Yesterday my son graduated from 8th grade. There were some four hundred kids in his class. The ceremony was very nice and we were spared the indignities of people blowing horns and screaming out names. It is nice on occassion to see good manners. I understand the whole "isn't it funny to yell" thing, but at some point it stops being funny and becomes irritating.
From 6:00pm to 10:00pm they had a party, with about 100 kids present. I was one of the paretn chapreones. I watched them wandering around in the spacious yard. There is an awkward grace in thirteen/fourteen year olds. They are blooming into adults and have an innocent beauty about them. They are also infinitely frustrating, seemingly incapable of conversation much of the time. It is, therefore, good to speak to other parents of teenagers and know that they all experience the same thing. Most of us old timers were also able to recall that we were similar when we were that age. There is something to developmental theory. It is important to let them be kids.
The night before I read the book Peace in a Mad Dog World which I mentioned in my last blog. The author had done a reading recently so I heard some of the highlights then. I also have had several friends rave about it. Warner Davis shared his youth in Beligan Congo. Stories of snakes, killer insects and wars were part of his childhood memories. I look at my own son, who has gone to school, lived in middle America and played baseball. He has had his own share of adventure. Once in second grade his mother called me on the last day of school at 4:30. He was being taken to the emergency room. I looked at my watch and said, "He has only been home for ten mintutes, what could he have done in such a short time?" He had been hit in the head with a baseball bat, opening a gash above his eye. I was amazed by his quiet courage as they cleaned him up and sewed him up in the ER. He has had the struggles with friends and self all children have, but for the most part, not many lions or pythons in his experience.
We live in a Mad Dog world. Things can go haywire fast. I got an e-mail today from a minister who wants me to know that many people have received visions that the Memphis area is about to be hit by a killer earthquake. Dozens of people, it seems, have seen a vision of a huge explosion in the Gulf of Mexico which will trigger a devastating earthquake. Well, we have seen actual tornados wipe out communities to our east and west the last couple of months. As earthquake is not unimaginable here, we live on a major fault line and there have been expectations of "the big one" for decades. I hope the visions are not based on actual events soon to unfold in West Tennessee. I hope the earth stays quiet.
Graduations are emotional for me. I reflect on all that has been and I ponder all that can be. Some of those youngsters will end in tragedy, others will achieve amazing things, most will live lives of mild interest. All are capable of relationship with God. Some will walk with Him, others walk away, most will walk around Him, weaving back and forth as the situation warrants. Perhaps we will have a pleasant future, or maybe the visions will come to pass and our life here will be more similar to the chaos of the Belgian Congo. I do not know. I do know that Jesus is Lord in either case. Preparing for the birth of our second son next week, I am very much pondering transitions. I submit all of our lives to Jesus. I try not to fear all that could go wrong. I try to enjoy the moments given in each day, especially the awkward grace. Summer is here, today, for us in Collierville, TN. School is out. Possible adventures lurk ahead. Some dangers as well. I pray for the Lord to guard, guide and grow us.
Life in constant transitions....
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