April 2 – “Experience”

I helped Nathan and April move to Jamaica Beach on Saturday.  It wasn’t a long move, but any move is a stressful time.  All the help you can get is definitely appreciated, even if it is an old geezer.  At least I could say I had experience.  We have done our share of self-moves over the years.  College dorm to college apartments.  Then to apartments near the church I was working at.  Then out of that apartment into another when the unit above ours caught on fire.  Then back to the original one.  Then to our first house.  Then to Fort Worth for seminary.  Then we bought a house in Fort Worth.  Then to Houston where we moved into a house my brother owned.  Then to a house in the Heights area of inner-city Houston.  Then back to Fort Worth for some doctoral work.  Then to Mansfield where we bought a house.  Then to Denver, Colorado.  Well, that one the church paid for.  Then to Galveston where we lived with my parents.  Then to the house we bought across the street from them.  Then to a house in Omega Bay after Hurricane Ike flooded ours.  Then back into our house where we are now.  I think I count 16 moves in there.  Experience.

Of course Nathan had also arranged for some real help.  He had 6 or 7 fire fighters as well as a few other friends there, so I didn’t have to do any of the terrifying, piano-type lifting.  That was helpful.   I was all set to volunteer to pack the truck when I realized there was a guy already in there who worked at a moving company on his days off at the station.  At least that’s what I was told.  I figured he must know what he’s doing, so I headed back into the house to get in the way in there.  As it turned out, I didn’t have to haul boxes for very long.  The guy in the truck had to leave to take his little boy to Grandma’s house or something, so by default I ended up in the truck after all.  Hot work, but so much better than going up and down stairs.  I did manage to get some pictures for the old family album.  I can also use them as reference points to remind me of some of the fire fighter/movers I met.  That will be helpful when I am “officially” introduced as chaplain today, tomorrow and Thursday.  Since there are three 24-hour shifts, so I have to go three days in a row to meet everybody. 

I went by their new house and saw Cailyn yesterday.  She was on her porch with her little toy fishing pole in hand.  She told me she was going to go fishing with her daddy later in the day.  He hadn’t heard about that yet, I don’t think.  The line was stuck in the reel, so he’ll have to fix it before they do go.  Or I’ll just have to bring her another one.  She seemed very excited about the house.  She took me on a personal tour, especially of her new room.  We even went under the bed.  No one can give a tour of the really exciting places like a four-year-old.  The cable TV guy finished up his installation while I was there, so now the most important part of the move is finished.  I guess they can start looking at minor things now.  Like food, toilet paper …

Psalms 77:13-14 says, “Your ways, O God, are holy.  What god is so great as our God?  You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples.”

Father, give Nathan and April and Cailyn much happiness in their new home.  Amen.