I love a good rain storm. A few years ago we had 3 or 4 hurricanes come through Florida, two of which cut a good size swath through Gainesville. They did a fair amount of damage but not at our house. Well, we had a tree come down but it was already dying so it saved us the $300 to have it taken out. Thanks Dad. The coolest part was sitting on the front porch and watching the wind just whip the trees around. Amazing! Playing in the rain is a blast too! Love to stand in the pouring rain and be pelted with 70 mph rain or watch the streets turn to rivers. Weird I know but I'm a man of child like pleasures.
We were recently traveling through Georiga and a good stretch of their interstate is concrete instead of asphalt like here in Florida. There were places where it was under construction and they had these cranes and bulldozers and huge machines used to pour and smooth the concrete. I'd love to pull over and watch. Much more fun to sip iced tea and watch others work. The best thing, I think, about concrete highways are the expansion joints in the road. You know, as you drive over them you get that ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk sound, like the road has a rhythm to it.It can put you to sleep. Bad if you're driving but awesome if you have fussy kids in the back. They hate being in the trunk.
The Peaks of Otter are in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Bedford, Va. and we used to go visit 'cause we had relatives in Bedford. Climbing the mountain was fun but the thing we looked forward to the most was the picnic at the base of the mountain. And we loved it because there was a stream to play in. It had hundreds of smooth and round rocks and boulders to walk on and if you lifted the rocks sometimes you'd find crawdads. Those boogers were quick but if slowly put your hand over them you might catch one. Once you did though you were like the dog who caught the car he was chasing, "what do I do with this?". I don't know why but mom always said "you can play at the creek but don't get wet". Yeah, It was worth the spanking.
I sometimes pressure wash driveways and some are easier to clean than others. New ones are easy because they are smoother whereas the older ones have cracks and crevices. Lots of little stones and holes the surface for dirt to hide in and around. It used to be smooth but rain drops have one by one warn away the cement in driveway. Or they've watered a near by tree whose roots have grown under and cracked the driveway. Amazing how something so small can in time have such a big effect. Same thing with the river rocks. A small rain drop fall on the mountain and meets with others in the stream and over time shape the stream and the rocks in it. Neat.
I think I've wasted a lot of my life. Maybe we all can say that. Or some of us. Ok, just me. I've pursued so much that didn't matter and with little effort the things that do. Makes me sad. Part of it is that I didn't think I made much of a difference. I'm just a little rain drop of a man whose work is...small. The thing I love about those road building machines is you can stand there and in a fraction of time see them create something big and amazing that everyone loves and uses. I'm no bulldozer. I'm a drop. And that's ok even though I don't like it. We can't all be the big machine. We can't all be Billy Graham. I don't know. Maybe we're the drip that introduced Billy to Jesus. I have some friends who are moving soon. They're not Billy. They're just people who loved God and enjoyed being His child. Being His small drop. They are a big drop in my world. I'm glad to know them. Gonna miss 'em.
I am so grateful for my life, that my Dad chose me to be His son. I'm sorry I've not been a better one. But I'm determined to be the best drop I can, to be at the right place at the right time to affect whatever He puts before me. Please know you're not a drip, but a drop of His creation with a purpose and an intention. "We are His workmanship, created for good works in Christ. He calls us to offer up ourselves a living sacrifice". I AM important and hope to live that way. You are too. My prayer is that we live in such a way as to refresh our world. Refresh it with a drop of Living water.
Another Drop in the flow.
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