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Thursday, February 13, 2020

Your Dying Spouse 731 - Hallmark's Hidden History {Five Minute Friday}

They say that Valentine's Day is the Hallmark Holiday, and I guess maybe they're right...glossy cards dripping with so much sentiment that you want to wear a biohazard suit, or at least a tinfoil hat.

And I wonder how many are bought by men who realize that it's the evening of February 13, and that, if they don't act, tomorrow is Armageddon?

It's said though, that the tradition of Valentine's Day predates Hallmark by 1500 years or so.

I'm not sure I buy that.

Yes, they found it, yes they did,
and the whole world made a fuss
when Indy Jones pried the lid
off that old sarcophagus.
You should have heard the oohs and ahs
(and the sneezes; it was dusty),
though the smell did give them pause,
something rather worse than musty.
Paradigms were bent and shifted,
staid assumptions had been felled,
intriguing questions now were lifted
as the digging team beheld
the mummy's hand still holding hard
to a Get Well Hallmark card.

This poem first appeared as a comment to Paul Byerly's post Show Your Love Daily on his wonderful Christian marriage blog, The Generous Husband.

As for other things, well, not so hot. Even a whisper is close to impossible, it's mighty hard to breathe, and moving really hurts, like...everywhere.

ASL is really coming into its own.

And I have learned to 'sing' I Feel Pretty in sign language. 

It's funny, things are just so bad (and a lot of it in a physically nasty way, if you get my drift), and I'm happier that I can ever remember being in my life.

Isn't that odd?

Or, Isn't that God!

Music from Petula Clark, with...wait for it A Sign of the Times.


Thanks to Carol Ashby, Blessed Are The Pure Of Heart is back on Kindle, and will be available in paperback soon.

Friends are everything. I couldn't have done it.

Marley, the canine waif from Afghanistan, whom WE helped save, has a Facebook page! Please drop by to see how happy he is today.


Below are my recent releases on Kindle -please excuse their presence in the body of the blog. I haven't the energy to get them up as 'buttons' in the sidebar. You can click on the covers to go to the Amazon links.









35 comments:

  1. Ah sir.... you are a gift, that keeps on giving. Praying.

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Jane, thank you so much, and please pardon the very late reply. Aside from me being very ill, the Internet connexion got sick, too.

      It was the cows, tearing up the landline.

      Delete
  2. That is so God, Andrew, and you continue to be such an inspiration! Praying you continue to experience joy in the midst of your hard.

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    1. Julie, thank you so much for this...ad please pardon my tardy response.

      Joy indeed abides.

      Delete
  3. Andrew, there is so much in that first sentence, it's wonderful.
    If you want a different take on 14th Feb though, I wrote this last year: http://morethanwriters.blogspot.com/2019/02/valentine-and-bees-by-liz-manning.html
    May God keep giving you peace in the midst of the turmoil, joy in the midst of the pain, and stars in the darkness.

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    Replies
    1. Liz, thank you so much, and for the link...the beekeeping analogy is terrific!

      Delete
  4. Happy Valentine's Day! Hope you and your wife have a good day together.
    FMF, Jennifer

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    1. Jenn, it was a good day...unexpectedly, as Barb was sick and I was the caregiver. But it was 'together'.

      Thank you so much for being here!

      Delete
  5. (((((Andrew)))))
    (((((Barbara)))))

    That's Grace.

    Annie in Texas

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    1. ((((((Annie!))))))

      When I look for 'grace' in the dictionary, I'll find your picture.

      Delete
  6. It's called the peace of God that far surpasses human comprehension. But you already know that! xo

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    1. Susan, yes. It's been a hard lesson, but I would not have missed this for the world.

      Delete
  7. May you and Barbara have a special Valentine's Day!

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    1. Joanne, thank you so much! With Barb sick, the blessings were unexpected, but no less appreciated.

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  8. Praying this day - with all its syrupy sentiment and chocolate!! - is a special one for your and your wife!

