Strudel...mmm!

Today I had Strudel. Had made by my mother-in-law and her mom, affectionately known to us as Gram. Mom says Gram has more energy. If it had been up to mom, she said, we wouldn't have had Strudel.

Strudel is bread. But it is first stretched into these sheets of very thin dough and then flipped into strands of loose sheets. Very awesome. We had potatoes, diced and boiled and oh was it good. I ate until I was stuffed. It has been a long time since I have had a meal that big.

Why did I enjoy this mothers day? Well, it was all the work the mothers put into a meal. It was the fact that they did what they love to do, take care of their families. It has been a while since I've seem mom laughing and smiling and so relaxed. It has been a while since I've seen mom not cry whenever Brent's name comes up.

No, it was not a grand revelation day, nothing spectacular happened (Except for the Strudel!), but it was a good day!

So, to Mom, who is tough, tender, loving, caring, resilient and most of all, so very giving, Happy mother's day.

A bottle of juice

"I was reaching into my bag for a bottle of juice and I took my eyes off the road." said the 22 year old driver. I had watch only seconds before as headlights 1/4 mile head of me spun around and rolled into the east ditch. As I approached, I surveyed the scene thinking that a dear had to have been involved. I looked closely at the small black pickup to see if there was any movement inside the cab. No, I didn't see any at first, but within a few second, I saw the passenger kind of shake his head and start moving around. I pulled to a stop and put on my hazard lights. I crossed the road and realized that there was only one person in the car, and that the passenger was really the driver.

I asked if he was ok, he said yes. I asked if he hurt anywhere. "Everywhere" was the reply. I helped him sit down by the front wheel of the vehicle, then I called 911 and told them where we were.

Two long black skid marks angled from the right shoulder to the left shoulder of the road. There were sand bags and a spare tire from the back of the small pickup. The passenger's side was dented, and the drivers side of the bed were broken. The driver's front fender was dented, and the windshield was cracked in several places. It was hard to imagine that the vehicle had not rolled onto its top, but had completed the roll in the air and landed on its wheels.

I put my coat on the young driver to keep him warm. Shock will kill if not the accident. The morning was a cool 55 degrees, and I could feel the chill.

Soon a paramedic who lived only a mile away showed up and started taking vitals and helping to make him comfortable. The police arrived and then so did the ambulance.

After the whole thing settled down and the office in charge allowed me to leave, I started thinking about how many times I had reached into my bag while driving. How many times I had looked away from the road for more than a split second. I thought of how many times I had made the trip down this same road in the last 2 1/2 years, and I began to thank God for keeping me safe.

I don't have an answer to the obvious "why" questions, but I am thankful that God does exist and that he does protect even when I don't deserve it. I'm thankful that he has protected my wife and kids, and I'm thankful to be alive.

Good Sneaker!

Sabbath morning, the wife was in the shower and I was feeding the troops. A at one end of the table, Z at the other end. Here's the conversation as best I can remember it.

A: "Daddy...Daddy, I had one of those things...You know, those things that taste like your gum? I forgot what they are called."
Me: "A Mentos?"
A: "Ya, Ya, That's it. I had one yesterday because I had Garlic."
Me: "Oh?"
Z: "Garlic?"
A: "Remember Z? We had noodles yesterday and Mommy sneaked in some garlic."
Z: "Wow! Mommy's a good sneaker."

I dutifully marched into the bathroom to share the conversation with the wife.

Kids use of language is often a source of humor around our house.