Not my gumdrop buttons!

I know what you're thinking - "what? A post by Julie? Is she still that bored?" Perhaps you've been wondering how long this whole blog-fuss is going to creep on because I am leading a fairly normal and uneventful life. Or maybe you're wondering what it means for the earth to laugh in flowers. In any case, you're out of luck.

At Cold Stone today (chocolate pudding ice cream with Oreos = yum.), a little boy walked up and said hello to me. I love supervising swim lessons because then it's okay for little kids to stare.We got into a little conversation and found out he's 4 1/2.

1. How do kids know halves? Who tells them which month is halfway around the year from their birth month?

2. Poll question of the entry: when do you quit counting by halves? (/Quarters/ twelfths, for those of us who know that 12/12 is one.)

Also, we were not able to decipher the boy's birth month to verify his fractional skills. His sister was born in DE-cember, but he wasn't; he was born in De-CEM-ber. Perhaps there's a 13th month, which would just make halves a lot more confusing.

I made some cards that I'm proud of. If you happen to get one of these in the mail, still act excited. If you have a good phrase (or occasion) for the button card, let me know!

On a more serious note, I read in the Cincinnati paper today that only 3 percent of foster children graduate from college. About a third even enter college. It makes me want to do something - like research, since I'm not really in a place to foster any children. It makes me wonder what I should be doing to be a good neighbor.

In Luke 10, Jesus is asked what makes a good neighbor. He answers with the parable of the good Samaritan, someone who stops to help a robbed and beaten "half-dead" man, bandaging his wounds, taking care of him, paying for a night at the inn and leaving more money for the morning. The neighbors immediately realize that the Samaritan acted as his neighbor, and Jesus tells them, "Go and do likewise."

Immediately following the parable, Luke tells a story of Mary and Martha. Martha is the perfect neighbor - preparing everything for Jesus, cooking, cleaning, probably dragging in the orphaned, the widowed, and the exiled off the streets for her Jesus as well. And yet, her sister Mary, who simply sits at Jesus' feet listening to Him, is the one whom Jesus praised. He said, "Martha, Martha, [Martha] - ... Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

I don't have a good summary or way to tweak the two stories so that it's easy to tell when I'm being a good Samaritan and when I'm being a Martha. I present them together as Luke did so that it's easy to see the tension between the stories. When I'm daydreaming about Samaritan-ing the world, one study at a time, one child at a time, I must remember that it's possible, and easy, to become distracted by the duties and forget the inspiration. Choose what's better.

I find I have no real idea what that means, but I know it's true.

Just like the earth laughing in flowers. Or a Taylor Swift and T-Pain duet named Thug Story.