The Last Triplet

On the 17th day of December 1921 Mary Evelyn Dale was born. She was a triplet but her two sisters did not survive the first day. Mom was told that at first the 3 girls were all heard crying then only two voices could be heard and then just one. There was a scar on mom’s knee that she would proudly show and explain that a hot water bottle leaked on her in the crib and made her cry which may have helped keep her alive. She was not quite two pounds at birth. There is a sermon in her size and realizing what the world treats as disposable and calls a fetus rather than a child. Her mother’s wedding ring could fit around her wrist. I can’t vouch for the accuracy but she told this story as long as I can remember. Her mother had given birth to 7 children all told. Mom was the only one to live past the age of four. Mom was a survivor.

Her father deserted her and her mother while mom was still quite small. He was a deacon in a Baptist church but proved to be unfaithful. Those were the days when divorce was unpopular. There is a sermon in that too but we won’t preach it now. Mom was raised as an only child and I am sure there were times she was lonely. She was a latchkey kid before the term even existed.

Mom knew no siblings but she did have a special friend. They became friends at the age of three and never forgot about one another. Aunt Marley as my brother and I called this friend was always dear to her. Even in the first week of this December mom was talking about getting together with Marley – having her come and visit us in New Hampshire. Mom kept up a correspondence with Mare Ruth as she called her. Mom was a good correspondent. She kept writing letters even though many were returned by the post office as not being able to read the address. I have talked with a number of people who said they enjoyed getting moms letters but had no idea what they were saying.

Mom was very close to her mother as you can imagine. Then one day a young man came along who was trying to spoil everything. His name was Wendell Walker and he drove the city bus. One day mom was waiting at the bus stop with another fellow and Wendell passed them by making them walk into town. He liked this dark haired young lady and was up for the competition. Grandma Dale was not excited about her daughter getting married and leaving her (perhaps because of her own experience in marriage) but Wendell was smitten with her daughter and if there was one characteristic that dad had it was faithfulness. Wendell and Evelyn tied the knot on September 7, 1947. Believe you me that knot was very secure. He was 31 and she was 25 and theirs was a marriage that lasted a few months past 50 years when dad passed away on Dec 27th, 1997.

They didn’t have a lot of hobbies or outside interests. They didn’t play golf or join the bridge club. They were simple people. They were homebodies. From my earliest remembrances they took us to church. I remember going into the kitchen at the age of 5 where Grandma Dale was and she taught me the first Bible verse I ever learned while she was cooking. John 3:16. Mom served in the church in Training Union which was like evening Sunday school and jet cadets – whatever that was. I was about seven when one evening in Training Union I must have misbehaved and had to be taken outside for some counseling. There my mother and another lady explained that I was misbehaving because of sin in my heart and I needed to confess and repent of my sin. I did so with the simple faith of a child and asked Jesus to come into my heart.

We moved to California where dad could find work. Neither mom nor dad was what the world would call talented but they did have their gifts. The main characteristic I can remember was exhortation or perhaps more simply put – encouragement. They believed my brother and I could do almost anything. They believed so much that we began to believe it too no what the facts might say. They loved us and we had no doubts about it. They were also very proud of their Grandchildren.

After Dad died Mom and I traveled to the funeral in Georgia. The next day, as God would have it, I had a job interview in South Carolina. The plan was for me to drop mom off with relatives living in South Carolina while I drove on to the interview. It didn’t work out that way as I missed the connection with the relatives and drove mom to where the interview was. It was a warm sunny day so I thought I could leave her in the car while I went in. The folks I was to meet came out to the car and greeted us and walked us inside. No problem I thought. Mom can wait in another room. Nothing seemed to be working out that way as mom came into the room and sat at one end of the table while I was questioned by three gentlemen at the other end. Mom was hard of hearing and didn’t quite understand what was going on down at the other end but she felt she needed to share what was on her heart. Every few minutes she would chime in with, ‘my son is the finest young man you would ever want to know.’ Or, ‘he has a wonderful family. They play and sing all day long. His children are just darling and never fight or argue.’ Well she was absolutely right but I didn’t get the job.

Dad died in 1997 and mom came to live with us. These were the teenage years for our family and you can imagine our plate was full. There was often a church program, a piano recital, a baseball game, or a homeschool program to go to. Grandma loved going as we drug her from pillar to post. She didn’t slow us down only made us stronger.

Our family would have prayer together each day as each one took part. When it came to Grandma’s turn she without fail would thank the Lord for her sons, their wives, and her eight grandchildren.

Mom at times could irritate us. She repeated her stories hundreds maybe even thousands of times. Some of her stories were not pleasant. Some were downright embarrassing.

Mom also had character. She could be determined. You could call it stubbornness. I once told Jeannette, ‘I don’t know where she gets this stubbornness from.’ She simply replied, ‘no but I know who she gave it to.’

I want to publicly thank Jeannette for taking the brunt of the care. Jeannette, you have been God’s greatest blessing to me and I thank you for the way you have always sacrificed your own needs for your family and so readily included Grandma in our home. The kids also have made individual sacrifices for Grandma's care. Their actions and attitudes showed that Grandma's praise for them was not based on imagination but on truth. I would also like to thank the church family for taking the time to speak to mom on numerous occasions though she was hard to communicate with.

