amusing grace

An earth-shattering realization. . .

So I’m watching What About Bob? for the umpteenth time the other day; and it hit me out of nowhere.  The girl that plays Anna (Richard Dreyfuss’ daughter) is the same woman that plays the detective on Law and Order: Criminal Intent.  How did I go a good six years without realizing this?  I know not.  But there you have it – my completely useless piece of trivia for January.  Something you absolutely did not need to know, but now you do.

Law and Order: Criminal Intent

And the winner is. . .

Well, it’s time for the Academy Awards again.  Isn’t it ironic that there is so much artistic nobility associated with something called an “Oscar”?  Oscar Mayer, Oscar the Grouch –- not too prestigious.  Of course there is also Oscar Wilde and Oscar de la Renta –- those are pretty lofty, I guess. 

You know, if you watch an awards show these days, you’d think we live in a pretty grateful society; because anyone that ever wins anything on TV -– thanks God for it.  It doesn’t matter who it is or what the award is for.  Now who am I to say that these individuals aren’t truly thankful?  However, you have to admit, there is something off-putting about someone expressing thanks to their Creator for a film that takes His name in vain more than an inebriated Marine.  And it would be nice if the flavor-of-the-month nominee would put on slightly more clothing than it would take to cover the Oscar statuette -– before she thanks God for her “artistic endeavor.”     

However, for me the Oscars are actually more bearable than the Grammy Awards.  I know that most of my qualms with the Grammys lies in the fact that I’m not “with it” any more.  If the song is not Mr. Roboto, anything off of the Thriller album, or something from a current children’s soundtrack -– chances are you’re not gonna hear it thumping the back glass in the old Kia minivan.  I usually have never even heard of about nine out of ten songs that are nominated.  But my biggest problem with these acceptance speeches is that I honestly can’t understand half of what they’re saying.  Rappers are the worst.  “Yo, yo, yo.  Players in the house say yeah!”  And then they start thanking the alphabet –- “Yo, I want to thank G, T, X, PG-13 and the miggedy-mac!”  I’m thinking “Huh?  Just hurry up and thank God so we can move on!”  I guess having a gold tooth inadvertently affects your ability to communicate with “peeps” from the 80’s like myself.  Of course, what do I know?  The only “posse” I’ve ever been a part of is marching band.

But when it comes to gratitude, my favorites are the athletes that thank God.  No offense to the boxers that really do love God, but it is rather funny after a brawl to hear, “Uhh, I just want to thank God for helping me beat this boy senseless.  I want to thank God for the capability to hit a man so hard that he forgets where his house is.  And I especially want to thank God for the $4.8 million that I made in the last 7 minutes.”

I guess it’s ultimately a personal matter.  Anyone can thank God for anything they want to, I suppose.  However, in the realm of celebrity glitz and glamour, I don’t think the God of the universe really needs a “shout-out from his homeys.”  And although He may be proud of some of these award winners, surely God is just as proud when my 7-year old gets his yellow belt, or when my 2-year old finally poops on the toidy. 

Whatever the award or accolade, all of our accomplishments are flawed at best.  When it comes to offering up something to God, sometimes I feel like I’m all dressed up in my Sunday best, unaware that there’s still some jelly on the corner of my mouth from breakfast.  Thanks be to Him for His grace – and that we don’t have to do anything or win anything to earn His love.  Now that’s something to thank God about:-)    

Nip it, nip it, nip it!

In my opinion, everyone is allowed to be a nerd about one thing.  For some it’s Star Trek, for others it’s NASCAR, and for some it’s even scrapbooking (that one’s for you, honey:-)  Whatever the case, most of us have one mild obsession that can be filed in the “miscellaneous” category of our brain.  Well, my one near-addiction is “The Andy Griffith Show.”  Hands down my favorite show of all time –- I love the values, the characters, the humor; and it’s safe to watch with my boys without having to keep my trigger finger on the remote.  Therefore, I was so saddened to hear the news that Don Knotts passed away on Friday.  As an entertainer myself, I learned so much from Don's comedic timing and physical antics.  And he has provided miles of smiles to me and my family over the years.  May God bless and comfort his family and friends during this time of grief.  And if you’ve never seen Barney Fife in action, let me invite you to Mayberry –- it’s a great little town.