Here I am Lord

1. Water supply pipe corroded and burst at Lakota (our rental house) last night around 11pm.
2. Electricity at our Spangler homestead is on the fritz.
3. I just opened the mail and have been summoned for jury duty.

They say it happens in strings of three.  Needless to say I classify these as a series of unfortunate events.  Ironically, I was reflecting with Pete earlier this week about the readings and homily from Mass on Holy Family Sunday.   Of course, not all that long before...Angel says, 'Yo Mary- you're having a baby boy.  He's God's son. Name him Jesus.' More recently, Matthew's gospel recounts the unstable life of the holy family as they are forced into exile. Angel says, 'Zup Joseph?- Take your wife and newborn child and go to Egypt so Herod won't destroy him'.  After a bit Angel says, 'Hola Joseph, Herod's dead.  Go to Israel.'  Intuitively and forewarned in another dream Joseph leads the family to Galilee rather than Judea to ensure safety.  Of course, the holy family, more specifically the new parents of Holy, Holy, Holy heed the commands/requests without hesitation or delay.  I don't know about you, but as a newer parent myself I find these sort of unexpected announcements and urgent requests to be harder to swallow.  But, hey, that's life.

In the midst of Christmas and all the joyous celebration of our Savior's birth I had never really stopped to reflect on all the added challenges and inevitable hardships that the Holy family was bound to face.  Just like I can easily forget, amongst all the hustle and bustle of preparing for our own holiday parties getting grumpy because Luke is whining about wearing his light up shoes rather than his black dress shoes, that there are people out there that have a single pair of shoes riddled with holes and soles worn thin as they walk around town searching for gainful employment.  Then of course, there is my aggravation over the static electricity in the air that makes me fear a hug from my child or a kiss from my husband as a charged ZAP! stings my lips or cheek because the furnace is working overtime to keep the environment warm and dry, dry, dry. Oh, but wait-... I'm complaining because I have warm and dry shelter? or people that want to be around me and  share their affection?!?!!?

I guess I've been a little on edge lately wondering what exactly God has in store for me and our family.  Where we'll be? Where we'll work?  If we should work? WHEN? I'm overwrought with wonder.   As natural as I feel it is to ask questions, I wonder that Mary and Joseph ever wondered?  How do I transform, or faithfully let go, so that all the wondering turns into pondering.

 And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. ~Luke 2:18-19