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    1. Jennifer, we both LOVE LOVE LOVE chocolate.

      And raspberry syrup!

      Thank you so much for being here!

      Delete
  9. I'm glad you know ASL. I've been fluent in that language for years, and enjoy signing songs.

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    1. Jan, we're enjoying the learning process. A couple of days we went through a complex theological converation in ASL and fingerspelling, and while exhausting, it did bring a sense of fun an atisfaction.

      Delete
  10. God finds a way :) What a lovely song to sign. I hope you and Mrs Andrew had a lovely Valentine's day. FMF #19

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    1. Thank you so much, 'More Fruit'...it was fun, signing "I Feel Pretty".

      And it was a good day.

      Thank you so much for being here!

      Delete
  11. I hope you and Barbara had a good Valentine's Day. I love the poem, and I love how God can give us joy and peace in circumstances where that doesn't even make sense! Praying that you continue to know that.

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    1. Lesley, thank you so much for this, and I'm so glad you enjoyed the poem! I had fun writing it.

      It is strange that these are the best days of my life; extreme pain, nasty 'stuff' and the complete impability to speak notwithstanding, there is so MUCH joy!

      Delete
  12. Valentines Day has always been a love/hate relationship for me. Your comment about being sick yet the happiest reminds me of the Beatitudes. “Blessed are the sick.,..

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    1. Tara, yes! Sometimes sick can be the biggest blessing, opening one's heart to grace.

      And I'm so sorry for the love/hate thing of Valentine's Day for you. You're such a wonderful person.

      Delete
  13. Always good to read your posts. Enjoyed it. Be good. Be happy. Be blessed. Take care.

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    1. My dear Norma, I am just o darned glad that you are here. You have been and are a huge blessing, and the kind of friend that God designed from way, way back.

      Delete
  14. Because Joy comes in the morning... And true joy is found in Jesus. And as cliche' as maybe we've all believed this to be- you're there... In your morning, warmed by the pure light of Jesus. You are raw, all complicated human layers stripped away.

    Re: Hallmark. the true history of Valentine is so beautiful and so heartbreaking. Worth acknowledging/honoring? Absolutely... The way we're trained to do it? NO. But it's no more offensive than furniture and car sales on Veteran's day I guess...

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    1. Misty, you pohrase this so beautifully, and I am so honoured!

      Sometimes I wonder if the furniture and car sales, the chocolate and greeting cards...whether they, at heart, are a sincere effort (in a crude way) to honour something bigger?

      I don't know, but hope they are.

      Delete
  15. As odd as that last statement might seem, I get it. Death, I'm sure, has a way of putting things into perspective, Andrew. I'm so sorry things are as bad as they are. But I love that you keep sharing inspiration, including this so-very-funny poem! You are too much, my friend! Hugs and prayers!

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    1. Beth, I am SO glad that you get it! Please remember, you are the person who led me to a personal relationship with Jesus, and I will never forget.

      Thank you so much for the hugs and prayers! They are needed today.

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  16. I can't tell you how happy it made me to read this... first, that poem! (lol!) and secondly --and most importantly, that beyond reason, you are finding yourself happy in this time and season/battle. Won't He do it? Praying and Praising with you, brother!

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    1. Karrilee, I can't tell you hpw happ I am to read your grace-filled words.

      And how grateful I am for the prayers, and the common praise of the Most High!

      Delete
  17. I don't know how you still make me laugh out loud in the midst of the pain you're dealing with. Your final line of your poem had me really glad no one else was home to hear me chortle. ;)

    On a serious note, though, I'm praying for you, my friend. I'm so glad you can use ASL to communicate. It sounds like perhaps you're experiencing/living out the joy of the Lord in the middle of your circumstances.

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    1. Jeanne, I'm so glad you enjoyed this!

      And, indeed, I am learning the true meaning...and truth...to "counting it all joy".

      Thank you so much for being here!

      Delete
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    ReplyDelete