And unto us a wing man is born🙂

It pays.

To pay attention.

In Sunday school.

Religion class.

Theology class.

Catechism class.

Evangelicalism class.

New. Old. Testament.

Before you race to book your next flight. “Outta here”

The Good Book may not be on the NY Best Seller list. But it is a good book to consult. The consultant of all consultants.

But the Bible, old, new, ratty looking, or catty looking is the ultimate best seller, the ultimate Good Book book whose lessons stand the test of time. Upon which much of our existence is based upon. Most of all, the Good Book can

Stand the test of time.

New. Time.

Old. Time.

The testimony of all testimonies.

Perhaps you outta sit down.

and peruse and pursue its teachings for a bit.

It is Good News. The Good News. So good in fact. Four “guys” took it upon themselves to “pass it on”.

The Black Paternoster. A Nursery Rhyme.

For whatever you may be nursing.

Nursing about:

Matthew, Mark. Luke and John, Heard the good news and they past it on. “The bed be blessed that I lie on” They heard the good news and they passed it on in and around 1600….

As a charm, as a blessing.

This rhyme was first published as a charm or blessing in 1656. By Thomas John Ady in his book “Candle in the Dark: Or a Treatise Concerning the Nature of Witches & Witchcraft.

”Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,

Bless the bed. That I lie on.

Four corners to my bed,

Four angels round my head

One to watch and one to pray

and two to bear my soul away.

The origins (that is the beginnings of the story) can be traced back to Babylonians ancient times in a prayer. It has a Jewish equivalent that was re discovered in medieval times and said as a blessing prayer before sleep: In the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, May Michael be at my right hand; Gabriel at my left; Uriel before me; Raphael behind me and the Shekhinah of God be above my head.(Ms)

Now. And Habitually. This passage can be debated, disputed, ignored. Repeated silently in our heads or aloud on kneels next to our bed.

Your choice. In the monumental task of rearing a child. Your choice until a child becomes old enough, informed enough, confident enough to make the choice for themselves.

There are no short cuts.

In a perfect world, that is.

But we do not live in a perfect world.

It helps to have your personal wing man with you at all times. A wing man who has your back. Whispering in your ear to do good. Be good. Be honest. Be forthright. At times, sometimes oftentimes, once the parent blows it—and they will blow it—the doubt can rear its ugly head. And heads.

Doubt can begin as a pebble turn rock, boulder on the shoulder and then in your desperate attempt to rid of it, you vandalize, graphitt-ey, heck, launch it through a window.

A broken window.😲 And the message becomes blah, blah, blah

The kinda message not learned at the local gym.

Not learned at the local watering hole.

Not learned at the farmers market.

Not learned at the doctor’s office.

Not learned at the dentist office.

Not learned at the school, the school playground.

Not even always learned at the house of worship.

Oftentimes when we walk out the door of these establishments, we forget everything we just learned and “go back” to our old selves, our old selfish selves, our old self serving selves.

I do not think that is what Matt, Mark, Luke or John were passing along. Although I am not certain because I wasn’t there. However, I do call upon my own wing man in times of great doubt and he unselfishly defends my person and reminds me why I am still alive.

To spread the Good News.

Today is a reminder of a birth of a child.

What can get better than a birth of a pure and innocent human.

Unfortunately, a lot.

When humans are added to the “mix”. So much imperfection can tend to warp a good and honest little blob of human waiting to be formed into a helpful, kind and serving being.

It does and it doesn’t depend so much on how we look at it. It may be how we act, or not act on it. It becomes so complicated when it is simple. May be we knew all along. Maybe we did not. Maybe we all have way too much time on our hands. Why not use them to turn the pages of the Good Book and learn a thing or two. About how truth and honesty finds its way into our heads. Before bolting out the door of our own heads from our mansions and condo to our Mercedes’, and Yachts. Before feeling like we have the “right” to go before another.

Pretending we did all the work all along. When may be what we really did was forget to regard that which we should hold and have held near and dear. Human imperfection. Not for the faint of heart nor the weary.

No. There is nothing wrong with having nice things. If all went well last eve, Santa and his 9 assistants worked late into the night and have since returned home to a well deserved rest. We will see how it goes today, when the youngest of these open their much anticipated gifts. Will it be the buzz they were hoping for? The buzz the parents and families hoped and worked for? To provide?

Time will tell. It usually does.

Seeing life through the eyes of a child has its fun, has its benefits. Surely has its positives. The look of joy. The look of disappointment. The look of coal in the stocking as a gag or a jest just to “test the waters” of the temperature in the room.. For some today, it will indeed be a long day.

Listening for the wing man will be a much sought after habit to positively fill the moments of being too lost or the deafening silence. In and of our own heads. The children laughing or screaming in delight may be a welcome sound. Lost in our own heads may cause us to get, well, lost. Too lost.

One might think this is way too weird. Too other worldly, too crafty and wizardry. ok. No argument there. You do what works for you. You do what is best for you.

I am good.

And if you ask.

Am more than happy to share what I have learned so far. Because it has brought me this far and chances are I will be around for awhile, wing man on my shoulder, the Good Book in my lap and positivity extended with a hand of happy service and of happy grace. Anytime. Anywhere. Anyday.

How do I know?

My wing man told me so. And. I believe in Him.