Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Beast of Burden

I drug my “beast of burden” from my sick bed to the medicine cabinet and peered in…looking for something to relieve the sniffles and headache. It was difficult to determine which remedy of modern medicine to take…so I decided to open a can of chicken noodle soup instead. It was much more soothing than some wretched pill or nasty syrup and after consuming an entire bowlful I regained enough strength to crawl back in to bed, pull the covers over my head and nod off to sleep as I prayed.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the all the good times and good health…even if underserved. Thank you, Lord, for this tiny bit of suffering that serves to remind me that life is not always fun and games or good health. Help me accept whatever suffering you send my way and endure it with a little bit of the same grace and composure You showed us on the cross.
Amen.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Pecan Pie

For breakfast I leaned over the sink and devoured the last piece of pecan pie…a pie, which a friend had brought over…expressing concern that I was not being properly nourished while my wife was away taking care of her mother.
I couldn’t help but think how thoughtful and kind some people can be and perhaps I should work toward being more like that…as I licked the pie tin clean. I’ll start on that diet tomorrow.

Thank you, Lord, for pe-can pie.
Thank you, for friends nearby.
With all of this that I spy.

I can not maintain a dry eye.
It’s quite enough to make one cry.
When contemplating the By and By.

For you, O’ Lord, I can not deny.
You, O’ Lord, are my Rabbi.
It is you, O’ Lord, I hold on High.
Amen

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Uncloudy Day



After several cold and cloudy days I begrudgingly relented to my wimpier side and turned on the breaker to my electric water heater. At last I had to admit that my precious solar water heater had let me down. So at the end of a cold, windy, and cloudy day of working outside I caved in and turned on the electricity, went inside and took the most wonderful hot shower ever.

Thank you Lord for Benjamin Franklin, Nikola Tesla, and Thomas Edison.
Thank you for whoever invented all the stuff that makes life comfortable.
But most of all, thank you, Lord Jesus, for the really important stuff.
Amen

Monday, January 10, 2011

Four Advil


Four posts, four post-holes and four Advil later, I crawled into bed. Thanks to my son Jason and the two-man post-hole digger we cemented in the structure that will hold the new gate for the new driveway. I fear I’m getting too old for all these projects but doing them gives me an emotional boost. I feel more alive…the excitement of doing something keeps me young…at least in my head. And such is my life…it is lived mostly in my head and has little to do with reality.

Please forgive my waxing and waning/
Also forgive all my constant complaining.

All of my straining, my aching and paining/
I am sure it’s good for my spiritual training.

Give me strength to pass the test/
For you, Lord Jesus, are the best.

Amen