Choo-Choos and Church Bells

As I stare out my window this morning to see the beautiful rays of sun casting warmth and welcome to the soul upon the stone arch pillars of our church edifice, I can't keep from revelling over this thought in my heart: "Holy Crap! What a week or so it has been! I need some sacred space for the love of Pete!" What has happened to make my heart so alive?
1. The bathroom I remodeled is still not finished and is need of some repair already.
2. I became a Godfather, and a being a single Godparent in today's world is not easy. It has been quite an adjustment.
3. Lent started and there are still membership classes to get planned for the array of folks wishing to join us in this most festive season.
4. It snowed more, but now is beginning to thaw and the extreme change in weather has started to fill my sinuses with gunk that will certainly drain into my chest causing agony for days to come.
5. Meetings until 8:00 plus making for 12 plus hour days the last two weeks.
5 1/2. And Jimmy bought ANOTHER - yes ANOTHER Cadillac. It's Lent, friend! Give it up!

Boy do I need to be in sacred space today. And I guess I shouldn't ponder the beauty too long because I am sure to fall asleep. I do give thanks though for the time to stop, because inthe midst of all the chaos, the day started the same today. Ethan decided to wrestle and have a fit over taking his medication this morning which involves him sitting patiently on my lap and sucking medicinal steam from a tube for twenty minutes. Though a complete joy I am sure for a 2-year-old, he is usually quite patient and available to the task. But not today...Noooo! Then the running in circles and demanding he wash his hands for 15 minutes in the new bathroom sink. It is his new rite of passage - being able to carry a stool and independently turn on and shut off the flow of water, but we still have to work with the shutting off part. By the time the coat was wrestled on, the morning dance session to the Sesame Street closing theme was finished and the fit was reconciled at the turning off of the tellie, we were on our way. Nothing more please a this point. But low and behold, he decideds to dawdle and take his sweet time walking to the car. I filled the void with getting some things ready, and then waited. The seconds seemed an eternity until the distant sound of a train beckoned him to shout, "Whoa! Choo-choo! Wooooo-wooooo!" Yes choo-choo, let's go play with our friends now. I turned by back hoping he would conitnue the journey with me. Of course he did not. But then I turned to see him dancing again. To what I did not know until a moment that faint church bells tolling the new day and grace of God's presence was apparent. Ethan danced and I cared no more of how long it might take us. Dancing in God's grace is what I intend to do today. I am so glad I took this moment to remember that of all the things that I have remebered this morning.
You hear the church bells? Yeah, chooch bizz. You hear Grace? Yeah, Grace.