One Small Step for Man...

Quote du jour

"There is the heat of Love, the pulsing rush of Longing, the lover's whisper, irresistible--magic to make the sanest man go mad."

- Homer

A Little Sunday Night Music

Great Is the Lord - Christian Edition

Rosemary for Remembrance

A short story by Mary M. Isaacs


She looked at her table, which she had just finished setting. The burgundy tablecloth was one of her best; there were matching burgundy candles in the crystal candlesticks. She had spent over an hour polishing the silver and washing the best china, after getting it down from the cupboard over the refrigerator. Now she straightened the silver at each place setting and made sure the water glasses had no spots. She wanted everything to look perfect tonight. The dining room had been cleaned and dusted earlier, the windows washed, and the chairs polished. It looked as lovely as she remembered from all Thanksgiving dinners past.

Suddenly the doorbell rang. She turned away from the table expectantly, whisking off her apron as she hurried to the door. She looked through the peephole and then opened the door with a welcoming smile. A man in uniform stood there, holding a small arrangement of flowers. “Holiday delivery for Andrews?” he asked.

“Yes, that’s me,” she said, looking at the flowers closely. Red and pink carnations were mixed with small tea roses, with fir, rosemary, and dried statice scattered throughout.

“Kind of an unusual combination, isn’t it?” the delivery man said. “But it looks pretty, and it sure does smell nice.”

“Thank you,” she smiled warmly as she took the arrangement from him. “Wait a minute…” and she picked up a twenty-dollar bill from the small table by the door and handed it to him.

He looked surprised. “Twenty bucks?” he asked, looking at her.

“It IS Thanksgiving Day,” she said. “I really appreciate your being able to deliver the flowers fresh today.”

“Well, thank you! And Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!” he said, smiling broadly, and then he turned to walk back to his van.

She closed the door while admiring the flowers. They were just right. Carrying them carefully to the dining room, she placed the arrangement in the exact center of the table. It went beautifully with the tablecloth and the candles in their holders. She knew she had chosen well, even though she had ordered them sight unseen.

All at once she remembered the food cooking. While putting her apron on again, she hurried out of the dining room and into the kitchen. Her track record for cooking turkeys was uneven at best, so for this special occasion she played it safe by ordering a fully cooked one. She had picked it up earlier at the grocery store, during its shortened hours, along with ready-made gravy from the deli.

She checked the potatoes on the stove and the sweet potatoes in the oven. The pie had been made the night before and was sitting on the sideboard, ready to be cut and served. The pouches of frozen petite peas were boiling away on the stove–everything was nearly ready. All she needed to do was pull it all together at the last minute…

* * * * *

At last everything was ready. She carried in the turkey, on its platter, and set it on the sideboard in the dining room. The bowls of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and peas she set on the table, each with its own silver serving spoon. Cranberry jelly glowed in a cut glass dish. The gravy was in a small pitcher, ready to be poured out. Everything was in its place.

She hung up her apron behind the kitchen door, smoothed down the skirt of her best dress, and sat down at the table. After glancing at the empty armchair at the head of the table, she bowed her head and spoke her father’s favorite prayer aloud. In the silence that followed, she could almost hear her mother’s voice echoing the final “amen”.

As she sat alone at the table, she felt the memories of many Thanksgiving dinners wash over her. The smells were right, the food looked perfect, and the table decorations were as beautiful as ever her mother had arranged. The only difference was the flowers–and she had chosen those specifically for this day. Rosemary for remembrance…she thought. Other years would be different, but for this first Thanksgiving meal without her parents, she wanted to honor and remember her loved ones in her heart, by herself.

As she lifted her glass in thankfulness for their lives, and toasted her parents silently, she felt again the warmth of their love and affection for her; the close family circle that remained unbroken in her memory, even though they were no longer there.

That was something she would remember every day, not just at Thanksgiving.


Mary M. Isaacs — copyright, 2018

Quote du jour

When Jesus is lifted up in his Church, his presence is the Church's power—the shout of a king is in the midst of her. "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men unto me."

