A Found Treasure

As I was searching the parsonage high and low for a children's message idea, I found a Bible Story Book my parents gave me as an eight year-old. Here's the note on the inside cover:

What a gift.  

Thanks Mom and Dad for encouraging independent reading, study of the Bible, and love of God.

Happy Birthday Dad.

A few weeks ago we hosted the Presbyterians and Methodists for a combined Thanksgiving worship service and I asked our folks to park at the library to make room for others.  This made me think of my dad, circa 1990s.

Almost every Sunday Dad ignored the legion of open parking spots closest to the entrance at church.  He followed this up by ignoring spots at the most far away lot until he reached the very last space; that is where the McKowns parked.  I didn't realize it as a girl, but my dad was often looking for ways to make room for others.  This subtle kindness left a mark on me.

My dad serves in lots of ways--most of which he wouldn't want you to know. I like that about him.

He doesn't clamor for applause either.  Mike McKown does good things because he is a good man.  He is also unflinchingly fair, which is a rare and needed gift in our world.  I like that too.

Tomorrow is this special fellow's birthday (and it's a big one!), and I am so glad to be his daughter.  Happy Birthday Dad!

Dad & Katie went to the Holy Land this year.  Here he is having a wondrous time.
Give him lots of hugs today.  He loves hugs. (wink)

25 Cents at a Time

My eye is trained to be on the lookout for coins.  I possess this skill thanks to my dad, who can spot a penny from a mile away.  When we run together he will shout the denomination as soon as he sees it.  PENNY! NICKEL!  DIME!  It's so exciting.  Over Thanksgiving Dad told a tale (apocryphal?) of a floating $20 bill found on the mean streets of Beaver Dam.  

There is a strategy to coin-finding.  Aim your peepers where car doors open.  Check cracks and crevices in the pavement.  Stoplights are a popular destination for well-worn pennies (see below).  My Thanksgiving run yielded 14 coins.  I was ecstatic. 

A penny here. A quarter there.  It all adds up.  

Even though coins are relatively small in value, what a happy surprise to find them!  I used to all but ignore pennies, but not anymore.  I imagine them as little treasures eager to be found.  I even like to pay in pennies (apologies to those behind me in line)!

Sometimes in the church we wonder if calling the sick (nickel), washing the dishes (penny), or involving persons on the margins (quarter), etc. makes a difference.  One Sunday School lesson.  One dozen cookies for the parade. One hour volunteering at the clothing closet.  One hospital visit.  One encouraging word to the lonely.  

Sometimes we may even wonder if we're just spinning our wheels.  Do these 'little' things do any good?

Rev. Fred Craddock said, "We think giving our all to the Lord is like taking a $1000 bill and laying it on the table--'Here's my life, Lord.  I'm giving it all.' But the reality for most of us is that God sends us to the bank and has us cash in the $1000 for quarters.  We go through life putting out 25 cents here and 50 cents there.  Listen to the neighbor's troubles instead of saying 'Get lost.'  Go to a committee meeting.  Give a cup of water to a shaky old man in a nursing home.  Usually giving our life to Christ isn't glorious.  It's done in all those little acts of love, 25 cents at a time.  It would be easy to go out in a flash of glory; it's harder to live the Christian life little by little…" 

A penny here.  A quarter there.  It all adds up.

Happy Day, Dad.

Happy day to my dad, who is one of my favorites.

Maybe Mike McKown seems serious, but here is a picture of him with nachos so I'll let you decide.

What a guy.  These nachos are in an adult size batting helmet.  

Can you feel his joy through your computer screen?  I thought so. From my dad I learned to celebrate life's gifts like nachos and baseball. Go to a game with this man.  As soon as your ticket is scanned Mike is on a mission:  That mission is nachos.  He swears up and down no park will ever surpass the amount of sour cream at Busch Stadium, but he may have met his match at Miller Park.  "He gave me 3 scoops of sour cream.  THREE SCOOPS!"

Dad oozes happiness about the most interesting of things:  nachos, assorted electrolyte beverages, baseball, jerseys, making cassette tapes of his lines for church plays, exercise, shopping & corresponding people watching, nachos, etc.  What a fun guy.

If I could only use one word to describe Dad it would be good.  Dad always tries to the right thing, which is so very admirable to me.  He is unflinchingly fair which was frustrating as a child (let's remember when he was a ref at my game and called five fouls on me!); but actually he was helping me be independent--a real gift.

