Sometimes Too Dog

Sixteen years ago ...                                        

Psalm 118:1-10                                             September 9

my first day at work!                                      10209.09

The LORD is on my side; I will not fear:

What can man do unto me?

The LORD taketh my part with them that help me:

Therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me.

It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes. 6-8

It helps me to know Who’s on my side, not whether I’m right or wrong, but due to Who I choose to belong to. Lord, please watch me and guide me and Martha to do what is right and not what is popular. From the center of the Bible (that’s verse 8), let Your wisdom spread out over us and give us refuge from the pettiness of life. Amen.

[Naneth’s 30th bday!, Shannon Swem, clear my thoughts for the story, Lori in a new business, Barbara’s letters, and Jerry who’s hired me appear in my margin notes.]

And now ...

I’m reading typed and going back to my original handwritten copy of this and realizing that sometimes ... sometimes I’m just not the detail geek I used to be UNLESS I’m writing. I didn’t go to yesterday’s Minot Wrimo writing meeting which has changed its name to “Publish or Perish” but to the opening day of the Minot Flea Market instead because I look for inspiration. Sometimes it’s a return to comic books I grew up with, sometimes legitimately something my family I believe would like! I got Sarah the neatest pineapple pin and Jeffrey a commemorative pin and trading card for the San Francisco 49ers’ 75th anniversary.

Now we’re past Labor Day, and I’ll admit I had a hard time explaining its significance to one of my coworkers who wasn’t raised in this country (and who like me had to work that day; for delivering to the hospital, Mondays and Fridays are never holidays. It’s also not a good idea to call in sick on those bookend weekdays unless you’re dead). And for our church year we started back today to two morning services, and Martha who’s in church choir sang at both. The kids and I would have stayed after first service — where I read the lessons — except the Bible study which was scheduled that day was cancelled.

I’m not hurt that I wasn’t told that; along with Judy, it gives me more time to review 2 Samuel from the Old Testament too. (Saul’s dead, David becomes king, conquers Jerusalem, and unifies Israel, civil war between him and his son Absalom nearly splits it apart again, yada yada yada.) And on this day Chamber Chorale too started up again, today’s Gospel lesson from Mark 7:24-30 concerned the Gentile woman whom Jesus called a dog (!) and who admitted to it — she just wanted a crumb that fell from the children’s table so her daughter would be healed as she knew Jesus could do!

I’d like to know MY faith is that great,

David