A MOTHER'S GRIEF - A DEEPER LEVEL

She was young, but we don't know her age.  Her name was Mary.  She was Jewish and lived in Nazareth of Galilee. It is apparent that she was not from a wealthy home.  She was a common girl. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph.  We can assume that she had common dreams.  Many girls in her time dreamed of being selected as the mother to the Messiah.  To be the mother of the Messiah would be the greatest thing a young, Jewish girl could aspire to.  Did Mary dream of this?

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David;  and the virgin's name was Mary.  And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one!  The Lord is with you."  

But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.  

The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary;  for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.  

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High;  and the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David;  and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."  (Luke 1:26-33 NASB)

During her pregnancy, due to political manipulations, Joseph is forced to take Mary to Bethlehem for a census.  That is where the boy, Jesus, was born.  God used these government wranglings to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem of Judea.  Throughout the birth story, we are told that Mary treasured up these things in her heart (Luke 2:19  NIV).  

She is witness to His growing up.  She kisses and coddles Him as an infant and teaches him as He grows.  She continues to treasure the memories of seeing her first-born take His first steps, speak His first words and work beside His father in the carpenter shop!  She has a mother's heart and loves her children! When the question is posed:  "Mary, did you know that when you kissed your little baby, you kissed the face of God?"  -  Yes, she knew!  

She is witness to His first miracle;  actually, she instigates His first miracle! She shows up from time-to-time during His years of ministry.  She, more than anyone, has an understanding of who He is and what His purpose is.  

Then, the tragic events unfold and we read the words:  

But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, 

and His mother's sister...  (John 19:25  NASB)

Who can unpack the pathos of these words?  She had seen it all!  She had treasured everything up in her heart (don't all mothers?).  She had cradled Him in her arms.  She had kissed His boo-boos and held His hands as He learned to walk.  She had taught Him manners and curbed His life in the right directions.  She had witnessed His teaching and seen His miracles.  She knew His heart!  She knew how good He was.  She knew how innocent He was! She knew He did not deserve this treatment! She knew the injustice of it all!  

Feel her pain!  Sense her grief!  She was unable to help Him.  If ever a mother felt grief - it was this day!  God had used her womb to form the Son of God! She holds a place of honor forever as the one who bore the Messiah!  

It's remarkable that the scriptures do not include any record of Jesus appearing to His mother after His resurrection.  Was she there on any of the occasions when He showed Himself?  Obviously, she knew of His resurrection!  How must this news have impacted her?  Could it be true? Did she come to understand that her son had become her Savior?  

Someday, if we hold to our faith, we'll be able to sit down with her and listen to her side of the story! We'll be rapt with attention as she unfolds the treasures of her heart!   

A Mother's Grief

I grieve the loss of our son, Travis, but my grief is significantly different than Debbie's.

This morning, I gained some insight into that difference while reading in Isaiah (in The Voice Bible).

[49:14-16]

Zion:  The Eternal One has abandoned me.  God has walked out the door; my Lord left me alone. He has forgotten all about me.   

Eternal One:  Is it possible for a mother, however disappointed, however hurt, to forget her nursing child?  Can she feel nothing for the baby she carried and birthed?  

Even if she could, I God, will never forget you.  

Look here.  I have made you a part of Me,written you on the palms of My hands.

The Voice Bible added some helpful commentary:

"There are many kinds of love - and not enough words to tell the differences. Hebrew has a word for 'love' that is related to it's word for a woman's womb. English has no such word.  It is too bad, for it is difficult to describe womb-love, the bearing-and-birthing love of a mother, the kind of love that the Lord has for the people of God's promise...God loves them in the same way a mother loves the child growing in her womb.  It can't be said so neatly and completely with one 'love' word, but that is the idea that threads its way through this text."

I walked into the living room yesterday afternoon and noticed that Debbie was curled up in her chair with a look of deep anguish and loneliness.  I immediately knew what the problem was.  In my maleness, I am often befuddled in this situation and unsure of what I should do.  However, experience has taught me to hold her, so I knelt beside her chair and wrapped my arms around her.  She caved into my arms and wailed and sobbed for long moments.  No words...

Earlier than usual (8:30 PM), she excused herself and went to bed.  I followed an hour later and again held her for a long time as she wept.  

It's been a year-and-a-half since Travis passed.  These melt-downs are less frequent now, but still occur.  I don't expect them to ever end completely.

