Endorphins

Caleb was a bit bored,
And as I read in bed,
He fell over me
So I hugged him
Until we were both
Laughing uproariously.

Changing Tires

Phil has been worried about the state of our tires.
He took the van to the store.

1.
They said they would run a sale the next week,
So bring the car back.

2.
The store’s sale was so good, they had no more tires.
Come back in a few days, they said.

3.
The appointed day arrived, but when Phil reached the store,
They had no tires yet.
He went grocery shopping, and when he finished,
They called to say they were restocked.
But he had a van full of perishable food
And a 45-minute drive ahead of him,
So he headed home.

4.
With five boys in tow,
Phil brought the van in
The Friday before Labor Day.
As the worker tried to get the bolts off,
One of the struts broke.
If another broke, the van would have to be towed,
And Phil would be stranded, with five boys.
At the start of a holiday weekend.

The shop couldn’t fit us in for a week.
We’ll get those tires fixed one of these days.

Lack of Motivation

We bought a little riding mower.
It no longer functions.
We didn’t know, when we moved,
That gas deteriorates.
Probably one fall, we left the tank filled.
By spring, the mower no longer worked.

We bought a tractor with a mower.
The mower blades broke the first time out.
Phil repaired them once.
Maybe twice.
But our land remains not quite smooth enough;
The mower gets used sometimes, but not too often.

We bought a trimmer.
Phil wanted to clean up the back before a party
And a pebble broke our back door.
Sometime later, the trigger broke.

We bought a lawn mower.
That seemed like a safe possibility,
To keep clear the areas around the house.
After Phil spent the afternoon outside mowing,
He felt sick when he saw the back of the van:
The rearview window had shattered.

Caleb and I were outside when it probably happened,
And the car would have blocked us from a flying stone shard.
So this story is not entirely without thanksgiving for life,
But I can understand a certain lack of motivation
For Phil, if every time he steps outside,
He creates a need for repair.

Babies Are Part

As I taught some things I’d read about Ephesians,
Caleb crawled over the couches and smiled at friends.

In church, babies are usually shunted off to the nursery,
Where they cannot distract the adults.

As the one interrupted,
I understand the appeal.

And yet … is it not good for babies to be included, too?
I don’t miss the nursery.

Burial

A year ago, we buried my grandfather.
I think he fit the definition of a narcissist:
One who charms all,
But those who are closest all need counseling.

As we sat outside next to the burial hole,
Rugs covering the grave of my grandma,
The siblings and a few grandchildren and spouses
Gathered to commemorate.

In the midst of so much brokenness,
Most were able to find something good.
Some weren’t.
May God restore all things, in his time.

I was privileged to witness this,
Me and the five boys,
On a hot Tuesday morning
Last September.

Movie Night

During my high school years,
My family would watch a movie
Most Sunday nights.

This Sunday, after we had eaten and prayed and sung and visited,
We watched O Brother, Where Art Thou?
And laughed all the way through,
Children, college students, parents.

And I thought, This is what families do.

In the Midst of Turmoil

We share our lives at Supper Church.
This week, there were some heavy things.
Maybe there are every week.

This Sunday, after we shared,
We had a beautiful, peaceful time of prayer,
One for another.