-Charles H. Spurgeon

A Little Saturday Night Music

Firefall - You Are The Woman -Live

The Poetry Corner

Here's a little poem I wrote last Decenmber when I finished putting up my Christmas decorations.
This year, I added three more strings of lights!

The lights on the house,
LEDs, they're like icicles.
(Feel like I rode 20 miles on my bicycle!)
Solar lights circle the palm tree's circumference
(Oh, yeah! Like I have a rhyme for circumference!)
The wreath on the front door is covered in bells
Decorations are done!
Joyeux Noël!

Best of the Web*

*…that Dave and I have seen all week!

(BTW, if you wonder where any of the links will take you, hover your cursor over the link.)

Political/SocioEconomic

BEGIN AND BIDEN, COMPARE AND CONTRAST
INFOGRAPHIC: The Shocking Allegations of Mass Vote Fraud Made by Sidney Powell in Georgia Poll: 17% of Biden voters in swing states would change their vote, if informed
How US Presidents Rank For Clemency




Culture

Why the Navy manages its own private white oak forest
Feel-Good Friday


Science/Technology

The Sportiest of Cookouts -Throwing .50 BMG Into a Fire



Photoshops/Cartoons/Graphics
Flopping Aces -Sunday Funnies

Sunday Funnies, 11-22-20

Today's Toons 11/18/20
Today's Toons 11/19/20
Today's Toons 11/20/20
US Election Fraud 2020
Today's Toons 11/23/20
Today's Toons 11/24/20



Linkfests:

Larwyn’s Linx: Dominion Voting Systems ‘Lawyers Up,’ Abruptly Backs Out of PA State House Fact-Finding Hearing
In The Mailbox: 11.23.20
Larwyn’s Linx: Crowd Gasps as PA Legislature Learns of Ballot Upload With 600,000 Votes Biden and 3,200 For Trump
In The Mailbox: 11.24.20
Larwyn’s Linx: Election 2020 Was Rigged: The Evidence
In The Mailbox: 11.25.20
Larwyn’s Linx: Poll Watcher Describes Pennsylvania Election Irregularities, Including 47 Missing USB Cards
In The Mailbox: 11.27.20 (Afternoon Edition)

Larwyn’s Linx: Pennsylvania State Legislature Files Resolution to Dispute Statewide 2020 Election Results
In The Mailbox: 11.27.20 (Evening Edition)



Dave's Rule Five Roundup:

Proof Positive - Vintage Babe of the Week - Tonight's Vintage Babe is Thanksgiving Babes and Best of the Web

Animal Magnetism - RULE FIVE NEW AMENDMENT FRIDAY

redpilljew - Gratuitous Rule Five Friday: Women with Braids

By Other Means - Tuesday Tap Rack and Bang, BeCos(play) It's Friday and Seeing Red

Evi L. Bloggerlady - Lucia di Lammermoor

Ninety Miles From Tyranny - Hot Pick, Girls With Guns, Morning Mistress and Blogs With Rule 5 Links

Pitsnipes Gripes- Just a simple tribute

Grouchy Old Cripple - Saturday Boobage

Irons in the Fire - Friday Data and ... Saturday Data Overflow

The Feral Irishman - Friday Femme Fatale

The Daley Gator - Daley Babe

Diogenes Middle Finger News - A Good Monday Morning

A View from the Beach - Rule 5 Saturday - Pia Zadora and Fish Pic Friday

24 Femmes Per Second - Anna Karina

Knuckledraggin My Life Away - I'm sure she's taken, men And ... I’ll leave you with this

American Power - Rhian Sugden Bodacious 2021 Calendar

Woodsterman - Rule 5 Woodsterman Style

The Other McCain - Rule 5 Monday: Julie London

The Pirates Cove - If All You See ... and Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Wired Right - A Beautiful End to the Day

The View from LadyLake - Blondes and Cleavage

The Right Way - Friday Babe and ... Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama

Use the comments as an open thread on any of these topics. Please send links of news, commentary, or choice humor to: Proof.Positive@Hotmail.com

Quote du jour

Imagine the outrage if an animal shelter dismembered puppies the moment they were born? Crushed their skulls, Severed their spinal cords with surgical scissors? Placed newborn pups on a shelf, without food, or water waiting for them to die?