I learned this morning that Debbie's grief is different than mine because she birthed that baby boy back in February of 1976.  She knew him intimately for seven-and-a-half-months before I did!  God used her body to form his body. Travis could have made it into this world without me being present, but he was utterly dependent on her to get him here!  

By the very nature of the process, she was more connected to him than I ever was.  Oh, I loved him and love him still.  I long to talk with him.  He was the pride of my life!  But my grief will NEVER compare to Debbie's!  

Interestingly, Troy and Missy had shared hours and a meal with us during the afternoon.  Just a week ago we spent time with Tracie and Jon, Rylie and Coltin.  We're deeply grateful for the love of our family!  Yet, as much as we love, enjoy and are proud of Troy and Tracie, they can never replace Travis!  

We will miss him for as long as we live!  I will walk into a room of tears again and again...  I will hold my wife and comfort her.  I will never stop talking with my son - as I do now so frequently.  

And you should also know that we are each comforted by the One who loves us in the same way that a mother loves her child!  There is no comfort like His comfort!  

First Funeral

I received my call to ministry while I was a senior in high school.  I had just turned seventeen.  My pastor was C. D. Weinel.  He was not a friendly man, but he was an effective pastor.  During his tenure, he initiated a 'Rap Session' with the youth (it was the sixties).  We were invited into his office on Wednesday evenings where we could ask questions and talk about anything on our minds.  He promised us that he would never divulge anything we said to our parents.  We trusted him!

He started me on the path to ministry by helping me to take my first official step, which was receiving an 'Exhorter's License'.  This was approved by the Official Board of our church.  He gave me small responsibilities to begin to grow me in my anticipation of a bigger role someday.

One day he called me and told me he'd like me to help him with a funeral on Saturday.  He told me to meet him at the Grove Cemetery at 10:00 AM.  He said that I should wear a suit and bring a Bible with a selection to read.  I chose Psalm 23, and practiced reading it several times.

When I arrived at the cemetery, I was surprised to find Rev. Weinel and two men from the funeral home.

I later learned that the city of New Brighton had a policy for when an indigent person died.  Each local pastor was asked to do one of these services in turn.  It was Rev. Weinel's turn and he felt it was an appropriate opportunity for me to get some much needed experience.

The four of us approached the burial plot.  The two men from the funeral home stood respectfully. Rev. Weinel began a very simple service and at the appropriate time turned to me for the scripture. As I stood at the edge of the open burial plot and read Psalm 23, I was overwhelmed with a sense of responsibility for creating a sacred moment for this person I had never met and knew nothing about. I read with as much passion as I could muster.

In a little over five minutes the service had ended and the burial team approached to begin their duties.  We stood and talked with the men from the funeral home briefly and then returned to our cars to resume our normal Saturday activities.

But forty-eight years later, I still remember the awesome sense of responsibility that comes with putting a period at the end of a person's life! Throughout the years I have worked hard on funeral preparations.  My goal has been to honor the many dimensions of a person's life and to challenge those present to live their lives with the end goal of Heaven prominently in view!

In retrospect, I'm also thankful for a pastor who, although he didn't naturally connect with teenagers, still made a distinct effort to create a forum for us to learn, trust and grow!

Travel Journal 11

February 16, 2013  -  Saturday

Our host’s wife (Mrs. Jeong) prepared a wonderful breakfast for us:  rice porridge with a little pork in it, egg/vegetable wraps to eat with the porridge, a meat-filled roll (called mundo) that we were able to dip in condensed milk, and a fruit salad of apples and bananas coated with a dressing like Thousand Island Dressing.  No beverages. 

When we look out the window of our bedroom we see palm trees (outlaying the major city of Guanzhou - which would have similar weather to Savannah, Georgia)!  We also saw lots of them when we were in the city.  Interesting, we also see fake palm trees in train stations in the north and west.  Randy and I laughed when we were leaving San men xia because the train station was uncomfortably cold, yet filled with fake palm trees!  Go figure…

We left rather suddenly to go on an unannounced field trip.  This ended up being a highlight of this trip.  Mr. and Mrs. Jeong have a habit of going out for a ride and just stopping to make friends with local people.  They took us to the outskirts of their village to visit a farmer friend (we never learned their names).  Upon our arrival, we met the couple and they gave a us a quick tour of their humble dwellings and property.  They had a batch of young pups that the girls enjoyed playing with.  We were told that they were being raised to be guard dogs, but we later discovered that they were more likely to be considered a future food source. 

No doors.  Window on left is kitchen.  Upstairs bedroom accessed by a ladder.                  

