According to Ed

Why Do Happy Weddings Turn Into Miserable Marriages?

Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, wanted to hear about the wedding I officiated at yesterday. He asked, “Did the bride or groom faint? Did the groom act like he was having second thoughts?”

I told Ed, “They were young and in love. Both were confident as their wedding vows were exchanged. It was a simple service in the backyard of the groom’s grandfather’s home. A small group of relatives and friends were there to witness their marriage ceremony. It was very close to a perfect wedding, I thought, except their kiss was a little too long and passionate, but they sure enjoyed it.”

Ed had another question for me, “Was it a free bar or did people have to pay for their drinks?

Peace Can Replace Strife

Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, believes that as a retiree, my life should be peaceful, comfortable, and relaxed. I asked him how peaceful can, I, be when old age means everything either dries up or leaks. I also said to him that old age is as relaxed as his golf game. When we used to play golf together, Ed could be both relaxed and like a thunderstorm.

Being peaceful, comfortable, and relaxed is only one side of life. The opposite side of peaceful is anxious, comfortable turned over is tense, and relaxed becomes uptight on its other side. Some folks stress only peace, but peace comes with its opposite side, division or strife. Absolute, total, perfect, peace without any strife will only be in heaven. There is strength in unity, but you cannot have unity without some diversity also present. Everything comes with an opposite or a shadow. A husband can be a great guy sometimes, and, a jerk at other times.

Keep A Cool Mind In The Hot Weather

“It won’t take much more to get me hot under the collar,” I told Ed, my old neighbor, back in Saskatchewan, when he called yesterday. “The weather has been so hot here that our dog would melt if we had one,” I said.

My old neighbor said without compassion, “Better you folks fry eggs on the sidewalk than us.”

“We don’t need to,” I told him, “the hens are laying them fried. We have been forced into a close relationship with our air conditioners these days.”

How Much Can I Prepare For Tomorrow?

Ed questions, “How can I best build today, so I’ll have lots for tomorrow?” As my old neighbor in Saskatchewan nears retirement, he has been considering how to make sure that he has ample when he has no work income. He wants to know what I and others get with the Canada Pension Plan and the Old Age Security?

He is skeptical when I tell him, “It is more than enough for some folks.”

“I’m not some folks,” Ed answers and adds; “When you are not retired; it sure looks like a pretty fine amount to count on every month.”

Will You Live Your Life, As If, It Belongs To God?

Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan, was not interested when I tried to tell him about a book that I am reading. The book that I’m reading is, ‘Life’s Greatest Lessons – 20 Things That Matter,’ by Hal Urban. Ed said that I don’t need to read that book because I read westerns and they teach all the lessons I need to learn about life.

He began listing the lessons taught by westerns. First: Love your horse and take good care of it. Second: Clean your gun and keep it loaded. Third: Get on the right side of the law. Fourth: Drink your whiskey straight. Five: The banker won’t give you a loan, or he will foreclose on your mortgage. Six: Cooks on trail drives can only cook beans and bacon.

How Much Faith Do You Put In The Words Of A ‘Fortune Cookie?’

“Sometimes it seems like everyone has gone out for Chinese food when it comes to empty pews during the summer,” I told Ed, my old neighbor in Saskatchewan. He was asking me about my filling in for other pastors during the summer. I have two weeks of filling-in coming up, and Ed called when I was preparing for the services. Church attendance is what we call regular attendance. The same usual number, of worshippers each Sunday. In the summer, Sunday attendance may be considerably less depending on how many people are away on holidays.

“Do people stay away from church if they know their regular clergy person is gone?” Ed asked me. My answer was sometimes yes, and not necessarily every time. My old neighbor said I sounded like a politician with my answer. Ed said that if his pastor was going to be away, he should be able to take off from church also. I objected to his statement because Ed doesn’t go to church, so in truth, he is taking every Sunday off no matter what clergy person is there conducting the service. Ed told me that if he went to church, he wouldn’t get much out of it for his attention span is more suited for the message you get in a fortune cookie.