Wrestling

I was blessed to wrestle varsity for 3 years in high school & win far more than I lost. I relived a bit of that today. Dylan wrestled with the Exeter High School team in a 4 school scrimmage at North Schuylkill Area High School near Frackville. Kathy & I made the 75 minute drive to watch. I've listened to his complaints as practice started about 2 weeks ago. "It's really tough." "I really hurt." "The coach is very demanding." But today, he wrestled with 4 others in his weight class and easily handled all but one. That young man had 13 years of experience. They were about even in ability - the other boy experienced - Dylan stronger and a bit more determined.

There has been such a good change in Dylan this calendar year. He has become more confident. He feels safe. He knows who he is and whose he is. He has become comfortable in his own skin.

I guess all this should make me feel a bit old, but instead, I just feel good.

Happy Birthday

Yesterday was Alex's birthday. No longer a teen, but not yet quite (legally) a full adult, he entered the limbo world of 20 years old. Alex is becoming quite the young man - making more mature decisions - developing a longer view of life; all important transitions we must each work through.

I offered to go out for dinner for his birthday. He said he would rather eat and celebrate at home. It seems he likes home cooking better. I was very pleased.

Alex is thinking about going away to college next year instead of the local community college. I'm glad for him. But I'll miss him when he goes.

Children grow up, get married, move out, have children of their own. It all seems so fitting and natural. Then suddenly the grandchildren are going to college and you realize you ARE getting older, and you wonder, "What happened? How did all these events of life just slip by?"

Solomon is right. There is a time for every purpose under heaven.

I think my purpose in life, at least for my family, is to be steady point of reference. It's not to tell them what to do.; that's their parent's battle. Rather, to provide stories and experience and perspective, to help them learn HOW to decide what to do. We move from control to wisdom. In preaching terminology; no longer the sage on the stage, but the guide on the side.

I first realized all this when I decided to let the grandkids eat only what they wanted to eat. I had finally figured out they would live any way, and it was a lot more joyful for all of us if I just let go of being in charge.

The goddesses - final post

OK, I admit it - I didn't get it at all that the 4 dancers represented earth, wind, water, and fire. I made no connection between Greek mythology and American woman.

Here are some possibilities that I did think of:

1. A pleasant way to segue between monologues.

2. A stereotypical contrast between the Playboy view of woman and a real woman who makes a difference.

I really hoped the latter was not the case, since that would posit brains and courage in a battle with physical beauty - another stereotype of woman that is dehumanizing.

Thanks for thinking with me on all this. Wrestling with ideas is the first step on the path of wisdom.

Back to the play - American Goddesses:

I was especially attracted to Margaret Sanger's speech. Tacitus said, "The more corrupt the state, the more it legislates." I agree. The more free a society, the more whole that society can become. But freedom has a price. Freedom is the ability to discipline yourself so that no one else has to. (I know that is poor sentence structure). Those who fail to exercise self-discipline include those in prison and the child on "time out."

But the question is, "On what basis do I exercise self-discipline?" Is it on the basis of wants, or likes, or convenience? If so, then lying, stealing, cheating, and even murder are mere items in the tool-box of life. But every time we cry out, "That's not fair!" we appeal to a greater source of authority than personal preference, for "fairness" appeals to an accepted norm outside of ourselves. Which brings me back to Margaret Sanger. I understand she fought for legalization of the birth control pill.

I agree with her thinking that women should:

a) Have control over their own bodies.

b) That medical care should be equal without regard to gender.

c) That government is incapable of deciding what is best for us, individually or collectively.

Therefore, I am pro-choice in these areas.

I disagree that a child's most basic right is the right to be wanted. That is not true for any human being including the unborn. My grandfather had 10 children and said he never wanted any. His children all suffered because of that, but they went on and created there own lives and families in spite of his meanness. Being wanted is dependent upon relationship. I dare say every person experiences unwantedness at various times in life (remember being 13 years old). Even our founding fathers understood that the basic inalienable (God given) rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Therefore, I am pro-life.

Since I choose both pro-choice and pro-life, I am not very appreciated by the polarized extremes of this debate. Here is why I choose both.

God created and gives life. It is sacred. In the story of our first parents, God charges them with being fruitful (productive), to multiply (procreate), and replenish (care for) the earth. The fruitful aspect includes all the discovers in the sciences and the applications to the human condition. How we use these applications either advances or diminishes us as humans, made in the image of God. For example, the same science and technology that is used to eradicate some forms of cancer through radiation likewise creates atomic weapons. The technology is neither good nor bad. The application, the choices, the freedom of self-discipline determine the consequences.

The medical procedure we call abortion is neutral. In our application it can save a woman's life, it can be an act of mercy especially where rape or incest are present, and it can be a selfish decision made because of other selfish decisions made without a thought of the impact upon others - in other words, without self-discipline.

Isn't it ironic that the very freedom to choose, the right to exercise self-discipline, the empowerment that God gave to humans to be the caretakers of this world is also used to destroy creation, pollute the environment, and to terminate the gift of life in the most helpless and voiceless. And all of these choices make us individually and collectively less human, less free, and less self-disciplined.

I applaud Margaret Sanger for her voice for freedom. She (and each of us) have the God-given right to choose to use the medical and technological advances of medicine and the other fields of science as we see fit. But we best be careful of choosing without self-discipline. The consequences can be deadly. Still, God gives us the choice - who am I to take it away?

American goddess

We went to a play tonight at Cedar Crest College. My cousin Carrie is in the show. The play was well written. The different characters complimented one another and each actress drew out the historical person they were playing. They came alive. The ladies seemed to enjoy both the persona and the performing. The set was simple but conducive to the theme. The costuming was exceptional.

Some thoughts about the theme - The Role(s) of Woman:

I was reminded of God's original design - male and female - equally created in His image. I was reminded of how far from that design we have fallen. Some men take advantage of some women. Some women use men to get what they want. The church has failed to do much more than maintain a status quo by accepting that "That's just the way it is." That's really not good enough.

People of both genders discriminate against those who are "different," especially by race and skin color. None of us are totally immune to this plague upon humanity because at various times and places we are either ashamed or afraid, and discrimination is always a defensive move.

I felt refreshed and hopeful for our future. I want to be a person who functions from a couragous core of love for others that casts out my fears. I want to be a person who encourages and brings out the best in others. In other words, I want to faithfully follow Jesus. This is how He lived and died. I want to say, "Me too."

Thank you , ladies, for a wonderful evening. Thank you for reminding me of heroines and heros, the persons who make this world a better place.

Starting over

I tried blogging about 4 years ago. After a computer crash, I quit. I don't have all the answers. I don't know all the questions. But, I'm on a journey through life, and you can walk along if you wish.

Blessings, Chip