If only babies had the rights of puppies!

-Mike B

Dr. Anthony Fauci Warns of Bleak Winter

Dr. Anthony Fauci Warns of Bleak Winter: Looking Forward to ‘Christmas in 2021’

Dr. Anthony Fauci believes that Thanksgiving could mark the beginning of a bleak winter, warning that the pandemic could worsen throughout the holidays and encouraging Americans to “be careful” as Christmas approaches...

Free Gun Friday

For those of you who like your Black Friday nestled comfortably at home, sipping hot mulled cider while all your goodies are delivered to you, this one's for you! This package inclues an FN 509 Compact Tactical 9mm pistol, LaserMax Lightning laser, 500 rounds of Black Hills HoneyBadger ammo and a bag from Elite Survival Systems.

If your tryptophan induced coma will not allow you to get up and shop for bargains today, you can click here

Quote du jour

Whoever said that money can’t buy happiness simply didn’t know where to go shopping.

- Bo Derek

Thanksgiving Vintage Babes of the Week

Tonight's Thanksgiving Vintage Babes!
A little cheescake to go with the turkey!

Diversity

Quote du jour

Some hae meat and cannae eat. Some nae meat but want it. We hae meat and we can eat and sae the Lord be thankit.

- Robert Burns

(Some have meat and cannot eat. Some no meat but want it. We have meat and we can eat and so the Lord be thanked.)

Quote du jour

I think we have more machinery of government than is necessary, too many parasites living on the labor of the industrious.

- Thomas Jefferson

Quote du jour

“The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.”

- George Orwell

Quote du jour

"Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."

- Douglas MacArthur

A Little Sunday Night Music

Keith & Kristyn Getty - He Will Hold Me Fast

November 22, 1963 - In Remembrance

From the archives (updated) :

Today marks the 57th. anniversary of the passing of a great man. One who left his mark on his country and his culture. One who is still quoted to this day. On November 22, 1963, the world little noted his passing in the shock and outpouring of grief over the assassination of JFK. That man was Clive Staple Lewis…oddly enough, like JFK, ”Jack” to his friends.

C. S. Lewis, author of The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia, was a contemporary and friend of J. R. R. Tolkien. He was also an atheist who came to Christianity, in his own words, “kicking and screaming”, who became one of its strongest apologists.

You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.

-Surprised by Joy

His books have been translated into dozens of languages and sold millions of copies over the years. Anthony Hopkins portrayed him in the movie Shadowlands (1993), the story of his romance with American poet Joy Gresham, who died of cancer a mere handful of years after they met.

His life was rich and varied. His sorrows deep and vast. His legacy is enduring.

In our remembrance of those who passed this day, one might do well to remember what can be accomplished with just a pair of Jacks!




Since I first published this a number of years ago, the Lord has blessed me with grandchildren. My firstborn's son, he named Jasper. I mention this, only because you may be acquainted with another gentleman named Jasper...Jasper Daniels, whom his friends called...Jack! I may have to change that pair to three of a kind someday!

Quote du jour

"Gentlemen, all sound theology must begin and end with doxology."

- G.C.Berkouwer

A Little Saturday Night Music

Big Bopper: Chantilly Lace
Because we haven't had enough political correctness lately!

Christmas in St. Louis

Best of the Web*

*…that Dave and I have seen all week!

(BTW, if you wonder where any of the links will take you, hover your cursor over the link.)

