Getting a Load Off...

Yup, I'm back. Nope, I haven't forgotten where we left off, but last week's circumstances knocked my feet out from under and the breath out of my lungs. I'm coming up for air today. If you'll bear with me, I'll unload the past week, and then tomorrow (Lord willing!) get back on track with choir.

A (not so) quick update: a week ago Saturday I zipped over to my folks' (2 minutes away), and my dad had a stroke, speaking nonsense syllables to me as we chatted. I spent much of Saturday-Tuesday in the hospital with he and Mom. Tuesday morning they received the news that a close friend had died in the night. My sister is married to this friend's son, so it's also family. Late that day Dad was released to go home.

The week was filled with exhaustion, new medications, visitation and funeral, my sister's family coming from out of town and staying with my folks, assisting a shaky Dad to his MRI (to determine carotid artery blockage), and to his doctor's appointment to switch one of the medications causing him trouble.

It was filled with packing our son up to head back to Dallas for a summer ministry at his Bible college, while he worked twelve-hour days. We sent him off yesterday afternoon, driving the thousand miles alone for the first time. He decided to drive straight through, and I figure he must at least be in southern Oklahoma by now. I wait for his call when he gets there ("When you pull into the parking lot, call me before you get distracted!"). We likely won't see him till Christmas, 6 months away, since he'll stay there for his third year. As I write, the dog expresses the heaviness in my heart with his groans. I'm not joking, the dog goes around groaning aloud when my son leaves! The first time he left, the groaning lasted two weeks.

The cracks of this week were filled with the details of our son's return to Dallas (his car got a new water pump, new exhaust system, different tire rim, front brake lines, and two new tires plus spare).

Numerous other things trickled in:
-physical therapy sessions on my broken-and-healing thumb
-learning to do speech therapy at home with Dad
-taking him for walks around the house and the driveway to help him regain strength
-continuing a rigorous schedule for our dog (who has lymphoma and was given 4-6 weeks in February, but is now living well and prospering due to the Lord directing us to lengthy walks, natural foods, juicing, and healing herbal tinctures)
-daily housework (still VERY difficult because of the mentioned thumb)
-writing a curriculum for the group guitar class I'll start teaching in a week
-hosting/administrating the first meeting of a new writers group

You probably have weeks like that, too.

I have accomplished nothing by way of choir administration. In fact, my Command Central recliner is surrounded with books, papers, folders, notes, and magazines, all watching me, waiting to be put away. Someplace. Sometime.

So I ask the Lord to allow me to work as the apostle Paul did, "with God's energy". Staggering thought! And I ask "to be filled to the measure of the fullness of Christ". Even more staggering. As Annie Ortland said, "How can you pour the ocean into a teacup?"

May the Lord give me encouraging words for choir members and directors--tomorrow.

See you then.