Thankful Thursday

Editor’s Note:  When I am reading blogs if I come across one that looks kind of long, I skip it or skim it pretty good. This is one of those blog posts and it will not hurt my feelings if you choose to do the same!

Ever have a day when you are just thankful that it is over?  Let me replay for you a few events from yesterday…

Wally had to go back to Aurora early yesterday morning to get some tools.  The maintenance men were putting together a fence.  He also thought he’d get some donuts for them and how nice…a Starbucks for me!  I was really looking forward to coffee.  It arrived…and just as Wally was opening the door the entire cup hit the pavement. (Can I just say that this is about the third time he has done that in recent weeks!)  I think I handled it pretty good, (better than Wally) even though it smelled so-o good evaporating on the cement!

Thursday is my big cleaning day.  I clean the shower rooms in the pool area and hot tub area.  My plan was to hit it right after the Ladies Water Aerobics was over.  I had a lot to get done and I wanted to get it out of the way early. Until the ladies vacated, I would work on my Bible study.  I was doing just that when Wally called…he had to go into one of the ponds and fix a bubbler that was not working.  Did I want to ride along for moral support?  Sure!  I like these outings in the golf cart.  It was a pleasant venture.

But I never got back to my Bible Study.  I took a quick look at email when   I returned to the office. Was there really going to be a meeting in the clubhouse at 2:00 by some of the board members? I needed to get that room ready. It was covered in papers from meetings all week between Wally and our boss, putting together the budget for 2012. Actually, I needed to get Wally to collect his papers…a more difficult task!

The Ladies Water Aerobic class had departed.  Cleaning here I come…my parents called.  Their credit union is nearby and they were going to stop afterwards. I always enjoy that.  Dad had new hearing aides he was sporting, fresh from the VA (He had made his appointment back in January if you can believe that).  It’s always fun to chat with Dad.  It is just so much better when he actually hears me and we have the same conversation!  I fired up the laptop and showed off the latest pictures of the grandkids.  Wally was leaving for most of the afternoon and my folks got on their way.  Finally I was going to get on the cleaning. 

I put on the old earphones and tuned into one of my podcasts and I was cleaning away, making good progress even,  when I got a phone call.  It was Wesley.  I have learned that when Wes actually calls and does not text me, it is generally not good. He was on his way to the ER with a pretty good gash above his eyebrow.  Yep, not good.  He had been playing some football and chunked heads with someone who has a harder head than he does!  He did follow this call with a text, a picture of his split eyebrow.  

Back to cleaning.  Another phone call.  A resident was calling to report their neighbor’s garage was up and she just found out that her neighbor has been in Europe for a week.  She was sure it had been up for 24 hours.  I quickly finished cleaning the floors and put the hose away and then jumped into the golf cart…Rescue Ranger is on her way!  I could tell by the amount of leaves not in the garage that the door could not have been open for very long. I was relieved.   While I was out I thought I would grab the mail for another resident who is out of town for a couple of weeks. I pulled back into the parking lot about 1:30, plenty of time to finish my cleaning and change my clothes before I greet those coming for their meeting.  Can you believe it?  I am locked out!  One thing I cannot get used to about living here, you need to have keys for everything and always have the keys with you!

This part I am very thankful for…Casey, our grounds manager has been here for thirty years.  His knowledge is so valuable.  Especially today as he knew a way to get in…I cannot tell you how because I was sworn to secrecy!  A couple of more phone calls came in and I never did get changed out of my cleaning clothes before the board members began arriving.  Oh bother! 

I thought my day was pretty well on the down hill side.  Surely most of the interruptions were past.  Okay,  just one more to end my day.  A resident called to say she wanted to stop by the office and get a sticker for her new live-in boyfriend.  Sometime between  her call and her arrival  I spoke to Wally.  He informed me the stickers were only for homeowners and family, not roommates.  The president of our board was at the meeting.  Wally told me to confer with her.  I did so and was told the resident could not have the sticker.  So when she arrived I had to tell her no.  And yes, she was not happy! 

So ended my Thankful Thursday.  I can remember when I used to listen to Elisabeth Elliot on the radio years ago.  She would often begin her broadcast with the admonition that “any interruption in your day could be your Gateway to Joy, (the name of her radio program), if you offered it to the Lord.”  Do you ever feel like saying to the Lord, “Here, take them.  They are all Yours?!”  I’m quite sure that was not the attitude Elisabeth was encouraging me to have.  But it was my attitude yesterday.  I had so much I wanted to get done. Looking back I certainly did not see how any of my interruptions had any spiritual significance in my life or another's.  I believe that is just how it works though. We do not always get to “see”.  But we can always trust that our circumstances come from the Hand of a loving, all-knowing God who is working in all those circumstance something of eternal value.  That is my attitude after a good night’s rest and as I head into my Friday.

“…in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 

I Thessalonians 5:19