"I stood beside a hill
Smooth with new-laid snow,
A single star looked out
From the cold evening glow.

There was no other creature
That saw what I could see--
I stood and watched the evening star
As long as it watched me."
Sara Teasdale, February Twilight

As an astronomer, I really like that poem. On February twilight though, she was probably viewing a planet but it's really hard to rhyme with Jupiter so I'll just let it go.

Welcome to the February newsletter. The gardeners among you are planning your garden and I admire that. I'm not really much of a gardener. I tried a rock garden last year but they all died. What can I say?

THINGS DON'T LAST

I have a cell phone that is really a dinosaur in this world. It doesn't take pictures or have internet access. I've never tried to text anyone and don't even know how, so I'm as much a dinosaur as my phone. My cell phone is just a phone! I have it for emergencies and if you spent one minute in my shoes, you'd want to be able to call 911 any time. But forget about sending a text message to the police; nobody told me how and I refuse to learn that silly text language the kids use.

I like to relax with some music while I play a game on the computer. I recently bought a new computer and my favorite game won't work with Vista. The game was a rather new game that worked with Windows XP but they planned on making any game I had obsolete. An old guy like me can't even enjoy a game because this world wants bigger and better toys.

Old computers, cell phones and other electronic devices can't be thrown away because they would harm the environment so we have to take perfectly functional devices to a recycle center. I guess it's a good thing to take apart something that works, use the parts to build something that is no longer compatible with me or anything in my house, and tear down a tree so they can print the manual to work my new toy. I keep moving every day because if I sit for any amount of time, I will be torn apart and replaced. A Slinky would do nicely.

Technological devices aren't the only things that don't last. Those bigger and better SUV's are just land fill fodder waiting their turn. Homes are torn down to make way for behemoths with media rooms instead of living rooms where kids can play with "virtual" reality toys instead of "actually" going outside and playing with friends.

Unfortunately, ideals and values are thrown away daily as well. Families don't sit down at supper time and just talk. Kids can be seen texting their friends if they do sit with their parents. Parents have little knowledge of what's being taught in school because kids can't talk with parents; they are too busy with friends and video games after all. Parents are obsolete once those thumbs start working those little all mighty hand-held devices that will soon be obsolete as well.

It's true, "things" and "stuff" don't last but Christian values have to be thrown away; they are God-given and made to last forever.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17

Conversations made during meals are second nature to families that attend church regularly together. They haven't thrown away their Christian values yet. Those are the families that have a chance to survive a society where even babies are disposable simply because those kids aren't willing to talk to their parents about anything.

Forgive me for rambling on, but lately I feel as though more and more pieces of our lives are simply fading away in a massive planned obsolescence, with people and Christian values too. Shock your family, starting right now, with a new tradition of sitting at the table for supper actually talking to each other. There must be one stipulation; no cell phones or electronic devices of any kind anywhere in the room.

Lastly, I dare all reading this to pray with your children, spouse or anyone close, out loud together. A life with Jesus is one thing guaranteed to last; forever and ever.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:19