One of the things we noticed about grandma was that she never really complained. When we moved to New Hampshire our only bedrooms were on the second floor. It got more and more difficult for Grandma to climb the stairs but she never said a word about it. Sometimes she would climb up to her bedroom just to get a pencil to write a letter with. She didn’t like snow or ice but never said so unless we asked her.

Grandma wasn’t the most talented person but she taught me life’s most important lessons.

Gratefulness: When I was a child she taught me the magic words please and thank you. Right up to the end she was thanking our family for having her stay with us. It wasn’t necessary but she continued to teach me to be thankful for God and others.

Encouragement: I always believed I could win the battle because she believed in me. She gave me a reason to keep going when the course seemed to just go uphill.

Faithfulness: The last Sunday she was home we decided she wasn’t well enough to go to church. I stayed home with her. She was in her wheel chair and looked up at me and asked what day it was. I told her it was Sunday and she immediately looked at her closet to find a dress to wear. I told her, ‘no mom you are not feeling well enough to go to church. Not this morning.’ She could not disguise the disappointment in her eyes.

When we did take her to the hospital she seemed to be at rest. It was a peaceful slumber. The last week at home she had been having small seizures though we did not recognize them as such. She had a hearty appetite up until the day before she went to the hospital.

She was in the hospital for her 83rd birthday. Then in the 1st hour of the 20th of December the last triplet went home to join her mother and her siblings.

They weren’t the only ones waiting. The bus driver was waiting for her this time and someone else. The lamb of God who tenderly cares for His sheep. The Lord Jesus is the one we praise and proclaim this day. Nothing can darken the celebration of Jesus coming into the world as a baby born of a virgin and cradled in a manger.

It has often been said that December is a hard month to lose a loved one. I can only say I have loved to sing the carols which proclaim the messiah’s birth and when I heard the Hallelujah chorus sang last week. The tears in my eyes were of joy and peace.

Thank you for your concern and support for mom.

A Mop for Christmas

One year I went Christmas shopping for my wife. We didn’t have much money, still don’t. Usually without much cash I buy a trinket and call it a present. All it really does is make me feel like I did my duty. That year was different. We had talked about our scant funds and decided that a trinket was a waste of money. If we couldn’t see something we were sure the other wanted for $20 or less then we shouldn’t buy anything. Armed with that plan I went to the Mall and began window shopping.

Low and behold Mrs. Scott from church happened upon me and asked what I was looking for. She gave me the benefit of her wisdom on what to buy a beloved wife. A diamond watch, a bottle of perfume, or a warm winter coat were perfect for the occasion. I didn’t have the heart to tell her all these things were well beyond our price range this year. She left me to my task and I searched in vain for the perfect $20 gift of love.

The next Sunday after Christmas Mrs. Scott asked Jeannette what she got for Christmas – specifically what her loving husband gave her. Jeannette thought for a bit and then remembered a shopping trip I had taken to fill a particular need. I had gotten her a mop.
Mrs. S went berserk. ‘A mop! He got you a mop for Christmas. What kind of a husband gets his wife a mop for Christmas?’ What kind of husband indeed? I didn’t have the heart to tell Mrs. S that I never got around to buying the bucket to go with it. Oh well, maybe this year.

Bud Selig is no Kenesaw Mountain Landis

Lets not overreact to the problem of drugs in sports.

Why do anything about it now? Lets wait until David Eckstein breaks the lifetime record for homeruns by a shortstop by hitting 1000 dingers. We don't want to invade anyone's privacy after all. Hey, Shakespeare was probably on steroids when he wrote Macbeth.

I know what we can do. Lets have two hall of fames. One for the average Joe and one for the Frankensteins of today. So what if Barry Bonds doesn't live to see his 40th birthday. So what if millions of impressionable kids are getting the message 'just win baby' and 'put up numbers'.

Its only right that we reserve punishment only for those who are honest enough to admit what they did. Jason Jiambi will get his contract revoked. Those who don't own up to it shouldn't have to suffer with him. Lets make testing random, but only once a decade and then only for those who weigh less than 155 pounds. After all, it would be stereotyping (another subject) to test those who weigh over 220 and hit more than 65 homers per year.

Do you remember Kenesaw? Probably not, but he was the first commissioner of baseball. In fact he became the commissioner because of a scandal in the beloved sport we know. The infamous black sox scandal had soiled the fair name of baseball. Eight players were suspended because they threw games for a payoff. Shoeless Joe Jackson would be in the hall of fame today if he hadn't been suspended.

Bud Selig has a situation on his hands. Barry Bonds has taken steroids. Barry Bonds is also on a pace to break Hank Aaron's all time homerun record. In fact the way he has been hitting the ball he could hit more than Aaron and Ruth combined. How much is that record really worth? What does it do to the 'game'? Yes, 'game' is in quotes.

Welcome To Blue Collar IT

Thank you for viewing this Blog site. You will find this site to be written by a non politically correct male who views current events through a prism of logic and humor. I also hope to make it challenging for you to come to grips with what is happening in the world today. For now let me wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

BCIT