lonely

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Two Weeks Since We’ve Been Together

It’s been two weeks and I’m ready for things to get back to the way they were.

two weeks since we've been together

I remember at the beginning of covid there were people who thought, “A couple of weeks of shut down and we will beat this thing; then we can get back to normal.”

Well, that was over two years ago and we are still not back to the way things were before covid hit us.

When some big upheaval comes along, does it mean that things don’t settle back into place? 

When you throw a rock into the water, there is a great eruption in the water and then there are ripples that break the surface. After a short time, the water settles back into place. There is no evidence that anything broke the surface of the water. It looks just as it did before.

When you leave your home for a two-week vacation, you come back expecting that everything will be just as you left it. In most cases that is true.

But then there is this: Two weeks ago my wife, Lily, left on a business trip to Italy. Today she returns. I’ve been living in the house by myself for the last two weeks. … Things will not be the same as when she left. 

There may be papers on the kitchen table that weren’t there when she left. She will definitely find some crumbs on the floor or counter because that’s just who I am. 

In a sense, though everything will generally be the same, there will be a few things that have changed – like three of the balloons she got for her birthday are now hovering only inches off the ground. 

I know for sure that it will not be long after she arrives home that our house will be back to what it was like before she left. 

But the bigger question is, “What about us?” What about Lily and I after being apart for two weeks? Will we go back to the way things were before she left? 

We’ve been married for almost 37 years. When you think about it, two weeks apart is not very long. We should get back into the rhythm of our life quickly. 

Shortly after her return, there should be no sign that she had been gone for two weeks. But I wonder if that is good. Should everything go back to the way it was before two weeks ago?

Over 37 years there are patterns we have fallen into and some of those patterns could use a change – like how much time we actually spend doing things together at home.

Maybe two weeks could prove to be the start of some fresh new ways Lily and I will settle back into place. 

Maybe getting back to the way things were is not always best.

Here’s the thing: When people puts their faith in Christ for their salvation, much about them is the same the next day. On the outside everything about them looks the same as it did before. However, for a person’s faith to be real, the change that took place on the inside will have to show up on the outside, in how he or she thinks, speaks and feels. Placing your faith in Christ will leave you changed and things won’t be as they were before. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What would two weeks change for you? Leave your comments and questions below.

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She Made Me Sick

It almost never happens. In fact, I can’t ever remember a time when it’s happened before. But it happened this weekend: my wife, Lily and I got sick at the same time. Usually, one of us is there for the other one. Well, maybe her more than me.

Normally if Lily is sick, I stay clear to protect myself; I don’t want to get too close.  And it works most of the time. Sometimes however, as she is getting better, that’s when I’ll come down with it.

sick-couple

Saturday we were both in bed, pretty much all day. We had extra blankets and layers of clothing on. I’m not sure what to call our sickness. There was a time way back, when I would offer a name for it.  Back then, if you were achy, coughing, hot and cold at the same time, we called that a cold. If you felt like you were going to throw up, it was the flu.

Now, it seems we call everything the flu. That’s not very descriptive, if you ask me. I remember when, if someone told you they had the flu, you got a mental image of them with a bucket close by.

Now, however, we are just plain confused when someone says, “I had the flu.” You ask, “What kind of flu? – the kind that you feel like throwing up, or the blowing-your-noise-and-have-a-temperature kind?” Come on, just give them two different names; one’s the flu and the other is a cold. Lily and I had the cold variety, got the picture?

As the day progressed, I started thinking that our kids should be here to look after us.  After all, we certainly did that for them for many years. Sadly, Karlie lives two time zones away and Mike, well, he’d stayed over at a friend’s the night before.

We were sick and on our own. So Lily had to make lunch for us. Now, just so you don’t get the idea I did nothing all day, I made my own dinner. It was a frozen pizza, but I had to go downstairs twice, the second time for the instructions. That used way too much energy for me that day!

All day I couldn’t shake this thought that our kids should be here for us. Karlie even phoned us while she was out shopping, wanting advice on choosing a soup stock to buy. It was like she was taunting us with visions of chicken vegetable soup. But there was no way she could beam it over to us.

I looked outside and it was snowing. There was no way we could shovel the snow, but Mike could do it . . . if he was home!

At that point, we both felt kind of sad and lonely, Lily more that me, ‘cause I had hockey to watch all afternoon and evening. Where were those kids when you needed them?

Here’s the thing: Just like our kids were not close by when we were both sick, if we have allowed or caused some distance in our relationship with God to exist, we certainly won’t feel like He is close by when we need Him. I need to make sure I stay close to God when I’m doing well, so that when I’m not, I know He is there to help.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What kinds of things can cause distance in your relationship with God? Leave your comment below.