Saturday, September 24, 2022
(click here to listen to or read today’s scriptures)
Let’s go swimming in the pool, pool
Rejoice, O young man while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth.
For a moment, Jasper’s whole head was under the water. The thing is, no one was holding him. I was in charge, but I was on the other side of a wall between the whirlpool and the big apartment pool. Miles had jumped across the whirlpool, and he took a step in the middle because he could. He’s tall enough, but Jasper isn’t.
Follow the ways of your heart, the vision of your eyes. Yet understand that as regards all this God will bring you to judgment.
Jasper followed Miles instinctively. And suddenly what Andi was afraid might happen, happened. Jasper dropped right down under.
Usually Jasper is wearing a floatie. But not this time. He didn’t want to wear it. He will soon be learning how to swim.
In fact, we were all at the pool with Andi’s friend, one of the kids’ babysitters over the years, who was teaching Miles how to swim. Miles spent quite a bit of time with his face and sometimes his whole head under water. I throw water in Jasper’s face a lot, and pour water on his hat and inside his shirt, and he throws cups of water over me. But down there in the underneath? With no place to put your feet? That’s another story.
Ward off grief from your heart and put away trouble from your presence, though the dawn of youth is fleeting. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth.
Andi leaped into action and into the whirlpool and pulled him up. He seemed fine. But Andi looked right at me, and I know she was remembering when we talked about this. I must always be in the same pool as the boys.
Well, I had heard of that possibility, but now I had seen it. All I could do was shout to Miles, “Grab him, pull him up!” That was not happening. Andi saved the day, saved her son. Saved me.
We had Margaret’s incredible homemade lemonade with lots of ice under an umbrella. And Oreos too. The sun burned Austin up once again, 97 degrees. Friday afternoon delight. A giant semi drove into Evolve Apartments’ small spaces next to the pool carrying five U-Haul U-Box containers. I imagine the driver was tired of being alone in his cab, and he opened the window and hollered at us, “How’s the water?”
The water’s fine! And so is the lemonade, and we are playing in the water, where we even found a dead rabbit, sad, drowned, soaked. The dragonflies are buzzing. And tomorrow morning we get to do this again!
As Andi had said, it only takes a second for all of that to change. Which it did. I feel so aware that it must not happen again. Right?
Everyone took some deep breaths. The truck driver came back by the pool, smiling, waving, and honked his semi-trailer horn. We gathered up our toys and towels and put on shoes. The concrete burned our feet.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness, that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days. And may the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us. Yes, establish the work of our hands.
Lord, in the hot lazy weekend sun, you are there. Under the water too, you are there. O Lord, thank you for your hand closing on ours, holding us, and saving us.
(Ecclesiastes 11, Psalm 90, 2 Timothy 1, Luke 9)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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