Ever have those days where things seem like, way too wierd but you go with it as some kind of life experience? That you know one day when your 92, toothless in a nursing home and reminse with your grand children (getting you to drink from a little white straw), will seem rather silly or dramatic or dangerous? One Sunday, a few weeks ago, I ran in to church a little late. It was ok, we're a casual bunch. Nodding hello to my friends, I eased into the seat beside the mornings speaker, whom I haven't seen since Seminary days and shook his hand and welcomed him to our service. Things were going on nicely, and I was leaning over queitly filling him in on some comments in our prayer and share time and I felt an itchy crawl along my scalp. "Darn!" I thought, "keep focused, stay pleasent, act normal". For pete's sake! Lice have a way of making themselves known at the worst times. Our family contracted the little beasts sometime end of June, probably from the primary school our kids go to. To be knowing what is crawling in my hair, sitting in a public place, putting on a "spiritual smile" and my head is screaming to be dealt with is a funny, sad thing that I will chuckle about as I sip on my tepid apple juice in a nursing home one day.
Another thing I'll reminice about is the recent gang related shooting in our park across the street a few days ago. CTV was parked 2 doors down, with their satellite arm up and running as the boys and I unpacked from a few days at the cottage. I wanted to saunter down and ask the women leaning against the van what the news was today, in the "murder capital", here on Furby. Steve quickly filled in that the night before, 2 gangs were shooting at each other from opposite sides of the park. A few bullets actually hit the neighbors house, luckily nobody was home at the time. So as I thought about these things, later that afternoon, I was amazed that kids still played there, families enjoyed the grass and shade and visited with each other on the picnic table. Life goes on.
The last months have been full of life's challenges and hang-ups, peace and sudden whirlwinds. Stinky wading pools needing cleaning, steaks being eaten with friends, a laugh at a quirky Charlie Chaplin pushing in his hip that keeps popping out when he's dancing with a wealthy single lady at a party, floating down a river current on a rubber tube, followed by 3 boys and a crocodile, dino and various other floaties (dog on crocodile), mowing lawns, a few arguments, sleeping in. (don't forget the lice)....life goes on. Neighbors chat, we replace a bunch of flowers from a destroyed bulevard box, we answer questions like "can I have some change to get by until tomorrow?", we meet 100 church members from the Burmese church on beach 1 1/2 hours from our house "Ne kwan de lah?" we laugh and joke with them, amazed we are there at the same time. Old heart aches bubble up, cry to God and peace. A prayer walk with another house church in the area, their elders join us, two members are blind but love the commentary and the walk itself. They passionatly ask God to help us in our lives here, on Furby, as we stand together on the sidewalk outside our home. Life goes on....
When I'm old and grey, what will I remember and what will I forget about? I will certainly have perspective, I will have hindsight, regrets? Promises never fulfulled? What will count as I look back? One thing I know I will do, I will gather the grand kids around, turn the dvd on play, and laugh till my sides ache, watching Charlie Chaplin confound the rich, proud and selfish with the hip that keeps unlocking, the slippery dance floor that makes him do amazing splits, a total calculated berserk life that is showered with an unbelievable touch of hilarity and pulsating joy of life. LIFE goes on!!
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