Thank goodness we didn’t get as much snow as was forecasted which made shoveling all that much easier today. In spite of it not being the lighter stuff, at least it was manageable.
Since the roads weren’t the best, I decided to take in a local church Service. I was a few minutes late, but didn’t have to worry about finding a seat because of all the many empty pews I found which was likely due to our weather.
While seated there, I began thinking about a question that was posed to me not long ago by an exceptionally well educated and definitely good person. I was asked why I still go to church services on a regular basis. Since I knew her question had nothing to do with any sort of justification on her part for not going on a regular basis, I thought a moment and then soulfully responded, “I go because I find there to be times when I experience genuine contemplative moments which are very uplifting for me.” I think my answer surprised her enough to where she agreed that some of the interiors of our area churches can be visually inspiring.
Some day I’ll have to share with her a more complete explanation of my experiences because it’s not just the visuals I find inspiring, but rather combinations of audio, visual, tactile, and sometimes even olfactory. Just now, can you remember the smell of burning beeswax candles? I can assure you, if beeswax candles are burned in a given place long enough, the smell of them lingers on for a very long time.
Today’s Service was quite nice with the exception of seeing two people in attendance who were going thru the motions of being noticeably pious. I bristle at times when seeing such things because too often those very people can be just the opposite after stepping outside their church environments.
While out shoveling this morning, a gentleman whom I’ve known for some years stopped and asked why I don’t have someone hired to do it for me, and of course I had to give my reasons why.
After asking how life had been treating him, he proceeded to tell me a few of the happenings that had taken place within his family after his last parent died. After mentioning just a few unfortunate things that occurred after his father’s passing, I had to interject the question, “How many siblings are there in your family?” To my surprise, he announced there being eight of them which I never would’ve dreamed there were that many, but since I didn’t go to school with any of them, I guess I made an erroneous assumption.
It sounds like he and a few of his local siblings have had their hands full with the remainder of them who live out of State. Tears began to well up in his eyes while saying, “I thought we were close, but after my father died, there are those who’ll never speak to each other again. I guess what started it all was when a sibling arrived from out West a few days before his Dad died. I felt bad for him, but what can one do?
Before he left, I did mention that I’d heard a number of times that the larger the number of siblings there are in a family, the more likely there’ll be discord after the last parent dies simply because of the dynamics that were created years earlier. He actually thanked me for telling him that such things happen on a regular basis with big families, and it not being something that was specific to his own.
Just after I got good and dirty while working on a project this afternoon, I received a call from a buyer asking to see a vacant home that’s on the market. All I asked was that he give me an hour, and I’d meet him there. The time was acceptable, so off I went to get changed and cleaned up enough to be presentable. The showing went well, so I guess it was worth being pulled away from my un-finished task.
While at the grocery store late this afternoon, I ran into one of the contractors that was supposed to get some outside work done for me before the cold and snow arrived. He was being sheepish, but that didn’t keep me from chiding him for not living up to his numerous promises. I’ll never understand people who freely and willing offer to do something for pay, and then don’t follow thru. Oh well, at least I now know how his business practices work.
I hope you all had an enjoyable day, along with wishing you a safe and fulfilling week ahead, and don’t forget, there’s only 22 days left before the arrival of Christmas.
The above photo is one I snapped of the Willow Creek Dam that’s just south of the East State Street bridge. There are times when Winter does offer up some memorable views.
Tonight’s one-liner is: Every day carries with it core responsibilities which are often taken for granted by those who’re closest to us.
