Friday, April 20, 2012

Dear God,

Today I learned that I live a fairly idyllic life.  I am blessed with a wonderful, full family.  I have a grand husband. I have two lovely homes where love abides.  I sing in two church choirs that welcome me whether in Indiana or Maine.  I have a comfortable lifestyle.  I have good health insurance and fairly good health.  I live in a free nation.  I can read, play, and enjoy daily living.  I remember to pray in the morning before rising and as I fall into bed at the end of the day.  I have a daily rhythm that I live by.  Although I am at times presented with challenges, my life is pretty easy and good.

Today I took a turn, mainly on my knees.  While taking care of two grandchildren while their parents were away on a cruise, two children that I was babysitting for, three other grandchildren on a visit, and two Golden Retriever puppies that forgot their newly-learned bathroom practices while at a kennel a few days before, I pretty much spent the day on my knees scrub brushing a really big soiled cage that had also spilled out onto the carpet.  While I cried and cleaned, the already soiled puppies dug in the dirt outside further complicating the matter.  I called a groomer, crying on the phone to urge them to make space to get the puppies bathed.  I did the same thing to get a carpet cleaner to come right away when I couldn't adequately clean the large areas affected.  When I went into the vet one of the puppies took off without me and I wept asking them if a bath could take eight hours.  While the staff and those waiting on their animals both empathized and laughed like crazy, I was downright miserable, exhausted, and dirty myself.  Driving in traffic and rain in rush hour traffic with five grandchildren and two clean puppies in the car who were all restless and hyper, in addition to my daughter's car brake light warning bell and light going off and on, I really thought I might not make it through the day.

But this is not where I learned a lesson.  It was when I was cleaning the soiled wire cage on the kitchen floor because I could not disassemble it and clean it with a hose in the back yard, where soapy water and poop mixed on the floor, that I thought of others whose work was difficult, smelly, and painful.  I chastised myself for complaining, and for my tears and distress.  I started praying for all those whose work is hard labor.  I thought of all those who literally work in daily shit all around the world.  Then I cried harder. Finally, I began to sing.  "O Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made.  I see the stars; I hear the rolling thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed.  Then sings my soul, my savior God to thee.  How great thou art..."

By almost 11:00 p.m. when all five grandchildren were bedded down and the puppies were asleep on the newly washed blanket on the clean floor in the dining area, after trying to fall asleep on the small sliver of the bed next to my grandchild who was sure her sore throat would be better if I slept with her, I gave thanks for both the promise of your help and the lesson learned.

You are God;
there is
no other.
I thank you
for lessons
to be learned
and for gratitude
that still pours
from my lips.
You are God
and I am
so thankful.

Love, Andrea