Wednesday, 31 December 08
The year 2008 wraps up today with a trip to a recording studio for Aaron to prepare a clarinet demo for submission to Rice University. This is a top notch Institution for those with musical aspirations. Kathy and I pray that Aaron is accepted by Rice, so he can follow his dreams to the fullest. Aaron is already in the top 1% of high school seniors in the nation for math; top 5% for physics - we are confident that his musical talents for performance and composition will likewise shine through in this CD.
Monday, 29 December 08
Happy Birthday,
dad. Today would have been my father's 77th birthday. He passed away at the age of 48 from stomach cancer. Now here I am at the
age of 51 approaching, by the grace of God, my 5th anniversary of the removal of a high grade brain tumor, unaffectionlly referred to herein as the "beast." How well I remember that day in the fall of 1980 when my father bid David and me farewell. The comment I made at the time still holds sway: "If I can just be half the man you were Dad, I'd count my life a roaring success." Dad's illness went undiagnosed by the medical community, which has evidently learned much about acid reflux disease since the late 1970s. One day, brain cancer will likely be mitigated as well. I hope and long for that day, but eventually I will die, like everyone else. But on that day when I leave this earth and enter into heaven, I want to see my Savior first, then my daddy.
Dear Reader, what about your inevitable crossing into eternity?
Thursday, 25 December 08
Christmas Day
2008; a nice afternoon with the family at mom's home - same house since 1970. Same house I grew up in through Jr. High, High School
and came home to when on leave from Texas A&M. Mother's home is a Christmas museum; many seasonal' artifacts are strategically place
around the house. Each has a story to tell; a bridge to the past and legacy for the future. I could spent all day at mom's just reminiscing.
Monday, 22 December 08
I am continuing
my slow but steady way through the Bible. I must limit my reading to no more than three chapters per day, often just one, so as to provide an
opportunity for the Word of God to be soaked up by my soul. If I race from chapter to chapter, the jewels of scripture fly by unnoticed, like
driving a car 70 mph on Interstate 35 from San Antonio towards Ft. Worth. If I pull off of the highway and take slower back woods routes, the
unseen becomes visible. As I take my time in God’s word, pearls and nuggets of truth are presented to my eyes by the Holy Spirit. They seem to jump off of the pages and grasp my heart, inviting or even demanding further consideration. This is why I require more than 15 months to read through the Bible. It is interesting to review the notes I have written in the margins of this study Bible in years past. Five words have been brought to my mind over and over during recent daily visits to Treasure Island: Wisdom, Knowledge, Discernment, Discretion and Courage. So I am now in Isaiah, moving towards Chapter 7, the great prophetic text telling of the advent of Messiah some 700 years before that first Christmas in Bethlehem.
Sunday, 21 December 08
The past two days involved a trip to San Antonio and back for a nice Christmas visit with a significant percentage of the Mapes’ clan. We even spoke with Dan, one of Kathy’s brothers. He and his family are missionaries in Africa, the same country where Kathy’s parents served for more than three decades. Indeed my wife and her siblings were born in Africa. I am reading the Beta edition of their new book – all 250 pages! The white elephant gifts were hilarious and demonstrate that the best gifts are those of time and fellowship.
Friday, 19 December 08
We are upgrading to an integrated DSL and phone package, in the interest of cost reduction. The crew that arrived on Tuesday efficiently and professionally laid an optical cable from our home to the junction box at the street. Unfortunately they missed the fact that the equipment used to dig, bury and cover the optical cable shattered one of the pipes of our septic system. I wish they would have asked before digging. Fortunately a routine septic system inspection, performed the day after the optical cable procedure, identified and located the break. This enabled me to fully expose the issue on Friday and implement the necessary repairs, just as the sun was setting on this warm evening.
Wednesday, 17 December 08
It was crazy, it was cold and windy, it was a blurry dream. It was a wedding a quarter of a century ago when Kathy and I said our vows before God and man. Today we exchange gifts and memories. I unveiled a Precious Moments figurine that I had been hiding in my closet for five years (I have the receipt to prove my claim) and a recently purchased necklace. Kathy presented a collection of framed family pictures to me. Dinner at Outback followed and a movie or two back home capped off a perfect day.
Tuesday, 16 December 08
The Gathering of Mustangs and Legends DVD arrived today. What a thrill to see the interviews of the legends; many have written books and I have read many of these books. The behind-the-scenes footage regarding the planning of the “51” formation flyover was great. Seeing film of these P-51s brought back all of the good memories of my visit to Ohio almost 15 months ago for this airshow.
The anniversary flowers for Kathy arrived today at her AquaKids Keller facility; phase two of the Silver Event.
Monday, 15 December 08
It is anniversary week in the Kline home - a silver anniversary commemorating 25 years of marriage. We began the festivities with a Michael Murphey concert at Bass Hall in Ft. Worth. Hearing Michael sing Wildfire took me back to those wild high school days of the mid 1970s. Actually High School was not so wild for me, since I was basically a reclusive geek driving a 1974 Ford Pinto. Apparently Michael performs his Cowboy Christmas every year at Bass Hall.
Sunday, 07 December 08
A date that will live in infamy, for 67 years ago the United States was brought into World War II by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Many veterans of this war are stepping into eternity each day now, but their legacy lives on.
Thursday, 04 December 08
I am now 58 months post-op, by the grace of God; 4 and 5/6 years since that beast of a tumor was extracted from my brain. We have turned the corner towards the Christmas season now, and I thank the Lord for each day He provides.
Tuesday, 02 December 08
The monthly meeting of the Legacy Brain Foundation. Our purpose is to provide direct support to brain and spinal cord tumor patients and their families in dealing with the medical, emotional, practical, and spiritual issues associated with the illness. I must to drive across three Texas counties during 'rush hour' to attend these board meetings, but it is time well spent as we reach out to those in need.
Monday, 01 December 08
The tree is up, the ornaments have been positioned, the missing Frosty and Friends have been found, the 25 days of Christmas banner has been hung, seasonal music boxes are on display and the outside lights are lit - all temporal, trivial systems are a go for Christmas. All of this fluff means less than nothing without the advent of the Messiah. There is no hope, no reason, no purpose, no meaning, no survivor story, no nothing without Jesus. If Christmas may be thought of as "Christ mas" and if "mas" is Spanish for "more" then this sums it up well. I need more of Christ each day. To know Him and to make Him known, as the saying goes. Where do you stand on matters of eternity?
