Shells

Popcorn . Who doesn't  love popcorn? It's one of those foods when my wife asks me if I want some I say no but end up eating half her bowl . Or you enter a theater completely stuffed from dinner yet find yourself sitting  in your seat with a bucket between your legs . Something about that smell , that buttery popcorn smell that suppresses reason and common sense and makes you eat . Same thing happens to me with doughnuts but that's another post for another day .

The best popcorn is movie theater popcorn . It's not as good as it was a few years ago when they popped it in the fatty unhealthy oil but still so good. I've tried nachos at the movies but it's not as satisfying . Probably because there's not enough cheese to go with the amount of chips you get . I hate running out of cheese . I heard in some places they sell sushi in theaters . That's messed up .

There was one movie I didn't finish my popcorn in . Too scared . Daaa-dum . . . Daaa-dum . . . Da-dum da-dum da-dum . . . Jaws . I can't imagine why my mom thought it was a good idea to let an 11 year old go see humans ripped apart by a huge shark . After the first girl bought it my popcorn hit the floor and my hands covered my eyes for the rest of the movie .

I quit taking baths after that . Partially because I was eleven but really because I thought sharks could come up through the drain . I mean , if there were rats and alligators in the sewers was it beyond the realm of possibility there were sharks? If one of those babies came up through the drain I'd have nowhere to go . At least if I were showering I'd be on my feet and have half a chance . Stupid I know , but I was eleven .

We didn't go to the beach much after that . Well , we went but not in the water . No sir . Not THIS fish stick! I made my time on land , building sandcastles , playing in the dunes , and collecting shells . I had a huge shell collection I kept in a box in my room . I loved collecting shells - I had some really beautiful ones . I never found two halves connected together though. I would have liked one of those .

My friend died Saturday , the one I wrote about last week . I saw her in the casket tonight . She looked . . . ok . Just an empty shell . It made me think what will be left of me when I'm gone . The shell . Sure , there's the body which , I hope will be much thinner at that point . But it's only half the shell . What will people see when they pick up the other half ? Will they even find the other half ? The half that was supposed to love his neighbor as himself . The half that was supposed to love the lord his God with all his heart . I hope I have that half that made my world a better place. That made Jesus known and made Him look good .

When you see me in that pine box one day , in my flip flops and t-shirt , I hope , it's not the only half you see .