March 23 – “Tomorrow”

We determined today that as our goal for this morning we would finish sheetrocking the two closets in the master bedroom.  After the spatial relations fiasco Saturday, I was going to cover up that one hole no matter what.  All we had to do was run by Home Depot and pick up the last piece of our bathroom vanity order that we've been trying to pick up since Friday.   Home Depot didn't go quite as smoothly as we anticipated.  They assured us the piece was in.  In fact, the lady we talked to said she had personally seen it Saturday.  That would be the same Saturday that we picked up part of our order and they couldn't find the rest of it.  Needless to say, we didn't expect too much.  And we weren't disappointed.  We waited over an hour while they looked for it.  Finally they processed a ten percent discount for us, and assured us they would find it and give us a call.    By the time we left there it was definitely time for lunch.  But since we were already right by McCoy's we decided to go there and pick up a light fixture for the house.  Again, not the best idea we have had lately.  We found the fixture right away and got in line to pay for it.  So far so good.  A sales guy came up to us and offered to take us next at his register.  Could we be so lucky?  He rang up the sale on our credit card and asked me to sign it.  And it was the wrong price.  He and Chris went to check it out.  Sure enough, we had been overcharged.  He rang up the refund.  And accidentally charged us six more dollars.  He finally got some help and I think we got it straight.  And we finally got to go for some food.   We made it to the house and got started on that spatial relations wall.  I discovered that the best way to defeat the spatial relations problem was to break it down into smaller pieces.  It's a lot easier to trim and force-fit three smaller pieces than one large piece.  We finished that closet.  Before we could start on the other one, the AC guys came to do some more stuff.  And the contractor came, too.  He was meeting the guys who will begin putting in our windows and back door … tomorrow.  Now that's good news.  He also said that his team of sheetrockers could finish up what was left and get going on the taping and bedding and texturing starting tomorrow as well.  Sounds like tomorrow will be a busy day.   Matthew 6:33-34 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."   Father, help me keep it simple.  You take care of tomorrow.  Amen.

March 22 – “Heal me …”

Last night we had more out of town guests.  Our friends from Arlington who loaned us the trailer came back to pick it up.  They didn't stay long.  Just overnight.  It was good to see them, but it was sure a hectic week.   At church there was great excitement afoot about the brand new lights and missing ceiling tiles and hanging ceiling fan wires.  It showed that things are moving forward.  Everyone was pretty excited about seeing the framing in the new building, too.    When we got home I collapsed on the couch.  I felt like I had the flu – cough, aching all over.  You've seen the TV commercials.  I turned on one of the NCAA tournament basketball games and proceeded to crash.   I slept for awhile, and when I woke to the melodious sound of Cailyn crying, I went with Chris to Lowe's to look for countertops for the vanities we bought.  Our contractor needs to know what the edges look like so he can build a linen closet for the guest bathroom.  To say we had no luck would be a nice way of putting this particular excursion.  Chris said she was rapidly approaching her point of maximum frustration.  It was time to go home.  Well, that was the problem, actually.  We desperately wanted to go home.  But we settled for the house in Omega Bay for now.   Jeremiah 17:14 says, "Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise."   Father, this is one of those days when I feel like I need healing.  I praise you.  Amen.

March 21 – “Spatial Relations”

Remember those tests you used to have to take where they showed you an odd shape followed by four or five other odd shapes?  Then you had to figure out which of the group was the same as the first one.  It was Sesame Street on steroids.  I think it was to prepare you for geometry or something.  Anyway, I have always hated those tests.  I never did well on them.  And I certainly could never figure out what the point was.  How would anyone ever have a use for such a dumb test?   Today I found out.  Those tests were made for - and no doubt by … sheetrockers.  Chris and I set a goal for today to finish two closets.  That's all.  Just two closets.  How hard could it be?  We started out great.  In fact, I got one piece done while we were waiting for Josh's church folks to arrive this morning.  They wanted to see our house, take a picture with us, then do a tour of the "stranded in time on the day after the hurricane" house next door.  I think they had a learning experience.   But back to our "spatial relations" final exam.  We got three more pieces screwed in fairly easily.  I for one was feeling pretty good about myself.  Kind of like Mike and Cory feel about the new lights they put up at the church.  They look great, guys.  Then we started on the next one.  The odd shaped one that looked perfectly square to me.  Except I forgot to account for the sloping ceiling.  That meant the line at the top was not really straight, even though it appeared to be.  That explained why there was a half inch gap in the top corner.  So we marked a line and I did the trim job while Chris went to Randalls for a bathroom break.  I figured I'd have it nailed up and be cutting the next one by the time she got back.  Except when I held it up, the gap was now more like an inch and a half.  I turned it every way I could, and nothing fit.  There was no "Spatial relation" of any kind.  When Chris got back we both tried.  I drew pictures on the wall.  I tried to cut smaller pieces.  They didn't fit either.  My eyes began crossing.  Things weren't looking so good for us reaching our goal.  In fact, things were looking better and better for calling our contractor and telling him we were as done as we were going to get.  That still sounds like a great plan to me.  But Chris wants us to sleep on it.  I want to call the guys from Arlington and beg them to come back.    Job 26:7-10 says, "He spreads out the northern [skies] over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing.  He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.   He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it.  He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness."   Father, that's some spatial relations.  Wow.  Amen.

