Simple Folks

JB called from the US a week before his and his family's short three-week trip to the Philippines.

"Mom, what would you want me to buy you from here?"

He gave me the perfect opening to ask for the moon.

Without missing a beat, I said, "Philip Yancey's latest book, What Good is God?" (I have all of this author's books, each one of them signed by Yancey himself.)

Pause.  "That's it?!" he asked, surprised.

"That's it," I replied.

"But you could easily download that to your Nook [his gift last Christmas]!" 

"It would be nice to have this book in print."

Resigned sigh. "Anything else?" he pressed.

"Nothing else."

A more audible resigned sigh, “Ok.”  

Days earlier, he chatted with JC, asking him what their father might want.

JC typed, “Prince Valiant comic book.”  

JB:  Huh?! How about an iPad 2?

JC: No, Prince Valiant.  He's been nagging me to order for him the Vol. 3 collection from Amazon.”  

JB: How about a high-tech razor?

JC: Prince Valiant.

Tony and I—we're simple folks.  When generous cousins from abroad ask for what we want when they visit, we say, "Splenda."

"Splenda?! That thing available in any supermarket?!"

"Yeah, but we want the freebies on the plane."

"Huh?"

Over the years, and more than ever now that we are headed toward the sunset, the Lord has helped us pare down our expensive wants so we can enjoy the free things He has given us—the sky and all that's in it; the earth and all that's in it; the air and all that's in it; ample breaks to use the talents sent our way, and doing what we love doing; relationships, friends, family; the time to praise, worship, and thank Him for every blessing—most especially His greatest gift of all:

The grace of redemption.