They Loved Darkness Rather Than Light

Today we will discuss motive. Every action people take, and every reaction to that action by others, is driven, often unconsciously, by some sort of motive. For many people, and in most situations these motives are benign.  Take a buyer and seller at the marketplace. Each of them has a desire. The seller, to maximize profits, and the buyer, to minimize expenditures. The agreed upon price is that which meets both criteria. If such cannot be achieved, either party is free to walk away. 

In criminal cases the prosecution is under a mandate to provide motive for the defendant’s behavior, otherwise the case will fall apart. Means as well. Motive and means will ultimately be the criteria by which the jury will determine guilt or innocence. In a court trial it is extremely rare for a defendant to give their motives for a particular crime. If they were to do so, it would incriminate them. So they will try to mask that motive for as long as possible. Why do you think so many crimes are committed at night? Fewer people are awake, or around to see. 

John 3: 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (ESV)

The same is true on the state and national stage. As they say, “Nothing happens by accident in politics.” Every action taken, every motion, every rule, every regulation, and every tax is driven by some internal motive the politicians do not want to make clear, otherwise they will be booted out of office. 

There are a couple of ways that those in politics can prevent their activities from seeing the light of day. One is a straight cover up. Deny, deny deny, and hope it goes away. Another would be to apply smoke and mirrors to the situation. Actively create disturbances in other areas to keep the spotlight off them.  

Now we come to the current political situation. Many will call it ‘divisive’and ‘unproductive’ because the rifts between our national parties could not be any greater. There is, in my opinion, a reason for that. The problem is almost completely on one side of the aisle. I believe I know the reason and motive. 

In the run up to the last election we have the incompetent heir apparent to the party of the Democrats set against a scrappy, non politician businessman. Sometime during the election year, and continuing after, rumors of ‘Russian interference’ started. This ‘scandal’ was endlessly promoted against the scrappy businessman, who won the election. Shortly thereafter, impeachment proceedings began. Was there any ‘Russian collusion’? No. The charges were a complete fabrication. We have not yet heard the end of it all yet. Some indictments have already been handed down, but more information surfaces every day. A few people, more knowledgeable than myself, have written books on the subject. It is the most scandalous raw grab for power in our nation’s history.  This was, in fact, a coup attempt. It was conceived, planned and implemented at the highest levels of the previous administration, and carried out by their minions in various intelligence services. This, my friends, is Treason. 

Can you not see why the Democrats have gone full in for socialism and communism? Can you now see why they let their cities burn and do nothing? When they could? Can you also understand why they are going in all the way with mail in ballots? The plan is to so obfuscate the results, they can continue down the path they are on. They have already stated they will not accept the results if Trump wins. They can't! If they lose, the indictments will continue, and a number of them will face prison time, or worse. We all know the penalty for treason, don’t we? Their actions are so reprehensible that they are past the point of no return, so they cannot do anything but continue. If they win, then all their crimes will be swept under the carpet and go away. 

But, if they win something else goes away along with it. Our country. The Democrats have already demonstrated absolutely no regard for our constitution and the rights it accords. They have shown a willingness to pursue  and encourage violence against the very citizens they were commissioned to protect. Their cities are smoking heaps, with hundreds of millions of dollars of damage, livelihoods destroyed and people dead on the streets. And what do they do? They arrest a few and then let them go, to commit crimes the very next night. Then they call on the police chiefs and ask why crime is so high in their cities! The gall! The pride and arrogance of this party is beyond belief. 

So why do we allow them to continue in power? 

As Christians living in this nation today, we have a unique ability, no, a responsibility to be active in politics. It is we who have the answer, not them. Against their pride we present humility. Against violence, we hold strength of character and common decency. Against their grab for power, we present law and due process. Against their screeching and mindless wailing, we hold up Truth.  

Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world!’

It’s time to let our light shine too. 

Christians! The fate of the nation is in your hands!

Is History Cyclical?

    Let us begin this discussion with a few quotes: 

    -He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

    -He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

    -For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

    -For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

    -He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

    -He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

    -He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us,...is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

    Sound familiar? They should.

    The above words were written some two hundred forty six years ago by Thomas Jefferson to enumerate crimes committed by King George against the colonies. They could have also been written just yesterday to describe the crimes committed by one of our own political parties against us. We have come full circle. Does that mean the adage is true, “History repeats itself?” And if that is the case, does it mean we are at the end of our nation’s greatness and our fall is imminent? Must we acquiesce to the current trends and denigrate ourselves to a post-history decline? Must we, as that party insists, become a socialist third world country with no defining morality or ideals except the arbitrary and capricious use of government power? 

