Life is messy. It amazing how hard that truth is for us to hear. We expect neat, tidy, orderly and easy. That is not how life is designed. It is out of the mess, the chaos, the fear and the disarray comes the wisdom, the grace, the hope and the wonder.
As philosophical and Zen as I sound, I need to reminded on a continual basis of this essential truth. Today the mess of life literally poured in as a torrent of water made it's way from the leaky roof of the gym onto the hardwood floor beneath. It began as a trickle on Sunday as we sipped our coffee and ate our cookies. The constant drip into the strategically placed buckets was a source of delight for the horde of young boys who roam the nooks and crannies of the old church. I even saw one adult hold their coffee cup underneath a drip and catch it in their cup for a moment. Water fascinates us, young and old. It was fascinating until the drips turned into streams, the leaks increased and we ran out of buckets. About this time, panic set in. Who you gonna call on a Sunday afternoon to deal with an old, leaky roof? The Property Committee stepped in and started to phone around.
Yesterday the water continued. By today the restoration people were in with huge fans to dry us out. The roofing people announced that we will be dry soon, but the insulation is old, wet and rotted and needs to come out. Oh and by the way, there is probably abestos up there too. Mess, mess and more mess.
We are standing on the brink of a moment which has not yet been fully born. We are at the edge of deciding what to do with this century old building which no longer meets our need, drains our coffers and we love more than we care to admit. Big decisions are on the horizon.
I spent the morning wandering around the office as one by one the repair folks appeared reporting on their findings. By the end of the afternoon I was babbling to myself. The women in the office were giggling as I muttered "Lord, have mercy" in my best Southern drawl. This mantra was followed by "We have peace in our hearts." The giggles continued. But it dawned on me, maybe I was onto something. What we need above all is peace in our hearts, maybe more buckets too, but peace in our hearts is a good start. The gigglers added; "Peace in our hearts and no money in our jeans." Okay, their rendition is more accurate.
Mess is the breeding ground not just for toxic mold, but for possibilities, new life and a new world. I suspect we are in for a big growth spurt. It will not be straightforward or painless. It will lead us to places we could not have anticipated or imagined, that is the way mess works. May we have peace in our hearts for what lies ahead and a little money our jeans, at least enough for a phone call.
As philosophical and Zen as I sound, I need to reminded on a continual basis of this essential truth. Today the mess of life literally poured in as a torrent of water made it's way from the leaky roof of the gym onto the hardwood floor beneath. It began as a trickle on Sunday as we sipped our coffee and ate our cookies. The constant drip into the strategically placed buckets was a source of delight for the horde of young boys who roam the nooks and crannies of the old church. I even saw one adult hold their coffee cup underneath a drip and catch it in their cup for a moment. Water fascinates us, young and old. It was fascinating until the drips turned into streams, the leaks increased and we ran out of buckets. About this time, panic set in. Who you gonna call on a Sunday afternoon to deal with an old, leaky roof? The Property Committee stepped in and started to phone around.
Yesterday the water continued. By today the restoration people were in with huge fans to dry us out. The roofing people announced that we will be dry soon, but the insulation is old, wet and rotted and needs to come out. Oh and by the way, there is probably abestos up there too. Mess, mess and more mess.
We are standing on the brink of a moment which has not yet been fully born. We are at the edge of deciding what to do with this century old building which no longer meets our need, drains our coffers and we love more than we care to admit. Big decisions are on the horizon.
I spent the morning wandering around the office as one by one the repair folks appeared reporting on their findings. By the end of the afternoon I was babbling to myself. The women in the office were giggling as I muttered "Lord, have mercy" in my best Southern drawl. This mantra was followed by "We have peace in our hearts." The giggles continued. But it dawned on me, maybe I was onto something. What we need above all is peace in our hearts, maybe more buckets too, but peace in our hearts is a good start. The gigglers added; "Peace in our hearts and no money in our jeans." Okay, their rendition is more accurate.
Mess is the breeding ground not just for toxic mold, but for possibilities, new life and a new world. I suspect we are in for a big growth spurt. It will not be straightforward or painless. It will lead us to places we could not have anticipated or imagined, that is the way mess works. May we have peace in our hearts for what lies ahead and a little money our jeans, at least enough for a phone call.
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