September 5 – “what you remember”

This is the latest I've done an entry in quite a while – the next morning.  That's how long it used to take me right after the storm to recover long enough to remember how to think.  But I guess we had an eventful day.   We made a Sam's run for church and while we were off the island went by Hobby Lobby.  Chris is trying to recover my Grandmother's old rocking chair.  It went through the storm, so it's another piece of family history.  Then we attacked our usual Saturday volunteer job, cleaning the church.  We hadn't gotten far when both of our phones rang.  Mine Chris' aunt in Bay City and had already gone to voice mail.  As I listened to the message, Chris's phone rang.  It was her aunt, worried about Chris' mom.  She was having trouble breathing again, but this time she was insisting that they take her clear in to Houston – on Labor Day Weekend.  She wouldn't even go to the emergency room in Bay City.  Chris finally calmed her down enough to convince her to at least meet us at the Bay City ER.    We raced home, grabbed a change of clothes just in case, and took off for Bay City.  To make a much longer story a bit shorter, she had a bout with congestive heart failure.  It was apparently related to her last round of chemo, because that drug sometimes targets the heart.  They drained 800 cc's of fluid from her lungs and put her on lasix to dry up more.  They finally decided to admit her at least for the night and do more tests.  She says that's not going to happen.  If they want more tests, she's going to Houston.    Once she was in a room and comfortable again (aggravating the nurses and the like), Chris decided to stay the night.  I came on home to be at church this morning.  I listened to the Astros exciting last inning victory on the way home.  Took my mind off things.  But when I got here I remembered that I still had some pretty extensive preparations to make for the worship teaching this morning.  All the stuff I was going to do when we finished at the church.  I had to run over to WalMart at 9:30 for raisin bread, dates, and pita bread.  Thank you, King David.   I also wanted to use a clip from that old movie, Michael.  Terrible movie about an angel who smokes.  John Travolta stars.  So while I prepared the food, I watched the movie again, looking for the clip.  But it didn't really show what I just knew I remembered.  It's amazing what you remember, isn't it?  They dance in the movie, and I have an image in my mind of him dancing with every bit of his body and soul, not worried about what anything thinks, totally abandoned to God.  He dances.  And I guess back when I first saw the movie, that's what I saw.  It changed how I thought about worship, but it's not in the movie.  It's in my heart, I guess.  I want to worship like that.   Well, our trip meant a whole day lost of preparation for school.  It has occurred to me that what I thought was two full time jobs (pastor and headmaster) actually includes three other full time jobs with the school as well – teacher, elementary principal, and high school principal.  I didn't get the English teacher hired yet.  I hope to make contact with her today.  I didn't get the high school students' books divided out yet.  I hope they all have what they need to get started.  We didn't get finished cleaning the church.  That shook up Chris more than anything.  She used to be the paid custodian, but we stopped taking a salary for it after Ike.  Her sense of obligation and excellence hasn't diminished, however.  I still haven't even really begun putting together the idea I'd like to pursue for the Individual Study portion of each student's day.  I like the idea, but honestly don't see me getting it together this week.  I don't know what to do right now.    But … Board member volunteers are supposed to be at the church building after church today to organize all the supplies and tell me what we need to ask parents to bring.  And our problem with a math teacher is covered for awhile.  Board member Jim is going to start us off and Board member Donald will fill in when he has to be gone.   I don't know what the rest of today or this week holds.  Back to Bay City?  Houston?  The first days of school?  One thing at a time.   Psalms 9:1-2 says, "I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders.  2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High."   Father, watch over Chris' mom.  Draw her dad toward you through this.  And help us with all this school stuff.  Amen.