    Let me counter the above comments with a couple of scriptures. 

    John 29:28-30 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (ESV)

    Revelation 10:6,7 And swore by him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there would be no more delay, but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. (ESV)

    These two passages tell us that a certain part of history is not cyclical. First, the magnificent plan of salvation was completed by Jesus on the cross. That means we are no longer slaves to sin and alienated from God. It means we can enjoy a right relationship with Him, and, it follows, that we can enjoy a right relationship with each other.

    The verse in Revelation demonstrates an ultimate end to history, that will be brought about by God Himself. God began history with creation. He will end it at some point in the future.

    We also understand that a part of history is cyclical. I am speaking of those who have rejected the sovereignty of God. These people repeat themselves over and over. Why is that? Because tyrants and criminals only know how to do one thing, steal, destroy and murder. "....The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy...." One thing is painfully clear. lawbreakers and miscreants will never build a stable, let alone a great, society.

    By way of contrast we will now consider those who know and serve God. They have an understanding of law, and work to achieve a certain end. That end is to live in peace with those around them, and raise their children to be men and women of faith. Often they will sacrifice their own potential wealth and ambitions for their children's sake. Christians take the long view, preferring to invest in future generations rather than leave them to the whims of popular thought and crowd mentality.

    Christian history, it turns out, is linear. It does not repeat, for every generation brings us closer to the point of Christ's return and the ultimate fulfillment of that event so eloquently described by John in the book of Revelation.

    What about us today? The success of our nation came about because it was built around two foundations. One of them is our body of laws. The Constitution. The other is the Holy Scriptures, which carry the moral imperatives for the freedoms we enjoy. Take away either of those foundations and the edifice falls, to the ruin of all.

 

    Let me ask my original question again. Is this the end? Must we fail as a nation? No! Our demise is not a foregone conclusion. We will remain free if we continue to stand for law, and the freedoms it guarantees us. We will remain free if the Gospel is allowed to be preached unhindered in our churches.

    As long as both foundations remain strong, our nation will continue.

Sarcasm, Political Ad I Would Like To See

 The setting is an office, with shelves and books all around. 

In the background is a sign that says “Phase 3 3/32.” 

The person is the governor of a state. He is wearing a mask, and talking soothingly. He speaks. Or, at least we think he’s speaking. Can’t see for the mask. 

 

“I know you’ve been through some tough times recently....

Of course, most of those times were caused by me. Sorry about that.

Oh sure, I didn’t have to do what I did. I could have stood up for you and your freedoms! I could have been a leader, but that wouldn’t do, my party doesn’t allow us to think and come to our own conclusions. Besides, it was just too easy to follow everyone else and abuse my power. It’s exhilarating, actually. 

So I’ve cost a lot of you your jobs and wreaked havoc on the economy. You will recover, or not. Who cares? But hey! I got to order you around like the serfs you are, (really, I only need you to get elected) and low and behold, you fell right in line! Yay for me! 

But look on the bright side, now that the door has been opened, I can take away more of your liberties, any time I want. All I have to say is five little words....*

 

Oh. I guess that’s more of a bright side for me than you.

It’s great being a Democrat.

Vote for me.” 

*“It’s for your own good.”

The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness

     I am not a prophet. Neither am I the son of a prophet. That doesn’t mean I can’t look around, see what is happening in our country and make informed evaluations. War has been declared, not just physically on our cities, but also on our founding principles and our heritage. 

    I know of no way to eloquently bring this to the forefront, and yet it must be said. 

    This is the last election we will have as a free people. I am going to let that sink in. This is it. We are at the precipice, and are now staring into the void. 

    I am so completely angered by the thought that I must speak out now. Because we do not have to fail. We are knowingly dismantling the most successful and powerful nation in the history of the world. 

    What is it that brings me to this conclusion? Many things. But in this article, I will focus on a single word. Corruption. Specifically, the corruption that has been borne out in the actions of the party of Democrats. 

