Pa and Bonhoeffer

April has been a crazy month.  Thankfully it is now May, and one week from today we will have an empty campus.  Don't get me wrong, I love my residents and students - but everyone is ready for a break.  In the midst of the madness of the end of school, Amber I are moving across campus into a house.  We aren't sure when we are moving, but it will most likely be in the next week.  The time crunch and unknowns are forcing me to go with the flow.

I am not great at going with the flow.  Those of you who know me won't find that in the least bit surprising.  Lately I have been trying to be better at that.  It's been working in some ways, but I can only take so much.  I like plans, and lists and knowing what's going on. So the fact that I need to oversee a campus move out, and move out myself has become a source of stress for me.  Stressed-out Kate has been the norm for the past few weeks, and I am over it.    

Today as I was cleaning/packing I found buried on my night stand, "I Want to Live These Days With You" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  I am sure the book on it's own is a great read, but I have a particularly nice copy.  My version is co-authored by Bud Anderson, my grandfather.  I used to refer to him as Grandpa, but when the great grandkids came he turned into Pa.  He used the book as a daily devotional and wrote notes to me everyday.  Wisdom from Bonfhoeffer and Anderson is a pretty great thing, and today it was especially timely.

The first page I thumbed to was June 1.  Pa's note reads, "Are you ready for some good news? Today's underlying theme is why worry.  All that's needed to trust the outcome of life is believe in only one thing. Why worry?"

The second page was January 3, "My underlined thought yesterday, about the future, was not written because I'm nearly 79.  I never had a thought as a young man to "live your dream."  After 21 years of age and nearly 3/4 of that time in school, I was more than ready for a different track.  Uncle Sam took over the next four years and into places unknown, there I went. You were in my future Kate, how could I ever have dreamed that - or Mary, Korea, American Airlines, twins and three sons, and especially Northside Christian Church for these last 49 years.  So hang on to your hat Kate, the ride and road ahead  is God's path for you. If you surrender."

I know that move out and packing/moving is not a huge ordeal - and everything will get done.  I just have to hold on and power through, and in the meantime think of Pa.