Happy New Year from Hines Terrace Herald

“The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.”  ― G.K. Chesterton

“For last year's words belong to last year's language 

And next year's words await another voice.” 

― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

      We here at Hines Terrace Herald want to wish everyone who takes the time to read this blog a very Happy New Year. We hope that 2013 will be a year filled with the things in life that have eternal value.  We hope it is a year filled with lasting joys and true peace. We hope that you will set aside time each day to see the truth, beauty, and goodness that each days holds, but doesn't beg us to see. A new year is an item of great hope in the chance to have 365 days to do the things you meant to do during the last 365 days, but never took the time to do or rather that time didn't let you do. It is a chance for you to be better than yourself from last year. No, I'm not talking about the superficial things, but I am talking about the things you see and know about yourself that makes you shake your head and wish they weren't apart of you, but know they are who you really are. 

     2012 was a hard year for us, but it was a good year. It was the Year of Ford Hendley Dark. He has changed our lives forever, but it is for the better. A wise man once told me that having children was part of the sanctification process and I thought it was an odd thing to say, but when I hold my dear son in my arms or watch my beautiful wife smile at him and work with him with all the patience that a person can have, I think that the wise man wasn't so crazy after all. Having a son has made me think so many new things about Christianity and how God looks upon Christ and how God looks upon me. He is the Father and now I am a father. It humbles me to no end to think about Christ calling out to his "Abba" and his Father having to turn his back to him. I can now think about God looking down and telling everyone that Jesus was His son of whom He was well pleased. I am in no way saying I understand any of this, but can only now sort of get the surface of these thoughts.

    2013 will be the year Ford learns to walk, talk, and I will get to live in those moments with Melissa and we will shape our lives and will forever be changed and it will be for the better. Yes, some things we used to fill our time with will be put on hold or replaced, but when I look at them from this side, they seem a little silly, but I'm glad we did them. It is hard to imagine what I did before I got to watch so many sunrises holding a brown-eyed boy who one day will be able to move his tongue and purse his lips to say daddy and each of us will know that we have a pretty, brown-eyed lady resting upstairs that we both need and love so much. 

 We wish you a very blessed New Year,

   David, Mel, and Ford

James 1:19--This you know, my beloved brethren. But let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger;

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by^[a] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.  Colossians 1:15-20

My First Father's Day

“Bear in mind, children, that they listen to you because you are kids—not because you are right. That's how our Father listens to us.” 
-Rich Mullins

“He knew only that his child was his warrant. He said: If he is not the word of God, God never spoke.” 
-Cormac McCarthy, The Road

“And so seated next to my father in the train compartment, I suddenly asked, "Father, what is sexsin?"
He turned to look at me, as he always did when answering a question, but to my surprise he said nothing. At last he stood up, lifted his traveling case off the floor and set it on the floor.
Will you carry it off the train, Corrie?" he said.
I stood up and tugged at it. It was crammed with the watches and spare parts he had purchased that morning.
It's too heavy," I said.
Yes," he said, "and it would be a pretty poor father who would ask his little girl to carry such a load. It's the same way, Corrie, with knowledge. Some knowledge is too heavy for children. When you are older and stronger, you can bear it. For now you must trust me to carry it for you.”
-Corrie Ten Boom, The Hiding Place

   An older man that I used to work with and that I really looked up to told me one day while we were eating lunch that he thought that God gave people children as part of their path towards Sanctification. I didn't really understand what that meant till Ford came into this world at 10:06 am on April 26th. My life has not even been close to the same in any capacity. I am slowly seeing the truth that my older friend was trying to tell me about. I will never be able to see or think about God the Father and Jesus the Son again in the same light. I can now not imagine God's only son on a cross begging for help and the agony of turning my back. I can now see the dove flying and God beaming down with such pride at His son. I can now wonder about being a true child of God. Little Ford just sits in my lap and we swing and he talks to me and I am so happy for him to do so, I can't seem to even understand why God would be so glad for me to just talk with Him. I am thankful to God and to my sweet wife Melissa for giving me such a great little boy. The wisdom, knowledge, and responsibility that he brings that I do not have terrifies me, but know that my father and my heavenly Father does.  Anyway, I will write much more about that later. I am still amazed and overwhelmed by all of it. There is so much that I can't wrap my small brain and amount of understanding around. 


    Needless to say, this past Father's Day meant more to me than others in the past. I am not saying that the others haven't meant anything to me because they have. I know most of what I know about anything because when it comes to fathers, I've got one of the best, but this Father's Day....I was a father this time. And Mel and Ford made it so special that I was overwhelmed. I got Mel to take some pics for me as I enjoyed such a special and wonderful day. 

The day started with my favorite...scrambled eggs. And they tasted so much better since the eggs, tomatoes, and herbs came from our yard. 

And while I ate, Ford told me so much about all I do not know about. He is getting to be a great maker of sounds and I yearn to hear them all. He was great breakfast entertainment.

After breakfast, Melissa and Ford presented me with some great presents. For my first Father's Day, Mel and Ford got me three great things: Snickers, David's Sunflower Seeds, and Atlanta Braves tickets. They couldn't have gotten me anything better. 

