Protection . . .

Bike Helmets . . . Seat Belts. . . Alarms . . . Skid Warning . . . Fire Alarm . . . Childproof Caps . . . Car seats . . . Wedding Rings . . . Caution Tape . . . Pilot Cars . . . Traffic Signals . . . Good Friends . . . Designated drivers . . . Life Jackets . . .

It seems there are many things in place in life to protect us.  But it was interesting to me today as I was thinking how many of those things are in place to protect us from ourselves.  From bad choices we may make. . . .  From poor judgment calls. . . .  Driving too fast. . . . Taking a turn too fast . . . Not noticing a "bump" in the road . . . Forgetting to shut off an oven burner . . .  Being where you shouldn't be . . . Meeting the pavement headfirst when you fall. . . Reminders of promises made . . .

I took a back road across some BLM this week.  It is a pretty good road, but dirt and gravel.  Better than many roads we traveled in Mongolia.  My truck has a warning bell I hadn't noticed much before.  I have noticed that my truck REALLY wants me and the passenger to always have our seat belts on.  It dings at me for about 30 seconds telling me that.  Sometimes if I have my purse in just the wrong spot in the passenger seat it Bings at me.  A little annoying . . . but really it is for my safety!  But the alarm I hadn't heard much before was a skid warning.  It binged at me several times on this BLM dirt road trip.  I guess my truck thought I should slow way down for corners on gravel and was letting me know.  It was kind of a funny thing.  My truck was trying to protect me from myself.  Did I listen?  Kind of.  I did slow down some places.  Others I knew it was not a big deal.

Today my family realized again how much and how many things are in our lives to protect us from ourselves.  How easy it could be or would be or is to go down that slippery road of despair.  My Grandpa has been doing good - kinda - this week, but today feeling again that he was in a place he could not get out of.  So dark.  Scary. No one wants to be there. So for the next couple of days he is in the hospital where he can get some help.  Where people who love him can watch over him.  Can help him to be safe.  Can hopefully help him to listen to the BING . . . BING . . .  of the alarms going off that will help him to get his feet back under him.   Get to the safe place where his happy self is.

But just as any other method of protection . . . You have to choose to use it.  Put on the bike helmet before you crash.  Have the Kevlar vest on whenever you are on duty.  Change the battery in your fire alarm. Wear your life Jacket.  All these things need to be in place before the crisis.  If you wait to put your seat belt on until you are going down the road at 65 mph headed for the ditch it will not help!  If I choose to ignore the warnings . . . the protection offered . . . I have to suffer the consequences of that choice.  So look for the warnings that are there for your protection.  And accept the help!

Psalm 40

This last year and a half have been long . . . Had some good times. . . some really rough times . . . Life has hit in a big way.  At church today this Psalm was shared and it was so good to hear.  To know that many people since the beginning of time have felt this way. . . and have been able to know that life will go.  The struggles will pass.  The heartaches will fade.

Psalm 40 The Message (MSG)  A David Psalm

40 ^1-3 I waited and waited and waited for God.  At last he looked; finally he listened.
He lifted me out of the ditch,     pulled me from deep mud.  He stood me up on a solid rock  to make sure I wouldn’t slip. He taught me how to sing the latest God-song,     a praise-song to our God.
More and more people are seeing this:  they enter the mystery,  abandoning themselves to God.

^4-5 Blessed are you who give yourselves over to God,  urn your backs on the world’s “sure thing,”
    ignore what the world worships; The world’s a huge stockpile of God-wonders and God-thoughts.
Nothing and no one comes close to you!  I start talking about you, telling what I know, and quickly run out of words. Neither numbers nor words  account for you.

⁶ Doing something for you, bringing something to you— that’s not what you’re after. being religious, acting pious— that’s not what you’re asking for.  You’ve opened my ears so I can listen.

^7-8 So I answered, “I’m coming.  I read in your letter what you wrote about me,  And I’m coming to the party you’re throwing for me.” That’s when God’s Word entered my life, became part of my very being.

^9-10 I’ve preached you to the whole congregation,  I’ve kept back nothing, God—you know that.
I didn’t keep the news of your ways a secret, didn’t keep it to myself.  I told it all, how dependable you are, how thorough.  I didn’t hold back pieces of love and truth For myself alone. I told it all,
    let the congregation know the whole story.

^11-12 Now God, don’t hold out on me,  don’t hold back your passion. Your love and truth
    are all that keeps me together. When troubles ganged up on me,    a mob of sins past counting,
I was so swamped by guilt I couldn’t see my way clear.  More guilt in my heart than hair on my head,
    so heavy the guilt that my heart gave out.

^13-15 Soften up, God, and intervene; hurry and get me some help, So those who are trying to kidnap my soul will be embarrassed and lose face, So anyone who gets a kick out of making me miserable will be heckled and disgraced, So those who pray for my ruin will be booed and jeered without mercy.

