Heart To Heart

Long, long ago in a far away place...we used to use VHS tape to record events.  We'd use those tapes, and then tape from the copy of the tape.  Basically, you'd see the quality of the recording go down with each generation of copies.  Yes, it was a loooong time ago. I remember one time I sat down to watch a Christmas Extravaganza that the music department had worked hard at presenting.  When you direct something like that, you don't get the whole picture - so I sat down (by myself) to watch the taped results of months of work and rehearsal and sweat and prayer. You know what I remember about that tape?  Every time the camera was focused on my face, my nose looked like a flame was coming out of the tip of it.  My nose looked like a Bic lighter.  That's all I remember - large nose - fire coming out of said nose!  The quality of the repeated copying had made this phenomenon happen.  Super great.  Don't remember a single song - just that...

I've traveled to places where there were stores, but no food on the shelves. I've been honored to eat unwashed strawberries with dirt visible on them - it was the best that that family had to offer a guest.  I ate them with joy, even though I knew my system would deal with parasites for weeks after returning home.   I've watched flies enjoy the food before we did at a picnic with abandoned children.  The food favorite was bread with meat grease spread on it.  Not a ice chest in sight.   As we start the month of November - a month given to gratefulness - I have a vivid picture of the first time we went to Romania.  Things changed as the years went by, but the FIRST time we went - the toilet paper was so rough it had splinters of wood in it.  It was ( dab don't rub ) rough....and that was in the hotel we stayed at for awhile!  I took home a roll of that toilet paper to help my perspective stay in check.   I'm a Costco toilet pap...