Political/SocioEconomic

Judge threw out PA election in 1994 over fraud
WE CAUGHT THEM! Part 2: Email Inventor Dr. Shiva Finds SAME IMPOSSIBLE BALLOT RATIO Feature in Michigan Results
Gambling sites still haven’t called race for Biden, leaving more than $600 million on the table
Convicted Sex Offender Charged in Attack on Trump Supporters at D.C. Event


Culture

The Trump ‘CT Scanner’ Exposes the Malignancies of the Elites for All to See - Victor Davis Hanson
Feel-Good Friday



Photoshops/Cartoons/Graphics

Flopping Aces -Sunday Funnies

Today's Toons 11/11/20
Today's Toons 11/12/20
Today's Toons 11/13/20


Linkfests:

Larwyn’s Linx: Why Pennsylvania Doesn’t Add Up
In The Mailbox: 11.16.20
Larwyn’s Linx: Illegitimate President
In The Mailbox: 11.17.20
Larwyn’s Linx: Was the US Election Stolen?
In The Mailbox: 11.19.20 (Afternoon Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: Wayne County, MI Election Board Rescind Certification Vote Citing Threats to Family
In The Mailbox: 11.20.20 (Morning Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: Rudy and Sidney’s Krakentastic Spectacle, and What It Could Mean
In The Mailbox: 11.20.20 (Evening Edition)



Dave's Rule Five Roundup:


Proof Positive - Vintage Babe of the Week - Tonight's Vintage Babe is Barbara Bouchet and Best of the Web

Animal Magnetism - RULE FIVE LUPINE FRIDAY

redpilljew - Gratuitous Rule Five Friday: Women wearing Stars of David

By Other Means - Tuesday Tap Rack and Bang, BeCos(play) It's Friday and Seeing Red

Evi L. Bloggerlady - Juliana Hatfield: Remember November

Ninety Miles From Tyranny - Hot Pick, Girls With Guns, Morning Mistress and Blogs With Rule 5 Links

Pitsnipes Gripes- Just a simple tribute

Grouchy Old Cripple - Saturday Boobage

Irons in the Fire - Friday Data and ... Saturday Data Overflow

The Feral Irishman - Friday Femme Tamale.... Get It While It's Hot

The Daley Gator - Daley Babe

Diogenes Middle Finger News - A Good Monday Morning

A View from the Beach - Rule 5 Saturday - Graceland's Coroner - Serinda Swan and Fish Pic Friday

24 Femmes Per Second - Patricia Neal

Knuckledraggin My Life Away - I'm sure she's taken, men And ... I’ll leave you with this

American Power - Bella Thorne in Her Pajamas

Woodsterman - Rule 5 Woodsterman Style

The Other McCain - Rule 5 Sunday: Paulina Porizkova

The Pirates Cove - If All You See ... and Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Wired Right - A Beautiful End to the Day

The View from LadyLake - Celebrating the life and times of bikinis

The Right Way - Friday Babe and ... Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama

Use the comments as an open thread on any of these topics. Please send links of news, commentary, or choice humor to: Proof.Positive@Hotmail.com

Quote du jour

IMHO, one of the reasons our beloved pets have shorter lives than we do, is to teach us about our own mortality, and to put us in mind of that which is eternal, and cannot be lost. The grief, however, is real. You have my sympathy for your loss.

-Mike B, to a grieving pet owner

Quote du jour

We who believe there are serious questions about the 2020 presidential election and who want to support litigation to force recounts in states where immense Biden majorities, against all laws of statistics, materialized magically out of thin air on Election Night must keep this in our hearts day and night—ignore the mockery from the mainstream media. We are not only fighting for Donald Trump; we are not only fighting for the Republican Party. We are fighting for the “most wonderful document ever struck off by the brain and purpose of man,” the Constitution of the United States of America, as William Gladstone put it. Even more important, we are fighting for our country. And ultimately, we are fighting for the survival of the freedom of mankind. Yes, it’s that important.

- Ben Stein

Newsom's Solutions

Vintage Babe of the Week

Tonight's Vintage Babe of the Week is Barbara Bouchet!
(*a.k.a. Rule Five Thursday)

Quote du jour

We are a third-world state now with malleable laws, an inert Constitution, voting that cannot be certified beyond a reasonable doubt within a reasonable time, with a media that massages rather than reports the news, and pollsters who seek to modulate rather than reflect likely voting.

-Victor Davis Hanson

Win a DIY G19 Contest - Two Weeks Left!

DIY guys, last month, we brought you this contest. Just a reminder that the contest is open for another two weeks, and there are opportunities for daily entries. Remember, it's not how many entries you have, you only need one to win!

