There was a little surprise for us this morning, snow and ice. Not much and as of an hour ago small flakes were still falling. The sun is out and although it is still below freezing the residue of dusting will melt away. Seeing some of the local well traveled roads on FB covered with patches of ice and snow, it didn't take much for our decision to make different plans for at least the morning. That's okay, Roy has more CPE credits of continuing education he needs to get in and as for me, a great morning to ease into the day and then once again begin on my life's work, going through storage containers. Now some may think, don't you have that done? There was a day that I would have blitz right through these but steady and slow is my way to go in approaching the redistribution and riddance or retaining of a lifetime of memories stored away. Like, the first doll that my parents gave me on my first birthday. Being on a tight budget, my father had found a doll on sale and the only flaw was the crushed-in forehead. Hmm...anyway, I still have that doll. I don't remember it fondly in playtime or bedtime, but it is still with me. Whereas, the two teddy bears that I absolutely loved and the little swiss boy doll my Grandma D made for me, are on display upstairs. Treasured for sure. I named the cloth doll Chris, after Chris Ballard. He and I walked together to school in the first and second grade. He gave me those little onion flowers that grew as weeds in everyone's yard in a small bouquet at least twice a week. That little doll was my confidant and he heard all my innermost thoughts and secrets. One of the teddy bears had a music box in it. The box is still in the bear but the key has been lost or discarded along the way. These teddy bears have spent most of their lives in storage containers, well the mid portion of their lives and now before they are thrown into the trash by whomever has to get rid of things after we are gone will be prone to do not knowing their history and the early and now late joy they are bringing. Gosh, I am trying not to sound like Mr. Burns and his teddy bear Bo Bo.
Roy got up early and I slept in a bit because I woke up around midnight, got up and went back to bed around 1:30 am. After reading The Vanderbilts, I started a fiction book by an author I discovered last year. I was late to the game on her.
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I never made it to the computer on Sunday and now it is very early Monday morning. I declared to Roy last night I was officially old because I fell asleep yesterday afternoon, sitting in the chair.
Revisiting one of the early Bible stories that we first learn as children was especially poignant while studying it for yesterdays lesson. I found the childhood Bible I remember taking to Sunday School.
The pictures in this Bible is what I remember as well as special cover enclosure of The Lord's Prayer and Psalm 23. One summer in VBS while at my grandparents, we were to memorize Psalm 23 as part of our memory work. I loved all that had to be done to find it was look at the inside of the back cover to find it. We studied Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego, trusting God in a big moment. Again, I am struck how these men responded to the King, saying we will not bow down and they trusted the Lord and didn't have to yell and scream to show their trust. I am also struck with the reminder how music played a part in moving the people to bow down and worship the gold image. Their bindings off but nothing else, no smell of smoke or singed hair. The three Hebrews believed God no matter what and probably had plenty of "small" opportunities to practice this. Never overlook those small opportunities. For this Sunday's lesson, I looked through the Bible posters that my mom had saved when she helped with either Sunday School or Training Union. No Daniel in the Lions Den picture but over the years I have collected a couple of children's Bible stories books and there seems to always be a picture of Daniel and the lions. With this study I have come to see Daniel in a whole different way and to appreciate his life of consistency in trusting God. He then carried that trust out in daily life.
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