March 20 – “Slimy, Icky-Wicky”

Great progress at the house today.  Our little team finished sheetrocking the family room and the garage.  They even got started a bit in the kitchen.  Chris and I were there long enough to get all but a wall and a half done of our walk-in closet.  We're slow, but then, we're novices.  The AC guys came today, too.  They installed some more of the AC part of the unit.  We also went to Home Depot to pick up the bathroom vanities we ordered.  The vanities were in, but they couldn't find the mirrors or the medicine cabinet.  They have to call the manufacturer.  We'll check back with them tomorrow.   The kids at Seaside did a lot of painting of the outside of the building.  I haven't seen it yet, but I can't wait.  They also got most of the new ceiling tiles up in the sanctuary to complement Mike and Cory's work putting up new lights.    I took my own advice this morning.  Since I usually wake up before everybody anyway, I went fishing.  I tossed out a couple of lines and hung out on the dock while I waited for Zak to wake up.  Didn't take him too long.  He ate the fastest breakfast on record.  Then he joined his Nani for a walk downstairs to go fishing.  And would you believe it?  As he walked up (or rather jumped up), one of the lines bent over with a strike.  I grabbed the pole and said, "Zak, come over here and help me for a minute."  I showed him how to reel in the line, and he started cranking.  After a few seconds he said, "DadDad, why am I helping you?"  I answered, "You'll see.  Just keep turning."  That's about when the fish made a run.  Zak's eyes lit up.  "What's that, DadDad?"  I don't think it ever entered his mind that it was a fish.  Sure enough, when he got it close to the top (It was a hardhead catfish, but a pretty big one), he squealed.  We pulled it on shore and he displayed it proudly for Nani's ever-present camera.  He did have one request, though.  He wanted to touch it.  Don't know if you've ever touched a hardhead catfish, but Zak's description tops every one I've ever heard.  "It's a slimy, icky-wicky fish, DadDad."  You got that right.   We shook the fish back into the water, and I turned to put some more bait on the hook.  The other pole was dipping madly.  Another strike.  "Zak, I need some more help."  This time he didn't hesitate.  He reeled and reeled until he landed his second big catfish of the day.  And that was enough.  He discovered right after that, that I didn't care if he pushed the bait bucket into the water.  It made a big splash, and that caused an even bigger squeal than the fish.  "Let's do it again, DadDad."  And again.  And again.  Needless to say, we had caught our last fish of the day.  But we sure ended our fishing trip on a joyful note.  Kids seem to have a way of knowing how to do that.  The joy is not in the product.  The joy is in the journey.   Psalm 45:7 says, "You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy."   Father, thank you for letting me see your joy in Zakary today.  Anoint away.  Amen.

March 19 – “Let’s go fishing”

The deal for Mom's house is back on again.  The same people as before decided that they really want the house.  As a result they are apparently more than willing to push back the closing date so we can have a few more weeks to move things out of the garage.  I also heard from our friend Teri at church.  She said we could store whatever we need to in her garage.  "My garage is your garage" I think were her words.  It's great when the church "does" church.   The group from Josh's church in Arlington worked today.  About seventeen youngsters worked at the church, filling in the wash-out holes around the pilings on the new building.  One team of older kids worked at our house hanging sheetrock.  They finished the heavy stuff in the garage, so we can store some things in there if we have to.  I guess that would mean fast-tracking a new garage door, though.  They are coming back tomorrow to do some more on the inside.  Whatever they get done will be greatly appreciated.  The kids at church are scheduled to begin painting the building.  Now that's gonna be a fun experience.  Junior high kids with paint brushes.  Always a fun combination.    The guys framing the school finished around noon today.  It looks amazing.  Now we wait for electrical and plumbing drawings so we can move on.  The shingles were delivered for the old building.  There are plenty of groups that can tear the old ones off.  What we are waiting for now is a group that can properly put the new ones on.  Our contractor is lining up someone just in case we end up not getting volunteers.  We need someone like the group that did our roof at home.  They were great.   Meanwhile, Mike and Cory have begun wiring up the new lighting in the old building.  That is going to make a huge difference.  They are even going to get the nursery lights on a separate switch so they can operate their light.  Mama Chris says, "WooHoo."    Chris' Mom and Dad came for lunch today.  We actually got all the great grandkids to slow down for a minute or two and got some pictures with Granny and Grandub.  Then they took off down the stairs to play.  Gorgeous weather does something to kids.  To me, too.  Let's go fishing.   1 John 3:18-20 says, "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.  This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything."   Father, thanks for your rest.  Amen.

