I meant what I said, and I said what I meant.

Hallelujah! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart. Psalm 111:1

The Cry of the Church

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Even as Hallelujah originated as a transliteration of the second-person imperative form of the Hebrew verb hallal, a command to praise, early in the morning it can seem like a command performance, shaking out all of the murmuring and double-heartedness of my heart so that I may be wholehearted, undivided in my worship.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

This weekend a whole lot of us went to Puerto Peñasco. And we rented a great big house a block from the calm warm ocean and we had boxes and bags and coolers of food and toys and blankets and towels and firewood for the fireplace.

And some of the little kids had never done anything like this before, and their first response was a pouty “I don’t like it” or even sometimes “I hate it.” And we big kids were a lot like Sam I am with his platter of Green Eggs and Ham. Try it and you may. Try it and you may I say.

And I have read Green Eggs and Ham a jillion times to Everette. She says it is a happy book. 

And yes, nighttime tide-pooling with flashlights and octopus and sea cucumbers and even a nudibranch, the twirling Spanish Dancer, and Italian potato-stuffed pasta and kayaking and Salad Bowl Charades rebranded as Banana Split Charades was pretty cool.

And sometimes I am that little kid howling noooooooooo before I have tasted, tasted and seen the Lord’s goodness.

But Manuel the Italian exchange student had a great response when I complimented him on his kindness to sometimes fussy kids. He shut me down quick. He said each child is beautiful and delightful and beloved. No matter what. It was a great response because it is the response of our Heavenly Father.

And I tried to tuck his answer into my a whole heart yesterday as I headed out into a day covering for two sick teachers on top of my own classes and a principal taking care of some important things and a director who had to leave suddenly and then another two teachers with family emergencies and I didn’t even sit down for nine hours. And really so many of these beautiful children were recovering from what had obviously been a rough long four days at home and there was lots of tears and defiance and stomping. And making farting noises with their mouths every time I knelt down to help a student with a question.

But that old I am Sam, Sam I am never gave up. Neither did Horton the Elephant faithful, 100%. Pretty good truths to pound into our core again and again in sing-song rhythms.

And this week’s core value is excellence. And Reverend Susan read aloud to each of us from Aristotle, We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.

Like sliding on that alarm for 4:15 every morning.
Like setting the espresso pot on the gas stove to boil.
And scraping off ice from windshield this morning to go swimming.

And may I become a whole-hearted woman of thanks. Repeatedly, without hesitation. Beyond a choice or decision, but just what I do because it is who I am.

Faithful. Full of faith. 100%.