^16-17 But all who are hunting for you—  oh, let them sing and be happy.  Let those who know what you’re all about tell the world you’re great and not quitting. And me? I’m a mess. I’m nothing and have nothing: make something of me.  You can do it; you’ve got what it takes—     but God, don’t put it off.

Someone elses fan . . .

So i am ready for the cow to find someone else's fan to do her business on. Seems I have had enough of it hitting my fan to last me for a while. It seems like as soon as something starts to settle to some sort of "normal" something else happens to throw the cart off the track again. Not that it's always a bad thing cause it isn't just not on the track I was thinking. Maybe that's the problem . . . My track. . .  Came over to Bend for the weekend to see my family.  Little bro and his family from Tennessee out visiting. Doing well. Fun kids. Helped Mom put together the shelving we took all apart a few weeks ago in Elko. . .  Stick some stuff in storage and prep for the business storage that's coming up in a few weeks. Visiting . . . Sorting . . . Picnic . . . Then a new thing. Grandpa is headed north to be with us all up here. Great. We all love our Grandpa and are thrilled to have him come up. How long? No idea. Maybe permanently living between our houses. How does that look? What's our game plan? No idea. Do we have one - yes - punt! And see where it goes from there. I guess this way we will never be bored. Not that I ever worry about that anyway . . .

Rocks . . . Treasures . . . Lizard homes

For the last year I have known we would have to come do this . . . And I have not looked forward to it. We came to Elko to go through the stuff at my Dads office. Wasn't quite as raw as last time. Only a small part of me expected to find my Dad at the office. But still a bit off.
We found a lot of rocks! Surprise! Surprise! As Dad was a geologist this was not surprising but a little funny. We found meticulously labeled core samples, boxes of example rocks to take to schools for science, unlabeled rocks, sample bags from all over the west, rock samples taken and catalogued before I was born. Some taken in the last few years. Fossils. Arrowheads. Shiny rocks. Dull boring rocks. Crystal geodes. Black obsidian. Rocks of all shapes and sizes with labels from meticulous to nonexistent. It was an interesting bit of life. Going back in time in rocks. Wondering on some what was the story here?Why this stone? What is this? Just interesting to look and wonder. We took some rocks for our landscaping project. Some went to a local school. Then many boxes of them became landscaping rocks in the backlot at Dads office. They are the beautiful new home to the quick little lizards that live back there. They are extremely fast and hard to catch. Fun to watch as they dart. But I doubt they care if there was once high hopes pinned on their new home. That at some point the rocks that now make their rooms were once thought to contain treasure.  And maybe they do or did.  It would be interesting to know the history of and what has happened since to the place where these rocks were from.  The stories they could tell would be interesting.  Who knows . . . maybe the lizards will hear them.

Songs

It is amazing to me how hearing a song can take you to a different place / time / age / whatever just by hearing them.  I have songs that I have heard or sang all my life.  I have songs that have meant something to me.  Songs I have shared with someone as "our song."  Some songs I listen to and sing along with.  Some make my heart hurt and I change the station.  Some I just smile and laugh with.  Some make me think of a special person in my life and want to call them or just miss them.  Some make me wish I could go back in time.  And I wonder what that person is doing.  One song I hear takes me back to a time in college that was really rough.  Room mate issues.  One of my room mates and I staying up late with that song on repeat.  Talking. Praying. Crying.  Another takes me to when I knew my Dad was sick and not going to get better.  Some came out while we were in Mongolia and hold special memories there.  One song I learned in Russian and I always want to sing it in Russian still many years later.  Some songs came out while we were building our house and so hold those special memories.  I guess the song does remember.  Transports us through time and memories.  Maybe when we hear those songs it makes our lives a little richer.  I read a saying the other day that I thought was good, "Don't cry because it is over, smile because it happened."  May we enjoy those songs and the rich memories they remind us of.  May we smile because of the song and the person or the memories that make that song special to our lives.  Who knows  maybe the other person is listening too and together the memory is made richer.  So smile because it happened and the song does go on.  It doesn't have to be over. 

How Fun . . .

We had at least 40 people come to our Open House yesterday.  It was a lot of fun.  Visiting. Sharing stories. Yummy Treats. Good friends. Family. Thinking back over the process of building.  The fun. The work. The LATE nights and LONG days. Laughter. Memories made. Changes. Music. Learning how to do new things.  New skills.  Time with friends.  Treasure.  Lack of Sleep.  Lots of thinking.  The many things that are a part of building.  Some that are just a part of life.  A lot of friends came to share our fun.  Make new memories.  Some were not able to come and they were missed.  Some of our contractors came and enjoyed seeing the finished product.  A fun Thank you to all who came, who helped along the way, and encouraged us in the process.