Dad, I sure do love you.  Happy day!

Wisconsin: Where It's At.

The Patrick-McKown Family Reunion is coming up!  I can hardly wait.  This year the reunion is in the Badger State.  Speaking of:  On behalf of all people who love cheese allow me to thank you, Wisconsin, for who you are.  Your efforts in the cheddar and pepper-jack worlds are unmatched.

While Wisconsin is known for cheese, the Patrick-McKown clan's main culinary emphasis is pig.  Pig is our thing.  We dig the pig.  We're dorks for pork.  I'll stop...though I could continue.  Every year we lit-rally live high on the hog. 

I'm finished now. 

I still remember Granny's first pig pickin' ('g' unnecessary).  Every year she adds a new element of excitement to the pulling of pork festivities. Last year Granny wore a tiara.  Awesome!  The apple doesn't fall far from the pig's mouth.

Granny, Christmas 2012.

Nearly all of my cousins will be there, which makes me happy.  What a motley crew in the best sense of the cliche, amirite cousins?  I don't see my cousins often--we live in Kentucky, Texas, Wisconsin, Virginia, Alaska, California, Illinois, Ohio and Minnesota--so it's a great opportunity to catch up and get to know one another as adults.  Most years we run a 5K and sometimes we wear costumes.  We don't mind the long stares from innocent bystanders either.  I like that.  Last year Iron Man and friends even made it into the Ohio County (KY) Times.  EXCITING.



Wisconsin contingent, 2012.



Running in formal wear, 2011.

I'm grateful for my family and look forward to seeing them.
 

Cool Cats

These hipsters are coming to visit tomorrow.  I can't wait.

This is probably post Carpenters concert. Pat and Mike love themselves some Carpenters.  Can't you see the "On Top of the World" look in their eyes?

What's not to love about this photo? Their tresses are out of control...basically they're a Pantene ad. Their mix of patterns is fun.  They're wearing lovely smiles...and best of all?  They look oh so happy.  They still look this happy.

Mom, Dad and Katie will have a whirlwind of fun which is just the way I like it.  We'll enjoy time in Scottsville and catch a Nationals game in D.C. (Please oh please let them win.  Bless their hearts--they're in a bit of a slump.)

My brother Sam will join us and on Sunday Scottsville Baptist will install me as pastor.  Many favorites--old and new--will be there.  I am blessed.  Everyone is welcome to join at 4:00 p.m.  But first I must finish a sermon about a sheet from the sky filled with animals!  Never a dull moment.

Happy Birthday Mom

When I was a girl I wanted to sign my name as elegantly as my mom. There's something special about her cursive P.  Mom's John Hancock was Pat D. McKown.  I asked what the "D" stood for and she straight up told me "Dinosaur." This tall tail tale was served with a fabricated side story.  I guess I knew she was teasing, but I loved her imagination too much to doubt it.  This makes me smile:  I think I like adventures because of her.

Pat McKown is a force.  She worked her way through college and earned a Master's Degree from Kent State University.  Pre-retirement Mom was an audiologist and health department administrator.  I liked going to her office because she had a huge sound booth (say "hot dog") and interesting toys.  Mom had a Barbie in a wheelchair which was thoughtful since she had little ones with wheels of their own.

Mom can make curtains or quilts behind her back, but she's also a sports enthusiast.  She loves the St. Louis Cardinals and has her own bowling bag and shoes.  Pat McKown can fix things too.  I missed out on that gene.  

Mom grew up Catholic and is Baptist now, but she still likes to watch Mass on Christmas Eve and see the pope bless God's littlest ones. One of my favorite road trips with Mom was to the Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky (Thomas Merton lived there).  Even though we both got motion sick on the special train ride it was a fun day.

Mom has a great sense of humor too.  Two of my favorite examples:  1. She once put Ashley Gill's mom, Christy in a headlock 2. When looking at houses in Arlington she said:  "Sorry we don't have three million dollars.  We spent all our money on Propels...that stuff ain't cheap."

Mom is a wonderful listener and she has a tender heart for the plight of others.  She is conscientious and wants to do the right thing.  Mom is extravagant in her love and gives grace to all.  I am a blessed daughter.  

Happy Birthday Mom!

One of my favorite pictures of my mom

Olan Mills to the Rescue!

Olan Mills went kerplunk (I think) but "LifeTouch to the Rescue!" doesn't have the same panache. 

