Hickory Dickory Dock

Hickory Dickory Dock

Three mice ran up the clock. The clock struck one, the other two escaped with minor injuries. Hickory dickory dock.

I always liked this version better than the original poem. All of a sudden the cute little passing of time turns into chaos. 

That's a little bit how we were feeling as we were looking forward into this past week.

We had a lot going on. Aiyana had three volleyball games that we were hoping to attend. That would account for three of our evenings. Wednesday evening we had a hayride and bonfire planned for the junior youth at church. Saturday and Sunday we had a booth at the craft show for Autumn Glory. Caleb would also be working in a fundraiser booth for his robotics team and we would need to get him there before our show started. All of those things along with Dr appointments, music classes and homeschool and helping out with my parents seemed to add up. And so the week was shaping up to be a busy one! I would be working Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at my day job. That would leave Monday and Tuesday for making some glass at home and so I needed to start melting glass on Saturday to be ready for Monday and the busy week ahead. We knew it would be a busy week but it seemed doable.

Well, things don't always go to plan. It got busier yet. I hope you aren't reading this account as a "woe is me" account. That's not my intent. And even though things got busier, it turned out to be a week of looking back and counting our blessings.

  My aunt Cora Anna passed away and her viewing was on Monday and the funeral on Tuesday. Those are always sad/happy times. A time of mourning and sadness along with the hope of heaven and the sweetness of family being together and lots of memories being resurrected and shared. And this was no different. The sad realization that all of my loved ones are growing older and fewer of us are left behind each year hits hard sometimes. But thankfully there is still that strong and happy sense of belonging to a family where love and faith and hope of a future are all paramount. Those things can be a real lifesaver at times.

 On top of that Jenelle’s friend Phyllis was hospitalized and put on a ventilator. Phyllis was a mentor to Jenelle the past several years and also a pillar in our church. She had been fighting cancer and it seemed like she was getting better but then the battle turned the other way. Saturday found us at Phyllis's  funeral.  Again, even in the sadness, there was that feeling of belonging as the church family and all those whose lives had been impacted by Phyllis gathered together. And even though it was a sad day, there was also this overwhelming sense of love that permeated the whole ordeal.

And looking back at our busy week, and for that matter, looking forward, we are made aware of time and the clock. We can't control everything, and often not even our schedules. The timekeeper above does all of that. But as our week seemed to get busier it felt like the time keeper provided what was needed.

  Glass furnaces need to be rebuilt frequently due to the extreme heat that takes its toll on the crucible and elements. I knew that my furnace was ready for an overhaul, but I wanted to make it last until after Autumn Glory. It didn't quite make it. I lost an element Saturday evening which meant that I could put off working in the glass shop for the week. Perfect timing!

And our friends were such a blessing! Rebecca and Machelle jumped in and manned our booth on Saturday so that we could attend the funeral. Nate and Jackie invited the boys over for a sleepover with their boys and so we didn't have to worry about them. Other friends reached out to check on us throughout the week.

And through the whole week there was this sense of belonging, of being cared for in a crazy time.

As the clock keeps ticking, I'm sure that there will be times when our schedules feel out of control and other times when everything seems to be going smoothly. And when the clock strikes one, whether that's the simple passing of time or the beginning of chaos, it's good to have the feeling of belonging, and to know someone better than us is in charge of the schedule anyways!

Hope you have a great week!