Erroll Le Vant Observations

As a minister I am often called on to help people in times of grief. They frequently need comfort and direction in what they need to do now for the loved one they have just lost. They want to make sure that they do all they can to make sure the deceased is properly cared for and honored.

In such times, it is not easy to make the best possible decision. In such situations, the funeral message I will render is just the beginning of the services they need. I have long admired those who offer their services in such emotional settings. I know there is a business side to the funeral industry, and I do not begrudge those who make a decent living by providing for the needs of others. But I do not like it when those with mercenary hearts come into such situations and take advantage of those in grief.

That is why I am happy when reputable providers like GravesiteMasters.com are selected to provide Cemetery, Funeral, & Sympathy Flowers services, as well as longer term care for the gravesites. They will polish head stones, keep flowers tended and the lawns properly seeded. And they will do so without taking advantage of those in grief.

The book club assigned book for the month of May was Watership Down. I had never read it, I think in part because I had the idea that it was an innocuous children’s book that was too long. But I was completely wrong. I no longer think it is too long and I am not at all sure I would call it a children’s book.  I kept wishing for a lapine dictionary, only to find a glossary at the end of the book. Too late, I had just finished the story.

Richard Adams did a great job of developing characters and making them appealing. I came to care about a great number of the players in the tale of the rabbits moving to establish a safe and pleasant home at Watership Down. I am not sure who I would call my favorite character, all of them had attributes that were compelling. I found myself identifying with Hazel, trusting Fiver, admiring Bigwig and fearing General Woundwort.

As I read the book, I was especially entertained by Kehaar, the seagull that became an important ally in the battles of Efrafa. I think the reason I liked him is that I know some folks in the Caribbean that sound a lot like the feathered fellow from the “Beeg Vater”.

Adams was masterful in moving the story along and making me believe these rabbits have proverbs and prophecies, longings and loyalties.  I am not sure what message Adams hoped to transmit to the readers, but the one that rang out loudest to me was that everyone in a community is an important element of the society, from the smallest and meekest to the wisest and strongest.

I was pleased with the book and am pleased that I spent the time to read it. The next selection for the group is The Hiding Place, by Corrie Ten Boom.  If you would like to participate in the book club, read the book and post a review on June 25. Happy reading.

I just listened to the Abbot & Costello routine, "Who's On First?" It is still hilarious. When I went online to find out a bit about the routine, I was surprised to hear the it was first done in 1939! It is a truly amazing piece of comedy, timeless. Those guys were wonderful anyway, but the "Who's on First?" bit is their best work!

When my girls were at home we all had library cards to the local public library. It was one of the favorite places for our family to go. The girls loved to read and always joined in the summer reading club that was offered every year.
For some sad reason, when the girls grew up and moved away from home, neither my wife nor I went to the library often. When we moved to a new town neither of us obtained a library card.

But now we are raising two of our grandsons because of health issues our youngest daughter is battling. The boys love for us to read to them. We all have signed up for a library card and have a regular schedule for a trip to check out new books every other Friday! It is once again a big part of our life to go to the library!

When I was a kid I had several old silver dollars, some from as far back as the 1880’s. I was very proud of them and eventually gave them to my daughters as the left home to establish their own homes.

But I never was fortunate enough to possess any us gold coins. They remained a thing of dreams. But with the current price of gold, I am thinking it me be a good idea to invest in some thing like the American Eagle, a beautiful gold coin with a $50 currency value and a solid buying power! Each is one ounce and is over ninety per cent pure gold!

Last night I took my grand daughter to see the game between the Houston Astros and the Florida Marlins at Minute Maid Park. We had a good time, despite the Astros' loss. The one thing that caused my grand daughter a moment of pause was when she realized that this would be the first game she has seen without Craig Biggio as a member of the team. Biggio retired after a 20 career last September. My Grand Daughter will be twelve in May!

A good friend of mine has decided to put together a Book Club gathering of bloggers each month. She will post a book for any one who is interested in participating to read by the 25th of the month. Then each participant will post his or her report on the book on their own blog, with a link to the book club site. My friend will include links back to the various posts so that the participants can peruse the other posted reports. The book to be read for the month of April is To Kill A Mockingbird. I have not read it since high school, so I will pick up a copy at the library and give it a reread. The whole idea sounds like fun to me, and of course, the more the merrier!

I believe that little girls grow up dreaming of their wedding day. They love the romance of that day. Most of the young girls I know have a picture in their heads of walking down the aisle of a church to meet her prince charming. But there are a growing number of romantic thinkers that are considering destination weddings to ful fill their dreams. They have pictures of the azure water of the Caribbean washing in around their feet as they exchange vows with a cool breeze blowing through thier hair and palm trees swaying overhead. Such weddings are affordable and accessible through resorts in the locations the girls are dreaming of.

I have been blessed over the years to have had some great teachers, from Mrs. Morrow in kindergarten to Dr. Willis in grad school. But I believe that my best teacher, by far, is Experience.

Experience is the most persistent of teachers, always providing opportunities to learn and advance my understanding. S/He lets me know there are things I can do and must do. S/He has shown me that there are things that I cannot do and need to depend on others. Experience teaches me dangerous things to avoid, as well as beautiful things to pursue and embrace.

Experience has helped me get jobs and taken me to exotic places. S/He has given me confidence that I could accomplish and achieve. S/He has brought me disappointment when I did not reach a goal, but also brought great satisfaction when a job has been done.

Experience has introduced to a vast number of people. S/He has brought me into contact with people that are the greatest joy in life, and taught me to love them. Experience also has taught me that there are some folks with whom I will have no positive interaction. Experience has taught me how to endure them, at times even honor them.

Experience has helped me realize a lot about life and how to handle the ups and downs. Through Experience, I know that when I am having a mountaintop moment, it will not be long till I have to go back down into the valley to continue my journey.
And when life has dealt me a severe blow, Experience reminds me that it is another hurdle to be overcome, but that the sun is still shining behind the clouds.

I have daily home delivery of the Houston Chronicle. Except on Sunday, I like to start my day with the paper, but I usually only read the sports page and the funny papers. One of the comics I check every day is Mother Goose and Grimm. It often has a new twist on old thoughts or phrases. I often laugh. Today was one of those. I thought you might enjoy the laugh and start reading the funnies, if you are not in the habit.