Show & Tell

I remember in elementary school the excitement of showing off a find which was special and could be classified as a treasure. One special treasure was a quartz rock found by my then uncle Jim who loved to explore caves in some remote areas of middle Tennessee. Then there was the special rock I found in the creek shaped like the state of Tennessee (I wished I would have saved those things). One summer, when Greg & I spent a week or 2 with my grandparents, they were in the process of digging a sewer line to install a bathroom in their house. Oh the treasures we found!! Hundreds of arrowheads - truly this was a site previously inhabited by Indians!! When we returned to school that fall, it was so exciting to be able to show off those treasures found that summer.

Last week I kept Logan in - he had been complaining about his throat burning, then early Wednesday morning he woke up vomiting. Thursday he seemed a little better, but still not to his old self so I kept him in that day as well. By the end of the day, him & Katrina were starting to fight & he seemed to be a little more naughty so Friday I sent him to school. The kids in his class are assigned a day during the month to bring snacks for the whole class & Friday was his day. With that responsibility, they get to share, with the class, an item from home for show & tell. I really didn't pay attention to what he chose but he seemed really excited to bring it!! This morning I had to take something for Katrina to school & saw Logan's teacher. She asked how he did over the weekend then I walked with her to the class to give Logan a big hug!! She began to comment on Logan's item for show & tell & how she shared with her husband how funny it was. Logan had brought an urn with our dog's, Benny, remains. His first comment about the item was "I brought my dog today!" Of course, the children were curious about how they could get one of those!!

Benny was Logan's first dog & they had a strong bond, even though we only had him for a short time. He had a hard time getting over that loss & will sometimes talk about missing him. He has somewhat moved on - we have 2 dogs now & one, Abby, he calls his. You can sometimes find them cuddled up on a bed or the couch. When he was sick this past week, she was right there watching over him.

Isn't it funny what we call treasures!! The dictionary states that a treasure is a thing or person that is highly prized or valued/to value greatly; cherish. For a 6 year old, the bond of a favorite animal was a true treasure that needed to be shared!! Matthew 6:21 says that where your treasure is, there will your heart be also!! What is your treasure? Who is your treasurer? Let them know how valuable they are today!!

Another Year

$5.37. That's what the kid behind the counter at Taco Bell said to me. I dug into my pocket and pulled out some lint and two dimes and something that used to be a Jolly Rancher. Having already handed the kid a five-spot, I started to head back out to the truck to grab some change when the kid with the Emo hairdo said the harshest thing anyone has ever said to me.He said, "It's OK. I'll just give you the senior citizen discount." I turned to see who he was talking to and then heard the sound of change hitting the counter in front of me. "Only $4.68" he said cheerfully.

I stood there stupefied. I am 48, not even 50 yet? A mere child! Senior citizen? I took my burrito and walked out to the truck wondering what was wrong with Emo. Was he blind? As I sat in the truck, my blood began to boil. Old? Me? I'll show him, I thought. I opened the door and headed back inside. I strode to the counter, and there he was waiting with a smile. Before I could say a word, he held up something and jingled it in front of me, like I could be that easily distracted!What am I now? A toddler? "Dude! Can't get too far without your car keys, eh?"

I stared with utter disdain at the keys. I began to rationalize in my mind."Leaving keys behind hardly makes a man elderly!It could happen to anyone!"I turned and headed back to the truck..I slipped the key into the ignition, but it wouldn't turn. What now?I checked my keys and tried another. Still nothing.That's when I noticed the purple beads hanging from my rearview mirror. I had no purple beads hanging from my rearview mirror. Then, a few other objects came into focus. The car seat in the back seat. Happy Meal toys spread all over the floorboard. A partially eaten doughnut on the dashboard. Faster than you can say ginkgo biloba, I flew out of the alien vehicle.Moments later I was speeding out of the parking lot, relieved to finally be leaving this nightmarish stop in my life. That is when I felt it, deep in the bowels of my stomach: hunger! My stomach growled and churned, and I reached to grab my burrito, only it was nowhere to be found.
I swung the truck around, gathered my courage, and strode back into the restaurant one final time. There Emo stood, draped in youth and black nail polish. All I could think was, "What is the world coming to?" All I could say was, "Did I leave my food and drink in here?" At this point I was ready to ask a Boy Scout to help me back to my vehicle, and then go straight home and apply for Social Security benefits.
Emo had no clue.

I walked back out to the truck, and suddenly a young lad came up and tugged on my jeans to get my attention. He was holding up a drink and a bag. His mother explained, "I think you left this in my truck by mistake." I took the food and drink from the little boy and sheepishly apologized. She offered these kind words: "It's OK. My grandfather does stuff like this all the time."

All of this is to explain how I got a ticket doing 85 in a 40.. Yes, Iwas racing some punk kid in a Toyota Prius.. And no, I told the officer, I'm not too old to be driving this fast.

As I walked in the front door, my wife met me halfway down the hall. I handed her a bag of cold food and a $300 speeding ticket. I promptly sat in my rocking chair and covered up my legs with a blanky. The good news was I had successfully found my way home.

-*-*-*-*-*-*- READ BELOW !*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Just in case you weren't feeling too old today.
The people who are starting college this fall were born in 1991.
They are too young to remember the space shuttle blowing up.
Their lifetime has always included AIDS.
The CD was introduced two years before they were born.
They have always had an answering machine.
They have always had cable..
Jay Leno has always been on the Tonight Show.
Popcorn has always been microwaved.
They never took a swim and thought about Jaws.
They don't know who Mork was or where he was from.
They never heard: 'Where's the Beef?', 'I'd walk a mile for a Camel ', or 'de plane Boss, de plane'.
McDonald's never came in Styrofoam containers.
They don't have a clue how to use a typewriter.
Pass this on to the other old fogies on your list.
Did you notice the larger type?
That's for those of us who have trouble reading.
P.S. Save the earth.. It's the only planet with chocolate. Happy New Year and many more

Reflection on the past year

Can't say that 2009 was as event filled in the lives of the Scotts as years past, but when I look at what God did for us, I'm amazed. He is such a great God. We have a very beautiful & functional kitchen. Our white van was in need of major repairs that were too costly to fix, so we were able to purchase a newer, used Town & Country without taking on more debt. For the first time in several years, we were able to go on a vacation to Arkansas & Missouri to see my youngest niece graduate from high school. My kids have been healthy. Was able to take care of a health issue that I've been dealing with for the past several years through surgery.

My business is steadily improving with new clients. I purchased a massage chair with plans to enter into agreements with businesses for employee services. Ron has registered for school to get his doctorate in organizational management which will take approximately 4 years or more to complete - he's always wanted to do this. Everything just fell into place for him to go at this time.

Katrina is in Second grade, in Girl Scouts & is taking guitar lessons. Her guitar instructor has been inducted into the Iowa rock and roll hall of fame and he is very impressed with her. If you want to know anything about the people in the neighborhood, just ask Katrina & she'll be able to tell you.

Logan started Kindergarten this year and the teacher nominated him to be a class student council representative. She is very impressed with him - he's always wanting to please and he is very respectful of his classmates!!

My prayer is that we draw closer to each other as a family and most importantly, drawer closer to our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

Happy New Year everyone!!