck behind our house.  Some might call it sunbathing, but we were praying for a breeze that never materialized,

Babs sighed, “How can we get cooler?”

I suggested, “We could take off a layer of clothing.”  And to illustrate, I removed my T-shirt.  And now, bare chested, I suggested, “Now!  Your turn.”

Babs huffed, “Harold, if you think I am going to get naked from the waist up on our deck, you have another think coming.  In fact, I owe you a slap just for suggesting it.”

I asked, “Who is going to see us?  No houses from the street below, not even the Poached Yeggs mini-mansion.  Your flower boxes have the floor to railing covered.  Thinking of your flowers blocking them seeing us, we can’t see them.  And I have an idea!  We could move the mums and maybe get some air flow.”

Babs replied, “Or you could bring a fan out here to create a breeze.  The flowers are doing great where they are.  I think that if I moved them, some would get too much sun, and others would not get enough.  And Harold, we have petunias, alyssum, and chrysanthemums.  Say that carefully, chrysanthemums.”

I laughed, “And who made you the expert on Chrissie Ante Mums?”

Babs sighed, “Harold, that is the way Janella says it.  Shortening it to mums is the lazy way out.  But back to your desire to show my body to the neighborhood, you forget these neighborhood kids have drones these days.”

I shrugged, “Sorry, Babs, I had not noticed.  We could go into the house, lie down on the bed and crank up the air conditioning.”

Babs growled, “No way, Harold.  I am enjoying the smells from the flowers.  The sunshine is nice.  Inside, you would get frisky and then we would need to cool down all over again.”

I smiled, “My nose is clogged, and I cannot smell the flowers.  And the temperature in the direct sunlight is 10-15 degrees hotter than what the weather man says the temperature is.  They take those measurements in the shade to avoid the sun’s radiation from giving a false reading, but it is that radiation that makes everything so much hotter.  And what do we do after we have some afternoon delight?”

Babs scrunched her nose, “Harold, we get all sweaty and icky.”

I laughed, “So, what do we do next?”

Babs groaned, “I take a nice shower.”

I nodded, “So, if you finally get enough of this hot sun, let’s skip the foreplay and the afternoon delight, and go straight to the shower.”

Babs scrunched her nose, “But wouldn’t we just get all hot and bothered in the shower?”

I shrugged, “We will be in the shower.  We can regulate the water temperature.  We’ll be fine.”

Babs asked, “What is that buzzing sound?”

I sighed, “Sugar is smarter than we are.  She has a fan in her bedroom end of the dog run.  It comes on when she is on her bed mat and the temperature is too high.  Up here on the deck we bake.”

Babs smiled, “Okay, you win.  I’ll race you to the shower.  If you get tired while we shower, we have a shower bench.”

I groaned, “I was just suggesting a shower to cool off.  But now that you mention it…”

When we were finished with our shower, Babs put on some naughty lingerie.

I asked, “Won’t that give me ideas?”

Babs sighed, “Ideas?  Yes.  But we’ve been married six months.  I know your stamina or lack thereof.  I am wearing this to stay cool now that we know we can’t handle the heat outside.

There was a knock at the door.  It sounded like Willie’s knock.

Babs said, “I’ll get a robe, but you answer the door.  You have pajama bottoms and a T-shirt.  You are moderately presentable.”

It was Willie.  She was by herself.

Willie said, “Dad, I might just resign after my shut-in visits today.  It’s just me.  I need to cool off.”

I asked, “In what way do you need to cool off?”

Willie moaned, “All of the above?”

Babs walked in with a sheer robe.

Willie said, “Wow!  Mom, you have all the curves in the right places.  I just have a baby bump.  And what are you two doing in bedroom attire in the middle of the afternoon?”

Babs said, “We were roasting on the deck in the sun and no wind blowing.  So, we took a shower and we decided to wear something light.  Would you believe that your father took his T-shirt off out on the deck and suggested that I do the same thing?”

Willie laughed, “Yes, Dad always had a playful side, just not a naughty playful side.  Why didn’t you both have the misting fans running out there?”

I asked, “What misting fans?  Now that you suggest it, I could go buy one, but it does not help with today’s heat.”

Willie huffed, “No, I bought two small misting fans for Babs’ birthday.  Have you failed to open the gift?”

