...and then came Tuesday

hello, all. rory here.

muffin firmly suggested that I write an update. & since I've been forcing her to eat vegetables & drink water since the moment we arrived, I guess it's only fair.

can I just say up front that I used a Curious George bandaid on someone today? yeah.

moving on.

today was our first full day with our kiddos. and when I say "full," I am not exaggerating. you know when you pour yourself a glass of milk, and there's juuust enough left in the carton that you feel silly returning it to the fridge... so you keep pouring until the only thing saving your kitchen floor from catastrophe is the surface-tension of milk? well. today was that kind of full.

morning worship began at 0740. we walked in the screen doors & were surrounded by the words of an ageless classic. they roll together in familiar rhyme, but each line is dear.

be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart.

naught be all else to me...

we followed our kids through their morning programs, which meant singing, climbing, chasing, feeding, scrubbing, escorting, hydrating, crafting, calming, pottying, herding, and generally keeping small children alive & happy in 90-degree weather (no small feat). my little guy, Pierson, gave me a run for my money. we are at our families' disposal from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m., and a frequent favorite activity is walking down to the beach and/or climbing wall: several minutes of brisk walking up & down an incline adds up quickly after you've walked it four times since breakfast.

I love it. I love the sore feet, the stiff legs, the sticky sweaty hand clinging to mine. the quick little smile of a 5-year-old that makes it all worthwhile. at story time, the reader asked the 4- and 5-year-olds if any of them had a friend they wanted to keep forever. shyly, Pierson's small finger pointed to me. that will keep me running when caffeine & adrenaline can't.

several hours of outdoor activites culminated with tonight's western hoedown, with its square dancing & pie eating & petting zoo & hayrides. that pretty much did it for my tired 5-year-old. sensing a meltdown, I plopped him down by a tree & racked my brain for story material. if only those four stories had been recorded, you'd know a lot more about the escapades of Woody & Buzz Lightyear [Pierson's favorites] than you ever dreamed. bet you didn't know they battled pirates, horse thieves, bad guys, and forest fires. how about that Egyptian princess they rescued? mhm.

the week is far from over, but it's already begun to unearth some old enemies: survivors of a sin nature defeated but never far away. I'm painfully reminded of my own inner failings & my equal inability to fix myself. I'm brought crashing back to the knowledge, again & again, that nothing is about me. if only that truth could hit home & stay there, really stay there, for longer than a moment.

be Thou & Thou only the first in my heart... O Sovereign of Heaven, my treasure Thou art.

but God promises to never give up on the work He began. it is His power that can & will work on my foolish heart. to that I hold.

the adventure continues tomorrow at 0640, so I'd better hit the sack. I'm looking forward to seeing that little face again, for another chance to serve & be served. certainly, our little charges aren't the only ones being changed around here.

High King of Heaven, my victory won.

more soon.