Smiles and Travel

Or Travel and Smiles...

On Sunday Annie called. Penelope is much sicker. At that point they were thinking it was upper respiratory viral something and they put her on albueteral and a steroid. She just wasn't getting better. Ann wanted to know if I would come and stay with Pnel for a few days. We talked it through and decided that she would take Monday off and then I would come on Tuesday. That way I could work on Monday at the factory, finish the grant proposal I was writing that had to be turned in on Tuesday, and come over Monday night. I was also hoping that Pnel would be better.

It turned out that Pnel did show some improvement so Monday night it was decided that I would not travel to their house. So Tuesday I went to work. Monday and Tuesday we worked hard. Our efforts have been noticed and appreciated by the factory owners. They need our assistance on another project. So they're going to cross train us. It's a good thing.

As I was wearily walking through the door yesterday afternoon, the phone was ringing. It turned out to be Nelson. He wanted to inform that there was a message from Ann. Pnel is worse. Ann had her back at the doctor and they've placed her on a strong antibiotic and were adament that she shouldn't go to work with Ann at the daycare for the rest of the week. So it was grammy to the rescue. I packed a quick bag, hopped in the car, and headed cross-state.

Pnel sounds awful. She only smiled and laughed a couple times. She's whiny and mopy, but it's because she's feeling so badly. My heart just aches for her. Ann doesn't sound much better. She's got a deep bronchial cough. (A little side note for the ladies...Ann used to make fun of me when I would stop and cross my legs when I would sneeze or cough...in a futile attempt to stop the ineveitable leakage...(insert big smile) I warned her that her time would come. Well, it has. She was all flustrated by the lack of control and of course blamed it all on me! Can you imagine? LOL)

I'm not even sure she should go to work with that cough, but she's already missed two days this week and is only seeing her paycheck shrink.

Now for smiles...I've been intentionally "practicing the presence of God" (think Brother Lawrence here). While I'm working or driving or wherever I carry on that mental conversation with God. The other day (Monday) I was struggling a bit at work because of my own congestion and cough. Each time I would start to feel weak, I would hear the chorus in my head "You are my strength when I am weak, You are my all in all!" And I would smile.

I would start to grumble internally about how SLOW (painfully, horribly slow) this one guy I work with is. And I would hear a small voice reminding me that it didn't matter at least he's willing to work and he's God's child and God loves him--would I do any less. And I would smile and my heart welled with a bit more love and patience.

So part of me wonders what my coworkers think about how I just burst into smile for no obvious reason while I'm working. I wonder if they even notice. Sometimes the smile is so big I just laugh out loud.

Is it crazy? I don't think so. It's just the delight of being in God's presence.

One more question...do you ever listen to the music so loud you can feel it? I can't sing right now and that's hard for me. I love to sing...no, really LOVE to sing. This cold has me croaking out a pathetic bass horribleness. So since I couldn't sing yesterday on my trip over here, I just cranked the CD player to super loud and soaked in the words, the music and meaning. Right now the CD of choice is Michael W's "Worship Again." I just can't get enough.

Well, I need to grab a shower before the world wakes up here. Feel the love!