family over favorites

Since Bobby's family (or 2/5s of it) meet at a restaurant for Sunday lunch, I had decided I would cook and have everyone over here. After all, Easter Sunday is a holiday. I had the meal planned, something I thought they might eat but was also something my family might have on a holiday, bought everything at the grocery store last night, only to find out today that my mother-in-law has decided to temporarily come out of "retirement" and cook. (She says the only way a housewife can retire is to quit cooking and cleaning.)
I'm happy for my husband. He misses his Mom's cooking. I'm glad the family will be together. Holidays are good for that. I'm disappointed that my ham will have to stay in the freezer and my home-made macaroni and cheese won't be made. As much as I appreciate my in-laws, missing my family on the holidays and then having to eat NC Barbeque (which isn't my favorite) for a holiday meal is almost the equivalent of not having a holiday at all. Almost.
I thought perhaps I might cook the meal for us on Friday - until I cleaned up the kitchen tonight. We have way too many leftovers to be cooking anything else. So this Easter, I won't be eating ham or a special Sunday roast beef, no AL style black-eyed peas with cornbread, no collards or turnip greens. But we will have deviled eggs and rolls, so all won't be lost.
What are your traditional Easter meals?

my new project

As the Queen of UFOs (UnFinished prOjects), I have done it again. I have started yet ANOTHER project (and I'm considering redoing an earlier finished one!) Yes, the wind from your shaking heads is gently blowing the tree limbs and the sighs you're releasing is enhancing our temps to the delightful spring weather we're having.

BUT, in my defense...it had to be done. You see, grape vines must be pruned every spring to produce appropriately (at least that's what the "experts" say), or at least to keep from growing into mammoth monsters of tangled vines that collapse the poles. AND since our chipper/shredder doesn't munch on grape vines very well (we tried that a few years ago), that only leaves me with three options: 1) have a bonfire 2) dump them into an unsightly mess in the woods or 3) make wreaths!And since the boys were cutting grass Saturday, I couldn't leave the vines in the yard; hence the pile on my porch. I spent about three hours folding and twisting, and the pile has majestically shrunk to the heap on the steps. Since we have a hoard of company coming Saturday, the circling of the vines will at least be completed this week, but I probably won't finish decorating them until later.

Wouldn't life be absolutely dull without new projects?

funny Sunday

Yesterday morning Miss Lori stopped me at church and asked me if I could fill in as her assistant in the youngest children's class that night. Their teacher was out sick. Let's just say that anyone who teaches 3 & 4 year-olds clearly spends a LOT of time in preparation and thought. I was very impressed with how she had everything ready to roll with enough activities to keep them occupied the whole time.

When it was time for their lesson, I sat down at the nearest table. Mr. Ducky looked at me and said "This is the boys' table." I looked around, and sure enough all three boys plus one girl were sitting at that table. Since there was already another girl there, I told him I thought girls could sit there, too. So Mr. Blue shirt hops up and moves to the next table where two other little girls were sitting. He turned and with a grin said, "I'm going to sit with the ladies."

For part of the lesson there was a poem that had hand motions to go along with it. The last two lines went something like this:

Where do you stand
when it comes to God's commands?

Every time Miss Lori read "Where do you stand..." Mr. Ducky would look at her and say, "I stand right here."

Part of the Palm Sunday lesson was about Judas getting the thirty pieces of silver for telling the soldiers where Jesus was. They had a hard time getting the word thirty. It seemed to always come out as 13 or forty. Mrs. Lori gave each child a nickel to help them remember the thirty pieces of silver, and to reinforce the lesson she'd ask each child what the silver coin stood for. When little Miss Bouncy got hers, she answered, "Hey, I can spend this!" Most kids are just excited to simply get money. This little chick knew what is was for!

I was impressed with their recall from the previous week's lesson. I don't remember the exact wording of the question, but it had something to do with what happens when people sin. Little Miss Red's eyes got wide and she turned around in her chair and said, "They go to hell!" That wasn't the answer either one of us expected.

I love the excitement, curiosity and passion of that age group, but I think if I had to assist them on a regular basis I might find church very tiring indeed. My hat is off to any preschool worker!

loop holes, exemptions and other such nonsense

Yesterday at a ballgame I jokingly told my husband we didn't have to leave early. Being the gentlemen that he is, he said he wouldn't keep me away from the ladies' Bible study. So I laughingly told him I didn't need to go that night as the lesson was on submission. (This has been an on-going joke between us as I removed the "to obey" part out of my wedding vows...but that's a story for another time).

