Daylight Stealing Time

In this election year, when candidates are debating everything — second-guessing decisions made and programs launched by previous administrations — why is it no one takes on Daylight Saving Time? Who thought up this idea of losing an hour of sleep? This government-imposed jet-lag feeling we all will experience just one week from today?

Actually, Benjamin Franklin had the original idea that he outlined in an essay in 1784, but the United States first experimented with the concept during World War I. The plan was to lessen the use of electricity, primarily incandescent light bulbs. We do benefit from having more daylight hours after work and school but since the light bulb is such a small part of our energy use, any actual savings today might be debatable.

The correct term is Daylight Saving (no ‘s’) Time, though no time is actually saved, only moved around.  And over the years, the period of DST has been lengthened to 7 1/2 months of the year. Citizens have become confused. “Are we on real time or DST?” is one question you hear. “Is it Fall forward or Spring forward?” is another.

Possibly one third of the world will transfer to Daylight Saving Time during the early morning hours of March 11. Every state in the union, except Hawaii and Arizona. Arizona stays on “real” time. Except for the part of the Navajo Nation that lies in AZ.  The Navajo Nation recognizes DST. Except the Hopi Reservation that rests within the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. The Hopis do not change their clocks.

Each Amish community can individually choose to observe Daylight Saving Time or not, making time-keeping in Ohio interesting.

Most of Brazil and Chili will move to DST, but since they are on the other side of the equator, when the USA springs forward, they fall back.

So next Sunday morning at 2:00 am (or more practically before you go to bed Saturday night) move your clock forward. Then, for the next week or so you’ll eat at noon when you’re not yet hungry and go to bed when you’re not yet sleepy, and arise in the mornings way before you’re ready to get up. But before you know it (sometime mid-summer) you’ll adjust to this rude change in your life.

Oh, and don’t forget to check the batteries in your smoke alarm.

If you want to learn a lot more about DST go to http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/c.html

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On Beans and Bulbs

Once, when my daughter was five  years old, her Sunday School teacher gave her a lily bulb. The instructions were to put it in the ground and, in several weeks, a shoot would appear and become a beautiful flower. We chose a place and Kathy planted her treasure. The next day, she ran to check on the progress. Nothing showed above the dirt so she dug up the bulb to see how it was doing. After we talked about how God makes the flowers grow, we planted it again. Later, I found Kathy spading the dirt around the spot to check the plant once more. It took several tries to convince her that her job was to plant the bulb and then leave it alone and give it a chance to grow. Nowadays children in kindergarten plant beans. Beans are guaranteed to produce visible results in 24-48 hours.

We are amused a a child’s impatience, but are we different? We want fast solutions to our problems, quick results from our efforts, instant answers to our prayers. We find it difficult to leave it alone and let God take care of it in his own time.

So, before we become concerned about the status of a project, let us think: did we plant beans or bulbs? Beans grow very fast and make lots of other beans. Next year, if we want more beans, we plant beans again. Bulbs grow much slower, but they are long lasting, often returning voluntarily year after year. Both have value and there are many reasons for planting either. But we shouldn’t expect bean results when we plant bulbs.

From Every Day a New Day and other short stories. (c) 2006

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Love – that’s what it’s all about

I’m aware I posted about Valentine’s Day last week, but I didn’t tell you one of my favorite stories about the day. It’s about love. Not romantic love and not filial love. It’s about agape.

I had a friend several years ago who was a counselor at the crisis center where I worked. One winter day she drove to a West Tennessee prison to be with a client whose abuser was appearing before the parole board, asking for early release. She stayed through the day, supporting the victim with her presence and her caring until the hearing was over.

Afterward, emotionally drained, my friend decided to treat herself to a good meal in a fancy restaurant, so she drove into Memphis to an upscale eating establishment. After she was seated alone at a table for two, she began to relive the day and to weep for her client, a young girl who had bravely faced her offender once again.

My friend said that after several sympathetic looks from customers at other tables, even an encouraging pat on the shoulder from an older woman walking past — only then did she remember the date. February 14. Valentine’s Day. Surely everyone thought she was crying over a lost love.

Instead hers were the most precious tears of all. Tears of compassion shed for someone else’s pain.

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Something Special for your Valentine

Valentine’s Day brings love and caring. Unfortunately, it also brings lots of angst.  Choosing an appropriate remembrance can bring on major concerns for both the giver and the recipient.

When I was in grade school, a child might be concerned that when the much-decorated box was opened, there would be nothing there for her/him.  This was before the days when the teacher sent home a list of students with these instructions: If you give a valentine to ONE, you must give to everyone in the class.  Not a bad idea, by the way.

If one claimed a boyfriend and could rightfully expect a valentine in the box, that brought different worries.  Would it be just a regular old one-penny heart or something spectacular she could show her friends — like a special card with an ‘all day’ sucker attached?

As we grew older the day was special — or not — depending on whether we were going steady or single.

And so, over the  years expressions of love and the expectations of those expressions have changed dramatically.  Now, men are urged to ‘go to Jared,’ ‘Life’s too short for ordinary jewelry,’ and so on.  I wonder, is the angst still there? What if he goes to Sears instead of Jared or Sissy?  What if the gift is practical, something she will use much more often than she will wear a diamond necklace?

Well, all the counseling in the world can’t save that relationship.

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What Do You Say …

Roland Mann on his Ramblin’ Web Log (rolandmann.wordpress.com) opened the subject about what a pastor might say when someone dies while out of the fold, so to speak.  The usual platitude, ‘He’s in a better place’ doesn’t really work because the dear departed just might not be in a better place at all.

Then some of the comments to Roland’s blog moved the subject to things that are said to bereaved persons that are well-meaning but, well, for lack of a better term, insensitive.

When we speak to a grieving person we need to remember that what we say is being heard through a layer of pain and may not come across the way we want it to sound. Many are at a loss when it comes to speaking to the bereaved.

My husband died in October (1996) and by Thanksgiving I was back singing in the church choir. One person told me she ‘didn’t know how I did it –‘ (sing Christmas music) so soon after my loss. I heard that comment as an accusation that I must not have cared much for Ed if I could recover so quickly. Now, I realize she just wanted to talk about her own loss.

Another comment on Roland’s blog was that we say ‘If there’s anything I can do, let me know,’ thereby putting the responsibility on the grieving one. They must ask if they are in need. How many have the emotional ability to do that?

Which reminds me (again) of the first Christmas I was a widow. I had shopped for our son’s presents, putting them in the trunk of my car, away from an 8-year-old’s curious eyes.  On Christmas Eve we went to an 11:00 communion service, arriving home at midnight just as a fine mist began to fall. I hustled him off to bed and about 30 minutes later went to the car to retrieve Santa Claus.  The trunk of the car was frozen shut.

Well, I did what I usually do in difficulties like that — I cried.  And I wondered, which one of those people who offered to do anything at anytime would like to come help me at 1:00 am on Christmas morning?

The answer is they all were let off the hook. A pan of warm water and a rubber hammer solved my problem. Christmas was saved and I didn’t have to ask for help.

So, back to what to say. You can say, ‘I know you miss him.’ Or ‘I’m so sorry.’ But, it’s not really necessary to say anything. Give a hug. Let them talk about their grief. Many people don’t want to listen to pain and the ones who will are a blessing to the person who is hurting.

“God comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:4

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