The Eclipse | by Linda Brendle

Published in the Rains County Leader on April 18, 2024:

North Texas hadn’t experienced a total solar eclipse from the perspective we saw on April 8 since 1878, and we won’t experience being in the path of totality again until the year 2317. I don’t know about you, but I probably won’t be around to see that one.

Total solar eclipses aren’t all that unusual. The events happen every one to three years but are usually only visible from the North or South Pole or from the middle of the ocean. The recent eclipse was notable for its wide path of visibility from Maine straight through Texas and on through Mexico. The longest duration of totality was 4 minutes and 28.13 seconds in Nazas, Durango, but Emory was not far behind with a 4 minutes and 18 seconds.

Expectations were high that this once in a lifetime event would bring an influx of visitors that would overrun the limited resources of our little town. Some thought that would be a good thing – others, not so much. Businesses prepared for larger than normal crowds by expanding hours while schools and other organizations closed to allow families to view the eclipse together. Large parties were planned and parking lots were blocked to keep out uninvited campers.

Libraries have been around a LONG time | by Linda Brendle

Published by the Rains County Leader on April 11, 2024:

Libraries, or at least collections of written records of all kinds, have apparently been around since – well, since written records have been around. Ruins of a Babylonian temple from the 3^rd millennium BC included a stash of clay tablets in several rooms that are believed to have been a library of sorts. Either that or they had a big supply of office supplies. A thousand years later Assyrian clay tables were found in Egypt, and the last great king of Assyria who reigned around 650 BC had a library of around 25,000 tablets.

Sir Francis Bacon, an English philosopher and statesman who lived from 1561 to 1626, is credited with the quote knowledge is power. As a side note, there is some evidence that he wrote some lighter works under the pen name of William Shakespeare, but that’s still a matter of dispute among those who know about such things. Some ancient rulers apparently shared Bacon’s belief about power because they often destroyed the records of rulers they defeated. One Chinese emperor, Shih huang-ti, a member of the Ch’in dynasty, took this idea so seriously that he destroyed all previous historical records so history would seem to begin with his dynasty.

Of course, the Greek philosophers were the champions of knowledge, spending most of their time thinking and talking about thinking. They probably also spent a lot of time writing about what they thought and collecting those writings. Several Greek collections are mentioned in the history of libraries, with the most famous collection having been amassed and organized by Aristotle. Copies of writings he collected formed the basis of the famous library in Alexandria which is believed to have held over 700,000 volumes at some point. The history of this library is rather jumbled. When I was in school, we were taught that Julius Caesar burned the library as part of a military action, but no one seems to be able to confirm or deny that through archaeological findings. In fact, some sources say they can find no evidence that the library existed.

The Ark Encounter | by Linda Brendle

Published in the Rains County Leader on April 4, 2024:

It’s hard to believe that I began writing about our trip to Kentucky a month ago and am just now getting to the main attraction of the trip – the Ark itself. We spent two days at the Ark and could easily have spent another day or two.

Before we left home, one of my friends who had already made the trip told me that one of her most memorable experiences was as the shuttle bus from the parking lot rounded a curve and she got her first full view of the Ark. You can read the dimensions of the huge vessel – 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high – and you can look at pictures and videos, but until you see it for yourself, you can’t really comprehend the enormity of it. The marketing material calls it a modern engineering marvel, but the real marvel is how Noah accomplished his task without the benefit of the internal combustion engine. That and how to photograph something of that size with a device that fits in your shirt pocket.

We arrived at the welcome center just in time to watch a thirty-minute video called “The Building of the Ark Encounter.” which answered a lot a lot of our questions but raised even more. Like the Museum, the Ark contains fascinating displays with lots of explanatory reading. Our group was usually spread out with the guys being first through any given section, me being third, and Fawncyne bringing up the rear. Robert wanted me to point out that this was because she read every single word of every display. I was third simply because I’m a slow reader.

