One of the people I follow on You Tube Victor Odo had a video this week about the full moon and the first thing he spoke about was basically how when we're receiving Divine Guidance it doesn't always feel like Divine Guidance. We all know the saying tell God your plans and watch God laugh. Those two things sum up this week perfectly.
I had planned for Holy Week to attend Maundy Thursday (Holy Thursday for the Catholics out there) and Good Friday services at my church Saint John's Episcopal Church in Fort Smith. In order to accomplish this I was going to do what I call "front loading" my work hours meaning that I would work as many hours as I could towards the start of the week so that by the end of the week I'd be working fewer hours. I do this with consent of my clients and my employers ok within certain parameters. Sunday evening my aunt texts me and says since Monday April 11th (the next day) is Grandma's 96th birthday she was planning to take Grandma to Fort Smith to one of her favorite restaurants and I was welcome to come after I got done with work. Monday morning rolls around and I get another text from my aunt, they're on their way to the emergency room because something's wrong with grandma. She'll let me know when they're done. Later that afternoon I get another text that grandma's being admitted to the hospital. Now I have to let my employer know that one of my clients (grandma is one of my clients) is in hospital. I can go see her in my official capacity the day after she gets discharged. So Plan number 1 up in smoke.
Onto Plan #2 Grandma got discharged on Wednesday so I resumed my hours Thursday. Ok I can backload my hours and make up some of the time at least I missed while grandma was in the hospital. Ask my aunt which day do you want me to work more hours Thursday or Friday? Friday. Ok. Thursday work my hours until 4 and clock out then get a text that the nurse is coming to see grandma and could I stick around. Nurse finishes at 530 my aunt says well at least you'll get more hours ah no I already clocked out an hour and half ago. I still hadn't eaten dinner and there was no way I was going to make it to services in an hour.
While all of this is going on with grandma and I'm seeing my other client for their regular hours, I end up with a MAJOR plumbing issue. I flush the toilet and water comes pouring out of the bottom of the toilet. Ok busted wax seal maybe no biggie. Walk into the other bathroom it's doing the same thing. Ok maybe it's the drain leading from the toilets is backed up. I called a plumber a friend of mine had used. Left a message didn't hear back. Told my aunt my issue and she recommended a different plumber so I called them. Soonest they could come out was Good Friday and don't use toilet. So now I have a bucket in the toilet catching my bodily waste like a bedside commode. The irony of my grandma having used such a medical device while in the hospital and I am now using one at home is not lost on me. I figure it's just a toilet issue it didn't occur to me that maybe there was a larger issue and threw a small load of clothes in the washer and went to bed. On the drain and spin cycle I hear this gurgling coming from the shower. Turn on the light and yes both bathrooms this time had minor flooding. I seem calm and collected I assure you I was crying at a few points my blood pressure was 170/80 I was most definitely NOT CALM. Then it occurred to me to look up an Abraham Hicks video about stop focusing on your problems. Listened to that and to Victor Odo. Finally I said what do I always tell others "You can either worry about the problem and that will do absolutely nothing (except raise your blood pressure) or you can give it up to God. Because as my family is fond of saying there's nothing God can't do.
So now we're on Plan #3 for Good Friday go see Grandma right after first client and cut out if need be to come let plumber in. Called plumber to give them an update. Well, it's a septic issue and they can't come out until NEXT Friday because the pump truck is booked. I'm like you guys were already coming out today. Yeah that was for the drain truck not the pump truck. I know nothing of septic tanks I didn't have this in California. All I knew was flush the enzymes down once a month. Apparently I should have had it pumped at least twice since I moved here. Right time for solution thinking. Another week of catching waste in the bucket. Bought saw dust for a make shift compost toilet. At least that way my plants can have some food.
Ok on the plus side I can just do my hours and go to church. I got home about 530 and still had to feed cats and change litter. Not to mention pick up the puppy pads I had put down to soak up the human waste leaking from the septic. I'm now out of the pads and scrambling to find sheets or towels to put down in their place since rain's expected tonight. So no time to get to Fort Smith.
Plan #4 watch services on Facebook live. Yeah finally sat down to watch after I had showered and the service was over.
I decided to watch the replay. There's always been a calming affect of the Good Friday services maybe it's the contemplative nature of the service. No organ music or choir, just a soloist at the end singing Were You There When They Crucified my Lord. I didn't know whether that calming affect would translate through the computer. At first not really, I kept listening while scrolling through Facebook and doing stuff on the computer. Then our minister Father Mike Lager quoted a sermon from S.M. Lockridge entitled It's Friday but Sunday's Coming So I decided to look it up. I found a video of the original set to drums and it sent chills up my spine. The calming affect of the service came through the computer. God/ The Universe/Source Energy has calmed my mind and spirit. I can now greet both my 50th birthday and Easter from a calm place instead of a stressed filled state. It's Friday but Sunday's Coming. Happy Easter and Passover. May God's Peace and Blessings be upon you.