    Let me lead off with a verse of scripture. 2 Timothy 3:13 “While evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (ESV) 

    How is it that evil people will go from bad to worse? Very simply, because evil people do not hang out with good ones! Usually they want to take advantage of decent law abiding citizens, not be buddy-buddy with them. Good people will expose their deeds and turn them in to the authorities. 
    Politics has and will always tend to corruption, because they have power over the life of others. Likewise corrupt politicians, and political parties will continually get more corrupt, for the reason I just stated in the previous paragraph. Politics is, as they say, dirty business. But, what about good people in politics? They are absolutely necessary, but it is difficult for them. Sometimes they will back away, not wanting to be exposed to the deleterious effects of the business. Often they are edged out. One thing is obvious. If good people leave an organization because it is corrupt, only the corrupt ones remain. Bad to worse. Just like Paul said. The best analogy I can come up with is that corruption is like a cancerous growth. It must be killed or excised from the body, or else it will destroy the body. 
    The Democrat party, for some time now has gone from bad to worse. Their cities are on fire. Crime is rampant and rising precipitously. They are awash in debt, high taxes and suffocating regulation. Take a look at the states that have been under the control of Democrats for some time. Are they bastions of truth and justice? Are they prospering? Are businesses flourishing? Is fairness and equality the norm? No! Quite the opposite, actually. It doesn’t take much thought to understand that this reality is the result of their policies. However, when what they have proposed fails, do they reverse course? Do they stop and turn around? No. Instead, they double down and exacerbate the problem.

    On the national stage, the situation is worse. The Democrat party has never recognized the legitimacy of the current President. Rather, they have engaged in a non-stop attempt to bring him down. This is in direct violation of their oath of office and the peaceful transition of power. They have also engaged in a campaign of slander and character assassination against the President and those in his cabinet. All of this is obfuscation, a smoke screen to distract the public from their own evils.
    But screaming like banshees, making accusations, and attempting to accuse the President of being divisive, only demonstrates their weakness. There is only one group that refuses to play by the rule of law. It is Democrats. Why do they scream and whine like little babies? Because they cannot stand in the public arena and reasonably debate issues. When they do, they lose! They have no sound arguments for their actions. So they attempt to divert our attention elsewhere. 
    Let’s take a quick look. The information is in. Lockdowns are a farce. They do not work. They serve very little purpose, except for the government to exercise illegal and arbitrary action against you. Who are they to say that one business is ‘essential’ and another is not? Every business is essential to someone. 
    Our Constitution allows us the right to assemble, peacefully. Riots are not peaceful. Rioters are criminals, and they should be arrested and jailed for a very long time. By allowing violence to continue night after night the Democrat mayors are giving tacit approval to their actions. Their national leadership has hinted these will continue, and even get worse after the election, if their candidate does not win. This is an attempt to intimidate voters. As an alternative, they promote mail in ballots, which are easily tampered with, and have zero accountability. This is a smack in the face against liberty and the necessity of one man, one vote. 
    I could go on, but others are doing that. My appeal today is to Christians. I want to speak directly to you for several reasons. First, because you know and understand Truth. Second, because you are the moral compass of this nation. Third, because the results of this coming election will be determined by you. 
    Aren’t you tired of all this? Haven’t you had enough of Democrats taking away your personal liberties and freedoms? Do you really want our nation to fall into the hands of a party of socialists, communists and their rabble of violence? Then stand with me then against the moral bankruptcy that is the Democrat party. They are strong, yes. They will use illegal means in an attempt to sway the election. They may even use intimidation at the polls to keep you away. 
    There is an answer to this situation. In 2 Chronicles we find Solomon, Son of David, building the temple in Jerusalem. Chapters 6 and 7 record the dedication of that edifice. Chapter 6 gives Solomon’s prayer. In it he implores God to “….Judge between your servants, condemning the guilty and bringing down on their heads what they have done, and vindicating the innocent by treating them in accordance with their innocence. (vs 23). In chapter 7 God appeared to Solomon in a dream and reiterates that sentiment.  God said: “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (vs 13 and 14)
    I know God is speaking in terms of the world 3,000 years ago, so I will paraphrase and put things in a more modern context. “When all kinds of bad things are happening, if my people….” Prayer is our unique ability to communicate with the God of the universe. To seek His face indicates our desire to understand His wisdom. In New Testament terms we are compared to ‘salt’ and ‘light.’ Salt is a preservative, while light illuminates truth. 
    Question. Are not we, as Christians, God’s people? These verses apply to us, too. Notice God does not implore evil people to repent. Why not? Because they are evil! Duh! They have rejected his authority. It is God’s own people who must repent. When they do the right thing, evil cannot stand. 
    I will now modify my earlier statement to allow a glimmer of hope. This is the last election we will have as a free people, unless Christians vote e- mass against the manifested corruptions of the Democratic party. They are a cancer and a reproach to our nation. Every iteration of their party at every level must be excised, or they will continue to grow. They must be stopped. Now. Or they will destroy us. 
    Vote like the future of the nation depends on it. It does.

     Vote like your very life and continued fortune depends on it. It does.

     Vote like the lives of your children and grandchildren depends on it. It does.

By Their Fruits You Shall Know them….

American cities are burning tonight, and have been every night for months. These are not ‘peaceful protests’. Rather, they are criminal acts of violence and lawlessness. They are part of a plan initiated and abetted at the highest levels by one of our two major political parties, the Democrats. These are not their only crimes. Let me list a few more.

-They are the party of abortion. We do not hear about it very much these days, because of the number of years that have passed since the Supreme Court decision. Let me say the entire case involved in Roe vs. Wade was a sham. And the court’s ruling was a severe over-reach of it’s authority. Today the issue is framed by the statement, ‘a woman’s right to choose.’ Choose what? To take away the life of an unborn child? But, that which is growing inside her is not hers! It is genetically unique and separate. Her responsibility is to nurture that life, not take it away. I will bring forward a small but significant statement of fact. “It is incorrect to say that life is created at conception. Actually, life is continued at conception.” If a party is unwilling to uphold the sanctity of life itself, it certainly will not uphold the law. 

-They are the party of socialism and communism. In fact, they almost nominated an avowed and unrepentant communist as their candidate for president. And the current candidate has expressed his full support for those ideals. I will now set you straight about Marx and the various ‘-isms’ that followed him. Marx was an atheist. A man who hated Christianity. He was also a moron. His economics are garbage, and have never been successfully implemented anywhere. The most recent example of the failure of his ideas is Venezuela. By contrast, capitalism is a direct result of the freedoms we have in Christ. If we can enjoy a right relationship with God, we can also enjoy a right relationship with our fellow man. Our system inspires confidence, and has produced the greatest and wealthiest nation in the history of the world. 

-They are seditious. The powers that be in the Democratic party willfully conspired to bring down a duly and legally elected President of the United States. Further, they politicized intelligence assets that were supposed to be non-political entities. All cases brought against the current President have been shown to be fabricated. Several of the major players have admitted their guilt and more are under investigation. The Democratic party relentlessly pursued articles of impeachment knowing they were lies, wasting your money in the process and delaying legislation that could be to our benefit. I have a better word for what they have done. Treason.

-They are incompetent. When the pandemic came to our nation, many governors instituted lock-down orders. To what end? We were told the reason was to ‘follow the science’ and  ‘flatten the curve’ so hospitals would not be overwhelmed. Guess what? Except for a few places, they were never overwhelmed. Lockdown policies did little, if any good at all. How do I know this? Because the states that remained free fared no worse than those with severe constraints. Often they did better. Stay at home orders represent an overreach of governmental authority, and a restriction of our Constitutionally guaranteed rights. What they should have done was to protect the ones who were most vulnerable to the virus, keep us informed, and offer advice on the best ways to prevent transmission. But did they? No. They ordered us to stay home! Who do they think they are? Do they really have the power to tell us we can't go to work? Or church? Who made them king? The effect was to make criminals out of decent law abiding citizens who want to make a better life for themselves and their families, not to mention the destruction of jobs and loss of revenue. 

Please understand, I am not trying to downplay the severity of the virus. It's a nasty bug! It targets a protein found primarily in the lungs, and that is why the elderly and those with compromised breathing capacity are the most at risk. However, better than 99% of those who catch the virus recover. This was known early on in the outbreak, but instead of taking steps to protect the few, they tried to shut down all.

-They have aided and abetted lawbreakers and criminals. Months ago, when the riots started, the Democratic mayors in those cities cheered them on, to the point of reducing their own ability to maintain law and order. I am talking about the ‘defund the police’ movement. It goes without saying that crime in those places has skyrocketed. These are elected officials charged with maintaining law and order. Protecting our lives and property is their job! So, what did they do when the chips were down? They disappeared and refused to take action. They told their respective police forces to stand down. The result was massive destruction and loss. This is the same political party that wants to confiscate our guns, and give us no means to defend ourselves. The unrest perpetrated by those criminals every night is manufactured and has the approval of the Democratic party. In the time since the riots have begun not one Democrat has stood on the national stage to condemn it. Not one. 

