“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.
- Deuteronomy 5:12-15
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.
- Psalm 23:1-6
In peace I will lie down and sleep,
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.
- Psalm 4:8
Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the guards stand watch in vain.
In vain you rise early
and stay up late,
toiling for food to eat—
for he grants sleep to those he loves.
- Psalm 127:1-2
Truly my soul finds rest in God;
my salvation comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will never be shaken.
- Psalm 62:1-2
Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
- Psalm 62:5-6
This is what the Lord says:
“Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
- Jeremiah 6:16
Boilerplate
I’m Harold Dykstra. I’m retired, but I go to food bank distributions all over Tracy and talk to people that need someone who will listen to their story. My time is well spent. A police lieutenant suggested that I write down the conversations that I had with an angel. I did not know she was an angel at the time. The angel, for a little over a year, indwelled a life-sized posable action figure my children bought me, so that I would not be perceived as travelling alone. And in a way, she was training me for what I do while talking to the needy. She probed my heart to find out what I believed and how I express love for others. She changed my life.
In her leaving, she said someone would come. I had thought that was Jesus, in His second coming, but a new Babs, a little older, the model for the posable action figure arrived. While I had no desire to start over with romance, Morrie helped her move in, thinking she was the other Babs who had returned.
This Week’s Question
Last week, Babs talked to Pink Lady Yeggs. She gave us ideas for a few wedding party people. Morrie’s two children will be escorted by Mags Lothrop’s youngest two children, Mercedes and Mike Lothrop. Al Hart will escort Dezi Dykstra, Morrie’s wife, since the Purple Four will be singing. And since Babs wanted Tony and Joe Painter in the wedding party, Pink thought Mary Jo Lynn needed a chance at dressing up. She has been a cleaning lady and nursery worker ever since she moved to Lily the Pink. And Grace Grunge was just a year younger than Joe Painter. Then Willie’s two children would be the ring bearer and flower girl. Barring any last minute emergencies, everyone has agreed. Grace Grunge, in second grade, is on cloud nine.
But this week, I had not heard Babs get out of bed. I called on a couple of occasions and she just giggled and said she was fine. She thanked me for calling. She added nothing to the conversation. I let this continue all day.
I brought her dinner in bed.
She was excited that I made the effort. I saw her in a subdued nightie, subdued for her. Nighties were her naughty thing.
Harold!” Babs giggled, “You didn’t have to. I had some snacks in my fridge. I was going to be fine on my own. But I love this. Dinner in bed. I feel special.”
I shrugged, “It’s just one of my quick meals, a tuna salad sandwich with mixed fruit on the side. I know you are watching your weight, so no whipped cream for the fruit.”
Babs sighed, “Then, why bother?” Then she laughed.
I smiled, “I just didn’t want the oven or stove on. It’s too hot today.” We ate our meals after a short blessing.
When we had finished, she set her tray on the bedside table. “Let’s go to my sitting room for the bible study.”
I asked, “Are you appropriately dressed?”
She said, “Sure.” Then she grabbed the covers to pull them aside and she quickly flipped the covers back. “Oops.”
I asked, “Is your bottom covered with some naughty lingerie?”
She huffed, “I would like to inform you that my bottom is not covered.” She stopped to take a breath. Then she continued, “with any naughty lingerie.”
I snickered, “With that pause, I’m thinking your bottom is not covered at all.”
Babs reddened, “I was going to change clothes and then changed my mind. Besides, I am not going to show you, one way or the other. Now, please, go into the sitting room, and I will be there in less than a minute. One quick wardrobe adjustment.”
I laughed, but I got up to comply. “Oh, what do you want to study?”
Babs said, “Don’t worry about that, I have been looking up excuses for not doing something today. I have Bible verses already. It’s more of a cross between resting and having some peace and quiet. You know, comfort in our Heavenly Father’s arms kind of thing.”
I did as requested. Some time ago, Babs had rearranged her living room, for the lack of a name for her non-bedroom. At the front side of the house, she had a sitting room area. At the back side of the house, she had her kitchenette and her dining table and chairs. In between she had bookshelves flanking a large cross that she had found at an antique store.
I had hardly got comfortable in one of the two comfy chairs when she walked in. She had a robe on.
I asked, “Is your bottom properly covered? Or did you simply put a robe on?”
Babs lifted her head in disdain, “I will inform you that my bottom is none of your business. I am tired of your ungentlemanly behavior. Now, we need to be in the right mood to have a Bible study. I noticed how you were gazing at my figure during the evening meal. I do not want you taking advantage of me.”
I barely kept it in, but when she pulled out one of those antique cardboard hand fans, with a picture of Jesus on it, I lost it. I recovered to be able to say, “Yes, Dear, I will try my best to be a gentleman. Where do we start?”