God Provides | by Linda Brendle

Published in the Rains County Leader on March 28, 2024:

One of the rotating duties of the deacons at Believers’ Baptist is to set up the table for The Lord’s Supper. That ordinance is usually celebrated on the fourth Sunday of each month, and this month the duty fell to David – and since we’re joined at the hip, I always help. Normally we set up on Thursday when the church is already open, but we were visiting my brother last week, so we left Conway, Arkansas after breakfast on Saturday and drove straight to the church when we arrived in Emory. We managed to disarm the system and unlock the door without setting off the alarm, and we brought in the mail that included a box from Christianbook.com.

Serving the Lord’s Supper has become more complicated since COVID with its concerns about spreading germs through dirty hands and so forth. BBC’s first solution was the prefilled cups that are double sealed with a plastic cover over the wafer and a foil cover over the juice. This was sanitary enough, but the noise of the plastic and foil were distracting, not to mention those times when someone struggled to open the cup, especially if that someone was the pastor. In addition, the cups were too large to fit into the holes in the tray inserts. We tried removing the inserts and setting the cups on the bottom of the tray, but some of them refused to stay upright. Regardless of how carefully they were arranged, they ended up in a jumble by the time the tray was passed around making it difficult to pick up just one.

We tried the cups that are shaped like a chalice with the juice in the top and the bread in the bottom. The cups were sealed on both ends with a “silent” peel-back lid that reduced the noise. The problem with these cups was that, if you tried to use them in the inserts, they were too small and rattled around, making more racket than the foil lids. And if you arranged them on the bottom of the tray, they all tipped over and made a bigger jumble than the first ones. Then someone came up with a safe way to use the original plastic cups that were made to fit in the tray inserts.

The Creation Museum | by Linda Brendle

Published in the Rains County Leader on March 21. 2024:

After three columns, I’m finally ready to tell you about Wednesday, the sixth day of our nine-day trip to Kentucky and the day we finally made it to the Creation Museum. It was a chilly, windy day with a fine mist in the air that threatened to put a damper on the day (pun intended). Since the school year had not yet ended and because most tourists prefer to tour in shorts and t-shirts, we were able to park close and get through the security line in record time. But the winding walkway that later in the year will be lined with decorative plants and flowers felt like a wind tunnel. Even Fawncyne, who had talked about zip lining since she discovered that The Ark Encounter includes Zip Line and Canopy Adventure Tours, conceded that flying through the canopy wouldn’t be much fun under present conditions. All we could think of was getting inside where hopefully it would be warm, but as soon as we rushed through the door, the weather was forgotten.

We were handed a museum map and guide along with the day’s events, but the exhibits are laid out to more or less lead you through the experience. We worked our way through the Dragon Legends and were amazed at how similar some of the descriptions were to several references in the Bible. Then we met the Burning Tree Mastodon, a cast of a skeleton found in Newark, Ohio about twenty years ago. There was also a large aquarium incorporated into a natural-looking setting with a couple of animatronic squirrels and a young person “fishing.” This exhibit was a favorite of children of all ages.

The main exhibit is basically a tour through the Bible from Creation in Genesis to the Second Coming in Revelation. The descriptions of the displays are fascinating with lots of explanations that give both the biblical and secular views of what you’re seeing. Some of the more scientific sections – like the part about carbon dating and other methods of determining the age of fossils – were over my head. But the Garden of Eden with life-sized plants, animals, and Adam and Eve were attractive to all ages. The Museum is both entertaining and educational as evidenced by groups of students who were on a “working” tour, taking notes and filling out question sheets. In addition to the displays, there were videos and live lectures that added even more understanding.

The first video we saw wasn’t in one of several theaters but was projected on a brick wall in a kind of rest area between exhibits. The film was like an animated graffiti presentation or an old-fashioned chalk talk. In five minutes we were taken through the Creation, the Fall, and the Crucifixion. Later in the day we visited the 4D Special Effects Theater where we experienced not only three-dimensional visuals of Creation but also the stormy wind of the flood and the rough landing of the Ark. 

The designers of the Museum gave a lot of thought and effort to the comfort of their guests. Restrooms were conveniently located throughout the building and Noah’s Café offered tasty and affordable lunch options. I was pleasantly surprised when I asked for a courtesy cup for water and was given a full-sized cup rather than the tiny ones most fast-food places offer. There were also smaller shops that offered coffee, ice cream, and other snacks. I don’t know how affordable they were because, although Robert bought each of us a treat for one of the lectures, I said thank you and didn’t ask how much it cost. 

