My hands and arms still tingle and my throat is prickling like a porcupine with his coat on inside out from fiberglass insulation in the attic. Old age comes quickly for those who spend hours under houses. Or in the attic. Tabitha and I crawled out of our sleeping bags this morning barely able to turn our necks from side to side and stiffly dressed to sit on the front porch and talk and pray while the rest of the house slumbered on.
Miss Lin N, fourth grade teacher, arrived in time to finish off the last two breakfast muffins. Looking fresh and springy in a green dress, she was toting her cap and gown and a huge smile for her senior pictures. It’s been a while since I’ve shot professionally and I’ll readily admit to lacking creativity. Hopefully her charm will make up for whatever falls short in me.
We finally finished insulating the attic and patching the hole in the ceiling where Ezra fell through in time to vanish into the woods for a tramp across the property. “It’s gorgeous,” the Willis kids all gushed. Before we’d thought much farther than enjoying the sunshine, we were down at the creek, pulling off shoes and socks and wading knee-deep into the icy water. Even with the laughter, the splashing and the joking, the peacefulness of the creek is undisturbed. I wish I could tuck my favorite woodland haunts into a leather wallet to keep safely in my pocket for the rest of my life. Then, sometime down the road, when stress or sorrow or trouble find me in the world of men, I could whip one out, climb into the serene scene and be quiet with God and His creation.
Last in line to shower tonight, the water gave out as I waited (patiently, of course) my turn. Laughter at Josiah’s crazy antics floated into my bedroom, as I sat, bathrobe clad, my facial wash drying on my skin. They didn’t seem to be missing me too terribly and the Lord reminded me that He was. Would to God I were like Daniel, who in spite of the affairs of a kingdom and the threats of a king, set his heart to please Yahweh and sought his room three times a day to pray to Yahweh. Lord, it’s been a busy day. My mind is full, my energy level is empty. You know all my thoughts. You know what dreams bind me, what thoughts capture me, what worries trouble me. You know what sins distract me, what devils plague me, what desires delude me. Capture my mind and bring it into obedience to You, disciplined to serve You, to delight in You, to worship You.
Lord, Thou hast called my soul Thy own,
And promised me a royal home,
Call my heart Thy own, as well
And teach my lips Thy praise to tell.
Capture my will with Thy own,
That I may bow before Thy throne,
Delighted as Thy humble slave
Since Thou, my soul and heart, doth save.
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