Long Roads

We are on the next leg of our trip home… to the next location, anyway, which happens to be closer to home than Oklahoma. We’ll get back just in time to pick up 15 pizzas for a game-playing get-together with our family in Christ that we’ll be hosting at a home that doesn’t belong to us. Whew! Our congregation is hosting a gospel meeting this weekend, and since we were called away for the funeral at the same time, we are arriving back right in the middle of it all. I’m thankful for that much, though!

Even though it was under grievous circumstances, our trip has been enjoyable. We only get to see that side of the family once in a year or two, sometimes less often, so it’s nice when we’re all together for a while. It’s sad that it takes a funeral in our busy lives to accomplish that, as is usually the case with large extended families. It was certainly better when it was for a 90th birthday party! We tried to make the best of it, anyway. The kids got to swim at the hotel a couple times, we watched a lot of Animal Planet, and they had a blast playing with the cousins that they probably still can’t identify with first names, but thoroughly enjoyed. Here are a couple of cute (slightly embarrassing) moments, both just happening to be from Luke. (I can sense your non-surprise.)

The night of the visitation, Levi came over and told me that Luke was choking another kid. With no reason to doubt such an accusation, I called him over began the interrogation.

Mom: Did you choke someone?
Luke: Yes.
Mom: Why?
Luke: Well, I told him I could kill him and he said no, I couldn’t.
Mom: (silent)
Luke: I told him yes I could, by choking him to death, and he said no, I couldn’t.
Mom: (silent)
Luke: So I showed him how.
Mom: (Not surprised, glaring at his father, from whence came this man-child.) Luke, do NOT choke people, please, and especially family.

Then I got to explain to the other ladies at the table with me, of which none happened to be the mother of the victim, who was fine, that my kids really weren’t trying to be mean or bullies. They’re just having fun, and they think punching each other is fun. They don’t do any of those violent things with ill-natured intentions, or to hurt someone… that’s just how they play. (And they didn’t learn it from me, thank you!) Most kids aren’t used to that kind of play, ggl. Most daddies aren’t as rough as ours, either. One cousin said her kids remembered our kids as the ones that kept punching them in the stomach last time. Nice. HO-NEY!!


When I told Honey about it later, he said, “Oh, yeah. He was practicing those moves on me after we watched Human Weapon.” THAT is where he learned the ‘choke lock.’

I try so hard, you know, to teach the kids to be peaceful, not to fight, to get along. I go out running errands for ONE HOUR and he learns the choke lock, then proceeds to practice it on his unsuspecting cousins. I will never, never understand little boys. Never.

I AM glad to have rough and tumble boys, who I hope will grow to be tough and rugged men (who also have good table manners, never wear their hats inside, are well-educated and grammatically-minded, and gentle husbands and fathers), and I don’t have to worry much about their being sissies. That’s a hard balance to find, I know, but they have an excellent example in their father, who has mastered both sides well, and in their Heavenly Father, who is the perfect example of toughness and gentleness. It’s quite a process getting them there, though, and you just hope that other parents understand the dips into one side or the other along the way… and that nobody gets seriously injured!

All the boys were very good at the funeral, and so handsome in their suits and ties, and I was proud of them for that. They were good the rest of the day, too, with only minor incidents involving finding their way to the cellar, and banning any girls from getting near the big apple tree that was a club for boys ONLY. On the way back to our hotel last night, after having no dinner but a mini ham sandwich, we passed an Orange Leaf yogurt shop. I have been wanting to try it ever since I heard about it, as I’ve always fondly remembered my younger years when we had a TCBY in town. I gave Honey the puppy dog eyes and he took us in for a treat. This place has a wall of about 12 different flavors of yogurt, where you put whatever you want in your cup, add as many of the maybe thirty toppings, then pay by the ounce. Dreamy!! When we pulled up to the store and told the boys we were going in, they whooped and hollered. Going to a dessert shop is great, but when you haven’t even had dinner?!? Jackpot!

Luke: This is the best vacation EVER!
Everyone else in the car: (Looking a little shocked and appalled.) Luke! This is not a vacation! We just had a funeral.
Luke: (pause) Okay, this is the best funeral EVER!

What could we do but laugh and marvel at the simplicity of childhood. Oh, to have that freedom again.

It was, in fact, though a sad loss, still a happy event for a family that is sure of a grand homecoming for a good man. We even played a game of Rook to celebrate… and won one for PaPa’s team!