Day 270 | Monday, 14 December 2020

Day 270 - Audio Version

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Day 270 | Monday, 14 December 2020
From the Church Mouse

These days it seems that no matter what we do, Murphy’s Law reigns. With COVID 19 so prevalent in the population, we must meticulously plan everything that we do. The rules for safety are different depending on where we go. Doug and I go to church on Sunday where everyone is masked and spaced, where everything is cleaned and sanitized. The sanctuary is beautiful, shining and decorated for Advent and Christmas. There is organ and piano music with the anthem and hymns sung by our choir director. He is at the back side of the chancel area, very far from us.

We also go to church on Mondays where I work on our touchless Pandemic Food Pantry. We provide much needed food to our city, since we are a New York State Pantry and can remain open. We have utilized the space behind our door to the parking lot and our adjacent Chapel to provide food in prepared bags, with meat, fruit and vegetables added from coolers. The only time we open the door is to push our cart with food outside to the clients. They must be masked and stand back a distance until the door is closed again. When the cart is returned, we sanitize the cart and begin again. We are open from 9:30 AM to Noon on Mondays and Wednesdays and are working to begin a spanish-speaking Pantry day on Friday. We are fully staffed with fill-in people when there is a conflict or illness. Doug works on his programs for History and Records. Currently he is searching for a 1912 wedding certificate. It feels good to be useful during this time and “paying it forward” as we are able. This whole process to create the Pandemic Pantry was full of Murphy’s Law moments. It seemed that every time I plugged a leak in the dike, another leak took its place. I think things are running smoothly, but we’ll see as the winter progresses.

Doug and I always try to take a date day each week so we can spend time with each other and no work. With COVID 19, this has usually been taking a drive out in zombie land in our Subaru Pod and eating at a Wendy’s drive-thru. Whatever works! Our date day has usually been Tuesday. However, with Murphy’s Law in effect, there was usually no sun, often rain or some other thing to gum up the works. Now we just hop in the pod if we are free and the sun is out. Let me tell you about two other people experiencing Murphy’s Law.

Day Off
My cup runs over.
Psalm 23:5 (NIV)
It was Saturday and Terry and Sandra were getting away for the day. For five days of the week they were serving as round-the-clock caregivers for Sandra’s parents. A professional caregiver covered the weekend for them, They needed to have some fun and rest, so they decided to drive to their favorite near-by lake to hike a bit.

On the way to the lake, they hit heavy traffic. Suddenly, their car started to rattle and jerk. Of course, a flat tire they groaned. Two hours later, they left the garage with the unplanned expense of a new tire: Murphy’s Law. Sandra and Terry  knew they were blessed that their flat hadn’t happened in light traffic at a higher speed.

Sandra was also thinking, however, so much for a fun day to recharge us, as the rain began to come down in torrents. As they drove on in grumpy silence and the traffic slowed to a crawl, they found themselves trailing a van. Looking out of the van’s back window were two golden retrievers, their tongues hanging out and their tails wagging at full speed. Despite their best stubborn resistance, Sandra and Terry began laughing like crazy with tears rolling down their cheeks. For the next ten miles they continued an ongoing goofy dialogue as they traveled along behind the van.

The presence of these two golden retrievers filled Sandra with joy, helping her to learn that God is in the details. She knew that only he could have arranged for such happy faces to recharge her for her caregiving week after it seemed that Murphy’s Law truly reigned.
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Dear Lord, I am in awe of how you work--so mysteriously and wondrously –to bring about blessings and laughter using your beautiful creatures on “one of those days” when nothing goes right. Help me to trust you on all my days, bringing me overflowing peace with the blessings that amaze me.
---Sandra Clifton