This day!  I am glad that it is over.  Truly so.

The beginning was rough because I set the alarm  for 6:00 PM instead of AM.  I had wanted time to get ready early for a doctor's appointment and still be able to do the morning prayer service Pastor holds via the Internet before I had to leave.  I actually got ready in 22 minutes, from waking up to starting the car. 

awoke because of a nightmare.  My first thought when I saw the time was to praise God that I did not miss my appointment, although it did not go as I would have wished.  In fact, I was stunned by some of her comments and am hard pressed to take the next step as she outlined.  In this matter, I have no clarity of direction. 

The morning made a long day longer.

On the way over to my house to let Kashi have a mid-day break since I had such a long day, I tried to call my father.  For the first time, there was not a single moment of lucidity amongst the conversation.  He could not remember where he was to be, anything about my grandfather, or what he has been doing.  That call was a most painful 10 minutes.  Not only do I have to say goodbye to the man, I also have to give up hope of ever having a father/daughter relationship.

One bright spot was that Pastor, his two children, and my scripture memory partner came to volunteer at our event at the elementary school.  Boy, his children just dove right in hauling boxes of food when the caterer arrived.  We truly would have been hard pressed to distribute the school supplies and to keep up with the hungry families without them.  Another way I have been blessed by the church.  These kind souls came out on just a few days notice, schlepping across town in a rather long commute to and from and ran around doing whatever was needed.  Pastor did come after classes, so he caught the second act of the evening, but his hands were most welcome, hands that had already had a long day between early morning prayer service and two graduate classes.

As we were cleaning up, the left over school supplies for the children who had not come needed to be moved to the social worker's room.  Pastor, a board member, his two children, a maintenance man, and I moved the  boxes.  With each successive trip, I felt as if I were fading.  Before long, I was huddled on a table in the cafeteria not really concerned with the last of the work.  I fear I was not quite gracious about the volunteers leaving.  However, one prick and two juice boxes later, I revived enough to drive home, rail at Pastor over the phone, and then, yes, you guessed it, headed to the office to finish up some work.

SIGH.

In thinking about this day, I consider again the meaning of abundant:  Pastor's wife helped me move from tears to laughter.  Many hands lightened the load.  The juice rescue worked before I passed out.  Circumstances, once again, leave me little to cling to save for the Word.  I am reminded of just how wretched, just how weak I am.  I remembered I am forgiven.  Is that not abundant life?

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Have I ever mentioned that when I am eating White Cheddar Cheese popcorn that Kashi believes quite strongly that I should share the bag with him?  On Sunday, I tried to cut his nails without my reading glasses (even after a year of them I am in denial over needing them...or I forget that I need them and cannot figure out why things are so blurry or I forget I have them on and fall when I get up to move because everything is out of perspective) with distrous consequences.  After bleeding about the house for 20 minutes, during which time I contemplated just who I could call for help, I scooped him up and ran over to the emergency clinic, driving one handed because I had to keep pressure on his paw.  Copious amounts of guilt washed over me for eons.  So, tonight, after being gone 14 hours, I dumped out an entire bag for him.  I believe he believes he has reached nirvana.