For all you guys sitting at home quarantined, with time on your hands...you can enter here.

Quote du jour

We who believe there are serious questions about the 2020 presidential election and who want to support litigation to force recounts in states where immense Biden majorities, against all laws of statistics, materialized magically out of thin air on Election Night must keep this in our hearts day and night—ignore the mockery from the mainstream media. We are not only fighting for Donald Trump; we are not only fighting for the Republican Party. We are fighting for the “most wonderful document ever struck off by the brain and purpose of man,” the Constitution of the United States of America, as William Gladstone put it. Even more important, we are fighting for our country. And ultimately, we are fighting for the survival of the freedom of mankind. Yes, it’s that important.

-Ben Stein

It's Up For Grabs!

Gonna Find Out Who's Naughty...

Quote du jour

Being a Republican in Los Angeles is like being nominated the most attractive man on your cell block.

-Judah Friedman

Quote du jour

Notice, there are no post-election riots because the media have declared Biden the next president, and Biden declares himself president. So, most of the looters, arsonists, rioters were, in fact, pro-Biden voters. BLM founders said that their immediate goal was to defeat President Trump. Notice, too, that Trump supporters and Republicans are not looting, starting fires, or committing other acts of violence.

-Mark Levin

A Little Sunday Night Music

Shine On Us - Azusa Pacific University Choir

Quote du jour

If a thing be right, though you lose by it, it must be done; if it be wrong, though you would gain by it, you must scorn the sin for your Master's sake. You must have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Walk worthy of your high calling and dignity.

-Charles H. Spurgeon

A Little Saturday Night Music

Stairway To Heaven - Gabriella Quevedo

Best of the Web*

*…that Dave and I have seen all week!

(BTW, if you wonder where any of the links will take you, hover your cursor over the link.)

Political/SocioEconomic

Report: In 353 U.S. Counties, 1.8 Million More Voters Registered Than Eligible Citizens
Joe Biden got fewer votes than Hillary or Obama in every state except MI, PA, GA, WI
Dominion Vote System That Flipped Trump Votes To Biden Was Flagged As ‘Fragile And Error Prone’ In 2019

Raphael Warnock Mentored by Radical Theologian James Cone, Who Railed Against ‘Satanic Whiteness’


Culture

De Blasio’s Daughter in Verbal Slip Up, Claims Biden “Was Able to Steal” Election

Feel-Good Friday




Photoshops/Cartoons/Graphics

Flopping Aces -Sunday Funnies


Today's Toons 11/4/20
Today's Toons 11/5/20
Today's Toons 11/6/20
Today's Toons 11/9/20
Today's Toons 11/10/20
Sunday Funnies, 11-08-20



Linkfests:

Larwyn’s Linx: Dead voters. Biden van full of ballots. Trump legal team details shock Nevada claims
In The Mailbox: 11.09.20
Larwyn’s Linx: We’re not saying Biden cheated
In The Mailbox: 11.10.20
Larwyn’s Linx: Republicans, You Better Be Ready For What’s Coming In Georgia
In The Mailbox: 11.12.20 (Morning Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: IT Contractor for Dominion Ballot Counting Software Co. Exposes Massive Ballot Fraud in Michigan
In The Mailbox: 11.12.20 (Evening Edition)
In The Mailbox: 11.13.20


Dave's Rule Five Roundup:


Proof Positive - Vintage Babe of the Week - Tonight's Vintage Babe is Yvette Vickers and Best of the Web

Animal Magnetism - RULE FIVE LUPINE FRIDAY

redpilljew - Gratuitous Rule Five Friday: Women in Boots

By Other Means - Tuesday Tap Rack and Bang, BeCos(play) It's Friday and Seeing Red

Evi L. Bloggerlady - Friday the 13th: What Could Go Wrong?