They immediately set out snacks:  sunflower seeds, star fruit and pomegranates (right off the tree).

He also made tea for us!        

After a short visit, we walked out the road a bit.  We later noticed large tour buses driving down this country road and were told that an illegal casino operates at the end of the road.  Sentries were evident along the road and at times a rock barrier was built across the road to dissuade traffic from passing into the area.  Later, we saw the buses leaving. 

The farmers along this road – like our new friends – live in humble, open dwellings and their dining room is outside their front door! 

This woman was busy sweeping her home!                           

The Jeong’s stopped to speak to this woman.

                

Up the mountain are the burial sites of their ancestors.  

The government now insists that everyone be cremated.

A close-up view of one of the grave sites.

Fruit trees abound in this area:  pomegranate, mango, star fruit, and banana trees.  At this time of year, the farmers had much of the fruit wrapped in plastic in case of a rare frost!

Mr. Jeong picking a large papaya.                                            

Bananas.

Then, we took a hike up the mountain!  It got pretty steep eventually, so Debbie and I rested and then came back down on our own. 

        

The rest of the group climbed to the summit and then took an adventurous route back down to the farm where our guests provided a wonderful lunch.  They killed one of their chickens, cleaned it, chopped it up into small pieces (including head, feet, and innards), cooked it and served it (we've had this before and have nicknamed it "chain-saw chicken")!  They added two green dishes straight from their garden – one included pieces of pork!  The woman cleaned a large round table and set it on their smaller table to accommodate us all.  We also had rice grown by a nearby farmer. 

These dear people served up the best they had and served it to a group of complete strangers!  We find this kind of generosity everywhere we go! 

 The first course was a bowl of soup/broth. 

The man began the meal with a toast using our cups of tea!

Randy, Jessica, Debbie and I wanted to walk back to the apartment just to have some time to unwind and relax together.  However, after taking his wife and the girls home, he returned to pick us up!  J  We spent the afternoon playing Monopoly Cards and another game.  In the late afternoon, Mrs. Jeong came out and - against our wishes – prepared an evening meal for us.  We ate then played some more games before ending our day.

Valley Avenue

Sled-riding was something I absolutely loved to do when I was young!  That was the pre-plastic era.  Sleds were made of wood and attached to steel runners that we would rub with steel wool and candles to make them go faster!  Occasionally, someone would show up with a four-man toboggan; usually six kids replaced the four men!  :-)

Before I could leave the house, my mother would help me to dress for the occasion.  [Think the scene from THE CHRISTMAS STORY.]

She bundled me up with layers and wrapped me in a long scarf.  She pinned my mittens to the sleeves of my coat!  Then came a stocking cap before the hood of my coat was tied tightly under my chin!  I think I was the only kid who was sweating while sled-riding!

I would then meet a couple of friends down at the Honor Roll on Mercer Road and together we would walk the short distance to the top of Valley Avenue.

Now, Valley Avenue was a fairly steep road with a stop sign at its top.  It also intersected Mercer Road on a curve.  This made it an extremely dangerous intersection when there was snow on the ground.  So, our city leaders saw fit to close this road during bad weather periods.  Road-blocks were put in place with oil pots to alert traffic that the road was closed.

During these times, kids claimed Valley Avenue as our official sled-riding hill! Half-way down Valley Avenue, the road leveled off (just beneath the New Brighton football field).  Most single-sledders gradually came to a stop on this section, and would make the slow return to the top - pulling their sled!

However, we became adept at loading two or three kids on a sled.  This enabled us to gain enough speed and momentum to pass through the flat section and enjoy the next down-slope to the bottom of Valley Avenue!  I'm guessing it was the equivalent of almost a mile of sledding!

Of course, that meant a LONG walk back up the hill - pulling our sleds!  Ugh!

On days when school was cancelled, we would sled-ride literally all day long! It seemed that only our hands and feet got cold.  We warmed our hands over the oil-pots - which didn't make our mittens smell very good. Cold feet and hunger would generally be the things that eventually drove us home.

Those were fun days with the kids from Crescent Heights, Brighton Heights and Oak Hill all joining together in good, wholesome fun. I remember very little conflict or bullying.  Everyone was thrilled to be out of school and free to have fun in the snow!

Road care is better now and I don't think they close Valley Avenue anymore. Too bad!  The neighborhood kids have no idea what a thrill they're missing out on!  

Travel Journal 10

February 15, 2013  -  Friday

I sent our kids a Valentine’s Day email this morning!  They should all open it during Valentine’s evening! 

