Dear Jimmy,
Why bless me, you’ll never believe what your ol’ uncle has gone and done now. We were sittin’ in front of the TV watchin’ the Braves game when one of those computers came on the commercial.
Well, I never paid it no mind but about two innings later Orley says, “Did you happen to notice that computer on the TV?”
I strained my poor ol’ eyes tryin’ to see a computer somebody brought to the ballgame.
Jim White
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Wouldn’t surprise me none to see somebody sittin’ in the bleachers with a computer on his lap. It took me a while, but I finally figured out what he was talkin’ about. Two innings is about his usual ponderin’ time. Not bein’ a lawyer or a preacher he tends to think about what he’s fixin’ to say. I’m just kiddin’ about the preacher, Jimmy.
Orley spoke up again and said, “Ya know, I recon it’s about time we wandered into the 21st century and got us one of them computers.” Talk about bein’ shocked! Here for years I been hopin’ to drag him into the 20th century and he skips right on over it and lands in the 21st.
I guess I musta been sittin’ there with my mouth agape ’cause he told me I better close it before I drooled on myself. I blinked back my disbelief and as long as my mouth was open anyway, I asked him what brought that on.
Come to find out at the last deacons’ meetin’ Brother Bobby passed out a tablet and asked them for their email addresses so he could send messages to them about deacon families. I don’t mean anything confidential, but other things.
Well, Orley said he couldn’t help but notice that even some of the older deacons had email. Think about Orley callin’ them old, and you’ll get an idea about the age of our deacons.
To make a long story just a little shorter, the next day we drove into town to the Fill-a-Belly Deli and after dinner bought us one. He’s in there right now sittin’ in the middle of the awfulest tangle of wires you ever saw. He looks like he got caught in a spaghetti avalanche.
If I was a bettin’ woman, I’d lay down money that a fish will sprout feathers before he gets that computer goin’. It ain’t that I lack confidence in him, it’s just that I’ve got experience with him. The way he got the VCR to quit flashin’ the wrong time was to put a piece of black tape over it. He can overhaul a tractor and it’s good as new, but if it plugs in, forget it. Just a minute, he’s callin’ me.
Well, paint me green and call me a pickle if he ain’t got the screen all lit up with the Religious Herald on it. For certain, he’s got an aptitude I didn’t suspect. I couldn’t read the whole screen ‘cause Orley was experimentin’, but I did see that that dear boy John Upton is goin’ to be the president of the Baptist World Alliance.
Why, I’m just as proud as I can be of him. And I’m just as proud to be a Virginia Baptist. I just can’t help but think what an honor this is not just for John but for all of us. Those folks who nominated him must think pretty highly of Virginia Baptists or they wouldn’t have asked him to be president. ’Course, they had to think pretty highly of John, himself, too, I recon.
At first I thought it meant he wouldn’t be head of Virginia Baptists anymore, but then I saw that he’ll still be with us and do both jobs. Thank goodness. I imagine there will have to be some adjustments for folks at the Mission Board, but what an honor to think that Baptists from other parts of the world have asked our head man to be the president of the BWA. I figure it must also be a powerful big responsibility. But if we all support him in it, I know he’ll do a great job. And the Kingdom of Christ will be better off because of it. I guess I better get off my soapbox, but I get gooseflesh just thinkin’ about it.
In our last WMU meetin’, one of the ladies was talkin’ about the BWA meetin’ bein’ in Hawaii next year. Since John is goin’ to be president, I just now told Orley I think we ought to go. I told him I was goin’ to take a grass skirt. He told me in that case, he was goin’ to take a weed whacker. Now I wouldn’t want anybody to get the wrong idea. He’s just cuttin’ up.
I’m gonna tell our WMU that I think as many of us as can should go to Hawaii next year just for the honor of it. I’m sure the Religious Herald will be there, won’t it? Soon as Orley teaches me to drive that new computer I bet I’ll be able to find out all about the meetin’ in Hawaii. Or, I could just wait and read about it in the Herald, I guess.
Well, Jimmy, I’m goin’ to close this letter ’cause I hear Orley in the other room cacklin’ about somethin’ and I can’t let him have all the fun. Who knows, the next time I write to you I might just send it by email. I’ve got to figure out where to get email stamps.
As always, nephew, we send our love. Bring Connie and come see us when you can.
Love, Aunt Ida