Author: William Douthwaite

Posted in joy, Life

Make sure you find the Easter joy you’re looking for

Posted on by William Douthwaite

The yellows, greens, and pinks reached out to me, saying, “This way!” I had little choice but to follow my autonomous shopping cart into the maze of cellophane-wrapped Easter baskets. Fuzzy chicks and bunnies watched from the shelves, hoping to be chosen for a forever home. Yellow boxes filled with peanut butter eggs whispered to my subconscious, “These the the ones you’re looking for.” Rather than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the shore, God could have directed Abraham’s eyes to the myriad of jellybeans, promising, “Your family will number more than these!”

A couple of days from now, we’ll be filled with the joy of resurrection. Easter Sunday will celebrate the truth that Christ, not death, has the final word. Yes, we’ve adorned Easter with all these trappings and plenty of food. But none of that can drown out our voices proclaiming, “He is risen! He is risen, indeed!”

And yet, most of the people I saw in the Easter aisles at the various stores looked miserable. I did not see any smiles at all. Shoppers looked annoyed, frustrated, and tired as they scanned the shelves, shrugged their shoulders, and tossed a bag of whatever into their cart. If they had brought kids along it was worse. Angry voices scolded, “Put that back. Stop asking. One more time and you get nothing.”

Oh, come on! All of these things bring a smile to my face. In the retail world, every popular cartoon character has part in Easter, from Super Mario to the Avengers! I’m impressed by the creativity that goes into each year’s products. I don’t know about you, but the thought of Starburst jellybeans, Reese’s peanut butter eggs, marshmallow chocolate bunnies, and malted milk robin eggs makes me smile every year! I can’t wait for the fun we’ll have hiding and finding plastic eggs.

So here’s what I think. First, if it makes you miserable, you should just skip the holiday. It’s OK. The candy companies won’t go broke without you. Second, find someone (like me) who enjoys the holiday and find out why. Anyone with Easter joy is more than ready to give a reason for the hope they have. Finally, go back to the source of joy. It’s not stuff. It’s not candy. It’s not a bunny. Or eggs. It’s an empty tomb. Death has been defeated, sin has been forgiven, and God’s love endures forever.

Posted in children, Life

Story time: The fountain of youth

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Story time at the library was packed. When my grandson and I got in line, there were twenty preschoolers, parents, and grandparents ahead of us. There were enough sitting mats to go around, and we found our spot near the front of the room. I’m glad we did, because I enjoyed the three stories as much as anyone else in the room. Especially The Good Egg.

The Good Egg by Jory John and Pete Oswald made me laugh out loud over and over. It’s about a dozen eggs, one of who is good, joined by eleven others who misbehave and cause trouble. The good egg gets so stressed out trying to be the good one that his shell starts to crack. So he takes some time away for self care. Relaxation, meditation, and new hobbies soon have him feeling much better. But he’s lonely, so he heads back to join the others, having learned that you don’t have to be perfect in an imperfect world.

I am certain the children didn’t appreciate the story as much as the adults. We’re the ones who struggle with perfectionism, being judgmental, and putting up with difficult people. We grownups need to be reminded that a little self-care improves our capacity to understand the care for others, too.

I left story time wanting to read more children’s books. I want to read them to my grandchildren and for my self. I appreciate creative words and illustrations inspires my inner child and entertains the little one sitting in my lap.

When we grow up, we no longer see the world with the wonder, imagination, and curiosity of a child. But a children’s story can restore all of that like a fountain of youth.

I’m thankful my grandson likes to take me to story time.

Posted in wildlife

I’m watching them, and they’re watching me

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Two hawks were screeching in the tree right above our back patio. One flew off while one remained on a branch about twenty feet up. On any given day I’ll see them circling in the sky, riding the updrafts. Some days they may be sitting right on a fence post, just a few feet from the back door.

They’re watching. Watching the grass for snakes. I’ve seen them swoop in and grab an unsuspecting snake. Never saw him or her coming. Still wriggling in the talons as the hawk flies away.

Watching for bunnies. Plenty of those around. The bunnies who sit out front and think that if they are still enough, I won’t notice them. Right after I notice more bunnies than usual out in the yard, usually munching on garden plants, they disappear. Pretty easy targets for the hawk dropping in from the sky.

Watching out for other birds. The crows will sometimes gang up on them and loudly chase them away. I guess it’s not worth the fight when there are plenty of other trees around.

