I’m going to instruct you to grab a box of tissues, and head over to Angie Smith’s blog on the life of her daughter, Audrey Caroline. This is not a request, but a serious charge to have your faith both shaken and strengthened by the story. Start from the first post back in January of this year, and read your way to the latest posts, from today, Audrey’s birth day.
Angie’s words of pain and struggle and faith have blown me away as I read all of her posts today. This is a woman whose faith in God is so strong, it makes me feel as if I can trust God even more than I ever have before, even in the face of the worst kinds of challenges.
Enough of my words. Go read Angie’s. I’ve got some praying to do.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
An Open Letter to My Sister-In-Law
Dear Karla,
First of all, I would like to thank you for the very nice shirts which you have given me for the past three Christmases. It is obvious that not only are you an excellent seamstress, but you also know my tastes in clothing quite well. The style of the shirts is perfect for me, the fit is excellent and quite comfortable, and the choice of materials has always been fantastic.
I certainly don’t want you to get the idea that I am not grateful for the shirts; quite to the contrary, they are among my very favorite items of clothing; I wear them frequently, and almost always get great comments on them from others. I do hope to receive such shirts as gifts for as long as you enjoy making them, as for as long as giving them as gifts keeps you from turning toward unfortunate gifts, such as soap-on-a-rope.
However, I feel the need to point out a disturbing trend that I have noticed with regard to their design. It is relatively minor, and I hope that I do not offend by pointing it out. I do not mean to criticize, but to state the observation, and hope that it is merely coincidental, and not indicative of a greater trend.
The first shirt you gave me, for Christmas 2005,with the eye-popping pattern of alternating gold, purple, magenta, and cyan stripes, with small stars among them, had two chest pockets, one on each side. In 2006, the shirt I received for Christmas had swirling blues and whites, and it had a single chest pocket, on the left side, as is quite common. This past Christmas, the shirt again had wonderful blues and whites, in stripes and swirls, and had no pockets. Two pockets, one pocket, no pockets.
Please do not misunderstand; it is not the absence of pockets on the most recent gift that is of concern. I don’t have to have pockets on my shirts, though at least one is nice to have from time to time. I am, instead, somewhat unsettled by the trend in the decreasing amount of fabric being used to make the shirts.
Again, the shirts have all been generously sized for my more-than-ample frame; none of them are uncomfortable when I am sitting, and none of them is in danger of losing buttons for having to stretch across my mid-section. If the amount of material were to decrease along the trend shown by the previous shirts, I am sure that you would not skimp in this way; neither you nor anybody else wishes to see my white belly peeking out between the buttons of a shirt that is too tight for me.
No, I am more concerned that the decrease in material will be evidenced in other unfortunate ways. If, for instance, you were to change to a tab collar instead of the traditional men’s collar, it would lend an air of unfortunate formality to a design that is quite casual and to my liking. Or, as another example, you were to make future shirts sleeveless, that would, of course, require me to either wear a t-shirt underneath, and roll up a pack of cigarettes in one of the t-shirt sleeves, or to get a rather large tattoo on each arm. Being a fan of neither smoking nor of tattoos (and the unfortunate encounters with tattoo artists required to get them), that would be distressing for me. For the sake of family harmony, and to honor your gift, I would, of course, do one or the other, but it would be a burden which would mar the spirit of giving.
Ultimately, the trend toward using less material would, of course, lead to you giving me a tie. This would, in my mind, be unacceptable. I do not wear ties. I refuse to wear them. They serve no practical purpose, they are uncomfortable, they have the unfortunate tendency to get caught in paper shredders, and they bear a frightening resemblance to a hangman’s noose. Were you to give me such a gift, it could permanently mar our relationship, and since you are married to my brother, would escalate the tension in an already rancorous sibling rivalry, leading me to stay awake nights coming up with ways to continue to prove my superiority. You wouldn’t want that on your conscience, now, would you?
Again, I do not wish to be considered ungrateful. I do love the shirts you have given, and admire your talent for making them. I hope you will give proper consideration to my concerns.
Sincerely,
Your Brother-in-Law, Tim Castle
First of all, I would like to thank you for the very nice shirts which you have given me for the past three Christmases. It is obvious that not only are you an excellent seamstress, but you also know my tastes in clothing quite well. The style of the shirts is perfect for me, the fit is excellent and quite comfortable, and the choice of materials has always been fantastic.
I certainly don’t want you to get the idea that I am not grateful for the shirts; quite to the contrary, they are among my very favorite items of clothing; I wear them frequently, and almost always get great comments on them from others. I do hope to receive such shirts as gifts for as long as you enjoy making them, as for as long as giving them as gifts keeps you from turning toward unfortunate gifts, such as soap-on-a-rope.
However, I feel the need to point out a disturbing trend that I have noticed with regard to their design. It is relatively minor, and I hope that I do not offend by pointing it out. I do not mean to criticize, but to state the observation, and hope that it is merely coincidental, and not indicative of a greater trend.
The first shirt you gave me, for Christmas 2005,with the eye-popping pattern of alternating gold, purple, magenta, and cyan stripes, with small stars among them, had two chest pockets, one on each side. In 2006, the shirt I received for Christmas had swirling blues and whites, and it had a single chest pocket, on the left side, as is quite common. This past Christmas, the shirt again had wonderful blues and whites, in stripes and swirls, and had no pockets. Two pockets, one pocket, no pockets.
Please do not misunderstand; it is not the absence of pockets on the most recent gift that is of concern. I don’t have to have pockets on my shirts, though at least one is nice to have from time to time. I am, instead, somewhat unsettled by the trend in the decreasing amount of fabric being used to make the shirts.
Again, the shirts have all been generously sized for my more-than-ample frame; none of them are uncomfortable when I am sitting, and none of them is in danger of losing buttons for having to stretch across my mid-section. If the amount of material were to decrease along the trend shown by the previous shirts, I am sure that you would not skimp in this way; neither you nor anybody else wishes to see my white belly peeking out between the buttons of a shirt that is too tight for me.
No, I am more concerned that the decrease in material will be evidenced in other unfortunate ways. If, for instance, you were to change to a tab collar instead of the traditional men’s collar, it would lend an air of unfortunate formality to a design that is quite casual and to my liking. Or, as another example, you were to make future shirts sleeveless, that would, of course, require me to either wear a t-shirt underneath, and roll up a pack of cigarettes in one of the t-shirt sleeves, or to get a rather large tattoo on each arm. Being a fan of neither smoking nor of tattoos (and the unfortunate encounters with tattoo artists required to get them), that would be distressing for me. For the sake of family harmony, and to honor your gift, I would, of course, do one or the other, but it would be a burden which would mar the spirit of giving.
Ultimately, the trend toward using less material would, of course, lead to you giving me a tie. This would, in my mind, be unacceptable. I do not wear ties. I refuse to wear them. They serve no practical purpose, they are uncomfortable, they have the unfortunate tendency to get caught in paper shredders, and they bear a frightening resemblance to a hangman’s noose. Were you to give me such a gift, it could permanently mar our relationship, and since you are married to my brother, would escalate the tension in an already rancorous sibling rivalry, leading me to stay awake nights coming up with ways to continue to prove my superiority. You wouldn’t want that on your conscience, now, would you?
Again, I do not wish to be considered ungrateful. I do love the shirts you have given, and admire your talent for making them. I hope you will give proper consideration to my concerns.
Sincerely,
Your Brother-in-Law, Tim Castle
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