It’s cliche, I know. It’s a new day. That’s the title of my latest blog at www.bettyjackson.net.
It’s a good thing, I’m thinking.
It was inspired by this verse from Matthew 10:27 which says: “What I tell you now in the darkness shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ears, shout from the housetops for all to hear!” For those of you unfamiliar with the context, always important, this is at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, just after appointing his disciples and sending them out to speak to the Jews. Jesus gave them special powers, the Holy Spirit, so they could cast our demons (cure mental illness), heal the sick, even raise the dead. Jesus told them to take nothing with them but the message–no spare clothes, no funds, and to seek out those who would house them and support their purpose. He also warned them that they, and like the persecuted church in our time, would be brought before courts, betrayed by others, including family members, and that they were not to be worried what to say before judges. The Spirit would provide the right words, and that they were to be wise as serpents and peaceful as doves. He reminded them, and us, that we are of infinite value to God. Even every hair on our heads is numbered. God’s got the details.
So, it’s a new day, and I shout it from the housetop, or rather on my website and Facebook. Those who read it may receive blessing which pushes them to further read the scripture. Those who reject it, God shays to “shake the dust from my feet” and move on.
I wrote about yesterday, the 18th in my blog. Let me add a few details here.
I have been entertaining my granddaughters the last two days while their parents celebrate their 20th anniversary on a short cruise getaway. It was a full day. When I wrote the blog at six yesterday morning, I had no idea just how full the day would become.
We began with a delightful breakfast in our favorite place–the girls, and our daughter, Nancy, and hubby and me. While we had the usual things we had to accomplish, like Kaley’s online courses she’s taking this summer and violin practicing, we managed to visit Malabar Park with a wonderful jungle gym, climbing wall, swings, a lovely lake with blooming water lilies, baby turtles, a curved bridge, and two amazingly tame sandhill cranes who let me photograph them as they preened their feathers and stretched their wings and long necks.
They had plenty of time for their craft projects and Emily’s reading obsession on her Kindle. She’s now an expert on Roman, Greek, and Egyptian mythology, she tells me. Indeed she is. I taught this “stuff” to ninth graders. She’s just finished fifth grade! Okay, enough bragging.
The senior residence where we live had a scheduled “house meeting” for the twelve- apartment-dwellers’ residents. We have had several recent changes and have not, in the two years we’ve lived here, had opportunities except during scheduled meals and activities, to get to know each other. Among other things we discovered is that three of our guys, all engineers, worked for Grumman during their careers, one couple has a set of triplets and two sets of twins in their grandchildren-generation, and we’ve come from many corners of the country to this one place. Serendipity indeed. We enrich each other. When some of them learned about my Memoir writing class and my interest in expanding it to illustrating our books, we discovered writers and painters and readers!
Instead of Taco Tuesday, we planned Taco Wednesday for dinner, a crowd favorite.
Then the negative started.
I am medical surrogate for my younger sister who resides in an assisted living facility nearby. In her eight months residing here in Florida, she has had seven hospital visits. Why she chose four o’clock on this day to again have severe breathing issues, it happened. As of nine o’clock last night she was still in the emergency room. I do not know whether she was admitted. That’s today’s concern. I scrambled to cancel today’s dentist appointment for her, notified my trusty band of prayer warriors, got the grandkids showered and put to bed, and slept better than anticipated until about 4:00 a.m. Trying not to awaken Kaley and Emily, snoozing on the pull out couch in the living room, I’m “shouting from the housetop” or rather my little office, that I think all is well, or as well as it can be wearing several lopsided hats, and that, with the Lord’s constant help, I’m ready for this new day. God bless yours and outs!
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