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All who live with an absent minded professor understand the utter shock you feel when they display a complete lack of common sense.

This morning, I had no water bottle or juice box for Josiah’s lunch. I had thrown out the refillable bottles in a fit of “plastics are killing us.” Years ago I had gone through a “teflon is killing us” fit and threw out all my pans. Dale never knows what I may toss out when overcome by a sudden fear of toxicity.

Not wanting Josiah to die of thirst, I rashly decided to give him a can of soda. I gave him the following instructions:

1. Do not swing your lunchpail around.

2. Tap the top of the can before you open it.

3. Open the can away from yourself.

In a lack of foresight, I forgot the following instruction:

4. Do not place half finished can of soda back in lunch bag, in locker, on top of borrowed book.

There are times in life when you are unable to pay someone back. People show kindness towards you and you are never able to repay them. During Christmas time, I often think of Russ Hawkinson.  He was not our Grandfather by blood, but our Grandfather by action. He always helped my family when I was growing up and money was tight.

My mom would receive a Christmas card and tucked inside was some money to buy gifts for five kids or to pay for a ham. It was given out of love and there was no pay back expected. He had the means to give and he gave. Kindness…often we think it so rare.

A few months ago, I got a flat tire. I am embarrassed to admit that I have never changed a flat tire. I found the manual, opened up the back of the van, and discovered I could not even turn the jack loose from it’s holder. I called my husband who was just leaving work and would not be home for an hour or more. He let me know he couldn’t help me. His only advice was, “Look helpless.”

A car pulled into the parking lot to drop off a well dressed man in a very nice suit. His car was parked just down from mine. I walked over and asked him if he could just help me figure out how to get the jack out of it’s holder and then I would attempt the next step. He looked at me, the manual, the van and told his buddy who had dropped him off, “You go ahead, I’m going to help her.”

He changed the flat tire and I stood there and watched his very expensive shirt get ruined. When he was finished, I told him the story of my husband’s bit of advice to “Look helpless.” He told me, “Tell him it worked.” Dale, of course, thinks this vindication of his great advice. For some reason, I don’t view it the same way.

I asked the man who helped me if there was anything I could do to help him or anything I could give him for his trouble. He said “No. Pay it forward.” I had seen that movie years ago and understand the power of that action from a Christian viewpoint. We are called to help others as if Christ himself were in need of help. It is all a part of the principle of “Love thy Neighbor.”

Last month, the endless needs of my “neighbors” sought to overwhelm me. I was asked again to bless someone I did not know and I struggled with the selfish thought of “I cannot do one more thing, God. I am overwhelmed.” I did it out of obedience, but not initially with a giving heart. Later, when I came face to face with the need, I was ashamed at my selfishness.

Immediately after I agreed to meet that need, God blessed us in a totally unexpected way. “I can’t out give you, God.” I thought. “I think I have given so much, and compared to what You have given me, it is so very little.”

A week ago, the endless needs of my “neighbors” sought again to overwhelm me. I was asked again to bless someone I did not know.  Again I thought, “I will do this, but I cannot do one more thing, God. I am overwhelmed.”

The next day, I read a teaching which revealed to me my wrong focus. Truly, I cannot meet the overwhelming needs of everyone that surrounds me, but I can meet the need of the one that God directs me to. I must ask God every time, “Do You want me to meet this need God? If so, help me to do it.”

This morning, I dropped Josiah off at the bus and while returning home I found myself a few cars behind someone driving with a flat tire. The person directly behind him passed on the right, the Marine in front of me hurried off to work, the policeman driving by in the other direction did not stop.

Finally, the car pulled off into a parking lot and I followed. An elderly man got out of the car and I walked over to see how I could help. I did not know him. He simply asked me for a ride home. He lives approximately 5 blocks from me.

After I dropped him off, I thanked God for that flat tire months ago, for without having experienced that sinking feeling I experienced with a flat tire, I may not have pulled over to help. I told the man about my flat tire and how I was told to pay it forward. He told me he always stops to help people and his wife tells him he is crazy to do it.

I know I must be wise when I offer to help someone, but I knew God was asking me, once again, one more thing.

“Remember your free cheese…Provide food for people who are hungry.”

“Remember your Christmas gift…Provide gifts for a child with nothing.”

“Remember your flat tire…Provide a ride for an elderly man.”

Love your neighbor – Show Kindness – Pay it forward. It is what we are called to do.

Josiah had his high school Christmas concert this week: choir, band, orchestra. It was really good. A neighboring school (I use neighboring here very loosely) permitted FCS to use their auditorium. The school is located in the midst of the farm fields and as I was driving in the pouring rain through the darkness, I began to doubt I would find it. It is located on roads that change names and directions periodically just for fun.

I arrived, dropped Josiah off, and waited for Dale and the other kids to find us via GPS. When they arrived, they could not recall their route. It’s just one of those locations you end up at grateful that you are there, without knowing how you got there.

