By Verna Davis
Special to the Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE — I don’t know everything. I don’t even know very much of anything. But over the years, I have learned a few things. Let me share with you some of the things I have learned.
I’ve learned that when my granddaughter calls me and says, “Well, hello there, Nonnie. How are you doing?” that I’m in for a 15-minute conversation about what happened on the playground, in the lunch room and how many questions she got right on her math test. I’ve learned that my week isn’t complete without at least one such conversation.
I’ve learned that when I’m with a bunch of ladies, talk will inevitably gravitate toward food. What’s easy to make but tastes great? How can we get our families to eat more vegetables? Where’s a good place to eat? Soon, someone will admit to being hungry all the time and we once again have proof that the old adage is true: Blessed is she who hungers and thirsts, for she is sticking to her diet.
Sooner or later, I’m going to get in trouble for something I’ve said or done or didn’t say or didn’t do. If I try to defend myself, I manage to only make things worse. Consequently, I’ve learned that a good time to keep my mouth shut is when I’m in deep water.
Since I’ve been married for so long, I’ve also learned that I can be right or I can be married, but rarely can I be both. During that marriage, I’ve also learned a thing or two about keeping a house clean. Not only is cleanliness next to godliness, cleanliness is next to impossible. But the most important thing I’ve learned about marriage is not what I read in books like “Men are from Mars; Women are from Venus.” I’ve learned that a more appropriate book title would be “Men are from Earth. Women are from Earth. Deal with It.”
Gather any group of people together at any given time and things will turn to the sad state of things around us. Thieves seem more bold. Criminals seem more brazen. Murderers seem more cruel. Evil people develop evil plots to steal, destroy, corrupt, terrorize. We shake our heads and say, “What is this world coming to? It didn’t used to be like this.” But really, it did. I’ve learned over the years that there are no new sins. It’s just that the old sins are getting a lot more publicity. Ecclesiastes 1:9 says, “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again: there is nothing new under the sun.”
I’ve also learned that the words of Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been saved,” apply to me. I’m still learning about the grace of God. Still learning that someone like me can be saved by Someone like Him. Still learning that my worst days are never so bad that I’m beyond the reach of God’s grace, and my best days are never so good that I’m beyond the need for God’s grace.
I’m still learning …
Verna Davis writes from Frankton and may be reached at VrdSpeaks@yahoo.com.
