The Night Before

No television shows tonight.  I was hoping Grey’s Anatomy would be on to help gear me up but no, still basketball.  Do think it’s cool it’s the Celtics and the Lakers and close games but other than that – I don’t care at all.

I’m tired.  It was amazingly amazing going to conference and I’m super glad I did!  I completely appreciate the prayers and I sure do hope Josh doesn’t melt in his yert (it could be gert I keep getting it wrong).  We had a good night with the kiddos.  The train table arrived and Mike put it together so the E’s will have something fun to play with for the next few days.  GiGi fixed a delicious brunswick stew and we celebrated both Mike’s mom’s (GiGi) and my mom’s (Grammy) birthday since we kind of robbed them of both of them.  GiGi found out the news about my lovely interloper in the noggin on June 2nd her birthday and tomorrow is my mom’s birthday so you get the drift.  But cake was had and the kids were bathed and eventually went to sleep!  They must think that it’s Christmas or something crazy going around here with so many family members in and out and gifts abounding and loose rules on bed time and everything else.

I feel a little bit like it’s the night before Christmas as well – something with anticipation.  Maybe the night before meeting with the Board of Ordained Ministry or some pressure cooked situation like that.  I’m not supposed to eat after midnight so don’t think I’m not going to pop a couple peanut m&m’s with my medicine while I still have the chance.  Other than that, the bags are packed, the bills for casa de Jeter and Wesley are paid, and I think everything’s in reasonably good shape for the unknown.

The surgery time has been moved up from arriving at 11:15 and surgery at 1:30 to arriving at 9 am and surgery at 11:15 am.  I’d like to think this is because the neurosurgeon is so super excited to go ahead and get going on this thing that he’s as geared up to get rid of this as I am.  Could be.  Or could be simple scheduling but I still like to think of him gearing up to take out this lovely thing in my head.

I have felt so much reassurance and love and prayers and encouragment and I think if I had hugged one more person at Annual Conference I might would have melted, but it’s good to have that community around you rallying.  Much like a basketball game or other crazy sporting event, you want to have some team spirit and folks cheering you on and into the game not just passively watching, but all up in it.  I hope that’s how we are when we’re church with one another.  We’re not just watching from the sidelines but we have a Saviour who gets messy and is sweaty and drinking the gatorade and gearing up right along with everyone else.  Our Bishop today talked a lot about the least of these today and the passage where there’s the back and forth of Yo Jesus, when did I see you and you were hungry and I didn’t do anything at all about it or when did I see you homeless and didn’t offer you a place to stay, etc. etc. on back to the highlight of inasmuch as you have done it for the least of these my people – you have done it for me.  Situations like this can’t help but be humbling.  Whether asking for a ride or for help to lead a session or for the simple merciful act of prayer – it kind of sucks being the one on the receiving end in our worlds sometime because we see ourselves as the big helpers and fixers and heroes.  But you know what – we can’t always be the ones doing the big wohoo thing – we need to be in the trenches with each other and learning from each other – not in a top down or “here we are to save the day!” kind of thing but in a we’ve all got things to give and we’ve all got things to learn and we’re all in this together.  None of us have it all figured out and none of us are completely clueless.

So I thank all of the medical people tomorrow who’s gift is to do this amazing medical thing that is completely outside of my English/PoliSci brain.  I thank all of the people that can cook, including my husband and mother in law because we all know that I don’t.  I thank all of the people with gifts of encouragement and prayer and passion as they share it freely and with such grace to so many people both within their communities and the random strangers that get sent our way.  I thank each of you for your prayers because I really do believe they can move mountains.

I’ve never completely loved professional sports because there’s just something about college sports that show so much more heart (don’t get me started on the University of Southern California today – wow).  But I must say in watching this basketball game – that even though they are making the big bucks either way – they want to win this game!  And even though my doctor tomorrow is making the big bucks either way – I hope he wants to knock it out of the park!  As we all play our parts in the game of life – let’s not sweat the times we get blocked or knocked down or tripped up or schooled once in a while, but let’s keep it moving, keep encouraging each other, keep challenging each other to rise to the occasion, and play our hearts out!

Time for bed.  I’ve got to get pumped up for the big game tomorrow!  (And no I am not going to link to a youtube video of Eye of the Tiger or I Will Survive or whatever, but you get geared up how you need to!)