A Bit of Excitment!

Yesterday the boys had a scout activity, put on by the local council. A Klondike Derby. Among other things, they had worked a few nights ahead of time to build them a dog sled that the troop pulled in timed races at the derby. That's Schwarzebeere in the white had and Himbeere at the sled.


They also had show shoeing races. Some kids were better than others.

One event they had was fire building. They had to lay their wood, get it started and let it burn big enough to burn a string that was suspended from two sticks over the flames.

One of the last events of the morning was an inter-tube relay race. There was a small hill with a beach at the bottom and then a lake beyond that. The lake was frozen over but its been warm enough this last week that a lot of ice and snow has melted away and they didn't want any kids out on the lake. Plus, since it was a relay, the idea was for the boys on the team to stop the tube at the bottom of the hill so the next kid could grab the tube and head back up the hill as quick as possible. Schwarzebeere was the first one on his team to go down the hill but it didn't go quite as planned.

Instead of a smooth transition between boys there was quite a collision. Himbeere had gotten down into a football crouch and Schwarzebeere had managed to turn as the tube came down the hill so he was coming head first. The scoutmaster later described it as the meeting of two pile-drivers. Himbeere ended up with a sore arm, shoulder and jaw. But Schwarzebeere got the worst of it. We're not sure whether or not Schwarzebeere lost consciousness but he was definitely out of it for a while. He doesn't doesn't remember those few minutes right after impact. He was in pain and in shock so they called the EMT that was on site over. Then they called 911 and soon there was an ambulance there. When they found out about this neck condition (his Mom was there as a chaperon) they immobilized him and called in the helicopter.

The helicopter couldn't land right there at the bottom of the hill so they loaded him in the ambulance for a ride the few blocks to where the chopper had landed.

Then he was off on the 60 or so mile ride to the hospital where his regular doctor for his spine is. That worked out well. It took us a little longer to make the trip to the hospital in the car. Had to get ourselves together for the trip, too. And any time you go in through the ER it seems like you can plan on being there for hours, at least. At the hospital he got a CT scan and a full neurological exam. He was pretty drugged up for the pain by the time we got there but it was such a relief to see him moving his legs and arms. But all the tests came back okay, no damage, no lasting injury. So they sent him upstairs to spend the night in a room so they could keep an eye on him.

So he got to stay the night, eat hospital food and sleep. Sleep is about all he did the rest of the day. But today, after one night there, they let him go. He was glad to be out. One thing he wasn't happy about? They had to cut his brand new shirt off of him.

Kinda made him wish he'd listened to his mother that morning when she had suggested he wear old clothes to the derby. Oh, well. We're just glad he's okay.

Jamberry!

I have been looking on line for more kinds of berries because I do, after all, have 3 sons-in-law whom I’m very happy to have as part of my family. But I keep finding that to a surprising extent many of the different kinds of berries are really just different names for other berries I already knew about. With eight kids I’m beginning to think I’m going to be hard pressed to find eight more different kinds of berries. I think I have enough to cover the three sons-in-law but when the next one gets married I may be in trouble.

Science?

So this is kind of how it went.

Me: Want to try some tapioca?

Maulbeere: What’s that?

Me: It’s kind of like pudding.

Maulbeere: Really?

Me: Yea, only I have to tell you it’s got things in it. Little balls.

Maulbeere: Little balls?

Me: Yea, you drop all these little balls in and cook it. Then you end up with yummy pudding, which you like. And little balls.

Maulbeere: That sounds icky.

Me: No its not. You should try it. The flavor is worth the little balls.

Maulbeere: What's it made of?

Me: Tapioca.

Maulbeere: What's tapioca made of?

Me: It's not made of anything. It’s a basic element; nature's kitchen. End of story.

Maulbeere: Uh-uh.

Me: Yes, ma'm. You look it up. Its right on the Periodic Table; "Ta". Go look.

Maulbeere, coming back with her agenda from school, which has a copy of the Periodic Table in it: Okay, there's a Ta but its "tantalum", not tapioca.

Me: That's its scientific name. You know? Like, you and me, we call them wolves. But their scientific name is Cannis Lupus. Trust me. You’ll like it.

Maulbeere: Suuuuuuuure.

So then the big question is: did she try it? Yes, actually. And she liked the pudding but not the little balls.

A Thought for Today

A few days ago, for family scripture reading, we read in Alma 42. That was Alma’s counsel to his son, Corianton, and included a concept I have always liked; “… whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely, and whosoever will not come the same is not completed to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds.”

I really like how it’s said in Helaman, chapter three; “Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked – And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven, to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out.”

Those passages sum up the concept of our agency. It is entirely up to us what happens to us in relation to our final resting place in the next life. Our Father has set up a myriad of things to surround us and help us improve the outcome of this life’s test we’re living thru but in the final analysis, it’s up to us. We can blow off some or all of the help He’s given us or we can hold on tight to every bit of help the Lord offers. Like Alma told his wayward son; “… my son, do not risk one more offense against your God …” I like the phrase that Isaiah uses several times, “For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still”

When the subject comes up of why the Lord allows suffering we always trot out the scripture in Alma 60 about the Lord allowing the righteous to be slain so that judgment may come upon the wicked. Sometimes, when you bring that up, you hear back about how a loving God would not allow suffering even for that reason. Their sense of fairplay just doesn’t allow that kind of justice. But if God is going to give us agency then he has to allow us to use it if it’s going to mean anything. Otherwise he hasn't really given us our agency. The terms are laid out in plainness before us. We can either accept or reject them. They are not open at all to negotiation. And that’s okay. As imperfect humans we miss too many things to bring any kind of "after the fact" justice. But God is capable of doing that.