Finding Direction: The Wind Vane Chronicles

Sorry I haven’t been around the past few days.  

It’s a long story not worth the telling.

But yesterday, and full force today, I’m not feeling well at all with a sore throat and cold like symptoms.  Got it from Tom, I guess.  I feel plain lousy.

In fact, I feel like I’m slip, slidin’ away, as in Paul Simon’s great song (copied in full below), one of my favorites. He says in part, "You know the nearer your destination, the more you’re slip slidin’ away."

Many times, that’s exactly how I feel!

So you ever feel that way?

I can’t explain it, I don’t think.  Or understand it.  It just seems that life gets to be too much sometimes and I don’t know if I’m making any headway or not.  Today is certainly one of those days.  And the past couple of nights have been, too.  I just go to bed, turn out the light, close my eyes and say "God . . . Help me."  I don’t even know what to ask for.  Just help.

What comforts me most is knowing that He does help.  He’s helped the past couple of days in turning hurricane Ike way further south and west of here (slip, slidin’ away), although I don’t wish it upon anyone.  I’m also praying that Ike will falter and downgrade a lot like Gustav did.  Although, you certainly can’t tell that Gustav did in a good many places in south Louisiana, still.  Some people in the lower parishes have not yet been able to come home and New Orleans’ mayor, Ray Nagin, has been worrying that people would be way too tired and financially tapped out to be able to evacuate again so soon.  That’s a very real worry.

We heard on local TV (New Orleans) last week right before Gustav that the average amount families spend when they have to evacuate is $1,000.  That’s a lot, friends.  I was looking earlier today at a photo on the New Orleans’ Times Picayune online showing long lines of people lined up outside to receive food stamps.

I’m sure those people feel as if their lives are slip, slidin’ away, too.

As Christians, I believe we need to seek out and serve as many people as we can find who are slip, slidin’ away.  We each have our own way of doing that and a different circle of people around us from which to choose from, but we first must be aware and looking.

At least, encouraging other Christians around us to do so and help them to reach out to others when we can’t ourselves.  I’ve taken numerous "spiritual" personality and "graces" tests in the past that have just about all shown that my personality and grace is to be an encourager. 

Today, I hope that I may be an encourager to you who stop by here.  I certainly don’t feel like getting out at all and poor Tom had to make his own lunch today because I felt so bad.  But, I’m feeling better enough this afternoon to come in here to "compute" and plan on "fixin’" Tom’s dinner.  

You guys are always a been encouragement to me, so thanks, once again, for that.

And, if you have any words of wisdom for me today about how to overcome my "slip, slidin’ away" syndrome, I’d like to hear them!   

Cheers & Blessings to you all today!

Dee

*Slip, Slidin’ Away – Lyrics and song by Paul Simon

CHORUS:
Slip slidin’ away
Slip slidin’ away
You know the nearer your destination
The more you’re slip slidin’ away

I know a man
He came from my home town
He wore his passion for his woman
Like a thorny crown
He said Delores
I live in fear
My love for you’s so overpowering
I’m afraid that I will disappear

CHORUS

I know a woman
Became a wife
These are the very words she uses
To describe her life
She said a good day
Ain’t got no rain
She said a bad day’s when I lie in bed
And think of things that might have been

CHORUS

And I know a father
Who had a son
He longed to tell him all the reasons
For the things he’d done
He came a long way
Just to explain
He kissed his boy as he lay sleeping
Then he turned around and headed home again

CHORUS

God only knows
God makes his plan
The information’s unavailable
To the mortal man
We work our jobs
Collect our pay
Believe we’re gliding down the highway
When in fact we’re slip slidin’ away