August 6 – “A highly unusual event”

Something highly unusual took place around the Vaughan house yesterday.  And for me to say something was unusual around this place means it must have been highly out of the ordinary.  Of course “ordinary” doesn’t really have much meaning here anyway.  This is the place where at any one moment there might be a houseful of youngsters screaming and chasing each other in a circle around and around the pathway particularly designed for that purpose – slapping across the smooth tiles of the kitchen, into the hardwood floor of the back hallway where the photos of honor record the Vaughan history from birth to graduations and back to births of grandchildren, across the oval braided rug in the office that is a reproduction of yet another memory of days past (the rug, that is, not the office), back onto the new-since-Hurricane-Ike hardwood floors covering the front hall filled with books and dolls and knick-knacks of all kinds,  and back finally into the kitchen-of-Chris’-dreams with its Amish-constructed cabinets.  (Whew.  How’s that for being descriptive?  That’s some hard work.  Be sure to appreciate it next time you read a novel.  It is not easy to be a wordsmith). 

So, where was I anyway?  Oh, yes.  The unusual event from yesterday.  In this particular case it had nothing to do with a memorable saying from Cailyn or a cute quip from Josiah.  No baseball news from Jachin or memorabilia trading with Micah.  Now we did have a FaceTime call from Zakary and Caleb.  Yesterday was their first day of school and they wanted to show us some of their hard work. Seems they learned about whales and scooping water out of lakes and rivers to use for irrigation and something about monsters going to college, none of which I remember studying at least until high school.  Oh, and they did share one other useful tidbit of juicy gossip.  There as yet unborn baby brother now has an official name.  I won’t say for sure what it is, but it had something to do with Star Wars and Crayons and male offspring. 

Oh, did I get distracted again?  Sorry about that.  Was I talking about our trip to New Jersey tomorrow?  No, wait, I was going to do that in the morning.  Oh, yes.  The unusual event from yesterday.  Here it is.  Are you sitting down?  It hasn’t happened here in I can’t remember how long.  Oh, it was much needed.  And certainly welcomed.  It’s just that it was so … unexpected.  Well, I won’t hold you in suspense any longer.  See, yesterday … Chris took a nap.  A long nap.  Lasted at least three episodes of Love It or Leave It.  The woman was tired.  And did she ever deserve it.  Sleep on, my Love.

Psalms 104:2-3 says, “He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.”

Father, thank you for drawing Chris into some blissful sleep yesterday.  Give her ample opportunities to do it again.  Amen.