The apps suggest the temperatures over the weekend were low, and it was certainly cold, but I thought I felt the cold a lot more, and harsher. I wondered if it was the deteriorated fitness level, or general ageing.
Our backyard, and generally the outside of our home, has been needing some attention for a while now. We have been busy with various things but last weekend was one when we didn’t have much on so I had wanted to do basic stuff like pruning, cutting and mowing, along with sweeping and maybe weeding/edging – you know, the usual summer/warmer days-is/are-coming sort of activities. The very cold and wet conditions however, thrashed my plans so we turned indoor instead.
We had grilled some fish a couple of weeks ago and the smell had not abated no matter what we did. So the cleaning started with Tress removing the filters of the range hood several days ago, and she soaked and cleaned them. On Sat morning, I wiped the insides of the hood before inserting the filters back in. That lead to further cleaning along the sides/top of the hood and it continued with the turbo oven unit, where I gave the lid several rounds of scrubbing. The large bowl had a good clean too. Then it was the usual vacuuming and wiping down of surfaces etc. Cleaning is good for the soul, it has been said. It felt good as when we finished, staying home through the wet and cold weekend felt much better.
Yesterday, Mark Sneddon delivered the sermon on Ecclesiastes 4. He provided context and perspectives which drew various matters into focus. His citing of the numerous events showing up man’s failures, which in turn illustrated the “vanity” of struggles, was ironically refreshing as it only reinforced the pointlessness of the angst shown over various unpleasant things around us. Businessmen and politicians’ bad behaviour should not have produced the sort of despair and anger we’ve seen. That is not to say we tolerate or accept such behaviour but in accepting man’s fundamental “fallen-ness”, we will be better equipped to continue to rely on God, his work and his purpose as the raison d’etre for our being.
That is a lesson I am increasingly learning and putting into practice, even as I bury my head in everyday toil and living and letting events just run past me.
I’ve been feeling colder than I remember but inside, there’s an amber of warm glow. The amber which illuminates my constant need for change, to become more like our maker.
Ante 