There were several students playing prelude piano pieces, which sadly no one was listening to because I suspect people thought the students were practicing. There was one girl playing what looked to be a very difficult piece that unfortunately no one heard.

The crowd quieted after the welcome and I had great sympathy for the moms who were attempting to keep babies and toddlers quiet. It’s a bit easier with a five year old, although the kid loves to chat. However, I remember quite clearly those days of “Please…just be quiet for five minutes, so I can hear your sister sing.”

I am not an artistic person, so I always greatly enjoy watching the choir director, orchestra leader, and band director when they are full on. Their conducting is filled with such emotion, it is almost like a dance in itself. The band director was in tails and the choir and orchestra director were in formals gowns. I get great enjoyment out of watching them work.

The choir sounded fabulous and I was shocked. I had heard them perform at an earlier event in the gym and they were good, but it is amazing what good acoustics can accomplish. They all sang clear and strong and all the parts could be heard.

Josiah accompanied them on I Need a Silent Night. (Christian radio stations play this song) After listening to Josiah talk about the struggles of pulling this piece together, I was amazed to hear how terrific it came out when they performed it.

Josiah also played the David Lanz version of God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman for an interlude between the band and choir. It was the first time he had performed on a grand piano. Wow! I have heard him play the song many times. What a difference a grand piano makes. He sounded like a recording.

When the programs were printed, Josiah’s name was accidentally left off. Because of this, after Josiah finished the Lanz piece, the band director introduced him. The crowd applauded and one of Josiah’s friends in the band gave him a thumbs up. In return, Josiah gave his friend a thumbs up. The crowd thought Josiah was giving them a thumbs up for the applause and they laughed.

I liked the band’s Deck the Halls with Chips and Salsa, but my favorite piece of the night was the Orchestra version of  Carol of the Bells. It must be great fun to play that on violin.

The night ended with choir, band, and orchestra combined on the Hallelujah Chorus. They kept it together and sounded quite good. I’ve been thinking, with Josiah on piano, Abby on flute, and Gabe on trumpet, maybe I can find a little violin somewhere and get Zeke started.

“Let the words of my mouth and the medications of my heart…”

“Frosty the Snowman was a Charlie happy soul…”

“And the childs say he could laugh and play…”

“Feliz Navi God…”

“Deck the halls with buds of holly…”

“Tis the season to be Charlie…”

My neighbors at the end of the block are in a festive battle for best Christmas display in lights. Until this year, the neighbor on the left end was king of lights and uncontested on our block. Then, sometime this year, his rival bought the house directly across the street from him. I am convinced that holiday display technicians insist on buying corner lots so they have two sides on which to display their wares.

The battle commenced in October for halloween. The new guy had his display up earlier and it was impressive with a graveyard, skeltons, ghosts, and witches. However, the king of yard displays is hard to beat, because he puts out something new every few days. He had fresh dug graves, skeletons, ghosts, witches, webs, giant spider, howling noises, and a giant mummy coming out on the balcony.

When it gets close to halloween, I drive an alternate route home to avoid driving by his house of horror. I could say I do it so the children aren’t frightened, but really it’s me who gets creeped out every year.

Thankfully, halloween ends and yard displays quiet on our block for a month. However, the day after Thanksgiving, the new guy jumped ahead again with his Christmas display. He loves inflatable displays as well as lights.  He has a giant merry go round, spinning penguin, santas, frostys, deer, skiing bear, candy canes, as well as a house and yard full of lights.

I really want to go over and encourage him, because sometime over the next eighteen days, he’ll realize he has lost again. The King has just gotten started with a giant new Santa in a hot air balloon, his musical trees, the train, snowman in the box, teeter totter, wooden soldier, and the 30 foot tree of lights. We have yet to see the Grinch coming out of the chimney, Snoopy, the snow globe, and multiple others that will reappear some day in December.

My neighborhood displays, although quite impressive, could not be described as beautiful. For that, we traveled down to Richmond to the Lewis Ginter Garden light display. It was lovely. They had butterflies, fish, dragonflies, fairies, tricycles, unicorn, lily pads in the pond all done in lights. In addition, there were whole pathways of lighted trees, tunnels, mazes, and buildings.

My favorite light display was a giant peacock in lights where several strands of the same color lights made up each feather in the tail. The kids loved the light dog running through the trees. We were all fascinated by the interactive train display which included house on fire and engine repair.

The one item that baffled us all, however, were the spider lights. An artist had made giant lighted spiders that were scattered across the garden. Last year, the designers had created a web of lights that the spiders sat on. It was not exactly holly jolly. When my friend Pam saw them, she asked, “What’s with the spiders?”

I’m thinking of giving the new neighbor down the street a bit of advice. If he could find the garden spider artist and buy himself some giant spider lights before next year, he may be able to take the king by surprise and win the halloween display hands down.