The News-Leader has an article about Assemblies of God missionary, Jay Tucker. 42 years ago, he was tortured and killed by Congolese rebels. Today his children dedicate a new grave marker with his name on it. There’s a memorial service, you’re invited.
You can read the story of Jay tucker in a book written by his wife:
He is in Heaven by Angelina Tucker.
It may be Black Friday, but it’s never too late to be thankful. So here are just two things on my list. I’ll post more later. Maybe I should turn this into a series…
Joel:
I’m thankful that my husband is home for Thanksgiving! We picked him up at the airport yesterday afternoon. You should have seen the homecoming. He came around the corner wearing his uniform and was instantly attacked by two small giggly children. I don’t know how a person could watch that reunion and not cry a little. It made my heart ache. For every soldier who is away from loved ones. I’m thankful for them… and that my soldier is home today.
Family:
When people learn about Joel’s deployment they inevitably ask me if we have family living nearby. The answer is yes and no. No, my blood relatives do not live close. My parents and sisters live at least nine hours away. But yes, we do have family in Springfield. More family than I can possibly count. We went to lunch at a classmate’s house then enjoyed dinner and football with Debbie and Mark’s extended family. We also had to turn down countless other invitations. So, while I didn’t get to enjoy the feast that my twin sister prepared, I did get to spend the day with family. Thanks!
I found this post in my drafts… I must have written it back in July.
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As I surf the Web and burn precious potential sleep moments… something slowly blocks my view of the screen… slowly… slowly… a spider swings by on it’s web. Um… excuse me… [moves head to the left... moves head to the right] Could you please move? Yeh I’m trying to read more about the Rocketboom breakup… and other entirely unimportant stuff.
Meanwhile, Jeremiah is officially “in bed” but he’s singing the national anthem… again… and again. Now he’s making up new words to the song. Jibberish… hours of endless jibberish sang to the tune of the Star Spangled Banner. This is my life. Except when he decides to sing the Army song instead.
Sleep would be a good idea. I think I’ll try that. Though I’ve been having some rather unpleasant or at least unusual dreams lately. This morning I dreamed that we were riding in a car. Jeremiah threw a foot at me. Yes a foot… a severed human foot. Or so I thought. After freaking out a little, I saw the manufacturers tag on it. A fake yet very convincing foot… in my lap. I awoke abruptly and found… two real Jeremiah feet in my face.
It occurs to me that you might not know who is who in the comments section of this blog.
I started to make a list… but then I worried that I’d miss someone.
So, regular commenters, please introduce yourself here.
For example…
Jack is my Dad.
Tamera is my wonderful roommate…
Jammay is my long time Internet friend from… don’t even tell them what silly website I met you at.
Hmmm… what exciting free sample will the friendly neighborhood postal worker leave on my doormat today?
A seven dollar box of Stomping Grounds Espresso Latte.
“100% Natural Espresso Concentrate. Just Add Milk.”
Fill your cup 1/3 full with the concentrate and top it off with your favorite milk like product… I chose… um… milk.
Microwave for a bit. Yes I know, you should NEVER microwave coffee… but then again… it came from a box, I think the coffee snob rules have already been broken.
Hey, this isn’t bad. Kind of sweet. At seven bucks, I probably wouldn’t buy a box. But if you have a habit of spending 3.50 a cup for some sweet latte substance… well this will save you a fortune.
I’ve got grass stains on my good jeans. Hopefully they’ll wash out before the memories do.
Judi and I took the kids to Jordan Valley Park to see the Christmas lights.
Somehow we found ourselves at the top of the highest hill. Jeremiah threw his arms in the air, spun around and proclaimed, “I can see the whole city!”
At that moment, I knew that we weren’t just looking at Christmas lights. We were making memories. It was cold and dark and that didn’t matter.
I decided to teach the kids how to roll down a hill. Of course I had to demonstrate the proper technique.
I can’t begin to describe how quickly I rolled down that grassy hill. When the spining finally came to a stop, I tried to stand. I fell flat on my face… more than once. It looked like the world must be turning in the wrong direction. And yet my world seemed to be moving perfectly.
On my third time down, I got lost in the bushes. Dizzy and unable to save myself, I didn’t hear Jeremiah’s warnings to stop. Lost in the bushes, I found something… Joy.
Why do adults spend so much time trying to act like grownups? Why can’t we be free to roll down hills more often and wear kindergarten Thanksgiving Indian headbands and noodle necklaces in public?
“A Fort Riley, Kan., soldier has earned the Soldier’s Medal for rescuing two people trapped in a burning pickup in April 2004.” - ArmyTimes
Somebody should give my man a medal.
