November 15 – “Some Days”

It started like any other day.  Well, any other "post-Ike, Galveston" kind of day.  Wake up.  Figure out a list of what to do.  Chris' trip to the Quilts by the Bay closeout sale.  Maybe a stop at a flooring store.  Put a cap on one of the gas lines we uncovered when we removed the heater in the bathroom.  Clean the church.  Pick up Mom's meds at Randalls.  Figure out some reason to go to WalMart (you always have to go to WalMart at some point).    And it began pretty much as we planned.  Chris dropped me off at the house and left for the quilt sale.  She's great, isn't she?  Didn't make me go.  Gave me a choice, though.  I could have gone if I really wanted to.  But I decided to sacrifice this one time and try to get some work done.  It was difficult, but sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do … stay away from all things quilt-y.   I started with the cap project. It went well.  And fast.  And Chris wasn't back.  I went across the street and checked out Mom's house.  Almost completely dry.  That was good.  Back home I faced a dilemma.  Dig in and do some floor scraping or backyard salvaging.  Or organize the garage.  I chose the garage.  It seemed like the guy thing to do, and I was into my guy side already.  I began this next project that used to take all day, and now a good twenty or thirty minutes loomed ahead of me.  That's when "it" happened.   The phone rang.  Not that unusual.  "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" is always a welcome sound to my hard of hearing ears.  I answered.  And there on the other end of the line – promising to arrive soon – out of the East (well, maybe the Southeast.  Is Alabama the Southeast?  It's actually Northeast of Galveston, isn't it?).  Oh, anyway, out of the direction that was now somewhere near Beaumont, came a blast from our past.  Some good friends of long ago (see, I've learned not to say "old" friends, because they are our age and that makes them feel really old), Larry and Diane, were on their way to Corpus and were stopping by to take us to lunch.  They were going to surprise us, but didn't know where we would be.  Good question, guys.  Lately we don't know where we'll be from one day to the next.  Lunch at Casey's was great.  The waiter was a real clown, so that made for some "interesting" moments.  He tried to sell us a lemon wedge for seventy-five cents and convince us that they had run out of tea.  The chance to be with someone who has known us for a long time and still cares about us was priceless.    Diane had a list of questions a mile long.  Chris leaned in and took them all head on.  She let me make a comment here and there, too.  It was during the "interview" that it hit me.  Diane was quoting things I had said in my journal – a lot of things.  She had the silly thing almost memorized.  She knew my words better than I did.  She said it made her cry to read it every day, but she couldn't wait to see the next "episode."    That's the way it's supposed to be with us and the Bible, isn't it?  Can't wait to see what comes next.  Makes me cry – or laugh – or ponder.  So familiar with it that I have it memorized.  Well … some days.   Psalms 18:30 says, "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless.  He is a shield for all who take refuge in him." Psalms 33:4 says, "For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does."   Father, help me to prove what I say I believe about your word.  Some days that means hanging on to it with every particle of my being.  Some days it means at least reading it a bit.  Help me be a little more Diane-like on those days.  Amen.