The Worth of a Man

I wrote this for a fellow I have met on a website a short time ago. We have exchanged a few stories in fan fiction, and one of his pieces inspired this one.

The Worth of a Man

Some place his value in dollars;

When it should be in his deeds.

Some ask what he gets from others;

Not how he fills their needs.

Real value is in family;

And in vows so truly kept.

Not whether in mansion or hovel;

That his family has slept.

A man's value is in honour;

And his true place we can behold.

It's in love of his fellow man;

That his worth is surely told.

Chains and doors, metaphors

I finally heard back from an old friend today. We were once regular correspondents, back in high school. A day didn't go by that we didn't write each other a letter, or sometimes two. As with many relationships, we slowly drifted apart after graduation. We did write a few letters when we went away to different colleges, but they got shorter and shorter, and eventually just stopped.
Life is very much like a revolving door. People come in and stay for a time, but then, as time goes by, they have to go on about their business, and other faces and names come in to take their place. Sometimes the door swings open on a relationship more than once, but that is very rare.
More special is the person who comes into your life to stay. These are the constants, that anchors that hold us in our place in this life. We start with family, then best friends and finally spouses and children. Those faces change over time, but they don't go out of that door as easily for the most part.
I am grateful for the anchors in my life. My adopted sisters and brothers can be transitory, here for as long as they need to be and then just moving on. My wife and family are the people who are there forever, keeping me from forgetting what I am all about and where I come from.
Be sure to treat the anchors in your life with care. Keep the chains strong and the capstan oiled.

She's in.

My mother-in-law is moved in. More or less. She is staying put for the next couple of nights, until the curtains are up. It's never comfortable to live in a fishbowl, where the whole world can see. Besides, her phone won't be up for a while.
I hadn't realized just how much she had pared down her furniture. She cut back to only the pieces she is going to use. She has lots of space to get around. It somehow came out looking just right. Now she can putter about and put up her pictures and things, making the apartment really hers.
Sandra and I went over to help her unpack. Most of what she had there were dishes and ceramic nick-knacks. Most of the personal items had gone to her temporary home. She has the whole of the month to move them.
I didn't dare try to put anything away in the kitchen. As much as the bedroom is a place of privacy, the kitchen is a very personal room. Each person works differently in there, according to their needs and abilities. That method and set of routines determines where things should be put. My mother-in-law is set in a very early morning routine, and prefers simple meals. She has back problems, so she can't bend over. She has to keep the things she uses daily at a comfortable level.
Even setting up our kitchen took time and thought. My wife is vertically challenged, as am I, and neither of us is really supposed to be climbing on stools. This means that the top shelves of the cabinets winds up being deep storage.
Mary has the advantage of the spare room, and I think it will turn out to be a nice place for her to sew and work on things, and keep materials from invading her living space. If she feels like it, she can put a spare bed in there, or just close the door and forget the room.
The apartment suits her needs very well. She will be happy there for many years.
It is summed up by the fact that, before she got there to move in, there was a sign put up on the wall outside of her door. "Bless this home." Welcome home, Mom.

Writing and theololgy

How is it that characters can take over when you start writing? Everyone likes to think that it is a God-like position, writing a story. In my experience, there is no control to be had. I've written three fan fictions and am currently working on the fourth. I might get three or four paragraphs on paper (I still use pen and paper to get going. Composing at the keyboard isn't me. I am SO thankful for recycling.) before the characters take over and do their thing, and I'm just along for the ride.
This leaves me with a rather nagging and worrisome question. What if the Universe was created, and then just kind of had to go its own way? Let's take the existence of God as a given, for the time being, and further assume that he created all that we know, like an author writing a book. If the characters have taken over the whole endeavor, what is the end result going to look like?
When I am writing, things usually work themselves out. The people have defined characters that make them behave in certain predictable ways. I merely give them a situation at the start, and they then resolve it in their own way.
In a situation like this, are we capable of making the right decisions? Story plots are relatively simple compared to real life, and they tend to come only two or three at a time. Life comes at you all at once.
I just hope the Author of our story doesn't develop writer's block.

#$%^ machines

Okay, technology has it in for me today.
My e-mail server is out, and I have a lot of stuff that I do over e-mail. I really need the connection to be working properly, at least for the next two days. The Pastor was to get back to me so I can finish the bulletin to be printed on Wednesday. I've even resorted to unplugging from this computer and trying it on the laptop. No go, it is definitely the server.
Ever had days when you just can't seem to get anything to go right? Oh well, these things do sort themselves out, and with so many people now working via the Internet, these situations will arise.
It did point out to me the biggest advantage of the laptop thought. All of the connections are right there in front of you. You don't have to lie on you back working blindly at wires to get what you need. Not to mention that whole aspect of portability. Once we have the wireless router, I can work from anywhere in the apartment. Need a quiet moment, go to the bedroom.
Anyway, I hope the service provider gets things worked out by the end of the day. I have work to do. Until then, I play.