This Bible study has been different from anything else I've ever participated in. We meet for a cooking demonstration, have a lesson, then split up to eat the meal "taught" to us while we discuss the lesson. Table talk, I think is what they call it. Last night's lesson was one of the few where everyone at our table could say it applied to us, and as serious as the questions and their implications were, we still found quite a few things to laugh about. But my answer to one of the questions still has me pondering.

The question dealt with how the world's view of feminism has impacted believers. We discussed the fact that many women look for a loop hole in the submission command. If our husbands don't love us like Christ does then we're not required to submit, or if our husband is making a really stupid decision then as his helpmeet we're supposed to not go along with it and "help" him out, etc. And yet, as one of the ladies pointed out, there is not an exemption clause anywhere in that verse. We're to obey it, period. I think many Christian women struggle with this for two reasons. One, we're sinful beings who want our own way. But two, we've sadly seen many poor examples of the verses that follow the one on submission.

My mother taught in a Christian school so we could attend there while I was in middle school. It was also during this time that her "flare-ups" became severe. (It was almost twenty years later before she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease.) My sisters and I would do her share of the required janitorial work because we knew she was physically unable. Mother would have to elevate her legs and talk us through supper preparations, and she would almost always crash after supper. Many mornings she was physically unable to get up or down, much less bend over to put her shoes on. One day while mopping her classroom, I overhead a group of teachers talking in the hallway. Someone had asked Mom what she was cooking for supper, and Mother responded, "I don't know. Jerry was buying groceries today, so I'll have to wait and see what he got." The ladies were all stunned that my Dad would buy groceries, saying their husbands would consider that woman's work. That same year while at a pastor's conference with my Dad I remember several other pastors being astounded to find out that Dad helped with a good share of the housework at home. They ridiculed him for it a little bit. It made me angry. My Dad was simply being a good and loving husband. There was nothing unmanly about him doing what needed to be done for his family. And yet I hear way too many Christian men talk as if such acts of love are beneath them. When I think of such situations, I understand why so many women want to balk at the very word submission.
But on the other hand, a small part of me wonders if the wives supported the husbands like my Mother supported my Dad, would the husbands be just as supportive and helpful as my Dad was to my Mom?
Submission is something I struggle with regularly. Like both of my grandmothers, I am what my family calls strong-willed. It's not always easy for me to maintain the equilateral triangle in my marriage (in case you've never heard of that one, I'll explain it later). So many times I wind up being the lopsided triangle because of my hard-headedness.
Unless I find some undiscovered exemption clause or loop hole, I figure this will be one of those '' thorn in the flesh" commands that I struggle with performing for the rest of my life. Like my weight, I hope one day it will be under control, but I fear it will be an issue I will always battle.

weekend reflections

Nope, it's not the traffic for a Saturday football game or the fair!

The Harper House, which was used as a field hospital by the Union troops, as well as 65 wounded Confederates. When the Union troops headed to meet Sherman at Goldsboro, they left the wounded Confederates behind. It was weeks before they were well enough to leave themselves.

What little boys do while waiting for the battle to begin

I've read about servants going into battle with soldiers to cook and wash for them, and I've read about slaves following the Union army and camping behind them in search of protection and freedom, but I've not read about whole families going to war together (but that doesn't mean they didn't).

I like the Coleman pack inside the tent...nice touch, don't you think?

Bobby watching the advancing troops. Is he merely observing, or secretly daydreaming?

The Union soldiers before battle. The historian shared that the troops discredited the cooks who complained of being unable to forage for food due to all the Rebels in the area. Despite the warnings, the Union forces were caught unprepared. Had it not been for their sheer numbers (they outnumbered the Rebs 4 to 1 in this battle), the outcome might have been different. Re-enactments in the South always have a problem of having enough Union soldiers. Confederate re-enactors must be part of an invited group. Union re-enactors just need a uniform and can join up with a group from anywhere.

Not sure about the flag on the left (other than it's colors are opposite of the AL state flag), but the center flag is the first flag of the Confederacy. Not sure what the rectangular red spot on white is, but the battle flag (used by most troops at the end of the war because none of the three official Confederate flags were conducive to good battle strategy) is at the bottom right corner.

And the Feds use their cannons to shoot back.

An artillery supply truck? Or maybe the wounded wagon.

