We Are Party People!

“You’re doing what!” my eldest daughter asked when she called catching us just as we were walking out of the house.

I explained that Ginny and I were off to visit not one, but two libraries.

“You people sure know how to party,” she said.

“Think about it,” I said. “Can you name anyone you know anywhere who is happier than we are?”

“You have a point there,” she admitted.

We visited the first library to pick up some reserve materials being held for me. The copy of Samuel Ward’s Diary I’d ordered on interlibrary loan had arrived!

Whoot!

Ward, a Greek scholar, kept a diary between May 11, 1595, and July 1, 1632. I’ve wanted to read his book for ages.

Ginny and the librarian laughed, they actually laughed, at my excitement over finally getting this important book. Poor things. Some people lead such dull, drab lives that they just don’t understand excitement.

At Jacksonville’s new Main Library, various organizations display dozens of glittering Christmas trees decorated with that organization’s theme.

For a treat, I took Ginny to see this colorful holiday library display.

Do I know how to show a girl a good time or what!

Here’s a photo of Ginny in front of the new Library:

This was our first visit to the newly opened library and we discovered that the place actually has several books I wrote in their collections. One of the books is rare enough to be kept under lock and key to be consulted only in the Florida Room. Isn’t that impressive! (Not very. I’m working on a revision of that history to make it available on-line).

I got a kick out of seeing my own works on the shelves.

Doesn’t take much to please me.

We also checked out several science fiction videos to enjoy over the holiday.

From the library, we drove out to Moon River Pizza where we ran into Dave, Beth & Ray, who formerly lived in our neighborhood. We hadn’t met for about six years and enjoyed updating each other on our children’s activities and things going on in the neighborhood.

The trio has taken up kayak fishing. They paddle the shallow-draft boats deep up into the salt marshes where huge redfish spawn out of reach for larger boats. Beth caught a 42-inch-long fish recently!

They said their daughter is off on her first ski trip and they asked about Patricia, the only one of our children they knew. So I bragged about her accomplishments over the past six years (See my January 4, 2006, blog archive for an example).

I briefly touched on Patricia’s missing Christmas with us this week and Beth said they’d pray for her. She holds my daughter in fond memory.

I’ve wondered what triggered this recent problem for Patricia?

I know that for myself, the dirty spirit can use anything to lead me into doing wrong. I’ll think, “I feel good, so I’ll celebrate by …”. Or, I’ll think, “I feel bad, so I’ll comfort myself by …”

My end action is the same whatever the trigger, good or bad, that sets me off.

We all fall off the wagon, usually more than once, and the only thing to do is say, “Damn that hurt” and get back on track.

I think that sometimes the Lord deliberately lets me fall just to keep me from being too uppity.

He withdraws His restraining influence and lets me fall flat.

But that’s part of life.

It’s not fatal.

The Scripture says, “The steps of a good person are ordered by the Lord… Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand”.

Anyhow, Ginny and I enjoyed our pizza with our friends then came home to watch a classic video, The Giant Gila Monster, a 1950s film in which this big lizard eats these kids running desert roads in their hotrods.

Who says we don’t know how to party?