Babs said, “For one thing, it was not my birthday, and for another thing, we never got a gift from you.  I thought paying for the party was enough.”

It got very quiet.  From inside the house, I thought I heard Sugar’s fan turn off.  Willie had this terrible shocked look on her face.

Then she suddenly said, “I’ll be right back.”  In less than a minute, she was back in the house with a large box.  Babs unwrapped the package and it was really two large boxes taped together.  Willie said, “The dark green one is for Dad and the orange one is for Mom.  I guess with all the arrangements that we made for the party that I forgot to get the present out of the trunk.  Happy birthday, Grabbabs, a few weeks late.”

Babs laughed, “Willie, I keep telling people that it was not my birthday.  Close, but not exactly.  ‘Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites. He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made. On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.’ (1 Kings 12:31-33).  Dreaming up a new date wasn’t the worst of Jeroboam’s ideas.  I think having non-Levites as priests worshipping golden calves was worse.  I don’t mind celebrating on the wrong day, Willie.  Don’t worry about that.  I am just glad that you let me know that I am loved.”

I sighed, “Yes, Babs, you are loved.  But Willie has expanded our discussion on getting hot to include getting hot under the collar.  ‘“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.’ (Ephesians 4:26-27).”

Willie said, “But you left out the verse before and that is bothering me.  ‘Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.’ (Ephesians 4:25).  I had three stops in your neighborhood.  The first was about two blocks away.  The woman complained about how her husband made her a golf widow.  He was always playing golf, and she stayed at home and raised their three girls.  None of the girls took up golf, so it was like she was a single mother.  Then, her husband died of a heart attack while playing golf.”

Babs smiled, “But Willie, that is a real problem.  You and Gil do not play the game, what was the falsehood in giving her encouraging words?”

Willie moaned, “Gil played when he was in college.  Some big money people who are members invited him to play a round this afternoon.  So, it had been years since he played.  I encouraged him to go.  He could minister to the other three in the foursome.  But then I had to nod my head and agree with her that a golf widow was a hard life.  I felt like a hypocrite.  Then, a block over, another of our shut-ins, one that has a Mercedes in her garage, she complained that some uncaring and heartless person bought the two lots next to her house.  They tore down the detached garage with the cute little garage apartment above the garage.  Then, they expanded the house into a mini-mansion with a three car garage.  To make matters worse, they put out bird feeders.  The birds eat the food and then deposit their bird droppings on her awnings.”

Babs scrunched her nose, “Willie, we’ll have a talk with Poached and Callie.  Maybe no feed for the birds until the weather gets colder, or after their neighbor takes down the awnings.”

Willie nodded, “You caught on quick, Mom.  But wait until Detective Poached buys the dog.  They’re getting their invisible fence installed next week.  More complaints, more of me patting the neighbor on the hand.  Do I admit that I know the neighbors and they are nice people?  And Callie is an ornithologist?  She studies birds for crying out loud!  But that’s not the worst of it.”

Babs laughed, “Willie, get it out of your system.  Who else have you visited?”

Willie asked, “Do you know a lady down the street who can’t stand this perky young woman coming by every day and saying…  You won’t believe what she says!!  She says, ‘Good morning!  God loves you and I love you too.’  This is about halfway between here and the Painters house, on the other side of the street.  Can you imagine a neighbor so inconsiderate?  ‘If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.’ (Proverbs 27:14).  I mean, if you are going to tell someone that God loves them, you should remember that verse!”

I snickered, “And of course, the lady you were visiting said nothing about throwing a stick at your stepmother and wishing she was dead.  And I doubt if Babs was ever that ‘loud’ as the verse suggests.”

We stared at each other before all three of us laughed.

Babs frowned, “I am hurt.  I think I should walk down the street right now and have a talk with her.”

I groaned, “The way you are dressed?”

Babs said, “Why not, Harold!  She is putting my stepdaughter into a very hard position.  And here she claims to be a shut-in when one of my greatest blessings is that she is out running the roads at least three days each week.  She does not have a Mercedes, but she puts a lot of miles on her car.  I guess the car conveniently breaks down every Sunday morning.  I cannot say that does not happen.  I do not wish to judge.”