And the battle stops temporarily for the real ambulance. Heat stroke perhaps?
We heard they were putting bags of ice on the horses to keep them cool.

The heat of the battle
(according to the newspaper, the Union re-enactors had to get up again after playing dead because there were too few of them)

This Union regiment from New York were either using their historical unit's actual battle flag or else had a battle-worn replica made. Either way, it drew the eye of almost everyone on our side of the field.

With the warm temps and the large publicity for this year's events, the crowd was three times as large as I remember it being five years ago. I expect the next re-enactment in 2015 will be even bigger as it will be the 150 anniversary. And one of the vendor's tents we visited supposedly had period era jewelry, including earrings. I guess because of Louisa Mae Alcott's book Rose in Bloom I assumed very few girls had pierced ears back then. I did browse at some of the dresses, hats, parasols and hoop skirts. It would be cool to dress up like that, but realistically, that's way too much money for an event that only happens every five years. Besides, which side would I support? Some of my Dad's ancestors served as independent scouts for the Union in SC, and while most of my Mom's ancestors fought for the South, one of the women did marry a Union soldier. Bobby would shoot me if he went in gray and me in navy. :) Regardless, while the past is behind us and it's cool to dress up, a part of me can't help but wonder what the South would be like if we had handled things differently or if Lincoln had survived. I guess we'll never know.

a number

The days get shorter.
Or maybe my to do list grows longer.
But either way time seems diminished, fleeting, evasive.

I am five again,
Staring at the board for Chutes & Ladders,
Counting, Staring, Memorizing,
Desperately trying to learn my way to 100.

My hairs are numbered,
as are my days.
Do I shift my list to fit everything in?
Or do I simply throw the list away?

I'm reaching the crease in the board.
You know, that halfway point that makes you think you might reach the top.
Of course, there's all those chutes that send you hurtling downward, forcing you to stay in the game longer.
But there's also the shorter ladders, enabling you to cut the game short.

The roll of the dice, the squares where we stop, the things beyond our control.
But will I cheat? What color peg will I be? Will I pout if I lose?
Those are the things that truly impact me.
Those are the choices I can actually determine.

All the rest is just up and down.
And learning to count the numbers.

funny things from this week

Joanna: We're not having eggs for breakfast again are we?
Me: No, we're having waffles.
Joanna: I want pancakes.
Me: I don't know how to make pancakes.
Joanna: Well I'll tell you. It's easy. You take the things you like and mix them up together. Then you cook them, then take out the things you don't like.

And for curious minds, we had waffles, which she helped mix and pour, and declared "almost as good as pancakes."

Joanna: This time I want you to be the Prince.
Bobby: Oh boy. I'm glad I get to be the handsome Prince.
Joanna: No, you're not handsome. You're a dirty Prince.

Overhead at Bentonville from a Confederate re-enactor, talking to a group of young boys:
I always die in battle, and I try to die early on. These uniforms are hot and the smoke and dust gets to you, so as soon as we hear the first crack me and my buddies fall down so we don't have to run anymore.

Female re-enactors smoking, wearing fancy earrings, talking on cell phones, and taking pictures with digital pictures. Really girls, if you're donning period era costumes, shouldn't you use period era accessories?

And from young boys not realizing the seriousness of the situation when an ambulance pulled alongside the field and the battle "stopped" :
Guess they're picking up the dead.
But I thought they used horse-drawn wagons for that!
Maybe they couldn't find enough horses, either. (Their previous discussion had been how hundreds of re-enactors weren't enough when each side was supposed to have thousands of soldiers during the original battle.)

And from Joanna when her nose started running: Mom! My nose is coming off!

organized randomness

Well, I think I've figured out the advertisement issue. I had downloaded an online game the other day. I noticed while I was trying to blog that suddenly the internet was connecting to that website, so I went and uninstalled the game. When I went back to my blog, all the advertisement links were gone. I ran the virus scan and nothing other than cookies and a few non-threatening spyware items showed up, but I doubt I'll be downloading anymore games!

I got to hear the pledge of allegiance a few minutes ago. It was actually quite cool. A family is staying with us through Sat morning, and their daughter is being "homeschooled" in K4. They started out their morning session with the pledge, which was neat to hear. I find it encouraging and refreshing that there are still parents who are instilling not only Scriptural principles but also patriotic principles in their children as well.

