God visited graduation; and where did that finger go?

Yesterday the good wife and I went to my niece's daughter's graduation in a small town in my home state of Ohio. It's was held in one of those new school buildings that includes everything from kindergarten through high school. It is only two years old and this was the first Senior class to graduate in it. I must admit I was fairly proud of the whole event. As hundreds met to celebrate the graduation of 54 students someone unexpected decided to drop by - God! A couple of honor students, in brief addresses thanked God for his help in their achieving this accomplishment; and a local pastor, representing all the town's churches, gave an inspirational, yet direct challenge to all the graduates, then a student dismissed the assembly in prayer. I guess it will be only a matter of time before some parent discovers their sensitivites have been bruised, or their rights maliciously infringed upon, or their graduate permanently scared, maybe not?!

There was a special time during which at least 2/3 of the graduates received scholarships, a number of them receiving from $28,000 to $51,000 individually. Over $250,000 was handed out. Then when all the recipents had been applauded, pictures taken and everyone seated, the principal, after there was a complete silence called one garduate to come forward, then the principal announced that this graduates scholarships would come in the form of boots, uniforms, kp duty and obstacle courses. The next leg of his life's journey was not college but boot camp - and then the people in the auditorium, as though they had been told what to do before hand, stood to their feet, no one was left setting, and with thunderous applause thanked that young graduate for volunteering for military service .... and I thought 'only in America, even in times of divisive views of the military could such celebration take place! I walked out of that auditorium a proud American and even prouder great Uncle.

No visit home is ever complete without stopping by and seeing Gram - she's 97, and physically struggling, but just as loving and mentally alert as ever. I can't remember Gram ever saying a bad word about anyone, and everyone in the family loves her. I mentioned that in some recent family research I had come across a great great grandpa I was never aware of - and right then her face began to glow. "Oh, yes, I very much aware of daddy's[my late grandpa, her husband]grandpa Dan. When we were first married he used to tell me many stories about him, for daddy spent a lot time with his grandparents. Now gggrandpa was a 'self-taught' doctor [some genealogical records have referred to him as a doctor; so I don't know exactly how that title fits]. But evidently my grandpa used to help him pack quinine in newspaper and gggrandpa Dan would take it on his house calls. Two searches have defined gggrandpa Dan as a pillar of the community; maybe being a pillar people trusted you to practice medicine on them??? Quinine in the early 1900's was not restricted as it is today, and it was widely used as a pain killer and relieved one from most fevers. Well, one day gggrandpa Dan had dropped something in the leaves and reaching his hand down to try and find it he got a vicious bite - he told my grandpa to run in the house, get into his medical bag and bring back as much quinine as he could find - which he did - the most of which gggrandpa consumed, after assessing the bit on his finger, he got a short handled axe, [told my grandpa to go in the house and get a wet towel, and to wait at the door and when he called him to come running bringing the wet towel ... grandpa Dan then laid his finger on the tree stump and with one decisive blow eliminated the finger, called my grandpa who brought him the towel, which grandpa Dan rubbed the remaining quinine on then wrapped up his finger stub. Now that's a tough old bird!! I doubt that we could apply any part of Jesus sermon on the mount about hacking off parts that offend you and cause you to sin, but in my rapidly declining years of pastoral ministry left I might find an application. Grandpa Dan had served in the U.S. Army for two years during the Civil War, in the 2nd TN Volunteer Cavalry from 1863-1865, so maybe after all the suffering he had seen hacking off a contaminated finger wasn't such a feat - maybe not for him, but it would be for me!