I did some work with Chris out in the back yard yesterday. Not that I intended to. There I was, focused and working hard on the Bible Study for home group. Unbeknownst to me, Chris had already been outside working in the flowerbeds of the back yard. On one of her passes through the office, I stopped and acknowledged her presence with casual, "So what's going on outside?" And that's all it took. Excitedly she said she had an idea about something. Ah. That usually means what is about to follow will require a statement from me about what I think of something. Sure enough, she followed up with, "Come outside and let me ask you something." There it was. Dutifully, and admittedly curious, I followed her out to the back yard.
The idea had two parts. The first involved moving the old toilet that my Dad and Nathan had moved over here years ago. Dad wanted an easy way to get rid of it, so he enlisted the then-young Nathan in his plot. Together they hauled the toilet over here and tried to sneak it into the backyard without being seen. Chris is pretty good at using those proverbial mother's eyes-in-the-back-of-her-head, though, and she apparently detected a movement. Turing around, she saw the culprits, toilet in hand. Not one to do anything unprepared, however, Dad simply grinned and started into his back-up story about how he just wanted to give her the opportunity to be the first one on the block to have one of the newest flower pots to hit the market. He had hoped to surprise her with it, but in any event here it was, and she could enjoy it as she pleased. Of course the whole time he was walking toward the gate, and by the time he finished speaking he simply disappeared around the corner. Nathan of course simply stood by grinning. And what could any of say? We had just been the victim of the master at work.
So Chris' first idea was to move the toilet/planter to a different location. I was certainly all for that one. Where it had stood for all those years made it awkward to mow. The new location would put it in a flowerbed. It would also stop the dogs from using that bed as a passageway. Great idea. We found some concrete blocks to set it on and made the move.
The second part of her question was whether to plant the poinsettia in the same location as the last one we had (which met its untimely demise after the freeze), or in a position only slightly further east (by slightly, I mean maybe a foot). Sensing that a response was required here even though I had no idea what the right answer might be, I recommended that we put the new one right where the old one had been, since that one did well before the freeze. Good answer. She liked it.
I guess that could have been all I was needed for, but the rake was leaning right there in front of me, and the Weed and Feed had taken effect, so there were a lot of dead weeds. Without thinking straight, I grabbed the rake and began scraping some of those offensive interlopers away from my lawn. And before I knew it, I was determined to break through the hardened dirt and release the rich soil within. Of course that meant I had to break up about half the yard, since our previous infestations of june bug larvae had destroyed all attempts at sodding. It took a long time, and I felt kind of guilty during the process, and Chris finally helped toward the end, and I was incredibly sore, but we got it done.
Why did I feel guilty? Strange that you should ask. See, we usually spend most of our lawn time concentrating on the front yard. It just felt strange to be expending so much energy in the back. On the other hand, it's nice to be working on something we can enjoy with friends and family instead of something that is pretty much designed to just look good. Hmm. There's gotta be a spiritual message in there somewhere.
Luke 11:39-41 says, "Then the Lord said to him, 'Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give what is inside [the dish] to the poor, and everything will be clean for you."
Father, thanks for reminding me once again that it's not what's on the outside that matters. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment