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A few days ago I mentioned my experience as a child with newly invented plastic. Today plastics and other synthetics have taken over the world, at least in developed countries. Just imagine what would happen if they were all to suddenly disappear. People would be walking around naked, or with transparent clothes.Car seats and other vehicle parts would fall apart.Mattresses and other upholstery would collapse.Fires would start because some wires had no insulation. Just listing the things in my own home made of synthetics would make this a VERY long post, and I can’t imagine how many other things in the world would disappear or collapse. In our world we’ve become dependent on synthetics.

It was a bright red-orange toy canoe about ten inches long for me to play with in the bathtub. The canoe was made of a new substance called plastic that had been developed during World War II, which had recently ended. Whenever my parents had company over, Daddy had me bring out the canoe to show the guests. They all found it fascinating, and I was so proud to have a toy that grown-ups admired. But the canoe didn’t last long. One evening I accidentally banged it against the side of the bathtub and it shattered. Of course I had no idea back then that plastics would take over the world.

There have been times in history when major epidemics happened, like the Spanish Influenza, Polio and Smallpox.There have been racial riots before.There have been nasty politics and major economic problems in the past.There have been fires, hurricanes, and other natural disasters.Thousands of people have lost jobs, and businesses have become bankrupt in previous times.But there has never been a time in history until now when all those things happened at once!What else could possibly go wrong? A volcanic eruption, major earthquake, atomic war, or an invasion by creatures from outer space?But I still believe there are more good people than bad ones in the world, and lots of the good ones are pitching in to help others.When all (or most) of these bad things are over I think we’ll all realize that there are MANY more good people and positive events than bad ones in the world. The bad ones get the publicity because they’re unusual.If the news covered all the nice things people do for each other, those who have and do good jobs, all the beautiful things in our world, etc., etc., etc., daily newspapers would have to be as thick as encyclopedias and news programs would fill the entire day.In spite of all the bad stuff, we have a lot to be thankful for.

Back in the day of cowboy stories the villains covered the lower part of their faces with kerchiefs and nobody could recognize them. But when I see people I know with kerchiefs covering half their faces I easily recognize them. And the modern masks covering noses and mouths are even less likely to hide people’s identities. It used to be the bad guys who wore masks. Now it’s the law-abiding citizens who wear them and the bad guys, willing to spread the corona virus to others if they have it and don’t know it, who don’t.

Son of Mary is Book 1 in the Crown of Thorns series by R. S. Ingermanson. It’s about one of the most creative concepts I’ve ever heard of: what if, instead of thousands of years ago, the Incarnation happened in modern Palestine? Even though I knew the basic plot, this book was so exciting I couldn’t stop reading it, and finished all 565 pages in one day! And the author is obviously familiar with the environment, culture, and language and portrays them well. My only complaint is that the other two books in the series haven’t been published yet and I don’t like having to wait for them, even though I know what the outcome will be.

Different Like Me by Xochitl Dixon is a wonderful book to teach kids to accept – and enjoy – others who are different than themselves. The illustrations are lovely and show the story in an entertaining way. Information at the back will help parents and educators. The Christian content is inspiring. I love this book!

It is such a relief to be able to blog again! I’ve been thinking about masks, for obvious reasons. Back when I was a kid there were stories about bandits who covered the lower parts of their faces with bandanas so they couldn’t be identified. But now I see people with that part of their faces covered and I can easily recognize them. And it used to be the bad guys who wore masks. Now it’s the lawbreakers who refuse to wear them The world has certainly changed a lot since I was a kid.

Years ago I was hired to teach first grade at a private school in the San Francisco Bay Area. (I won’t be more specific.) The principal who hired me in June told me she was leaving, and there would be a new principal when the next school year began. The week before school would start I went to set up my classroom. The school doors were open, but there was nobody in the office. I wandered all over the ground floor looking for the first grade classroom, but couldn’t find it. Finally I saw a man in overalls standing in the hallway and asked him, “Are you the janitor?” Someone behind me said, “He’s my husband, and you think he’s a janitor because he’s black.” That was my new boss speaking. Except for a music teacher who came in once a week, I was the only white person who worked there, and the principal told all the other teachers I was a racial bigot, so they weren’t ever very friendly to me. Prejudice works both ways. My classroom was on the second floor (which was illegal in California) and the teacher of the class below mine would get angry if I let the children move around because it made noise. I had to keep my students seated all the time except for recess. And at recess they weren’t allowed to run on the cement playground. Because the school was in a dangerous neighborhood, they never got to play outside from home, either. And kids that age have lots of energy. There were 42 in my class. The curriculum had just been changed from one that taught reading in First Grade to one that taught it in Kindergarten, so all my material assumed the kids already knew how to read. I had to develop my own material to teach them to read. Then I was put in charge of writing and directing a Christmas play for the entire student body of 250 kids. When the Christmas break arrived I was so tired I had health problems, so I quit the job. That was one I’ll certainly never forget.

During theSpanish Influenza epidemic more than 100 years ago my father was sent away from the city to stay with his grandparents in the Appalachian Mountains. At the end of the school year when he was able to return he was given the kerosene lantern from the bedside table he’d used and the hand-held school bell from the one-room schoolhouse where his aunt was the teacher. I still have both of those things. I’ll probably keep some cloth face masks, which will be reminders of the Covid epidemic, but what other things might we use to pass on knowledge about this time in history? There’s a saying that people who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. The riots, movement to end racial injustice, politics about the presidential election, businesses and schools closing, and people loosing jobs are all important things involving the future of our nation and the world. What might we save to share with future generations about our current events?

Where I live, in the Sierra foothills of California, the Fourth of July has always been a big deal. Grass Valley and Nevada City alternate between having the parade, which includes music, floats, lots of groups marching, etc. and reaches for blocks.The Nevada County Fairgrounds has a lot going on all day and a spectacular fireworks show after it gets dark. This year, because of the Corona Virus, none of those things could happen. I sadly expected Independence Day to be just another day. But the police and fire departments of both towns combined to give us a parade after all. The whole parade of their vehicles lined up and blinking lights lasted less than ten minutes, but they drove all over both towns for several hours so people could see them without gathering in crowds. Then, at night, the fire crew set off fireworks at a highway overpass. It was one of the most spectacular fireworks displays I’ve ever seen. It was so considerate of those agencies to use provide some celebration for us. It probably cost them quite a bit of money too. Besides buying the fireworks, while being sure their usual services were available, either they had to pay extra for the staff, or those folks donated their time. I’m so grateful for all the police and fire departments did to be sure we could enjoy The Fourth of July.