Evendays

Last Saturday evening My Irish Buddy Paul (MIBP) invited me to the VIP section of the UBS Arena, which is actually an outdoor theater where they’ve set up a huge screen to watch the Euro 2008 matches. Why did MIBP invite me? His wife doesn’t like European Football. Yes, I know. Hard to believe. Why did MIBP have VIP tickets to share and not me? I think it has something to do with yearly salary and position in the community. But I digress.

VIP means you get greeted at the door by well dressed people; to sit wherever you want in the covered seating section looking down on those who had to pay for their seats and on the thousand who decided to stand for free; most importantly, you get to eat and drink whatever they’ve got on hand until you make yourself, or others, sick.

 

Before arriving, MIBP and I were thinking: What does a bank that just lost 40 gazillion dollars in the sub-prime market offer for dinner? Fish sticks? Hot dogs? All the water you can drink and a boloney sandwich? Well, don’t despair. There was all that stuff just mentioned (except for the fish sticks and the hot dogs) and lots, lots more. Since the second game was Greece-Russia, there were only 12 of us trying to finish the desserts that had been prepared for 200 people.

Though I never made it to a real stadium, I got to enjoy both MIBP and the Euro 2008 ambiance, and waddle home content that I hadn’t had to stand for 3 hours.

Now if I could just get VIP treatment from the airlines.

We picked up Jack at the airport late Monday. He’d been in Spain visiting Juan Monroy, an old friend. He wanted to come see Wife and me, even though it took going through London Heathrow, a major mess these days. Love knows no bounds…

Jack has meant much to our family, especially to Wife’s parents. He made many things possible in Ukrainian ministry by his support through the years. He and Joyce also had a little place up in Gruyère which served as a retreat, building project and getaway to Wife’s dad.

When Wife went to ACU from Switzerland, Jack and Joyce made sure she was taken care of, giving helpful advice and serving as a home away from home. When Wife went to Costa Rica for the missionary apprenticeship program, they made it possible.

For 23 plus years we have been the recipients of their love and generosity.

I came home last night to find Jack, Wife and Son 1 following the France-Italy game. In the kitchen there was a gift from Jack: An empty, lidless, label-less, 18 oz. tin can, with these word penned in felt tip: GOD CAN. Then on the back in smaller letters: “Let Him.” In the tin go all burdens I can’t handle.

I could use gallon can!

Barbara is in her 60’s. We first met her when the grapes got ripe. She’s lived in Lausanne forever but 35 percent of our conversation is in Italian. (0% mine. 70% hers.) Wife has become her “best friend”. The door bell will ring and it’ll be Barbara asking for “la donna bella”. (I think that means “the boss”.) She and wife will chat. Barbara will magically produce a half pound of coffee (we now have enough for the next five years), then they’ll head out to the yard and pick figs, apples and grapes.

A year ago our paths crossed in front of the house. She, dressed in black. “My husband left me”, she said with a tear in her eye. In my absent-minded way, I asked her where he’d gone. “To ‘cielo’ and ‘la vita’ will never be the same.”

Barbara rang again this past Saturday, offering us a 15 pound pumpkin squash-type thing. She said her grandkids were coming over and they’d just use it as a soccer ball. Better that we should have it. She didn’t take any fruit, didn’t want a cup of coffee. Just wanted to give us something.

And although she smiles a bit more, life really is not the same without her “chéri”.

Last week the mailperson rang twice. Once on Wednesday and once on Thursday. Sherri from TN had sent us two cardboard boxes loaded with food that we can’t find here, or just can’t justify springing for. It was completely unexpected, and the Doritos are already gone…

There were Reeses pieces, pumpkin in cans and pre-prepared graham-cracker crusts. There were original Pringles (I’ve seen them in the stores here) and mini-Reeses peanut butter cups (unheard of in Switzerland, but still Wife’s favorite after 22 years away). There was a bottle of some famous barbeque sauce (delicious) and Cheetos (the hard, shriveled kind, I think they call them crunchies, another Wife favorite), corn syrup (impossible to find here) baking soda and powder (impossible to find in medium quantities). There were five kinds of cookies (many we’ll discover for the first time), some quick prepare foods and assorted candies. There was a box of dark brown sugar (does NOT exist here) and nuts and Captain Crunch (which we’ll eat for weekend breakfasts) and Clif Bars.

We will be eating through the goodies with self control and discipline over the next couple of months. Thanks Sherri. You went far beyond the call of friendship!