Happy March!

Day 60 of 2022. In like a lion.

Okay, not a lion. But floofy!  

  
We've had winds the last two weeks that have been wild. My mother always used to say, "In like a lion, out like a lamb." I'm hoping. 

Yet, happy, I say. 

How can I say that, knowing what's happening in Ukraine? Aware of the fear some folks are experiencing in Texas because of certain new laws. I am praying and doing what I can. But I have hope. Why? Because I believe God is good. I am thankful that, like many people before them in many places around the world, the Ukrainians are fighting their Russian invaders. I feel for the people of both countries. What governments want, people rarely do. 

For me, March is happy because it is the month of the birthday of my 2nd born child. My beautiful boy, my angel baby. He will be 29 this year. Later this year, I'll be 60. But for a little while, after his birthday, we'll be 39 years apart. I like that. Our ages will both end in 9. I adore him and he is a blessing to me every day of my life. 

So, no thanks to our current administration (I am not a fan), restrictions regarding masking mandates are being lifted around the country. People finally realized that while dangerous, like the flu, COVID will be with us for the long haul. It is weakening itself because viruses that kill their hosts can't last and that is the understated goal of any virus, to live, to continue. It isn't a conscious goal, but in the words of Ian Malcolm, "... there it is... Life finds a way." 

This, in part, stopped me from not posting for two years. Sorry about that, if anyone is out there reading. I hope you are. I've been working hard, harder even, on my "Sons" WIP. The story of Mikkayl and Rykko Arrayn's beginnings will come your way soon. 

Like many of you, I suspect, this time of pandemic, untrustworthy media, war and looming war, of confusion and disheartenment, has been very difficult. Understatement, I know. I hope that you have found comfort. For myself, I've found comfort in the words of my lord, "I'll never leave you nor forsake you." That doesn't mean my life will be perfect, or even good, all the time. It means that when I'm afraid, or stressed, or depressed, as I often have been over these last four years, he is there with me. I hope you've found that comfort. 

The reason for this post is that Facebook reminded me of a memory and I wanted to save it here.

When I was a child, my father worked as a firefighter. A first responder, he became Fire Chief. But this memory is about a little gadget that sat on one of the four dividers in our front hall. The dividers separated the two rooms and hall from one another in an open floor plan. One was the "good" living room (reserved for guests, bible studies, and hymn sings), the other was the "comfortable" living room. We weren't to play in the fireplace side, but in the comfy side where we had built-in toy boxes and, of course, a TV. 

The gadget was called a Plectron. It produced a stream of voices and noises and it was right there, so close to where I played, to where mom ironed clothes. Important on its elevated height. Firefighters communicating, letting one another know the state of things, and letting us in the household know that they were there, ready and able, standing by to help.

Whenever the tones would sound, we'd hear the siren outside too and my mother taught us to gasp, "Huh!" And then say, "A fire!" I believe she did that to distract us, making certain the loud tones did not scare us. Clever, my mother. 

As soon as those tones sounded, we knew my father was on his way to help those in need. I didn't know of a better man to have on his way to help than my dad! That was also the cue for mom and me to pause and pray for the safety of the firefighters and the folks they went to help. I know now that it comforted her, too, maybe more than me. I was safe! I didn't know the potential danger my father was in. 

It looked a lot like this!

 What a clever idea this little machine! To let the firefighters know where they needed to be and when as quickly as possible. 

It is an excellent memory for me. I am thankful for learning from my mother that scary times are times to ask for God's blessing on those ready to go into harm's way to help. 

I'm especially thankful that my father lived his life as the sort of man who would help when needed, anytime, day or night. It is a characteristic and a heartfelt need he passed on to me. I don't know if that's genetics, but I do know that life finds a way, that God is in control, and that good people will always do what they know is right. 

As spring comes on, may the heart of the Lamb not only guide us out of a roaring start to March, but dwell in us richly, according to his good purposes.