Watching me. I’m not a threat, but if I take a step too close, the hawk flies off. If I stand and watch too long, they leave. I’m not really a threat, but they aren’t taking any chances.

I love catching sight of the wildlife in our neighborhood. Sadly, more houses means fewer wooded lots. I think most of the deer have left. My neighbors in the sky are still around though.

Posted in faith, family, Life

The excitement is building: It’s almost Easter!

Posted on by William Douthwaite

Growing up, Easter was as exciting as Christmas. I had a hard time getting to sleep the night before. My brother, sister, and I all woke up way too early on Easter Sunday morning. Why? We couldn’t wait to get our Easter baskets! The church was always a part of our family life, but we never missed out on all the other good stuff, too.

I have no idea where the tradition came from, but every Easter our baskets would have a string tied to them. It was a treasure hunt. The string would wind around furniture, through different rooms, and finally lead us to a small present. The only specific present I remember receiving was a Matchbox bulldozer. I know, that has nothing to do with Easter, but I thought it was really cool.

In addition to the hard-boiled eggs we had dyed the day before, our baskets were filled with jellybeans, malted milk balls coated to look like candy eggs, a few marshmallow bunnies, and sometimes a solid chocolate bunny.

This one comes in sizes up to 64 oz!

My mom always ordered a special dark-chocolate covered coconut cream egg from a local candy store. A little larger than the size of a softball, I remember it weighing several pounds and was unbelievably sweet. Apparently, these eggs were a Philadelphia tradition. My mom always ate most of it, slicing off pieces like she was carving a roast.

When I walked through Walmart a few days ago, I saw four aisles devoted to Easter baskets, candy, decorations, and toys. It’s still very exciting. It’s very exciting for retailers, who predict we’ll spend $23 billion dollars on Easter this year. That’s every kind of chocolate candy you can imagine is wrapped for Easter. That’s why jellybeans come in so many flavors.

But I saw no solid bunnies. Just the hollow chocolate ones. The big coconut cream eggs? I would probably have to order one online. Other Easter candy? We’ve got plenty of that. Don’t worry, I’ll let the grandkids have some, too.

Posted in Life, Moments of grace

It’s not over yet: A little bit of green

Posted on by William Douthwaite

They weren’t dead after all. I got down on my knees, dug through the mulch and saw a little bit of green. There is still some life here!

The winter in northeast Florida had just enough freezing days to knock the life out of a lot of my yard plants. I thought I lost my hibiscus and crotons. They were nothing but brown sticks standing around the house. I needed to replace them.

I was not prepared for the high prices at the big box garden center. Inflation is alive and well. Nine dollars for a bag of dirt? Five dollars for a blooming quart sized annual? Six dollars for a pepper plant? Nine bucks for a croton? That was the small size. A big one will set you back $16.

I went back home to rethink my garden strategy. I went back out to the front yard and looked at the sticks in the ground. Being a glass half full kind of guy, I got up close and personal with them to see if there was any sign of life at all. And there was. Little tender green shoots were just beginning to reach up from the base of the sticks. I pulled back the mulch to give them better access to sunlight. I poured on some water and a little liquid fertilizer. I think they’re going to make it!

I’m going to start a lot of my own plants from seeds now too. I did a little research and it’s not hard to propagate crotons or just about any other plant. Remember putting a seed in a cup of dirt in kindergarten to grow a flower for mom? There’s another early education lesson that pays off later in life.

A lot of my neighbors don’t even try. I don’t see many colors in their yards when I go for a walk. Just green and brown. I’m not going to be that guy. I’ve got my sights set on the whole rainbow.

It’s Holy Week. I’m not preaching this year, but my garden is. The Creator cleverly embedded the message of resurrection in his creation. Nice job, God!

Posted in Nature

Welcome to the neighborhood

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Not the eagle we saw, but pretty close. Photo by Ivan K. Fox on Unsplash

A week ago, I helped my youngest and her family move out of their home into a temporary place while their new home is being built this summer. It was an atypical move since they had sold or given away a lot of their furniture. But there were plenty of boxes to keep everyone busy.

About halfway through unloading the first trailer load, someone looked up and said, “Quick, everyone come out here. Look, it’s a bald eagle!” The bird was sitting atop a thirty-foot-high scrub pine tree right behind their home. We watched for a few minutes to see if a mate might be nearby, but he or she didn’t join us.

