"Oh, The Places You'll Go!" - A Deputation Parable for Tim and Ruth

Tim and Ruth Bixby have officially begun deputation. And the first two churches they visited were Dan's and Bob's.

Very good.

As Bixbys, you know, we have the very, very rare honor of having a name bizarre enough to be included in one of Dr. Seuss' bizarre but charming stories. Perhaps that is what defines us: bizarre but charming.

Anyway, the Bixbys are named in Seuss' amazing story appropriately called, "Oh, The Places You'll Go!" for deputizing Bixbys. I now insert a few fitting lines for the Deputizing Bixbys as they return today from their first road trip.

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go. [insert qualifying acknowledgment of Providence here]

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too!

OH! THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

. . .

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're dark.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right and three quarters! Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a min-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confuseda
that you'll start in to race
down long wiglled roads at a brak-necking pace
and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space
headed, I fear. toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place. . .

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape all that waiting and staying.
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing. [insert willingness to go to places that may not be as conservative as you]

. . .

On and on you will hike.
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tack
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

So. . .
be your name Buxbaum or BIXBY or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
you'r off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So. . . get on your way!