Mary Jane Birdsall

Buying a big 1 gallon can of applesauce seemed like a good idea at the time. To the 4 of us guys all living together in a staff house in Walworth, it seemed to be the very best grocery purchase we could make at 10 pm that night. We all liked applesauce. Arriving back home with the eager anticipation of sweet gluttony, it dawned on us that we did not own a can opener of any kind. Undeterred by such a minor obstacle, we rapidly began stabbing, poking and tearing at the lid. As the lid began to yield, one of us grabbed it firmly to yank it off. The lid, at this point, much more stubborn than the hand, managed to deliver a deep and sizeable slice to one’s palm (Yes. That would be my palm). Did we have any bandages, or antiseptic, or band-aids? Come on…we didn’t even have a can opener.

So, sometime around midnight, we did the only reasonable thing for this type of emergency. We called Mary Jane. After driving over to her house, she carefully bandaged my hand with a light scolding and rolling of her eyes. I still have the scar.

Mary Jane Birdsall taught countless Bible studies to hundreds of people over the years, but the images I remember are of her bandaging my hand or making me a sandwich while I sat at her kitchen table.

Why is this important?

Mary Jane did more than deliver Biblical information, she taught me the value of knowing God. She taught the Bible with an unapologetic directness and conviction that was contagious. But above all, her heart burned for people. She invested hours and hours in the lives of people most of us considered hopeless. It was not in her to give up on someone, even when they had already given up on themselves.

My conversations with her left me encouraged and challenged. Of all the things I’ve heard her say in the nearly 40 years I’ve known her, much of it was wise and some even profound. Nevertheless, it was not what she said, but who she was and the life she lived that impacted me.

So you see, the point is: It’s not just that she bandaged my hand in the middle of the night – It’s that she was the person I knew I could call when I needed help… day or night.
Can that be said of you or of me?

Thank you Mary Jane for doing more than saying it – but for living it.

Judging An Ebook By Its Cover

It began with a simple quest to buy bookends.

As we have been bringing more books into the apartment, our bookshelves are filling to the point that we are putting them on open shelves. This means bookends are required. We went to several stores that sell household décor and, surprisingly, they had no bookends to offer.

Once, when I was a teenager, I remember being asked what I wanted as a gift for my birthday or Christmas and I requested bookends; specifically, heavy ones. I received a pair of bronze Lincoln Memorial replica bookends. And yes, they are heavy. I still have them.

But this post isn’t really about bookends. It’s about Ebooks.

Ebooks are these wonderful new electronic devices that replace conventional books. Conventional books, as you know, have numerous paper pages enclosed by two covers and united by a binding. An Ebook is an electronic device about the size of a half sheet of paper and approximately ¼” thick. It is easily held in one hand. The screen displays a single page at a time. Pressing a button turns the pages. An Ebook can store thousands of books and you can carry it in one hand. You never need to go to a bookstore (Is that good or bad?), because you buy the books and download them directly to the device.

There are two major Ebook brands on the market; the Kindle from Amazon and the Nook from Barnes and Noble. I was killing some time in a Barnes and Noble the other day, so I spent about 30 minutes investigating the Nook and quizzing the college kid selling them. It was fun and interesting.

When it comes to books, I am a purist. To the point that I always prefer buying a hardcover rather than a paperback. An Ebook would never appeal to me. Or so I thought, but I have to admit I am warming up to the idea.

It’s difficult to predict the things I would not like about reading with an Ebook. There are small pleasures associated with conventional books. I like to look at a book sitting on the coffee table and as the days go by I notice my bookmark making its way through the pages. I can see if the book is fat or thin. I am a quarter of the way through it, then half, then nearing the final pages. I like that. I like to feel the weight of the literature in my hands.

But ultimately, a book is about its contents, not its cover. You know the saying. So, it is now possible for a book to be written, published, sold and read all electronically and never even actually exist in a tangible substantive sense. This kind of blows my mind.

Today, I came to the realization that there is a major advantage for many people to own an Ebook. They can appear cerebral and sophisticated, but actually be reading trash. Picture this – a sharply dressed, high level career woman sitting in the airport. She is holding and reading an Ebook. Now, picture the same woman holding a well worn paperback romance novel with a scantily clad woman in the arms of Fabio on the cover. You see, with an Ebook you can always look like you are reading something important. I’m not only picking on women here. Since you can download magazines, men never need to appear superficial or shallow. “Hey, he has a Kindle. He must be reading philosophy or the classics.” Nope, just the latest issue of Varmint.

There is more to be said about this topic, but this post is already too long. In the meantime, let me know where I can get some bookends.