If you're a cradle roll member you've sat for at least 472 Olan Mills sessions in your lifetime.  During my last photo shoot I was asked to rest my hands under my chin and sort of relax on a mirror.  Since I'm not a senior in high school I said "No thanks" but the photographer wouldn't relent.  So I rolled back to 1999 and let my hair down (figuratively speaking).  YOLO... right kids? (first and last time I will type YOLO) 

I laughed the entire time.  The photographer didn't love that.  Anyway, I wish you could have seen them trying to sell me an 8 x 10 of that situation. 


A pre-Sam pastel-inspired photo of the McKown family circa 1985/6.

I love looking at old church directories.  Not only is it a stroll down memory lane--it's a chance to smile at the great cloud of witnesses who molded and shaped me.  When I'm in Kentucky I look at directories from the 80s and 90s.  I see GA leaders, Sunday School teachers, friends and characters (!).  I close the book feeling grateful. 

Sometimes though it is hard to make a new church directory because it's an acknowledgement of change.  In the old directory, the Rains family beamed.  In the new directory, Mrs. Rains is widowed.  Pastors have changed, people have moved to new cities, tragedies have occurred.  Life has happened.  A new church directory is an acknowledgement of change.

The happy side of a new church directory is also acknowledgement of change!  Babies are born, new families and individuals move to town and there are marriages to celebrate. Pastors have changed, people have changed, celebrations have occurred. Life has happened.  A new church directory is an acknowledgement of change.

At Scottsville Baptist we're gearing up for a new photo directory.  Perhaps it sounds small to focus on something as simple as a directory, but I think it can be significant.  Those who have effectively joined "First Baptist Bedside" can see photo directories as a time of recommitment--because at the end of the day you have to decide whether or not you'll be included in the pages.  You've got to suit up/dress up/man up/woman up and consider if being a church of one is really working for you.  And you have to decide whether or not you'll be part of forming the next generation. 

For those of us who are part of the church every Sunday a directory is a gentle reminder that our photos might comprise a great cloud for someone else 20, 30, 40, 50 years down the road.  When the next generation flips through the pages, what kind of church will we have left them?  Don't you want to be part of what God is doing now--and by extension--in the future?  I hope so.

It's just a photo directory?  I don't think so.

Say cheese!  Be part of the church directory and most importantly:  Be part of the church.

This post brought to you by the letter "T"

My favorite number is 4.  My favorite place to shop is Macy's.  My favorite sport is baseball basketball baseball.   My favorite thing to think about doing is gardening.  And now my favorite letter is T.

God has blessed me with a niece.  We are simpatico. Once when I was trying to change Caroline's diaper she smiled and said "Bible?" as in let's read it now.  ADORABLE.  Of course we read the Bible together right then.  Diapers come and go but the word of the Lord lasts forever.  

Caroline can't quite say "Aunt Katie" so it comes out "T" which I love. Thanks to video chat we get to see one another.   Last time we hugged our computer screens when it was time for bed.  

"Whose house are you going to tomorrow Caroline?"  

"T!!!!!!!"

I wish.  Ben and Jaime, please put her on a Grayhound at once.  Jk, but get here soon.

The day Katie went to college

When my youngest brother Sam was 8 years old I left for college.  In my apartment hangs the essay he wrote about that day aptly titled "The Day Katie Went to College."  Are you ready for an amazing opening paragraph? 

"It was an early fall day and it was one of the saddest days of my life.  I knew it was time for my sister, Katie, to go to college.  I felt horrible because I loved her and I thought I wouldn't get to see her again."   

Does anyone have a fresh tissue about...because it's getting misty.

Happily Sam learns you do get to see your siblings once they leave for college.  "Now when Katie leaves I don't need to cry because I know I will see her again."  Shoo.  I can't handle the thought of a sad 8 year old Sam.  Did you need a picture of Sam as a boy?  Okay.  Here's 5 year old Sam afflicted with chicken pox.  Though sickly, he is not ill-prepared for battle.  Also sunlight.  He's ready for that too.

For much of my life I've lived far away from Sam, but not this summer!  On Thursday Sam moves to Washington, DC for six weeks for a Congressional internship.  I'm so excited!  He'll be living in the city with all the cool cats, but we'll get to hang out and go to baseball games.  I can't wait!  Sam has grown into a wonderful young man.  I'm proud of him.