This temporary home is next to a large pond, not far from a popular nesting area in a state park. When you’re looking for them, bald eagles make themselves scarce. Even when we go to the zoo, they often hide from the crowds. I love catching a glimpse of these beautiful birds who are willing to share their home with us here in northeast Florida.

Posted in Grace, Moments of grace

From despair to hope in five minutes

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Skica911 on Pixabay

I was happy to see hardly any line when I pulled into Five Minute Oil Change. Every bay was full, but there were only two other cars ahead of me waiting to pull in. Sweet. If you’ve ever been, you know it can take over forty-five minutes to get that five-minute oil change.

Suddenly, the guy who waiting to pull into the first bay ignored the “don’t get out of your car” sign and jumped out. He shouted at the crew, “Hey, I’ve been waiting longer than any of these people! Are you going to get me in or not?”

The savvy manager rearranged a few cars and had him pull into the middle bay. I don’t know how long that customer had been waiting, but from that moment they got him out in about five minutes.

As I sat there and watched, I thought, “This could easily escalate into something much worse.” News stories of road rage and mass shootings have conditioned me to imagine that most people are carrying guns. All I have to do is look cross-eyed at them and they’ll try to use it.

Reality is much different. Everyone else at Five Minute Oil Change was either patient in line or working hard under the cars. A savvy, well-trained manager knew how to deal with the situation. Unruly customers are served and directed out of the bays as quickly as possible without further incident.

My four-year-old grandson was sitting in the backseat, looking through books we had just gotten at the library. I’m sad that he has to grow up in a world like this. I’m also hopeful because he can be someone who can make it a better place.

Posted in Review

The game of life: Super Mario edition (review)

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A few weeks ago, my wife and grandson came home from a shopping trip with a new game, the Super Mario edition of the game of Life. I grew up playing the game of Life. My brother, sister, and I gave the spinner a real workout. This grandson is a big fan of all things Mario, so this was a natural choice for him.

The game is easy for four-year-olds and grandparents. You move Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, or Yoshi around a board collecting coins and stars in order to fight the boss, Bowser. There is something very satisfying about the zipping of the spinner at the beginning of each turn.

Along the way, players play little mini-games against each other to collect more coins. Games include spin-offs, thumb wars, and rock, paper, scissors. Some turns include trying to beat classic enemies, like a Goomba or Boo, which gets you more coins to buy stars.

The best thing? It has kept my grandson busy all day. We watch him one day a week. Today, he walked into the house, said, “Hi,” to Gigi, opened up the box and began setting up the game. He set it up and played alone for several hours. He sorts through the cards, races the people around the board, and narrates the whole experience.

We did play a game after lunch. But he didn’t especially want to win. He just wanted to collect as many cards, coins, and starts as he could. Finally he got the best of Bowser and I declared him the champion. I got up to get some tea, he went right back at it.

I think we paid $20 for it at Walmart. Great investment!

Posted in grandparenting, Life

Reading (yawn) with my granddaughter

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Free Stock photos by Vecteezy

This week we watched two of our granddaughters while number three was being born. The couple of hours after morning preschool is designated quiet time at their house. The two-year old sleeps pretty well. The four-year old defines “quiet” differently than I do.

Yesterday’s primary quiet time activity was baking cookies. They were pre-made, pre-formed, pre-cut refrigerator cookies each featuring a unicorn. It only took her a few minutes to place each one on a parchment paper covered sheet pan. My wife popped them in the oven, leaving one hour and fifteen minutes of quiet time to go.

“Hey, grandpa, can you read me this story?” A book of five-minute Disney princess stories lay open on the coffee table.

“Sure.”

I love to read, and I love to read to children. I was as fascinated by the stories as she was. Each was tale of something that happened after the classic princess movie. Cinderella was competing in a horse show. Belle and a new friend were working on inventions. Ariel was planning her wedding to Prince Eric.

At the end of each one, she pointed to the next and said, “Now read this one.” My eyes get very heavy in the early afternoon, especially if I sit and read. Ordinarily I’d take a quick nap or do something active. Today I soldiered on. Three stories in, I had to pause, stand up, change position, and rub my eyes to continue reading about Mulan and Sleeping Beauty. The struggle to stay awake was real.

Finally the cookies were cool enough to eat. I welcomed the sugar rush. Then mom and dad walked in the door with the new baby.

She was fast asleep. I like your style, little one.