(now resuming this after extensive head rubbing for Alex, who decided she wanted some love and attention)
I think she's in a good mood because I pressure washed her cage yesterday, so it's nearly as clean as it was when I bought it (and her) ten years ago. (more lovings for Alex) The thing about bird poop is that the uric acid in it eats at paint, though, so it needs to be repainted with a good black powdercoat. Eventually I might do this--maybe next summer when I can pressure wash it again and let it thoroughly dry, then don my work respirator and do it myself. Yep, I'm too
I keep looking out of my window at the mist and wondering if I will see the doe who visited us a few weeks ago on a similiar misty morning. And seeing the mist with all the shades of green has me keen to get out my Irish music and throw some on the CD player...not any of the jigs or reels, but something mournful or haunting, to suit the morning. Unfortunately, my DD is still asleep and I don't want to wake her up, as she had a fever and slight cold yesterday. Hopefully the mist and mood will hang around long enough for me to do so, as I don't listen to that music often enough.
I was thinking about my blog title and reminding myself that the genesis for this blogging gig was not entirely the randomness of life's events, but also the incredible thoughtlessness with which I (and I argue most other people) live their lives these days. Our pastor preached a sermon on Proverbs 15:16-17. "Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil. Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred."
Related story: we were members of a church in Arizona that supported an orphanage and school in Uganda. Not as in, we send $XXXX every so often (although we did that too), but as in, we actually went there (well a routine group of members did once a year) and we actually had the founder/principal/pastor come and visit us on a semi-regular basis. And those kids eat beans and rice for every meal. EVERY MEAL. And they are BLESSED to get it! The principal talked about how he tried to get some meat for the kids every now and then, but it was very expensive and when you are feeding 400 kids he just couldn't afford it. They cooked over an open pit fire (no kitchen to start, although they had built a 3-sided lean-to with a tarp roof by the time we moved), and the kids bunked, two kids per bunk bed, stacked 3 high, and crammed as many as they could into one building. The caretaker had to chain them and lock them in at night, because of the danger to the kids from witch doctors and other unscrupulous people who would prey on them. So the pastor's greatest fear was fire.
I mean, can you imagine your life in those circumstances? Can we really, and I mean really appreciate all the blessings we've got? These kids were so starved for adult role models, but they were kind to each other, they loved getting hugs from visitors, and their faces just lit up when they were given a small piece of hard candy and some paper and a new pencil. Totally, utterly humbling.
Which is why I am really doing what I can to contribute to Operation Christmas Child in our community. I have bought school supplies at rock bottom prices to provide pens for kids like those. I hope I can get over to our church this weekend to help wrap shoe boxes to hold the goodies for the kids. What a difference something so small can make to a child in such dire circumstances. So I challenge you--the next time you are out grocery shopping, get some paper or pencils for Operation Christmas Child. Drop them off at your local organization's drop-off point. You can find it right here: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/OCC_DropOff_Index.asp?zip=%20&radius=100&OCCPath=1
Make a difference.
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