Camels, Goats, and Father's Day :-)

Having become a pretty devout Catholic, I wanted to go to Mass this morning before I have my BigSurgery on Tuesday, but the nearest parish is 20 minutes away and the logistics of getting up, dressed and into a cab to go to Beach Park were just too much for my post-surgery self this morning, so my aunt Donna and I walked, old-school, to the Methodist church I’ve been to before just four blocks away.

A nice lady across the way offered up a prayer for me in the joys and concerns after we exchanged the Peace, and then the West African dialect emanating from the Illinois Methodist pulpit this morning made me follow along a little more closely than I would have if I had gone to Mass in the next town over.

We listened to “Faith of our Fathers” as a meditation, and my throat got a little tight thinking about my dad and how much I miss him, and then I remembered a Father’s Day long ago, when my soon-to-be-estranged father made it clear that he would rather be with his little research assistant than with his own children on Father’s Day. 

Just a few years later, on a Horrid Vacation with my father and his research assistant to Egypt, a handsome Egyptian offered 4,000 camels to my daddy in exchange for my hand in marriage. iI was flattered and more than a little worried, since my future step-monster would have gladly taken the camels were it up to her. Fortunately I made it back to California. LOL

I mused on how I’d struggled with self-esteem and self-worth ever since, until God put me back into Jon’s life, and vice versa.Then I put away the sniffles, and tuned in.

The pastor talked of wanting to be more like Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, and Denzel Washington, HA, in order to draw a bigger crowd – but had finally decided that he, like so many “heroes” in the Bible, didn’t need to be famous to do God’s work. 

He spoke of red-haired little shepherd boy David, chosen to be king after the tall dark and handsome Saul, whom the people had felt was worthy to be king. ( He also pointed out that Saul was a spear-chucking, witch-consulting, impulsive swearing type guy which would explain why God chose the little shepherd boy with the slingshot to take up the throne. HA) He pointed out that the ancient Israelites weren’t much different than we are with wanting ‘the right image”, a celebrity king as a leader, instead of the right heart in leadership.

His soft West African accent strummed my heartstrings with the memory of the 4,000 camels, and underscored the ‘image factor’ theme of the sermon with a tale about an African bride who was passed over many times because she was plain. Other more beautiful brides would be chosen and given a fine dowry of many bulls for their beauty. A man who loved this plain girl for her heart gave her father 10 goats, instead the customary 1, as a sign of his devotion. His friends mocked him for offering such a large dowry. Sometime after they had been married, the friends were gathered and the most beautiful woman came to greet the man. They mumbled among themselves as to whom she could be…and the man said, “This is my 10-goat-bride. She has bloomed after being loved…” The sniffles re-emerged. 

That's me. 

I'm blossoming after being loved by Jonathan. Growing and blooming further and with more vivid color after finally understanding the unconditional, unending, all-encompassing love of God, made more comprehensible by the human relationship with Jonathan. I’m now “a 10-goat-bride”, although after I told him the story, Jon said I was a 40-bull-bride. What a love.

I’ve finally bloomed, after years of struggling with not being more ‘accomplished’, not having a long career or accolades or awards or financial gain; after wondering if I had any value to anyone.

With Jonathan seated next to me as Brett graduated three weeks ago,  I looked back at my life as a mother, raising three boys who became exceptional men. 

I don’t need any degrees or awards or accolades to validate my purpose in this world. I'm a pretty decent mother, as evidenced by my kids, and a passionate dedicated partner to a good and honorable man, as evidenced by his passion and tenderness towards me. I'm sure the next phase of my life will be equally as rewarding and wonderful, and equally less celebrity-factor-full. 

Amazing and wondrous nonetheless. As the pastor said this morning, "We are famous to God. What else do we need?"

This passage from The Message sums it up.

“Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don't see many of "the brightest and the best" among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families.

Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these "nobodies" to expose the hollow pretensions of the "somebodies"?

That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That's why we have the saying, "If you're going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God." 

1 Corinthians 1:26-31