September 19 – “Trees and weddings and granddaughters”

We started the day cleaning the church again.  Must be Saturday.  It really didn't seem to take all that long this time, though.    When we got home Nathan was hard at work in our back yard.  He had fired up the chain saw and cut up the fig tree that fell over in the last rainy spell.  He had also moved on to the big magnolia tree in the back yard.  Chris acknowledged its demise and approved its extraction.  He climbed up and started sawing away at branches.  On a few of the ones closest to the power lines, he tied a rope to it first and as he sawed, I pulled in the opposite direction.  What a team.  When it came to topping it off, though, we were all a bit skittish.  He finally decided (to the delight of his wife and mother) to wait until he could get his harness and start again tomorrow afternoon.   He had to leave anyway.  He and April were going to the Houston Dynamo soccer game, and they had to get ready.  And they had to get Cailyn ready to spend the night with Nana and DadDad.    I had to get ready as well.  I had a wedding this afternoon on the beach at Pirates Beach.  They got my name from the San Luis, so I didn't know them before we met last month for counseling.  The service went well, and at the reception I saw some interesting people.  There was a guy there who looked just like Al Pacino.  Another guy was a professional wrestler.  He was telling about when he tore a biceps muscle during a match.  He said he was supposed to tie the other guy up in the top rope, punch him in the gut, and throw him out of the ring.  Then there was a whole set of choreography he described that was supposed to follow.  But he couldn't move his right arm.  So he whispered to the other guy to chase him to the dressing room and beat on him on the way and he would explain when they got there.  Ah, professional wrestling is indeed real.   I also saw a girl I went to high school with.  She was a close friend of the family.  A Seaside girl who grew up and moved to Santa Fe was the photographer.  It was great to see her again.  The groom's uncle asked me how I got into this preacher gig, anyway.  He was a lot of fun to talk to.  He wants the couple to get into church.  Never mentioned himself getting into church, though.  A lady came up to me and told me about her granddaughter who died in a car wreck a month ago leaving a five year old son.  She was pretty shook up, but wanted me to know she "got the message" of the ceremony.  Weddings aren't usually that eventful.   Cailyn was here to spend the night when I got home.  She likes to play with old DadDad, but the only way she'll let me hold her is if she's facing out.  Can't say I blame her.   We also found out this afternoon that Christi's granddad had bleeding in his brain.  They don't know yet what all is going on other than he is going to have surgery tonight.   Romans 8:26-27 says, "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."   Father, be with Christi's granddad.  And grant her family your peace.  Amen.