Apparently the second place we were going to visit fell through so Jessica has us staying with this couple through the weekend and until our conference begins.  Debbie and I are feeling very uncomfortable with these arrangements, but there’s not much we can do.  If we want to go to the retreat center early, this man will probably have to drive us there!  We couldn’t begin to find our way there alone. 

This trip, although wonderful, has been long.  We find ourselves longing for our apartment in Changchun.  We also find that we’re missing home more while traveling.  We have so many questions about our future now that we’re getting close to four months left. 

As lovely as this home is, we notice that the kitchen and bathrooms have no hot water!  They have a gas heater that instantly heats water for the showers.  We almost never see carpeting here.  All of the floors are hard-surface flooring that can easily be swept.  The floors of public places get filthy dirty during the winter or rainy times from people’s boots and shoes. 

We’re leaving shortly to take the whole group out for breakfast.  Apparently it is more common to take some-one out for breakfast than for supper.  Our host drove the women and kids to the restaurant while Randy and I walked about a mile along with his wife. It was a very nice restaurant and obviously does a brisk business. 

These greeted us upon our arrival at the restaurant.  At first I thought they might be the three magi;  but you can see the offerings the owners have placed at their feet to please the gods.  They are popular gods (known as the three lucky men) of wealth, prosperity and longevity!  False gods have many Chinese people distracted!

We were seated at a large, round table with a glass turntable on it.  They immediately brought food – ordered by our host.  This is our first experience with eating out for breakfast.  We ate quite a few things that we had not eaten before.  There were several bowls of rice porridge, one included squid.  There were pork meatballs that looked lovely, but were raw on the inside.  We had delicious banana pancakes and pumpkin bread.  There was a hot-jelled root of some kind.  There were mushroom egg rolls.  There were several kinds of fried dumplings.  A candied, deep-fried ball of sweet dough with vegetables and meat. 

They use many root vegetables similar to potatoes that we are not familiar with.  One of these was made into sort of a hash-brown dish with a few vegetables added.  We had a constant supply of tea.  There were other dishes that I don’t know how to describe.  We had offered this as our gift to the group;  the bill came to 185 yuan (less than $35 American).  There is no tipping in China.    J

                    The restaurant was full of businessmen.                                          

                                               Our hosts seemed to enjoy themselves!

Reader Beware!   [Topic:  rats]

On our walk home from the restaurant, we walked along the businesses for a stretch instead of along the road.  We suddenly heard a loud noise and discovered that it came from a garage opening full of crates of peeps!  Upon closer examination, most of them were dead;  the others were in the process of dying.  Apparently they were the rejects.  For the next couple of hundred yards, the driveway was littered with dead chicks!  Debbie almost lost her breakfast.  We moved back out to walk along the road;  the only thing we had to avoid there was an occasional dead rat…

Although I have not mentioned it before, we see rats pretty frequently.  We have not seen them in our hotel (or Debbie wouldn’t live there).  We regularly see dead rats along the roads.  The street vendors frequently leave their garbage along the roads, so it is a haven for rats.  Now we have not lived in a big city in America;  I’m sure they have infestations of rats, too. 

We also see lots of roaches!  We fight them in our kitchen constantly.  Our present host has a VERY CLEAN apartment, but I have killed several roaches while here.  I’m sure they’re worse here than they are in Changchun because of the constant warm temperatures. 

On our way back from the restaurant some of us visited the local vendor’s market to buy some vegetables.  Fish were being cleaned on open tables.  Tanks of fish were available for selection.  Meat hangs on hooks and lays on open tables.  I saw crates of chickens waiting to be butchered.  Some vendors use plastic bags to work with the meat, but most just use their hands.  Conditions are clean, but far from sanitary!  We have bought meat from markets like this many times;  however, I would be less prone to do so when warm weather arrives.

We have also eaten in restaurants that most of our American friends would not eat in.  The buildings are old and patched together.  The kitchens are dark and the food often sits on the floor until used.  The tables are small and uneven.  They get wiped all day long with the same wet cloth.  Especially in the winter, the floors are covered with mud from the patrons feet.  Many of these places give a whole new definition to our term ‘hole-in-the-wall.’

There are, of course, higher class restaurant that are very clean and very proper.  But for every one of them there are a hundred small, privately owned shops.  Many specialize in noodles while others specialize in dumplings.  Others offer a wider range of possibilities. 

