I went to summer school once . In 4th grade . I had trouble catching on to the whole grading system thing that year because to that point we were graded with smiley faces and satisfactory's and whether we showed up or not and I ALWAYS got smiley faces 'cause my teachers thought I was hot for an 8 year old . I'm pretty sure I remember this right .
A , B , C , D and F . It took me the better part of a year to figure out the A's and B's were what moms and dads were hoping for and the D's and F's were the fast track to foster care . I knew I wasn't going to get the first two because I wasn't a girl and the C was out because you have to do SOMETHING at least . So I hovered around the F level until it was too late to do anything about it . I didn't think all of this grade stuff would matter and thought this was all bogus anyway 'cause they left out the E . Ha . Educators .
Mom and us kids went to Virginia and North Carolina for a month every summer to see the relatives . Always so much fun except for the time my cousins Allen and Stewart saw that I had pink eye and told me I was gonna die . I cried 'cause I didn't want to die just yet and I wanted to see what all this 4th grade business was about . Then my cousin Ann came to my rescue and saved me from my fate and I fell in love . Yeah she was my cousin but that's how we do it down south .
This summer though I was left behind with my dad who never went on vacation . With 4 kids , having them go away WAS vacation . And to my horror they made me go to school . In SUMMER . But only until lunch and then I'd go home to an empty house because , as I would later learn , grown ups work in the summer . I still have a hard time with this . So I had all afternoon to play with friends who were . . . too tired from playing all MORNING . So I ended up going to the Majik Market (who remembers those?) and playing pinball until I ran out of the meager funds I had . I'm not sure how I got money in the first place but it ran out in a week and I was left to ponder how more was aquired .
My dad smoked Winston cigarettes . 2 packs a day , rain or shine . But on those days he had a cold he smoked Salem menthol cigarettes because we all know the medical benefits of smoking MENTHOL cigarettes when you're sick ! For some reason he kept them in the freezer until sickness reared it head and out they'd come . I tried them that summer . Well , I tried one . I put 'em back on account of my face was the same green as the pack and I began to doubt their curative powers .
I did find however the stack of money mom kept frozen there . Because no burglar would think to look in the freezer . I took a $20 . If you're good a 20 spot will get you a lot of time with the pinball machine . If you're 8 and flunked 4th grade you get a 2 hours . I was going to take another twenty and maybe give the Salems another try but for whatever reason didn't . I did manage to to find friends with ample supplies of quarters and squandered their wealth as well and , in the process , somehow passed summer school . Life wasn't too bad .
Until dad found out . Apparently he counts cigarettes . And 20's . Turns out he keeps HIS stash there too . Moms was further in the back under the lamb chops . Dang . He looked at the cigarettes and held 'em out to me . "Have another boy . . . " he smirked . I didn't want one . He didn't offer me another $20 . He got mad and scolded me for "Pissing away all your money" . And his too . On gosh darn pinball . I didn't go out much after that .
As I was thinking about this memory today I thought about my life and how it's kinda the same sometimes . I don't put into this life God gave me all the effort I should . I don't pay attention . I don't ask questions . I waste His money . And sometimes , some days , my grade is an F and not the A I long for . He said "I've entrusted you with so much , talent and ability, My Spirit , My love . I gave you time . Yours and others and you piss it away playing games . " Well , He didn't really say that but it goes with the title . You get the gist . And I get it too . I HAVE been entrusted with so much and as a man I should be better because I AM better . Holy Spirit lives in me and THAT makes me better . Not by might , not by power but by His Spirit . I just seem to waste His best efforts . But I'll keep workin' it out . Because He is worthy .
I'm in summer school . Again . It's cool though. I'm gonna get an A .
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