The lecture involved some unusual insects and spiders which they displayed live. If you’ve read my column for any length of time, you know that bugs are not among my favorite creatures. But they had close-up cameras with large screens so you could get a good look at what they were talking about without getting up close and personal.

Several people have asked what my favorite part of the experience was. That’s like asking me to choose my favorite book or my favorite child. Well, maybe not the last one since I only have one son. Toward the end of our day at the Museum, we discovered a new feature that had recently been added – a sanctity-of-life exhibit call Fearfully & Wonderfully Made (Psalm 139). It was an unexpectedly emotional experience to see four-times life-sized three-dimensional models of what my son looked like during my pregnancy. 

Aside from that very personal moment, I think my favorite part of both venues of The Ark Encounter was the people who work there. They were all friendly and seemed genuinely happy to be there. They never seemed irritated at hearing the same question for probably the thousandth time, and they went out of their way to be helpful. At one point we found ourselves turned around and asked a passing employee for directions. She didn’t give us directions. Instead she led us downstairs and through a short cut, chatting cheerfully the entire way. That being said, when I write about the Ark, I may make a liar out of myself about favorite things. Once I get started talking about what we saw there, I have trouble finding a stopping point.

Blessings

Linda

Homeschooling vs. Public Education | by Linda Brendle

Published in the Rains County Leader on March 14, 2024:

Two weeks ago I mentioned that our trip to Kentucky with Robert and Fawncyne began with a two-day stop in Frisco to watch one of their grandsons play in a basketball tournament. What I didn’t mention is that said grandson, along with his siblings, is homeschooled, and the tournament was an activity of the HCYA (Homeschool Christian Youth Association), a support organization in the Houston area.

The Friday games were already over by the time we arrived, but that evening we all went to a minor league basketball game. The grandson’s team sat behind us, and although they were loud and annoying at times, I never heard any cursing, vulgarity, or any of the negativity that is so common in today’s society, especially among the youth. And according to Robert and Fawncyne, they are always polite and respectful and always address adults as Ma’am and Sir.

On Saturday, David and I borrowed the red Charger to drive to Carrollton for a visit with former neighbors Peggy and James (no police involved in this outing), but Fawncyne described the atmosphere of the game to me. Before the game, the players, coaches, and referees formed a circle in the middle of the court, alternating opposing team members. They all put their arms around each other’s shoulders and prayed. She said the games were very physical with an all-out effort from both teams. There were frequent collisions that ended with one or more players on the floor, but all the players helped each other up, even if they were on the other team.

On the Road Again, Part 2| by Linda Brendle

Published in the Rains County Leader on March 7, 2024:

Last week I wrote about the first two days of our trip with our friends Robert and Fawncyne to visit the Creation Museum and the Ark in Kentucky. Days three and four were equally eventful.

Monday morning, we set out after another complimentary breakfast buffet that totally blew away our normal routine of intermittent fasting. Just outside of Nashville, David said, “Now I have a police car behind me.” He pulled over amid confused comments of what he could have been doing wrong. A nice young officer approached the car on the passenger side, and Robert lowered his window.

“How are y’all doing today?” he asked.

Robert laughed and replied, “Fine until you stopped us.”

The officer smiled back and said, “Don’t worry. No one’s getting a ticket today.”

On the Road Again | by Linda Brendle

Yes, David and I are traveling again, this time with our friends Robert and Fawncyne. Our ultimate destination is the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter – which brings me to the reason we were invited along on this adventure.

When I heard Fawncyne talking about their travel plans, I shared our sad tale of how COVID had interrupted our trip to the Ark in 2020. We were already on our way to Kentucky and were overnighting in Louisiana with David’s sister when we heard the news that the Ark was closing for a while. I ended my story by saying we still hoped to go some day. “Why don’t you go with us?” asked Fawncyne, so we did!

The itinerary included a trip to Frisco to watch a grandson play in a basketball tournament, and instead of taking two cars and meeting in Kentucky, we tagged along to Frisco, too. We left on Friday after lunch, and the excitement started almost immediately. We were were about five minutes from the house when Fawncyne realized she had forgotten her coat, so we made a quick swing back to pick it up.

