May 6, 2020
I needed a box out of the attic. My husband was out of town so I had to either wait (not gonna do that) or get it myself. The girls (there were 2 at that time) were watching one of their favorite movies and I knew they would stay occupied. So, I gently pulled down the creaky ladder in the hallway and climbed into the hot attic. My husband had laid down some plywood to floor a lot of the space, which would make it easier to move around and look for the box I needed. I was trying to be quick and quiet. I didn’t want two little girls following me and wanting to “help”. As with most attics the lighting was not the best and for sure that box I was looking for would not be right at the front. So much for being quick. I finally located the elusive box in the far back corner just past the plywood flooring, balanced on two intersecting boards. Now I just needed to reach it. Leaving my right foot on the flooring, I aimed my left foot at the next available beam. And I missed! What happened next was straight out of an episode of “I Love Lucy”. My foot, of course, plunged straight through the insulation and thin sheet rock of the ceiling. (Ethel, help!) Fortunately the 2 x 4 beams were close enough together to stop my falling all the way through to the room below. But the stopping was excruciating. (I had that bruise on my hip for weeks!) As I tried to think through the pain and the “what just happened?” I heard the terrified screaming of my children below. My deeper exploration of the attic had put me directly above where they were watching the TV. As they lounged innocently below engrossed in “Aladdin”, suddenly a leg had plunged through the ceiling above their heads. And they were freaking out! (They didn’t know I was even in the attic and they didn’t know it was MY leg!) With the swiftness and strength of a mother bear whose cubs are in danger, I unplunged myself from the hole. I’m pretty sure if I’d been home alone I would have had to hang there until help arrived, but their screaming motivated me. Once my leg was out of the hole, I put my face there and saw two hysterical little girls running in circles below. I began yelling, “Hey, it’s me! It’s just me! It’s mom!” Eventually they heard me and stopped running and looked up. “Mommy?” I’ll never forget those sweet little tear streaked faces. “Mommy, what are you doing up there?” Good question. To this day, I do not remember what was in the box that I so desperately needed. I do know that I exited the attic without it. The girls met me at the bottom of the ladder. We hugged and kissed and laughed about “the leg poking through the roof”. “Mommy, we were scared! We didn’t know it was you!” I know it may be simplistic, and I know God is in my heart and all around me, but I still picture him “above me”, in Heaven, working on things, arranging things, looking down on me with love in his eyes. And I know He’s seen me, during hard or scary times, looking up with tear stained cheeks and asking “God, what are you doing up there? Why is this happening?” When things are happening that we don’t understand it’s important to stop running in hysterical circles and listen for his voice. God has a plan and a purpose for everyone and everything. Sometimes things get better quickly (just a quick patch on the ceiling) and sometimes the bruise lasts a long time. Good or bad, happy or sad, God is in all things. It’s important to remember when we have “plunged through a hole” that God will be there to pull us out. Psalm 121:3 says: “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber.” I am not sure I’ve ever read that verse before today, but I am thankful for it! Psalm 56:3 says: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Hebrews 13:6: "So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Whatever is on your mind, pray about it. Look up and listen! Smile and be joyful!
I needed a box out of the attic. My husband was out of town so I had to either wait (not gonna do that) or get it myself. The girls (there were 2 at that time) were watching one of their favorite movies and I knew they would stay occupied. So, I gently pulled down the creaky ladder in the hallway and climbed into the hot attic. My husband had laid down some plywood to floor a lot of the space, which would make it easier to move around and look for the box I needed. I was trying to be quick and quiet. I didn’t want two little girls following me and wanting to “help”. As with most attics the lighting was not the best and for sure that box I was looking for would not be right at the front. So much for being quick. I finally located the elusive box in the far back corner just past the plywood flooring, balanced on two intersecting boards. Now I just needed to reach it. Leaving my right foot on the flooring, I aimed my left foot at the next available beam. And I missed! What happened next was straight out of an episode of “I Love Lucy”. My foot, of course, plunged straight through the insulation and thin sheet rock of the ceiling. (Ethel, help!) Fortunately the 2 x 4 beams were close enough together to stop my falling all the way through to the room below. But the stopping was excruciating. (I had that bruise on my hip for weeks!) As I tried to think through the pain and the “what just happened?” I heard the terrified screaming of my children below. My deeper exploration of the attic had put me directly above where they were watching the TV. As they lounged innocently below engrossed in “Aladdin”, suddenly a leg had plunged through the ceiling above their heads. And they were freaking out! (They didn’t know I was even in the attic and they didn’t know it was MY leg!) With the swiftness and strength of a mother bear whose cubs are in danger, I unplunged myself from the hole. I’m pretty sure if I’d been home alone I would have had to hang there until help arrived, but their screaming motivated me. Once my leg was out of the hole, I put my face there and saw two hysterical little girls running in circles below. I began yelling, “Hey, it’s me! It’s just me! It’s mom!” Eventually they heard me and stopped running and looked up. “Mommy?” I’ll never forget those sweet little tear streaked faces. “Mommy, what are you doing up there?” Good question. To this day, I do not remember what was in the box that I so desperately needed. I do know that I exited the attic without it. The girls met me at the bottom of the ladder. We hugged and kissed and laughed about “the leg poking through the roof”. “Mommy, we were scared! We didn’t know it was you!” I know it may be simplistic, and I know God is in my heart and all around me, but I still picture him “above me”, in Heaven, working on things, arranging things, looking down on me with love in his eyes. And I know He’s seen me, during hard or scary times, looking up with tear stained cheeks and asking “God, what are you doing up there? Why is this happening?” When things are happening that we don’t understand it’s important to stop running in hysterical circles and listen for his voice. God has a plan and a purpose for everyone and everything. Sometimes things get better quickly (just a quick patch on the ceiling) and sometimes the bruise lasts a long time. Good or bad, happy or sad, God is in all things. It’s important to remember when we have “plunged through a hole” that God will be there to pull us out. Psalm 121:3 says: “He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber.” I am not sure I’ve ever read that verse before today, but I am thankful for it! Psalm 56:3 says: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Hebrews 13:6: "So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Whatever is on your mind, pray about it. Look up and listen! Smile and be joyful!
Great one today! I remember this vividly lol
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