New Neighbors

About four weeks ago our next-door neighbors of ever since we've lived here, the Tom and Jennifer Hamilton's, up and moved to a smaller home a mile away from here. I say "up and moved" because there had been no "For Sale" sign on their house, no open houses, no nothing that would indicate an imminent relocation. It turns out that Tom's sister-in-law is a real estate broker in town and was able to get buyer and seller together without the usual things that precede such a transaction. So, with help from family and friends and a big U-Haul truck, they packed up in about two days and  .... whooosh!, Tom and Jennifer are are next-door neighbors no more. We will miss them and their boys (who were pre-teens when we moved in twelve years ago). Tom played basketball with his boys in their driveway almost every evening. I can still hear the thump of the ball being dribbled and bounced off the backboard, as well as the sound it made while going through the net. When Jeff was home, he would often join in their play. Tom is our primary care physician, so I will still see him from time to time. Unless he retires, that is. He is my age.

And today our new neighbors moved in. They are Tom (yes, another Tom) and Darin Hiilebrandt from San Diego. Very nice people. They have two darling daughters, Rose (age 9) and Emily (age 7). And they had Dominos Pizza for dinner tonight.  Tom was hired recently as the new chief financial officer of a company headquartered in Goleta named Decker Outdoor Corp. They market serious and casual outdoor footwear. Tom started his accounting career with the same firm I started with, only 21 years later, and in San Diego instead of Los Angeles. The sounds of teenaged driveway basketball has been replaced with the laughter of little girls. We do live in a nice neighborhood.

We Have An FDOS, Too!

FDOS ... that's First Day of School to you Oldies. Several weeks ago our kids started posting pictures of their kids going off to school after a long summer. Our little Moms often had teary eyes and hearts as they watched their little chicks head toward new teachers and new experiences. It's part of growing up, I guess.

Well, this morning Maureen and I had a similar experience. Our little one went off to school, too. Only our little one isn't very little any more. Jeff is 23 years old and a senior at BYU. He's been home since the end of April and we will miss him. He has blessed us with back rubs, enthusiasm, good humor, deep discussions and comraderie all summer. He is a good son, a beloved brother and a favorite uncle, all rolled into one.

At this time last year his Mom went into a two-week funk of mourning and depression, only to be resolved with the purchase of new carpeting throughout the house. I think this year it will be a new refrigerator, or something! 

Sweet Corn!

As you know, a few months ago I planted a small garden in a raised bed eight feet on a side. I planted corn, radishes, peas, tomatoes and beets. I started a little late in the season, so I wasn't sure everything would come up. Well, most came up. I had bunches of tender radishes, most of which found their way into a several sandwiches. We have been munching on sweet green pea pods for two weeks now, right off the vine. We have more tomatoes than we know what to do with. But it is the corn I have been waiting for. I have fourteen thriving corn stalks, each with one or two budding ears, growing fuller and sweeter each day. 

Today I could wait no longer. I decided to pick the largest ear. I did so at 2 p.m. An hour later, that ear had been photograph, shucked, cooked, buttered and consumed. It was very tasty.

As I examined the ear of corn on my plate before eating it, I noticed the kernels, fairly bursting with the stuff of life. I am grateful for seeds of all kinds. They are a gift from God, surely. If we nurture every gift from God, whether they be seeds or otherwise, God will bless us.  

When my repast was finished, however, I was struck with how quick the meal had been, almost fleeting. It was, for the most part, a temporal pleasure. I thought about the hours I and others had spent constructing the garden plot, planting the seeds, fertilizing and watering them. Then nurturing the tiny plants, watching them grow, anticipating the fruit thereof. Even though food for our bodies is a necessary condition of mortality, only food for the soul lasts for more than a moment. No wonder prophets have long counseled us to "feast on the word of God."

The Lie

I have been enjoying a small book titled, "Golf - Lessons I Learned While Looking For My Ball," by John Bytheway. Included in the book is a quote by golfing legend Bobby Jones, responding to a sports writer who was distraught with Jone's affliction with a crippling disease in the 1940's. Said Mr. Jones, "You know that in golf we play the ball where it lies. Now, we will not speak of this again, ever."