-They are the enemy of Christianity. If a party has embraced the killing of the innocent, and espouses a dedication to atheistic principles, why would they be a friend to those who live by the codex of scripture and the teachings of Christ? Evidence for this is in yet another overreach of power, by denying churches their Constitutional right to meet. 

I could go on, but I will not. My purpose is to arouse your anger and prompt you to action. Plus, there are many out there in the blogosphere who have a better angle on the events than I do. I invite you to seek out the facts for yourself. The reality is that the Democratic party, by its own actions, has proven itself to be an unrepentant force for unrest, division and crime in this country. The ideals they support are not the ideals of our founding fathers and the framers of the Constitution. Rather, the Democratic party is attempting to usurp our laws and replace them with something else, tyranny. People, this is nothing other than a naked grab for power. They must be stopped, or they will destroy us.  

What are we to do? Fight back, of course. Haven't you had enough of their wanton  destruction, looting, intimidation, and their distain for our flag and Bible? These rioters are in the minority. If free people stand up to them they can and will be defeated. That’s why I am appealing to two groups. First, Christians because the birthright of our nation is Christianity and the foundation of our system of law is the Bible. I also invite every red-blooded American whose heart beats for freedom to stand with me against the Democrats on Nov 3rd. Not just in the all-important presidential race. I am talking about every election: local, state and national. Get rid of them all! Send a powerful message that we will no longer tolerate their behavior. Vote! What’s more, vote in person, for that is the only way you know your vote will legally be counted. This fall we must go the the polls in overwhelming numbers to decisively cast down the corruption of that party. A vote against the Democratic party is a vote for liberty.

They have been weighed in the balances and are found wanting…

Coach Bonheim, HIIT Pioneer

It is interesting to see how sports training has developed over the years. Athletes and coaches are always looking for ways to gain a competitive edge over the other guys in the field. That field includes both individual and team sports. The changes brought about ultimately spill over to the private sector and the result is that athletes of every level are beneficiaries. Who has not heard the motto, “Train Smarter, not Harder.”

Which brings me to Coach Bonheim. I was on Liberty’s inaugural wrestling team. Let me state this up front. I was easily the worst guy on the mat. Just ask anyone who was there, they’ll tell you. But I digress. That first season our practices followed the pattern that I had come to know from my extensive one year of wrestling experience in high school. Basically, work, work, work. We would do conditioning exercises, work on moves, and wrestle. Every day. The second season our modus operandi changed dramatically. We still worked like crazy. But at the start of that season Coach said, “All right, we are going to do something different this year.”

The ‘something different’ was along these lines. Every other practice we would only wrestle. He might have us begin with a 1 minute session, then two, then three, then three again, two and one. Sometimes he would double them up. In between each session we would walk in a circle and check our heart rate. Actually he had one of our number checking his heart rate. When it dropped below 120 beats per minute, we got set up to go the next round. By the end of these practices we would spend some 40-45 minutes wrestling.

The in between days would be spent, after initial warm up exercises, practicing moves. Just moves. We might begin with takedowns, then mat work. Over and over again.

What did this do for us? It allowed time to recover from the intense physical demands of the hard practices, and inculcate a new skill set during the easy ones. This style fits with what is known about the bodies’ response to exercise. Generally, it takes up to 48 hours to recover from a maximum effort. That off time would be spent doing lighter work.  I thought it to be a great strategy, and I wound up being in the best shape of my life. My resting heart rate back then was 50. (It’s a respectable 55 today.) Granted, I was still the worst wrestler on the team, I was just better at being the worst. That was the year I started travelling with a singing group and had to quit the team.

It turns out that Coach Bonheim was a graduate of UCLA, and had studied under a guy named Laurence Morehouse. He mentioned Dr. Morehouse a couple of times during practice and the classes I took from him. An internet search led me to a 1975 People Magazine article about Dr. Morehouse where he was promoting his book, Total Fitness in 30 Minutes a week.

Wait, what? 30 minutes? A week? This was during the era when aerobics studios were springing up all over the place. Kenneth Cooper’s best-selling book “Aerobics” was first published in 1968. In that era the accepted wisdom was that adequate fitness requires a minimum of three thirty minute cardio sessions a week. And here was Dr. Morehouse saying you could stay fit in one third of that time. A radical idea.

