A couple of weeks ago I posted about how I had to adjust my perspective and realize that God was in control of the timing of this move and that He had called us to take a day of rest even thought we thought that if we did that we would never finish the packing in time.
It’s time for another adjustment. Time to fine tune the focus a little bit more. Actually, a LOT more.
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. It was the smallest gathering we’ve ever had. Only 3 of the boys were here. We actually had only a third of the family in attendance. I tried not to be disappointed. I tried not to think about this being our last holiday in this house. I tried not to wish that the others were here so it would be a “real” Thanksgiving.
It WAS real. We had a good time. It will be memorable in many ways. First, we got up to a leaking garbage disposal. The old one, installed in 1983 finally rusted through. So, we were trying to get the turkey ready for the roaster and trying not to use the leaking side of the sink for anything. We had to remove all the wet soggy stuff from the cabinet under the sink and put a bucket under the disposal. It worked, we managed to get the dinner prepared and everything went smoothly. And we were thankful.
Thankful that it was a holiday and so Home Depot wasn’t open and Randy didn’t have to do the repairs that day. He would have felt compelled to do so if he’d had a way to get a new disposal. But he didn’t. Praise God!
We were also thankful that it leaked now. Before we left for Florida. Before Jared had to deal with it alone. God is good. Who would imagine that we could be thankful for a leaking sink?
The second thing that made it memorable was the girls shopping trip. Now, I usually don’t shop on Thanksgiving based on principle. I just don’t want to support businesses that are open that day and are cramming the holidays so close together that you can’t even tell the difference any more. But. The younger girls in attendance at our thanksgiving meal were excited about finding some good deals and were going. I first said no, then changed my mind. It would likely be the last time the 3 of us would have the opportunity for such an outing together. That was more important than the principle. So we left in the pouring rain to go to Michael’s craft store in search of supplies to decorate the house we’re leaving. We found some great deals and the girls had some really good ideas that would make Jared’s new home nice for Christmas. We got in line to check out and the power went out in the store. The incoming winter storm was beginning to have an effect. We waited for 20 minutes and finally had an employee put the items in our cart on hold to be picked up the next day. And we were thankful.
Thankful that we had the time to laugh and just be together. It was an adventure we won’t forget. We made it home safely and the items were picked up the next day without any issues. What if I’d stayed home out of principle? Sometimes you just have to relax your ideals and go with an opportunity that is presented. I was glad I did.
Finally, the thing that really made me think about my perspective was a phone call we received on Friday. A friend we’ve know for over 40 years got some terrible news. He will need a very serious surgery this week. There was very little warning that this was coming. There are no guarantees that life will ever go back to “normal.” He has kids the same ages as mine. Their Thanksgiving weekend looked much different than mine.
And now, as I face what’s ahead of me in the next 2 weeks, I have a choice. I can complain, I can get frustrated, and I can be miserable to live with, allowing the stress of the moment to set my mood. OR I can think about how easy this process is compared to what our friend will be experiencing in the next 2 weeks.
No, my days will not be stress-free. I will likely be exhausted and in need of sleep. But it will be a breeze in comparison. I have asked God to remind me each time I get irritable that I should put my energy into praying for my friend and his family and not into complaining or grumbling.
If you have a moment, would you join me in praying for my friend? HIs name is John.
Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving,”