Worship Closet (by way of Florida)

OK, before you go thinking that Amy Lou has finally flipped out from the stress; let me clarify the title of this blog. The point I am going to share at the end of this little ditty is my brainstorm about how a “worship closet” could be the answer to my “I don’t wanna go to church”. “By way of Florida” is just to let you know that I have a lot of stuff I want to say BEFORE getting there. (And D, we just might be going through Georgia to get to Florida- inside joke about my lack of geography skills when discussing the route we would be taking to Florida on a summer youth trip. I teach history not geography. Get over it. If only Hubby would let me forget.) Hang on and hang in there, I got things to say.

*Dad’s surgery was a success. If I wasn’t so squeamish I would have taken pics of each stage, but I only managed to snap a shot of his bandaged head. Therefore you won’t be seeing him looking like an Ooompa Loompa painted all orange after they prepped him. Good news…the doctor said he got the entire tumor. Of course this was in-between talking about his ranch and hunting hogs and Mom quizzing him on his political views. I was totally cracking up. I don’t think the doctor ever saw that coming. Not so good news… Dad now has a hole in his head. Juju is insistent that the hole in his head has had zero negative effects since she is still solid in her standing as favorite daughter. Yeah, yeah, whatever. He also sliced off some nose and felt it would come back basal cell, which is the least invasive skin cancer. Mark that in the good news category. The upside to this little operation is that he got a mini-forehead lift. They had to pinch his scalp together so tight on his right side that he lost some wrinkles and now looks like he is giving the raised eyebrow when he looks at you. Or it could just be me. I’ve gotten that look a lot in my 40 years. Mostly back in the 80s and the early 2000s. (Black sheep syndrome; youth and post divorce). The scar will probably look like a Z which the doctor said stands for Zorro. The same doctor cut on Juju and she has the same Z on the back of her neck. It must be his signature scar. Although Juju calls it her Harry Potter scar because it favors the lightning bolt or something. I don’t know Potter.

*After Dad’s surgery, Mom and I dropped him off at home and headed off to the Olive Garden for our favorite soups and salad. Before you get all judgmental about leaving Dad alone right after his surgery a) he was fine and the doctor said “no activity, just rest” and 2) he hates going out to eat. So Mom and I had a great lunch and some great conversation. I cherish our mom/daughter times. We had some chuckles about her sister, who is 91 and just moved in to an assisted living facility. Aunt Sena Bell is a social butterfly and has quickly made friends and been reacquainted with friends from the ol’ days. I can’t wait to go see her in her new pad. Mom also shared with me a blessing that she had received. It’s really cool when you hear about God doing His thing and it touches someone you know. I am not going to repeat the story here, it’s Mom’s to tell, but it was really awesome. I shared with Mom that my next blog was going to be titled “40 Sucks” and she very sweetly said, “Oh honey, don’t write something negative, be positive”. So you can thank her for the “Worship Closet” and the fact that you are not reading a list of all the ways I think 40 sucks! However, she didn’t get off quite as easy as you. I proceeded to explain to her why 40 sucks and in response she called my doctor’s office (which is where she works, convenient huh?) and made an apportionment for me on Wednesday. I already have 2 other doctor’s appointments that day so this makes it a trifecta. Here is what I envision going down Wednesday (after I tell the nice little dental hygienist to back the hell up with the floss because you are not going to make my gums bleed for days, ever again!) … I am going to tell my doc that I haven’t been able to shake the “winter blues” and I have absolutely no energy. I have insomnia, more than usual, and I can burst into tears at the drop of a well placed commercial for Nutrisystem. We are going to draw some blood, check the thyroid and such, and stick out my hip for a big ol’ B12 shot in the booty. I need a jump start with some energy and am betting the farm that this will work. If it doesn’t, brace yourself for a “40 Sucks” blog.

*Worship Closet. The big finale. What you have been waiting for. OK. At lunch Mom mentions again her concern about Hubby and I not having a church home and the connection to people that comes with it. I listened attentively, because that is what daughters do, but I didn’t jump in to defend my position. I totally understand her concern; I was raised in church. I know all the church-thingy’s that we are supposed to do. But I just can’t go there right now. After lunch with Mom, I had a meeting with some Camp CommUNITY friends and we began talking about relationships, which led to a conversation about faith. It was kinda like getting to Florida by way of Georgia and you don’t need the detour details. Sooooo, I shared with my friends that Hubby and I were no longer a part of a church family and that if I could find a church with an awesome worship service, I would love to go and then leave when the preaching started. It’s the songs, singing, praying through the music, which brings me the feeling of being close to God. It’s not a guy up front preaching AT me, berating me for my failures, etc… As I was considering our conversation on the drive home, the verse about prayer closets came to mind. Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. So if this is what we should be doing in our prayer life, could I not do this in my worship; get up on Sunday morning, go into my “closet” and fire up my favorite worship play list on my iPod and worship. Taking that time each Sunday morning and earnestly seek Him through song and praise. I think I am on to something. I think I am going to try it. I will let you know how it goes.