We were traveling in Fawncyne’s bright red Dodge Charger with a V-8 Hemi, and Robert was trying to make up the time we lost in going back for the coat. At least that was what he told us after he got pulled over for exceeding the posted speed limit. But I guess we didn’t look like a bunch of party animals, so the officer let us of with a gentle reminder to slow down a little.

We made it to Frisco without further incident and checked into the Homewood Suites. We got a discount for being with the basketball group that, as Robert noted, took our room rate from “ridiculous” to “just too high.” But it was a nice room, and the complimentary breakfast buffet was really good.

Robert’s daughter-in-law had arranged free passes for the entire group, including us tag-alongs, to go to a basketball game. We watched the Texas Legends, the G League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks, play the Stockton Kings to a nail biting 135 to 133 win that had the crowd on its feet. It was a fun evening even for two basketball illiterates like us.

On Saturday, Fawncyne lent us her car while they went to the tournament. We drove to Carrollton for a delicious lunch and a wonderful visit with former neighbors Peggy and James. We loved seeing our friends and catching up, but we didn’t love the traffic and are happier than ever to be small town residents. We returned to the hotel and found a victory celebration going on – “our” team had won the tournament.

Sunday morning was a time for more congratulations as David celebrated his 21^st birthday for the 55^th time! After breakfast we went to our rooms to gather our luggage, and when we came back down, the group had gathered to sing Happy Birthday to the birthday boy. Even the desk clerk came out from behind the counter to join in the singing! We stopped for lunch in New Boston, and when Robert told our waitress it was David’s birthday, she brought him a complimentary piece of cheesecake. When we got back to the car, a group from the church had left a voice mail version of Happy Birthday. I think he felt completely loved and special.

Now we’re halfway to our destination and have stopped for the night on the eastern edge of Memphis. If the next week is as much fun as the last forty-eight hours, you’re going to be hearing a lot more about this trip.

Blessings,

Linda

(No pictures as I’m posting this in the car on my phone!)

To vote or not to vote! | by Linda Brendle

Published in the Rains County Leader on February 22, 2024:

The United States Constitution, as originally written, did not define specifically who could or could not vote—but it did establish how the new country would vote. Article 1 of the Constitution determined that members of the Senate and House of Representatives would both be elected directly by popular vote and that the president would be elected by the Electoral College.

The question of who could vote was left to the states into the 1800s. In most cases, only landowning white men were eligible. Black men gained the vote in 1869 and women followed in 1920. Voting rights were further expanded in 1964 by the elimination of the poll tax, in 1965 with the end of Jim Crow laws, and in 1971 when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18.

It would seem that, since people fought so long to win the right to vote, that everyone would be eager to exercise that privilege. Too often, though, that is not the case. According to one source, 35%-60% of eligible voters don’t take part in any given election. The main reason given for not voting seems to be because they don’t think their vote matters. They may think their candidate is so far ahead that their vote isn’t needed or that one person’s vote won’t swing an election one way or another. Some don’t think their vote counts because of the Electoral College System.

Tomorrow | by Linda Brendle

Published in the Rains County Leader on February 15, 2024:

Ladies’ Bible Study provided inspiration for another column, especially in light of a subsequent tragedy. This week’s study was still in Ephesians 4 and focused on the characteristics of the new person we become after becoming a Christian. Of course, all these characteristics are good, and a lot of the discussion centered around how these traits should affect our relationships with the people in our lives.

As you might imagine, since a majority of us have been married for several decades, some of that conversation involved our spouses. We acknowledged the fact that, even in the most loving relationships, there are irritations. I’m sure wives contribute our share of annoyances, but since we were all women, all our examples were masculine – whiskers in the sink, inability to find the catsup – which has been kept in the same place for twenty years – and dirty socks on the floor.

But we didn’t focus completely on the negative. Someone mentioned the fact that there are widows in our church who would love to have the privilege of picking up after their loved one again. The subject ended in laughter when one of us quipped, “So when he drops his dirty underwear on the floor for me to pick up, he’s really leaving me a gift!” We all agreed to be more patient and focus on the positives that far outweigh the negatives in most relationships, marital or otherwise.