And the dogs are almost in panic mode. They want some goose eggs...bad, but they're just not having much luck this season. :O) Most mornings instead of chasing each other or birds, they are now frantically running along the side of the pond or sitting watch at certain spots in hopes of capturing an egg. AND the geese (or at least one) is actually laying in the duck house I modified. At last count there were eight eggs inside. We might actually have goslings to survive this year! (emphasis on the word might...there's still turtles to contend with)

I may not post again until Monday with us having company for a few days and Saturday is Bobby's Christmas present. (I gave him tickets to the Civil War Re-enactment at the Bentonville Battlefield.) But then again, if I have to choose between blogging and ironing...hmmm. We'll see which one wins.

bizarre oddities

Last night I went to check and see if anyone had commented on my blog and was puzzled to see a word underlined in green that turned out to be a link to an advertisement. I logged in, went to the html, and sure enough, I had not put it there and it wasn't present. This morning I checked it again, and it was gone. BUT, when I read two other blogs, they also had underlined words that I am certain were links to advertisements. Has anyone else had this happen to them? I'm a bit baffled at how this happened.

when the cat's away...

My dear hubby has the crud that is going around. He stayed home last night so he could try to cough in peace. Evidently he also spent some time on CraigsList, for we made a trip to Raleigh last night to pick up his newest babies:

and of course Lucy & Linus are staying in the sun by the shed trying to figure out what these new creatures are and why they can't get to them. I expect some howling today when they get locked up.
And Little Buff ignored the fuss and went about her business of laying an egg,
While all the others lined up at the door, watching, and waiting to see if I'd let them out early today. Sorry girls (and guy). You've got to wait your turn to roam the yard.
Meanwhile, I'm off to try out a new sewing foot on my machine, and I'm hoping that the needle will stay in place today. Happy Monday!

ahhhh...spring

You know spring is coming when...

the hens start laying again

Mrs. Hudson is at her post at Hudson's Hardware,
selling garden items and offering advice to novices like me.

colorful seed packets start showing up in almost every store I enter

And I start debating whether or not to plant the tastes of home (also known as feeding the deer).

AND, while there's no pic...my daffodils are blooming and the geese are nesting!

boundaries

Last night our ladies' small group discussed boundaries we had as children and how we knew that meant we were loved, even if we didn't like those boundaries. (This is what happens when the lesson only applies to one person in the group...all the rest of us share memories!) I shared a story from tenth grade, where I was complaining about my curfew and how my parents never let me do anything. A girl in the group later pulled me into the hall. She was crying and mad. Her family attended church regularly and they all claimed to be Christians. She told me she never wanted to hear me complain about how much my parents loved me ever again. Her brother had come home the night before at 2am, drunk, threw up in his bed, slept in it, and her parents never knew when he came home, that he was sick, and never once checked on him. She said her parents never asked her what she did with friends, and she wished her parents had cared enough about her to set some parameters in place to protect from her boys so she wouldn't have made some of the mistakes she made. She was crying and upset. Her parting words were, "I wish my parents cared enough to give and enforce rules."

I've been thinking about those things a lot the last two days. A boy I knew (he attended our church for a while) has been arrested for robbery, murder, and assault on a corpse. The whole article sounds like something you might hear about on CSI or Criminal Minds, not something from minuscule Cordova, AL. The police don't have all the details yet, but the bond was raised to a million dollars once they discovered some of the facts.

He attended the same church camp I did, sat under the same teachings I did, and yet is now being charged with not only shooting someone to death, but horrifically chopping up the body and then throwing the parts alongside the wooded highway while driving down the road.

I remember listening to adults talk to my parents about this boy and his situation. He was 11 and weighed 300 pounds, if not more. His Mom always gave him what he wanted to keep peace in the house. Many of the adults in our church felt this was nothing short of child abuse. A few months before he moved away, his Mom had surgery and he lived with his aunt for two weeks while she recovered. I remember the aunt telling Dad how the first week was really tough, but she and her husband decided to stick to their rules for their boys. But whereas she had trouble getting her boys to eat everything on their plate, for her nephew she limited him to two full plates a meal, and only fruit for snacks (which is what she let her boys have). He lost 50 pounds in those two weeks, and was absolutely thrilled. He undid his belt at church to show us how big his pants were. We were horrified that he had lost so much weight that his pants were that big (his aunt bought him a new belt) but that we couldn't tell by looking at him that he had lost weight.

