Was awake much earlier than planned this morning and couldn’t get back to sleep. Nothing else to do, may as well share some of the mental midnight meanderings….. Turned over as I normally do any other night but unlike other nights I didn’t get back to sleep. So what was I thinking other than “go back to sleep. Go back to sleep. Go back to sleep”?..... Laying there, I almost busted out in laughter as I recalled the FB conversation I was having with some younger cousins and nephew just hours earlier. T’was pretty funny. We’re a hopeless bunch of Habs and Leafs fans. We we’re kidding back and forth about how shocking awful our teams had been at times this year when someone mimicked one of our elders from our childhood and what they said when upset with anything, including their favorite sports teams. There were some doozy catch phrase vents we’d all heard. “Rattlin’ Reevins!” . We actually forgot to mention “Jumpi’ ‘ol Jumpin’” “lovin’ ol’ lovin’!” and my personal favorite, Nan Biggin saying “Lans!” or “Land o’ Goshen!”. To this day nan does remember where she picked that one up. Some we’d recalled probably shouldn’t be repeated…..Well maybe this one. WARNING: THE CONTENT OF THE FOLOWING FB POST MAY BE SENSITIVE TO SOME READERS. NO SERIOUSLY…. Was interesting as I closed off for the night that I saw there was another interesting thread on FB regarding language and each person’s personal tolerance level for ‘language’ whether out and about or on television. Early I was telling my young cousins and nephew a fib about how I had told Mom one of the local old fellers had gotten ‘saved’ because in telling Quinn and me to get off their wharf they’d said “Now you fellers get off my wharf! Gwan Now! GET TO JESUS!”….Yes. Yes I know, funny, but not so funny, at all. Not sure any elder really thought it out before uttering. You know, I doubt they really had thought much about what they were saying, that if we were to actually go to Jesus we’d get the message loud and clear that hanging out on the end of the wharf was dangerous and snatching potatoes or carrots from the neighbor’s vegetable garden without permission, equally dangerous. To go to Jesus and heed Jesus could very well teach us a life saving lesson. Somehow I don’t think their intent was the same, or thought as deep, but what great advice for any situation eh? This expression was somewhat common from some of the older more seasoned men from ‘da bottom’ of Port Saunders though I’m sure it wasn’t an expression exclusive to ‘da bottom’! …. The Wharfs were a dangerous area and occasionally a youngster would take a tumble. Sometimes they’d fall into the water and get a little wet, followed by a little ‘lacing’ from their elder or parents. Sometimes they were less fortunate to take that tumble when the tidewould be out. In such cases that tumble and fall would be onto the rocks 10-15 feet below. (Sigh)I swear that in some of my memories of childhood friends I always picture them in a sling or a cast, you know? The old folks would always go on a loud lecturing rampage that could be heard all over the bottom of Port Saunders and perhaps even out on the hill. They took no prisoners during these rants after such accidents. Neither parents nor relatives or the Lord himself were spared. “oh, oh-oh, oh-oh” my mom would say sometimes when recalling some of these rants. Now every person remembers things a little differently don’t they?..... Later on, many of these older folks would tell us we’d better not to be caught uttering the language we’d heard from them a day, week, or month earlier. And at that same time they reminded us that we were never to be caught on their wharf again…….We got the message, for the most part, for a few days anyways. At least until the next youngster‘s imminently predestined ‘appointment’ with the harbor water or rocks beneath the wharf. Then we’d get another replay. Yes, “Get to Jesus! In ignorance or anger or genuine sincerity, what a tremendously great command or advice ….Now you know I’m pretty well rested. I hit the sack at a decent hour so I’m gonna make it today quite easily…..but lying awake here, what I’m really thinking about is that I have many friends battling some very difficult circumstances right now. Some are battling health and medical issues. I’m believing confidently they are very ‘winnable’ issues. I believe I’ve six, maybe seven battling things that have left me squirmy at times to say the least. …”Get to Jesus!”…Another friend (and probably others) has their home completely buried in snow, literally! So buried in fact that they made the National news last night! What a crazy winter it’s been eh? …(Sigh).. Now what happens I wonder when folks through common concern and courtesy or solid upbringings literally or figuratively speaking, “Get to Jesus!” in tough or unforeseen circumstances?……. Well, Janice has gotten lots of local help with her buried home I noticed. Though it make be too late for their home (we’ll see) I still marvel at how small town folks come together in difficult times, it’s very special stuff. You can’t bottle too much of that kind of stuff.…”Get to Jesus!”…. Some other friends have circumstances in their lives that are manageable I guess but still, are extremely stressful at this time and are also needing a little help wherever they can get it... “Get to Jesus!” Sometimes in crisis you’ll find it’s the folks you least expect, maybe the least ‘spiritual’ in appearance that are first there to be of help to you. But that’s a thought or rant for another day and post. Sometimes you think you can’t ‘get to Jesus’ when you already have ‘gotten’ to Him. Sometimes you think you don’t need that stuff anyway….Er I mean, don’t need “Him” anyway. What a silly thought. I’ve often posted that the works been done already for our past, present, and future. It was done 2000 years ago by….yes. You guessed it…... All that’s often left is the application of the Jesus we need for here and now, for this very moment today. There’s lots ways we can be “Jesus” for those around us in circumstances requiring just a little something extra, and never really has to come wrapped in religiousness or piety. Jesus often comes as the neighbor or friend who’s there whenever they can, doing whatever they can, however they can do it. And if they can’t do it they’ll always find someone with that something that can help you….. And sometimes it’s just sharing a word of comfort, encouragement or timely humor…..preferably over a cup of tea or coffee and some fresh baked pastries. Just in case some of you needed a hint.
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 19:45:18 +0000
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