I will always remember it..........the dreaded note on the kitchen
table. During the summer or times when Mom and Dad would be away, I would wake
up and make my way into the kitchen to find a list of chores written on a piece
of paper. It was expected that these chores would be completed before I was
allowed to participate in any fun activity. Somewhere on the list, I
usually found the word "dust." Mom has always placed utmost
importance on a clean house. She hates dust. I remember her dusting her room at
odd times: before going to work in the morning, in between putting on make-up
and teasing her hair, and while brushing her teeth! While I absolutely hated
getting the list of cleaning duties, I will have to admit that it taught me
some responsibility. Mom and Dad lived through my resentful comments (even to
this day) because they knew that they there were teaching me good life habits.
Sitting in hospitals is torturous! The long wait for healing and
the endless hours waiting on a doctor to finally arrive will certainly create
some unique conversations in the dark, quiet hospital room. During Dad's last
stay in the hospital, we visited almost every floor and area. We started on the
3rd floor, went to ICU, and ended up on the 4th floor after the feeding tube procedure
in an operating room. In our first room, we were finding random entertainment.
Someone in the room noticed the crucifix. Quickly, it was noted how much dust
was on Jesus. Clearly, it had been an eternity since any attention was given to
the crucifix by housekeeping. As we began rubbing our fingers across the top of
wall hanging analyzing the amount of dust, Dad broke out into song, Southern
Gospel style....
Ain't no dust on my Jesus,
Ain't no dust on my Lord.
Ain't no dust on my Jesus,
Ain't no dust on my Lord.
We all broke into laughter and began singing the song with him! We
noticed the dust in the ICU room and sang the song. We noticed the dust on the 4th
floor, and we broke out into song. Most nurses that attended to Dad heard the
song at one point or another. In fact, some began singing it with us!
The Baptist Rabbi told several visitors that this would be a title
of a good sermon! Dad never missed a good chance to use a funny story as the
basis of a powerful message!
There is a lot to be said about dust on our Jesus. Holding Jesus
close to us during these past few months has been super easy. When times of
trouble hit, we are all prone to pick up our relationship with Him, gather the
dust rag, make Him clean and shiny, and hold Him close as we pray for a
resolution to our current situation. But what happens when we are on life's
mountaintops? Do we carry Jesus equally as close, or do we tend to let Him sit
and collect dust, waiting for our next immediate need?
There is one thing for sure. At the Baptist Rabbi's house, there
was very little dust. No dust on the furniture, no dust on the floor, and
definitely no dust on Jesus. The Baptist Rabbi and his wife hold Jesus close
both in the good times and bad. They taught me that being a Christian is not a
checklist of actions, but it is a close relationship with Jesus that is
constant over time, not based on conditional circumstances.
As we enter this weekend, may we all take just a few moments to
make sure there is no dust on our Jesus. Whether we are in the midst of a
valley or a mountaintop, He is there waiting to grow closer to each of us. May
we all sing the Baptist Rabbi's gospel spiritual song with confidence:
Ain't no dust on my Jesus,
Ain't no dust on my Lord.
Thank you, Mom and Dad, for teaching me the power of removing
dust!
(After the dusting in ICU!)
Update on the Baptist Rabbi and his wife: Dad has gained 10 pounds on the feeding
tube!!! Praises!! He is adjusting well, although he did cheat on Drew's
birthday and ate a few bites of oreo ice cream!! He has begun a new swallow
therapy called VitalStim, which we hope proves to be successful in increasing
his swallowing ability. A group of wonderful friends, including Gary Bowers,
Steve Page, Jack Jones, and Carolyn Braden, are helping with the transportation
to doctor appointments and therapy. I am forever grateful to them for their
help while I am at work.
Mom has completed her first cataract surgery and will have the
second one on February 15. Lindsey Denton has been a lifesaver in getting her
to the beauty shop each week! And for those of you who know my Mom, this is the
most important activity of the week! She may struggle with mobility, but her
hair looks FABULOUS! :)