I look at situations around me and see how lack of boundaries and rules, or willingness to abide by them, make for horrible situations. But then I look at the Bible and think of how many times I read a command and think, "That's just too hard." It all goes back to boundaries and the love that instills them. When I focus on myself and what I can or can't do, then the Christian life sometimes seems unreasonable. But when I focus on the One who set those boundaries and his love for me, things don't seem quite so bad. I guess I shouldn't complain or protest that I have a God who loves me so much that he tries to protect me.

'scrappy honest

It's interesting how God introduces people into our lives, and then years later those people show up again...and again...and again. It's even more wonderful when you actually like those people and feel a connection. Becky is one of such people. Like refined silver, she has been tried in the fire. And I find her brutal honesty refreshing, and am enjoying this journey with a sister in Christ, even though we've had very few face to face chats. She tagged me in her blog where you have to post 10 honest things about yourself and then tag friends to do the same. So here goes...

1. I am married to a quadriplegic, who is also my best friend.
   
2. I own 7 hens, 9 geese, 2 beagles, and my husband owns a rooster.
3. I've been told I'm stubborn.
4. My husband says I would make a wonderful hermit if hermits were allowed to have electricity.
   
5. One of my pet peeves is Christians who deride or belittle mental health issues in the guise of promoting Christ as the healer, then go to the doctor when they are sick.
6. I struggle with the clash between Christianity and our culture's definition of a successful woman.
7. My list of dream vacations spots are: Alcatraz and those big trees in California, the Grand Canyon, Niagara Falls, and Israel. (We actually made it to DC last year.)
8. The phrase "jack-of-all trades, but master of none" applies to me.
9. I dislike going to the doctor more than most people, and the smell of hospitals and nursing homes bothers me. It still shocks me every time one of Bobby's nurses tell me I should be a nurse.
10. I think the Bible verse "Man should not live by bread alone..." should be finished with "He also needs chocolate." :) How's that for heresy?

Lydia, Sara, Jennifer, Carroll, and Sarah...you've been tagged.

works in progress

It is upon us. Spring, that is. Today I took advantage of an empty schedule and beautiful weather and sprayed the fruit trees, pruned the grape vines, and started modifying the duck house for the geese. The cut vines are still in piles in the yard, awaiting either time to be made into wreaths or to enter the doorway to the chipper, and half-way through the geese-house project both the battery in the screwdriver and my time ran out. Perhaps we can get it finished tomorrow afternoon. Meanwhile, I've absconded one goose egg from a nest, and I think the dogs managed to get the other one. I had planned to take before and after pictures of the duck house, but I forgot to take the before shots. Maybe if I paint the ugly boards I can do a before and after shot.

Realistically, I don't think I'll get the garden tilled and partially planted before the rain, but maybe I can tackle that Saturday if the ground isn't too muddy. Meanwhile, pepper and tomato plants can be started inside. I'm seriously considering not planting peas this year as they've not done very well the last two years between the lack of rain and the deer. Plus I'll need to look into fencing to keep the chickens out or they'll eat my tomatoes and watermelon again! I've enjoyed my garden, but there are times when I feel like the time involved is almost more than it's worth.
I know by the end of May when the produce starts coming up I'll be excited and posting pictures, but for now it seems to be one more thing on my to do list.

So for now, my projects are pictureless!

all mixed up

There are at least two theories pertaining to color. One is called RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and is the premise used on the internet, and the other is CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) that is used in printing. It still boggles my mind that you can take either three or four colors, mix them all up, and come with a wide assortment of colors. The bizarre thing about these two theories is that they don't mix very well. If you create a document in CMYK and try to post on the web, the colors will be skewed. And if I create a piece of artwork in RGB with computerized special effects and transfer it for print, the special effects won't print and the colors will only be slightly off. Bizarre, isn't it?

And if you want to see if the RGB rods in your eye are the "perfect" size (i.e., you're not colorblind), here's a cool website: http://www.toledo-bend.com/colorblind/Ishihara.asp

May your mornings be blue with white clouds and your grass be green!

a week of blessings

It's been a long week, but a good week.

Mary B aced her test to get her NC Driver's License.

I attended an embroidery demonstration. Needless to say, my stitches need a LOT of practice, but for the first time with an instructor, I didn't think it was all that bad. I won't be giving away anything embroidered, that's for sure, but I did thoroughly enjoy the lesson and a break from housework.

The study is 98% clean! There's still a few piles I need to sort through and organize, but it's just so nice to finally have the shelves dusted and a little more sorted. Still haven't finished cleaning and organizing the art room, but hopefully that can be done this next week.

