Days off and broken dishwashers

Today is a vacation days of sorts. We leave in several hours to meet our friends at the beach. THEY are having a REAL vacation of being away from the house, reading, hanging out at B&N, playing on the beach, sleeping, resting from work, and spending more than seven days at it. My own vacation day of a sort consists in just doing what I want, though what I want is to do something of order. So I am sitting at the computer, blinds drawn against the bright sun, gorgeous white orchid Cal gave me two-and-a-half months ago smiling its maturing white faces down at me, desk scattered with receipts and notes and books and stuff, all of which I hope to organize before making a leftovers lunch for the family of last night's delicious taco chicken and toasted rice. At least I slept in until 8:18 today. But I won't worry about the dishes not getting done, the painting still hidden between the library stacks, and all the other things I can't mention because I'm doing such a good job at relaxing I can't remember any of them.

Just updated the prayer list for our weekly prayer meeting. I mention it to rejoice in seeing what God is doing in our own small circles and to realize that He, in His infinity, is doing good in every circle of the universe. And we can't even know a fraction of all the good He is doing in just our tiny circle... Praise His Name.

I did call the dishwasher repair folks. (We are in our fourth week of not having a dishwasher. And we aren't doing so well at remembering to use paper cups. I just saw eight glasses/cups in the girls' bathroom. And Kilby and Becky are out of town!) This is about the sixth call I've made to them. They don't call back. I learned last Thursday when I finally got Lowe's extended warranty folks involved, that the repair company hadn't even ordered the part yet. I was promised to get a call as soon as it came in and they hoped it would be Monday at the latest.

I started out my call saying it would be my last call to them. Next I would call Lowe's. The lady was apologetic, but told me the same thing she'd told me so many times before: She would have Bruce call me back. I told her he never called me back. She told me she only worked there and that she gives him the messages as soon as he comes in. After a little more complaining I hung up to fix my breakfast. Having spent some time already this morning pondering forgiveness, I was convicted afresh of my unforgiving spirit. I thought to call her back and apologize, but reasoned with myself about not wanting to pin a Christian profession to being snotty. And then God gave me grace to go ahead--I knew it would be right. I called back and told Mary that I was sorry for giving her day such an unpleasant start; that I was a Christian and had been forgiven much and I had no right not to forgive another. She was very kind in sympathizing with my predicament and said that she herself goes to church and understands. She is currently without dryer repair and her grown son has returned and is trashing the house each day and she comes home from work tired and still has to clean house and it is harder than when her kids were little. I thought that while we were conversing it would be good to do life's two most important questions, but I knew I didn't know the scripture to back them up by reference. Not a good excuse. I did reiterate at the close of our conversation my confession of sin and praised Jesus who had borne it all and said that I could never stand before God's holy justice without what Jesus had done in paying for my sin at the cross. And all I can do now is pray that if Mary doesn't understand the true gospel in all her church-going, that some of those words would help.

May I come to see more and more "divine appointments" as my friend Betty calls them.