So, I woke up late. And Christy woke up late. And Zach didn’t want to wake up at all. Bless him, Josh was on the move.
Our mornings at this point call for getting the boys ready for school in time to take Christy to work, and then get back to put the boys in the taxi that takes them to school. So, we get everyone to the car, but several minutes later than we would prefer, and as we back out of the driveway, we see the taxi pull up, about 10 minutes early, in front of the house (instead of the side of the house, where we have a sidewalk to the street – this will be important momentarily).
As I swing the van around the front of the house, Christy opens the window and tells the driver, ‘We’re just taking me to work, and he’ll be back with the boys within 10 minutes, okay?” But even as she’s saying it, I can see the look of confusion and irritation clouding over taxi-driver’s face. “You want to take the kids now? You’re going to get to school too early” (and Christy’s going to get to work too late, I”m thinking). Of course he does. So, I swing the van in front of the taxi, and tell Josh to run in the house to get his and Zach’s backpacks. I run up to the house with him, to unlock the door, and grab Zach’s pack from him to carry it to the car; as I hit the first step of grass (remember that sidewalk that the taxi didn’t pull up to?) WOW I’M FLYING/HORIZONTAL AND DOWN on my side in the snow and slush. In the clothes I planned to wear to the office today.
Now I’m mad at the taxi driver. I’m mad at unusually warm January weather melting this snow. I’m mad.
Boys in the taxi, Christy back in the van, race her to work, almost 10 minutes late, then head back for home, trying to figure out what to wear today.
As I get out of the van in the driveway, one of our churchgoers pulls up and says, “Good morning! Have you got a few minutes?” Well no, I sure don’t, because I’m wet and irritated. “Sure, let’s go inside.”
And we proceed to have a great 45 minutes of getting to know each other better, some useful insights on a task I’m going to do later this week, and encouragement about what I do as a preacher. By 9:00, the entire kerfuffle – yes, I said it: kerfuffle – that was 7:55-8:15 is gone.
Community is a blessing. And God, the Author of Community, is good.
Brandon Woosley 