Tutoring...a friend of mine is taking the nursing entrance exam next week, so I've spent an hour almost every day this week going over basic English precepts. It's made me thankful for my 5th grade teacher Diana Postelwaite and her excellence in drilling basic concepts into us, as well as my high school English teachers who never saw us as "just a job".

Apples of Gold...the CBC ladies are doing a six week Bible study/mentoring program and this week was the first I got to attend. I enjoyed getting to know a few ladies better, and look forward to the remaining four weeks. And yes, the study, as has been church and devotionals lately, was very convicting.

Our chickens are now laying regularly! Yesterday was an all-time high of 5 eggs, but we've been averaging at least 3 eggs a day for almost a week now. I also need to finalize the geese's nesting pen this next week as I think they're laying as well. Haven't scouted out the other side of the dam where they're hanging out, but I'm seeing all the signs of spring.'

My Mom is feeling slightly better.

I've managed to get a few things done on the computer. It feels good to be getting back into somewhat of a schedule. You don't realize how much you get behind or out of whack when you're sick until you finally get things back on track.

But even if all these things had not happened this week, I would still be blessed, for reasons way too numerous to list. So as we end this week, may those of you who know His peace & grace revel in the blessings He has bestowed.

more steamy thoughts

We live, we love. We forgive and never give up.
'Cause the days we are given are gifts from above.
~ "We Live" from SuperChik's Beauty from Pain 1.1

Tonight I heard more than one person comment on how they wished they had lived for Christ in their twenties. Today I also talked with more than one person who has serious health issues and each day, and sometimes nights, is a struggle of great sorts. This morning I was reminded of the importance of forgiveness and not keeping wrongs, and how that is such an ongoing battle of the flesh.

Our lives are vapors, the Scripture tells us. We're essentially steam...not only in the air we breathe in and out, but also in essence of time.

I don't know what made me realize this a few months ago, but if I live the average life span that my grandmothers lived, my life is now half over. That's a very sobering thought. Mind you, I was one of those teens who read Ephesians 6 about children obeying their parents so they could live longer and was in a crux. I wanted to do right and obey my parents, but I've never wanted to live to be old. But still, there's so much I want to do and accomplish in my life. I'm starting to recognize that many of them will never, ever happen, and that's okay. Other things I've started making more of a concerted effort to see the dreams come to fruition. It's as if I've turned the hourglass and the sand is pouring.

And I still find myself struggling to reconcile what the world teaches is success, what makes me happy, and what the Bible teaches. And those three things don't always blend harmoniously, if at all. So it may be as this body continuously vents its remaining steam, I find my dreams and goals morphing into something different. Meanwhile, I've got to recognize each day as the good gift my Maker has given me and use it wisely.

the spring itch

It happens every year. The daffodils bloom, and people start shopping seeds and wanting to till the ground and drop the seeds into the soil. The only problem is there's this warning on the back of most seed packages: do not plant until the danger of frost has passed. While there are many Marches where there is no frost in the South, I can think of many times when there has not only been frost, but snow in mid or late March. The best rule of thumb has always been to do the outdoor planting on summer crops after Easter.
This year I'm embarking on a new first, and will plant start seeds indoor next week. By the time the weather is warm enough to plant outdoors, Lord willing my little plants will be the right size to transplant.
Meanwhile, I know spring is coming because March is the month to fertilize pecan trees, spray the fruit trees, and prune the grapevines. I've spread the fertilizer, but I'm waiting and hoping for warmer weather to tackle the other two. Speaking of which, does anyone need/want grapevines?

I love you with all my liver...

After a song on the radio this morning, one of the crazy DJs raised the point, "Why do songs always talk about loving you with the heart? Why not the spleen, or the lung?" The female DJs quickly responded that it didn't even sound romantic. It made me laugh.
In the Ivory Coast, people love each other with all their livers. After all, the liver purifies all the toxins from the body. The summer I visited we got to witness a wedding between the first Christian couple to grow up in the Ivorian FWB church. The church was very excited about it, and the children's choir wrote a song in honor of the couple. One of the verses admonished the husband to take his wife and hold her forever in his liver. I can still hear their little verses chanting, "Oh Nicolai, and Bernadette..." which seemed to be how each verse and every chorus started.
So if you haven't told your spouse or friend you loved them today, let them know how much you care...with all your liver.