In fact, probably many are! It is raining cats and dogs out there, complete with some wind and rumors of hail. I did not encounter hail on my drive but the radio mentioned reports of small hail in areas of town. I felt just like our friend, Tommy J. in Manitowoc, driving in huge puddles, only not on purpose, like he does! I hope the engineers that are working on the construction on Wells Road have a chance to observe the great amounts of standing water today!
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This morning I went to Victory for Bible study, on another "tour" about the Truth. The DVD we watch is taken from an actual classroom and sometimes I feel compelled to answer when the professor asks a question. It is pretty real. Our lesson today was about The State and I will tell you, it was so good that it made us feel sick! Uneasy is probably the better description of how we felt, shifting in our seats, fully aware of the warnings given to the Israelites in I Samuel which came true, and are truer yet today. This DVD series was prepared in 2004 and has proven to be quite prophetic, the way things in the government have become exactly what the Bible cautions. Yet, despite the warnings from the Lord, the children of Israel said, "We want a king!", and the people in Jerusalem said, "Give us Barabbas!", and what do our voters say? Let the chips fall where they may, we get exactly what we asked for....gulp! The closing prayer asked the Lord to help us draw a line and say, "This far, and no further." I like that. We can do that within our homes, in our Christian schools, our Synod, making sure that God Almighty remains our head, our focus, making sure we remember that all things are in His control and under His control. Powerful lesson.
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I remember as a little girl, (if no one knew it, I am in my young 50's), getting milk in little bottles at school. The milk man carried the bottles downstairs in the "old school" where they sat until lunch time when the boys would go downstairs (the older boys, of course) and bring them to the classroom, rattling and clanking against each other. The bottles, I mean. At one point, I recall there was conversation about "the government" helping our school or the students pay for the cost of the milk, for those who could not afford it or something. The answer was "NO!" to the "government intervention", because 'what would stop 'them' from telling us what to teach in our classrooms?" I was just a wee little girl but I distinctly remember this being a big deal. What was so tempting and gracious could also be a curse on our curriculum and way we did business. Who else remembers these glass milk bottles or the free milk controversy? I am glad that our parents and church leadership opted to not compromise our religious freedom in the face of getting something from the government.
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The ride over and back was quick, little traffic to hold me up, and no rains yet. Just before I left this a.m., my doorbell rang, and there was Connie at the door. She wanted me to move my car so she could work on the lawn around the area where my car sits. I told her I would be leaving in a minute and sped around my house to get myself out the door. Certainly did not want to hold up progress on the lawn reworking! I heard she is getting some flak from the neighbors on the north end of the building when she tries to work on the trees and plantings, in the common area. No trouble from me, I will get down there chop chop, so to speak. When I returned home, she announced that my snake was back, discovered by the young lady on the 2nd floor, encountered on the stairs. I asked if she killed it this time and she said they threw it in the river, which means he will be back!!!!! AAAAHHHHH!!!!
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Yesterday I marked a mess of files, printed labels for them, and started to clean off my desk. And what did I do today? Stopped at the mail box and brought up more paper! The majority of it went in the trash, catalogs and flyers and advertising...I get paper bills for those I pay on-line which I find to be just goofy! If I pay them on-line, send them to me that way, too! I must insist....Although I filed so much yet there is still much left to do. It appears I hardly made a dent!
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When I saw the skies darkening and the first storms came through, I could not help but think of our prospective member and her little granddaughter, walking sooooo far in the heat and rain. When I called her, it seems I woke Sheila and she was unaware of the storms. I asked if I could pick her up and take her to get the 3 year-old grand so they would not have to walk in the rain. On a good day that is just too far to walk, so on a rainy nasty day, I can take a ride. I needed to get gas anyway so it worked out perfectly. The heavens opened as I was gassing up so the timing was just right. Sheila was quite glad I called because otherwise she would have slept too long and not made it up there (45 minute walk on a regular day) to get Akeila before closing time. And then the two of them would walk back home in the pouring rain! Whew! If my name was on the list for pick up and if I had a car seat, we could skip the part where I collect Sheila first, but it is okay the way we worked it out.
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Sheila was supposed to call one of her prospective employers, for whom I am a reference, but she slept through the day after having had a treatment and massage at the physical therapist's office. That must have been some massage! I hope that tomorrow is not too late for her to call in, and I her urged to not tell them she fell asleep because that would not look good to the interviewer. It would be better to have no excuse at all than one which would not reflect well.
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Tomorrow brings the Youth Group to my house as I hostess Game/Movie/Pizza Night for the teens of the congregation. Brian and Kathy are coming over around 5:00 pm to get things in place for the arrival of the teens, like ordering the pizza and setting up the DVD player, choosing the games and so on. I cannot tell you how much I enjoy having my home used for these types of events, a gathering place for good things and good kids and good leaders! Saturday night is "Starry Nights" downtown, where we have a reserved table under the stars, listening to the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and Leann Rimes. I think I am going to make ham salad to serve on crackers plus take the table dressing things complete with candles and fake champagne glasses. I have some leftover from another party, perhaps my birthday when I turned 50....I hope they are still good!
