Control, frailty, simple things

After a brief overnight shower, things are drying up quickly thanks to a steady thirty mile-per-hour wind. The high for today has already passed and the temperature is falling in an impressive manner. To think that all these temperatures and high winds are caused by air movement from one area to another to try to find a balance in pressure. That movement is caused in large part by the constant, predictable spinning of our earth in space during the cycle of its annual loop through space as we circumvent the sun. I am constantly amazed by the faithfully executed cycles of our planet within the solar system wherein God placed us. Year after year we know the cycle and we adapt our lives to it as we are completely unaware of the forces that keep that cycle going though those cycles affect every aspect of our lives. Summer and Winter and Springtime and Harvest will always be until God tells them to stop.

Yet in spite of the unalterable dependability of the forces that govern our yearly cycles here on Earth, our individual lives are far less predictable and far less certain. We generally tend to think of our lives as a constant, but such is not the case. Our frailties as human beings become apparent in so many ways, none of which are welcome in the situation that emphasizes one of those frailties. Such was the case with Walter over the past few days. He has been suffering from an inner ear infection which finally expressed itself in a disgusting discharge from the ear. Several trips to the doctor and eventually the Emergency Room were required to properly diagnose and treat the infection and until the discharge began there was some consternation as to the cause of Walter’s discomfort.

Thankfully, in this age of medicine, there are remedies to battle both the infection and the pain that the infection is causing. Hopefully, it will be cured soon, and life will return to the normalcy that allows us to consider ourselves masters of what we survey. Champions of outcomes over which we have precious little impact. It just makes us feel better to consider ourselves masters of our own destinies, yet even a minor illness can interrupt that confidence. Which is why we have suffered for two years in fear of a disease we could have easily treated at is inception. Nevertheless, God is still fully in control, and He always seeks our good and His Glory in every circumstance of our lives. Romans 8:28. So, hang in there, help is already on the way.

Mama and I have been treating the goats lately for what appears to be lice. We have not done any scrapings on the heads of the bucks– where there is the evidence of continuous rubbing (presumably because the skin itches) to verify that assumption, but we will know if we are on the right track very soon. Again, one of those situations a little beyond our ken for which we do the best we can using what knowledge we have gained over the past few years – limited though it may be. Plus, with the cold overnight temperatures we are limited to what we can apply, since it is in liquid form, to relieve the itching the goats seem to be dealing with. No sense chilling them in treating them. Warm days are ahead soon enough.

I will be teaching a half-day class tomorrow and off for President’s Day this coming Monday. It has been a while since we had a long weekend, and I am looking forward to it especially because of the very warm temperatures forecast for those days. Monday, the 21^st is supposed to reach eighty degrees! That will only last a day and will be followed by some very cold temperatures, but we can make the most of that day since we have advance warning. Sometimes the forecast is actually helpful to us.

Mama is out shopping today trying to take advantage of a sale being offered by a local grocery store. We are especially looking to stock up on meats – specifically beef. The store is offering a buy one get one for one cent. Something akin to 50% off. We were alerted to the sale by a friend at church. She told Mama she had instructed her husband to get a few of the meat items while they were on sale. Without that simple statement to sharpen our focus Mama and I pay little attention to the flyers from this particular grocery store. Mama and I agreed that it was a good idea. It is the little things in life that give us the most occasion for celebration. We need to spend more time looking for those little things, like a timely reminder from a friend.

We may be occupants of a vast, unknown universe, but the simplest of pleasures are what make our lives worthwhile. Loving the Lord and looking for his daily benefits in our individual lives provide mast of those simple pleasures.

The God who controls our universe, loves little ol’ me. What a marvelous thought!