Without Water

Weird day today - we lost our water for several hours this morning, afternoon. Water - we use it to keep clean and to keep nourished. And - for most of the days that I have been alive - it's there when I turn a knob or lever. But - today - it was gone.

I went to make Mack some food and there was a terrible spurt sound and then the water stopped coming out. I called our "people" and they came out and fixed the problem (like I said, it was only out for a few hours). But, during that time - I needed to wash my hands several times, I was thirsty and needed to drink and I had to go to the bathroom and flush. Every time I tried to use the water - it was gone and I needed to find a good alternative to get clean or slake my thirst.

I began to think about how much Holy Spirit is like water for us. He nourishes our spirit and He cleans us - flushes out our minds (if you will). As a Christian, I take Holy Spirit for granted (just like the water) and this is wrong. I don't always go daily to Him to study my Bible or even spend any lengthy time in communion with Him.

As I was using Pruell to clean my hands after changing a rather dirty diaper (instead of washing them), I wondered just how dirty was my soul on those days when I decided that I needed to get right to work or answering email rather than taking my daily time with my Cleaner and my true Nourishment.

How many days would I go without a shower? I rarely go more than 24 hours between showers - I hate being stinky. But, how much worse is it to have a soul that's stinky to God?

I need to stop taking the Holy Spirit for granted. I need to start getting what's most important as clean as I am getting my physical body.

I'm glad that my water was turned off and I had a couple of hours of annoyance so that God could show me this valuable lesson.

Days To Remember

That's Lyn and my sister's youngest daughter (the newly 1) LK and my sister Susan with my youngest boy (Mack) -- this is Christmas 2006 at my parents house.

Last week - on Tuesday (I think) I turned 40. It was neither the world ending day that some had described it -- or the day of nothing that I thought it would be. Part of that is certainly because my wife already passed that number of birthdays and she helped me "gentle" into that day. She and Tim (Mack's not really old enough to help much yet) made that day really special. Then, on Sunday - several friends got together to honor with me a birthday party. It was a wonderful time and they really showered me with love. It's good to have friends.

It's even better when your best friend is also your wife. Today - 3 October - I get to celebrate with her. Today is our ninth anniversary. That's something that I have thought more about than turning 40. Looking back over the last nine years and forward into the next nine is ... humbling really. That this amazing woman would choose to stay with me despite my flaws; that she really does love me ... is something that's hard for me to wrap my mind around.

God has blessed us with two wonderful boys and has grown us both as parents so that we can deal with the strange mix of our traits in each of them. We have our very own house with an overlook of the mountains and Lynchburg below us. It's hard to call this life we live anything but good. There are certainly hardships, fights, sadness. We could certainly have "more". But, "more" seems like an empty chase.

What we have, the blessings that God has given us; the joys that He has placed in our hearts and hands should always out-weigh the "more" that we don't have. Sometimes, it takes special days like this to force me to think back and realize just how good my life is.

I love you Lyn. You honor me with your love and support.
Andy

That's Lyn reading at Tim's fifth birthday party. I'm pretty sure it's a Curious George story. Man - I love her.

PS: This is not just a special week for Lyn and I. It's also special to my sister Susan who celebrated her 5 year anniversary last weekend and the one-year birthday of her second daughter. *And* my cousin, gave birth to her second child on Tuesday. This little boy had to be delivered very early and will spend the next several months in the hospital getting everything properly grown and ready to meet the world. But, I'm sure that God has great plans for him.