This Prayer Thing

A novice has a go......

"Well God, I've heard a lot of people speak highly of prayer, so I thought I'd give it a try. Of course I need to make a couple of assumptions; (1) You exist and (2) my concept of God is compatible with what You find acceptable. The latter may be the bigger leap of faith, so to speak. After all, whether you exist is basically a 50/50 chance, but given the many views on what is acceptable to You, each saying the others are wrong, the odds of having the correct one seem to be pretty long. But I digress."

"From what I've seen I should start out by laying on a little flattery, which seems a bit silly. You're supposed to be omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. It's pretty tough to come up with anything to compete with that, and based on those characteristics You already know what I'll say anyway. Let's see....... I understand You're responsible for the existence of everything, which is pretty impressive, although I've noticed people tend to downplay all the bad stuff included in that. I think it's reasonable to expect a few problems with that big an undertaking, but people don't seem to like the idea that things didn't turn out exactly as You wanted - I guess it clashes with that omnipotence - so they end up saying things like this is the best possible world, which doesn't speak terribly well of You in my opinion, or that You put us here to make things better, which again isn't very flattering; given the overall record of the human race I would think You could do better. "

"I see I have drifted off again. Staying focused is proving to be a bit of a problem. I don't see how people like the Pope can pray for hours. I believe here is where I am supposed to make my supplication. It seems people have all sorts of requests; world peace, good weather, healing of sickness both individual and group, an end to war.... it goes on and on. Most of it wouldn't seem too difficult for a being with the power they attribute to You. But they always end with an out; "Thy will be done". I guess this covers the possibility that either You don't listen to them or You like things the way they are. It seems odd to always allow for the complete failure of something they claim is so important, but based on their apparent success rate I suppose it makes sense. "

"Anyway, it seems best to keep it simple, so......there seems to be a general claim that everything is a part of some sort of plan You have for the universe in general and us in particular. I hope that I don't get hosed over in this plan, but You're going to do what You want, and based on what I've seen so far I won't be surprised if I do. If You're listening, thanks. Amen. "

Just a Bit More Room

As I type this preparations are being made to mark the passing of 52 weeks since Grandbaby made her first appearance outside of her mother's womb, to generally good reviews. Yes, she's hit the Big 1.0. Picnic supplies are being procured along with the usual birthday goodies, and presents are being contemplated, ignoring my suggestion that she would be quite happy with either the wrapping paper itself or anything chewable. I'm sure she'll pull in a good haul, although I'm slightly concerned that her well-known predilection for dancing will result in her receiving a lot of music-producing objects that will end up in my living room, since there isn't any other place for them at the moment.

This space shortage comes to mind whenever I watch one of those house-shopping shows on HGTV where people with resources that suggest either illicit income or a lender who missed the memo on sub-prime mortgages look at properties with hallucinogenic price tags. These people usually start off with reasonable goals (more space for kids, a shorter commute) then end up with silly justifications for their decision ("We really don't need a pool since no one can swim, but the kitchen appliances are so pretty we can't resist!").

When I think about what I would want to improve in my current house, actual living space doesn't emerge as a high priority. Although either a larger third bedroom or a fourth one would be nice right now, with some organization we could fit everyone and their daily needs into what we have. Our kitchen is a nice size with adequate cupboard space. The bathrooms are fine, and two of the bedrooms are nicely sized, although if I had to do it over I would replace the garden tub in the master bedroom with a walk-in closet. Overall the space is sufficient, if not abundant.

Our problem is stuff. My poor wooden garden shed bulges at the seams, and items are shoved into any available nook instead of being displayed as intended.What I could really use is an addition with a lot of wall space for shelves and hanging up pictures, and walk-in closets for storage; basically an overflow area. That would free up my house for actual living.

Fill-in Fatherhood

So far the preliminary investigation into the Steve McNair shooting seems to point toward a crime of passion or something like it,once again showing that while political and religious ideologies may motivate the large-scale human tragedies, sex continues to inflict similar damage a few lives at a time. I'm glad that my romantic misadventures were relatively uneventful; no criminal acts resulted, and the civil litigation, while vexing and distasteful, was a teardrop in a rainstorm compared to many divorces.

Among the people who have been interviewed about McNair is Jim Fassel, who worked in various capacities for the Baltimore Ravens when McNair was there. A few years ago when Fassel was quarterbacks coach for the Ravens, he likened it to his previous job as head coach of the New York Giants as the difference between being a grandfather and being a father. That comparison has been on my mind lately as Grandbaby and her Mom continue to cohabit with us.

To my thinking, a father bears ultimate responsibility; he is accountable for the health and well-being of the children he brought into the world. This means constantly making decisions, often impromptu and unpleasant ones, then dealing with whatever consequences arise. It also means maintaining a certain disciplinary persona. Being a Dad has made me a better person, and my daughter has been just about as good a kid as I could have desired, but fatherhood has been a source of huge anxiety and tension. Seeing my daughter grow up to be a fine young lady hasn't just been a matter of fatherly pride; it's also brought a gigantic feeling of relief. The hardest part of the divorce from her mother was the uncertainty of raising her in such a situation (I got custody).

Grandfather,on the other hand, is a pretty sweet gig. Gramps has already been through it, made his mistakes, and (hopefully) learned from them, so he's not as easily rattled as the parents. He also doesn't have the 24-hour responsibility of running the household, so he can be more indulgent, as well as provide a broader perspective that parents,especially young parents, can lose in the day-to-day stresses. There is also the practical perk of being only an emergency provider of child maintenance such as diaper-related activities.

Those of you who have suffered through my previous posts know that I live by the shore of Lake Estrogen; females abound in my household. Add to this the departure of Grandbaby's father from the vicinity and I find myself having to uphold the masculine end of things,which means some fatherly duties as well as being Grandpa. This isn't a big deal, but it brings back some of the old anxieties. But my current wife has been fantastic with and for my daughter, and I plan to continue to do whatever I can to help out her daughter and Grandbaby (I'm babysitting as I post this), even if it means recalling some old skills that I had hoped not to have to use again.