The Perfect Storm

Thunder is booming...more rain today. More mud. It has rained all week...buckets and buckets of rain. Our yard is like a marsh and that's only in the few spots where there is grass.

The back yard is a mud pit which has turned our dogs into smelly, dirt covered menaces that must be stopped at the door and have their feet wiped lest they track mud everywhere. They still track mud everywhere, only not as much. The black clay soil here cakes on their feet...into every nook and cranny of their neglected toenails. There will be repeated moments through out today when I will see something brown and mushy on the floor left behind by a dog...and I will be grateful because it's only mud.

I detest rainy days when the dogs must play inside.

Today my sister-in-law, her husband (the only man whose middle name is Wayne whom I trust by the way) and my nieces are arriving, along with their dog...what's one more when you have three out of control dogs already? Their dog is relatively well behaved, a marvel compared to ours, I'm sure he'll simply take refuge in a room away from the mud covered mad creatures.

I relish time with my nieces and their parents. We don't have near enough of it.

They should already be on the road from Tulsa, and they're stopping in Waco to visit with my youngest daughter for a bit, so they won't be here for 10 hours or so. That means I have almost enough time to make the place look somewhat clean....it won't be clean, but I can make it look like it is...somewhat.

Anyway, I woke up, threw the dogs out into the swamp, and decided to read a few blogs before dealing with the mess. I wasn't quite ready to deal with the challenge ahead.

I came across Kim's blog. Keith, Kim and their family moved to Oklahoma some time ago. It was sad, they are good friends. I made passing mention of their move once in something I wrote long before I had a blog. The move was the right decision for them, but they've had to make hard choices too. At times it has been tough.

They've dealt with it though and perhaps even grown stronger...certainly I think they've firmed up their faith and their realization of how much they need God in their lives.

When I read her most recent entry I once again got that rare treat of seeing how God works...from His perspective. A tiny glimpse of time through God's eyes. That is a wonderful treat and it was exactly the encouragement I needed...even better than coffee as a day starter...which says a lot.

Today I will be cleaning up muddy dogs, washing sheets and making beds. Then I will be cleaning up muddy dogs again.

It will be stormy. The dogs will challenge my patience at every turn.

But I know simply from the way it began, that this is going to be a great day.