Ninety Miles From Tyranny - Hot Pick, Girls With Guns, Morning Mistress and Blogs With Rule 5 Links

Pitsnipes Gripes- Just a simple tribute

Grouchy Old Cripple - Saturday Boobage

Irons in the Fire - Friday Data and ... Saturday Data Overflow

The Feral Irishman - Friday Femme Fatale

The Daley Gator - Daley Babe

Diogenes Middle Finger News - A Good Monday Morning

A View from the Beach - Rule 5 Saturday - Faking it With Meg Ryan and Fish Pic Friday

24 Femmes Per Second - Candice Bergen

Knuckledraggin My Life Away - I'm sure she's taken, men And ... I’ll leave you with this

American Power - New Playmate Iryna

Woodsterman - Rule 5 Woodsterman Style

The Other McCain - Rule 5 Sunday: Carla Gugino

The Pirates Cove - If All You See ... and Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Wired Right - A Beautiful End to the Day

The View from LadyLake - How about a Rule 5 check-in?

The Right Way - Friday Babe and ... Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama

Use the comments as an open thread on any of these topics. Please send links of news, commentary, or choice humor to: Proof.Positive@Hotmail.com

Quote du jour

I understand the psychology of it, but I suspect the attire these young men wore to court is not their usual attire.
Isn't it a shame that apparently the only way to get gang members to dress suitably for a job interview is their hope to influence a judge and jury for leniency?

-Mike B, on seeing a sharply dressed young gang member, convicted of murder

Quote du jour

Here's the thing: the reason there's a thing called @FiveThirtyEight is because 538 was the margin in FL when the Republican SCOTUS reversed the 2000 election during a recount, making Dubya the president. That's the kind of margin where races can flip. That's not what's up now.

- Joy Reid

“This site is named after the number of electors in the Electoral College . . . equal to 100 members of the US Senate, plus the 435 members of the US House, plus three more for the District of Columbia.”

- Nate Silver

Vintage Babe of the Week

Tonight's Vintage Babe* is Yvette Vickers
(*a.k.a. Rule Five Thursday)

Quote du jour

In the United States, we have so many doctors, so many hospitals and clinics, so many MRI machines, etc. This imposes real constraints on the provision of health care. If my doctor works 40 hours a week, does my right to health care mean that a judge can order him to work extra hours to accommodate my rights? For free? If I have a right to health care, how can a clinic or a physician charge me for exercising my right? If doctors and hospitals have rights of their own — for example, property rights in their labor and facilities — how is it that my rights supersede those rights?

- Kevin D. Williamson

A Little Veteran's Day Music

Lee Greenwood, US soldiers - 'God Bless the USA'

Quote du jour

Declaring a right in a scarce good such as health care is intellectually void, because moral declarations about rights do not change material facts. If you have five children and three apples and then declare that every child has a right to an apple of his own, then you have five children and three apples and some meaningless posturing — i.e., nothing in reality has changed, and you have added only rhetoric instead of adding apples.

-Kevin D. Williamson

Quote du jour

"We take Georgia, and then we change America!"

- Chuck Schumer

Those of us who do NOT want our country to change may have some say in that, Chuckles!

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

-Margolis & Cox

Quote du jour

No, Cupcake, freaking out about Donald Trump on Twitter is not the same as setting up a covert communication network in Nazi-occupied France — we have no such figures, although we have no shortage of people who would like to be thought of as the modern equivalents, functional or moral, of Resistance agents. It is hard not to laugh at them, even if they mean well.

- Kevin D. Williamson

Quote du jour

"Bias makes people stupid"

-Brit Hume

In more ways than one, Brit!

A Little Sunday Night Music

Mark Zeeman - live
There's a female vocalist in the middle, and a short video presentation on a gospel choir he organized in Hungary, but there's an improvised medly at the end he puts together from hymn requests from the congregation, that is worth the wait! But if you FF through them, you won't hurt my feelings!

Corpus Christi

A short story by Mary M. Isaacs

It was another locked and deserted church. The young man walked up to the chain link fence and gripped the wire with his fingers. He looked up, gauging the height of the fence. Yes, he could probably climb over it fairly easily, but a heavy padlock on the double doors beyond showed how useless that effort would be. The dry leaves, dirt, and litter on the steps suggested that no one had attempted to get in for some time. There were faded shadows of graffiti, which had been scrubbed as clean as possible, but the doors and walls were forever scarred.

