April 21 – “A tub of X-Men”

Struggling through a difficult chapter of Scripture in preparation for Sunday was how I spent most of my morning.  It was not that it was hard to interpret or understand.  It was the subject matter.  Rape.  Incest.  Murder.  Not the usual casual morning devotional reading.   Chris had to make me get up and move around again.  I had kind of a bad day pain-wise, so I really didn't want to do much of anything.  It was hard enough to concentrate while working on the sermon.  I have to concentrate in a totally different way when I move around.  Certain movements do hurt my back, and I never know which joints are going to bark at me.  I went on a walk with her around the neighborhood, though.  Today it was both knees, my right toes and my left elbow that wanted to be heard.   Chris and Mom had Wednesday Club this afternoon.  That's their group of ladies who get together and do book reports and the like.  This year they are doing reports on "Around the world without leaving Texas."  They pick a city in Texas that has the same name of someplace around the world and find out information about it.  Today the 94-year-old lady whose turn it was chose Italy.  But she understood that the report was supposed to be about Italy, Italy, not Italy, Texas.  Sounded like it turned out good, though.  Her parents were from Italy, and she had even been to Italy.  She ended up telling story after story about her family's adventures.  Chris enjoyed it.   While they were gone I went into the back yard to see if I could further dent the pile of Ike stuff.  We found out today that the people behind us are planning to put their house on the market.  When the real estate agent came into their backyard and saw ours, she said, "Oh, no.  This will never work."  They are pricing privacy fences now.  Chris started cleaning out flower beds after that.  So I thought I would make another junk attack.  I ended up emptying and cleaning two more tubs of toys.  It took me a long time, because I would find myself just standing there with something in each hand, staring at the pile.  One of the tubs had a collection of X-Men action figures.  There was also one of Jesse Owens, the track star.  They were all still in their original packages, but the packages had been through Ike.  They were warped and still damp and kind of nasty.  I cleaned those up and repackaged them.  I don't even know which son they belong to, but we'll put them in a plastic tub and put them in the attic.  Some day maybe their grandkids will get a kick out of seeing the antique toys.    Job 19:25 says, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth."   Father, I know you are alive, too.  I see evidence every day in Galveston.  Surf, seagulls, cranes, and pelicans.  Wow.  Amen.