Today the prevailing fitness wisdom is along the lines of shorter, more intense sessions. Forget about how long I need to work out. How short can I go and still achieve fitness goals? Modern day research suggests that a single 4 minute high intensity exercise session can produce the same changes in the body as 40 minutes of steady state exercise. This was demonstrated by a number of researchers, like Dr. Izumi Tabata, the Japanese speed skating coach who has those timers named after him.  

What are the benefits of this type of training? Among other things, better oxygen uptake by the lungs, expressed as VO2 max, better insulin metabolism, added strength, and an increase in mitochondria in muscle cells. How efficient!

Back to Coach Bonheim and the wrestling team. He was having us do high intensity workouts, and believe me, wrestling is a high intensity activity, decades before this research was known. How did this new type of training affect the team? The first season, we placed fifth at the National Christian College Athletic Association tournament at Messiah College in PA. The next year they were third, and the following two years placed first. Bonheim was named Coach of the Year.

It is obvious to me that Coach was on the cutting edge with his training methods, he was a HIIT innovator and years ahead of his time.

The IE-IE-YO

“IE-IE-YO?” She asked.

She happens to be my granddaughter, Makenzie, almost two years old and not quite three feet tall. Her face is raised upward to meet mine. “IE-IE-YO?” She implores again. Her light tousled hair falls partly across her forehead and covers one of her brown eyes. The face is a study in inquisitive precociousness. Her head is tilted to one side with one eyebrow raised as if she might be up to something.

I can’t always oblige her requests. Sometimes I am busy reading or researching something on the internet. Sometimes there is no time, it might be too close to dinner or bedtime. But today nothing is pressing.

“OK,” I say. Her face lights up with joy and she moves her hands like she’s clapping, even though they never touch. In her arms she holds two stuffed animals which move with her.

“Where is my computer?” I ask.

She hops over to the cubby where it is stowed and touches it. I reach over and take it out of its bag and set it on the floor in front of her.

“Would you like to help me open it?”

She shakes her head and the stuffed animals tumble to the floor as she bends over. Now her face is one of focus and concentration. Her little hands reach over to the zippers on the case. She grabs one and begins to unzip the top. Even though we have done this dozens of times she still has a little problem negotiating the zipper around the corners, so I rotate the case around to give her better leverage.

After the case is unzipped she jumps up and gathers her animals while I take it out. Then she moves over to help me plug it in. I never let her touch the power supply cord but I do ask her where the plug goes. She points to the correct location.

“Good!” I exclaim. Then she points to the modem port and I plug in the phone line. Having accomplished that I lean back in my Lazy Boy and unfold the leg rest. Now I’m ready for her to come aboard.  Using the lever as a step she begins to climb over the armrest, stuffed animals and all. I help her and in a few moments she is sitting beside me as I turn on the computer.

After it boots up I ask her, “Which one do we push?” She points to a green icon on the screen. “That’s right! We have to touch it twice.” I say this as I am doing it, knowing she has no idea how to call up a program using the touchpad. She waits patiently while the program comes up. Then I ask, “Which one do you want to watch?” She points to one of the three videos on the screen. Actually two of the three icons are identical, But I know which one she wants to watch. It’s the Christmas video, even though it is the middle of summer. If I click on the wrong one she will signal her displeasure almost at once. “No! No!” She will exclaim. As the video starts I ask her about her two ‘friends’.

“Who is this one?” I ask, pointing.

“Ju-Ju.” she replies.

“Junior?” I ask.

“Yes, she replies. Not yea or right-o. Yes.

“And who is this one?”

“Dumbo,” she says.

“Dumbo?”

Again, “Yes.”

 

I know her animals names already, but I like to draw her out and get her to talk.  I like the sound of her voice. I’d rather have her to talk to me than me talk to her.

The video is running now and sometimes we sing along.  During some parts I take her little hand and move it back and forth with the music like a conductor. Her attention never wavers. She laughs at certain parts, and answers my questions immediately. She has watched this with me many times and knows what will happen next, sometimes shouting out a word, like ‘house!’ right before they show the making, in fast motion, of a gingerbread house.

During some parts she will look at me and smile. As we watch I take note of her eyes. They appear to be a little droopy. She looks tired. Maybe she got up too early from her nap today.

I say, “You can lay back and still watch the video.”

I adjust the lazy-boy back a notch and move the computer screen slightly.  Without a word her head settles back on my shoulder.