Tangible Proof

I'm making some progress....it's been a productive day.

I cleaned toilets - a lot of little tiny toilets, which get just as dirty as big toilets. I found myself wondering why toilets are designed with those swirly parts on the sides that make it so difficult to clean close to the floor.

And why is it that boys - it must be boys because I don't know how a girl could manage it - always seem to leak down the side of the toilet?

I wiped down windows and window sills and watched the rain fall. Thought about how those brightly colored rooms would fill up on Sunday morning with laughter and smiles and happiness. I felt a tinge of grief that my days of mothering small children were gone. It must be really, really cool to bring kids to PCC and see the way the upstairs floor is completely dedicated to what will help them learn to love Jesus. I'm proud of our church and its commitment to kids.

I got to spend a bit of time in my office, doing work and organizing my junk. I have a HUGE pile of stuff for the trash, a box for Goodwill and a neatly organized small bookshelf.

Making sense out of this chaos helped me focus today. I'm grateful.

So here's the top of my little shelf - for now. An Erwin McManus book (that I haven't read), Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down, which I read years ago (this copy belongs to Kevin). the Heart of the Artist, which I believe to be essential for any artist of any type who wants to know more about themselves and their place in the kingdom of God. Walk On - also Kevin's. I've read part of it. The Unexpected Adventure, which was the basis for a pretty cool series we did recently. Invitation to Solitude and Silence by Ruth Haley Barton. Want to get wrecked? Read that book. Take This Bread by Sara Miles - brilliant book. Loved it. Positioning, which belongs to Jeanette Brannan. Great book on branding and marketing. Less Clutter, Less Noise - Kem Meyer, and absolutely essential. Two worship devo books - Your Love Is Amazing and The Air I Breathe. An old copy of The Screwtape Letters. One of my favorite devo books, Mornings With Henri Nouwen.

To the right is a pirated copy of the Baptist Hymnal. I will not admit where it came from, because I am ashamed that I still have it. It got packed in a moving box and never returned.

And the rock? That's from a fun video project I did for a women's retreat a few years ago. That rock got around town a good bit...

Tangible proof that some order came into my life today.

NOTE: Obviously I have stuff on my shelf that belongs to others; this is just the tip of the iceberg. If you've given me a cd or book recently, cruise by and pick it up. I have a lot of things with no traceable connection to the owner. And, by the way, if you're from Chagrin Falls, you can have the hymnal back....

EDITED NOTE: I stand corrected. That is not a BAPTIST hymnal; it is THE hymnal. For Worship and Celebration. Just FYI.