He wondered what it looked like inside. The windows had been broken and were now boarded up, but had the sanctity of the building been breached? Would the inside be destroyed too, vandalized like the outside? He hoped not but feared so.

He let go of the fence and dropped his arms. This was the third abandoned church he had seen that day—fourth, if you counted the burnt-out shell of a building he’d seen that morning. He couldn’t be certain that it had been a church, but there had been several clues… He felt sick at heart.

As he stood there, he had a vivid memory of going to church as a very young child. He went every Sunday with his grandparents when he visited with them in the summertime. The big brick downtown church—the cavernous interior, the fellowship hall filled with the older ladies for the women’s meetings he attended with his grandmother—he had been smiled over and patted, he’d been given milk and cake, he’d looked at the Bible scenes hanging on the walls. He went to Sunday school there, put his offerings into the basket, and sang Sunday school songs. He remembered the Bible stories, remembered them well. He had received story pamphlets and small Bible pictures and a certificate when he later completed communicants’ class. He could still recite the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed; they continued to comfort him during times of fear and distress.

He could not understand what had happened to it all. How had something that had been respected and loved, so quickly become something despised and maligned? He had a sudden thought and reached deep into his pocket. His fingers found something small and smooth, and he brought it out. It was a silvery cross; on it were incised the words, “God is Love”. He looked at it and then looked at the abandoned building. Where was that love now? Did anyone believe it any more?

Deeply disturbed, he turned back toward the motel where he had spent the night. He kept his eyes forward or on the ground in front of him, so he wouldn’t see the damaged and barricaded churches that he’d passed. He had started out that morning looking for a church to attend; at the end of the day, he was mourning their destruction.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t hear the sound of steps behind him until they had caught up with his. He turned his head to see an older man smiling gently at him. He gave a brief smile in return, but then looked ahead and kept on walking, the other man by his side.

“Why is a young man like yourself walking so slowly?” asked the older man. Then, peering closely, he added, “And why looking so dejected? It’s a beautiful day to be alive, isn’t it?”

The young man stopped abruptly and turned to face the other one. “I’ve been searching for a church—any church. I’ve been looking everywhere. Not just this city, but all over. Some are locked up, some are empty, some have been converted into homes or businesses. Some have even been burned or demolished,” the words poured out as the young man opened his heart. “I haven’t found one open church. It makes me sad—it’s all gone, everything’s gone. Where is God? Where is Jesus? I’m looking for them everywhere, but I can’t find them…” He put his hands over his face and wept.

The other man looked at him with compassion. After a few quiet moments, he said, “It’s been a long day for you, for both of us. I think we should sit down and have something to eat. Will you join me?” And he indicated a bench on the side of the road.

The young man took a deep breath. “I’m sorry,” he said, and then wiped off the tears with the heel of his hand. “Something to eat sounds good, thank you. I don’t have much with me right now, though—just some fruit and water.” After they both sat down on the bench, he opened his backpack and pulled out a paper napkin, which he spread between them. Reaching in again, he brought out a few apples, a bottle of water, and a cup.

“I have some bread,” said the other man. From a bag he carried, he brought out a small loaf of homemade bread. While the young man watched, the older man raised the bread in his hands, prayed silently over it, and lowered it. He then broke off a piece of the loaf and held it out. Their eyes met briefly, one pair calm and the other pair startled.

The young man reached out slowly, as if in a dream; he took the piece of bread and brought it close to him, without taking his eyes off it. He held it in both hands, carefully and silently, while he bowed his head. Prayers and words and images swept through his mind: beatings and scourgings—”This is my body” –and the agony on the cross. Thunder and darkness, the shaking of the earth, heart-numbing grief–then the sudden radiance of glorious light, so blindingly real to him that he closed his eyes, only to realize that the light was everywhere, outside of him and within. All was illumined, he knew it all, and time stopped for a while…

Then the light slowly faded until once again he saw only the piece of bread in his hands. He raised it to his mouth and ate it slowly. Even though the blazing light had gone, he still felt its brilliance and warmth inside him. In deep surprise he raised his head to tell the older man what had happened.

