November 28 – “a spoonful of sugar”

Yesterday was one of the most productive work days I have had in quite some time.  Sunday is the First Sunday in Advent, so the teachings and the preparations thereof start to get more and more fun.  The theme this week is Hope, and I kind of like that whole premise anyway …

Since the kids got our tree up and the decorations down from the attic, and even helped decorate a bit (at least the level of where a four or five year old can reach), we now have boxes littering our entire den and kitchen.  Chris spent her day yesterday juggling dealing with Bethlehem Street Market vendors and trying to make a dent in decorating the house for Christmas.  Maybe that’s a good thing, you know.  Mix a tedious, sometimes difficult task with one a little more light-hearted and fun.  Like … a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.  Thank you, Mary Poppins.  And yes, I did just sing that little ditty in my mind.  Bet you did, too.  If not, then you need to watch Mary Poppins again. 

Speaking of needing a spoonful of sugar ... we didn’t get any mail service again yesterday.  Guess Kel wasn’t assigned our route as his required “bonus” work.  That’s a pretty weird system they have going there.  Mail carriers are supposed to deliver their assigned route and return to the post office by 4:30 to turn in any parcels they have collected to be delivered.  Sounds great, right?  Good time to head home and hang out with the family?  Well, not exactly when it comes to the U.S. mail service.  See, then they are expected to pick up an entire other route to be delivered.  They rarely get home before 7 or 8 in the evening.  Well, maybe it’s a little earlier now that it gets dark earlier.  They can’t deliver what they can’t see.  And don’t even get me started on their picking up the contract to deliver for Amazon.  That means they now also have to deliver on Sundays.  Seven days a week.  Come on.  Even God took a break.  So, folks, if your mail hasn’t arrived, don’t blame the postman.  Blame the system.  So, I guess if they don’t come this morning I’ll have to make a post office trip, or at least a mailbox trip.  The first half of our property taxes are due by Thursday. 

The cable TV repair guy is supposed to be here today between two and four.  Guaranteed.  Hmm.  Wonder what happens if he’s late.  What exactly is guaranteed?  Anyway, I found a way to at least change the channels.  I downloaded an app to my phone that has the ability to communicate with the cable box.  It worked fine until an error message came up on the screen to “Press the exit button on your remote.”  There was no “Exit” button.  So the big blue error message made itself at home.  Fortunately we were watching Netflix anyway.  I did try to access the programs we have saved to the DVR.  I could see them listed on the phone, but couldn’t access them.  Some kind of “Tuning error.”  Guess they haven’t worked out all the bugs.  Or, more likely, our cable box is an antique and doesn’t completely understand modern technology.  Sigh.  I guess the old guy is living in the right house. 

Psalms 7:17 says, “I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.”

Father, watch over the mail carriers throughout this crazy season for them.  Amen.