It was a lazy day;  we didn’t leave the apartment again after breakfast.  After the evening meal, we played Phase Ten till 9:30 PM and went to bed.  There was not much in the evening meal that I liked.  It began with a bowl of broth with one piece of meat and a few pieces of a root.  Then came a mushroom dish and a green dish that I didn’t recognize (sort of like spinach).  Then there was another dish with garlic shoots and another green along with something else that I didn’t recognize.  [These differences are probably a result of being in the south!  I miss the northeastern foods of Changchun!]

Sharing the faith!

While we were at breakfast, apparently our guests asked Jessica if we were Christians.  They wanted to know why we didn’t pray before we ate.  Jessica explained that we were Christians but that we didn’t want to offend them or create an awkwardness for them.  They asked how our faith impacted our lives and if our God would be angry because we didn’t pray over our meal.  Jessica engaged them for quite a while explaining our faith.  Randy let us know what was going on and the three of us sat there and prayed for Jessica as she shared.

After the evening meal, our host singled me out and led me to three places to show me where he burns incense.  Outside their door:  to honor the earth.  Out on their veranda:  to honor the sky.  In the kitchen:  to honor the fire.  This is done at every national holiday.  Somehow, this practice is to continue the traditions of the past and also to honor his departed loved ones.  Also, everyone buys bright red banners and puts them on the sides and over the top of their doors to ward off the evil spirits at the beginning of a new year!  He also explained that the fireworks are not for beauty or for fun;  rather, the fireworks are to scare the evil spirits away. 

Jessica took advantage of this openness and began talking with him about our faith again.  She explained the exodus and how the children of Israel put lamb’s blood on their doorposts!  He quickly disappeared and brought out a Bible that he had.  I got my Bible out too and Jessica walked him through a very basic explanation of how the Bible is laid out.  He reported that he used to take his older daughter to a nearby church on Sundays because they enjoyed the music of the choir!  Although I don’t know the content of their discussion, Jessica and he talked for well over an hour about spiritual things.  Randy, Debbie and I prayed the whole time! 

This man (Mr. Jeong) is clearly a seeker who is holding loosely to the traditions of his family.  He could easily lead his whole family to faith in Christ!  I’m confident that Jessica will keep the avenues of communication open with him through their internet communications!

Travel Journal 9

February 14, 2013  -  Thursday  Valentine’s Day!

We rose for a 7:00 AM breakfast and then left for Guanzhou.  Our host took the kids in his car along with roses that they are going to sell.  His wife took the rest of us on a long walk to the bus stop.  [Deb and Jessica found a store nearby that had some towels, so we should be able to shower tonight!]

It was a long bus ride to the subway station.  Then it was a long subway ride to downtown.  Eventually we met up with her husband and the kids in an underground mall.  We have discovered that our host and his wife tend to make decisions and then unmake them in a very short time.  Gradually this became annoying to all of us.  Although they are a lovely couple, there seems to be some passive-aggressive stuff going on between them. 

A flowering tree at the bus stop!  

                 Debbie made friends with a young couple on the subway!

While the children attempted to sell roses, his wife took us on a tour around the plaza area which was decorated for the Chinese New Year!  We saw many shops, crafts, arts, displays, and shows.  It was delightful!

  

    We saw this tall skyscraper when we emerged from the subway!  

                             Beautiful flowers and tall buildings were everywhere!        

                          It was 8 degrees in Changchun today!  Glad we’re here!  J

            

 This was at the entrance to the plaza!       

After a while, we took a short subway ride to another area where we toured the Museum of Natural Science.  It was very well done and quite impressive!  We saw dinosaur bones and many other interesting things there.  We were probably inside for a couple of hours!

 

       A row of display areas like this on each side of the plaza. 

                                        An interesting looking artisan!

       

These trees drop tentacles that also take root!          



                                                                                   
                                                                       
This is the tallest building I have ever seen!  AMAZING!

The Guanzhou public library!  Incredibly beautiful!  

                           A by-passer offered to take our picture!

                                             The lights came on at dusk!

      

                            The darker it got, the prettier the displays became!

      

Children began flying kites as evening approached.                      

While we were waiting for the dark to come, we went shopping in the underground maul.  I got Debbie a nice crystal ring and earrings for Valentine’s Day!  Then we had a nice American meal at MacDonald’s.  Then we rejoined the group to view the lights!  Then came the long trip home via subways and bus.  Unfortunately, the children didn’t sell any of the roses!  So we had to haul them all home with us! 

