Day 28...Oct 12
I had a somewhat restless night waking up at 2:00am. After
staying up for an hour I finally went back to sleep ... until 5:00 So
I got up and stayed up.
Once everyone else got up and started their daily routine
I was already raring to go. After a quick group breakfast it was time to get
back to our stairway banister project. By 2:30pm we were doing the
final assembly and clean up. The banister system is now completely installed,
secured and safe. Nap time.
Kristin had an evening planned with the girls playing
Bunko...never heard of it. Kerry and I pulled out the ingredients for making
pizza for dinner. A couple of hours later we had two large pizzas coming out of
the oven. Karis, Landon, Jared, Nick, Kerry and myself sat in the living
room watching Rio while eating homemade pizza. A perfect way to end the day.
(Rosie loves Pizza...I mean Jared!)
Day 29...Oct 13
Today was an awesome sort of day in that what we experienced was
in itself unique. What am I talking about you may ask. Here it is...
This is the first day since we left on Sept 15th that we are in
a home and have it more or less to ourselves for the better part of the day.
Allow me to explain. Nick was up around 4:30am and soon was on his
way to work. By 7:30am Kristin had the kids all ready for school and Karis went
to spend the day with her mom at work, caring for kids at the church. Kristin
was in some discomfort in her lower back from the awkward sitting position she
sat in yesterday during our banister remodel. Kristin did come home early and
headed up to bed as per her doctor's orders. Arrangements have been made for
bringing the kids home later on.
So, with time and opportunity on our side we did the one thing
that pleases Kerry the most...Shopping. Well, maybe not pleases her the most but
it sure does bring a smile to Kerry's face. We got a couple of items for
Kerry and a small gift for Nick and one for Kristin.
After a Subway lunch we headed home for the traditional mid
afternoon nap. But the time we woke up it was time for Kerry and me to go pick
up Karis. Nick got the boys after school. Rice and beans were on the menu for
tonight and as usual, we all enjoyed our meal. As we sat around chatting about
this and that Nick remembered that the Democratic debate was on TV tonight. It
was time for the kids that go to bed. By the time they were all tucked in the
debate was ready to start. We enjoyed the show and had great political
conversation during and after the program. It was time for all of us to say our
good nights.
Day 30...Oct 14
Finally I slept for an entire night...and it was good. I did
find myself getting up at 5am. I have always been an early riser.
Kristin's back is a little better today and we are looking
forward to her complete healing within a few days. After breakfast I watched
over Karis while Kristin took the boys to school. I had a few honey do's (laundry) to
work on while waiting for Kristin to get back home.
Once she was back, Kerry and I headed out to explore Starbucks,
Chipotle and an area within Prattville where shotgun houses can still be found.
The “shotgun house,” a residential
house design, is a Black cultural architectural form that originated in the
American South and was used extensively throughout the region.
Shotgun houses are prototypically
long and narrow with a gable-ended entrance, one room wide, and two or three
rooms deep. Some say the shotgun house is so named because one can fire a
shotgun through the front door and the shot will exit out the back door without
ever touching a wall. As an example, from Mobile to Huntsville, there are
literally thousands of shotgun houses scattered throughout Alabama. It is found
in both rural and urban southern areas, mainly in African-American communities
and neighborhoods.
While standing there taking picture
of the architecture an elderly black man approached us. I could see him from my
peripheral vision and the first thought that came to me was let's get into the
van and leave before this guy reaches us. That was the minion voice on my left
shoulder talking into my ear. I didn't listen. Instead I heard an even louder
voice bellow, "Stay, embrace, learn and be enriched!" I listened.
His name was Sanders and he was born
and raised in this neighborhood. He started by asking if we knew how old
these houses were. I answered, "Maybe 200 years, give or take a
little." He acknowledged that we were correct. He then started telling us
what this area was like when he was a boy. "These were hard workin' black
folk who lived in them there houses," he described. He went on to talk
about the while family who lived in that big old house up there on the hill.
None of these other buildings around us where here back then. "How old are
you?" I asked with intense curiosity. Both Kerry and I were surprised by
his answer, "I was born in 1960." That means he is four years younger
than me. This dude lived a hard life and he was willing to stand there and tell
us all about it.
Kerry noticed the connection that
Sanders and I had and wanted to step back and observe. I told him that I wanted
to remember this moment and to remember him and asked if I could take a couple
of pictures. He replied without hesitation, "You'all take as many as
pleases ya!" Right then Kerry from her vantage point started snapping
away, getting some amazing photos of the shotgun houses and of course of
Sanders as well.
As we were winding down our
conversation that voice in my head, the good one, told me to ask him if he was
a Christian. His energy immediately increased to a point where one could almost
see a glow in his eyes. I took his hand and called him brother. After I
preached to him and he preached to me I told him that If die before him I will
see him at the gate and with a smile he said if he dies before me he will wait
for me also. Then as Kerry and I walked away I told him that I wanted him to
remember a tune so that every time he hears it he will remember Kerry and me.
With that Kerry and I started singing,;
Fear not, for I am with you...
Fear not, for I am with
you...
Fear not, for I am with
you...
Says the Lord...
Sanders stood there, listened with a
smile upon his face and through his toothless grin he added, "I'll
remember that tune and I'll definitely remember the two of you." His last
words to us as we pulled away was, "See ya'all at the gate."
As Kerry and I reflect upon this
encounter we ponder Hebrews 13:3 where it says, Do not forget to show
hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to
angels without knowing it. Was Sanders an angel?
Kerry had ordered a DNA sample
collection package for her, me and Nick. The kits arrived today. After
collecting our samples we sealed up the collection as per the instructions and
got everything ready for the return postage. Place Spit Here!
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