Randy Wray’s Blog

Thursday is garbage day around here. The garbage truck rumbles down the street and picks up anything I can drag over to the sidewalk. Some days I really look forward to garbage day. It’s a challenge and an adventure seeing exactly what I can get into the garbage can or next to it by the curb. Maybe one day it will be an Olympic sport!

When we lived in California, my neighbor and I used to have competitions as to what we could fit into our garbage cans. I took apart our old dishwasher and fit the entire thing into our garbage can! When we built a fence project together we had to get rid of some concrete blocks. So we divided up the blocks between our garbage cans. That particular garbage day we hid inside waiting to hear the clunk of the chunks hitting inside the truck. I know what you’re thinking, I need to get out more often.

When we lived in Granolaville, Oregon (otherwise known as Eugene) we had to play by a whole new set of garbage rules. This is a place where you had to wash your items to be recycled. We would get notes all the time from the garbage / recycling team that our green bean cans still had green bean residue - this that, or the other. One day, I carried an extra yard garbage can out to the curb (one of those plastic ones) full of yard debris. They didn’t take it. Instead they left a note telling me that it was too heavy and that back injury was the number one cause of injury in the garbage profession. I’m thinking, “I carried the thing from the back yard to the curb. You’re telling me you can’t take it from there and dump it into the truck?”

Last night I set out the old pool (yes the new one is still holding water) on the curb. Well I didn’t actually set it out there. It was somewhat folded into a large box and I had to use the wagon to get it out to the curb. Our garbage technicians come early around here so I was anxious to see if the plastic vinyl mass was taken. The pool was taken as was an extra can full of yard debris and a contractor size plastic bag. These garbage guys are good, yes, but they take all the challenge and adventure out of garbage day!

Still, it’s pretty good feeling to set a bunch of junk / garbage on the curb one night and the next day it’s gone. We could use that kind of release for the other junk and garbage that accumulates in our life. As the Holy Spirit is doing some heart cleaning it sorts out the junk and the garbage in my life and sets it on the curb. All because Jesus is coming by tomorrow, as he does each week, to pick up and get rid of all my junk.

Here’s an excerpt from Windows of the Soul by Ken Gire:

I Wonder. If someone were to come to our village, our neighborhood, our place of work, and that person began to describe Jesus, would anybody hearing the description say, “We know Him well; He has been living here for years!”

An interesting question that might yield some interesting answers.

The kids are with me at the office today, as they are frequently during the summer. I’m working on worship assemblies and small group lessons. Madison is doing math homework, which is required upon entering her new school and Reese is watching DVD’s of the Dick Van Dyke show.

For some reasons the kids have really taken to the Dick Van Dyke Show. We have a few seasons on DVD and they get the biggest kick out of watching each episode. On some of our family nights we will microwave some popcorn and watch a couple of episodes. The ideas and themes of life “back then” are placed in quite a contrast to the ideas and themes of “modern” life.

Having these shows released on DVD has been entertaining. What’s your favorite show now available on DVD?

We had some family business to attend to this morning which required a visit to Baltimore. We went up late yesterday afternoon to spend the night for an early morning appointment. I’m always fascinated by the differences of viewing the hotel online and viewing the hotel from the driveway. I also expect certain things from a hotel based on the price I’m having to pay per night. Ah yes, but what would life be like without surprises and disappointment?

Our hotel in Baltimore was connected to the Greyhound Bus terminal. This in itself should give you some indication as to the part of town were inhabiting for the night. I’m not sure if you have spent much time around bus stations. It’s a fascinating microcosm, a whole city within a city.

I walked across the parking lot with Reese to McDonald’s, the only “suitable” place nearby to get something to eat. We ate and talked and sat for a long time and people watched. I would have liked to been inside his brain for the wheels were certainly spinning. “Reese, don’t stare” I would say and then two minutes later I would say, “Reese, don’t stare.” If you’re not sure what I’m talking about go hang out at the local bus station for an hour or so.

I’ve heard all the anti-big business arguments against McDonald’s and I’ve heard all the anti-obesity arguments against McDonald’s. I personally don’t think Americans are obese today because of McDonald’s. I think people are obese because we eat too much. Listen, I don’t care where you are or where you eat three times a day for thirty days. If you eat 9000-calories-plus a day at Salad-R-Us you’re going to gain weight. But, again, I’m not really interested in that discussion today. I just want to make an observation.

The majority of the people we observed coming off the bus and into McDonald’s were able to get something to eat because of the dollar menu. I’m not talking about ordering seven to 10 dollars worth of food off of the dollar menu. I’m talking about one man who ordered a single double cheeseburger (which costs $1) and a glass of water and paying with pocket change. I’m talking about a mother with her two small children who ordered the three $1 items for her whole family. I’m talking about the one girl who wasn’t going to eat anything but when her friend discovered some more change in her pocket they could each get something from the dollar menu.

Would they have been better off eating fruit and salad and granola? Probably. I guess seeing enough people eating out of garbage cans makes me glad that when at last some pocket change is scraped together a hot and fresh item can be ordered from a dollar menu. There’s certainly some pride and a feeling of normalcy to walk up to a counter and choose from a dollar menu instead of rummaging outside in a trash bin looking to eat what someone else was too full to finish.

