Some Things Need No Defending

SWIMMING TO THAILAND UPDATE: Believe it or not, within the first five days of my swim I was/is already up to well over $500. Thanks to someone who wanted to match the money part that I'm contributing, and another person who just supports me whatever it is I'm doing....my Mom. Check out September 1st blog for more details.

Labour Day. It's been a very good day.

Most of last week was like that actually. Truly big and wonderful and bright. On Wednesday last, my early morning swims brought yet another bonus. City sunrise. And I had my camera, and caught it happening.

I've been listening to Steve Bell - Canadian music artist - a lot this summer. His Solace album has brought me, well, a great deal of Solace. And then recently, I slid in the Symphony Series CD. And this song, Pleasing to You, just sort of caught the mood of that sunrise.

Pleasing to You – Music and Lyric by Steve Bell
adapted from Psalm 19

The sun comes about
With a force and a strength
Bursting out from the ground
Like a hound to the race
It’s the same every day after day
Unto ages unending
I believe there’s more to this than were getting

It again rose today
As I’ve come to expect
Like the bridegroom awakes
From his honeymoon bed
To the one that he loves
And the object of all he can offer
I believe there’s something good here to ponder

The law of the Lord is right
A blazing light
Ever making wise the simple
The wisdom of God is whole
Restoring the soul
And the honour of His people
What can gold mean to my heart
When much sweeter fare by far
Is the counsel of the Holy One
My rock and my redeemer
And my God

The heavens proclaim
What I’m trying to say
Night after night
And day after day
There’s no time and no place
No speech where the truth is suspending
I believe that some things need no defending

The music is bright and big and wonderful, like a feel-good musical, and it's been lifting my soul over and again as I've played it loud and much. I'm pretty sure it's at least part of what gave me so much energy and a sense of well-being all the way through to Friday morning. After all, the psalmist is dead on. The wisdom of God is whole, making wise the simple. I have sensed much of His wise presence in my simple thinking and being over this summer. And even though I barely understand anything that He's allowing, He owes me no explanations. Some things just need no defending. Because He's God. He's already given me by far more and away than anything I could repay Him for. I'm His. And He's God, and I'm not. And all week I was not just resting in that, I was delighting in it too. Deeply. In a way I haven't really known in almost a year and a half.

But things did get stressful on Friday. They called me from where my Dad and Mom are now living, and wanted me to get there quick. Dad was not good, with all the symptoms of sudden onset pleural edema, easily and quickly fatal for a person my Dad's age and in his general, post-stroke condition. By noon, however, his vitals were all evening out again, and the crisis was over. He was up in bed, with an oxygen mask, but smiling and wondering if Ken could come down and fix it so he could get that classical music radio station set up again, since the power outage reset the configurations. Okay.

The weekend played out and was full of a few extra visits down to see Dad and Mom, some heavy duty physical labour (moving a friend on Saturday and moving my office on Monday), having weekend company, and a Sunday morning service, and just a lot of what makes my life so full right now. By Sunday morning I was feeling a bit rattled, hard to grab my thoughts, and obsessing about having a nap.

Which I did. Two hours Sunday afternoon. Early to bed Sunday night. And I still felt uneasy this morning.

Ken made his way with me gently through the day. We moved the furniture parts of my office down to the new space. It was a big job, requiring all our combined strength, a serious dolly, and all the patience of our 31 years of marriage experience in working together. He stayed with it with me the whole day. And it eased my uneasiness and brightened me.

I am going to bed ready.

Tomorrow is on it's way. A new day for the sun to come about with a force and a strength like a hound to the race.

And I believe there's something good here to ponder.