Rebuilding bridges

I started my Tuesday today by meeting Roger for breakfast at Sandro’s. We caught up on the happenings in the congregation and talked about a number of the recurring themes related to our roles as “servants” of our Lord. When Linda asks what did you talk about, I’m always at a loss to be able to really figure out why the seemingly small number of tangible results could take so much time & talk –maybe its because I talk too much. (I can hear the chorus of AMEN’s from all who know me ..!!) but maybe it is also that we all need to keep learning and growing in our understanding of what it means to be a Christian -- and talking is one way of helping in that ongoing “renewing of our minds” and “attitudes” which we are called to experience (Romans 12:12; Eph.4:23)

When we were in Mississippi one of the more dramatic things that drove home to us the power of Katrina was viewing the US 90 bridge at Biloxi. You couldn’t help think what a massive effort it would be to repair that bridge. Well we have had a similar experience on a smaller scale with a dental bridge.

Over Christmas Linda had a “bridge failure” . She went to our dentist to have it fixed. He took the impressions, installed a temporary bridge and sent out to have the permanent bridge “constructed". When it came back 2 weeks later it didn’t fit -- so he had to try again. Since we had been planning to leave for Mississippi as soon as the dental work was complete this also meant that we had to delay our trip.

Well believe it or not the second bridge didn’t fit either so Linda had to again (3rd time!!) undergo the discomfort of the whole routine (freezing, having your mouth propped open for hours on end..etc..) of making a new impression . Because we wanted to leave for 2 months the dentist made a specially reinforced temporary bridge and said it “should be OK” for the 2 months we planned to be on the road. The good news is that it did hold and we arrived home with it intact.

However, the problems with the permanent repair are not over. When we got home we discovered that our dentist George Shunoch had been hospitalized. However, his partner was available to install the bridge. So Linda went in Tuesday afternoon and – incredible as it may seem it still DID NOT fit. So she has now gone through the impression process for a 4th time -- We are starting to think that we thought was a relatively straightforward (albeit costly) repair is going to take a much time as fixing that bridge at Biloxi!!!

I serve as a volunteer on a number of community & economic development groups in Sault Ste Marie and I had a meeting with one committee today to review a plan for economic growth through Information technology businesses and applications within the community. As usual there is a lot of discussion and debate—that often seems disjointed and of little value but -- it seems that in order to mine out a few nuggets there has to be a lot of sifting through the dross. I’m hopeful that the plan will move ahead and create needed growth in this community.

I mentioned before that Linda was providing some “mentoring” and hands on helpfor her niece who had twins while we were away. She had a call from Vanessa who is a young lady who had here 1st baby about a month ago and is going to see her to day to help her. She has been in touch with another niece Jessica wh also had her 1st baby on the weekend – so she is being kept busy.

The rest of my day was consumed by small things - blowing of the driveway and sidewalk, continuing to clean up household business and email.

One thing I did wast ake some pictures of the ball joint that broke while we were in San Antonio (see March 29-30 posts). (For a size reference the nut is sittinng on the topof a 2 inch tape measure -- the whole part is about 4 inches long ).Iamintending tocontact GM not some much about liability since at the end the costs weren't that high but moretodealwiththe possibilitythat this was one of a defectivebatch that may be a an "accident waiting to happen". It still seems incredible that something like that happened and there is no doubt in my mind that God had a hand in the timing so we got through it without anyone being hurt.

I also downloaded some pictures that Sarah had sent us of Will taken over the last couple of months --IMHO and unbiased of course he is one of the 3 best grandkids in the world.

I’ll close with the thought that the problems Linda is experiencing with her bridge repair is perhaps a metaphor for our lives and the challenges we have in (re)building the bridges of relationships with others.

The storms of life and our own selfishness so often mean that our efforts to build and rebuild relationships fail. When it is something visible and physical that needs fixing we usually keep at it and find a way to do it. Why is it that we sometimes give up so easily on the much more important human relationships in our lives?

God Bless
Charlie & Linda