November 24, 2006 What is “normal?” …It’s all in how you look at it
I live in a room in the church and sleep on an air mattress with a 4 lb puppy. I have no TV or radio. I shower in a shack out back. But to me, it’s like a 5-star hotel!
Ever since that night I spent with a freezing wind blowing in the broken window and an air mattress on the cold tile floor (see entry dated Friday, Nov. 3rd), things have improved considerably. My air mattress is now up on a cot, the window has been repaired and I have a space heater. The missing wood slats have been replaced in the shower shack, so no more freezing air blowing in there during my 5:30 am shower. The hot water heats the shack up quite nicely. So when Paige, a lady I work with, came upstairs and looked around my room and said, “Wow, this is depressing,” I was surprised! Especially considering that Paige lost everything in Katrina.
I questioned Paige about this, and she said that in all the 8 locations that she’s lived in since Katrina, they’ve all been more of a “family” type situation. She’s basically had her privacy. With 70+ people sharing the church with me, my room is where I go to find my privacy. But you see-I know that I have a home back in NC and that this is a temporary living situation for me. I don’t need to rebuild anything, and I chose to be in this situation (well actually God chose this for me, but let’s not quibble). Paige didn’t choose to have a hurricane take away her home, clothes, photos, community, etc., so living where she has privacy is critical to her mental well-being.
Across from the church where I’m staying, there’s a house with two FEMA trailers. The house belongs to the parents, and two of their grown children (and their families) live in the trailers. I see them trek over to the house each morning and evening for showers, breakfast and supper. I watch the grandchildren leave for and return from school each day. This is now “normal” for this family, they have adjusted. I even hear their laughter and family chatter as it is carried across the parking lot through the open windows of the grandparent’s kitchen on a warm Louisiana breeze.
Sharing a shower with 70+ people has become “normal.” Sharing a kitchen, TV, computer, etc. is normal. I’m learning so much from this experience, somewhat as the people of Louisiana have learned. Look around your house, your life, at your “things.” What is really meaningful? What adds to the purpose of your life? What can you live without? What truly glorifies God and helps fulfill God’s purpose for your life? What IS "normal"?
On Nov. 3rd my favorite daily devotional (Purpose Driven Life) reflects this thought…
“Every time you forget that character is one of God’s purposes for your life, you will become frustrated by your circumstances.” — Rick Warren
Relax…He is in control. Do not worry about the normal day to day things of this earth-our reward is in living a life that glorifies our Father. When things don't seem "normal" you are simply building character, and never forget that what you consider normal today can change in the blink of an eye. If it does, will you be able to adapt trusting that God is Good, all the time?
IHS,
Patricia