(Not) A Red Letter Day

Hmm...I got on here not knowing what I will write about, so there's no telling what will come out...

It would be embarressing to report what time I had breakfast today, so I guess I won't. hmm. The Jackson girls were over spending the night with Mattie, and they asked me to swim with them at our cousins above ground pool next door. That was before I had had breakfast.

After I ate breakfast, I donned my swimsuit and went up there. The girls were horsing around with Jane an Mary and having a lot of fun. As soon as I came within view, a great cheer arose on my behalf. You would have thought I was a celebrity! I was a little startled at all the to-do. All the girls are so sweet.

Ethan was in his normal stance perched on top of the ladder in a life jacket, just like last year. Just like last year, it took some sweet talking to get him to actually enter the pool, and that was still in the life jacket, clinging to me like a baby monkey.

But he did warm up to the water some, and by the end of the swim time he had let me peel off the jacket and done some kicking and ladder climbing. And also laid on top of me while I laid in the inflatable boat, trying to keep warm. (It was very stifling and muggy today, but the water was cold, and it was overcast some of the time.)

After a lot of laying around and a few games (it's not actually very easy to swim in a three and a half foot pool) I decided to take E home, because he was turning blue, and I was definitely ready to go myself. I got home and saw that we'd been out there for nearly two hours! I had thought I'd only stay about 30 or 45 minutes...

Ethan and I were ravenous, so I got us some cheese and crackers and an apple. Well, I got cheese for his crackers. Fishing around in the fridge for whatever looked tasty, I settled on dill pickle for some of mine, and seedless blackberry jam for others. Then I made a list of All the Little Things That Were Nagging Me and set about doing them in between crackers.

I washed my hair, started laundry, sent an email, made a phone call, clipped my nails, dusted the living room (a leftover chore from Friday), and finally got to the hemming jobs Grammie gave me this past week. It was a little scary figuring out the new sewing machine, but it's a good machine, and we're getting to know each other. As I get used to it, I think my seams will get neater and smoother. It was supper time when I finished the sewing, but I got it done.

If life doesn't sound very exciting today, well, it's not. No thunder or lightning or flying aardvarks. I think we're having Blue Bell ice cream later on...but that doesn't quite make the charts I guess. The word "serenity" comes to mind as I sit here...when I look at my life (aside from internal emotional difficulties that wax and wane) it does look serene and peaceful. And kind of boring. No adventures.

I think when it comes down to it, I need the serenity to accept the serene-ness of my life. Maybe it wasn't a red letter day, but Jesus himself is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He's also the one who "makes all things new" and can (and will) change everything in the "blink of an eye." He can surprise me with joy at any time, night or day. Someday He will come back and surprise us all face to face.

I guess the virgins in the parable weren't getting a lot of thrills out of sitting around watching their oil lamps, but they derived joy from anticipating the arrival of the Bridegroom. So I guess I just want to keep being faithful...