While on the long subway ride I decided to entertain two sweet little girls sitting next to me.  I took out a balloon and blew it up.  That got their attention!  Then I pinched the neck and started making that squeaking noise.  Suddenly, everyone on the subway car was watching me – and their faces were all smiles!  Debbie was really glad that she wasn’t sitting near me!  It got a lot of laughter;  and then I gave each of the girls a balloon!  You should have seen them trying to do the same thing!  It was pretty funny!

When we got home we took showers!  Yay!  Feels so good to be clean again!  We sat and talked with Randy and Jessica a bit.  Then Deb read while I worked on this journal.  Bed at 11:30 PM.  

If At First You Don't Succeed...

Travis' birthday having just passed (2/24), I've found myself thinking about him even more than usual.  I thought I'd share a story from his life that illustrates the wonderful work of a loving and caring God.

I've written previously about a season of my life when I was not operating wisely in the financial realm. Unfortunately, that season coincided with Travis' graduation from high school.

He was so intelligent and we knew that he really needed to go to college. However, we were already in significant debt with troubling cash-flow difficulties.  Lacking wisdom, we had not prepared to send our son to college. Debbie and I repeatedly took this problem to God in prayer.  We asked Him to provide a way for Travis to get a good education!   [For more on debt recovery, check out the post titled:  "Once upon a time..."]

This precipitated a difficult conversation with my son.  I had to confess my inadequacies and tell him that we were not prepared to be much help to him when it came to going to college.  Essentially, I told him, "Travis, I'm sorry! The only way you're going to be able to go to college is for your Mom and me to go further into debt - and for you to accrue debt yourself."

This was one of the low moments in my life!

However, Travis had done well in school and met the criteria for some level of help through scholarships. That was exciting, and we were proud of him!

We made quite a few day-trips to visit colleges.  His Mom and I liked Mt. Vernon Nazarene College in Ohio.  We could tell that Travis leaned toward Washington and Jefferson College in Pennsylvania.  Probably out of a desire to please us, he chose Mt. Vernon.

He called me during the fall semester and said, "Dad, they're more strict here than you were!  They won't even let us watch Seinfeld!"  Ha ha ha ha...

He came home early for the Christmas break due to a dormitory fire.  We thoroughly enjoyed having him home!  Right after Christmas, he announced that he was not going back to school!  He had joined the Navy!

I pretended to be ok with that decision, but inside I was very upset with him. I desperately wanted him to get a college education;  I knew the sky was the limit for Travis!

But, his thinking was to get the Navy to help him reach his goal - which at the time was to become a doctor.

He spent the next couple of months with us and then reported to boot camp in late March!  We attended his graduation and then they sent him to 'Power School' in Orlando.  (Poor boy!)

After over a year there, one of his chief's told him that he should apply to the Naval Academy:  "They're looking for guys like you;  and they take 90 from the enlisted ranks every year."

I told him to go for it.  He called months later saying that they wanted him to come for an interview.  Woo Hoo!

A month or so later, he called again and said that the interview seemed to go well!  More weeks passed and then he called saying that he had received an invitation to be part of the class of 2000!!!!!   All he needed was to get one of his state senators to give him a recommendation (each senator has the privilege of extending two recommendations.)

My heart immediately sank!

I explained to Travis that the state of Ohio had two of the most liberal senators and that I had written to each of them many times!  In my opinion, they would connect him to me and refuse to give him consideration. 
However, he was convinced he would get his recommendation.

He called a couple of weeks later and indicated that I was right - they wouldn't give him the time of day.

I asked if he had other options.  He said that he could possibly get a recommendation from the president or vice president.

After a pause, I told him that I had also written many letters to both of these men.  Again, ever the optimist, Travis was convinced that he would get a recommendation from either Bill Clinton or Al Gore.

After a couple of weeks, he called to report that they refused to consider his appeal.

You can only imagine how I was feeling at this point!  First, I had failed to prepare to send him to college. Now, I had inadvertently roadblocked his possibilities for attending the United States Naval Academy!!!!

I asked if there were any other options.  He said that the secretary of the Navy also had two recommendations to offer.  Then, he tentatively asked:  "Dad, you haven't written any letters to the Secretary of the Navy, have you?"

I was delighted to respond that I had NOT written to this man!

Remarkably, Travis got his recommendation and started Plebe summer at the USNA on July 2, 1996.

When his earthly father had botched it, his Heavenly Father found a creative route to get him a free education valued at over a quarter million dollars!!!!!!

Our God is an awesome God!!!!!!