I would have liked to have had a way to serve those people last night. I thought about it on the drive home today. It would have been interesting to have had some subtle signal, pre-arranged between the cashiers and myself, whereupon I would have paid (without the person knowing) for some meals. Just sitting back in the corner table with Reese and nodding my head or touching my nose signaling to the cashier, “I’ll take care of this one.” An unrealistic idea I’m sure, but as I thought about it driving home it sure sounded a lot better than just sitting there staring.

Today is Reese’s birthday. He is nine years old.

Nine things we love about Reese:

1. He is wacky and funny (We never know what he is going to say)

2. He has good taste in music (so far!)

3. He is creative (he’s always thinking up new ways to do something)

4. He is loving and caring

5. He is a dancing machine (Napoleon watch out!)

6. He is smart (takes after Beth)

7. He never quits

8. He loves shrimp (and anything else $7.99 a pound and up)

9. He is all ours

BIRTHDAY NEWS UPDATE (ADDED AUGUST 6th)

We anticipated some changes in Reese going from an eight-year-old to a nine-year-old.

We failed to grasp the full extent of these changes!

Beth and I viewed the film Million Dollar Baby last night. I realize it has been out a while and that it won 4 Academy Awards. We see very few films in the theater preferring to wait until they are released on DVD.

I enjoyed the movie. I thought the interaction between Eddie (Morgan Freeman) and Frankie (Clint Eastwood) was excellent. I thought Maggie (Hilary Swank) played an excellent role. She was in my opinion quite convincing. I found myself drawn into the characters appreciative of the redemptive relationships. I was saddened by the result and the plot twists which befell Maggie after all her struggles to rise above her social position.

The dilemma at the end was well portrayed. Frankie’s struggle was real and quite painful. Did you think “What would I have done?”

If anybody out there saw this film, I would be interested to hear your thoughts and opinions.

Tourist season is in full bloom here in DC. Madison and I “guided” some out of town guests last night to see the Vietnam Wall, The Korean Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial and we even walked right up to the White House gates.

We went through the Vietnam Wall behind a noisy group of teenagers. They were probably here on some kind of class trip (please say it wasn’t a church youth group trip) and mistook the walk for the main event. Not one of the teens ever looked at the wall. I am not kidding. A few of the teens were talking on cell phones the rest were talking to each other. They walked straight ahead, right through the memorial and not once did anyone look to the left to actually see the wall. I‚Äôve worked with teens. I am not down on teens. They might have had a long day. Who knows what was going on. It was just so blatantly obvious they would rather be doing something else.

Madison and I sat on the top step of the Lincoln Memorial while our guests were inside viewing the statue and the engraved words of Lincoln. Let me tell you, sitting on that top step looking at the city at night with the Washington Monument shining in the reflecting pool is quite a sight. After a while Madison asked me what was going on with those teens in that group back at the wall. She wanted to know why you would come all this way to see these things and be so disrespectful. She wanted to know if those kids realized that wall represented people who died for our freedoms.

I’m glad she was aware of what was happening. Even negative behavior can teach a positive lesson. Even more so, I’m glad she’s learning to be grateful.

Things are not the way they used to be. There have been some rather interesting transitions in the Wray household. The change, the transitions point to one obvious fact: the children, they are a growing!

I submit the following two examples into evidence:

Example number 1: We went to dinner over the weekend at a yummy rotisserie chicken place. Normally our family of 4 orders 1 whole chicken (which comes with a side of fries and cole-slaw). The kids usually eat the legs and wings, Beth takes the dark meat and I take the white meat. This particular night when the quartered chicken was placed on the table the kids both took a 1/4 of the chicken.

Example number 2: Both Madison and Reese have CD players in their rooms. “Well in my day . . .” The sounds of Raffi and Michael Card’s Sleep Sound In Jesus used to float through the rafters. Last night Madison was drifting off to la la land to the “soothing” sounds of the band Salvador. Reese was slipping into slumber to the “soothing” sounds of the Newsboys.

Yes, times they are a changing. If the recent changes are any indication of future events, it promises to be a whole lot of fun.

Today’s post is dedicated to Rhonda who while in Mexico described my blog as a great collection of religious themes and wacky stories about things like the infamous pool (infamous, as we all know, means more than famous). Rhonda, guess what? The pool is back in operation!

The box from Elbonia arrived while we were in Mexico. The previous area was not exactly level so we used the opportunity to make it so. Another 5 tons of dirt were deposited on our driveway the day we got back from Mexico. John and I, along with Madison and Reese, moved the dirt from the drop-off point to the pool area with a wheelbarrow, a wagon and five gallon buckets. From here to there was only about 20 feet. It was good work, kind of a cool down from our Mexico projects.

Saturday we set the pool up and baby we got it right this time - wrinkle free on the bottom and closer to level than I thought. We started filling the pool around 7PM and at around 9PM Reese and I decided it was time for a swim. I’m thinking “this is as clean as the water is ever going to be so let’s go, I’m diving in.”

So, here’s what I thought we would do. Cast your vote as to how long this new pool will last without bursting a seam. You can guess in hours, days, weeks, months or years. I couldn’t get the text messaging feature setup by which you could send your vote to 1-800-OUR-POOL so you’ll just have to leave your guess in the comments section.