Thanks For the Memories

In Scripture, sweets are frequently eaten during special celebrations. In the book of Nehemiah 8:10, the people were given the following instructions during the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem:

“Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

For years my wife and I have been building a “wall” of sorts, in a good way. Grandkids who were able, would assemble at our home to bake Christmas cookies. We saw this experience like build a wall around joyful memories that would prevail against every attempt by outside forces to diminish their value and importance. I liken it to a grandparent’s loving hug.

Baking cookies (and coloring Easter eggs) with grandkids is messy business. Flour from one end of the kitchen to the other. Dropped eggs. Misshapen and questionable cookies. We compliment the final product despite their look as we wonder what else might have found its way into that cookie dough. (I’m talking nose buggers here!)

This year was a turning point. The cookies turned out near-perfect and professional looking. They found their way as gifts into several different homes. The “wall” of cookies and royal icing still stands, protecting the memories that have been in the works for years. And it still stands as the grandkids reach adulthood.

The best part is that my wife and I get to share in those moments. Thanks for the memories.

Robert Parlante

December 2016

Rivers of Encouragement

Last month, I posted a blog titled “Twenty Years Without a Word” where I chronicled my search for a long lost friend. This blog is an update.

There was no defining moment when my friend and I decided to walk separate paths, he as a Roman Catholic priest and I as a Protestant Evangelical. I take full responsibility for the lapse in contact. I can only speak from my viewpoint. Life just happened.

There were kids, grandkids, schooling, marriages, supporting a family while the thought of others, that we normally contact infrequently, slips further away from our daily life. Suddenly it’s twenty years later with no contact, and you begin to wonder Is he still alive? Worse is the blame that overcomes us because we carry the full burden of failure. That’s not supposed to happen between true friends and those who have had an impact on one’s life.

As my earlier blog pointed out, I found my friend in a nursing facility in New Jersey run by the Little Sisters of the Poor. My friend is anti-technology and no longer owns his ancient typewriter. Communication is difficult, but when we did connect by phone. It was great and emotional. The conversation felt like we picked up where we had left off twenty years ago.

A few days later I received a Facebook posting from a young man I consider a miracle because God transformed his life in a powerful way. Today he serves in a church in New Jersey. His posting said “Thank you for all that you poured into me!” I was touched by his remembrance.

I take no credit for his life transformation. The Lord receives all the glory for how his life turned out. The young man made right choices, and I just stood alongside of him like a cheerleader. His “Thank You” was a powerful reminder of encouragement to continue fighting the battles that try to destroy people’s lives.

All this brought me back to my priest friend. I set upon a mission … contact people who may have been blessed by my friend’s ministry. It needed more than a trickle of encouragement; I wanted the experience to feel like a river!

Our son in New Jersey went to visit my friend. I called and texted people who knew him and suggested they drop him a card for Christmas, make a phone call or visit if they could.

Galatians 6:9 reminds us: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

Those who labor for the Lord sometimes face discouragement and weariness and do not see results of their hard labor. Take this Christmas season to encourage a pastor or a ministry leader in whatever way you feel comfortable. There is no right or wrong way. At a minimum, we can pray a river of encouragement would flow into their lives!

Merry Christmas

Robert Parlante

The Incredible Shrinking Soap

In the 1957, “The Incredible Shrinking Man” was released and became a multimillion dollar movie. The film is the story of a man who keeps shrinking to nothingness after inhaling some atomic mist. It was strictly science fiction with some social commentary thrown into the mix about the horrors of nuclear warfare.

A few days ago I experienced my own version of the shrinking man. (It was not about me getting shorter as I get older.) It had to do with a bar of soap. I reached for a fresh boxed bar of soap and immediately thought the package felt smaller. When I opened the box, my expectations were confirmed. The bar of soap had shrunk in size with rounded corners that barely filled my open palm.

Hand soaps are not the only thing shrinking these days. Cereal boxes are half full. A gallon-size container of ice cream is a thing of the past. Tiny houses are all the rage. Even paychecks are “shrinking” because it costs more to buy less as we encounter minimal salary increases.

But one thing does not change nor shrink in value. It’s the same today as it was 2000+ years ago. This Christmas season is a reminder that the birth of Jesus Christ came with a gift of salvation for all. The heavens announced the birth with a proclamation of peace for all people. It’s not just the peace we experience where there is no conflict. It’s the peace we experience when we know we have a way to reconcile ourselves with a Savior, despite the turmoil in our lives.

Two thousand years later it is still the same. While soap bars shrink to accommodate the times, Hebrews13:8 reminds that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

The best part of the gift of salvation is that it has eternal consequences. Best Wishes to all the readers of this blog worldwide. Thank you for your support and feedback.

Can Toys Predict Your Future?

Every Christmas as an adult I am reminded of a favorite gift I received as a young boy. My gift request was an Erector Set, a toy construction system consisting of various metal beams with hole for assembly using nuts and bolts. I wanted the premium version with its myriad of pulleys, gears and wheels, and a small electric motor.

The gift had been wrapped for several days, sitting under the Christmas tree. Every time I passed by, it felt like it was calling my name. When no one was watching I would shake the gift. I thought it felt heavy enough to be the metal construction set. I was certain I could hear the jiggle of nuts and bolts. I was convinced I was going to receive the Erector Set.

I begged my parents to let me open the gift early. The answer was always NO! That was the only gift I was receiving that year. If opened early, there would be nothing to open on Christmas morning.

Every Christmas Eve we would go to my grandparents’ house for the ‘Festa dei sette pesci’ … the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes, a traditional fasting meal where meats were not served. My parents said I could open the gift when we returned from my grandparents. I should have stopped there. I didn’t.

I was willing to sacrifice the cod, clams, mussels and calamari. Forget the scallops, fried smelts, and pasta with seafood. I pushed one more time to open the gift. My parents finally acquiesced. They were apparently tired of hearing from their pushy son. I sacrificed the meal of seven fishes and opened the gift.

It was the best dream gift I had ever received, and I immediately began skimming through the instructions to pick my first project. By the time my parents came home, I had constructed a Ferris wheel. Even they were impressed. “Maybe someday you’ll own a carnival,” my father had said.

Well, I never ended up owning a carnival, nor did I have any desire to own one! But to this day, it still begged the question: Did my preference for childhood toys predict my future? Sort of, but not exactly.

I ended up with three vocations in life: engineer, minister, writer.

Certainly, the Erector Set forecasted my engineering side. The toy had little to do with my minister side which is more the call of God, and my childhood experiences always manage to weave themselves into my writing. So two out of three is not bad.

Oh, there’s one more thing. I love assembling Ikea furniture! It’s not a whole lot different than an Erector Set.

Robert Parlante

December 2016

Serendipity or Coincidence?

Here's the latest Amazon review of my novel titled "The Reflection in the Mirror".

The third book in the Patch Town series is another great read. The author has a wonderful talent to pull the reader right into the story and not let go until the conclusion. All three books touch on a multi-faceted subject---how we all come to encounter certain people and circumstances in our lives and how can they change the direction of our lives. Are we the ones that determine the outcomes of these encounters? Is it all just serendipity or coincidence? Is it God? In the case of the lead character, Martin Gilmore, many people were placed in his life for good reason & by taking a leap of faith, circumstances took him on his journey to excitement, happiness & fulfillment.

Robert Parlante
December 2016