Preparations

Dad arrives from Thailand in a few hours and folks are getting ready.

There are two maids cleaning his house...


...and Jesse (a laborer for the company who lives in Wende’s house) has been hosing down the drives, washing vehicles, and scooping up dog poop (they have six dogs and three cats).


There is another employee from the company who is loading up coolers and such for the trip to the desert for Dad’s attempt at some world record.


Wende has been running animals to and from groomers and such so they are all well-trimmed and clean.

There was a crew here yesterday to trim up trees (they removed one entirely, even grinding out the stump and placing fresh sod in its place).

(The Large tree by the house was removed)

She asked me to make a grocery run to restock my dad’s cupboards, and refrigerator. He now has his bananas, lunch meats, and other essentials. I insisted she take her change (it was almost $150).

My nephew spent the night here last night. He slept on the couch to be near Gramma Wende, though he has a bedroom next door.


I figured he would be spoiled from all the attention and goodies he has, but he seems to be a serious, polite, grounded and goodhearted 6th grader.

(Lord, help me to not be a judge of others, to simply love and encourage.)

All these preparations makes me uneasy somehow.

I’m anxious to get past all of this.

You know, I was born in this county. When I was a kid, it was a rural place of orange groves and bean fields and country roads. I'd ride my bike up to ten miles away. Now it is a place where cities are divided by major streets which are filled with well-kept vehicles filled with urbanites with well-kept appearances.

I can’t seem to get away from the judging thing, can I? Even in attempting to chronicle this road trip my word choice betrays my bias.

My brother David says he is thinking about moving to Oregon. He could see something in my attitude toward this place that made him admit that it has become a place of superficiality. He said something about what it was like here when we were kids and wondered why he was still here.

“Frog in a pot,” was all I said.

He winced and grinned.

The guy is here to reinstall the rugs that were removed and steamed yesterday, and power wash the drives.

All this bustle.

I have found over the past few years it is hard to get close to my dad to simply talk. He seems to suspect ulterior motives for people’s affections. But I hope to have a chance to get to know him a bit.

I wish I was going to church tomorrow.

It would be good to shut my eyes, lift my hands, and breathe in deeply the words of worship songs and let my own heart add to the praise of my church family.

Isaac just sat down and asked what I’m writing about.

“I’m just writing about what is going on here and that I wish I could be in church tomorrow.”

“So do I!” He gave me a hug and went off to play with the Sony PSP Doug helped him buy yesterday.

The boys had so much fun yesterday.

(on the mall's connecting bridge, it's seen in the next pic beneath the "G" marker)

They were amazed at the huge mall, South Coast Plaza.

(from the freeway north to the top of the pick)

Jeremiah was so thrilled to make such a large purchase on his own.

Can you handle 8 gigs of music?!!

Back to my post:

For me church is important business.

For me it is a time and place for my heart to settle, to feel good things, things I know come from my Lord, to work a little bit more at exercising my soul a little so I may more easily keep up with the pace my shepherd sets for me.

I would do well to exercise my physical body more. I should lose at least 15% of my weight.

Brenda tells me her exercising makes her feel good, it keeps her in shape and brings her enjoyment.

I suppose my worship at church does something similar. It builds up my spiritual muscles, makes me feel good.

I suppose it is a preparation for my eternal life... or, seen another way... preparation for my Lord’s return.

I wonder if my dad has been making such preparations?

Here are all these people bustling about, making preparations for my father’s return... do they make any preparations for my Father’s return?