Dents and cracks

I smashed one of the front window panes tonight playing basketball with Blake. I was chasing a ball and took one dorky step too many and kicked the ball right into the pane (they are small panes, thankfully, of a multi-pane window).

I’m thinking of the dozens of glass panes that have broken in our front windows over the years. Broken by basketballs, baseballs, soccer balls. And the dents in our garage door, made by same. And our front gutters, which are beat up as well from high rebounds.

They represent many years of pickup basketball between me and my kids. Years of throwing the baseball. Years of soccer practice out front. Years of fun.

I’m not particularly athletic (my kids are, however – they get it from their mom). But I sure have enjoyed these years. I will take all the dents and cracks! I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

I fixed the window pretty quickly tonight. I have a few extra panes in the garage, and I’ve gotten pretty quick at it over the years.

Andrew – I remember freaking out at you the first time one broke, many years ago. You threw a baseball through one of the panes. I’m sorry; I was a jerk. First of all, I should have caught the ball. Secondly, I didn’t know at the time how easy it would be to repair. I guess it’s just part of the price you paid for being the first. You didn’t deserve the rant.

Listening . . .

It happens with every musician, early on. There’s that moment when the instrument quits being a frustrating bafflement and becomes something that works, and that can be joyfully built upon.

I’m listening to my daughter Bethany in her room, playing guitar and singing. She’s reached that moment in the last few weeks, and is progressing at a really swift pace.

I love the sound.

One year down, fifteen more to go . . .

Our eldest has completed his first year of College. We go to pick him up tomorrow and bring him home.

Assuming all four of ours complete a four year program, we have fifteen more years to go (a number of them will be simultaneous)! It’s an adventure. Praise the Lord, who provided for us to pay for this first year without debt. We’re hoping to keep up that trend.

And thanks to Andrew, who was remarkably self-sufficient (he never once asked us for spending money – unless his Mom is keeping that a secret 🙂

Good job on getting this first year under your belt, Andrew! Well done.

The Mac is Back

Our venerable iMac G5 (from the early production run of late 2004) blew its mind two months ago. Since then I’ve had a crash course in replacing iMac logic boards. I use the plural because I’ve been through three of them while on this 60 day technological adventure.

Our original board developed a video ram problem. I ordered a replacement from some place in Cali, and the replacement had a . . . video ram problem. I got them to ship me another one. It had bulging capacitors (a common problem with early G5 boards). It worked for awhile but kept losing its mind whenever we put it to sleep, make undue noise, or breathed on it.

After some wrangling, I received a refund after shipping the deranged board back. Then I ordered a third board from another place. I was disappointed to find that it too has a couple of bulging capacitors (a mild case), but at this point, because a) it appears to be working and doesn’t lose its mind when we put it to sleep and b) beggars can’t be choosers, we’re going to try it for awhile.

I really only want another year out of this Mac before replacing it. Hopefully we’ll get there.

It’s good to have it back. I was getting really tired of using our Wind’ohs machine.

Be Thou My Vision

We’ve had a busy and good weekend. There is much I could write about, but a contented weariness steals over me (in other words, I’m beat). I’ll leave you with this (we sang this in church today):

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.

Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;

Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;

Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:

Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,

Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,

May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

From Wikipedia:

The original Old Irish text, Rop tú mo Baile is often attributed to Dallan Forgaill in the 6th century. The text had been a part of Irish monastic tradition for centuries before its setting to the tune, therefor before it became an actual hymn. It was translated from Old Irish into English by Mary E. Byrne in Ériu (the journal of the School of Irish Learning) in 1905. The English text was first versified by Eleanor H. Hull in 1912 and is now the most common text used.