July 20 – “Home”

It always feels so good to drive over the causeway.  This island is just home.    Of course I was most excited to see Chris.  She met us at the church.  Mom even joined her.  She didn't want to miss anything.    There were some changes around the house.  Both storm doors are up now.  That front one really looks nice.  It is all glass, so you can still see the wood door.  And the side door has the dog door in it.  Micah and Jachin came by today and showed me how it works.  They must have climbed in and out a dozen times each.  Jachin said that Nana told him he could teach Fritz how to use the door.  Micah said he would teach Heidi.  She's a dachshund, so he's just about the right size.   There is now a "refurbished by Chris" cabinet in our bathroom.  We also had a delivery while I was gone.  Jay and Fran brought Mom's table over.  It went through the flood, and they had it fixed up.  It looks pretty good considering what it looked like the last time I saw it.  Chris cleaned up some of our old dark chairs.  They actually look pretty good with the table.  I guess they will go on my list to fix up. Chris unpacked some more boxes.  She arranged some baskets and things around the house.  It's beginning to look a little more like a home.  It still doesn't feel like ours yet, but that will come.    After helping Mike return the vans this morning, I waded through the stuff on my desk.  The Sears bill was wrong, so I had to call them.  I was put through to no less than four different departments.  The last one said I should call the store.  She then said she would connect me.  When someone finally answered, it was the same department I just left.  This time she entered the information to officially challenge the charge.  Her final words?  You should try calling the store.  I called the store and talked to the salesman.  He said he'd call me back after he worked it out.  He called me back later and said it was worked out.  I'll believe it when I see my next bill.  Then the AT&T bill had weird charges on it, so I called them to straighten that out.  Not quite as difficult.   Mom and Chris got back from Mom's doctor's appointment and we had a late lunch.  As we ate, we heard a knock on the door.  Anna and her sons and two other guys who went to camp last week came by to say hi and see the house.  They stayed for about two hours.  It was fun.  I got to show the guys the one baseball card notebook I have here.  The rest of them are in Mansfield.    When they left, we quickly finished "lupper."  Chris had to leave for Bay City.  Her Mom has another appointment this week.  Two, in fact.  She'll be back Wednesday or Thursday.  I miss her again.   I plan to get to bed early tonight if I can.  I feel like a truck hit me.  I didn't say anything to Chris.  She had enough to worry about for the next few days.      1 John 4:7-12 says, "."7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son b into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for c our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us   Father, thanks for letting us see and feel some of that incredible love of yours last week.  Come in power so we can see it every week … every day.  Amen.