And Then The Deer

I had a really good day on Saturday. 

A friend came for lunch and stayed for tin art. 

Heidi the Librarian came to tin art as well. 

We all hung out in the studio,

Creating, chatting, and singing 80’s music. 

We ate together and played Word on the Street with my parents and

Just had a lovely, stress-relieving time. 

 

Then I got a text from my friend on her way home. 

“So. I just hit a deer.

 

Thankfully, my friend is okay and 

She was able to drive her car home. 

But her car is likely totaled and 

That’s a hard pill to swallow. 

 

…

 

If I’m honest, 

I must admit that I’m sometimes afraid to have a good time 

Because I’m afraid of the other shoe falling.

I know it’s just my anxiety.

I know that life doesn’t punish us for having moments of joy.

But the thoughts of bad balancing out good are still there.

And evidently, this is very human.   

 

Yet it’s no way to live.

Not really. 

 

The challenge of living is to be present exactly where we are,

In good times and bad. 

To savor joyful moments and celebrate happiness.

To laugh and smile often. 

To eat, drink, and be merry. 

And then, in the moments that are difficult,

To acknowledge how we’re feeling,

To name our stress and anxiety,

To declare that sometimes things suck,

To mourn and to weep, 

To fall back on the strength of moments when things were okay, and 

To take the next right step to get through. 

 

…

 

Saturday was a day of joy and laughter for me. 

I was not worried about anything

Other than the design of my tin art. 

I was with friends.

I was with family. 

I was happy.

My friend was too. 

And then the deer. 

 

Oh God: Life is up and down. Help us not to miss one for the other. Amen. 

Joy

Maybe it exists through everything. Maybe it’s there Like the air we breathe, Unseen, But very real, Life-giving and life-sustaining, Waiting for us to recognize it and Give thanks. Maybe we don’t have to look so hard to find it. Maybe it’s right in front of us, Like the next second on the clock, Unnoticed, But very real, Life-supporting and life-expecting, Waiting for us to recognize it and Give thanks. Maybe we simply need to receive it Because maybe it’s been our gift Since the dawn of creation. And maybe we need also to join it Because maybe it’s best seen When we embody it with skin. So maybe it exists through everything. And maybe we don’t have to look so hard to find it. Because maybe God is Love and Maybe Love is Joy and Maybe both are eternal- -Ly waiting for us to Recognize them, Receive them, Join them, and Give thanks.

Not My Proudest Moment, But...

A good friend recently shared with me a conversation that she had with her youngest son after visiting a zoo. I giggle every time I think about it. The conversation went something like this:

Son: Did you see the size of the balls on that tiger?!
Friend: Yes. He did have large testicles. Your brothers would have probably appreciated seeing those.

She went on to say to me, “Not my proudest moment as a mother, but…”

I don’t remember what was after the “but” because the statement that I hear is this:

Not my proudest moment, but there is laughter…

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A few weeks ago, on the very day that my church voted to make me the permanent part-time music minister, I threw a little fit after worship. The Sunday night before, the praise team and I had spent a couple of hours moving our equipment to the sanctuary and setting it up for the summer’s blended worship services. I knew that a wedding was scheduled in the sanctuary for the next week and I knew that we would need to remove my guitars and other things from the stage, but I didn’t know that we would have to move everything and undo the hours of work that we’d just done. As a team of good-hearted men swarmed the stage to help clear all of the equipment, I got really frustrated. In my frustration, I became mean. In my meanness, people began treading lightly because they knew that I was frustrated. And…yeh…it was ugly.

Not my proudest moment, but there is grace…

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Yesterday, while we leading the first hymn, “Come All Christians, Be Committed,” I had the thought: “Wait. This hymn-tune sounds very familiar. Wait. I think it might be the same tune as ‘The Servant Song,’ and we’re singing that next. Is it the same tune?!” Yes. Yes it was. Eek! On the night that I’d planned the music for yesterday’s service, I’d paid so much attention to song lyrics and incorporating both the choir and praise team that it hadn’t occurred to me that I’d chosen the same hymn-tune. Oops.

Not my proudest moment, but there is faith…

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The rental house that my family and I rented at Hyco Lake last week was on a lane that had a roller coaster-like hill. My oldest nephew, Jack, absolutely loves roller coasters. In fact, if given a choice at this point in life, he would be a roller coaster designer and operator. Naturally, I decided that it would be fun to put the car in neutral as Jack and I descended the hill while going to the store on Tuesday. I used to do this all the time at the camp where I worked. What wasn’t so natural was deciding to leave the car in neutral and let it roll back down the hill upon our return. But. I did. Then we rolled back up. And down. And up. And down. Until the car ran out of momentum. Like the Pirate Ship. Or some other amusement park ride. Jack was grinning. I was, too. It was really fun.

Not my proudest moment, but there is joy…

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And through it all,
Through all of our non-proud moments of humanity—
When being a mature role model goes out the window,
When acting as a Christ-like minister is impossible,
When planning ahead messes up—
There is laughter and joy and grace and faith…
And love.
Yes, through it all:
There is love.