It Was Bound to Happen

One of my biggest fears played out today, the day before my big 3-5 birthday.

When I got ready to leave work, Elevator No. 6 showed up. Because that particular elevator trapped my friend Clarissa in it for 30 minutes on a Friday evening, I refuse to ride it at the end of the work day. So, I got in it, pressed the button that would send it to the bottom floor, and got out before it departed. I felt like all was well.

Until Elevator No. 4 showed up.

Elevator No. 4 creaks. Not just on rainy days or cold days. Every day. I have turned it in to the authorities no fewer than 7 times. All to no avail. Maintenance keeps making excuses for the noises Elevator No. 4 makes. I don't buy them. But I needed to be somewhere by 6, so I jumped in. All by myself.

Elevator No. 4 was cruising along just fine. I even thought, "Well that wasn't baaa . . . Whoa. Major stoppage. Loud crashing sound. Feels like it slammed into something. Yet, it says it is on the ground floor. The doors aren't opening. I must press the call button. Now it is going up a little bit. Now it is going down a little bit. Should I push another floor?" As the emergency call was going through and before I pressed any other floors, the doors opened.

It took 0.00003 seconds for me to leap from Elevator No. 4 and run to the maintenance office. I quickly recounted my story. When the head maintenance guy appeared and said, "You again? I just fixed the ceiling in your office."

Yep, that's me. The Troublemaker. The one who had a major plumbing leak in her office ceiling today. The one who got trapped in an elevator. All. By. Herself. But who lived to tell about it.

And has to face the big 3-5 tomorrow. I hope it's not as bad as today.

Shelter

I drive under this bridge at least once a day and sometimes twice. Throughout all the torrential rains we've had, I've noticed how it provides a bit of shelter. No matter how hard it is raining, the rain can't penetrate this bridge. So whenever I drive under the bridge, my car gets a little reprieve from the pounding rain.

The weather forecast predicts more storms tonight. But maybe thunderstorms don't get on your radar. Instead, maybe your storms look like a loved one battling an illness, a tough situation at work, kids bickering, or any number of other difficulties that come our way in life. And maybe you are nowhere close to a physical place of shelter from life's storms. Here's a reminder of the Shelter we can all seek, no matter where we are.

Psalm 91
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.

If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”

Sacrificial Acts of Love

Instead of the usual book review, I decided to participate in the writing assignment/challenge issued as part of the blog tour for Mary DeMuth's latest novel A Slow Burn, which is the second book of the Defiance, Texas trilogy. The book released this week and is available on amazon.com here. For a list of other participants in the blog tour, check out this link. I received my copy for free as part of the blog tour.

------------------------------------

In August 2003, after I had endured three months of excruciating pain, the surgeon agreed to remove my gall bladder. In his wisdom, he scheduled the surgery for August 8, exactly one week before I was slated to close on the purchase of my first house.

I wanted the surgery even more than I needed it, so postponing was not an option. Trying to reschedule a planned move and closing proved too costly. So knowing that I had to pull off all the details involved with those two big life events in the span of a week, I put out a cry for help. And my friends answered.

Tracey got up at o'dark-thirty, picked me up from my apartment that was nowhere near her house, and drove me to the hospital for my surgery.

Sallie allowed me to recuperate at her house so that I wouldn't have to climb the stairs to my third-floor apartment.

After I returned to my apartment, Melissa brought over all the cookware and ingredients to make me dinner and then engaged me in a game of Scrabble to keep my mind off the impending move.

Angela and Layne drove in from Denton and Frisco after a long day's work to pack my belongings.

And Rebecca, who had known me for only a few weeks, came and cleaned my apartment and then volunteered her son to help me move.

Together, my friends conquered my long list of needs. They gave up sleep, comfort, time, and money in order to love on me. And in my weakened state, I could not repay their acts of kindness; I could offer only a meager "thank you."

Six years have now passed since my surgery and move, but my friends' sacrificial acts of love remain fresh on my mind. They encourage me to think of ways in which I can show sacrificial love to others when they need it most.