It’s Friday morning. Approximately 7:30. The temp is about 53 or so. The mountain is surrounded by the recently risen sun. This is a very busy week. I started into my last semester of school and will wrap up my MA this December. I’m working on a newsletter for the school and it should have already been published but it’s still waiting on ME to finish. We have a church devotion/picnic here at the house on Sunday – so a lot of “straightening up” tasks are being done. Not only must the house be clean, the yard has to be ready for football, washers, horseshoes, three legged races, egg tosses, etc. That means I must finish with the mowers and tractor today and tomorrow. A good man of the church is coming to help setup the canopies in the yard – there is a forecast for a chance of showers. I have deadlines of school that I’ve asked for a one day extension. I have bills to pay. Errands that must be done. My To Do list is getting longer and longer!
In fact, I’ve already put Yesterday behind me, although it’s memory is still vivid. Yesterday, Brenda dropped me off at the Amtrak station on her way to work. For just 27.00 I can ride the train from Lacey, WA to Portland, OR. That’s where my daughter lives. She and her husband (Mat) recently moved there to be the Jr High Youth Pastors at a church and they used one of our vehicles to get moved and settled – and I “get” to drive it home. So, hence the train. I took my laptop intending on getting some work done. Yet the rhythmic motion of the train and the comfort of the seats and the beauty of different territory captured my attention. Never mind that I enjoyed listening to a book on my iTouch! Never mind that no one was sitting near me so I could laugh at the comedy of the book and marvel at the scenery. Elizabeth picks me up at the station. Downtown Portland is a strange place when you don’t know where to go. Their commuter trains take up lanes of roadway and you have to be constantly aware of them – almost as if they are a pedestrian with a mind of their own. They can only ride the rails and you have to give them the right of way. I enjoy getting to meet various ones at their church, enjoy lunch, and then a quiet couple of hours of driving that noisy truck home
I am thinking about Today. A lot to get accomplished, but so much completed. Early morning is a great time to do school work – reading, postings, homework – I spent an hour or so beginning at about 5am. In fact, I meant to be on a conference call at 5:30 and time slipped by me and I missed it. Today it is supposed to get up to about 78. A hot scorcher. I need to get a truck load of dirt and back fill the holes where rocks have been removed. Anyone need any rocks? I have them all over the place. From potato size all the way up to a number 3 wash bucket size. The larger ones are still in the ground just waiting for a tractor…
I’m thinking about Tomorrow – the start of a three day weekend. So many will vacate their normal world and travel to parks and beaches to enjoy this last summer holiday. In Alaska you kicked off the summer with Memorial Day and closed it down with Labor Day. We don’t do anything special these weekends – except what we plan around church. The stress at the end of Saturday will either be diminished because everything got accomplished, or it will be great because there is so much left to do.
Finally, I’m thinking The Day After. Sunday will be here and prayerfully everyone will be able to make it and the rain will stay away. I enjoy the rain and bad weather – just not on the day of a picnic.
God, grant me the peace that Yesterday holds no surprises that will affect Today, Tomorrow or the Day After.