Admitting Defeat

We recognized years ago that neither of us likes to clean. It has always been one of those chores we both dread, but we both know it has to be done occasionally. As a result, our house has suffered and we along with it. After we moved, I started cleaning the upstairs one week and the basement the other week, but that schedule, too, died along the way. At rare times, the mess gets too bad and we dig in and clean. However, it becomes an all-day affair. I won't clean if she has become distracted by something in the organizing process. That statement is true for both of us. Hence, one or the other is voluntarily being distracted while waiting for the other to get back to the business at hand.

This week we have admitted defeat and hired a cleaning lady. She is only coming once a month and cleaning the upstairs and the office area in the basement. We PLAN to clean the rest of the basement and the whole house the weeks she isn't coming, but at least we know our house will be cleaned once a month by someone who enjoys cleaning. That is improvement.

An Evening to Sit and Relax

One morning this week a coteacher was leading in faculty devotions. He mentioned in his devotional that rather than do what he knows he should do in the evening, he likes to sit and relax for the evening after he get home from school.

That started my mind wondering what it is like to be able to sit and relax for an evening. I was trying to determine HOW a person sits and relaxes for an evening. I wondered, "What does a person do when he sits and relaxes?" But, then I had the startling thought that maybe he doesn't do anything. Is that possible? Maybe he reads? But when was the last time I read anything just for the pure pleasure of reading? I suppose people do that sometimes.

Maybe what I need is to hire a fulltime housekeeper to keep the house clean, have a nice hot meal on the table when I come home from work, do the laundry and return the clean things to my bedroom. If I were really fortunate, maybe she would even mow that lawn and keep the flowerbeds and garden weeded. Maybe then I would have the time to sit and relax for an evening.

I can only guess that is why my coteacher married a wife.

No Man is an Island

Following Floyd's spectacular win of the Tour de France, the Landis family was mobbed by camera-lugging reporters , well-wishers, neighbors, friends, and strangers. People called, drove by and blew the horn, stopped for a visit. Reporters were at their house Sunday morning before they left for church. They followed Paul & Arlene to church where Floyd's brother Bob told the reporters, "We are here to worship. You are welcome to come inside and worship with us, but your equipment stays outside." When Paul & Arlene returned home, there were 15 reporters waiting for them at the door. Reporters swarmed the property until after 11 PM and returned Monday at 6:30 AM. Paul, Arlene, and Floyd's sister Charity tried to be gracious with the reporters, but the youngest sister, Abby, quickly tired of the publicity and tried to avoid them. They hoped in a day or two the publicity would fade and they could go on with life. However, then came the doping allegations and with them more reporters. The reporters became rude and demanding. The Landis family was eventually forced to leave their home because the reporters were not allowing them to function.

This whole experience is a better object lesson on the consequences of our choices than I could ever imagine. Regardless of whether they approved of Floyd's choices or not, the Landis family has to deal with the consequences of his choices. Whether it is fame or shame, they have to deal with the reporters. They did not choose to be on the front page of the local newspaper almost every day this week--but that is where they were. They did not choose to be interviewed on national television--but as a result of Floyd's choices, they were interviewed every day. Whether Floyd is guilty or innocent, is not the topic of discussion here. Whether we like the consequences or not does not make any difference. The choices others make have an impact on our lives. The choices we make have an impact on others lives.

As John Donne stated in Meditation XVII, "no man is an island."

Thoughts on the Tour de France

I was trying to decide if I should write this before the end of the race or wait until I know who is wearing the yellow jersey in Paris. I opted for before.

Floyd Landis has made his bid on the yellow jersey. He went to France to win the race, and he has put forth his best effort. Whether he wins the Tour de France or not, is not the most important thing.

What has Floyd gained by becoming the American favorite to win the Tour? He certainly has more money than I will ever have. He has more fame than I will ever have. He's been on more magazine covers than I would ever want. He has seen more of Europe than I will probably ever see. He is certainly more physically fit than I am. He has an outstanding determination. He doesn't let pain get in the way of meeting his goals. I respect Floyd for his determination and perserverance.

But what has Floyd traded for all of this? He doesn't see many of his longtime friends or family very often--maybe once or twice a year. His hobby has become a job. After retirement from cycling, what skills does he have to take up another occupation? Most importantly, his relationship with God is something he doesn't discuss. He avoids the issue. He laughs and changes the subject. The Tour de France is going well for him at this point and he may win, but will he win the race that is much more important than the Tour de France?

There is a group of people not unlike the riders in the Tour. They have determination to reach the lost of the world in city, village, or country. They perservere through years with very little evidence of the work they are doing, but they are planting seeds. They give their lives to meet a goal. Few know who they are. They may not know each other. They own very little. They will be forgotten in the eyes of the world, but the contribution they make in reaching the lost will have rewards that will last much longer than a yellow jersey.

Dissertation Milestone

One thousand sheets of paper and an ink cartridge later, the dissertation is in the mail again. The last two weeks have been kind of crazy as I focused on rewriting chapters 4 & 5 in just over a week. An e-mail arrived from my chairman on July 10 with his comments so I could get started. The rest of the packet arrived on July 12. I entered a time of seclusion with my nose to the computer and very few breaks for anything else. Over the weekend I enjoyed taking two days off and then Monday morning I was back at the computer by 6 A.M. Yesterday I began the long process of printing out 4 copies of the complete manuscript. I had two reams of paper and a brand new ink cartridge. This morning as I was printing out the last 100 sheets or so, I ran out of ink first and had to run to Office Max for another one. Then, I was a few sheets short on the paper. Thankfully, there is paper in a print shop, and I could finish it and get it packaged for mailing. The trip to the post office was not an inexpensive one since I mailed it express mail. The very apologetic postal service worker socked me $41.30 with a promise that it will arrive in Florida by tomorrow noon.

Sometimes I wonder why I ever started this ordeal, but I am sure I will be glad to have accomplished it when the misery fades into the background.

Odd Lots & Motley Crews

Friends can be such complex creatures. We are friends with two groups of single ladies: the Odd Lot and the Motley Crew. The Odd Lot is an odd accumulation of friends that someone has asked, "What do you have in common?" Certainly our differences may be greater than our similarities. The Motley Crew is also a group of friends with many differences.

Who would ever name a group of friends either the Odd Lot or the Motley Crew? Does the name indicate a low self-image? Possibly. I think that when I hear one of the ladies say she used to beg God to just make her normal. But what is normal? Does the name indicate a feeling of not being accepted? Possibly. I think that when they ask if we really want to hang out with the Motley Crew.

Are these friends lacking in value? Certainly not! Are they unaccepted? Again, certainly not! Each of their lives and personalities have value. I hope I can encourage each of them to be all God created them to be. They are, indeed, unique--just like everybody else.

One week post school year

So what does a teacher do over the summer?

Beginning last Thursday I set to writing the last chapter of my dissertation. Problem #1 -- How do you finish something like that? I wanted to write FINIS at the end, but I didn't think my committee would allow something like that. Tuesday afternoon I was ready to print the thing out once again. Problem #2 arose -- the printer kept printing garbage in the middle of a page and sending the rest of the page onto another page. Finally I went to school and used the printer there to print out 820 pages (four copies of 205 pages). The next stop was the post office. Do you know how much it costs to send 8lbs and 14 oz. of paper express mail? Too much! And I still have a bill from the school for using the printer there.

Yesterday I was back at school beginning the process of getting ready for another year. I have extra to do because I am getting all new textbooks next year. Today I am supposed to be housecleaning my bedroom. Actually it was on my agenda for January and I am only now getting it done.

So what does a teacher do in the summer? All the things there was no time for during school.