25 or 6 to 4

“One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.” (Romans 14:5-6)

When I was in high school, the song “25 or 6 to 4” was a HUGE hit by the pop music group known as Chicago. We actually used to play “25 or 6 to 4” in the high school band. Yes, I was a band geek! I recall MARCHING in half-time shows to “25 or 6 to 4”. Until today I had no idea what “25 or 6 to 4” meant. I looked it up on wikipedia which said the following:

“Chicago fans have long argued about the meaning of the song. When it was released, there was speculation that the lyrics were drug-related; but the same thing was said about many songs in the late 1960s and early 1970s and the rumor has been largely dismissed.... Lamm himself says that the title is 'just a reference to the time of day,' and that 'the song is about writing a song. It's not mystical.' ... The time of day in reference is 3:35 AM (or 3:34 AM), which would then be 25 (or 26) minutes to 4 AM. Lamm was not above perpetuating the mythology of the song, though. In one interview, he referred to the song title as 'a cricket score.' "

This post is really NOT about the song 25 or 6 to 4, but I chose the title because of “25”. This month marks some BIG “25s” for our family. May 1985 was an important month for us. For one thing, Mary Ann’s sister Lynn graduated from Dedham High School. I will always remember that outdoor graduation...the kids had numerous beach balls bopping and flying through the air during the ceremony! MY kids kid their Aunt Lynn who still loves ‘80s styles and music that (like the pop song of a few years ago about a Mom of Lynn’s era) she’s “Stuck in 1985”! After Lynn’s graduation, we were involved in a car accident. A teenager who had JUST gotten his license plowed into our 1982 Ford Escort with his Dad’s Oldsmobile. As soon as the teen saw a toddler and a newborn baby in their child seats in the rear of the car, he started crying and freaking out! I actually calmed the kid down, explained that we were OK and that I’D had a similar accident when I was a teen and that it would all be OK. That teen’s Dad was an Optometrist in Dedham. Wow. Today that kid would be 41-years-old. I wonder if he remembers the accident!

I wrote that we had a newborn baby in the car. Our daughter Amy was born on Mother’s Day, May 12, 1985. It was very, very special for Mary Ann to have a Mother’s Day baby. Mary Ann absolutely LOVED babies and little kids and really did a fantastic job with them. (I was not comfortable with babies and little kids but I had to learn!) Jon was really a great baby, but Amy (like me in 1954) was one of those who just cried incessantly. I’d heard enough stories from my mother about what an awful baby I was, so I had amazing tolerance with Amy! I laugh because of our 3 kids, the one who HATED going to the doctor’s was Amy. Today, SHE’S A PEDIATRIC NURSE! I still remember Mary Ann at 12:30 in the morning telling me we had to go to the hospital. I remember us driving Jon to the family’s that was taking care of him while Mary Ann was in the hospital, and I remember INSISTING we stop at Dunkin’ Donuts for me! My mother and sister came in to see Amy when she was just a half hour old. I just can’t believe Amy will be 25 in a few days.

The big hit song in May 1985 was the ORIGINAL version of “We Are The World”. That song was (frankly) overplayed that month. I was Ordained as an Assemblies of God minister on May 7, 1985. Each year Ordination is at our District Council...that year it was in Brookfield, CT ...that’s WAY down in southwest CT near the NY border. A big part of Ordination is that the Spouse joins you at the altar for the service. Due to Mary Ann being 9 months pregnant, she was unable to be there. Our “Senior Pastor” at the time, David C. Milley arranged for a Special Ordination service and fellowship time for me at our church in Walpole on a Sunday night later that month that Mary Ann and the church family could be a part of. Dave reads this blog. Sometimes he could be a real pain in the neck, but he also had a huge heart, and that generous act was something Mary Ann and I very much appreciated. I remember that “Presbyter” Carl Guiney was the one who “laid hands” on me for the Ordination. I thought that was kind of special because he’d also been the guy who’d given me my “License to Preach” exam four years earlier. (In our denomination, ministers are “Licensed” for a period of at least 2 years before Ordination. It’s at the discretion of the District hierarchy when or IF you’ll be Ordained.) The Rev. Carl Guiney is still in ministry but has had very serious health problems in the past couple of years...a brain tumor of the same type that Ted Kennedy had. Pastor Guiney is a very smart man, and a good musician. I feel bad about his illness and I wish him and his family well.

At each District Council, there is a special time of recognition for those who have been Ordained for 50 years and for those who have been Ordained for 25 years. I used to look at those guys getting their 25 year recognitions...mostly guys (or sometimes gals) in their late 40s or early to middle 50s and think they were SO old and that I’d NEVER be that old! I couldn’t imagine EVER getting the 25 year recognition. This month, I do. I’m actually not going to the whole District Council, but Mary Ann and I will attend the Ordination service, and I assume they’ll let her walk up to the platform with me THIS time!

So May 1985 was a BIG time for us.... 25 years ago. How many years ago does it SEEM like? Maybe 6 or 4!