It was raining and the forecast was for rain all week. I wouldn’t have minded if it was a typical week of writing, seeing directees, and going to the Wednesday Lunch Club, but all that was scheduled for the next seven days was camping with Fred on Vancouver Island, bike rides and walks on the beach. The weather changed all that.
After my initial disappointment, I felt invited to let go of what I’d planned and open myself to something new. What could we do on a rainy week at home?
I didn’t want to fill it with work, but I was grateful to get caught up on a few things. However, those few things took longer than I thought they would and the fun stuff we did wasn’t as much fun as we’d hoped.
Midweek, there was a break in the weather. Fred and I drove down to Point Roberts and walked along the shore under blue skies. Fred said that the moment he smelled the ocean, he was able to relax and be in vacation mode. But I had a headache and an unresolved issue I kept thinking about.
It poured rain on the drive home. “Maybe we should have gotten a last-minute flight to some vacation spot,” I said.
“Yeah,” Fred replied. “We could have been sitting under a palapa eating hamburguesas right now.”
Thursday morning in prayer, I remembered Fred coming to the ocean and being instantly at peace. I couldn’t do that until I fixed my world or flew out of it. But what if God was offering what Fred found: peace in the middle of it?
The “something new” I was being invited to wasn’t a different pleasurable experience. It was receiving pleasure at God’s right hand.
I am happiest when the sun is shining, all my work is done, and no one is upset with me. But God didn’t deliver those things. God just took my hand and showed me that a new kind of happy was possible.
You will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
–Psalm 16:11
* * *
The Society To End Homelessness in Burnaby is inviting people who live and work in Burnaby to participate in the four public dialogues on the overdose crisis. Karen O’Shannacery of the Society writes, “While the health providers and social services are responding, the health care system alone cannot keep people safe from the poisoned illicit drug supply. The community is part of the solution, and needs to come together to understand the crisis, the resources available, and think differently about people who use drugs.” The dialogues are scheduled for Sept 26, October 16 and 27, and November 8. More information here.
What love mischief are you and God doing to care for the world?
Let me know and I will include it in an upcoming post.
An Everyday Pilgrim 
Thank you Esther. I recognize a “you too” response in that I also am happiest when the sun is shining, all my work is done, and the importance that no one is mad at me.
Oh my, the goodness of recognizing my own vulnerability being shared by another.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for sharing that, Maureen.
LikeLike