Wednesday, September 30, 2015

September 30 – “An E.T. moment”

We snuck in another yard work day yesterday.  It has been raining off and on around here, so we grabbed the first window of opportunity to try and stay ahead of the fast-growing grass.  Problem was, our lawn mower kept dying.  It would start OK, but I never knew how long it would keep running.  It finally got to where it would use up the gas I put in with that little priming button and then give up the ghost.  And when the last pull of  that starter rope slipped out of my hands and whipped around and smacked me in the stomach (leaving an imprint of the handle, I might add), I was done.  Well, done with that particular mower anyway. 

So that meant texting Nathan and asking if we could go get his neutron-powered jet pack mower to finish the job.  Not only does it start with an easy pull of the starter rope, but it also has wheel power.  All you have to do it pull up a lever and the wheels roll on their own.  It’s a miracle.  I finished the mowing in record time.  Even finished off the half of 40 Steps (vacant lot next door) that I have been trying, albeit quite unsuccessfully, to rid of stickerburs.  That meant I had the time - and energy – to trim back some of the trees I have been nursing both in our yard and in the lot.  Great fun.  Not so fun hauling the branches to the street though.

Once we got cleaned up we made a WalMart and Home Depot run.  We wanted to pick up some more of the supplies for the retreat center renovations.  We got word that the counter tops were on their way from Oklahoma already, so another workday looms in the near future.  We picked up some blinds for the bunk rooms and some more of the frosted window covering for the inside doors and a wall switch plate to replace one that was broken. 

Last night was babysitting at Kel and Christina’s house up in Texas.  The game of the evening turned out to be none other than hide and seek.  Jachin and Micah are masters at it, especially in their new home.  Josiah just wasn’t patient enough.  The older two hid inside cabinets and behind beds.  Jachin even managed to squeeze himself into a tint wardrobe in Noa’s bedroom.  And stayed there for a long time.  Pretty impressive stuff.  I would have to give the award for the best hiding place to Micah, though.  Chris was searching for him in his room.  As she carefully reached for the doorknob to the closet, she noticed just the hint of movement off to her left.  There, hidden among a pile of stuffed animals was an extra face - the face of Micah.  A true E.T., The Extraterrestrial moment.  It took about a second and a half too long for her to make the connection.  And in that second and a half she received the scare of her life.  Well, at least the scare of the evening.  Well played, Micah.  Well played.

Hebrews 2:1 says, “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.”


Father, keep on developing that creativity and patience I saw last night in those boys.  Amen.

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