Friday, January 20, 2017

Find, Regain and Walk

So after a morning of heavy, flooding rain for parts of Houston, the afternoon cleared. The streets that always flood it seems with just a drop of rain began to see the water recede and the way become clear again. The bayous were full and the water flowing through them looked like raging rivers instead of the usual, slow, meandering way that bayous have. All the news reporters standing in water and chasing after those wading through the dirty, oil and probably snake infested waters went back to their respective stations. I heard that two reporters from rival station both had on the same dress.

With the waters gone I drove into town and went to choir practice at Houston's First Baptist. Since it was the kickoff Wednesday of Midlink and the movie The Insanity of God was shown to get the semester started. The parking lot was filled but I was able to score a handicap space close by the entrance. I loved getting to see friends and worship with them. That is how choir practice is with John, we work hard learning notes and wording but we also worship. This choir practice not only was the first for 2017 but it was also the first practice after John's father's passing. Before practice began I was able to share a few minutes of conversation with John. When John began at First Baptist, I was still on staff and had stopped in the music office and by chance got to meet John. He is enthusiastic and passionate about music and worship....which means he is also very good at recruiting for choir. Back in the day it was an uphill struggle when he first came. He invited me to come to choir with the assurance he would call during the week to remind me of the invite and then asked my name...I told him Peggy Bain. Joan Brunson, church pianist, overheard the conversation and let him know that wasn't my name. I have loved John Bolin from that very moment of laughter. As we briefly conversed John told me that he has his father's hands. I think he also has his father's heart and God given talent. He told me what that meant to him and the comfort and strength of seeing his father daily in his hands. My thoughts immediately turned to my mother's hands and there is a story there but for another day. It was time for choir to begin and John went to the front of the rehearsal hall and I sat with Lisa P and Debbie B, former choir member returning to the fold. Loved every song we sang, especially the arrangement of All Creatures of Our God and King. Felt at home when we sang Holy Spirit You Are Welcome Here...thinking of my friends in the Newfound Baptist choir.  Before we opened We Will Remember, we did just that...we remembered.  A few from the choir shared and then John shared with us those days in Israel before the homegoing of his father. He read Psalm 46 and graciously shared with us from the heart, not as a teachable moment, cause the heart share carried teachability in the words and thoughts. Then we sang the song we learned back in 2010 with new eyes and hearts. My intention was to leave choir early because of the total lack of sleep from the night before but I stayed. I am so glad I did. Icing on the cake, seeing CourtneyS and visiting a bit with her.

Keeping close to the house yesterday, I tried to transfer some music from the computer but it is not working. My music is in files not in real itunes. I will leave that to Roy to figure out but decided in case he couldn't, to purchase three songs I already have but not on my phone. There is a method to my madness. I am trying to get a regular gait and seam of walking. Like I have written before, I am learning a new way to walk and trying to discard bad habits I got into because my knees hurt so much. I thought about the story I saw on FB about the man with Parkinson's when music was played how different he was able to maneuver with the walker. So, after searching for my head phones, which might not have made it home with me from rehab hospital, Roy told me where to find some here. I used the music to help me walk over to the mailbox which is around the corner and down the block. Having the music to walk to helped.

I went to Bible study this morning and as per Thursday usual, I was a little late. Gina was my core group leader before and the group seems very nice. And there are a couple of friends in the group. So funny, several knew who I was because of the my grits recipe. We are studying Isaiah and have been looking at the life of Hezekiah. The homework was good this week. Afterwards, Debbie, Peggy and I went to Carabba's for lunch and then I ran a couple of errands.
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The sun is trying to come through the clouds this morning. The last few days have been rainy or drizzly. From the weather reports this weekend will be marked by several different aspects of weather from warm temps to rain to cool temps to experiencing a lot of high wind.

The PT staff have discovered a little hitch in my right hip and leg. Doesn't surprise me cause that is the hip that was replaced last year. It causes me to swing out my leg as I walk and they are working with me to eliminate that swing because it will cause trouble down the road. The worst day at the rehab hospital, Thanksgiving Day, the PT guy saw the same thing but there wasn't too much to do about it because I thought it was caused from trying to do stuff in tremendous pain because the "contract nurse" brought in would not respond to pages and believed I was the patient who had received pain meds early. I'm excited to learn how to properly walk and once again have balance to my steps.

I was texting with Lisa P this morning and told her I was beginning to wrap up this stay and turn my sights toward home. Not only are there loose ends to take care of but people to spend time with and things that I want to do. The time feels as if it is speeding up as Texas time comes to a conclusion. There are things I thought I would work on as I recovered but didn't and there are some valuable things I have learned that I wasn't planning on.

This Sunday in LBS, Dena continues to teach from the book Mastering Life. I only remember the title now because she sent out an email asking for input on Sunday in what we think about God being organized and how that plays out in our own lives. She is funny when she stated this wouldn't necessarily be a subject she would teach on. I have pondered the questions and seeing a different take or maybe not a different take since I am not reading the book on what it means to be organized. Just like most subjects that do with discipline in the life of a believer, we can tend to go legalistic with it or hold standards that are out of touch and chaotic for many people. I'm looking forward to hearing her lesson. Dena is a great teacher.

Now I am off to walk, find and regain my balance or should it be find, regain and walk? .



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