Willie laughed, “I am going to have a long talk with Gil tonight.  I want to know how truthful I should be.  And if these people keep gossiping about my friends and even my new Mom.  Forget the ‘step’ Mom, you are just the new one.  I need to know what to do with things like that.”

I suggested, “How about this.  Back to that same chapter in Ephesians. ‘Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.’ (Ephesians 4:29).”

Babs said, “But wouldn’t working that verse into a conversation give these three women the idea that they had just crossed a line?”

Willie nodded, “I understand.  ‘Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.’ (Galatians 6:1).  But today, I learned how hard that can be.  But weren’t you thinking of a different topic of discussion?”

I asked, “Babs, do we need to talk about cooling off outside, now that we have these snazzy misting fans?”

Babs said, “’ “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease.”’ (Genesis 8:22).  We have to be prepared, regardless of the season.”

Willie shrugged, “Isaiah said that God is our shade in the heat. ‘You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in their distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall’ (Isaiah 25:4).  I cannot keep up with you two, but Gil and I studied that chapter last night and I knew it was going to be a scorcher today.”

I turned to Babs, “Babs, we need to tell the preacher’s wife our secret.”  I turned to Willie, “There were three men of God in a boat, fishing.  They were not having much luck, so the Presbyterian pastor stood up, stepped out of the boat, and walked over to the shore.  He got a ice cold soft drink for the ice chest, and he walked back out over the water and got back in the boat.  The Methodist huffed about him not getting one for each of them.  So, he stepped out of the boat and walked to the shore, got himself a soft drink and returned, but he was polite enough to get one for the Baptist preacher.  Well, after another hour of fishing, the Baptist preacher needed to use the restroom.  If his friends could walk on water, so could he.  He stepped out of the boat and sunk to the bottom.  His friends helped him back into the boat.  Three times, the Baptist preacher stepped out of the boat and sunk to the bottom.  The Presbyterian asked his Methodist counterpart, ‘Do you think it’s time we tell him where the stumps are?’”

Willie laughed, “But what does that have to do with you and Mom having a half dozen Bible verses regardless of the topic?”

Babs snickered, “Willie, we have an app on our phone.  Sure, we try to memorize verses, but it is so much easier to take a casual glance at the phone.  In other words, the stumps that are just below the surface of the water.”

I snickered, “Willie, you have had a hard day.  And you have worked a few hours.  God will reward you, but remember the pay is based on His pay scale.  ‘‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’’ (Matthew 20:12).”

Babs smiled, “And I do not think that reminding these ladies about the dangers of gossip is a bad thing.  You might tell the woman down the street that the woman who blesses her every morning loves the Lord a great deal and that you have been trying to get her to be softer in her speech.  And educating the woman from a block over that her new neighbor is a scientist in the field of birds and their habitat.  See if her stance might soften.  And remind all three that some of the people that they do not like from afar are people who love God and are helping the less fortunate.  Maybe suggest that since they are shut-ins that you can pick them up and take them to the next homeless dinner meeting.  If they focus on those less fortunate than themselves, maybe they will lighten up.”

Willie grinned, “I might try that, but I will run it past Gil first.  He may want the elders to work out a plan.  I doubt if many will take us up on it, but even one or two would be a win.”

The two ladies turned back to me for my approval of their plan.  I said, “And now for the test!”  I turned on the fan, having put water in the reservoir while they talked.  Moist air came out.

Babs groaned, “That will just make us wet, Harold!”

I laughed, “Sweat works when the sweat evaporates on the skin.  It takes a lot of heat away from the body to do that.  So, the mist will evaporate either in the air or on the skin.  Either way, we will get cooler until the air is fully saturated with water.  At that point, we should have already gone inside.”

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 was a deacon for three years at one church long ago.  She was assigned a group of shut-ins.  She visited two or three times each year and took gifts to them.  One lady was constantly calling, wanting her to come by to visit.  It became monthly visits.  But oddly, my wife had to call ahead to confirm that this woman was a home – classified a shut-in and unable to come to church.  She put more miles on her car in a month than we did in two months.  And she had frequent flyer miles with several airlines, since she had a son in Hawaii.  So, I had to point out that two of Willie’s shut-ins had cars that were used by the shut in.

The misting fans work as Harold describes, but if it is too humid, not much of the water evaporates.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.