Ponderings

During the last presidential convention season the Republicans had a field day with Senator John Kerry’s fluctuating vote patterns. “Flip-flop, flip-flop,” the crowd shouted as they waved colorful rubber sandals in the air. “Flip-flop!” While one had to admire the creativity of the gesture, I have to admit that such disdain for fluctuation makes me a bit nervous. Modifications, transitions, and shifting directions are standard operating procedure in my life.

This morning I had my jacket on and my keys in my hand when the phone rang. I had a plan for the day. Tasks and appointments were planned for the morning and into the early afternoon, and then I had some wide-open time to work on my sermon and write this little ‘pondering’. Life, however, is rarely what we plan.

The call was a 963- call, and I have learned that those are from the school. Winnie had gone to school feeling pretty punky, so I assumed that she needed a ride home. That would be relatively quick I reasoned as I picked up the phone. As I answered, though, I found myself talking to the school nurse from Micah’s school. In a professionally calm voice Linda quickly explained that Micah was ok and calm and cleaned up (by now I am panicking about what was still unsaid!) but, she continued, he was in need of stitches. The cut, a gym class casualty, was on his face and “pretty deep”.

At least I was already headed towards the car, that part was easy. Call Gary (dad) to let him know, call Terri (at the office) and beg her help canceling appointments, call the pediatrician to see if a referral is necessary. Cell phones are an incredible asset. Finishing calls as I arrived, I found my son with a weak smile and a big bandage. Very quickly, we were on to the hospital where we spent the remainder of the morning.

The abiding lesson of parenting is that plans are inevitably indefinite. Just as rules are made to be broken, plans are made to change. Of course, this same lesson seems to apply in all areas of life. The Buddhists call it “impermanence”, the spiritual truth that change is unavoidable. Though the unanticipated turns of life can often be very painful, sometimes the flux of life can even be a word of good news. Remember the hope you feel when, in the midst of a dark valley, you hear again the ancient proverb, “This too shall pass”.

Today was minor inconvenience flip-flop. With a cell phone in one hand and a Blue-Cross Blue-Shield card in the other, my trip to the hospital was a brief (well, 3 hour) and blessedly merciful (at least from my perspective) reality check. I have to confess that I appreciate the ability to follow the curves in the road and find some virtue in flexibility. The colorful flip-flops were cute, but I am beginning to think that the ability to flip and flop are incredible assets in life. The person not able to flop when life throws a flip is the one to beware.