But no one was there.



Mary M. Isaacs — copyright, 2020 (from a forthcoming book)

Quote du jour

The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness, which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are. If God gave us favours without constraining us to pray for them we should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty.

-Charles H. Spurgeon

A Little Saturday Night Music

Sultans of Swing - Gabriella Quevedo

Spam du jour

Hi dear,
I'm Jessica Vail, from the United States,please i wish to have a communication with you.
I wait for your answer.
Jessica Vail.

She sure sounds like a girl from the States! Whaddayathink? Should I drop her a line??

Best of the Web*

*…that Dave and I have seen all week!

(BTW, if you wonder where any of the links will take you, hover your cursor over the link.)

Political/SocioEconomic

Evidence Suggests Hunter Biden Committed Federal Felony when He Purchased Gun

Culture

Twice as many Children Die From Glass Tabletop Accidents as Firearms Accidents
Feel-Good Friday



Photoshops/Cartoons/Graphics

Flopping Aces -Sunday Funnies


Funnies, 11-02-20: Day Before The Beginning Of The Election Edition

Today's Toons 10/28/20
Today's Toons 10/29/20
Today's Toons 10/30/20

Today's Toons 11/2/20
Today's Toons 11/3/20
Linkfests:

Larwyn’s Linx: Finish Strong...
In The Mailbox: 11.02.20 (Election Eve Doomed Beyond All Hope Of Redemption Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: Never Underestimate the Resolve of the American Patriot
In The Mailbox: 11.04.20 (Afternoon Edition)
Larwyn’s Linx: How Republican-controlled state legislatures can rectify election fraud committed by the courts
In The Mailbox: 11.04.20 (Evening Edition)

In The Mailbox: 11.05.20


Dave's Rule Five Roundup:


Proof Positive - Vintage Babe of the Week - Tonight's Vintage Babe is Ann-Margret ! and Best of the Web

Animal Magnetism - RULE FIVE UNDERSTANDING THE LEFT FRIDAY

redpilljew - RULE FIVE ELECTION RECAP FRIDAY

By Other Means - Tuesday Tap Rack and Bang, BeCos(play) It's Friday and Seeing Red

Evi L. Bloggerlady - The Queen's Gambit: A Review

Ninety Miles From Tyranny - Hot Pick, Girls With Guns, Morning Mistress and Blogs With Rule 5 Links

Pitsnipes Gripes- Just a simple tribute

Grouchy Old Cripple - Saturday Boobage

Irons in the Fire - Friday Data and ... Saturday Data Overflow

The Feral Irishman - Friday Femme Fatale

The Daley Gator - Daley Babe

Diogenes Middle Finger News - A Good Monday Morning

A View from the Beach - Rule 5 Saturday - Li Bingbing and Fish Pic Friday

24 Femmes Per Second - Dianne Foster

Knuckledraggin My Life Away - I'm sure she's taken, men And ... I’ll leave you with this

American Power - Washing Up

Woodsterman - Rule 5 Woodsterman Style

The Other McCain - Rule 5 Sunday: Honor Blackman

The Pirates Cove - If All You See ... and Sorta Blogless Sunday Pinup

Wired Right - A Beautiful End to the Day

The View from LadyLake - Are you as disgusted with everything as I am?

The Right Way - Friday Babe and ... Rule 5 Saturday LinkOrama

Use the comments as an open thread on any of these topics. Please send links of news, commentary, or choice humor to: Proof.Positive@Hotmail.com

Quote du jour

Gavin Newsom is like a Cargo Cultist, trying to appease the big aluminum birds in the sky to bring him relief from "Climate Change", instead of managing state land to minimize dead brush and trees, and oversee the power companies to modernize ancient equipment.

-Mike B

Quote du jour

"The idea 'One man, one vote',
carries the implication: 'One man, only one vote'."
-Mike B

Vintage Babe of the Week

Tonight's Vintage Babe* is Ann-Margret !
(*a.k.a. Rule Five Thursday)