March 18 – “The Penny”

We made a break for sanity this morning.  We took our grandkids – and Jachin's girlfriend Hannah (!) - on a ferry ride.  They were really excited.  We tossed rocks into the water while we waited.  We looked for dolphins.  We watched a huge tanker sail by.  We fed the seagulls.  We covered our ears when the horn blew.  We looked at the "broken city" they call Bolivar (at least what we could see of it from the boat.  All in all, a very tourist-y experience.   We met up at Christina's house for a McDonald's take out lunch.  I don't remember the last time I had a Big Mac.  Some things never change.   We have windows.  In boxes.  In the garage.   The deal for Mom's house is off because of me.  Because we were going to try to buy it the other interested party went somewhere else.  It's back on market again.  But we still have to get all the stuff out of the garage.  Maybe we have a little more time now.   I tried to get started on emptying out Mom's house and garage this afternoon.  I was by myself, so I couldn't move the two tables or the generator.  And I couldn't get very much at a time.  So I made a lot of trips across the street.  On the very first trip, I was carrying a couple of lawn chairs, and I noticed a penny on the street.  I've heard that superstition thing, "Find a penny, pick it up, and all the day you'll have good luck."  I didn't pick it up.  I was in a daze.  I guess it had to do with the fact that this would really be the last time we spent any time in "the old homestead."  I moved several cases of water to our house.  The penny was still there.  I moved the Christmas decorations that were in Mom's attic over to our new attic (the one that has a floor!).  The penny was still there.  I put the four wedding presents Nathan and April had stored in the attic into the truck to take to them.  The penny was still there.  I bagged up several rolls of toilet paper we were storing "for emergencies" and put them in the truck.  The penny was still there.  One trip some guys working on the house next door to Mom's got in my way – or I got in their way.  A matter of perspective.  They waited for me to walk by before resuming their task at hand.  As I passed, I heard one of them say, "That's a dime holding up a dollar."  I guess I was supposed to be the dime.  I wanted to say, "Hey, I'm working for free!"  Oh.  And the penny was still there.      I got to thinking about that penny.  It was there every time I passed.  I knew that I could count on it.  It would be there.  It was faithful.  Like God.  I left the penny there.  Maybe it would show "faithful" to someone else.   Psalms 146:5-6 says, "Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them — the Lord, who remains faithful forever."   Father, thank you for being faithful.  I sure need to count on you.  Amen.

March 17 – “Did I mention windows?”

I went in to the house by myself today.  Chris decided to stay at Omega Bay and wait for Josh and Christi and their boys to arrive from Crosby.  Some of the volunteers got there around 9:30, so I took off and drove out to Seaside to check on the groups there.  The guys framing the school building were unbelievable.  In one day they had already framed out more than half of the outer walls of the classrooms.  I got to watch one of the "wall-raisings."  Flashes exploded all over the place as if it was the first one.  They told me it was just as exciting every time.    There were some teenagers working inside the other building.  They had already removed all the ceiling tiles from the nursery and main room.  They also discovered some surprises.  They didn't expect insulation to come crashing down on their heads.  They found some old computer network wires from about the 80's.  And my personal favorite, they asked what kind of critter laid little tiny white eggs.  Seems that the insulation was full of them.  I told them it was probably geckos, and you should have seen the look of relief come over their faces.  They never said what they thought they were, but whatever that thought was … it obviously wasn't pleasant.  Before I left the guy in charge of the teenagers asked if there was some more projects they could do.  The plan was for them to tape the windows for painting tomorrow, but the kids were getting bored today.  I left them some more ideas.   We went to Luby's for lunch.  Seems like it's been awhile.  Josh and Christi and Caleb and Zak came.  Afterward I went back to the house to wait for the windows delivery.  Not there yet.  I did find out that the group that was working with us was leaving at noon.  Their agreed-upon time with Nehemiah's Vision was from Saturday to Tuesday.  They didn't know if we were getting another group or not.  After they all left Nathan and Josh came and did some touch-up stuff on the sheetrock.  I cleaned up the work area and moved around the sheetrock leftovers.  I never have liked leftovers.  We'll probably need to buy some more sheetrock.  All we have is leftovers.  Did I mention that I never have liked leftovers?   Did I mention that the windows were supposed to be delivered today?  When we left around 4:30, they weren't.  Our contractor had already talked to them, though.  For some reason they thought he no longer wanted them.  But they still had them, so they were going to try to get them loaded today.  If so, they would just go through the back door.  We'll see in the morning … again.   Big decision behind us today.  I emailed and called my brother to let him know we are OK with selling Mom's house.  I talked to her and all three of my boys, and we are finally OK.  It just took us longer to process.  Now we need to find a place to store the stuff in her garage.   Psalm 23 is a great fall-back passage for any time. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.  You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."   Father, thank you for being my shepherd.  And thank you for trusting me to be a shepherd.