My Last Day Being 50

Well, it seems, Kaleb was the big HIT at school today. Morton finally landed several punches on my sweet boy’s little cheek. I guess he cried something awful right after it happened, but by the time he got home and I asked him how his day was, and he said, “Great!” Not one word mentioned of the altercation. Apparently he was the talk of the school after it happened so he kind of liked all the attention he got. The reason we knew about it was because Morton’s mom marched him down here right after school (they just live down the street from us), and made him apologize to us (Kaleb wasn’t home at the time.) The teacher called her at home and told her what had happened and Morton got in as much trouble as you can get here in Norway for that – he was told not to do it again. They have zero tolerance for fighting or bullying, but they have no consequences in place if it does happen. Morton’s mother was devastated and embarrassed and frustrated with him and she came to personally apologize to us and to ask us to please keep her informed of anything else that might happen. Kory and I both felt terrible for her and even for Morton – it seems he’s a victim of his own internal conflicts. He’s the cutest little kid, about Kaleb’s size, blonde hair and gorgeous blue eyes, big smile and not in the least bit “bullyish” looking. All we could do was listen to his mother tell us all she has gone through to understand his “impulse control” problems and how helpless she feels about the situation. We were as sympathetic as we could be and above all else, we want to just show them the love of Jesus and not be upset that the kid turned our sweet boy’s face into a punching bag (apparently he hit him four times, with both fists.) Kaleb couldn’t get away from him because he was pinned between the bikes – which was the reason he got nailed – Morton didn’t want Kaleb to park his bike next to his. Kaleb told me yesterday that he had already received six blows from Morton (a shoe to the head, kicked in the shin, rocks thrown at him, etc.) and if there were any more incidences he was never going to speak to him again. I reminded him that the Bible says we must forgive seven times seventy times, so he needs to start counting, and when he reaches that number then he can do something about it. So when he got home from the after-school program and we asked him specifically how it was with Morton today, he said, “He’s up to ten times I’ve had to forgive him,” and then he went on to tell us about the “fight.” (He counted each blow as a separate incident that needed forgiving.) His face was a little swollen but there is no bruising and I don’t think any lingering pain, so he’s fine. We just thank God for how Morton is refining Kaleb’s behavior, as He promises that “all things work together for good,” and Kaleb has stopped picking is nose because of all this (something I’ve been trying to get him to do for years). And we’ll trust God too that Morton might stop being so “impulsive.”

Last night our neighbor (Sabina’s mom) invited us over for coffee and banana splits. It was all very formal – fine china, candles, table cloth, soft music - the whole nine yards (Norwegian are REALLY into ambiance). We had a nice visit with her and Kory talked a bit with her about how God teaches us the most during difficult times. She was very receptive to what Kory had to say. We also signed up to be in a home fellowship group through Agape Church, and tonight we went to our first meeting and Sabina’s mom came with us! It is a great group of Pentecostal people (8 women and 3 men) and we sang, prayed, ate and talked about what an “attractive life” means to us. They call them “connect groups,” and I must say, I feel well connected after that.

So today was my last day being 50 years old and any number higher than that feels a bit daunting. Maybe the blessing in forgetfulness that comes on with age, is that all the years just run together and we forget to keep count. I don’t just want to get older, I want to get better, as they say. Last year at this time I was in Greece with my girlfriend Cathy and we were enjoying ourselves more than a person should, and now, I’m living in Norway – yet another dream come true. Life is good.

(The photo today is of Saturday night’s sunset near Trondheim. I thought it was an appropriate photo considering the step I take tomorrow into the “sunset years” of my life – over the hill and rolling down it fast.)