No. 600

This is entry No. 600 for Texas T-bone, at least according to the blog itself. I would have hit this number a lot quicker had I posted as often as I did in the beginning (daily, or more). Such is life. Anyhow, on to the real topic.

The Curse of the Mindy Sweater

The Petite Filet teased me about a green sweater I have. It reminds her of ... in fact looks just exactly like a sweater ... one of her female friends has. The teasing started two years ago. I hadn't worn it again until Wednesday. That's when we had freezing rain, sleet and a few snow flurries. Just enough to make driving dangerous and miserable. Our Thursday-Friday low temperature here is supposed to be 14 degrees. For some of you, that's chump change in the pocket of winter. But for us here in Texas it is quite a shock. It was more than 80 degrees just a week ago on Saturday. I'm beginning to think it's the sweater. It will be in exile for a few years, or at least until the weather straightens out. Or the PF stops calling it the "Mindy sweater."

In other news, I've come to realize that cell phone companies launched a conspiracy about 15 years ago to make us all look like robots. First, many of us become addicted to cramming the little walkie-talkies against our ears from dawn to dusk. Many also wear them proudly as weapons of mass distraction on their hips, often in little holsters. For the most robotlike of them all, I've seen a plethora of wireless headsets ... those little Terminator-looking models that either rap around the ear or clip to glasses frames. Why do people succumb to this torture? I didn't have a cell phone of my own until 18 months ago, and often I forget it at home or leave it in my car. I, unlike most cell users, haven't suddenly been hit with a heck of a lot more to say. Maybe it's just that people are becoming more like robots, not just looking like them.

Toy drives for needy children are well-meaning, and we often contribute to at least one effort each Christmas season. It meets a need, albeit a fake, trivial one, to fit in with the spoiled brats who will open $5,000 worth of age-appropriate crap. It's kind of like giving blankets to the homeless; on the one hand, many of them get cold – that makes it a worthy gesture. But if they need more serious help, such as medical care or, just maybe, a place to live that isn't also used as a toilet by pigeons, then we're just putting a band-aid on the problem, aren't we? Or are we just making ourselves feel better out of some sort of guilt for having a normal, stable life? Forget about a toy. What that poor kid needs is some nice, warm clothing, maybe a T-shirt that says, "My daddy got laid off from the factory and all I got was this lousy T-shirt." Or even better, maybe he wants a cursed, green sweater.

Hey, our Christmas tree is up and now fully decorated. Doesn't look half bad. It's in a corner, so we only had to decorate half of it!

There is a growing campaign each year to put the "Christ" back in Christmas, rather than allow retailers to say "Happy Holidays" or some other generic greeting. It's a half-baked effort, because it's not the word Christmas that needs to be emphasized, but what the Christian Christmas celebrates. It is the birth of Jesus Christ, the son of God. The thing is, Jesus' birth only sort of fits the definition of Christmas. While God sent us the gift then, it wasn't unwrapped until Jesus lived a sinless life and died on a cross in our place, for our sins. He rose from the dead to show that death can be defeated, and lives today at the right hand of God. I am more thankful for what is celebrated in the Christian Easter, because that's where the rubber met the road. By accepting Jesus' sacrifice, and making him Lord of my life (which is a work in progress, for sure), my unworthiness is stripped away by that pain and suffering on the cross. It's not just about the nonrefundable promise of heaven, but also being able to live life more abundantly here – with real joy rather than fleeting happiness. This is something available to everyone, no matter your past. You just have to ask. E-mail me if you want more information. I'm no biblical scholar, but it's all there in big letters and I'd love to share more about it. Ha! You didn't know this would turn evangelical, did you?

Finally, let me wish you a wonderful weekend – no matter what the weather is doing outside, no matter what you believe in or don't, and even if, by some chance, you happen to put on a green sweater.