On top of the great presents, Mel and Ford also made me a very special Father's Day lunch. The best part was the homemade, vanilla ice cream. It rivaled Blue Bell's Natural Vanilla Ice Cream and we all know that is saying something. 

And here is the main course. Mel makes the greatest and my favorite of all pizzas. She makes the dough  for the crust by hand and then adds pesto, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese. It is an amazing slice. And yes, she makes the pesto from our basil and the tomatoes are from our garden. God gave me the best one. I am humbled by such a great woman.

Two of my favorite things: San Pellegrino Lemonade drink and Mel's pizza. You would be hard pressed to find a better lunch.

And then after the great lunch, Ford and I sat down for a heaping bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream. 

I had a wonderful 1st Father's Day and am looking forward to the next 50.  Hope you enjoy the pics and the post. 

David

Summer 2012: The Summer of Ford

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

“Maycomb was a tired old town, even in 1932 when I first knew it. Somehow, it was hotter then. Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon after their three o'clock naps. And by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frosting from sweating and sweet talcum. The day was twenty-four hours long, but it seemed longer. There's no hurry, for there's nowhere to go and nothing to buy...and no money to buy it with.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

  Ford and I realize that summer doesn't officially start till June 20th this year, but we can't afford to drag our short little legs till then. We have got to make hay while the sun shines as they say. So...we have been as busy as a one-legged man at a butt kicking contest or as busy as a bee, or as busy as a WOW gamer at 3am, or as busy as a married man cleaning house when he finds out his wife is coming home a day early, or as busy as a beaver...I guess you get the point. And the thing about Ford is that he hasn't exactly been around for long enough to know how to fill his time, so he and I have had a lot of talks about great ways to spend the summer months, but sometimes he and I don't exactly agree, but we usually find a way to work it out or at least sleep on it after a good cry. So, here are a few things we have been up to as of late and its only June 12th. 

We have been playing catch, but Ford started crying a little when I said that, "The Natural" kills "Field of Dreams". What can I say, he already likes Kevin C. better than Robert R. He'll learn. But he stopped when I admitted that I thought, "Angels in the Outfield" was alright.

We have been catching up on our magazine reading. He says Running Times is the real deal, but Runner's World is for chumps. I tried to show him the merits of both, but he told me that I should just keep reading Garden & Gun and pretending I'd fit in at The Cloister. Ouch.

We tossed the disc around a little, but he said I've got to start thinking like a "handler" and not like a guy who likes to toss the disc on the quad on occasion. He also doesn't see the merits of the deep disc, but loves the short game. I told him I can see why. He said that was cold coming from a short man.

We have been cheering on our Braves, but there have been a couple times when we have had to drown ourselves in some milk after several multi-game losing streaks. He also doesn't understand why Chipper is always hurt. He doesn't really remember a time when he wasn't. I couldn't disagree with him.  

We've also been talking quite a bit. He seems to be interested in most any subject and loves to listen. He is the strong silent type, but when he does talk people listen.

Ford has also been trying to showcase the merits of the opened shirt look. He said it works for him, but not all of us have the body he does. He said mom loves you no matter what. What can I say, the little guy speaks some truth.

We've also had several disagreements. They end badly sometimes. He just doesn't understand some things. I try to tell him how things are, but he says things just aren't fair. 

He is a big fan of mom, but who isn't. She's the best and the only one we both know who can make most things okay.

FH has really learned to love the porch. He doesn't understand why everyone doesn't want a house with a porch. I tried to tell him about the suburbs, but he just wouldn't listen. He said they could have their subdivisions, security gates, prestigious, bourgeoisie names, and manicured lawns. He'd  rather just sit on the porch, watch the neighbors, wave a little, snooze a little, listen to the birds, and feel the breeze in his hair. I couldn't agree more.

We've also been changing quite a few diapers. He said cleanliness is next to Godliness. I told him that John Wesley said it, but he said he heard it was Charles, but he got a raw deal because he played the organ.

We've also been trying to find the perfect summer soundtrack. Sometimes we land on a keeper, but sometimes...

...we land on one we both hate pretty badly.

And we have even spent a week at the beach already. The weather wasn't that hot, but we didn't mind. The company was nice and we got to catch up on our favorite Law & Order episodes courtesy of a TNT marathon. Bring on the rain, grab the remote, and the Smartfood. And he said you don't have to have sunshine to rock the Wayfarers. I agree totally. 

Happy Summer and Happy Reading,

  David

Let Me Introduce To You....

   Ladies and gentlemen, boys, and girls, dogs, cats, and all the chickens who read this blog.....

   We, the good folks of Hines Terrace Herald, have an announcement to make.

    One of the biggest we've ever made, strike that.....it is the BIGGEST! 

    And it is an introduction as well to our newest staff member, but it will be a little while before he does a guest post. 

   I have a son! 

   His name is Ford Hendley Dark. I have only known him since 10:06 AM yesterday morning, but he has already let me know that he is something else. 

   He has dark black hair. Weighs 6 lbs. 12 oz. and is 18 3/4" long. And we're not sure what color his eyes are going to stay. I am pulling for brown. His courageous and beautiful mom has those. 

 That is all I'm going to say for now. We are exhausted! All three of us.

Happy Reading,

   David--aka  "Ford's dad".