Babs led us in prayer and then recited the 23rd Psalm from memory. She said, “That’s where we start. We find rest beside the still waters, or quiet waters, depending on translation. And it talks about us lying down in green pastures, but I would not suggest that for you since you are allergic to just about every grass known to mankind.”
I nodded, “I am so thankful for you keeping a lookout regarding my health, but the quiet waters here is because sheep do not like disturbed water. They only want to drink water when it is still or quiet. I suppose they are afraid that their wool will weigh them down and they will drown. But Ken Davis, the comedian, jokes that the water will go up their nose. I’ve never given their reason for this fear much thought.”
Babs smiled, “Thank you, Mr. Science, but like I said, these verses of mine hint at some rest, but also talk about peace, calm, and quiet. Maybe tranquility could be said about them. Of course, the psalm goes on to say that God is our protector in the dark shadows of life. It says His rod and staff comfort me, and I suppose you will explain that one.”
I smiled, “Yes, Dear, the rod is what the shepherd uses to nudge the sheep in the right direction and the staff is the hooked end to grab us when we wander and put us on the right path. So, God’s rod and staff discipline us and they rescue us. Both of those terms presupposes that we need both of those things.”
Babs had a tear in each eye. She swallowed hard and smiled. Then she nodded, “Psalm 4 ends with sleeping in safety because God provides a safe dwelling. Psalm 127 starts out having a home that God blesses. Without God in the home, we cannot sleep well at night. Do you sleep well, Harold?”
I looked at the cross in the middle of her room. I said, “I often have those nights when I find it hard to sleep. I have this lovely lady that lives upstairs from me. She wears revealing clothing at times that drives me crazy. I doubt if I would have ever thought about marrying anyone again if she had not moved in. Now I cannot think of a life without her. But to answer your question, God gives me the sleep that I need. And when I do not get enough sleep, it is because I do not always keep my eyes on Him. He has tomorrow in His hands. I must trust in Him.”
Babs frowned, “But we still have to plan the wedding, right?”
I smiled, “Oh, yes, we do. But you do realize that St. Patrick’s Day is not long before Easter. It is during Lent. And if we move up the wedding a month, we could do something Valentine’s Day weekend. Not on Valentine’s Day. We’d never be able to eat out at a nice restaurant on Valentine’s Day for our anniversary. Maybe the seventeenth of February. Even if that is President’s Day, we will have a chance at a restaurant.”
Babs smiled, “Okay, smooth talker. That changes your tuxedo, which I think is the reason you want the date changed, but what will we do for decorations?”
I smiled, “I checked. February 17th is Fat Tuesday. Purple, gold, and green. A lot of cheap necklaces everywhere. It’s Mardi Gras night. Everybody will be in party mode anyway.”
Babs laughed, “You smooth talker, you talked me into it, but we have to call Mommie Pinkie.”
I shrugged, “I already did. I said that St. Patrick’s Day was your idea, half joking to see me dressed like a leprechaun, but I was going to suggest Fat Tuesday, exactly one month sooner. Shrove Tuesday, if you prefer. Gwen Quinn says that the dress would be ready in January sometime. We might need to let our wedding party know pretty soon though.”
We kissed, then Babs pulled away. “Darn it. Here we are kissing, and I don’t want to stop. But I wanted to talk about Psalm 62 and Jeremiah 6:16.”
I shrugged, “We are not teenagers, Sweetie. We can come up for air every now and then. So, what about Psalm 62?”
Babs grinned, “We can find our rest in the Lord because He is our salvation and our hope. And Jeremiah 6:16 says that all the Israelites had to do was to ask where the good way is and follow it. But the Israelites did not do that. Will we, Harold?”
I wrapped my arms around her and the robe accidentally fell to the floor. She was properly dressed, but her curves were nice to look at. I kissed her for a long time before answering. “Yes, Babs, every day we are one day closer to our wedding day, but today, we got one month closer.”
She snickered and buried her head into my chest. We could not make it much closer unless we put a rush on the dress. I think Gwen Quinn could pull that off, but we had to show that we could use restraint. In a way, waiting to do this thing right was a test of faith.
Credits
All these conversations remind me of my conversations with my wife. We would talk about anything and everything. And most of the time, it sounded like a discussion in a Sunday school class.
My wife wanted a Valentine’s Day wedding, but there was no church available. But a date later on afterward was available. It worked out as Harold suggested. Valentine’s Day would be booked. No reservations available if you called a month in advance, but our anniversary was always available. Then the decision was how fancy of a restaurant do you want?
Otherwise, I do not have any other credits, except 17 February is Fat Tuesday. We may not have a king cake, but we might be throwing a party the next year as if we had found the king in our piece of cake. Really, we will have each other. Well, I guess, the “we” is what Harold might say.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory.
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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